Found 454 Articles for Biology

Introduction Symmetry describes the harmony or agreement between an organism's dimensions. Since most living species share the form of symmetry they exhibit with their most recent common ancestor, symmetry is employed in the animal kingdom to both classify organisms and identify their common ancestors. Animal Characterization Using Body Symmetry Based on the symmetry of their bodies, animals and plants can be categorized. The term "symmetry" specifically refers to a correspondence of bodily components on either side of a dividing line or dispersed around a central point or axis that are similar in size, shape, and relative location. True animals can ... Read More

Introduction For optimum health, the body must maintain a balance of acidity. Too much acidity or alkalinity in the body can have detrimental effects on health. Acidosis may result from specific health problems, prescription medicines, and dietary choices. While some types of acidosis are treatable, severe acidosis can be lethal if left untreated. What is Acidosis? Acidosis is a condition in which the body's fluids contain an excessive amount of acid. Alkalosis is just the opposite where there is too much base in the body fluids. When the body has too much acid, it attempts to remove it as a ... Read More

Introduction Genetics is the study of the transfer of genetic traits or characters from the parent to their offspring (heredity). Bacteria is often used as a model to study the replication, transcription, translation, genetic code, and genetic variations, including mutations. E.coli is the commonly preferred model organism used because it has a generation time of 6 hours and can generate rapid results in a short period. Gene is a segment of DNA carrying the information for a particular trait. Genetic information transferred from one organism to another organism is called gene transfer. Gene transfer mechanisms involve two types − vertical and horizontal ... Read More

Introduction Did you know besides animals, plants and humans, even bacteria get infected by a virus? These viruses are termed “bacteriophages”, derived from the Greek word “phagein” which means “to prey upon”. Bacteriophages infect the bacteria and grow inside them, as it is well known that viruses need a host to multiply and cannot increase independently without a host. Frederick Twort discovered these obligate intracellular parasites in 1915 and Felix d’Herelle in 1917 independently. They are commonly denoted as “phage”. They are the most abundantly found organisms which could be isolated in any source where bacteria are abundantly found. The ... Read More

Introduction Food is an essential and inevitable part of every living being that provides living beings with nutrients for the proper functioning, life processes, energy, etc. One cannot sustain without food. Therefore, it is essential never to skip meals and consume all food components for optimal health, as most diseases stem from having inappropriate foods or skipping vital food components. Balanced diet It is vital to consume a diet containing all the essential nutrients that the body requires, i.e., carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, called a balanced diet. These nutrients are present in the food we ... Read More

Introduction Movement is essential for every living being, without which a living organism cannot function. Movement varies among different organisms based on its kind and requirements. The human body is composed of 206 bones that give shape to the body, guard the internal organs and enable its movement. Even when the body is resting, it undergoes movements such as breathing, blinking eyes etc. How is the movement possible? It is possible because of the different kinds of joints in the body. Joints A Joint is the point of connection between two or more bones. The joint could be rigid ... Read More

Introduction Plants are autotrophs, i.e., they can prepare their food through photosynthesis. Animals and humans are heterotrophs, i.e., depend on other organisms for their food. Food is vital for all living beings as it provides nutrients and energy to carry out the different life processes. Humans cultivate the land and produce various plant-based food items called crops. The large-scale cultivation of a particular plant is called a crop, for example, grains, vegetables, fruits etc. Types of Crops Our country produces different types of crops depending on its geographical settings and physio-chemical factors. Accordingly, there are two crops − Kharif (grown ... Read More

Introduction A blood pressure test is used to measure the blood pressure level, whether low or high. Two ways to check the blood pressure − Digital blood pressure for automated readings A sphygmomanometer for manual readings. How to measure blood pressure? Blood pressure levels can fluctuate due to various reasons such as stress, physical exertion, and extreme hot or cold temperature. But this fluctuation in the blood pressure level is temporary and normal. Readings taken once don't necessarily mean that the person is having a high BP or low BP level, multiple recordings must be taken ... Read More

Introduction Many of us may have heard the word epidemic disease before. Before knowing about epidemic diseases, let's know the real definition of an epidemic. In this tutorial, we will be discussing epidemic and pandemic diseases. What are Epidemic Diseases? An epidemic disease is a condition in which a disease is widespread for a temporary period of time in a specific geographic area. Epidemic diseases are infectious and can spread very quickly. It spreads to a greater extent when the sources of infection and those likely to be infected are abundant. Factors that can be responsible for an epidemic ... Read More

Introduction Regeneration refers to the process of growth, repair and restoration of damaged tissues and organs and epimorphosis is one of the processes of regeneration in an organism. What is Epimorphosis? Epimorphosis is the process of regeneration of a specific tissue or organ that is achieved through cell proliferation, dedifferentiation and reformation. It can also involve the formation of the blastema. Epimorphosis is a simple development model in which the development occurs at the site of injury of the tissue or organ and not the whole organism. It helps restore the organism's anatomical structure and restores the original polarity that ... Read More