Is there a set quota of white blood cells that the human body produces over its lifetime, and if so do routine vaccines (e.g. the flu) tax the immune system enough to significantly shorten the person's lifespan? [more inside]
posted by foulowl on Nov 19, 2009 - 33 answers

Has anyone here used a porter-blum mt2 microtome? What do the adjustments do? [more inside]
posted by 12%juicepulp on Nov 13, 2009 - 3 answers

What is this sensation I'm feeling after getting a root canal? [more inside]
posted by raztaj on Nov 12, 2009 - 4 answers

Help me find a half-remembered anecdote about robotics and computing taking a cue from ant- or bee-like, hive-mind biological processes -- a story about a car factory's paint process organized with just three rules. [more inside]
posted by Cool Papa Bell on Nov 3, 2009 - 2 answers

How can I generate a dotplot of general files? [more inside]
posted by pwnguin on Oct 13, 2009 - 1 answer

What is the most important scientific question of our time? [more inside]
posted by Demogorgon on Oct 12, 2009 - 44 answers

I'm toying with an idea for a short story or maybe a long story or maybe no story, but the idea has led me to a point where I have a question for those of you who have some knowledge about science and biology. Read on, brave adventurer! [more inside]
posted by kbanas on Oct 12, 2009 - 19 answers

Are the benefits of sauna therapy real? Some family members of mine talk about saunas being useful for "getting out heavy metals." Supposedly, the body sweats them out. [more inside]
posted by mdpatrick on Oct 3, 2009 - 11 answers

My college's biological sciences dept has run out of student internship/research positions. The professors have emailed me back, saying that they might have openings in the spring. But I want to do something now. What are my other options? I'm in Los Angeles. [more inside]
posted by Xere on Sep 28, 2009 - 10 answers

Looking for a free resource for articles in biology that contain contingency analysis. [more inside]
posted by steampowered on Sep 27, 2009 - 5 answers

I'm applying for grad school for a PhD in Integrative & Evolutionary (aka Ecology & Evolutionary) Biology. I don't know exactly what I want to study. How specific do I need to get on my application/statement of purpose? [more inside]
posted by Dilemma on Sep 3, 2009 - 15 answers

I want to research somatic disorders (specifically factitious disorder) or, at the very least, work as a psychologist within a medical context, what undergraduate major should I get? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 11, 2009 - 9 answers

Neurologically, what is the difference between being stressed and excited? [more inside]
posted by lunchbox on Aug 2, 2009 - 14 answers

What is this strange organic thing that washed up on the lake shore at my parents house? [more inside]
posted by Paul KC on Jul 30, 2009 - 7 answers

Any recommendations for books giving a general history of any of the natural sciences, with a particular attention to how the great biologists, botanists, and zoologists, etc. approached problems of classification and conceptualization of their phenomena (e.g. like how Linnaeus came up with his taxonomy)? Not looking for great technical detail so much as how these scientists thought and responded to each others' thoughts.
posted by shivohum on Jul 12, 2009 - 17 answers

Can anyone recommend a good book about the evolution of sexual reproduction? [more inside]
posted by shakespeherian on Jul 11, 2009 - 9 answers

I'd like to learn about biology. Can you recommend some books to get me started? [more inside]
posted by SamuelBowman on Jun 30, 2009 - 21 answers

MolecularBiologyFilter: Embarrassingly easy question for any immunologists out there: are Toll-like receptors (or other pathogen recognition receptors) only expressed in professional antigen presenting cells (DCs, macrophages etc), or are they in e.g. epithelial cells too? [more inside]
posted by metaBugs on Jun 24, 2009 - 7 answers

Is there a scientific explanation for rubbernecking beyond "simple curiosity"? Are we predisposed as a species to run towards danger? [more inside]
posted by zarq on Jun 8, 2009 - 13 answers

How can I make a monkey with four asses? [more inside]
posted by ladypants on May 18, 2009 - 7 answers

What have been the significant advances in biology since 1993? [more inside]
posted by Joe Beese on May 15, 2009 - 18 answers

I am a biology student at the University of Utah specializing in animal behavior, and I have a particular interest in cephalopods (squid, octopi, cuttlefish.) Everything I know about them is from reading, and I would love to have the opportunity to observe one in real life, and perhaps even interact with it if that would be possible. Does anyone in the Salt Lake area have a pet octopus or know of one that I might be able to meet?
posted by Cambrian_Sea on May 7, 2009 - 6 answers

Looking for a good source to search for biology, ecology, conservation, zoology, etc, type jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area [more inside]
posted by CTORourke on Apr 6, 2009 - 4 answers

Help me knock the biochem/cell and molecular bio GRE out of the park! [more inside]
posted by palmcorder_yajna on Mar 24, 2009 - 9 answers

I’m trying to remember the name of a set of themed encyclopedias for children from my childhood. [more inside]
posted by studentbaker on Mar 9, 2009 - 11 answers

What are some in the field jobs that involve studying the environment seeking medical advances? A friend asked me the following question, and I looked around and was stumped by it. A couple basic things came to my attention, like tracking the spread of different illnesses in developing countries and passing out vaccines, but I hope I'm missing something. "What branch of biology encompasses the outdoor study of plants, animals, environments, and whatever else in order to find medical advancements? You see in movies people hunting in the amazon for weird plants in order to cure diseases. Is this a real profession? Could I really go to Africa to study a plague because the genetic information found within it could lead to a cure for cancer?"
posted by Tres on Feb 24, 2009 - 11 answers

What is the brain chemistry involved in reading a good book? What areas of the brain are stimulated? What chemicals experience an uptick? Is there a particular combination unique to reading for pleasure? [more inside]
posted by SaharaRose on Feb 17, 2009 - 10 answers

Can somebody help me identify this ancient lab equipment? I'm doing some research and have posted two photos to my flickr account, here and here. (PS, I know what the typewriter is!) Thanks!
posted by soulbarn on Feb 9, 2009 - 13 answers

Is there a name for this kind of leg? Specifically, in mammals or birds? I swear I once read an article discussing typical folkloric drawings of the Devil wherein he was described as having the ________ legs of a goat. Google and Wikipedia have failed me, as have my well-educated friends. I'm starting to wonder if I never actually read the article, and perhaps it was some kind of vivid, reading dream.
posted by johnbaskerville on Feb 4, 2009 - 16 answers

Can anyone help me find a source for otoliths, or the tiny stones found in the inner ear? Preferably mammalian, ideally primate or even human (I imagine that last one may be ethically way to far, no offense intended). [more inside]
posted by buzzv on Feb 3, 2009 - 9 answers

As a senior-level science PhD student, how do I find an academic conference to go to? And how do I know if a conference is going to be suitable, both it for me and vice versa? [more inside]
posted by shelleycat on Nov 26, 2008 - 9 answers

Do beavers move rocks? [more inside]
posted by floam on Sep 21, 2008 - 6 answers

My wife is an anatomy professor and needs help with this question: Most anatomy textbooks say that urination and defecation are controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system (aka "rest and digest system") Then why is it that some lose bladder and bowel control in frightening situations? Isn't the opposing sympathetic "fight or flight" system supposed to in charge?
posted by up in the old hotel on Sep 21, 2008 - 17 answers

Is it possible something awful lives at the bottom of Lake Tahoe? [more inside]
posted by kbanas on Jul 21, 2008 - 19 answers

Want to become a high school biology teacher in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul). The problem seems to be that no school offers this certification. [more inside]
posted by OlderThanTOS on Jul 14, 2008 - 4 answers

I am 36 years old and I want a career change. [more inside]
posted by SoulNoise on Jun 17, 2008 - 7 answers

I am looking for experiments, useful tricks, and fun things to try out, using my biological cycles, chemistry and anatomy. [more inside]
posted by bobobox on Jun 16, 2008 - 11 answers

Do Gopher Snakes truly "imitate" Rattlesnakes or could they somehow be genetically related? [more inside]
posted by vertigo25 on May 17, 2008 - 11 answers

Good way to get 'refreshed' on Biology? I took 1st year BIO 8 years ago. I'm taking the second semester this summer and don't want to be completely lost. What are some good ways (whether online, dvd, book, etc) to get this done? I'll probably go to a Bio 1 class and pick up the syllabus, but would like some suggestions. I'll have about 6 weeks to do the 'refresh'
posted by sandmanwv on May 4, 2008 - 6 answers

How does the caterpillar become the butterfly (why does one part of the chrysalis know to become a leg, and another a wing)? Is it as simple/complicated as the cell division of a human fetus? Does the transformation of this jelly into a butterfly occur from the head down, or all at once? Anyone? [more inside]
posted by omnigut on Apr 28, 2008 - 11 answers

i want something sort of like this, only more to my liking. recommendations, please. [more inside]
posted by gcat on Apr 17, 2008 - 4 answers

I just found out that I have an phone interview for a faculty (assistant professor) position (biology) at a liberal-arts college this Wednesday afternoon. Yay! But I've never actually had a formal interview before. Help! Also, I'm pregnant. Questions and advice requests inside. [more inside]
posted by gaspode on Apr 14, 2008 - 23 answers

I'm going to college soon. (Age 24; been working a desk job in health care since I was 18.) I've got an inkling I want to study biology. Recommend me some books to help me get the lay of the land and get fired up about this. [more inside]
posted by Attackpanda on Apr 4, 2008 - 23 answers

How can I find a summer program where I can provide medical care overseas, without any actual medical training? [more inside]
posted by ackeber on Apr 3, 2008 - 6 answers

How has our understanding of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, etc. changed in the last five years? [more inside]
posted by Orange Pamplemousse on Mar 24, 2008 - 15 answers

How can I get a digital copy of my own DNA? How much will it cost? Is the cost likely to become reasonable any time soon? [more inside]
posted by hoverboards don't work on water on Mar 24, 2008 - 19 answers

Help me find a book about evolution by Kirchner. [more inside]
posted by vilcxjo_BLANKA on Mar 19, 2008 - 4 answers

Name-my-major, Hivemind. So I go to an unusual school in that we don't have clear-cut majors, and we basically pick an area of "focus". I'm actually currently (unofficially) studying my own brain, because it's strangely hampered in certain capacities (like the process of reading music, despite being very musical and understanding cognitively exactly what's going on), or performing basic math (despite endless repetition). It's also weirdly bolstered in other regards: I have an unbelievable propensity for forming the visual "distortions" one might associate with hallucinogens. [more inside]
posted by dmaterialized on Mar 13, 2008 - 14 answers

Apparently, ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny! Which I can only assume means something! [more inside]
posted by tzikeh on Feb 25, 2008 - 16 answers

Scientific History Filter / Native German Speaker Filter. What did Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard's 1985 exclamation, "Das war ja toll!" mean? [more inside]
posted by kisch mokusch on Feb 25, 2008 - 11 answers