My dad is 71, has been exposed to chicken pox multiple times, and has never contracted the disease.

I am 33. My parents sent me to chicken pox parties as a child. My sister has had the chicken pox. I on the other hand haven't. I've gotten the shot three times now as an adult and I don't show titers.

Do you have to keep getting the varicella vaccine like TDAP? If not why can't I keep immunity?

Honestly I have kids and I got the shot so I wouldn't die of something entirely preventable. But if I can't keep immunity why do i keep adding it to my body?

Furthermore, does this mean my dad and I likely can't get shingles? In theory anyway.

If we have 100 nucleotides mRna, regarding having 25 Adenine in DNA. How many ATP would be required to built that mRNA? Starting from Transcription process. How we can calculate this, any references please! I searched alot

First, I’m a beef cattle farmer from Tennessee. I need to send a DNA sample into the angus association for testing. The test requires a card (I ordered some delivery is two days…Monday) to be used. Blood is to be taken from animal, placed on card, let dry, and mailed in.

Problem, today (Saturday) is my only free chance to work my cattle. Can I just pull a few CC’s from my bull, store in fridge, then fill out the card and put the blood on it when they come on Monday?

TL/DR How long would blood from a bull calf be useable for DNA testing if stored in fridge

Hello,

Thanks for your answers!

Idk if this makes sense when writing it, but it absolutely makes sense in my head 😅 I would love to hear stories tho! 😍

Im a big monster hunter fan, it has monsters which are semi-realistic with ecology. Nargacuga is a giant pitch black wyvern which uses stealth to hunt, but how can an animal this big can be stealthy?

Now my actual question is: is size of prey matter for stealthy predators? If prey is very small compared to the predator will it have the same/smaller/bigger chance of stealthy killing compared to the same predator but smaller?

And if size does matter, if prey will be bigger (only animals, flora such as trees are the same size in this situation) would it balance the predator’s successful hunting chance?

Of course having a thumb helped to make easier to hold things, but I was curious about other biological factors that can help to explain why humans were so successful in spreading themselves, transforming natural resources and making advanced insights that allowed things like philosophy.

What animal do you believe feels the most misery and pain throughout an average lifecycle?

If you look at species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, they all come in a range of colors from red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and any of their shades (added black) and tints (added whites), going as dark as black, and as light as white. However, for mammals, the range of color seems to be limited within the warmer spectrum (red to yellow), and any shade or tint of those hues, going as dark as black and as light as white. What is the evolutionary reason as to why there is a lack of cool colors (green, blue, purple) in mammals?

Hello Biology people,

I have read The Selfish Gene recently, I and have gone mad with the question "What is the evolutionary advantage of ____".

So while I was feeding my sour dough starter, I was thinking about fungi and how they are able to kill bacteria and such. Then I thought about how it was pactuliar that bacteria didn't evolve a similar ability... And then I started thinking about how either didn't evolve such an ability for other parasitic organisms (I googled it and apparently bacteria are not classified at parasites but i don't have a better word to describe it), like viruses.

I think it would be very interesting to read about micro organisms, and the possibly the evolutionary arms race between them if such book even exists.
I tried google'ing it but nothing really showed up, so I thought maybe you guys knew a book that talked about the subject.

Thank you in advance.

i want the book to explain one by one, the evolution of each of the major human organs.

I am in my junior year of college and am a biology major and on the pre-PA tract. I don’t really want to be a PA but whatever gets that money rolling I guess. I developed an interest in molecular biology after taking this molecular biology course and am now obsessed with studying that. I am taking molecular genetics and biochemistry next semester to get into more depth in this subject. My problem is, I don’t know what job pays well enough that involves molecular genetics. Any tips? I also am going to a small liberal arts college with very little funding for research so that’s another thing I’m struggling with.

PS: I’m in eastern US

Hey all, I'm finishing up my first semester as a biology major right now and am looking forward to my next semester of courses. During the break, thought it would be fun to do some independent reading on pretty much any biology topic. I just want to take some time to learn a bit over the break and feel more informed as I move on to my next semester. Any recommendations appreciated. Ideally, a bit on the shorter side as I only have about a month and am not necessarily the fastest reader. Thanks!

I'm starting to work in the lab for my thesis, and I recently had a problem that made me so embarrassed I haven't told anyone yet.

The RNA extraction protocol specifies the sample amount (140 uL), and I finished the extraction of 35 samples following the protocol. The thing is, I recently realized I was using the micropipette incorrectly, so I ended up using a larger amount of sample (around 250 uL) because I didn’t feel the stopper. I'm really worried I might have messed up the extraction.

Can anyone tell me what might happen if I use that RNA for RT-qPCR to detect a virus?

I also wanted to add that I'm planning to process a total of 100-110 samples, so I’ll still have other extractions that are done correctly. Just in case, I want to know if these 35 could still be useful. I'm working with serum samples, and the extraction is done using silica columns. I'm only looking to confirm the presence of the virus through RT-qPCR.

I graduate May 2025 and am absolutely lost in teams of what I want to do with my biology degree. I am very interested in botany and medical lab practices. I wanted to ask those that have been in my shoes what are some things I can do to better my chances of getting into the field and how were they able to utilize their degree to acquire a great job.

I believe that morals and ethics are all illusions that we suppose we care about, but in the end, they are merely biological instincts that have evolved during our social relationships. Social relationships have exerted a strong influence on human evolution, guiding us toward behaviors like caring for others in distress and coexisting peacefully within groups. These behaviors function as evolutionary defense mechanisms, making our social bonds essential for survival, as humans cannot easily thrive in isolation.

In early human societies, exclusion from the group often meant a drastically reduced chance of survival, which likely led natural selection to favor individuals capable of integrating and cooperating. As a result, most people today feel compelled by a sense of 'morality,' but this may simply be a survival strategy internalized over generations. From this perspective, ethical behavior is a tool that serves individual needs under the guise of concern for others.

Consequently, people may act 'ethically' primarily out of self-interest—out of a subconscious fear of being ostracized rather than a genuine moral compass. When someone is certain that their behavior will not lead to social consequences, they might act selfishly if it benefits them, even if it harms others. Ultimately, what we call morality could largely be a byproduct of evolved social instincts designed to preserve our place within a community rather than an intrinsic commitment to ethical principles.

What are your thoughts on this perspective? Do you think morals and ethics are purely evolutionary constructs, or is there more to it?

We say that unicellular organisms like Cyanobacteria and some green algae form colonies and filaments, what exactly does it mean? How is it different from a tissue? Also what is a Biofilm that bacteria like P. aeruginosa form?

Suntan disappearing faster in face than in other body parts

So i have a rather pale complexion and when i get a nice tan on holiday i seem to lose it much faster in my face than my arms/legs for example.

I was wondering what the biological explanation is for this. Does your face regenerate cells quicker?

It goes "A Rho factor is necessary for the termination of eukaryotic transcription. It binds to the terminator pause site to prevent the action of the RNA polymerase." Internet says " In prokaryotes, termination is done by rho factor while in eukaryotes poly A tail is responsible for termination at the third end."

Since frozen water expands freezing usually causes damage on living tissue. Im curious how this works with flower buds, who can survive extended periods of time in cold conditions to bloom in the spring.

im doing a sac on bioethics and i need to find a website/article about euthanasia in *pets and animals* not people, but the it has to be an article talking about why its BAD. but all i can find are websites and studies talking about how its an ethical choice for sick/injured pets etc etc. the only problem is none of the sources ive found ever say that its a bad thing, which is what i specifically need. any help would be great preferably any websites/articles disagreeing with euthanasia in pets and animals

Just as the title has stated I was wondering if you regret going into the biology field of work. I personally regret it but I also made a lot of mistakes in college as well living in a state where biological research isn’t really relevant.

Hello Bat biologist. Quick question. Every night I take my dog on a walk at sunset. We often will see half a dozen bats doing their bat thing. It’s just a county road in southeast Missouri.

Am I overthinking this, or should I consider getting a vaccine just to be safe?

Hello!

I'm not sure whether this is the right place to ask, but a question popped into my mind today -- if a quarry that was flooded would dry up without any human intervention, what would it look like?

Assuming, for example, that some excavation machines were left in the pit, could they have become covered in some residue of life?

I imagine that no remains of algae or such would be present, but could there be anything else?

Cheers!

It would be a two-year Medical Lab Tech. degree. I have a BA with a minor in biology, and I have no research or non-class lab experience. Would the AA likely give me the kind of lab experience that would make me more competitive? I am in the US.