The tutor visits the related terms mitosis and meiosis. Mitosis is, from a simple point of view, cell division: it forms two daughter cells, each identical to the original parent cell. It is the process by which organisms grow and …
The tutor defines insulin response and insulin resistance and explains their connection. Recall: herein, ACV means apple cider vinegar. In yesterday’s post I mentioned my discovery that apple cider vinegar potentially increases the effectiveness of insulin. As carbohydrates are digested, …
Biology: insulin response and insulin resistance Read more »
The tutor continues about the nervous system. A reflex, like kicking out after a tap below the knee-cap or pulling the hand back from a hot stove, is a familiar idea. Most people understand “reflex” to mean “done automatically” or …
The tutor offers a summary of how a nerve impulse propagates. The cells that carry nerve impulses are called neurons. Neurons have long conduits through which the impulses travel. A nerve impulse, as it conducts along a neuron, can be …
The tutor discusses the exponential growth constant with an example. Let’s imagine a population, initially 100, doubles every 25 hours. To a biologist growing a culture, it’s probably an easy situation to consider. Such a growth pattern would likely be …
Heading into another biology conference, the tutor offers a prelude about DNA vs RNA. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid; RNA indicates ribonucleic acid. Not surprisingly, both types of molecules are classified as nucleic acids. What are they used for, and …
The tutor comments on a tree he found back in July. Browsing through my field guide in early summer, I chanced upon the page about the black hawthorn. Years earlier I’d heard about the hawthorn tree and its potential religious …
The tutor brings another finding about the beloved black locust tree. The black locust is a tree I remember from my childhood, back in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley (see my post here). This summer I became aware that black locust …
The tutor shares a find he’s 90 percent certain about. My daily walk takes me by a lot that’s been cleared but remains vacant. Searching such an area, a botany student will often be rewarded, as in this case. A …
Plant identification from a field guide: dune tansy Read more »
The tutor shares another plant he noticed in the neighborhood. On the way in for lunch at a pub with my wife, I pointed to a plant with big orange capsules hanging from it like Christmas ornaments. “I’ve seen those …