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“Prophetic circumcision” during sleep – A case of paraphimosis
1. Next to the village school, Alif is playing cricket. He is a young child; he will turn six to seven years old next month. He’s been playing with his friends for quite a while. The evening has come, and now his grandfather is taking him home. After arriving at the house, Alif sits down…
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Botanists Uncover Genetic Basis for Color Evolution in Monkeyflowers
Monkeyflowers are a type of plant that comes in a variety of colors, ranging from yellow to pink to deep red-orange. However, some species of monkeyflowers lost their yellow pigment about 5 million years ago. In a recent study published in the scientific journal Science, researchers from the University of Connecticut explain the genetic changes…
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Is there a gene for the “promiscuous” host range in symbiosis?
Root nodule symbiosis is a mutually beneficial relationship between legume plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia. In this process, the legume plant provides the rhizobia with a place to live and access to energy in the form of sugars, while the rhizobia fix nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form that the…
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Mass in Special Relativity: Is Relativistic Mass Real?
The speed of an object can never be equal to or greater than the speed of light – we all know it more or less. Even having no knowledge of special relativity, it is no longer unknown to curious readers with the help of popular science content. Naturally, many of them wonder why an object’s…
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Why Meselson-Stahl Experiment is Called the Most Beautiful Experiment in Biology
Experiments in biological research can be messy. To begin with, biological systems are inherently highly variable, and you need to have good control. Then there come reagents that are so finicky that they need a super pampered buffer solution. Everything has to be in just condition and then there is the challenge of reproduction. That’s…
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Ignaz Semmelwies: The Pioneer of Hand-wash
Hand-washing is one of the first lines of protection against the transmission of the coronavirus, and it can feel distinctly low-tech. This very simple act of hand-washing has been proven to be a vital step in preventing the spread of germs. Nevertheless, the link between handwashing and disease transmission was uncovered only two centuries ago, which…
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Area 51: An impeccable combination of myth and science
Myth is a common word in our society. What if the myth and science stay together in some cases? Damn, is that even possible? Rumor and science, how can they stand side by side? It reminds me of a mixture of oil and water, which does not mix with the same mix and stays side…
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Gene for Gene vs. Matching Allele (and their variations)
Understanding the host-symbiont relationship has many facets. Often we borrow ideas from host-parasite interaction literature of co-evolution. You can think of host-parasite interaction as a continuous war between two parties where one party is always trying new ways to abuse the ‘host’. On the other hand, the host needs to upgrade itself against those new…
