Questions tagged [biology]
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.
7
votes
1answer
5k views
Do saliva glands emit urine?
I've heard from "fun fact" sources that there is urine in human saliva:
When you urinate, a small amount of the urine enters your mouth through the saliva glands. But that’s okay – fresh urine is ...
12
votes
1answer
538 views
Is it possible to survive longer without drinking water by eating ants?
A man was recently lost in the Outback and survived for six days in hot conditions without any water. Many news reports are claiming that he survived this long without water because he ate ants.
...
8
votes
2answers
3k views
Can a single sperm travel alone to an egg and fertilize it?
WebMD writes in its Sperm FAQ:
It takes just one sperm to fertilize an egg and achieve a pregnancy, but for each sperm that reaches and fertilizes an egg, there are millions that don't.
Parenting....
2
votes
1answer
236 views
Can microbes live on surfaces with less than 10% humidity?
I've seen it claimed that bacteria or viruses can't live on surfaces when the humidity is less than 10%. But I can't find any credible source for this. The earliest source I can find is Popular ...
3
votes
0answers
4k views
What is 'Dharan(Navel Displacement)' in Scientific terms? [closed]
In India 'Dharan' is supposed to be a kind of sprain which causes the Navel to get displaced. But as far as I know in modern science there is nothing like navel displacement.
What actually Dharan is, ...
1
vote
0answers
1k views
Is the Pintubi-1 skull representative of a modern Aboriginal?
The following image shows two skulls - the one on the left is known as Pintubi-1. The one on the right is a modern Caucasian.
It is claimed by many people and sites to be representative of the modern ...
24
votes
4answers
2k views
Do hand dryers in public bathrooms spread bacteria?
A hand drier is a warm and humid environment that is surrounded by bacteria from all the bathroom users. It is claimed that this is one of the main causes for spreading bacteria/microbes (NCBI ref)
...
6
votes
1answer
631 views
Are GMOs dangerous to the environment?
I have finally understood that GMOs are not dangerous to humans (or there is no evidence on that case) but I still don't know if GMOs are safe to the environment, because I have read that pesticides ...
26
votes
1answer
2k views
Did people long ago used to drink beer because water was dirty?
I've heard this dozens of times before. But from what I know beer doesn't have enough water in it to counteract the diuretic effects of its alcohol content, making this impossible. Which is true?
63
votes
2answers
25k views
Does dyeing elephant tusks help discourage poachers?
Recently, I've often seen this image claiming that some people are dying elephant tusks to prevent individuals from hunting them.
Has this actually been done? Is it common?
Initially, this seemed a ...
4
votes
1answer
5k views
Is there a subgroup of Asians that have slanting vaginas?
I had heard somewhere that some women have horizontal vagina. I didn't think it was true.
So I asked my biology teacher, "I've heard some women have horizontal vagina. Is it true?"
He replied, "Yes,...
5
votes
1answer
554 views
Did Nylon eating bacteria come about due to an increase in genetic information?
I found this video by a creationist who claims that the nylon eating ability of bacteria was not the result of an increase in genetic information. Does he actually have a point or is he wrong?
https:/...
16
votes
1answer
1k views
Is the Earth experiencing another mass extinction event?
I have heard that Earth is experiencing another mass extinction event, with many species going extinct at a rate comparable to Earth's many other past extinction events.
This has been reported in ...
106
votes
1answer
8k views
Is eating rice harmful to birds?
There is an old custom to throw rice at the wedding couple when they leave the church after the ceremony. But now I have heard from several people that you should not throw rice because birds will eat ...
3
votes
0answers
3k views
Did cats evolve meowing in order to manipulate humans? [closed]
My girlfriend told me last night that cats evolved meowing specifically in order to mimic the sound of a baby's crying to get us to feed them and so forth. Considering the meme of throwing shoes at ...
47
votes
1answer
8k views
During pregnancy, do babies send stem cells to their mothers to repair organ damage?
This picture is floating around the facebooks with no attribution to an original source (not even a source of the image):
The image says:
During pregnancy, if a mother suffers organ damage, the ...
8
votes
1answer
428 views
Do commercial DNA synthesis labs maintain a “watch list” of dangerous DNA sequences?
This New York Times article claims that
Their DNA could be put on a watch list, as sequences for anthrax and smallpox are, so any attempt to buy them from DNA supply houses would raise flags. ...
2
votes
1answer
350 views
Can we tell our origin based on foot phenotype? [duplicate]
This suggest that someone from european lineages, can tell its origin from the shape of its feet. Does it really work?
7
votes
1answer
6k views
Can vinegar and essential oils repel ticks?
I just saw this facebook post claiming that vinegar and essential oils can repel ticks.
In a spray bottle, mix 2 cups of distilled white vinegar and 1 cup of water. To make a scented solution so ...
41
votes
1answer
6k views
Does a human on a bicycle travel more efficiently than any other species?
Steve Jobs claimed on video that a bicycling human is more efficient at locomotion than any other species can manage. He repeated it separately on video, and in writing. The quote is still oft ...
4
votes
0answers
153 views
Could the 2001 anthrax letter attacks been connected to the disclosure of Project Jefferson? [closed]
Project Jefferson was designed to reproduce a strain of genetically-modified anthrax isolated by Russian scientists during the 1990s. It was disclosed (together with Project Bacchus, Project Clear ...
19
votes
1answer
2k views
Did scientists in UK find a sphere that is of extraterrestrial origin which contains alien biota?
Is there an independent verification of the claims made by University of Buckingham researchers?
From http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/554074/Alien-seed-sent-Earth-aliens-Scientists-baffled:
...
3
votes
0answers
140 views
Is there any correlation between temperature and illness? [closed]
How many times did you hear your mother tell you, "Put on a jacket or you're going to catch a cold!" or "Come in out of the rain before you catch cold!"
It's also a fairly common trope in Jane Austen-...
18
votes
1answer
2k views
Does drinking coffee, or any other activity, help sober a person?
This article claims that:
Also, despite popular belief, "Only time will sober a person up. Drinking strong coffee, exercising or taking a cold shower will not help." So, if you're buzzing but think ...
10
votes
1answer
862 views
Do individual heart cells “beat” when isolated?
In his book The Third Ear, author Chris Lonsdale makes the following claim in chapter 14:
Some years ago, scientists did a very interesting experiment. They placed a single, live, heart cell into a ...
23
votes
3answers
7k views
Can thunderstorms curdle milk?
When I was 13, my sister and I spent the summer on a dairy farm. We worked in the creamery, where (twice a day) we bottled fresh raw milk, as well as cleaned all the equipment. It was really a fun ...
14
votes
2answers
1k views
Are vaccine antibodies different than natural antibodies?
An article at mercola.com entitled Outspoken Vaccine Advocate States Measles Vaccine Can't Prevent Measles Outbreaks makes the claim that (emphasis added):
Because vaccine antibodies are different ...
7
votes
0answers
336 views
Does “power posing” affect testosterone and cortisol levels?
Social psychologist Amy Cuddy gave a TED talk in which she claims that adopting certain postures:
can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain.
Business Insider Australia summarised it ...
0
votes
1answer
370 views
Is a human on a bike more efficient than a fish in water? [closed]
Long ago, an enthusiastic cyclist claimed to me that a human on a bike was more efficient than a fish in water. Is this true?
I would guess that the relevant measure of efficiency would be something ...
10
votes
2answers
2k views
Did Saint Charbel Makhluf's body remain intact for 50 years?
Saint Charbel Makhluf, O.L.M. (or Sharbel Maklouf),[1] (Arabic: مار
شربل, May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898) was a Maronite monk and priest
from Lebanon. During his life he obtained a wide ...
12
votes
1answer
5k views
Is being able to talk evidence that you can breathe?
In discussions and articles about the death of Eric Garner I encountered several people denying that he was actually choked and couldn't breathe. The essence of that argument most often was that "if ...
1
vote
0answers
134 views
CPH4 is exist or not [duplicate]
what if our brain really works at more than 50%.In Lucy movie they were telling about the drug name CPH4 or they tell that it will produce at the time of pregnancy when women is at 5 or 6 months.Is ...
21
votes
3answers
6k views
Has carbon dating indicated that live humans are 4000 years old?
A friend of mine told my wife that carbon dating is unreliable because it has been performed on live humans and indicated that the test subject(s) are 4000 years old.
Is there any truth to this claim?...
111
votes
3answers
25k views
Is this picture showing an eagle flying upside-down genuine?
I found this picture on Facebook:
It definitely doesn't come from a particularly credible source (I F***ing Love Science), but I'm curious if that picture is genuine.
My mother claims that the legs,...
4
votes
2answers
385 views
Is it almost impossible to find animals that are not contaminated by chemicals?
From Chapter 3 of Rachel Carson's seminal book, Silent Spring (1962):
FOR THE FIRST TIME in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from ...
2
votes
1answer
333 views
Life (i.e. cells) originated from clay
It's 'revealed' in many religious scriptures that man was created from clay:
Life from clay
Creation from clay
There is an interesting article in New Scientist titled, Clay's matchmaking could have ...
4
votes
1answer
471 views
Do humans normally pass gas 6 to 21 times per day?
10 Fascinating Facts About Farting
People Pass Gas About 14 Times Per Day
Fart, Burp, and Embrace Gas!
Catapulting gaseous elements out of your orifices 13 to 21 times a day is average. Farting ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
Do mice sneeze?
I heard a story on NPR today about how new safety concerns affected one scientist's research on corona viruses. The fear is that scientists may make viruses more contagious and therefore dangerous to ...
1
vote
0answers
157 views
Is there a cancer avoidance diet that is backed up scientifically? [closed]
Is there an agreement in the scientific community upon a diet (eating program) that can avoid or drastically reduce risk of cancer?
The information out there is very vague and sometimes contradictory. ...
23
votes
1answer
2k views
Do specific exercises target specific fat deposits?
It is common to see marketing for exercise routines that claim to target fat deposits in a particular part of the body. Examples:
9 Moves to Beat Belly Fat for Good
8 moves to melt off that pesky ...
14
votes
1answer
1k views
Did the US Government invent ebola to test bioweapons in Africa?
It has been going around that the US government was responsible for creating Ebola in order to test their Bioweapons as stated by CBS news:
The largest newspaper in Liberia published a conspiracy ...
5
votes
0answers
3k views
Do babies dream in the womb? [closed]
There are various sources that say that fetuses have rapid eye movement in the womb and they might be dreaming during REM sleep.
Scientists who follow the fetus's daily life find that it spends ...
9
votes
1answer
2k views
Do women blink more than men?
OMGfacts : Blinking is a reflex that is started by a sudden noise. Studies show that women react more quickly then [sic] men to these sudden noises, and blink both twice as hard and often as men.
...
15
votes
0answers
13k views
Is rice water a good fertilizer?
When rice is washed, the wash water becomes whitish due to the starchy powder in the skin of unwashed rice. I've often heard or read, usually in water-saving, money-saving, or gardening tips, that the ...
18
votes
1answer
42k views
Do trees die of cursing in Solomon Islands?
From http://wingedwizard.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/solomon-island-tree-curse/
According to some reports in the Solomon Islands of the pacific the islanders practice a special form of curse ...
4
votes
1answer
451 views
Does “Garbage Enzyme cleaner” contain enzymes?
There are many recipes which call for using fruit peel anaerobic fermentation process to make a concentrated enzyme cleaner solution. So the question arises that does this recipe really have those ...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
Is it very difficult to kill a whale at sea humanely?
It is said that it is difficult to kill a whale (at sea) in a humane way:
Experience has shown that it is very difficult to kill a whale at sea humanely; that is, by causing minimum pain or ...
42
votes
1answer
20k views
Do mosquitoes urinate on you when they bite you?
This is a claim that I have seen on several "Did You Know?" lists so far. They all state that when a mosquito bites you, they also urinate on you at the same time and that is what causes the area ...
3
votes
1answer
997 views
Did scientists warn of the possibility of a zombie apocalypse?
A image posted by 8fact:
This pictured grabbed 11,085 shares and 34,942 likes so far on Facebook. I find it hard to believe.
3
votes
0answers
476 views
Is sleeping with your head pointed north dangerous? [duplicate]
According to the top-voted answer of this question:
When we sleep in this position, iron from the whole body starts to congregate in our brain which can cause headache, Alzheimer’s Disease, ...
