Biology
Exploring "Why" questions about Biology
483 articles
Why is it a big deal that General Petraeus was having an affair?
On one level the affair isn't a big deal, I mean hundreds of political figures have had/are having affairs, but the woman he was having the affair with, who was also his biographer, had access to his
Why is it generally harder to sleep when “trying”?
You're right in saying that overthinking and anxiety interfere with falling asleep. When you "try" to sleep, are you also worrying in the back of your mind that it won't work or that it will be harder
Why do animals feed other animals of a different species?
The duck in that gif is probably not feeding the fish on purpose. But it's a good question. It's not uncommon to see animals of different species interacting as if they were the same species.
Why does grunting, groaning or generally making little noises when you are in pain help the pain level go down?
your brain can only take a certain amount of input, and can only focus on so much at a time. By vocalizing, you're focusing your brainpower on an output and a feeling other than the massive pain input
Why did evolution make blue whales so massive?
WHILE KRILL ARE SMALL THEY APPEAR IN DENSE CLOUDS. BLUE WHALES LARGE SIZE ALLOWS THEM TO SUCK IN HUGE AMOUNTS OF KRILL AT A TIME AND MAKES THEM HIGHLY EFFICIENT EATERS, DESPITE THEIR GIGANTIC SIZE COM
Why do we classify animals in species, but humans in ‘races’?
Because the definition of a species is "can't mate with an other species". Human races can mix alltogether, hence they aren't species.
Why did a geographical divide occur in the USA for the generic term of a soft drink (Pop vs Soda)?
Firstly, as others have said: Pop: The Midwest Soda: The East Coast/Northeast Coke: The South My understanding is that the West has pockets of Soda and Pop depending on where you are. Which might be a
Why do we accept that all the world’s diverse species have a common ancestor while human beings are considered to be too complex for having only one paternal and maternal ancestors?
> while human beings are considered to be too complex That has been debunked and is only believed by people who either don't understand evolution or refuse to accept that evolution is a fact.
Why do certain institutions get access to IPO shares ahead of the public and be allowed to make an instant 30% profit (in the case of Alibaba) before the shares are even available to all institutio…
The company's underwriter can offer shares to whomever they want. Just because it's a initial *public* offering doesn't mean that the public can get a crack at them direct from the underwriter. The pr
Why can’t I just eat gummy vitamins, protein supplements, iron supplements, etc. and survive?
Apart from the supplements lacking many vital components that are found in actual food, the rate at which you absorb the vitamins and the rate at which the actual solids pass through your body do not