Biology
Exploring "Why" questions about Biology
483 articles
Why are cell phones excluded from directory listings?
I used to work for a phone book publisher. Telephone directories for land lines are a regulatory requirement going back decades. It's part of the tariffs.
Why was the system successful yet the French Revolutionary time was not?
1. The devices for measuring length & weight are relatively simple; you can establish any arbitrary length as the standard. But clocks are complex devices.
Why is the term “midget” considered offensive, while the term “dwarf” (which reminds me of non-human species from fantasy) is not?
Because there isn't a disease called midgetism. There is a disease or disorder called dwarfism. Its a medically used term.
Why did 2nd generation consoles need memory cards, but older consoles (like the N64) didn’t?
With the cartridge-based systems, save data could be stored on the cartridge itself. When the switch to discs was made, systems weren't capable of overwriting the data on the disc, so a new storage sy
Why do video game adaptation movies always end up being huge blockbuster movie failures?
Because the stories in video games do not make for good three act narratives and they are not nearly as compelling as when you are playing them. People who don't play the game don't care about the sto
Why do car radios work in underground parking but cellphones dont?
It's probably a combination of things. * The signal sent to an individual cellphone is probably much weaker than the one broadcasted by a radio station * the wavelength of radio signals is much lower,
why is stem cell research so controversial?
One source of stem cells is aborted fetuses. The anti-abortion people got the idea in their head that *all* stem cells are from fetuses and it stuck.
Why do illnesses always have negative effects? Why is there not a virus out there which enhances some aspect of my life?
Let's look at a different word first: disease. Now, read it like this: Dis-ease. The prefix dis- means "not," while ease can mean "comfort," in the context of being healthy.
Why do cell phone companies sell thing for $.99 for example the Amazon Fire phone recently dropped to $.99 why not make it free?
Because for a business contract to be valid, both parties much give something into the bargain. So usually, one side will be asked to pay $1 for the goods and services rendered. The money is called a
Why do people view the movie ‘Birdman’ as pretentious? What makes movies pretentious in general?
To me, it felt like the movie's main theme was about how it's "so hard being an actor." It felt like a bunch of actors stroking their own egos. Also, it felt like they were saying that actors are abov