Biology
Exploring "Why" questions about Biology
483 articles
Why are dominant genetic diseases more rare than recessive diseases?
Imagine you have a bunch of cats, the cats can be green, purple, or any other color. Green and purple cats can be easily eaten by predators but other colored cats are not seen. Purple is a recessive t
why do people generally seem to dislike Piers Morgan?
If by "people" you mean "Americans," it's because he has a very stereotypical superiority complex. ELI5 for real this time: It's because he's a big know-it-all and likes to pretend everyone else is st
Why there is such a variance in the human phenotype, as compared to other species?
the same reason asian people tend to look the same to a white person. they're so different from us that we overlook the subtle differences that are in fact obvious to someone or some animal of the sam
Why do computers, as they get older, slow down even if there are no viruses/spyware on them?
As time goes on, software is written to take advantage of the fact that newer computers have more processing power. That is, computers get faster, so software adds more features because they're now fe
Why do teeth need to have sensory functions? What evolutionary purpose does that ability have?
If you bite a metal bar you can tell it's too tough to chew. Without nerves you wouldn't be able to tell and would end up breaking your teeth
Why do people say that the older generations “screwed over” the current generation of 20 year olds?
Because they are going to receive social security, created an economic fiasco with the babyboomers, and ruined the economy. We get a broken economy and debt.
Why is there a flu “season”? Also, do other viruses and bacteria have time frames during which they are more active?
It's cold outside. Everyone goes inside to be warmer, and to avoid hypothermia. Now you have many people concentrated in a small area.
Why so many species have tails and humans are one of the few that don’t
We do. Well, kind of. A human embryo has a tail.
Why do certain bacterial infections (skin infections, strep throat, etc) resolve on their own while others (curable STDs for example) tend to persist for life unless treated with a course of antibi…
It’s pretty much all down to the methods that they use to evade the immune system and their relative effectiveness. Some bacteria hide inside your own cells. Some bacteria find a little pocket where t
Why can’t we clone endangered species to rejuvenate their population?
As /u/FixBayonetsLads said, it wouldn't produce diversity. Lack of diversity means the population would die out much more easily. There's also more risk for genetic mutation, i.e., Dolly the Sheep (li