Category Archives: Biology

Biology all the divisions of natural sciences which examines various processes related to the living world. Biology include anatomy, cell biology, physiology, genetics, biochemistry, evolution and many other subjects.

What is Carbon monoxide poisoning?

Carbon monoxide is one of the most serious air pollutants. It is highly poisonous to humans because of its ability to block the delivery of oxygen to organs and tissues. Carbon monoxide poisoning mostly occurs in winters, when we use coal, wood, and other carbon-based fuel to produce heat in our homes. So in this article, we will learn what is carbon monoxide and why it is poisonous?

What is Carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless and odorless gas. Automobile exhausts and cigarettes are the major sources of CO production. Other sources such as incomplete burning of coal, petrol, firewood, etc. also produce carbon monoxide.

carbon monoxideAutomobiles are a major source of CO.

What is Carbon monoxide poisoning?

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when we breathe an excessive amount of carbon monoxide into our lungs. In the lungs, it mixes with our blood. When too much carbon monoxide gets mixed up with blood, it starts replacing the oxygen present in our red blood cells. This can cause serious damage to our brain, heart and can even cause death.

Why Carbon monoxide is poisonous?

Human blood contains hemoglobin in red blood cells. Hemoglobin is an iron-containing protein that gives a characteristic red color to our blood cells. Iron in hemoglobin binds to oxygen and then carries it around in our bloodstream.

But, when the concentration of carbon monoxide builds up in our blood, it binds to hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin. It does so by binding to iron atoms in hemoglobin. Carboxyhemoglobin is about 300 times more stable than the oxygen-hemoglobin complex. That means once carbon monoxide attaches, it is difficult to release.

In our blood, when the concentration of carboxyhemoglobin reaches about 3-4 percent, the oxygen-transporting capacity of blood is greatly reduced. This oxygen deficiency in our blood can cause headaches, dizziness, nervousness, and vomiting.

Moreover, large exposure to carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness, seizures, cardiovascular disorder, or death. In pregnant women, CO poisoning can induce premature birth.

So, now you know What is Carbon monoxide? And, Why carbon monoxide is poisonous?  So that is all for now, meet you in my next article. Keep Reading, Keep Exploring, and Keep Sharing your Knowledge, and above all BE CURIOUS. 🙂


References:

A Human Hair equals 90,000 DNA strands.

You could fit 90,000 strands of DNA side by side in a single adult human hair. Yup, that’s very much true. DNA strand is a very thin molecule averaging only about two nanometers in width. That is roughly two billionths of a meter.

When you compare the width of DNA with your hair then it is very thin. As given above, DNA double helix is about 2 nanometers wide while the width of average adult human hair is around 180 micrometers. This means that an average human hair roughly equals 90,000 strands of DNA kept side by side. 

width-of-DNA-strand

DNA strand is also a very long molecule. For instance, if we lay out every DNA strand (in a cell) end to end, it would measure around 2 meters. So, it is nearly impossible to pack it inside the nucleus of a cell. But, the incredible thinness of the DNA strand allows it to be very tightly packed.

Also Read: 11 Amazing Facts about DNA You didn’t Know.

So now we know that 90,000 strands of DNA can be packed inside a single human hair. Also, we now know that a DNA strand is not only thin but also very long (i.e. about 2 meters long). 🙂. So that is all for now, meet you in my next article. Keep Reading, Keep Exploring, and Keep Sharing your Knowledge, and above all BE CURIOUS. 🙂

Also Read: How a 2 meters long DNA is fitted into a 2 micrometers Nucleus?


References:

  • DNA Strands | What are DNA Strands? | AncestryDNA® Learning Hub. (2021). Retrieved 10 August 2021,

Evolution of Brain – Where did our brains come from?

Brain in all organisms can be simply defined as a mass of nerve tissue that integrates sensory information and directs motor responses and in higher organisms, it is also the center of learning. The evolution of the brain occurred over a time scale of 3.5 billion years. It transformed from simple nerve conduction through ion channels in single-celled bacteria into a complex human brain made up of billions of cells.  Continue reading Evolution of Brain – Where did our brains come from?

How do lipids maintain the fluidity of the plasma membrane?

The plasma membrane is an outer, thin, semi-permeable membrane that surrounds the cytoplasm and the other constituents of the cell. The Fluid Mosaic model proposed by Singer and Nicholson in 1976, describes the plasma membrane as a structure in which a mosaic of proteins is discontinuously embedded in or attached to a fluid lipid bilayer (membrane).

Continue reading How do lipids maintain the fluidity of the plasma membrane?

What is Soil? How is it formed?

Every day we see small grasses, shrubs, herbs, plants, and trees around us, all this vegetation is growing in soils. We play in the ground covered with soil. The beautiful parks built in your neighborhood are built on the soil. Thus, the soil is an important part of our surrounding environment. It is an important resource that decides the diversity of life in an area. But what is Soil? can you describe it? and have you wonder how it is formed? and what are the various processes involved in soil formationContinue reading What is Soil? How is it formed?

What are different factors that affect the growth of plants?

All the developmental processes occurring in plants involve growth. The growth of plants involves various changes such as the addition of new cells through cell division, an increase in its size and weight, and an irreversible increase in the volume. Therefore, we can define the term growth as a permanent and irreversible change in the size of a cell, organ or whole organism usually accompanied by an increase in its dry weight.  Continue reading What are different factors that affect the growth of plants?

How does a Tadpole change into a Frog?

A freshly hatched tadpole larva has a limbless body divide into an ovoid head, a short trunk, and a slender tail. At this stage, there is no mouth and as a result, it cannot take anything from outside. Most of the nutrition is provided by the yolk material. The exchange of gases takes place in three pairs of highly vascular and feathery external gills. Continue reading How does a Tadpole change into a Frog?

How Enzymes speed up the chemical reactions?​

Enzymes are complex biological molecules which catalyze or greatly speeds up the rate at which a chemical reaction will occur. They are primarily proteins, but some enzymes, called ribozymes, are made of RNA. The key concept behind the speeding up of a chemical reaction by an enzyme is that it reduces the activation energy required for a reaction. In doing so, it speeds up the reaction.  Continue reading How Enzymes speed up the chemical reactions?​

11 Amazing facts about Butterflies.

Nature has created many beautiful masterpieces, but a butterfly is the most beautiful and colorful masterpiece. The vivid colors of butterfly wings are so life like that sometimes people call them “flying flowers”. Do you know, these colorful creatures actually belong to the insect family of the animal kingdom. Here are some amazing facts about butterflies that may surprise you.

Continue reading 11 Amazing facts about Butterflies.

11 Amazing Facts about DNA You didn’t Know.

DNA is the genetic material in all except certain viruses. In Prokaryotic cells, DNA occurs in the cytoplasm and is the only component of the chromosomes. Whereas, in Eukaryotic cells, DNA is largely confined to the nucleus. Do you know, A human DNA contains 3 billion chemical letters. Yes, it is true. There are several other amazing and fun facts about DNA that we don’t know.

Continue reading 11 Amazing Facts about DNA You didn’t Know.