Today, we know DNA is where we get our traits. We know we inherit our DNA from our parents, and that our DNA contains genes. We know that we can sequence DNA to learn about what genes we have, as well as the genes of plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, and more. We can even change the DNA of living things to change…
Sexually reproducing animals have their sex determined through many mechanisms. Sex in reptiles such as alligators is determined by egg temperature during incubation. Some species, like the clownfish, can be hermaphroditic, shifting from one gender to another depending on the environmental conditions. However, most…
Up to about 200 years ago, the passenger pigeon was one of the most numerous vertebrate animals on Earth. The species had an estimated 3 to 5 billion individuals at the peak of its existence and had such big flock sizes that they were known to block out the sun. However, this changed during the early 1800s when they…
No living organism can survive in the dead of space, right? The unlikely exception: water bears. Also known by their scientific name, tardigrades, water bears are incredibly resilient microscopic aquatic animals. There are over 1000 species of the animal, and various forms have been found to survive in temperatures and…
Cars are everywhere. They are essential for our day to day lives, but these vehicles are a double-edged-sword. Cars emit exhaust gases, and those gases contain hydrocarbons. These molecules, as their name suggests, contain both carbon and hydrogen atoms. Hydrocarbons from cars result from gas that has not been…
