Biology Stack Exchange
Biology Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [metabolism]

Metabolism is the set of defined biochemical transformations occurring within the cells of living organisms.

The tag metabolism can be used for questions concerning the biochemical reactions or the sequence of such reactions that are referred to as metabolic pathways. The emphasis of these questions will be on molecular processes. However the tag is also used for questions relating to the physiology of the whole organism, for example the effect of diet on the basal metabolic rate.

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Do any organisms recycle their own waste internally?

I thought of this question yesterday and it turns out it's surprisingly hard to Google.
Izzhov
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What puts a lower bound on the size of warm-blooded animals?

The smallest known vertebrates are frogs that range down to 0.01 grams. I would take that as evidence that at smaller sizes an endoskeleton is more of a liability than an asset. 1-2 grams is a lower limit of what has evolved across all phyla of…
feetwet
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Does anaerobic glycolysis produce lactate or lactic acid?

I am not properly educated in biochemistry so I apologize if my question makes incorrect assumptions or uses bad definitions. I am confused about the seemingly interchangeable usage of "lactate" and "lactic acid" when talking about anaerobic…
purpleladydragons
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How to measure heat loss in Tardigrades

I want to measure metabolism in tardigrades (a jar of 30 tardigrades). I know that an easy way to measure metabolism is heat loss; I can just measure the temperature of the water before and after a certain period of time and take the difference. I…
user1380792
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How to measure metabolic rates of microscopically small animals?

I want to measure metabolism rates in Tardigrades Metabolic rates will be assessed immediately following their exit from cryptobiosis (an animal dormant state). I know that oxygen levels is the usual way to measure metabolism, but tardigrades are…
user1380792
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Why is some scat in the form of little pellets?

The scat I most often encounter when out and about is from coyotes, black bears, deers and rodents. The deer and rodent droppings I find are in little pellets, what is different about their digestive system or their food choices that produces these…
DudeOnRock
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Is anaerobic activity during ketosis possible?

When a person's glucose and glycogen stores are depleted, which can occur due to fasting or due to a diet consisting largely of fat (like eskimo diets), the body produces its energy by breaking down triglycerides into fatty acids. Fatty acids can…
Kenshin
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Why does our body regulate metabolic processes using the thyroid hormone?

People with hypothyroidism do fine when taking medication containing their daily dose of thyroid hormone. This means that the signaling function of the thyroid hormones is, in principle, unnecessary. If a constant signal would do, then there is no…
Count Iblis
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What is the biggest facultative anaerobic metazoan known to science?

Related: What's the biggest obligate anaerobic organism discovered till now? I had always assumed that the Riftia tube worms were obligately anaerobic since they lived next to anoxic volcanic vents, but a quick literature search showed it to be a…
March Ho
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What are the differences between white and brown adipose tissue?

What are the differences between white and brown adipose tissue? Here are some that I have come across: Brown Adipose Tissue White Adipose Tissue Thermogenic Non-thermogenic Multilocular …
Robert Long
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If your body can slow down your metabolism, why doesn't it do that all the time?

I've read that in cases such as in anorexia or a lack of food, the body slows down the metabolism to preserve the little food it does get. If it can do this, though, why doesn't it keep your metabolism slowed, preserving energy? Are there effects to…
米凯乐
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Normal TSH Levels in Hyperthyroxinemia

When it comes to hyperthyroxinemia, how is it possible for TSH to be normal when there is an elevated thyroxine concentration? What I know so far is that it is caused by a mutation in the Human serum albumin (P02768)that carries normally around 10%…
M. Maghawry
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Are there animals that can deliberately manipulate their metabolism, apart from hibernation?

Are there animals that can slow down their metabolism deliberately? I know that hibernation would be one mechanism, and maybe being cold-blooded, but I was wondering if there was maybe an animal that could crank up or slow down metabolism based on…
A Man With Feet
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What is a flux control coefficient?

In metabolic control analysis, a number of coefficients are defined, including the flux control coefficients. How is this coefficient defined and what does it measure?
rhody
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During weight loss, do we inhale more oxygen?

During weight loss, triglycerides which are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, are broken down. During respiration, the inhaled $O_2$ is bonded to a carbon atom to form $CO_2$ which we exhale. However this process happens anyway, even one…
Liam F-A
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