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Is Bramble (blackberry bush) carnivorous?

I have come across this video which put forth the hypothesis that bramble actually qualifies as a carnivorous plant. The observations that have led to the hypothesis are: 1. Sheep getting caught frequently in bramble 2. Sheep will die without…
Ahmed Abdullah
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Why do cyanide and arsenic smell like almonds and garlic, respectively?

Why do humans smell arsenic as garlic or cyanide as almonds? Do both smells activate the same receptor? Is there any reason why our brain interprets these smells the same?
murmansk
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What instances are there in which two species share the same binomial name?

Since binomials are required to be unique only within a kingdom, two species can share the same binomial name if they are in different kingdoms. I know of one instance of this, Orestias elegans: this name denotes a species of fish (kingdom Animalia)…
D Mellinger
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In which direction does ATP synthase rotate?

I heard about the rotation of ATP synthase in a biochemistry course. The professor said it will rotate counterclockwise. Is that true? If so, what mechanism defines its direction?
latra
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Can viruses survive super-saturated salt solution?

There is little evidence of biological activity in the Dead Sea (a salt-water lake). In addition, human blood cells do not survive in too much salt water as they shrink and die. So I wondered whether viruses survive in super-saturated salt water. If…
Creepy Creature
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Why does the HPV vaccine not work on already infected people?

With my limited knowledge, I understand that the vaccine works by inserting fake HPV-like material in the body, thus inducing the immune system to build up defenses against it, so when the body is exposed to real HPV on the wild the immune system…
Adaptive Automaton
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How can the number of genes increase through evolution?

I am aware of the basics of evolutionary theory, however I don't understand how mutations can add genes over time. Am I correct in thinking that creatures within the same species who mutate to have an additional gene in their genome would normally…
user24803
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How are neurons / synapses "biased"?

I'm trying to see if I understand this correctly. I've read the question Can the human brain be reduced to a binary system? and one of the answers explains: While action potentials are usually binary, you should note that synaptic communication…
J.Todd
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Squirrel nest construction

I've often wondered how squirrels -- specifically, eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) make their nests. Specifically, I've been curious about how they "weave" everything together to make these so called "dreys" stay together (and stay in…
theforestecologist
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Caterpillar identification: Peru

Could you please help me identify this caterpillar (Amazon rainforest, Peru)? Is it a species of Megalopygidae???
CrocoMath Dundee
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Have any genetically altered organisms actually become abundant in a natural environment?

Most of the things that come up in Google and Google Scholar for this question have a mostly/completely speculative tone, or at best use models instead of measurements. This report describes some actual measurements in pollen transfer to neighboring…
James
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How conscious are mammals that mating leads to pregnancy and offspring?

Does a pregnant female mammal know that its pregnancy is the consequence of a previous mating? Or are humans the only mammals which are conscious of it?
obi77
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Why can't you taste food when you have a cold?

It is a common observation that food is tasteless when we have a cold. Why is that so? What is the cause of inability to taste when we have a cold? Are the nose and ability to taste connected?
Aquarius_Girl
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What is this raptor on a building in California?

So I took this picture of a bird that was sitting just outside my workplace a few weeks ago: At first I searched the internet for raptors in California and found the Cooper's hawk. It looked so much like this bird so I thought that must be it and…
Cave Johnson
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Books on machine learning applications in Biology

I have recently engaged with a collaboration, which requires me to construct, then train an unsupervised artificial neural network (ANN). However, I have only a very coarse understanding of what machine-learning classifiers try to do, and how they…
hello_there_andy
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