Questions about the application of chemistry to interrogate and modify biological systems and processes.
Questions tagged [chemical-biology]
232 questions
5
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3 answers
Chemicals that Decrease fertility
Is there any known substance that can decrease fertility of a male?
Less specifically what about one time chemical castrations (ignoring a perfect sterilization)?
I heard about them before once but wasn't sure really.
William
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4
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Carcinogens, how do they work?
The easiest carcinogenic thing for me to grasp is radiation, as it directly messes with DNA. Then it seems there are other compounds that simply mimic hormones, but these shouldn't necessarily cause cancer, right? Then there are things that can…
user1638
4
votes
1 answer
Solution based measurement of Solvent-Accessible Surface Area of macromolecules
The Solvent-Accessible Surface Area (SASA) is a valuable metric for looking at protein folding and protein-protein interactions. However, this measurement is typically done by calculating the SASA from a solved (and generally static)…
bobthejoe
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Why does solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) always proceed from the C to the N terminus?
Is it just for historical reasons? Because the first person who did it decided to attach the C-terminus to the solid support?
Or are there chemical reasons why it would be impossible to proceed in the opposite direction?
Reto Höhener
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4
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A liquid that forms a surface membrane that prevents evaporation but allows oxygen to pass through
I'm a biologist. I have a water solution with living cells in a tiny well (10 um). I need to keep the solution from evaporating for several days in a warm incubator. I'm looking for a liquid to place on the surface of the solution that will create a…
David Scheinker
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Why do you not need sun protection whe the UV index is 3?
In Australia, they recommend sun protection when the UV index is above 3.
Why is this? Surely whenever it's above 0 there are still UV rays hitting your skin?
Would 10 minutes in the sun with a UV index of 6 be the same as 20 minutes in the sun with…
David Klempfner
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3
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1 answer
Reduction of methylene blue
Why does methylene blue (which is initially blue) reduce to form a colorless solution?
I was told by my teacher that it has to do with the presence of an additional double bond on methylene blue, but I can't figure out or find any source on the…
mathnoob123
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Carbon-based life and helium
Help me please with a question about carbon-based life development. I'm almost sure I know answer, could anybody with more solid knowledge in the area confirm it. Could carbon-based life develop on a planet without helium? Did helium help the…
Kos
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2
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1 answer
Can air conditioning cause urine smell?
On rainy days there is a strong urin smell on trains in Tokyo.
I suspect this smell comes from ammonia.
On Wikipedia I read:
Ammonia and ammonium salts are also found in small quantities in rainwater […] Ammonium salts are found distributed through…
steros
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Chemical detection of cell division
So I have been working on a project for a while, and there is one mechanism that I need a little bit of advice about.
The project is chemical-biology based, so don't be deterred :)
Theoretically, by this point in the experiment:
I put cells (let's…
Equinox
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Why do the field of study "Chemical biology" often return papers that are in general anything disease related?
For example, if one tries to look up research opportunities or browse papers in the field chemical biology, most often return research fields related to biological sensing, drug activity etc. and which the ultimate goal of all these researches are…
Secret
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Are there scales that record weight continuously?
I would like to monitor the weight of something continuously (e.g. once a minute) and access the data easily via a phone app. Is there something like that?
There are numerous options for similar devices if you want to measure ambient temperature…
cape1232
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1
vote
1 answer
in which way calcium promotes cell division
I have read in bio chemistry that calcium plays an important role in the cell division but the in depth information is'nt available in the textbook and I cannot memorize any fact without a supporting fact I just want to know what is its role in the…
agha rehan abbas
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transpiration of trees and the cooling of the air
The change from the liquid state of water to the water vapor requires a large latent heat to loosen the hydrogen bonds. The process of transpiration in the plant involves exactly this change of state. Here, the water evaporates from the lower leaf…
Michaelangelo Meucci
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How is Oxygen Toxic?
We talk about divers using Scuba tanks that contain a only a small concentration of oxygen diluted in a mixture of other gasses such as nitrogen or helium.
From what I've read, this is because breathing pure oxygen, or a concentration that exceeds…
Harry David
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