Is a spider a bug? Is a tarantula a spider? Is a whale a fish? All of these could reasonably be answered either “yes” or “no” depending on how these categories are understood. Is there a correct way to categorize living things? The taxonomic hierarchy Why categorize at all? Humans, or our ancestors, identified similarities…
Tag: biology
Why it’s difficult to understand the brain
I’ve recently been working on a programming project, and one of my considerations during development has been coupling. Like many programming concepts, coupling is an analogy to real-world systems, although I’m not sure it’s supposed to reference any specific thing. The term is used in various science and engineering domains where it refers to two…
Video share: Evolutionary Biologist Reacts to Creationist Arguments
This is no ordinary debunk of creationism. Clint of Clint’s Reptiles is extremely generous to creationists and attempts to address their best arguments. He even rephrases each creationist point to make sure he’s understanding it correctly.
Don’t be a ruminant
The suborder Ruminantia includes nearly 200 extant species in six families (Tragulidae, Giraffidae, Antilocapridae, Moschidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae), and is the most important group of large terrestrial herbivorous mammals. Hernández Fernández and Vrba 2005, p. 270 Ruminants are a cosmopolitan group of even-toed ungulates (artiodactyls). They are often distinguished from other large herbivorous mammals by…
It’s what plants crave
What are electrolytes and how do they work? And do plants crave them? Let’s start with… Ions An ion is an electrically charged particle, often an atom with a “missing” or “extra” electron. Molecules can be held together by ionic bonds in which oppositely charged atoms are attracted to each other by electrostatic forces. A…
The geometry of body plans
Let’s talk about evolution. All living organisms require a way to acquire and metabolize food, a way to respirate, and a way to reproduce. Many single-cell organisms like bacteria can eat by engulfing food within their cell, a process called phagocytosis. Algae and plants are autotrophic, meaning they produce their own food. Some simple animals,…
An analysis of biological arguments against transgenderism
One of the principal types of arguments against LGBTQ+ rights is the appeal to biology. Specifically, these arguments say that humans are divided into two biological sexes and the sexes are inherently different in ways we can understand scientifically, gender corresponds exactly to biological sex, humans evolved to engage in monogamous heterosexual relationships, and so…
thoughts on mind 