Life Cycle, Processes & Properties, WHA-ZEL
None of us are born looking exactly the way that we do today; this is because humans, like other species, undergo a series of changes as they mature and age, in accordance with their biological life cycle. This process can look very different across different species. In many simple organisms and in higher animals, the life cycle is completed within a single generation, while in most plants, the life cycle is multigenerational.
Life Cycle, Processes & Properties Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Turtles have a diverse diet that varies significantly depending on their species and habitat. Many turtles are......
Whales have a diverse diet that varies significantly between species, primarily depending on whether they are baleen......
Photosynthesis produces sugar, with oxygen gas as a by-product. The process of photosynthesis is commonly written......
Although snakes are predators, they are also themselves eaten by other creatures, making them secondary consumers......
Your parents may have warned you not to swallow your chewing gum because it would remain in your stomach for seven......
This article was originally published May 15, 2020, and updated October 15, 2020. When a global outbreak of disease......
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused various scientific terms to become a part of everyday vocabulary, among them the......
Influenza and the coronavirus disease COVID-19 appear to be very similar. After all, both are respiratory diseases,......
“It was the summer of 1880. It was August. It stank to high heaven. The sewers had been uncorked, and all the filth......
On February 25, 2020, a top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decided it was time to level......
Psychopath and sociopath are often used interchangeably in common speech to describe a person who is pathologically......
In the 1980s, a condition called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, known more widely as AIDS, began to show itself......
When people talk about dangerous snakes like black mambas and cobras, at least one person in the conversation will......
This article was originally published on March 19, 2020. The last major global outbreak of disease before the COVID-19......
Strictly speaking, humans are the smartest animals on Earth—at least according to human standards. We are adept......
whiplash, injury to the cervical spine and its soft tissues caused by forceful flexion or extension of the neck,......
white nose syndrome, disease affecting hibernating bats in North America that is caused by the growth of a white......
This article was originally published on March 18, 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for......
whooping cough, acute, highly communicable respiratory disease characterized in its typical form by paroxysms of......
Bees are crucial to our world for several reasons, primarily due to their role as pollinators. The approximately......
The name Boxer is derived from the dog’s unique behavior during play and combat, which is reminiscent of a human......
Dogs are loyal due to their evolutionary history, domestication process, and the strong bonds they form with humans.......
An elephant’s large ears serve several purposes. Thermoregulation—an organism’s maintenance of its own body temperature......
Fish can have high levels of mercury in their tissues owing to bioaccumulation, in which mercury that is released......
Mosquitoes that feed on human blood are attracted to certain people more than others due to a combination of factors......
Coulrophobia is no laughing matter. This irrational fear of clowns can cause panic and nausea. Although it’s a......
People are often afraid of snakes because of a combination of factors—ranging from the fear of venomous bites to......
People are often afraid of spiders, unsettled by the animals’ many legs and eyes, their sometimes rapid and unpredictable......
Plants are green because of a pigment found in the chloroplasts of plant cells called chlorophyll. It plays a crucial......
Polar bear fur is actually colorless but appears white because of the way it interacts with light. Each hair shaft......
Most reptiles are cold-blooded (ectothermic) because they rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature.......
Robin eggs are blue due to a fascinating evolutionary adaptation that may help protect them from sun exposure.......
Sharks are coming closer to shore primarily because of a combination of environmental factors, human activities,......
“Sloth” is considered one of the seven deadly sins because, according to Catholic tradition, it hinders spiritual......
Different blood groups are the result of genetic variations that determine the presence or absence of specific......
The slow pace at which turtles move through life is primarily due to their unique anatomy and evolutionary adaptations.......
At some point in your life you’ve probably been tickled—repeatedly touched in a way that induced smiling, laughter,......
All apes, except for orangutans, live in groups. This arrangement gives them advantages when it comes to raising......
Bats sleep upside down because their anatomy and physiology are adapted for this position. Their legs are slender......
Beavers are quite the clever architects when it comes to safeguarding their homes. They build dams to raise the......
Birds chirp at night for various reasons, primarily to communicate, mark territory, attract mates, warn other birds......
Cats blink slowly as a form of nonverbal communication, often interpreted as a sign of trust and affection toward......
Cats have slit pupils primarily to enhance their ability to see in varying light conditions. They are crepuscular......
Cats have whiskers primarily for tactile sensing, which is crucial for their survival and daily activities. Whiskers,......
The aromatic leaves of the catnip (Nepeta cataria), a herb of the mint family, are known to be particularly exciting......
While purring is often associated with a cat’s contentment, such as when they are being petted or snuggled up in......
Male crickets chirp primarily to attract mates and establish territory. Their musical chirping sounds are produced......
Dogs have wet noses mainly to enhance their sense of smell. The moisture on the nose traps scent particles in the......
Dogs are naturally inclined to like bones due to their evolutionary history and biological needs. Dogs have evolved......
Dogs enjoy playing fetch because of a combination of instinctual behaviors, physical exercise needs, and the joy......
Dogs wag their tails primarily as a form of communication, allowing them to express a range of emotions. Tail wagging......
Chest beating is a powerful tool in the gorilla’s communication arsenal. Both males and females engage in this......
Horses roll for a variety of reasons, each serving a distinct purpose in their daily lives and well-being. One......
Some consider this a trick question. That’s because horses actually doze while on their feet and lie down for REM......
Eyebrows are like the unsung heroes of the face, quietly doing their job of protecting the eyes from the glare......
Green leaves get their color from the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll. When deciduous leaves are preparing to......
In many places around the world, autumn is marked by the slow, beautiful change of green foliage to vibrant reds,......
In temperate regions of the world, autumn is marked by the brightly colored foliage that slowly drops from trees......
Lions roar to proclaim their territory and to assert dominance. This vocalization is particularly important for......
Llamas spit for a number of reasons. When a llama feels threatened, it might spit to protect itself or to maintain......
Summer is a great season for being outdoors, except when the bugs come out and start to bite. Among the peskiest......
The eerie hooting of an owl, sometimes linked to the supernatural by humans, serves a number of purposes in the......
Parrots talk primarily because of their advanced vocal learning abilities, which allow them to mimic sounds, including......
You leave for work in the morning and your plant looks perfectly happy, but by the time you come home, it’s sad......
Salmon are biologically programmed to die after spawning, a phenomenon known as semelparity. This is a reproductive......
Although a larger size normally indicates greater longevity among most mammals, dogs tend to follow a different......
As snakes grow, their skin does not grow with them. Instead, they periodically shed their outer layer of skin to......
The practice of sexual cannibalism may sound like a horrific piece of fiction, but in fact this occurs in the behavioral......
Certain animals hibernate because food supplies become scarce during the winter months. By going into a long deep......
Turtles are known for their long lifespans, with some species such as the Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)......
Aging is a complex process influenced by a combination of various factors, including genetics, our environment,......
Sticky, gooey, oftentimes orange, and homemade within the ears—earwax is considered a gross nuisance that people......
We need to sleep, because it plays an important role in maintaining our overall health and well-being. Sleep helps......
Whale songs serve as a means of communication among individuals and groups. These vocalizations help whales share......
There’s nothing quite so interesting as the social interactions in the wolf pack. Wolves live in packs of about......
There are several theories about why zebras have stripes. Scientists believe that one of the main reasons is camouflage......
Cilantro (aka the leaves of the coriander plant) is a tasty herb to most people. A pleasing combination of flavors......
This article was originally published on July 2, 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when much......
Your voice changes as you become an adult and may change even further as you age. The pitch of a person’s voice......
Grass is green because of the presence of chlorophyll throughout the leaves and stems. Chlorophyll is a pigment......
This article was originally published on March 19, 2020. Knowing the incubation period of an infectious disease—the......
Steen Willadsen is a Danish embryologist who was the first to clone a mammal from embryonic cells in a technique......
Ian Wilmut was a British developmental biologist who was the first to use nuclear transfer of differentiated adult......
Wilson disease, a rare hereditary disorder characterized by abnormal copper transport that results in the accumulation......
Edmund Beecher Wilson was an American biologist known for his researches in embryology and cytology. In 1891 Wilson......
wilt, common symptom of plant disease resulting from water loss in leaves and stems. Affected parts lose their......
witches’-broom, symptom of plant disease that occurs as an abnormal brushlike cluster of dwarfed weak shoots arising......
woolly bear, Caterpillar of a tiger moth. The larva of the Isabella tiger moth (Isia isabella), known as the banded......
workaholism, compulsive desire to work. Workaholism is defined in various ways. In general, however, it is characterized......
wound, a break in the continuity of any bodily tissue due to violence, where violence is understood to encompass......
xanthinuria, rare inherited disorder of purine metabolism that results from a deficiency in the enzyme xanthine......
xenophobia, fear and contempt of strangers or foreigners or of anything designated as foreign, or a conviction......
xeroderma pigmentosum, rare, recessively inherited skin condition in which resistance to sunlight and other radiation......
XYY-trisomy, relatively common human sex chromosome anomaly in which a male has two Y chromosomes rather than one.......
Ryuzo Yanagimachi was a Japanese-born American scientist whose team cloned the second live mammal, a mouse, and......
yaws, contagious disease occurring in moist tropical regions throughout the world. It is caused by a spirochete,......
yellow fever, acute infectious disease, one of the great epidemic diseases of the tropical world, though it sometimes......
yersiniosis, acute gastrointestinal infection caused by the bacterium Yersinia enterocolitica and characterized......
yolk, the nutritive material of an egg, used as food by a developing, embryonic animal. Eggs with relatively little,......
Zellweger syndrome, congenital disorder characterized by complete absence or reduction in the number of peroxisomes......