Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Euphoria Definition Euphoria refers to an affective state characterized by feelings of intense pleasure, happiness, contentment, and excitement. A state of euphoria can be naturally induced (e.g., in response to exercise, social activities, romance/sexual response, and artistic endeavours), chemically induced (e.g., recreational drug use), or the result of a neurological condition (e.g., mania). Types of…

Definition A eukaryotic cell contains membrane-bound organelles such as a nucleus, mitochondria, and an endoplasmic reticulum. Organisms based on the eukaryotic cell include protozoa, fungi, plants, and animals. These organisms are grouped into the biological domain Eukaryota. Eukaryotic cells are larger and more complex than prokaryotic cells found in domains Archaea and Bacteria. Overview A…

Eukaryote Definition Eukaryotes are organisms whose bodies are made up of eukaryotic cells, such as protists, fungi, plants and animals. Eukaryotic cells are cells that contain a nucleus and organelles, and are enclosed by a plasma membrane. Organisms with eukaryotic cells are grouped into the biological domain Eukaryota (also sometimes called Eukarya). The other two…

Euchromatin Definition Euchromatin is a form of chromatin that is lightly packed—as opposed to heterochromatin, which is densely packed. The presence of euchromatin usually reflects that cells are transcriptionally active, i.e. they are actively transcribing DNA to mRNA. Euchromatin is found in the nucleus of eukaryotes and represents more than 90% of the human genome.…

Definition Eubacteria, or “true” bacteria, are single-celled prokaryotic microorganisms that have a range of characteristics and are found in various conditions throughout all parts of the world. All types of bacteria fall under this title, except for archaebacteria. Since eubacteria are so common, this group comprises one of the three domains of life: Bacteria. Overview…

Definition Essential amino acids (EAAs) make up a group of nine amino acids that cannot be produced inside the body (de novo) but must be ingested as dietary protein. The building blocks of proteins, amino acids are bound together to produce polymer chain or folded proteins with a huge array of functions. There are three…

Esophagus Definition The esophagus (a.k.a. oesophagus, food pipe, and gullet) is a long, hollow organ which transports food from the mouth to the digestive system. Typically, the esophagus travels directly from the mouth to the digestive tract. Some animals do not have a specialized stomach region, and the esophagus dumps directly into the intestines. In…

Equilibrium Constant Definition An equilibrium constant, Keq, is a variable that describes a chemical reaction’s tendency to proceed to completion, meaning all the reactants are converted to products. The equilibrium of a reaction is the point at which the conversion of reactants into products equals the conversion of products back into reactants. Equilibrium Constant Overview A large…

Epithelial Tissue Definition Epithelial tissues are thin tissues that cover all the exposed surfaces of the body. They form the external skin, the inner lining of the mouth, digestive tract, secretory glands, the lining of hollow parts of every organ such as the heart, lungs, eyes, ears, the urogenital tract, as well as the ventricular…

Epistasis Definition Epistasis is the interaction between genes that influences a phenotype. Genes can either mask each other so that one is considered “dominant” or they can combine to produce a new trait. It is the conditional relationship between two genes that can determine a single phenotype of some traits. At each locus are two…