Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Definition Aerobic respiration is the process by which organisms use oxygen to turn fuel, such as fats and sugars, into chemical energy. In contrast, anaerobic respiration does not use oxygen. Respiration is used by all cells to turn fuel into energy that can be used to power cellular processes. The product of respiration is a…

renal gland has several metabolic roles in the human body, which it completes by releasing hormones. The two adrenal glands within the body release hormones that help control the metabolism, undergo sexual maturation as we grow, and respond to stress. Overview The stress response is known to us as the primal “fight or flight” response. It…

Definition In chemistry, “adhesion” refers to the tendency of some substances to cling to other substances. The term comes from the root words “ad” for “other” and “hesion” for “to stick to.” Adhesion is usually caused by interactions between the molecules of the two substances. When applied to biology, adhesion is usually in reference to…

Adenosine Triphosphate Definition Adenosine triphosphate, also known as ATP, is a molecule that carries energy within cells. It is the main energy currency of the cell, and it is an end product of the processes of photophosphorylation (adding a phosphate group to a molecule using energy from light), cellular respiration, and fermentation. All living things…

Definition Adaptive radiation refers to the adaptation (via genetic mutation) of an organism which enables it to successfully spread, or radiate, into other environments. Adaptive radiation leads to speciation and is only used to describe living organisms. Adaptive radiation can be opportunistic or forced through changes to natural habitats. Adaptive Radiation Examples Examples of adaptive…

Adaptation Definition An adaptation, or adaptive trait, is a feature produced by DNA or the interaction of the epigenome with the environment. While not all adaptations are totally positive, for an adaptation to persist in a population it must increase fitness or reproductive success. All offspring, whether formed sexually or asexually, inherit their traits from their parents. In asexual reproduction mostly…

Definition Active transport is the process of transferring substances into, out of, and between cells, using energy. In some cases, the movement of substances can be accomplished by passive transport, which uses no energy. However, the cell often needs to transport materials against their concentration gradient. In these cases, active transport is required. Process of…

Definition The active site of an enzyme is the region that binds substrate molecules. This is crucial for the enzyme’s catalytic activity. Enzymes are proteins that drastically increase the speed of chemical reactions by lowering their activation energy. They do this by interacting with chemical reactants – the substrates – in ways that make them…

Active Immunity Definition Active immunity is a resistance to disease through the creation of antibodies by the immune system. As opposed to passive immunity, where antibodies are injected into an organism during pregnancy or they are artificially acquired, active immunity requires a process of training immune cells to recognize and counteract foreign bodies. Active Immunity Overview…

Definition Acetic acid is a mildly corrosive monocarboxylic acid. Otherwise known as ethanoic acid, methanecarboxylic acid, hydrogen acetate or ethylic acid, this organic compound is used in chemical manufacturing, as a food additive, and in petroleum production. The molecular formula of acetic acid is C2H4O2 or CH3COOH, where –COOH defines the presence of the single carboxyl…