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Black Tapioca: Sweet Pearls of Bubble Tea
Black tapioca is the sweet ingredient of bubble tea or boba, a popular drink originating in Taiwan. Tapioca is from cassava root, a...
Sylvia Rose
Mar 174 min read
8 views


Carbon Dioxide (CO2): the Good & the Bad
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a colorless, odorless gas essential for life on Earth. CO2 is both a natural component of the atmosphere and a...
Sylvia Rose
Mar 84 min read
26 views


Ideonella sakaiensis: Plastic-Eating Bacteria
Ideonella sakaiensis is the first bacterium known to consume plastic, specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Over 300 million...
Sylvia Rose
Mar 85 min read
18 views


Tardigrades (Water Bears): Extreme Survivors
Tardigrades are micro-animals also called water bears or moss piglets, often found in water drops on moss. Known for resilience, they can...
Sylvia Rose
Mar 74 min read
12 views


Food to Energy: Krebs Cycle & Cell Balance
Cellular respiration enables living organisms to turn food into energy. It revolves around the Krebs cycle, also known as the citric acid...
Sylvia Rose
Mar 43 min read
11 views


How to Grow Carrots
Carrots are root vegetables with bright pigments and sweet flavors. Their roots are storage vessels for starch and sugar and peek from...
Sylvia Rose
Mar 42 min read
16 views


Agriculture: Calvin Cycle in Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis enables plants to convert sunlight into energy in the form of glucose molecules to support plants and life on Earth....
Sylvia Rose
Mar 44 min read
21 views


Metalloproteins: Biochemistry of Nature & Health
Metalloproteins are biomolecules containing metal ions. From transporting oxygen and cell signals to catalyzing chemical reactions,...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 283 min read
13 views


Zinc (Zn): Technology, Nature & Health
Zinc (Zn) is a transition metal integral to health, environment and technology. It's forged in the crucible of stars through nuclear...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 285 min read
17 views


Vermicompost: Composting with Worms
Vermicomposting turns organic waste into nutrient rich compost using the natural inclinations of worms like nightcrawlers and red...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 274 min read
14 views


How Salamanders Regenerate Body Parts
Salamanders can regenerate lost body parts like limbs, tail, eyes, heart and brain. Unlike humans, who can heal only minor wounds,...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 273 min read
26 views


Compost: Teeming Metropolis of Life & Death
Compost is a complex network of life, such as insects and generations of unseen microorganisms. In this earthy metropolis they busily...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 263 min read
14 views


Earthworms: Soil Health & Ecosystem Balance
Earthworms are movers and shakers of ecosystems. They're essential for the health and fertility of soil. They provide nutrients to plants...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 243 min read
15 views


Nucleic Acids: Nature, Environment & Health
Nucleic acids include DNA and RNA. They store, transmit and express genetic information in all living organisms. They define human...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 223 min read
8 views


Glutamates: Umami Flavors & Brain Cells
Glutamates enhance flavors like umami, making them invaluable in cuisine. One of the best known forms is monosodium glutamate (MSG),...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 223 min read
12 views


Compost: Heart of Sustainable Gardening
Compost is the heart of sustainable gardening. Composting turns scraps into nutritious soil, with help from microbes and other organisms....
Sylvia Rose
Feb 214 min read
9 views


Bacterial Communication: Autoinducers
Bacteria communicate using autoinducers, or signals. Autoinducers help bacteria coordinate their actions. In quorum sensing they inspire...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 194 min read
7 views


Quorum Sensing: Microbial Coordination
Quorum sensing enables microorganisms to communicate effectively. This coordinates behavior among bacterial communities. In quorum...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 193 min read
15 views


Fruit Breakdown: Decomposition of an Apple
Apples ripen and fall to undergo earthly decomposition. Transformation from a crisp fruit to disappearance in the soil ecosystem is a...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 196 min read
15 views


Hormones in Microbes, Plants & Animals
Hormones, a term derived from the Greek word hormao meaning to excite or arouse, are signaling molecules sent by cells to influence...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 184 min read
18 views
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