Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide: Functions & Medical Uses
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) is a messenger that regulates key bodily systems and whose levels are important for medical diagnosis and therapy.
Kagu Bird: New Caledonia’s Endangered Forest Ghost
Discover New Caledonia's kagu, a nearly flightless forest bird with unique evolutionary adaptations and a precarious existence on the forest floor.
Ventricular Rate vs. Heart Rate: What’s the Difference?
Explore the key distinction between ventricular rate and heart rate, and understand how it reflects the functional coordination of your heart's chambers.
Onchocerca Volvulus: The Parasite Causing River Blindness
An examination of *Onchocerca volvulus*, the parasitic worm behind river blindness, from its biological mechanisms to the global health initiatives controlling it.
Endosomes: Function, Types, and Cellular Sorting
Within our cells, a complex system sorts incoming materials, managing cellular traffic to either recycle resources or dispose of waste for homeostasis.
What Is Occlusal Disease? Symptoms and Treatments
Learn how the way your teeth meet affects long-term dental health, from uneven wear to jaw strain, and how a balanced, functional bite can be achieved.
Do Great White Sharks Make Noise & How Do They Communicate?
While biologically unable to produce vocal sounds, great white sharks use a complex system of body language and physical action to communicate with one another.
Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
Explore how primary open-angle glaucoma affects the optic nerve due to eye pressure and why consistent, long-term management is key to preserving sight.
Tooth in Eye Surgery: A Real Procedure to Restore Sight
Learn about a procedure for severe corneal blindness that uses a patient's own tissue to create a stable, living anchor for a new optical implant.
Paramyxovirus: Common Infections, Spread, and Prevention
Explore the paramyxovirus family, a group of highly contagious viruses behind common illnesses, and understand the science of their spread and control.
Which of the Following Scenarios Represent Good Posture?
Good posture varies by activity. Learn the principles of proper body alignment to assess your position and reduce physical strain in any scenario.
What Is Normetanephrine and What Do High Levels Indicate?
Explore how measuring normetanephrine, a byproduct of a key hormone, provides important information that guides a complex diagnostic evaluation.
Cerebral Cortex: Anatomy, Function, and Lobes
Explore the cerebral cortex, the brain's intricate outer layer. Learn how its physical structure is organized to process information and enable our highest cognitive functions.
Why eGFR Has a ‘Non-African American’ Value
Learn how the standard measure for kidney function has evolved. This guide explains the shift away from race-based estimations to a single, more precise eGFR value for all.
What Are Striations in Biology and Geology?
Explore how a recurring pattern of parallel lines offers clues about structure and formation across vastly different scientific scales and disciplines.
Hippocampus Function: Memory, Navigation, and Emotion
Explore how a key brain structure organizes our life's events into memories, builds mental maps of our world, and regulates our emotional responses.
Luteinizing Hormone Function in Males and Females
Learn how Luteinizing Hormone (LH), a key pituitary signal, regulates sex hormone production and drives essential reproductive functions in both men and women.
The Science of Reversing Aging in Mice
New research views aging not as decay, but as a reversible loss of cellular information. Explore how this insight is used to restore youthful function in lab studies.
What Does Inhibitory Mean for Your Brain and Body?
Explore how inhibitory signals provide essential balance in the nervous system, helping to regulate everything from physical movement to mental focus.
What Is Hedonic Eating and How Does It Work?
Explore the biological drive to eat for pleasure, distinct from physical hunger. This overview explains how brain chemistry guides our food cravings and choices.