Biology Stack Exchange
Biology Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [physiology]

The study of the normal function of living organisms and their anatomical parts and the means by which their normal functioning is achieved.

Physiology is the study of how organisms, organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in living systems. It can be subdivided into human, animal, plant, bacterial, etc. physiology. Questions should be about function, while the tag should be used for structure questions.

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Do animals exhibit handedness (paw-ness?) preference?

I have been observing my cat and found that when confronted with an unknown item, she will always use her front left paw to touch it. This has me wondering if animals exhibit handedness like humans do? (and do I have a left handed cat?) One note of…
Thomas
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Why are there no organisms with metal body parts, like weapons, bones, and armour? (Or are there?)

Reading this question, Why are there no wheeled animals?, I wondered why no organisms seem to make use of the tensile and other strengths of metal, as we do in metal tools and constructions. I am obviously not talking about the microscopic uses of…
Cerberus
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What's the maximum and minimum temperature a human can survive?

This is a question that has been in my mind since I was a kid. I'm not a doctor, nor even a biology student, just a curious person. What is the minimum and maximum temperature a human body can stand without dying or suffering severe consequences…
Bugster
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Why can't we kill ourselves by holding our breath?

Is it possible to kill yourself by holding your breath? This question is obviously copied from Quora, but I had heard it as a fact that we cannot kill ourselves by holding our breath and I'm looking for a referenced answer.
Abhishek Choudhary
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What actually happens when my leg 'falls asleep'?

Most people have experienced the temporary loss of feeling and tingling in their leg resulting from sitting in an abnormal position for a short while. Usually you get a loss of feeling in your leg while it is being compressed/constricted at some…
Gordon Gustafson
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What is itching?

What exactly at the molecular level is itching? What physiological function does itching serve, if any? I cant remember the reference but a PLCb3 null mice lost the itch phenotype, so presumably it is mediated by the Gq-PLCbeta pathway through a…
gkadam
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Are there any non-mammalian species known that lactate?

Are there any non-mammalian animals that produce milk to feed their young, or are mammals the only milk-producing animals?
Bohemian
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How long can an octopus survive out of the water?

I saw videos of octopuses crawling on the ground and I was wondering how long an octopus can survive when out of the water? Does it depend on either its size (i.e., does a big octopus from deep sea survive longer than a tiny octopus) or the species?
Manuella
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Do men have more extreme variations than women?

This question was considered unsuitable for Skeptics and I think it is more suited to BIology than Cognitive Sciences I was reading this article which I found interesting. It is not supported with references but was an invited address for the…
Sonny Ordell
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What is the human energy consumption by organ?

The human brain uses about 25% of the human body's metabolic energy. How are the other 75% spent, in terms of portioning to its various systems? I thought this could be answered by a simple search, but I can't find the answer after searching very…
MaudPieTheRocktorate
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Why does an electrical shock freeze up muscles?

Why is it when someone comes into contact with an electrical supply that their body freezes up and is unable to move away from the electrical source? Can someone explain this through a physiological perspective?
Fraïssé
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Does animal blood, esp. human, really have similar salinity as ocean water, and does that prove anything about evolution?

It is an often-repeated claim that human, and in fact all animal blood is salty because we evolved from aquatic organisms, and that blood has a similar concentration of salts as ocean water, or at least as primordial ocean water. Is any of that…
Hackworth
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Why do mints make your mouth feel cold?

Why do mints make your mouth feel cold? And specifically, why does your mouth feel so cold if you eat a few mints and then drink a glass of cold water afterwards?
rotaredom
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Is there any use of CO₂ in human body?

We all know CO₂ as a waste product of metabolism . Does CO₂ have any helpful role , apart from having a role in pH of blood ?
biogirl
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What's the mechanism for being mentally tired?

I notice that after long tests, or long periods of critical thinking, my body and mind feel noticeably tired. Why does this happen? Are the neurons in my head not firing as quickly, or is there just a perceived lack of mental concentration? What…
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