"The importance of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) within living cells is undisputed" (Watson & Crick, 1953). This opening sentence of James Watson and Francis Crick's second major paper, published ...

Blood is made up of plasma and solid components. Of these, the larger part is plasma, comprising about 55%. It appears as a straw-colored fluid and is composed mainly of water, but also carries ...

Microbial communities often exhibit incredible taxonomic diversity, raising questions regarding the mechanisms enabling species coexistence and the role of this diversity in community functioning. On ...

The structure of protein sets the foundation for its interaction with other molecules in the body and, therefore, determines its function. This article will cover the structural principles of proteins ...

As a person with a chronic illness, I'm no stranger to bloodwork. I used to pore over my lab results, googling the various meanings, and trying not to panic when a test fell out of range. Function ...

The most important lung function is to take oxygen from the environment and transfer it to the bloodstream. Lung function tests can show how well the lungs carry out this task. The left and right ...

Did you know your body is full of chemical messengers that help regulate your various organs and body systems? There are at least 50 such chemicals, called hormones, in the human body. Their levels ...