Ms. DNA

Also, how would you add the new cells to the brain? And would you have to guide the development of connections between the nerve cells so they send/receive signals to the right cells?

Why do you say a heterosexual child would be traumatized by having homosexual parents?

I have Norton Internet Security. It's stopped several Trojan attacks on my computer, and I don't think it's hard to handle. It does give you alerts when it senses an attack, but you can turn that off if you find it bothersome. You can also tell it to trust certain computers so they don't trigger alarms when they access your computer. There are a couple of drawbacks to it: it does slow my surfing down, at least it did when I first installed it. It's better once you train it which programs can access the Internet. The main problem that I'm still having with it is that often when I try to do something with the AntiSpam feature, it shuts down Outlook Express. I should check with Norton to see if they have a patch for it.

I think you're supposed to use the absolute value of the difference between the theoretical and experimental values, so the negative doesn't mean anything.

There's an article in Scientific American (I think it's the most recent issue) about glia cells in the brain. Studies on Albert Einstein's brain show that he had more of them.

I can wink both eyes, but it's easier for me to wink my left eye. I wonder if being left-handed has something to do with it.

Actually, it's not; it's calling me "Gs. DNA."

The layout looks pretty nice, but what happened to my avatar?

Here's another idea for your project: adding lemon juice keeps apple pieces from browning, so you could test what it is about the lemon juice that prevents the browning. For instance, you could hypothesize that the acidity of the juice is responsible. You could then coat some apple slices with lemon juice, some with another acid (like vinegar), and some with water, which has a neutral pH.

Right; it's got a different structure than say, a limerick or a haiku. The point I was trying to make is that a genius could come up with new structures, solutions, or insights instead of using the same thing over and over.

A genius is someone who is extraordinarily creative. For instance, instead of just writing a poem, a genius might invent a new type of poem (like the sonnet form).

Clones are people and deserve the same rights as anyone else. After all, identical twins are natural clones, but they're considered two different people. A clone could even be raised in a different environment from the person he or she was cloned from, so he or she would certainly be a unique individual too.

For what it's worth, Virtualbookworm.com is a print-on-demand publisher. It does both fiction and non-fiction; one of my friends published her novel through them. The author pays to have the book published (which is how the publisher makes money, not by actually selling books). I strongly doubt that the publisher was able to provide any sort of scientific peer review for this book.

To expand on YT's answer, catalysts bring the reactants together in the right positions to react. For example, enzymes, which are biological catalysts, do this by having "active sites" specific for the substrate (what they act upon). When the substrate or substrates bind, the active site changes to reduce the activation energy. It might bring two molecules together to join them, or it might strain a bond to split a molecule. Once the reaction is complete, the enzyme releases the product(s) and can be reused.

I like knowing things, and the more you learn about science, the more there is to know. As to why I answer questions here, I like being helpful, and I've always been the kind of person who raises her hand in class. Answering questions makes me pull old things I learned in school out of mental storage -- though it also makes me do a quick Google search occasionally to make sure I really do know what I'm talking about.

I know what Photovet's talking about -- I took those courses at the same time he did. I have to agree that you needed to know the material well to take those Biocore tests. The second semester of Organic Chemistry, OTOH, was all about memorizing reactions for quizzes and tests. Needless to say, I remember more from Biocore than I do from Orgranic Chemistry. I think people need to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills before they reach college, though. You don't necessarily need to learn them through science; I learned a lot about analyzing evidence when I was in debate and forensics in high school. But once people have those skills, they can use them in their science classes and in reading news articles about science.

Like Sayonara said, the first thing that came to mind was the media's mishandling of science. Instead of "dumbing down" the science, we need to "smarten up" the general public and make people aware of the importance of science in their daily lives. People need to realize that science isn't just about collecting facts; it's a system of examining facts and solving problems. Plus, it's also cool stuff.

You're welcome, YT. Sorry, I don't know much about muscle growth, but that does sound amazing.

The pain is due to lactic acid building up in your muscles. Here's a link with more information: http://www.theministryoffitness.com/mof/library/articles/article12.htm (Edited to correct typo.)

Fight

Well, I do need to brush up on my martial arts skills....

Go for it, YT.

Like mooey, I'm also a left-handed woman. Maybe we can take over the world. But there are some things I do with my right hand, such as use my computer mouse or crochet. I've never liked the term "ambidexterous," though, because what would I do with two right hands? I prefer to think of myself as "equimanual," or equal-handed.

I don't think that would work. Extra DNA can cause problems. For instance, Down's syndrone is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. Even if you're just adding "waste" DNA, it could still affect regulation of functioning genes.

I have DSL with Earthlink.