Abstract Mollusk shells’ mesmerizing diversity of forms stems from their variations in shape, features and patterns. While these forms are highly complex and diverse, research has aimed to establish an overarching model that explains the formation of these shell characteristics. This essay explores the mathematical models that capture these natural
Abstract Lactation is a unique natural mechanism shared amongst mammalian species that serves the primary purpose of providing offspring with the vital nutrition and immune support necessary in the early stages of fetal development. The process of lactation has been extensively researched and has led to the application of mathematical
Abstract While an organism may seem inactive and static while sleeping, its brain displays a host of unique electrical brain activity. When these voltage fluctuations are graphically represented as waves, it illustrates how the brain processes and consolidates information between its neurons. Delta waves, theta waves, and sleep spindles are
Abstract Birthing is the process that keeps animals involved within evolution. Nature encourages animals to reproduce and to allow their offspring to prolong the life of their species. These intricate processes of parturition and hatching are based on mathematical concepts such as feedback loops, where stimulus generates stimulus, and circadian
Abstract From adhesive pads used by reptiles to climb against gravity, secretion from birds to construct their nests, to adhesions used by spiders to catch prey, animals in nature have evolved many unique methods of adhesion long before the human industry. It is the application of the adhesive techniques that
Abstract Lactation is a natural phenomenon that unifies the mammalian class and serves the fundamental purpose of supplying offspring with the essential nutrition and immune protection for survival in the early stages of life. Despite the existence of physiological diversity across lactating species, the general biochemistry of mammalian milk is
Abstract Evolution and the adaptation of different species to different ecological niches has resulted in a vast array of differences between the sensory systems of those animals, with some animals gaining new adaptive sensory capabilities and others losing the ones they no longer need for survival. This paper will discuss
Abstract Scientists have investigated the cause of ageing for centuries, but there is no single source of age, rather, the ageing process occurs due to a combination of numerous factors. Examined in this paper are 4 categories of determinants of maximum lifespan in organisms: telomere dynamics and maintenance, mitochondrial repair
Abstract In this essay we investigate the chemistry involved in the reproductive process. Courtship and mating practices are not limited to physical and auditory pursuits. Pheromones cause innate chemical allurement between compatible animals. There are a wide range of pheromones, and each have their own specific properties and functions. Different
Abstract There are many functional applications of chemotaxis that form the stepping stones of animal migration. Investigating trophic chains – dynamic networks of interacting species – reveals how migration and changes in population density shift environmental conditions of an ecosystem. It was shown how fish and algae populations can reduce
Abstract The use of toxins and venoms to gain control over a limited number of resources is often observed in competitive relationships between organisms. Antagonistic interactions such as allelopathy, exploitative and interference competition significantly contributing to dynamics of coexistence and coevolution of the involved species. Toxin-producing phytoplankton exude allelopathic compounds
Abstract The phenomenon of sleep has been universally observed among animals, and is driven by a plethora of chemical processes that regulate the animal’s brain activity. The onset of sleep brings about a number of chemical changes driven by various neurotransmitters. These changes allow the brain to carry out and