By Adam Simmons
Welcome to the fantastic international of variations, the place species—including humans—develop attention-grabbing new functions to make sure a aggressive aspect of their atmosphere, or now and again, survival itself. Encyclopedia of variations within the flora and fauna is a wide-ranging catalog of an important of these adaptations—from photosynthesis to the the atypical ''vampire''-like habit of the tiny lifestyles shape known as the prion.
The seven chapters within the Encyclopedia disguise the major survival demanding situations all organisms face. Entries inside of these chapters hide particular diversifications from all different types of existence, together with animals, vegetation, micro organism, algae, fungi, and viruses. for every model, the publication additionally describes a similar technological step forward within the human international, exhibiting how engineers at the present time learn typical procedures to assist them advance new inventions.
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Seeing as they are still found in animals separated by some 300 million years of evolution, surfacant proteins are clearly a successful adaptation that have allowed life to flourish on land. Borrowing from Nature There is little we take from lungfish that has a practical application, although there is currently a great deal of research into understanding the production of lung surfacants as part of the treatment of diseases like cystic fibrosis, which causes the production of a very thick mucus in the lungs.
The Notothenoids can cope with very tiny ice crystals forming in their bodies. Their secret is to stop these tiny ice crystals from growing bigger, and having a damaging effect, by producing a group of proteins called antifreeze proteins. These antifreeze proteins bind, at a molecular level, to the tiny ice crystals in the body and prevent them from growing bigger. 5°C). This enables them to cope perfectly well in the near-freezing Antarctic waters. It is thought that the Notothenoid antifreeze adaptation evolved some 5 million to 14 million years ago.
There are times, though, when species use light to be seen. Most people are probably familiar with the light that can be produced by fireflies in controlled flashes. There are several species of firefly, nearly all of which use flashing lights to attract potential mates. To avoid confusion, each species has a particular pattern of flashing light so it attracts members of the same species. However, in one instance this species-specific light display has been exploited to a deadly end. Females of the species Photuris mimic the flashing pattern produced by females of the species Photinus.