REX'S EMAIL about Biology |
In a message dated 5/12/98 14:22:38, you wrote: <<Dear Rex! Hi! This is your friend Ashley from Connecticut. Right now, I'm studying genetics in science. Boy, is it confusing! Anyways, my teacher was telling us how some scientists believe that parents can decide what their child will look like by changing their (the child's) genetic structure (or something like that!). For some reason, I just can't comprehend that! I mean, how can scientists actually switch 2 genes around? They're so small! Do they have special tools or something to do it? My teacher said, by doing that, the scientists would be defying the law of independant assortment...is that true? I'm kind of confused by the whole concept, so any help would be really appreciated! Thank you! :o) Ashley
P.S. PLEASE DON'T LEAVE, REX! You're such a great friend and teacher to all of us children! If we have a question, you're always there to answer it. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that you would be greatly missed. Please don't leave!>>
Hello Ashley,
Scientists have only been able to change the genes in a few VERY simple animals and plants. It is a VERY complicated, yet sort of simple process, and then they would have to know about the entire "genome" of the organism to do it correctly. The entire human gene makeup is not known at this time.
Wise says that it may be possible in humans, someday, and that yes, it would sort of "defy" the NATURAL laws in general!! He thinks it is the scientists way of playing God, and this doesn't even sound right-- or correct!!
Cloning might be a little simpler, BUT would you like to see a dozen kids exactly the same as yourself in your school? It might get a little confusing!!
I am not yet sure whether I will continue my contest throughout 1999, although I really have fun doing it! We shall see. At least the January and February contests are announced already.
REX
In a message dated 18/12/98 13:30:22, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, Whooping cough has been going around my towns high school, i haven't gotten it because i am homeschooled ( I am very lucky) what is whooping cough and what causes it, I know it is very rare in teenagers (i'm almost 14) why is that? The school had to quarentine (tell me if I spelled the that wrong please) 73 people, Thats alot! Thank you sooooo much!!! I enjoy asking you questions! Your reader and frind Karissa McClosky From Massachusetts!>>
Hello Karissa,
"Quarentine" is spelled quarantine-- NOT a big problem though.
Whooping cough is caused by a bacteria, and can be spread by coughing. That's why they would quarantine your whole school. It is most common in children, and 14 seems like a good age to get it.
REX
In a message dated 13/12/98 16:04:33, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, Hi, my name is Megan and i live in wisconsin. I have only one questiion that has been bugging me- how do mexican jumping beans work??? if you could help me answer my question i'd be very grateful. thanks Megan>>
Hello Megan,
The Mexican Jumping beans come from a Mexican succulent shrub-like plant and contain the larva of a moth. It's the bug inside that makes it jump!!
Even Flutter was surprised to learn this!!
REX
In a message dated 3/12/98 13:33:58, you wrote: <<Hi, I am Joshua and I am 8 years old. I live in New York. My Grandma showed my sister and me your really cool wed site and told us we could ask you questions about a lot of stuff and you would give us the answers. I would like to know why spiders have 8 legs? I have asked everybody I know even my Grandpa and no body knows. Can you tell me? Beanies rule!!!!! Joshua from New York >>
Hello Joshua,
Insects have only 6 legs, while spiders, in a different group of animals, have 8.
Web and Spinner tell me that they find their 8 legs useful when walking along the fine web that they spin. On a windy day it is easier to hold on with 8 rather than only 6 legs! But then again there are some spiders that live underground in a burrow. I wonder if they are able spin a normal looking spider web?
This sounds kewl, but why don't humans have 3 or 4 legs? It would make it easier to ski or roller skate without falling over so much!!
Only Mother Nature really knows the answer to your question. It is just one of the many puzzles about plants and animals that a keen observer, like yourself, might ask. You should study a lot and become a scientist and perhaps try to answer that question for everybody else.
REX
In a message dated 3/12/98 3:19:11, you wrote: <<Hi, I am Christina from New York state and I am 9 years old. I have a question and I want to enter it in your December contest. It is from Earth Science I think. We are learning about trees and plants in science class and the teacher told us plants and trees give off the oxygen that people breath. How does this happen? I didn't understand how my teacher said it happened and I hope you can help me out and maybe I could be picked for a beanie, but if I don't that's ok, I still would like to know how it happens. I am on my Grandma's computer so I will keep checking here for your answer. By the way you have a real cool wed site, because I love Beanies and like to find out stuff about them and you have the only place we can do that. Thank you . Christina from New York state >>
Hello Christina,
Plants breath or "respire" because they need certain gases for their cells to live, much the same as we do.
During light periods, the daytime, plants breath in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, which is the opposite of humans. That's one of the reasons why trees are so important on this planet.
At night plants need oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, the same as us, so the process is reversed in the dark.
Gasses, water and other elements get into the plant leaves through tiny holes called stomata, on the bottom of the leaves. The stomata are able to open and close. Check out a geranium leaf under the microscope in your science class. Pumkin says that a study of stomata on different plants would make a really great Science Fair project!
REX
In a message dated 5/12/98 22:41:50, you wrote: <<I was wondering if it was possible to get a purebred from a hybred. I think it is, but how can that be? If it has a little bit of another organism in it, it can't be a PUREbred. And if it is true, is it possible to get a purebred dog from a cocker spaniel mixed with a blood hound if you found another cocker spaniel mixed with a blood hound? I don't know, but it sounds like a very cute dog!!! Katie age 12 Kansas>>
Hello Katie,
Purebreed means that the animal or plant sort of looks like the parents, and has similar characteristics. IF you found a male from a Cocker Spaniel / Bloodhound mix and bred him with a female from a similar but different parented dog, at least some of the puppies would probably look like the parents.
Spunky thinks the puppies would be really cute!!
REX
In a message dated 2/11/98 23:33:07, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, My name is Karissa McClosky, I am from Massachusetts, I have a very important question to ask you, I just got my first Hepatitis B shot the other day and I have to get another in a month and another 5 months after that, My arm really hurts and I'm not feeling well from it ( I always have a sore arm and get a little bit sick after a shot). My question is, what is Hepatites B, and why do I need three shots? Thank you knowing the answer will help me a lot! Shots are really painful for me, my mom says it's because I have really sensitive skin. Every time I get a shot I cry, when I was little I had a Dr. that cried with me! I am not looking forward to my next shot but knowing why I have to get it will help me to get through it, thank you sOOOooo much!!! Karissa McClosky >>
Hello Karissa,
Hepatitis is a liver inflamation. It is a virus-like germ that can be passed from one person to the next by contact with the infected person's blood in some way. Even sharing a toothbrush from a friend with it could transmit the disease to you. Most people do not even know they have the virus!
The virus goes straight to the liver and reproduces, causing the bodys defenses to start a counter attack on the invader. This causes the liver to get inflamed.
Many travellers to foreign countries get the shots because the disease is more common in certain places. Health care workers need it in case they come into contact with contaminated blood.
Getting any kind of shots usually may cause some discomfort, but that is part of the protection. Your body is making antibodies and it sort of upsets your body for a while.
Good thing you didn't get rabies shots-- I hear they are worse!!
REX
In a message dated 15/10/98 01:26:29, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, I am 12 years old and in science we learned about DNA and how you can change someone's looks by altering their DNA. They said they haven't really done it on humans, but they have on E.Coli to make an oil eating bacteria for oil spills. But if they can find a way to do it on humans, instead of altering my looks and since I'm so short, do you think they could make me taller? I sometimes ask my beanies these queations, but at least I'll get an answer from you! Katie from Kansas >>
Hello Katie,
Well, I had to ask Wise about this one!!
E.coli is a teensy weensy bacteria and the even smaller genes are somewhat easier to play with than in humans.
What you read in school is that certain genes sort of control or determine what hair color you have, the color of your eyes, and loads of other phycical characteristics-- what scientists call "phenotypes". Gregor Mendel first discovered this genotype/phenotype connection over 100 years ago in his work with plants.
Although I have seen MANY newspaper articles that say this sort of DNA change is "possible" in humans, it would be very difficult and has NOT YET been done. They could even possibly take out genes for cancer and other diseases-- wouldn't that be great!! I think that there are too many little details that are still unknown about human genes to be able to even attempt to do such a thing for MANY years yet. Be happy as you are-- the real you IS NOT your tallness or shortness, it is in HOW you are!!
Can you imagine some nutty scientist inventing an oil eating dog or human?? That's great for bacteria because they are too small to go to a fast food place anyway!! I personally will stick with one of my favorite foods-- pizza!!
REX
In a message dated 16/7/98 01:21:06, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, My name is Erinn Caitlin Ashworth, and I live in Ontario, Canada. WOW, two of the things you really like, my family likes too! My mom, brothers, sisters and I, all collect beanies, but we also have a pond with six big goldfish, and nine Koi in it. My question is about Koi. How old do they get? The largest one that we have is just over a foot long, and we've read that they can grow up to three feet long, but no one can tell us how long they live. I thought maybe you could tell us. Thanks, Erinn>>
Hello Erinn,
Some of my human friend, Sonny's, koi are about two feet long and they can grow larger. The books say that they can live for 50 years or longer!!
REX
In a message dated 3/6/98 21:06:08, you wrote:<<Hey Rex! Right now I am suffering from the worst sinus headache I have ever had. We had tornadoes and storms brush through the area, knocked down lines, and trees, and it got really really windy out and flew limbs around and just today, I woke up. My head felt so heavy, and when I closed my eyes, pain rocketed throughout my body. So, I stayed home today, not able to move. My mom got me my medicine, and once I took it, I felt fine. My question is, what is a sinus headache and how are they caused? Is it the fact the temp dropped about 20 degrees since yesterday? Thanks, Melissa Laufman Canfield Ohio >>
Hello Melissa,
The sinuses are closed areas under the cheeks that respond to pressure changes such as flying at a high altitude where the air pressure is different than on the ground, or SCUBA diving, or even visiting a place like Denver which is called "The Mile High City".
The tornado is actually a really great change in air pressure and could have caused your pain.
A headache may be caused by almost anything. The stress of the storms-- your favorite Beanie got chewed up by your cat-- a difficult exam at school.
REX
In a message dated 14/5/98 00:26:58, you wrote:<<My mom teaches a class. She told me she was teaching about insects. But, then, she told me that she was teaching about spiders. I always thought that spiders were not really insects...am I wrong? Lauren - Connecticut>>
Hello Lauren,
WOW, you are right. Spiders are not insects!
They are both from the Phylum ARTHROPODA, which means "jointed legs" BUT belong to 2 different Classes.
The Class Insecta (insects) has 3 body parts, head, thorax and abdomen while the Class Arachnida (spiders) only has 2 because the head is combined with the thorax.
Insects have 3 pairs of walking legs, spiders have 4.
Insects have a pair of antennae, spiders don't have any.
Your Mom knows this already. You just misunderstood her.
REX
In a message dated 12/5/98 04:51:32, you wrote: <<Do you think that the animals will ever come to get along? Back in the dinasour age you all didnt get along...You would fight and kill eachother. So do you think that some day that all the animals will be nice to eachother and get along? From Loni in Texas.. thanks. =)>>
Hello Loni,
Animals DO get along very nicely, as long as they stay out of the way of the ones who are hungry and would like to eat them. Nature is like that. Gobbles said to remind you that humans also eat other animals including his relatives, especially on Thanksgiving.
REX
In a message dated 8/5/98 01:54:07, you wrote:<<Dear Rex, Hello! I am a 12- year- old girl from Texas. I have a question... In science, we were told about "Capture- recapture", a form of sampling the types of species, the number, etc. of an animal living in an area. It said to mark the animal, then return it to its habitat. If you were to capture a rolly- poley and then put bright red nail polish on its back to mark it, would it upset its natural movements at all? I know you don't want the marking to be too conspicuous, or the animal's preditors could find it more easily. But a Rolly- poley spends so much time under rocks, would it matter? I was just curious. Thanks! Caitlin Texas >>
Hello Caitlin,
If you mark the roly-poly with red nail polish it would probably make a difference to its predators since it has to come out from under its rock sometime. Plus the nail polish contains chemicals which just might harm the poor animal.
REX
In a message dated 3/5/98 07:12:43, you wrote:<<Hi Rex, I am Linda, age 12, from Oregon! I was playing with a littler kid about 3 years ago, and he wanted to search in the woods by his house for "dinosaur bones." I was thinking "Yeah, RIGHT! There aren't DINOSAUR bones here!" But I had to go with this kid. Every time we saw a piece of wood he would say "That is a T. Rex leg!" or "There is some brontosurus ribs!" Well I was really bored, but then I saw it. I white thing poking out of the ground. I dug it out, and it was a bone!! Here, I will describe it, if you could PLEASE tell me what kind of animal it is from: 1) It has a retractable claw on it 2) it is about an inch long (its a claw!) 3) It is like the bone that holds the claw in, then the actual claw itself slides in and out (retractable) 4) It is some kind of animal that lives in forests around portland, oregon. It is a VERY small forest, so it couldnt be a bear or anything. Maybe an owl? Anyways, thanks! I have wondered what this was since I was 8---four years ago! HELP!>>
Hello Linda,
Well, it seems as if you found some sort of animal "claw" or talon of a bird.
Valentino said he knows of no "retractable" claws attached to bones. Cats claws can be pushed out or relaxed, BUT it is the skin that hides them, not the foot bone itself.
Since birds bones are hollow, it is possible that it might be an owl talon, and it simply slides into the bone hole??
If you found any other bones with this discovery it would help to identify the animal.
REX
In a message dated 18/4/98 15:24:44, you wrote: <<Hi Rex, my name is Tracy and I live in Illinois. My class has been learning about evolution in class. Over time species change to better adapt to the climate that they live in. We learned about birds and how they may have evolved from your ancestors, the lizards! We also traced the history of horses. They have grown to be much taller over time. As the species evolves the earlier versions are phased out. When we started talking about the evolution of humans I got kind of confused. The teacher explained how we evolved from members of the ape family. I didn't really understand this because apes are still around! As the apes adapted to climate and conditions why weren't they phased out? I hope you understand what I am trying to say, my teacher didn't really understand! Have a great day Rex! Tracy >>
Hello Tracey,
Apes were not "phased out" just as horses weren't. Both of these animals continue because they were able to change as their environment changed.
Man is not a newer form of ape! They may both have a close "evolutionary" tie, just as birds and dinosaurs are thought to have. But a bird is NOT a dinosaur, and neither is man an ape!! There are important differences.
REX
In a message dated 10/4/98 23:34:41, you wrote: <<Sofia Wisconsin Dear Rex, Hi! I'm 13 years old and still don't get this. That is why I'm going to ask you in hopes that you can tell me the answer. Here is my question. I know that if you have a white t-shirt and you dye it red the t-shirt is red becuse it soaked up the red dye. During Easter my family dyes eggs to make Easter eggs to hide. But I don't understand why and how the dye stays on the egg. I know the dye stays on the shirt because it soaked it up, but the egg shell is hard! It certainly can't soak up the dye. If it could then the yoke would drip through the egg shell. So how does the the dye stay on the egg shell?!>>
Hello Sofia,
Quackers tells me that eggs are not all that "hard", since they do break easily.
The eggshell is actuallu porous, with tiny holes in the shell so that the young bird can get oxygen.
When you color Easter eggs, you normally add a little vinegar in the dye solution. This is a weak acid and helps the dye attach itself to the shell.
REX
In a message dated 5/4/98 03:44:16, you wrote:<<Dear Rex, My name is Marne & I live in Iowa.The other day I was sitting in science class chewing on my fingernails thinking why is a fingernail hard but not so hard that your teeth can't chew through it?I don't know Rex I hope you cThanks ahead of time, Marne>>
Hello Marne,
Scientists have a scale of hardness, at least for minerals, called Moh's Scale. The minerals are ranked from 1 to 10, 1 being the softest. A harder mineral can scratch a softer one, and it is one of the tests to identify a certain mineral.
A fingernail would have a hardness just slightly over 2. The enamel on teeth is much harder because animals need strong teeth to crack nuts, bones, and other hard food items.
REX
In a message dated 4/4/98 18:09:02, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, My name is Hannah and I just turned 11 and I am from Florida.I have a question for you. My question isn't about dinosaurs it is about turtles. I think I know the answer but I am not sure. Among all of the beaches through out the world, which is the most popular for Green Sea Turtles to nest. I think it is Tortuguero Beach in Costa Rica. What do you think? The reason being is that Earth Week is coming up and I want to be able to answer that question because we are studding them in my school. Thanks a lot, Hannah>>
Hello Hannah,
I had to ask Speedy about your question.
The Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas, lives in the warmer waters of the Atlantic and nests wherever it can, including the SE coast of Florida. Tortuguero Bay means "Bay of the Turtles", so I assume that they lay their eggs there also.
Did you know that they return to the same beach where they were hatched? It could be a trip of thousands of miles from where they travelled!! WOW!
There are two subspecies, one living in the Atlantic and the other in the Pacific Ocean.
My friend Sonny has some fossil shells of Chelonia from the Ice Age in Florida, so they have been around for a long time.
REX
In a message dated 23/3/98 14:21:05, you wrote: <<Hi REX, My name is Chelsea, and I live in Michigan. I'm 8 years old, and I have the Chicken Pox right now, so I can't go to school. I saw some buckets hanging on some trees, and my Dad said that you can get sap from Maple trees and make Maple Syrup. Is that true? The sap coming out of the trees looked like water and was not sweet at all. How do they make Maple syrup? Chelsea from Michigan >>
Hello Chelsea,
I hope that you got rid of your chickens by now! I guess you really missed school and all? Now you have a lot of catching up to do.
REAL maple syrup is made from that liquid that you saw and tasted, coming right from the trees of the same name.
The maple sap has to be boiled down until the liquid becomes the right color and consistency. It takes a lot of patience and a lot of sap! To make about a quart of maple syrup you would need some 30 quarts of sap! That's why the real maple syrup is more expensive than the other kinds.
REX
In a message dated 17/3/98 23:06:56, you wrote: <<Hi Rex! In school, we are studying Animals. Could you help me figure out the difference between Reptiles & Mammals? It would be a big help! Oh yeah, would you be able to tell me how dinosaurs became extinct? Thanks, Ariana>>
Hello Ariana,
Reptiles are generally : "cold blooded", covered with scales (like snakes and alligators) or a shell, as in the turtles. They lay eggs having a leathery shell.
Mammals are "warm blooded", usually have hair and feed their young by means of milk glands called "mammae" (that is where the name for the group comes from).
Scientists think that my dinosaur relatives became extinct because of rapidly changing weather conditions, possibly caused by a comet or meteorite that struck the Earth.
REX
In a message dated 12/3/98 03:15:32, you wrote: <<I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT A FRUIT IS? ONE OF MY FRIENDS SAID THAT A CUCUMBER IS A FRUIT,IS IT?>>
Hi,
OK, Peanut said to start out with what is a VEGETABLE. A veggie is ANY plant that is eaten, like a potatoe, lettuce, cucumber, dandelion, etc. So your cucumber is a vegetable.
A FRUIT is ANY plant product and includes vegetables, grains such as wheat and rice, nuts, apples, cactus fruit, avocado, and much more.
WOW, there is not a whole lot of difference, is there? So I guess a cucumber is both a fruit AND a vegetable, and both of you are correct.
REX
In a message dated 2/3/98 03:44:14, you wrote: <<Hi Rex! My name is Beth Seales. I am 9 years old and I love dinosaurs especialy predaters. My favorite is Allosaurus who is a lot like you. My faverite Beanies are Rex, Magic, Mystic, and Peace. I have a question and my mom found this and said I shoud ask you The window was open in my classroom today and a fly came in and landed on my desk. I saw him rub his legs together. What does that mean when they do that? It's prety neat to watch. thank you for answering Rex! your freind Beth>>
Hi Beth,
My cousin Allosaurus was really kewl!
Flys rub their legs together basically to keep them clean, sort of like when Prance licks his paws, then rubs them around his head. Their legs have a lot of tiny microscopic hairs on them and they can even get teensy little mites on them that must "bug" them a lot!
REX
In a message dated 15/2/98 18:04:17, you wrote: <<Dear Rex, Since the new movie Titantic has come out. I was wondering if the story about Rose and Jack was a true story? I know that the Titantic sinking was true but how many people really survived? This is my first time coming to your page. I hope you can help! Thanks Casey J from OHIO. >>
Hi Casey,
My friend Sonny has not taken us to see that movie yet, but I have read that it is "based on fact", meaning that, yes, there were people falling in love and all that kind of thing. But you can find the same type of people doing basically the same things at a local shopping mall-- and you don't have all that water and all those icebergs to worry about!
I asked Waves if he knew the "exact" number of people who survived when the real Titanic sunk but he said he can't really remember that far back. Sorry.
REX
In a message dated 11/1/98 17:17:36, you wrote: <<ok here is another one. How many bones are in an average adult human body? Brittany >>
Hi Brittany,
Have you tried to count all your bones? It is not easy! Peace tried to count mine once BUT it tickled so much he couldn't finish counting them!
An "average" adult human skeleton has about 206 different bones. Sonny, my human friend is slightly above average because he has an extra backbone!
REX
In a message dated 10/1/98 02:40:03, you wrote: <<Hi Rex!!!!! I've always wanted to become a Marine Biologist when I grow up and study whales and dolphins ( I might even go to Bermuda this spring with some of my schoolmates to study marine life!!!!! ). But first, I have 2 questions for you that I couldn't find the answers to in any books. First of all, do you think that whales and dolphins really used to live on land and then moved and adapted to the ocean?? I sure couldn't picture a dolphin or whale with legs!!!! Second of all, why do whales beach themselves? I saw a picture of a beached Sperm whale on a Discovery Channel show once. It looked like it was suffering a lot, it was even making clicking sonar signals, like it was trying to call its friends or mom for help-it was so sad. The people tried to save it, but it died. I love whales so much that I even cried when I saw it. Did the whale want to die, or was it an accident? Thank you for your time! Ashley :) P.S. Please say hi to all of the Beanies for me. I love them all - including you!!!!>>
Hello Ashley,
Marine biology is great fun. My friend Sonny has a big shell collection that he started when he was about 12 years old. You should see how colorful they are. And he has them from all over the world!
Your first question is sort of mostly the other way around. If you study the skeletons of whales and other marine mammals you will find that their "leg" bones are basically the same as a land animal BUT they changed to make it easier to live in the water. Waves tells me that he needed flippers more than legs for sea life, so his ancestors changed over millions of years to ADAPT to a life of swimming and wave surfing. He says that the fossil "missing link" between the land ancestors and his sea relatives has not yet been found.
Did you know that the first large dinosaur discovered in about 1809 in England was named Cetiosaurus, which means "Whale Lizard". Cuvier, a French scientist, studied the bones and thought they were from a whale! That's why it is important to compare the bones and teeth of many kinds of animals to be able to correctly identify what you find
Scientists do not know exactly why whales and other marine mammals "surf" themselves and die stranded on a beach. Some of them were sick, or were hit by the propeller of a ship, or were poisoned by polluted waters. Waves said that they did not want to be stranded, they just didn't have enough strength to get back to deeper water. He often talks to Echo using high squeeky noises and almost musical sounds. That's how they communicate with each other, it's like a language. I have to translate for them so that the other Beanies can understand what they are saying.
You will enjoy studying marine life. Do you ever watch that TV series called Sea Quest DSV? One of Echo's nephews appears in it a lot.
Do you know why the dolphin is named Echo?
All my Beanie friends said to tell you hello.
REX
In a message dated 7/1/98 22:43:12, you wrote: <<why has the medicine the doctor gave my grandma made her hair fall all out of her head? My mom has had a hard time trying to tell me why. thanks for help. Bye, Rianne age 8 >>
Rianne,
I had to talk to Valentino, the heart specialist in the nursery about your question. He knows a lot about medicine and all.
I don't know what kind of stuff the doctor gave to your Grandma, but I can remember that my best human friend, Sonny, had a lot of his hair fall all over the place when he was taking medicine to try to get rid of all the nasty cancer cells he had.
He told me there was a lady in the hospital when he was there and she didn't have any hair either, but she always wore a big hat like the magicians wear so that nobody would see that she was bald.
He told her that bald was kewl-- a lot of men and women in the movies and rock stars cut all their hair off and they even have clubs and all for the "follically impaired". After he talked to her, she decided it was OK to take her turban off, and guess what? Everybody thought she was that actress who played in those scarey Terminator movies and they all started asking her for autograph.
I hope your Grandma gets well again. Tell her that all the Beanies and the kids who read this were asking about her and will pray that she gets better. Wouldn't a Grandma Beanie be really kewl?
REX