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Are there any types of bacteria that have evolved to live in oil?
Are there any types of bacteria that have evolved to live in oil?
Biology

So most (all?) cellular organisms that I’m aware of have cell membranes composed of a lipid bilayer. Soap is effective at cleaning your hands from bacteria because as a surfactant, it binds onto the components of bacterium cell walls and is able to disrupt it and make it easy to wash off, etc etc.

I’m curious if anyone has ever found bacteria (probably classified as extremophiles?) that have evolved to live in oily environments.

Are there any bacteria species found only in oils? What characteristics of their cell membranes allow them to withstand these environments?


If we pull up a blobfish slowly enough, will it not… blobify?
If we pull up a blobfish slowly enough, will it not… blobify?
Biology

I know implosions/explosions of humans due to massive atmospheric pressure differences only happen when the change is pretty fast, but if given enough time to adjust, the human body can go really deep underwater at really crazy pressures and surface again and be fine. (Given they have enough decompression time, air mixtures, etc)

I know blobfish don’t look that nasty when they’re under the water, in their home where their high internal pressure matches the pressure of the water around them. So I wonder, is the blobfish getting all… blobby… only because it’s pulled up quickly? Or is it’s body just incapable of staying structured at surface pressure? If we pulled it up reallllllyyy slowly, and gave its body enough time to decompress, could we pull one to the surface that’s not all gross and mangled? Could I then hypothetically keep a blobfish as a pet in an aquarium at surface water pressure?


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How does the brain differentiate between voluntary and involuntary muscle movements?
How does the brain differentiate between voluntary and involuntary muscle movements?
Human Body

I’m interested in understanding the neural mechanisms that allow the brain to distinguish between voluntary muscle movements, like deciding to pick up an object, and involuntary movements, such as the reflex to withdraw from a painful stimulus. What specific neural pathways are responsible for these different types of movement, and how do they interact within the brain and spinal cord?

This version is more focused on the neural pathways and processes, which might be seen as more specific and suitable for r/AskScience. It emphasizes the scientific aspect, which is what the subreddit encourages.