Biochemistry
6 questions tagged Biochemistry — spanning every one of the seven Ws.
What Is an Enzyme?
An enzyme is a biological catalyst — usually a protein — that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms without being consumed.
Why is carbon so important to life?
Carbon can form four strong covalent bonds, letting it build long chains and rings. That flexibility makes it ideal for the vast chemistry of living organisms.
Whose discovery was the structure of insulin?
The structure of insulin was determined by Frederick Sanger, who completed the work in 1955. He was awarded the 1958 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
How do enzymes work, and why can genes change them?
Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in the body. Genes determine the enzyme’s structure, so a mutation can change how well it works.
Why do horseshoe crabs have blue blood?
Their blood is blue because it uses copper-based hemocyanin to transport oxygen instead of iron-based hemoglobin. The blood also contains cells used to detect bacterial toxins.
How does the body make hemoglobin?
Hemoglobin is made in developing red blood cells in the bone marrow by combining globin proteins with heme. The heme part contains iron, which binds oxygen.