Anemia, a condition that results in individuals with a low red blood cell count, can be caused by a number of factors. Why do individuals with defects in the spectrin protein often have this condition?

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Spectrin is the primary protein in the cortex of red blood cells. A defect in the spectrin protein directly affects the strength and shape of the cortex. Red blood cells that contain mutated spectrin molecules have an irregular shape and are prone to lysis as a result of cortical fragility, leading to a smaller population of red blood cells.

Biology & Microbiology

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Halobacterium salinarum lives in and requires a high salt concentration.  This is an example of an archaeon described as a ______.

A. halophile B. thermophile C. barophile D. psychrophile

Biology & Microbiology

Bats are a healthy carrier for which of the following diseases?

A. influenza B. SARS C. West Nile virus D. hantavirus E. AIDS

Biology & Microbiology

Animals that effectively use their body surface for gas exchange must

A) be terrestrial. B) have a high ratio of body surface area to volume. C) have a low ratio of body surface area to volume. D) have a special kind of hemoglobin.

Biology & Microbiology

The only mammalian cells that do not have a nucleus are ___.

What will be an ideal response?

Biology & Microbiology