Chemistry of Life: From Fertilization to Death

Human life starts with the fertilization of sperm with egg and ends when all the body functions cease to work. This whole time span is a complex combination of chemical reactions and processes, taking place frequently and continuously. A very important thing to be kept in mind before reading the article is that the terms steroids, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, enzymes, hormones, DNA, RNA etc., wherever used in the article, are all chemical compounds or macromolecules composed of chemical entities, in other words, it’s all about chemistry.

The Chemistry of Love

 

To love or being loved is a great feeling. I am not going to tell you how you do that, but I will give you an overview of the chemistry involved while you are in love. Our emotions and behaviors are controlled, influenced, and measured by certain chemicals commonly known as hormones. Some of the most important chemicals involved in the feeling of love are dopamine, oxytocin, vasopressin, serotonin, phenylethylamine, adrenaline, norepinephrine, testosterone, and estrogen.

Prediction of Earthquakes: Chemistry May Help!

 

The earth is composed of four layers; the inner core, outer core, mantle, and the crust. The surface of the earth is made up of plates lying together like a puzzle. These plates, AKA the tectonic plates, are always moving. They slide and bump over each other. There is a rise in energy, which when released causes an earthquake, shaking the earth’s surface and everything above it. The earthquake is measured by a Richter scale, but several other methods have been developed by scientists to measure the intensity of an earthquake. A serious jolt took place two days back in Afghanistan and Pakistan with a reported value of 8.1 on the Richter scale, causing serious damage. Ten years back in October 2005, thousands of people died and whole colonies vanished in northern areas of Pakistan, with people left stranded and homeless.