Nucleus

Nucleus: The nucleus is the control center of the cell that controls all the other organelles. It holds all the DNA inside of it and even the nucleolus.

The nucleus is an essential part of a cells life. It helps in multiple processes that your body needs to do in order to carry out normal daily activates.

DNA:
The Nucleus is where your DNA and chromosomes are stored for safe keeping. It helps the the processes of making proteins by storing the DNA that make the proteins. In each nucleus there are 46 chromosomes. The nucleus also stores the nucleolus too.

Eukaryotic:
The nucleus is only in eukaryotic cells not in prokaryotes. It is in both the animal cell and plant cell.

Mitosis/Meiosis:
In mitosis and meiosis the nucleus is the first thing to disintegrate and let the chromosomes duplicate. Always is where the DNA replicates before the cell splits.

Random Facts:
Most of the time a cell only has one nucleus but in special occasions there can be two nucleus's in one cell. This happens when the nucleus divides but the cytoplasm does not grow.

Reflection:
There is a lot of information about the nucleus that I did not put in the post but I tried my hardest. In conclusion the nucleus is a very vital and important part of the cell and of the body. If we did not have a nucleus we would not be able to carry out everyday activities. What I found interesting is that there can be more than one nucleus in one cell.

Citations:
"Cite A Website - Cite This For Me". Upload.wikimedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 May 2017.
"Nucleus | Biology". Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 May 2017.

Energy Pyramid

The Energy Pyramid 

The energy pyramid is what we use to organize the flow of energy in a community. Different layers of the pyramid represent different groups of organisms. All energy ultimately comes from the sun but what where does it go after that? Lets find out!

There are four different layers to the pyramid.

1.) The first layer at the very bottom are the producers. These are all autotrophs which means they make their own food. This also means they are all primarily plants.

2.)The next step up are the primary consumers, they eat the producers from the previous level. This means, for the most part,  primary consumers are mainly herbivores.

3.) The next stage after that are the secondary consumers. These organisms eat the primary consumers which makes them carnivores.

4.) The next and final step are the Tertiary consumers. These organisms eat the secondary consumers which also make them carnivores.

• The producers always have the most energy.
• Only 10% of the energy goes through into the next step of the pyramid

If the producer have 1000 kcal (Energy)

Then the primary consumers will have 100 kcal(Energy)

Then the secondary consumers will have 10 kcal(Energy)

Then the tertiary consumer will only have 1 kcal(Energy)

Quick Vocab

• Autotroph - An organism that is capable of creating it's own food/energy without have to consume other organisms.
• Heterotroph - An organism that must consume other organisms in order to obtain energy.
• Carnivore - An organism that only consumes meat.
• Herbivore - An organism that only consumes vegetation. 

Reflection

Learning about the energy pyramid was pretty cool! It brings me back to when I first got into science during the 5th grade. I feel like this information is very important if you want to understand how the organisms around you work. You can truly understand how energy flows through out different animals. One thing that surprised me when I learned about this topic is that only 10% of energy moves through out the steps of the pyramid. I thoroughly enjoyed going over and learning more about energy's flow throughout animal communities!

Citations

"Significant Levels Of Energy Pyramid Ecosystem". Cleangreenenergyzone.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 May 2017.

 

"6Ahaverfordgarden11 - Energy Pyramid". 6ahaverfordgarden11.wikispaces.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 May 2017.

Huntington's Disease

  

Team, Health. "What Is Huntington’S Disease (HD) | Health Life Media". Healthlifemedia.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 May 2017.

Huntington's Disease 

What is it? It is an inherited disease that causes the gradual deterioration or degeneration of the nerve cells in the brain. 

What are the symptoms? 

- Involuntary movements and changes in voluntary movements

- Involuntary jittering 

- Slow or abnormal eye movements 

- Difficulty speaking or swallowing 

What is the cause of the disease?

Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder, which requires only one copy of the defective gene to produce the disorder.

Reflection

I picked this topic because I didn't know much about the disease but I wanted to learn more. In class we usually went over recessive sex-linked disorders so this was different. It was interesting to see what happens to someone affected with Huntington's Disease. I learned about this disease briefly in health science too but I didn't remember much.

Nucleus

-__---__---__---Nucleus---__---__---__-

Where Is It Found?

•ONLY found in Eukaryotic cells, NEVER in Prokaryotic

•Found in both plant and animal cells

Nucleus Structure?

•Fully enclosed in the nuclear membrane

•The nuclear membrane is perforated with numerous pores called nuclear pores

•Nuclear pores regulate the passage of the molecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm

•Mostly DNA

•A nucleolus is found in the center, and synthesizes and assembles ribosomes and r RNA

•Contains nucleic acids

•Contains chromatin and the cells genetic material.

How does it help the cell?

•The nucleus is the control center of the cell.

•Stores all genetic material

•Controls all heredity characteristics of an organism

•Responsible for protein synthesis, cell division, growth and differentiation

•Site for transcription 

•Aids in exchange of DNA and RNA between the nucleus and the rest of the cell

•Regulates the integrity of genes and gene expression

Other Important Information:

•Ernest Rutherford discovered the nucleus

•The Nucleus joins up with the endoplasmic reticulum

•Nucleus contains all genes that hold the information needed to make proteins  

Where to Study!

(I recommend the crash course)

Crash Course Nucleus Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSyAehMdpyI

Nucleus Review Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL7bE_PA_SE

Quick Summary:

DISCLAIMER: All information in this section has already been mentioned above, this is just a wrap up of all covered.

The nucleus is found in both plant and animal cells, but not prokaryotic.  It is the control center of the  cell and contains all of cells genetic material. The nucleus also plays an important role in the production of proteins.

Reflection:

When we first learned the nucleus, I knew it like the back of my hand. That is why I was shocked to realize I pretty much forgot all about its structure and 1/2 of its function. They main thing I was shocked about was that the nuclear envelope also has pores which kind of acts like the cellular membrane. I already know that the nucleus is the control center and stores genetic information. Also that it is only found in eukaryotic cells, not prokaryotic. To be honest, the nucleus is not my favorite subject, its not that I find it hard, just boring. I think one of the reasons I feel this way is because we have been talking about it since 5th grade. Outside of biology, you could compare the nucleus to the principle. In thinking of our school like a cell, the principle is in charge, just like the nucleus. It is their job to keep the place running right and control operations. 

Citations

Cell-Nucleus . Digital image. Biology-questions-and-answers. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2017.

Nucleus-58a. Digital image. Fthmb.tqn. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2017. <fthmb.tqn.com/rre7UGzPT0ikHX0SjLftYpKPA2U=/768x0/filters:no_upscale()/about/Nucleus-58a34aad3df78c4758d64d1c.jpg>.

Green, Hank. "The Nucleus: Crash Course Chemistry #1." Youtube. Crash course, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSyAehMdpyI>.

"Nucleus." Youtube. Learnbiologically, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 26 May 2017. <www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL7bE_PA_SE>.

Protein Synthesis

-Protein Synthesis is the production of protein in a cell
-The Nucleus and Ribosomes are the two organelles included in this process

Steps

-First the DNA unzips and mRNA is created using the unzipped part of the DNA *In RNA A pairs with U* *This is called Transcription*

-Then the mRNA travels to the Ribosome

-Next rRNA reads the mRNA into codons *Codons are nucleotides grouped into 3*

-The codons are then turned into amino acids *Use an amino acid chart to figure out what codons produce what amino acid*

-Then tRNA take the amino acids into the ribosomes *This is called Translation*

-The ribosome then takes the amino acid and makes the proteins the amino acids code for

Amino Acid Chart

Lets Try It!

-Lets uses the strand of TACCGTGATCAGACT

-mRNA- AUGGCACUAGUCUGA

-Codons - AUG GCA CUA GUC UGA

-Amino Acids- Meth, Ala, Leu, Val, "Stop"

Hints!

mRNA- Messanger   

rRNA- Reader

tRNA- Transfer

Transcription- Writing RNA (script-write)

Translation- Moving amino acids (translating them)
*mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA are in alphabetic order, so are Transcription and Translation*

Citations

Bioadmin. "What is Protein Synthesis." Protein Synthesis. N.p., 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 May 2017.

Picture1:http://www.nclack.k12.or.us/cms/lib6/OR01000992/Centricity/Domain/516/82b71adf0d8d1d8997ee95debc1fb8b5.1000x437x1.png

Picture 2: http://study.com/cimages/multimages/16/codon_table_297x300.jpg

Kayla Stissel

Causes of Mutation

Causes of Mutation 

What is a mutation? 

A mutation is an alteration in the sequence of DNA.

What causes it? 

There are several factors that influence mutation. These 

changes can occur within the DNA itself or by 

outside factors known as mutagens.

Further Information

• As DNA is trying to replicate it can actually fail to make a copy itself, that automatically making it a mutation. 

• Genes mutations can be hereditary and can be received through one's parents resulting in every cell to be present with the mutation. 

• Mutagens are the most crucial and are acquired by outside forces. 

• Things like radiation can cause serious damage resulting in skin cancer.  

• Examples include x-rays or gamma rays

Citations 

"The Causes Of Mutations". Evolution.berkeley.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

"Edurite.Com -". Edurite.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Reference, Genetics. "What Is A Gene Mutation And How Do Mutations Occur?". Genetics Home Reference. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Sex Chromosomes

Sex chromosomes

Sex chromosomes are just one set on your 23 pairs of chromosomes. Everyone has two sex chromosomes. One from your dad and one from your mom. The female reproduction gamete is an egg which gives you an X while your father has X and Y chromosomes which mean your gender is given to you by your dad, pretty cool right?

In order to be a female you have the chromosomes XX.
In order to be a male you have them chromosomes XY.


Sex Linked Disease;
While the father has the stress of being the reason the child is a certain gender, the mom has a lot more on her hands. Since the mom has two X chromosomes she is the reason for a sex linked disorder. If the child is a male and suffers from a sex linked trait it is one hundred the mothers fault due to her passing down the x chromosome. While if its a female she had to have gotten a defective gene from both her mom and dad.


reflection; 
I knew about sex chromosomes because of class and for some reason it oddly made me extremely curious. I wanted to read up on it because being a female I wanted to know more about it so I know what Im getting myself into when I have kids in the future. I like how two small chromosomes determine so much about a person.

citations;
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Sex chromosome." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., n.d. Web. 26 May 2017.

Nicholson, Heather. "GMS5: Chicken Chromosomes." Scratch Cradle. N.p., 04 Aug. 2012. Web. 26 May 2017.