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.

Replication

Replication

Replication is the act of copying or reproducing something. DNA replication is the biological process of producing two identical replicas of DNA from one original DNA molecule.

https://www.wonderwhizkids.com/images/themes/dna_replication/dna_replic5.jpg

When does it happen?

• Replication happens during interphase, when DNA splits. 
• During interphase DNA replicated during S phase.
• DNA also replicates before transcription occurs.

Why?

DNA replication is a basic processes that occurs within a cell. Each time a cell divides, the two daughter cells, at the end, must contain exactly the same genetic information, or DNA, as the parent cell. To make sure this happens, each strand of DNA acts as a template for replication.

Reflection

I really enjoyed review thins topic because I am pretty good with this topic. I did not know that DNA replication happens before transcription and during interphase. When we learned this in class it was my first time learning about this. This can ably outside of school if you want to learn more about your DNA and if you want to become a geneticist in the future.

Carbon Cycle

~ Carbon Cycle ~

• All living things are made of carbon.

• Carbon can be found in the atmosphere, in the ocean, air, and rocks. 

• When carbon is attached to oxygen, a gas called carbon dioxide is created. 

• The largest amount of carbon on Earth is stored in oceans.

The Carbon Cycle

a. Carbon is taken out of the atmosphere by plants and replaced with oxygen.
b. Animals use the oxygen from plants for cellular respiration and produce carbon dioxide.
c. Carbon is released in decaying matter and waste.
d. Carbon is released by the burning of fossil fuels.
e. The cycle repeats over and over.

Human Impact

• Burning fossil fuels releases extra carbon into the atmosphere.
• Increased carbon dioxide increases global warming.
• Deforestation means less vegetation, which results in less carbon dioxide being taken out of the atmosphere and less oxygen being released.

What humans can do

• Help plants grow/replant trees.

• Burn less fossil fuels

• Use cars as least as possible

Reflection

I really benefitted from doing the carbon cycle because before this blog, I didn't know a lot about it. In order to put the correct information, I had to do a lot of research, which has really helped my understanding. One of the most interesting things I learned was that the most carbon is stored in Earth's oceans. Although I already knew fossil fuels increased global warming, I never knew just how greatly they impact my life.

Citations

N.p., 2017. Print.

"The Carbon Cycle". Eo.ucar.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

"Video_Ecology__2_Review_EOC (1).Mov". Google Drive. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Mutation: Substitution Mia DiTommaso

Substitution

Substitution is the exchange of one or more bases for another. This can result in a different amino acid codon reading.

Substitution will (possibly) only affect one amino acid reading, none after it. When the mutation goes unnoticed it is known as a silent mutation.
http://www.biotechnologyforums.com/thread-38.html

- Addition/insertion and deletion are frameshift mutations

How/When:

• Occurs spontaneously and randomly (not inheritable)

http://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-types-of-mutation-are-there 

Reflection:
I chose to do substitution because I could never remember the name of it. On the 13.5 I would always put insertion when it was supposed to be substitution. Doing this topic made me realize my mistake, so I'm glad that I chose this topic. What surprised me about this topic was learning what a substitution mutation was. I loved getting to learn about mutations, how they occur, and what happens when they do.

Abiogenesis

Abiogenesis

Abiogenesis is basically, life produced from a non-living organism

How is it studied?

Abiogenesis is studies through lab experiments and theories of evolution that focuses on finding out how chemical reactions could give life.

Is it proven?

Abiogenesis is not "proven" but life had to come from somewhere. Right? Scientists use the idea that life couldn't have just "popped up", that it had to come from somewhere and that everything alive is proof of it.

Reflection:

Basically, Abiogenesis is still trying to be proven but it just goes along with all the other theories like the "big bang". Personally, it makes perfect sense, as life couldn't have just shown up out of nowhere. Overall, even though Abiogenesis is very controversial in the scientific world, it could potentially shed some light on how our universe began.

"Abiogenesis". En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

"Abiogenesis | Biology". Encyclopedia Britannica. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Deschamps, Justin, and Justin Deschamps. "Life Energetically Generated From "Lifeless Environment" | Abiogenesis – The Frankenstein Effect By John Mount". Stillnessinthestorm.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Blood Types

Blood Types: A, AB, O, and B

Homozygous:
AA
BB
No AB
ii

Heterozygous:
Ai
Bi
AB
No ii

• O blood is only receive.
• A, B, and AB blood can be dominant and carriers of O blood.
• A person with O blood can only receive from a person with O blood.
• A person with A blood can receive from a person with A or O blood.
• A person with B blood can receive from a person with B or O blood.
• A person with AB blood can receive from a person with A, B, or O blood.
• Each blood type is either positive and negative.

Reflection: This was good review of the different blood types. Also how the specific blood type can donate to. As well receive blood from. Along with the different blood types it was a good review for what types are heterozygous and homozygous. Then the different ways that they blood types are wrote. 

Cites

"Blood Types Chart | Blood Group Information | American Red Cross". American Red Cross. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 May 2017.

"Blood Types | New York Blood Center". Nybloodcenter.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 May 2017.

Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse Effect 

• The greenhouse effect states that the emission of greenhouse gases (pollution) is destroying the ozone layer. 

        • Gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are becoming more prominent in the atmosphere because of deforestation, when these gases are produced they trap UV rays in the atmosphere which is why global warming is happening.

• When we emit these gases more than we should we are destroying our planet, so for future generations they won't be able to live the way we do now.

• Deforestation is one factor that strongly influences the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

• Also the ocean absorbs a lot of the carbon that we release into the air, not all of it but a lot, this changes the water and makes it more acidic leading to the extinction of species and sick marine life.

Reflection 

I really enjoyed writing about this topic because I had researched about global warming and other political environmental issues in the past. One thing I found interesting that I didn't know before was that the ocean absorbs the gases we emit and that is also destructing the oceans because we also pollute/liter and stuff like that in the ocean so it jut adds to the harm. I also didn't know that deforestation was a big issue with global warming. 

Citations 

"Climate Processes". Marian Koshland Science Museum. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

"NASA's Climate Kids :: What Is The Greenhouse Effect?". Climatekids.nasa.gov. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Incomplete Dominance

Incomplete Dominance is when during a genetic cross, neither trait is fully expressed, as in the example above. 

Reflection:

I thought this topic was very easy, the only thing that was even mildly challenging is potentially confusing it with codominance, but when you remember that incomplete neither is completely expressed its very simple.

Notes and Examples:

goo.gl/TpV8Pb-Includes both incomplete and Co-dominance with explanations and examples

Citations:
Incomplete Dominance. 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Aerobic energy production

Aerobic respiration uses oxygen to make ATP. This is the main way people get around and how cells breathe. Without this system cells could not breathe and we would not be here. The aerobic energy system utilises fats, carbohydrate and sometimes proteins for synthesizing ATP for energy use.

An example is a car vs a bike. The bike is slower and less movement. Then the car goes farther and faster.
The bike would be anaerobic and the car would be aerobic energy.

Forms of aerobic energy is ATP, ADP, and AMP

Reflection: I learned that ATP is the main function of all respiration. Also that a total of 38 atp is made from each spree of respiration.


"The Aerobic System — PT Direct". Ptdirect.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 25 May 2017.

Huntington's Disease

Huntington's Disease

• An inherited disease that over time, the nerve cells in the brain begin to break down.

• This disease will typically effect a person who is in their 30's-40's.
• Anyone who inherits the gene will eventually develop the disease. 
• Huntington's disease is autosomal dominant
• When a person with this disease dies, it is typically due to complications with the disease but not the disease itself
• It affects all of the brain but some parts of the brain more than others

Signs/Symptoms:
*Symptoms will typically appear between the ages of 30-50 and will worsen over a span of 10-25 years.

• Personality changes, mood swings & depression
• Forgetfulness & impaired judgment
• Unsteady gait & involuntary movements 
• Slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing & significant weight loss

Stages:
Early stage: includes subtle changes in coordination, perhaps some involuntary movements, difficulty thinking through problems and often a depressed or irritable mood
Middle stage: movement disorder may become more of a problem (medication may be considered), changes in thinking and reasoning abilities, diminished speech and difficulty swallowing, ordinary activities become harder to do
Late stage: totally dependent on others for their care, choking becomes a major concern, person will no longer be able to speak or walk, however, the person with the disease is generally still able to comprehend language and retains an awareness of family and friends

Diagnosis:

• genetic testing
• prenatal testing

Treatment:

• different treatments can help the symptoms be reduced but there is no cure for this disease
• this is a chronic disease which means it can last for years or lifelong

Reflection: This isn't something we really went over in class but this disease interests me. There is something about the brain and how it works that really intrigues me. This topic was the "fun" topic I would be able to research and blog about. I learned what the disease is and how it can be hard for the family and the person who has the disease.


CITATIONS:

Team, Health. "What Is Huntington’S Disease (HD) | Health Life Media". Healthlifemedia.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

"What Is HD? |". Hdsa.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 26 May 2017.

Scientific method

Steps to Scientific method.                                                 

Ask a Question: The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?

Do Background Research: Rather than starting from step 1 by putting together a plan for answering your question, you want to do research to help you find the best way to do things and insure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.

Construct a Hypothesis:   A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It is an attempt to answer your question with an explanation that can be tested.

"If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen." 

Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: Experiment with your tests whether your prediction is accurate and thus your hypothesis is supported or not. Make sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same.

Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: 

Once your experiment is complete, you collect your measurements and analyze them to see if they support your hypothesis or not.

Communicate Your Results: To complete your project you will communicate your results to others in a final report. ( some professional scientist do this by publishing their final report in a scientific journal or during a scientific meeting

Reflection

_____________________________________________

I loved working on this project, despite not knowing much about the steps to scientific method. I had a good time researching and learning about this topic. It was very easy to understand.

Citation(s)

__________

"Steps of the Scientific Method." Science Buddies. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2017.