Cell Respiration Music Video

Hey, guys! Here is a great video explaining all about glycolysis, the krebs cycle, and the ETC, which, as a whole, is cell respiration! I think that this video is very informative and thorough and can be really helpful if you want to learn more about it. Not to mention, it's also a pretty good tune. =] My partner, Dawson, and I had a really great time filming, recording, and demonstrating our knowledge of cell respiration. We both worked really hard and I hope you all enjoy it.

Thanks!

Cell Respiration: Glycolysis and The Krebs Cycle

Hey guys, here are two pretty cool sketch fu's on the first two parts of cell respiration; glycolysis and the krebs cycle. I hope you like it!


Learn how to draw cartoons, comics, and anime at Sketchfu!




Learn how to draw cartoons, comics, and anime at Sketchfu!

How Tall Are You? Just Look at Your Genes

In recent research studies, it was shown that the accumulation of genes in one's body can dictate the height of that person. The findings of this research show that the combination of a large number of genes in an individuals, rather than just a "tall" or "short" gene, can determine their height. Even though this research did not contribute in explaining the heritability of height, it has given scientists insight on how genes play a role in human height and what biological pathways those genes play a role in.

    In one study, hundreds of investigators from multiple countries were selected to identify which genes affect height in approximately 200,000 human samples. After the research was completed, the investigators then combined their results to see what additional results could be found. The pooling of all the samples was necessary because since height is a complex genetic trait, with possibly a number of genes with small effect each adding up to influence whether a person would be taller or shorter.

    After all the research was statistically analyzed, it was found that there were 180 different genetic regions that influence the trait. "These common gene variants could explain as much as sixteen percent of the variation in height," said study co-author Kari North, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. They researchers also found that the genes were not random and could  point to functional pathways important in influencing height.

    Even though many scientists obtained a plethora of information over the course of this study, the proportion of inherited variation in height is still unexplained. However, this newly acclaimed knowledge can give important insight height, skeletal growth, and growth defects.  It is also shows how similar approaches can be taken to look for genes underlying other common traits and diseases relevant to body size, like type 2 diabetes.

Monkey Business in Myanmar

   Earlier this year, a new species of monkey was recently discovered in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, a country located in South East Asia. The Rhinopithecus strykeri,  one of a species of snub-nosed monkey, have been known to dwell within mainly Vietnam and China until this recent detection. The unearthing of this species occurred when field biologists led by Ngwe Lwin from the Myanmar Biodiversity And Nature Conservation Association supported by an international team of primatologists from Fauna & Flora International and the People Resources and Biodiversity Foundation, discovered the new species during the nationwide Hoolock Gibbon Status Review in early 2010.

   Even though this species has previously existed in other parts of South East Asia, scientists have somewhat of an explanation why they weren't discovered until recently. It is believed that since this new species of snub-nosed monkey inhabits the Kachin State in northeastern Myanmar it is geographically isolated from other species by two major barriers, the Mekong and the Salween Rivers, which may explain why the species has not been discovered earlier. According to local hunters the monkeys spend the summer months, between May and October, at higher altitudes in mixed temperate forests. In winter they descend closer to villages when snowfall makes food scarcer.

    However, even with this discovery of the new species, the snub nosed monkey is still considered to be critically endangered. This endangerment is a result of the increasing pressure of the hunters. The hunting pressure has increased from the building of logging roads by Chinese companies beginning to invade the once isolated distribution area of this newly discovered monkey. Although there haven't been many acts enforced to slow down the decline of this species, many people aware of the situation are determined to come up with a solution. Mark Rose, Chief Executive of Fauna & Flora International said, "We are committed to taking immediate conservation action to safeguard the survival of this important new species together with our partners and local communities in Myanmar."

Fun Facts:

When it rains, water gets in the upturned noses of the monkey, which causes them to sneeze.

To avoid getting rainwater in their noses they spend rainy days with their heads tucked between their knees.

It also has a relatively long tail, approximately 140% of its body size.

In local dialects it is called mey nwoah (monkey with an upturned face).

Looks like Michael Jackson (in my opinion).

Osmoregulation: Sea Turtles

Osmosis is the diffusion of water to create equal concentrations of a solution. All organisms, whether they are terrestrial, amphibious, or marine, must osmoregulate to create an isotonic solution. An isotonic environment keeps an organisms fluids from becoming to diluted, or too concentrated, and helps animals maintain internal balance, or homeostasis.

Sea Turtles excrete salt by "crying"
and it is visible when they are out of
the water.

Salt glands are organs in reptiles and birds and help in excretion which is how they osmoregulate. Salt glands in these organisms are mainly found in the skull area; most likely in the nostrils, mouth, or eyes. The salt is moved from the blood to the glands by active transport, and then excreted as a concentrated solution. Salt glands in marine animals function in sustaining salt balance, which enables marine vertebrates to drink salt water.

The sea turtle is a marine animal which has salt glands in its eyes. The way this reptile excretes the salt it intakes is by "crying". This act is necessary for the sea turtle because unlike mammals, reptiles and birds have less efficient kidneys which means that urination would not be as helpful. Since their skin is impermeable to salt, and the assistance of excretion, sea turtles are able to dwell in saltwater environments while maintaining homeostasis.

Indianapolis Colts Cell Community

Hey guys. Here is a Gloster of a cell community represented by the Indianapolis Colts!

The "Good" Bacteria: Lactobacillus casei

Lactobacillus casei is one of the many very helpful bacteria within our bodies. I chose this bacteria because of the many bacteria in the world, many of the well known have a negative effect on animals and humans. I decided that it would be best to explain how L. casei is a very helpful and beneficial bacteria.



SEM image of L. casei



Image of Lactobacillus

L. casei is a genus of Lactobacillus, and is a bacteria found in the intestine and mouth. As a bacteria that  produces lactic acid, it helps in multiplying and increasing the number of other desirable bacteria within the host organism. This probiotic - a live microorganism that is beneficial to the host organism - aids in producing L. acidophilus which is another very helpful bacteria within animals and humans that  improves digestion reduces lactose intolerance and constipation. L. casei is oftenly used for industrial reasons and is mainly found in dairy products. For example, L. casei is a main component in the ripening of cheddar cheese and is also mainly found in a Japanese drink called Yakult which is something like a fermented milk.

L. casei is a rod shaped bacteria, and contains all the necessary organelles in a prokaryote and can range from anywhere between .5 - 20micrometers. This bacteria contains a flagella, which aids in mobility, a pili which helps to adhesive to other cells, a capsule which sorrounds the cell wall and prevents anything good from leaving the cell and anything bad from entering it. It also consists of a cell wall which aids in the structure of the cell, a cytoplasmic membrane, which is a "strainer" found inside the cell wall that controls what enters and exits the cell, a mesosome, which provides a place for DNA replication, a nucleoid, which is an area that contains most of the DNA, and plasmid, which are smaller regions that contain small amounts of DNA, and a cytoplasm, which is a cell inside the cell membran that contains everything within the cell.

< Structure of a prokaryote (L. casei).

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_casei

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakult

 http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/peterson_heid/494px-Average_prokaryote_cell-_en_svg.png

Macromolecules Lab Response

To start, I thought this lab was very entertaining and surprising. The entertainment came from the excitement of running different tests on different substances. I thought this was entertaining because everyone was very excited to complete their first lab that involved burners, goggles, and test tubes. There definitely an up-beat commotion in the classroom. However, the surprising part comes from the results of the tests. The results of the foods we tested varied from my predictions and were very unexpected. When I looked at the results, I questioned myself. Did we make a mistake? Is this really the food we think it is? Although once the reason why each result showed the way it did, it all started to make sense. We realized there may have been some inaccuracies, and also that some results were actually very true. Even though some of the results were complicated and confusing, not all of them were. For instance, my predictions for the potato exactly matched the results. The potato was a fairly simple food to test and the results were understandable. The food that I tested was egg whites. My predictions matched up pretty well with my personal results. However, what caught me off guard was that it did not contain protein. My partner and I were very appalled. We were confused because people usually say that eggs is a good source of protein, but as we found out, it doesn't contain protein. Even though some results were misleading, overall, this lab was very fun and helpful lab.

^ Here is a jing video explaining nucleic acids and their impotance in biology. It's a really cool video and I hope you enjoy it.

Properties of Water

Properties of Water

Polarity:

Water is formed by a polar covalent bond which means that water is a polar molecule. This means that electrons are not shared eqaully throughout the molecule which produces slight negative and positive charges. When the negative end of the water molecule attracts the positive end of another water molecule, this creates a hydrogen bond. A hydrogen bond is a bond between two polar molecules. The hydrogen bonds that form between water molecules cause some of the other essential, and unique, properties of water.

Adhesion/Cohesion:

Adhesion, or capillary action, is when water molecules are attracted to other substances with a negative or positive charges. This is why water "climbs" up a piece of paper or a straw above the surface level of the water.                     This figure shows water adhesion >

When the negative end of a water molecule attracts the positive end of another water molecule, and the molecules stick together, this is called cohesion.

If the water molecules are more strongly attracted to each other than to the surrounding material, they bead up and try to get as close to each other as possible. If there is a stronger attraction to some other material, they spread out and try to get close to the other material.

Surface Tension:

Surface tension is caused by cohesion when the water molecules bunch together. As the molecules get closer to each other, it creates tightness across the water's surfaces.

The reson why this paperclip isn't breaking the surface is because it doesn't have the weight to break the hydrogen bonds that are keeping the molecules together.

Specific Heat:

Specific heat is the heat needed to raise a substance's temperature by 1 degree Celcius. Water is special because it has such a high specific heat. The reason why the specific heat is so high is because the attraction between the H2O is so strong that it takes more energy than usual to shake up those molecules to make them hotter.

Universal Solvent:

Water is also unique because it is the universal solvent. Most substances are soluble in water. When a substance is being dissolved, polar water molecules attract the other polar molecules that are being dissolved. However, water cannot dissolve non-polar molecules such as fats or oils because the non-polar molecules do not have a positive and negative charge for the water molecules to attract.

What I expect to learn.

In this years Honors Biology course I look forward to learn about a variety of things. I expect to learn some of the same material as the end of last year, but with more detail. I hope we go more in depth with atoms and molecules and also I expect to learn about diseases, hormones and inheritence, organisms, and evolution. I think that web tools and blogging will help our learning experience because it gives us all opportunities to share information and debate about topics without being in the classroom. It also incoporates the computer, where a lot of us spend a great deal of our time. With the incorporation of a computer, it will encourage us to converse about the different topics in our science class, while enjoying ourselves at the same time.