Unit 5 Reflection

The unit was about different types mutations like point mutation and the frameshift mutation. Also, I learned was the substitution, translation, and translocation. In this unit, I also learned about gene expression and regulation and Eukaryotic Regulation. The genetic code, walking the dogma, central walking dogma was also learned in this unit.

I learned that mutations are a change in the DNA code. I also learned that anything that causes a mutation. I learned about point mutation are a change in one or two base pairs of DNA. In frameshift mutation, there are 2 types insertion and deletion. Insertion is an extra base pair is put in the code. Deletion is a base pair is left out of the code. In other mutations, the inversion DNA breaks off and bonds in reverse order.

In gene expression, every cell in your body has the same DNA but not all cells look the same. Also, gene regulation is cells don't want to waste energy or overexpress genes, thus have a variety of steps used to control gene expression. 

Eukaryotic Regulation is also I learned about. It involves with Exons and Introns. After transcription sections of the gene are removed. Several proteins will bind before a gene and are required for the gene to be expressed. It needs more complex than bacterial regulation.

In the DNA Extraction Lab, I actually saw my own DNA. I found it interesting to see my own DNA.

Protein Synthesis Lab

1. The enzyme attaches to a piece of DNA called a gene.  The enzyme makes the copy of the DNA called mRNA. The mRNA goes out of the nucleus. The mRNA bonds with the ribosome. The ribosome reads the mRNA sequence and its codons. The codon correspond to a certain amino acid. Amino Acids are added together by the ribosome.  When the mRNA is finished the amino acids that are added together make a protein.

2.  The mutations that have the greatest effect are deletion and insertions. The mutation that has the least effect is a substitution.  The deletion and insertion  mutations have a bigger effect when it is near the beginning of the sequence because all the codons after the mutation will be affected.

3. In step 5 I deleted the first base pair because I believe it would cause the greatest change. There would be no start codon so the protein won't start where it usually does. Also, all of the codons afterwards would change  and make different amino acids. Since the mutation occurred in the beginning of the sequence,   the protein is changed more than if the mutation was at the end. If the mutation was at the end then not as many codons would be affected. 

4. Ectrodactyly is a disorder where humans have a cleft where the middle finger or the middle toe should be. As the result, the hands or feet look like claws. This caused by deletions in chromosome 7.

DNA Extraction Lab

In this lab we separated DNA from cheek cells in order to study it. I found the homogenization, lysis, and precipitation results in seeing my DNA.  First I swished the Gatorade in my mouth the Gatorade was the polar liquid. This was the homogenization stage. Next was the lysis stage. In this phase, I put soap and salt in order to emulsify the lipids and proteins of the cell. We further broke it down to the histones. Before the precipitation stage, we added the catabolic proteases which were pineapple juice breaks protein called histone. In the last stage, we added alcohol. The alcohol is nonpolar and polar is the mixture was on the bottom. I could see my DNA where the two mixtures came together.

My hypothesis was supports because in the nonpolar liquid we could see the DNA isolated because the DNA molecule was polar. While our hypothesis was supported by our data there could have been errors due to the group  doing the steps out of order. We could have added too much soap. We could have added too much pineapple juice.

Unit 4 Reflection

This unit is about the sex and the Punnett square and the different types of inheritance. A Punnett square is a square that helps predict the probability of getting certain traits. I also learned about sexual vs asexual production. Asexual reproduction requires only one parent and offspring are genetically Identical. Sexual reproduction requires only two parents and each parent contributes half of offspring's DNA through sperm or egg.  My strengths in this class were shown when watching videos because I am a visual learner. My weaknesses are having to analyze and write after class when it is not fresh in my mind. I had a hard time learning about genetics because there's a lot to remember.  I am good at putting the Punnett square together because it involves math and is straightforward and you don't have to remember a lot about genetics to be good at it. I learned the basics of asexual and sexual reproduction and how to generate genes. The infographic helped me to understand why genetics is important. Overall, I learned a lot from this unit. I know a bit about the Punnett square but I think there is much to learn. I am a kinesthetic learner and I need to do something physical to learn a concept. My preferred learning styles are visual (4) aural (3) read/write (4) kinesthetic (9).  I was surprised how much of a kinesthetic learner I am. I think that when I prepare for the next test, I will make sure to do interactive kinds of studying. Using the internet to show me and working with my hands through drawing and labeling, etc.

Coin Sex Lab Relate and Review

In the Coin Sex Lab, we predicted the probability that certain genes will appear  in human traits.  The alleles were different in each prediction of traits. autosome is not a sex related chromosome.We studied gene segregation. My expected results was 50:50 in the ratio to males to females. My results were not 50:50 they were 2:3. The probability of having a bipolar child is 50:50. The results were off. My results were high that the child would have bipolar which is 70% not 50. The probability is 25% to have a child that has colorblindness which is an  X-linked inheritance.I result were a little high with results of 7:3. My results with the dihybrid traits my results very high with traits brown hair, blue eyes which is homozygous or monohybrid. My results in brown eyes were heterozygous and homozygous but my results were small. My results were 7. The limit is only as good as using a perfect solution. Perfect results sometimes it happens and sometimes they don't. I received the combinations of certain traits from my mother and father and resulted in me. My sister has a recombination of traits from the same parents that resulted in her.

Genetic Infographic

https://magic.piktochart.com/editor/piktochart/9171922#

Above is the link to my infographic.

Unit 3 Reflection

This unit was about the story of the cell, the parts of the cell  and the different processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration that go on in the cell. It was also about the different kinds of eukaryotes and prokaryotes. 

My strengths in this unit was understanding photosynthesis and cellular respiration.  It is easier for me to follow processes. My weakness in this unit was remembering all the different parts of the cell

and their functions. Remembering is hard for me. A way for me to better understand is watching video and pausing it to get all of the information down. Watching video multiple of times would help me understand the material more. I am a better student because I know how to approach difficult material. I want to learn more on different parts of the cell. I wonder about what else can the cell do. For the test I can go over the notebook and check for concepts that I don't understand. I would also go over the vodcast and CFU

Egg Diffusion Lab

In this lab We use two eggs one in sugar water and the other in deionized water. In the deionized water the mass of the egg increased. There was a slight increase in circumference of the egg. In the sugar water the egg lost mass and the circumference decreased. There is a higher amount of solute outside the egg which is a hypertonic environment.  When the egg was in the deionized water the egg increased in size because it was in the hypotonic environment. In the cell's internal environment changes by diffusion because by passive diffusion. When the egg was in the water the water moved into the cell because there was more solute inside. When the egg was in the sugar water the water moved out of the egg because there was more solute outside of the egg. This lab was demonstrating hypertonic and hypotonic solvent and there reaction to a cell it demonstrated passive diffusion where solvent and solute moved from a high concentration to a low concentration. Lastly it demonstrated movement of solutes and solvent moving across a membrane. In the supermarket vegetables sprayed with water to keep them fresh and moist. In Tahoe cal trans sprinkle salt on icy roads in order to melt the ice. This happens because it moves from low concentration to high concentration. This in turn melts the ice. So the road is safe to drive on. The plants will shirvel and die because the water within the cells of the plant will moved towards the salt. This a hypertonic situation.  An example of the experiment I want to try will be the effect of using  fresh water to water ocean plants.  If you put kelp in fresh water it will die because it is not in salt water plants do not let salt diffuse into their cells. 

Egg Macromolecule Lab conclusion

Egg Macromolecule Lab

In this lab we asked the question can macromolecules be identified in an egg cell. I found that in an egg cell, the egg membrane contains monosaccharides, polysaccharides, protein, and lipids. The egg yolk contains monosaccharides, polysaccharide, protein, and lipids. The egg white contains  polysaccharides and proteins. I found that different types of egg such as egg white, egg yolk, egg membrane had different types of macromolecules. When tested for monosaccharide, the egg membrane in the qualitative observation turned green/purple and the egg yolk, for the qualitative observations, turned greenish blue when treated with Benedict’s solution. When tested for polysaccharide in which the egg cell was treated with iodine, the egg membrane turned to brownish color, the egg yolk turned orange color and the egg white turned light orange. When tested for protein in which the egg cell was treated with NaOH and CuSO4, the egg membrane turned blue, the egg yolk turned green and egg white turned dark blue. When tested for lipids in which the egg is treated with Sudan III, the egg membrane turned tinted orange and the egg yolk turned yellow mixed with red.

Our data was unexpected because an error that affected the data which is that I didn’t observed the eggs carefully enough. This error could have affected my data by skewing the numbers for the quantitative amount of macromolecules. Due to these errors in future experiments I would recommend to make sure to observe more carefully and record the correct information. I would also recommend that all of the group members say their opinion on the color.

This lab was done to demonstrate the different types of macromolecules in the different parts of the egg cell. From this lab I learned about different types of test to look at which macromolecules are present. I also learned which macromolecule are present in different parts of the egg which helps me understand the concept of where the macromolecule are in the cell and cell biology. Based on my experience from this lab, I can apply the concepts with a cell. The procedure can be improved by using two eggs for each test to see if the color is consistent. Another situation that applies to look at your skins on your fingertips when in water.

20 questions about nature of the universe

What's so weird about prime numbers?

I am interested in this question because I like math, and I am very interested in numbers.

The current hypothesis for this question is:
If you find one prime number, there is no way to tell where the next one is without checking all the numbers as you go. One possible way to get a handle on how primes are spaced is to calculate, for any number, how many primes there are smaller than it.
My 20 Questions are:

1.Why is the sky blue?

2.How high can planes go up to after takeoff?

3.What speeds can planes go during takeoff?

4.Why do whales have blowholes?

5.Why do dogs have better hearing than humans?

6.What is the speed of light?

7. What causes hurricane?

8. How do planes survive in natural disaster?

9. How do people survive in hurricane?

10.What do you if the lightning strikes the ground?

11.How do bees pollinate flowers?

12.Why do people get allergic reaction?

13.Why don’t oil and water mix?

14.What causes corn to pop on heating?

15. Why does avocado turn brown when exposed to air?

16. What causes the rainbow?

17. What causes rusting of iron?

18. Why do bears hibernate in the winter?

19. How do penguins hunt for food?

20. How do plants get nutrients from the soil?

Identifying Questions and Hypotheses

I found a experiment called dehydrating a potato like in McDonalds. The link of the experiment is       http://www.sciencefairadventure.com/ProjectDetail.aspx?ProjectID=230.  The question about the experiment is how to dehydrate a potato? If potato is dehydrated then it will be dry. I know potato have skin there is moisture inside the potato cells. I know that potatoes are a tubular plant. They have starch.  Alot of carbohydrates in potatoes.  In McDonalds they use dehydrated potatoes to make french fries.

Unit 2 Reflection

Its about the different types of saccrides and the miniature of biology the new vocab words like poly and mono and di and macro. The themes were miniature biology and Macromolecules. The essential understanding is different enzymes and how they produce. I also learned about 3 different kinds of bonds and elements. I also learned about the Periodic table and how it is used. My strengths are my interest in water and how great it is to make solutions. Example: salt and pepper; sugar and sand; earth's atmosphere; Kool-aid.The interesting part of the water is solute and solvent. My weaknesses is not my interest are lipids because it is about fats and oils, waxes.

Cheese Lab

                                                   Cheese Lab

Curdling Agent	chymosin	rennin	buttermilk	milk(control)
Acid	5	5
Base
Hot	5	10
Cold
pH control	15	15
temp. control	15	10

In this lab we asked the question about what are optimal conditions and curdling agents for making cheese. I found out that an environment that is acidic warm/hot is optimal environment for yielding cheese curds. The evidence is in acidic environment it took 5 mins for cheese curds to form. In order for cheese makers to produce cheese at optimal production they control the temperature and the acid added to the different kinds of milk. Cheese production uses many scientific principles to affect flavor production and texture of the cheese.

While our hypothesis was supported by our data there could have been errors due to the temperature to be incorrect or adding too much or too little enzyme. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend to keep the test tubes under the blow dryer  instead of the armpit. I would also recommend different types of milk.

I recommend that the optimal condition of making cheese is huge in industry. Cheese making is good and great example of biotechnology has improved an industrial process. This lab was done to demonstrate to make cheese faster and also this helps me understand the concept of using a base ,an acid and a control. Based on my experience from this lab I could use this information in making other milk products like butter, and sour cream.

Sweetness Lab

1. In this lab, we tasted different forms of carbohydrates and  I found that monosaccharides -glucose and fructose were the sweetest and I rated them 150 to 200.  Disaccharides - Sucrose, Lactose, and Maltose were not especially sweet. The polysaccharides - Starch and cellulose were not sweet at all, in fact, they were tasteless.  I noticed that sweeter carbohydrates had granular texture and less sweet ones were powdery.

2. Polysaccharides due to their structure play energy storage and structural roles in living organisms.
Monomers in starch function as energy storage units and  in cellulose as strong protective fibers.

3. I think the rating could differ for all testers  because our ability to taste things and our response is influenced by many things including our individual experiences.

4. We taste sweetness due to nerves in the taste buds. the taste system includes special receptor cells in the taste buds on the tongue and throat and nerve cells and their extension called axons that form pathways to the brain. Once the taste signals reach certain areas of the brain these centers detect and interpret the flavor messages.

Carbohydrate	Type of      Carbohydrate	Degrees of Sweetness	Color	Texture	Other Observations/ Connection to food
Glucose	mono	150	clear white	granular	nutrient for sick people
Fructose	mono	200	clear white	granular	fruit sugar used in drinks
Galactose	mono	75	clear white	powdery	found in dairy products
Maltose	di	50	tan	powdery	after taste and not sweet
Lactose	di	25	white	powdery	also found in dairy products
Starch	poly	0	white	powdery	tasteless and no taste
Cellulose	poly	0	white	powdery	no taste; bland

Pranay's Biology Collage

                                                  Denim Lab

In this lab we asked the question was how bleach can disinfect clothes and become whiter. We found out in the lab that the higher concentration of bleach the more faded the denim will become. When the color with 100% bleach there was 10 in the color removal because it was low. With the Fabric Damage 0% there was no change. If you have bleach on clothes then the color will be removed. This data support our claim because the color of the jean is easy to see after apply bleach to the fabric.

Our data was unexpected because of the removal of jeans out of DH20. The data was hard because the color and numbers will be hard to understand.  Due to these errors, in the future experiments I would recommend to write the data more accurate by the experiment is shown. I would also recommend that the lab will be clean at the end of class. I found that the most ideal solution to fade denim was 50%

This lab was done to demonstrate the bleach that can affect the clothes. From this lab I learned how bleach can change color of the fabric which helps me understand the concept of following the scientific method. Based on my experience from this lab I can apply this situation to Root beer float. How much root beer add to the ice cream to make a ideal root beer float.

Concentration ( % of  bleach)	Average Color Removal (scale 1-10)	Average Fabric Damage (Scale 1-10)
100
50
25
12.5
0