Unit 10 Reflection

In this unit I learned about homeostasis which is when the body maintains equilibrium in response to outside factors like temperature. I also learned about the circulatory and respiratory systems which work together to ensure every cell in your body can maintain homeostasis. Something else I learned about is the nervous system which has two parts: Central Nervous System that includes the brainstem, and spinal cord, and Peripheral Nervous System that includes cranial nerves, spinal nerves, sensory neurons and motor neurons. Another system I learned about was the endocrine system which is a system made up of glands that regulate hormones. In the pig dissection we saw the pancreas which releases insulin to decrease blood sugar levels and glucagon to increase it. The main theme of the unit was physiology and how the different systems work together to maintain homeostasis.

In this picture the body maintains homeostasis by sweating to cool down when it is hot and by shivering to heat up when it is cold.

Image credit: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/sites/default/files/resources/articles/singing_in_rain/temp_control.gif

I want to learn more about the lymphatic system because it was hard to understand. I also wonder about the connection between this system and the other systems in the body. One question I still have about the lymphatic system is how does it get rid of waste in the body?

When I looked back at my old blog posts I found my biology collage (http://pranayjalanbio.blogspot.com/2015/09/pranays-biology-collage.html) where I made a collage of characteristics of life. Back then I did not know much about biology. I did not really know much about homeostasis but now I understand it better. During the year, I learned that homeostasis is maintaining equilibrium in the body. I have grown a lot since August by taking a lot of vodcast notes and studying very well. In the process I have learned so much about biology and myself.  In August one of my goals was to become better at lab write ups and I think I accomplished my goal. I also believe that I became a better note-taker through this class. I am most proud of the sweetness lab (http://pranayjalanbio.blogspot.com/2015/09/sweetness-lab.html) because I had a lot of fun tasting the different types of carbohydrates. I wrote this blog post very well and understood the concepts of the lab.

20 time Individual Reflection

I challenged myself by trying to figure out how the electric motor works and the environmental benefits of electric cars. I chose to research electric cars because they are my interest and I like to sit inside them. My goal was to learn more about electric cars and their range and qualify for the TED Talk. I was focused on helping others because I wanted to help the environment.  My plan to achieve my goal was to research the different electric car-making companies. I collected a lot of information from the environmental groups about electric car and their impact on the environment. I also researched about electrical power plants because they pollute the environment which is a problem to be solved. My project went well because I was researching a lot and learned about electric cars. My project will be life long because we will have new electric cars in the future.  I want to learn more about how to reduce the price of electric cars and make them more environmentally friendly.  I learned that electric cars are very expensive and how they affect the environment.  Next time if I do this project again I would study diiferent interests like planes, or boats and their environmental impact. I would like to continue this challenge because electric cars are my interest and I want to learn more about them. 

Unit 9 Reflection

This unit I learned about phylogeny which is the evolutionary history and relationships of species using taxonomy. Also, I learned that birds are dinosaurs in terms of bone similarity and beaks. I want to learn more about how plants become fungi over time. A question I still have is why do we get AIDS?  I wonder what life would be like if we still had dinosaurs.

From my presentation I learned that fruit flies eye colors are sex-linked. I did very good because I prepared a lot and was interested in my topic. If I was to do it again I would memorize my presentation to make it more fun for the class. In my TED Talk I will use what I learned from this presentation to shorten the bullet point notes.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZBxfFIZlh6Pa_ZjjjCNWd2uNFQ0IYPfKhRFt-yjuTzA/edit#slide=id.p

My Inner Fish

In this movie, I learned about evolution because we connect with fish. We have the similar bones but fish has fins and we have hands. They found a fossil by the side of the highway. I found interesting that they were able to find the fossil and it was exactly that they were looking for. Tiktaalik had a neck and use this to look for food. They found a shoulder girdle was part of a tetrapod.  Birds, dogs, humans have one bone and two bones and digits we knew that we were connected to them. They went to Antartica and found a transition fish that was a Tiktaalik was strong enough to get itself out of the water. They found something that was not quite a fish because it can go onto land and it also had a moveable wrist and an elbow and a shoulder. The transition fish was a connection to us and through evolution.

Unit 8 Reflection

This unit was about evolution. I  learned about the constant change in species which are due to evolution and natural selection. I also learned about Artifical Selection and that people breed animals because they want them to have favorable genes. Also, in this unit, there was the bird beak lab and I had difficulty collecting food because I had a spoon-shaped like a beak. In the Hunger Games Lab, I lost every round because I was slow in collecting the corks. From this lab, I learned why natural selection favors organisms that are better adapted to their environment. I want to learn about the different types of selection more. I still want to know why the population is evolving so fast? I wonder about why is earth rapidly changing? I have not been any more assertive since watching the video. I still need to work on trying to be more assertive in my life.

http://pranayjalanbio.blogspot.com/2016/03/unit-8-reflection.html

Geologic Timeline Individual Reflection

The three major events in Earth's history are Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic. One of these three major events is Cretaceous. The cretaceous period is significant because it was the last and longest segment of the Mesozoic Era, also known as the "age of dinosaurs". The cretaceous period lasted for 79 million years. The second of these 3 major events is the Jurassic Period. The Jurassic Period is known for large plant- eating dinosaurs and smaller carnivores as well. We have discovered over 700 species of dinosaurs. The last of these 3 major events is the Triassic Period. The Triassic period followed the largest extinction event in the history of life and so was a time when the survivors of that event spread and recolonized the planet. The scale of Earth's history is categorized by era and major events. I was very surprised to learn how many millions of years have gone past. I feel sad because there has been so much destruction of species in a short period of time. I hope in the future we can find alternative ways of doing things so that the planet can try to recover. I really want to know more about the dinosaurs and how they came to live in the Mesozoic Era. 

Hunger Games Analysis

1. We collected food with different abilities. This simulates how different animals collect food with different abilities.


2. The pinchers were the best.


3.  Yes, the frequency of the A alleles has changed 52% in my 7th generation the big allele was 43%. The frequency of my trait was 48% after my 7th generation, my frequency was 57%.

4. The food placement was random. When you flip the coin it simulated reproduction and how random this trait will appear.  In this experiment, the knucklers were the phenotype that had the highest chance of survival.

Bird Beak Lab

1. Graphs

2.  Part 1 Analysis

Individuals with better traits leave more offspring. The evidence for this is that in part 1 graph the tweezer beak had the highest number of chicks, eventually making up 39% of chicks. This is because the tweezer beak was able to collect more food. If they able to collect more food then there would be more offspring.

Populations begin to look more like the winners. The evidence for this is that the tweezer chicks  can collect more food, therefore, the offspring will survive. They “win” by getting food is competitive in nature. If more of the offspring survive, then the population of chicks will look like the tweezer chicks.

3. Part 2 Conclusion

In this lab we asked the question: If natural selection occurs in a population,how do changes in selective pressures affect the evolution of that species? We found that the organisms, in this lab birds, with better traits that allow them to get more food survive and leave more offspring. In our lab the chicks that were able to get more food, the tweezers chicks and the scissors chicks, made up a larger percentage of chicks (39% , and 27% respectively) . In part 2, when faced with the avian flu,  the tweezers and the scissors have the highest amount of offspring because they were able to collect more food. This relates to Darwin’s principle as his conclusion was that the organisms with the highest fitness would survive and pass on their genes to their offspring, leading to evolution of the species for organisms with the best traits.

While our data supported the hypothesis, the possible errors could have been due to the hands of students being tired or some students being quicker than others. This would lead to a disadvantage/advantage of getting food, this would alter the results because it's not based on the beak shape. Instead of using our hands, the lab would be improved by using a more uniform motion, like using shovels with different shapes. Also I would recommend that one student try out all of the different beaks instead of making different students using different beaks.

This lab was done to demonstrate the effects of selective pressure on the evolution of a species. From this lab I learned that the organism that has the best trait for the environment will have more offspring and pass on their genes, especially when faced with selective pressures that cause competition. This helps me understand the concepts of evolution and natural selection and how competition plays a role. Based on my experience from this lab, I can also think about how animals today have evolved in the world today and what traits make them best adapted, especially in environments heavily affected by humans.

Story of Cosmetic

I chose to watch “Story of Cosmetics.” The video talked about the toxins that are in our everyday cosmetic products, such as shampoo, lipstick, and lotion. The possible toxins include carcinogens, neurotoxins, and many other types. I learned that less than 20% of the ingredients in our cosmetics is inspected. The video also talked about how certain companies, such as Proctor and Gamble, label their products as herbal or natural even though there is no basis for their claims. I learned that in the regulation of the cosmetic ingredients, cosmetic companies make their own rules, which is obviously a huge conflict of interest. These toxic ingredients don't only affect the consumer but also the workers and community that is exposed in. What needs to happen is to introduce new laws to prevent the toxic ingredients from being in the product, which relates to the “precautionary principles”.

The video surprise me because I wasn’t aware of the lack of regulations that goes into my products that I used everyday. I will be more careful about what products I will use by reading the label and seeing what ingredients there are.  I can also look for products that are label safe. I hope that my awareness will eventually contribute to my safety and I can spread that awareness.

Unit 7 Reflection

In this unit, we learned about ecology, interaction with organisms, and the interdependence organisms have on each other. For example, giant land snails could not exist without plants and algae to eat, and the plants and algae could not grow without bacteria and other organisms helping recycle nutrients in the water and soil. We also learned about the relationships between the different levels of organization in an ecological system including Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biome, and Biosphere. In the future, I hope to learn more about the ecological pyramids since we were not able to go over them as much as I had wanted to. As we finish this unit, I still want to know about the importances of each different trophic level. I wonder why 90% of transferred energy is lost as we go up each level of the energy pyramid. The vodcast we made went well because everybody said everything correctly and our presentation was put together nicely. Unfortunately, one thing that did not go well understanding the concept of biodiversity. I learned about the poaching in the African savannah. The collaboration went well because everybody researched their information.

Extra Credit Bioethics Reading

Summary:

There are currently around 29,000 rhinos worldwide. In the last five years, poaching for rhino horns has increased dramatically  putting them in danger of becoming extinct.  Luckily, there is a new 3D printing technology that is capable of creating synthetic rhino horns. By engineering yeast cells to produce the same keratins found in rhino horns. Scientists can combine these keratins with trace elements of rhino DNA, and use the resulting material as an ink in a 3D printing process. The finished product is one with identical physical, genetic, and spectrographic properties as a wild horn.

Benefits: Currently, rhinos are dying at much higher rates than they are being born. With the development of 3D printing technology, fewer Rhinos will be poached and killed for their horns. Also, the illegal market for rhino horns will go away completely.  

Risks: Many people believe rhino horns are able to be used as a blood cleanser, fever reducer, hangover cure and even cancer treatment. The issue is, producing the synthetic horns reinforces the idea that they have some medicinal value when there isn’t any scientific evidence to support it. The past few years, scientists and conservationists have been denying that rhino horns have any medicinal value in attempts to discourage people from poaching them. But, if we continue to incorporate the 3D printers, we are only diverting additional attention away from more tested approaches to combating the issue.

My Position: In order to save more rhinos lives, we should keep 3D printing. Although there are many people who discourage the production of synthetic rhino horns. With the number of poachings increasing each year, using 3D printers is the most efficient way to stop a large number of rhino deaths.  

Works Cited

"3D Rhino Horns – Conservation or Exploitation?" PlanetSave. N.p., 06 July 2015. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://planetsave.com/2015/07/06/3d-rhino-horns-conservation-or-exploitation/>.

The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/synthetic-rhino-horns-are-being-3d-printed-in-an-effort-to-defeat-poachers-10334751.html>.

N.p., n.d. Web. <http://wildtech.mongabay.com/2016/01/could-synthetic-rhino-horns-help-save-the-rhino/ >.

Unit 6 Reflection

This unit is about different types of Biotechnology. We learned about Biotechnology, the study and manipulation of living things, specifically the understanding of DNA, proteins, and inheritance. We also learned about the four applications of Biotechnology. 

I felt like I learned gained a strong understanding about exactly what Biotechnology is and it is applied. I struggled in the lesson about Recombinant DNA because of the different types of technology and I had issues understanding the different sequences because there are so many letters for me to try to process.

The labs that we did include:

• The Recombinant DNA Lab:

In this lab, we learned about Recombinant DNA and about antibiotic resistance in relation to recombinant plasmids. In addition, we learned about enzymes and their relations to plasmids and cell DNA.

• The Electrophoresis Lab and Candy Lab

In this lab, we learned about the conductivity of artificial and natural dyes. Also, we learned about each dyes' charge. The color yellow was moving closer to the negative cathode because it was more positively charged than the other colors.

• The pGLO Lab

In this lab, we learned that when the pGLO was positively charged and has ampicillin added to it, the most colonies appeared. When arabinose was added, fewer colonies appeared. Under the UV light, the colonies were purplish white or greenish white.

I want to learn more about other chemicals that would increase the number of colonies. I wonder why the charge of the plate affects a number of colonies on the plate. 

For the next step in my New Years Goal, I will research the different types of Tesla motors and electric powered engines. I will create a model engine, and label the different parts of the engine. On a separate piece of paper, I will explain the different functions of each part. To become an eagle scout, I will be a good listener, work hard and be a good team player. 

pGLO lab

pGLO Observations , Data Recording & Analysis

1.

Obtain your team plates.  Observe your set of  “+pGLO” plates under room light and with UV light.  Record numbers of colonies and color of colonies. Fill in the table below. Plate Number of Colonies Color of colonies under room light Color of colonies under   UV light - pGLO LB 0 none none - pGLO LB/amp 0 none none + pGLO LB/amp 6 none purplish white + pGLO LB/amp/ara 2 none greenish white

2.	What two new traits do your transformed bacteria have?
	Each got the plasmid and the bacteria they also create a colony and they were green when you flash the fluorescent light on it.
3.	Estimate how many bacteria were in the 100 uL of bacteria that you spread on each plate. Explain your logic.
	We were spreading from one  bacteria to the petri dish.
4.	What is the role of arabinose in the plates?
	It got the plasmid to glow green that was protein plasmid that grew in  all of the colonies in the petri dish.
5.	List and briefly explain three current uses for GFP (green fluorescent protein) in research or applied science.
	One use is to use green fluorescent protein as an indicator to see if the organism got another desired trait. Another use for green fluorescent protein in animals as protection. Another use for green fluorescent protein is glow sticks.
6.	Give an example of another application of genetic engineering.

              Seed Companies genetically seeds so that they are resistant diseases and pesticides.

           

 

Candy Electrophoresis Lab

Candy Electrophoresis Lab

1. They all were the same color as the reference dyes.a.Yes, the yellow band faded more than the reference band.

b.The blue reference faded more than the reference.

c.In the yellow candy band, we started to get a slight shade of blue.

d.blue and yellow moved towards the cathode.

These dyes were probably artificial dyes, the same as the reference dyes, as they all moved similarly as the reference dyes.

2.Dyes that moves towards a positive charge are usually artificial dyes. The yellow and the blue dyes moved in an opposite direction towards the negative charge. All of the reference dyes moved from the wells. Fast green FCF and citrus red 2 would move in a similar direction because they are artificial.

3. They used artificial colors in dog food to preserve the nutrients and to make the food look like food that is appetizing to dogs.

4. One reason why artificial food coloring is preferable to natural food coloring is that artificial food coloring lasts longer and might be cheaper to produce.

FD&C Dye	Color	Natural Alternative	Source of Natural Dye
FD&C Blue 1	Blue	Natural Blue Dye	vegetable juice
FD&C Green  3	Green	Natural Green Dye	spinach
FD&C Red 3,	Red	Natural Red Dye	beet juice
FD&C Yellow  5	Yellow	Natural Yellow Dye	turmeric

5.What two factors control the distance the colored dye solutions migrate?

1. Charge of the dye
2. the size of the dye

         

6.The force that helps move the dyes through the gel is the electrical current which drives the  force of attraction between negative charges and positive charges ( the negatively charged dyes are pulled towards the positive cathode and the positively charged dyes move towards the negative cathode).

7.The electrical current of the electrophoresis system  causes the molecules to move by charge and the gelatin that the molecule is put in causes the molecules to separate by size. The electric current makes the molecule move but the smaller the molecule is faster it can move through the gel compared to the bigger molecules. That is how they are separated by size.

8. The DNA molecules would separate by size with the lightest DNA molecule to travel the most distance ( 600). The way they separate in the order of the largest distance to the shortest distance is 600, 1000,2000, and 5,000 daltons.

Recombinant DNA lab

In this lab, we learned about recombinant DNA. It would provide resistant to Kanamycin resistance for antibiotics would this plasmid provide resistance would be important. I think antibiotic resistance would be important because it help protect from harmful diseases. I didn't use Ava II and Hin dIII, Bam HI, Bgl II, Hpa II,  Sac I, Xma I and Asp II and LIGASE because it doesn't work because each different restriction enzyme. The 3 antibiotic were tetracycline, kanamycin, and ampicillin in each trial I had to be aware of whether these are resistant. The one we used was Eco RI because it was the closest.

New Year's Goal

1. I will complete my 20% time project in Biology. I will write out the scientific method for completing the 20% time project. I will research Tesla Motors and electric powered engines.

2. I will become a eagle scout before I graduate from high school.





I am currently First Class in Boy Scouts.