Cellular Respiration

     In biology class Annie and I made a stop motion to show how cellular respiration works.  We used candy to represent different molecules.   Creating this project really helped me understand the confusing processes of cell respiration and also to learn all the details of it.  We had a lot of fun making this video and I hope you enjoy it!

Lionfish Invasive Species

     Recently, lion fish have invaded the florida keys and have been wrecking havoc there.  This prezi explains how the lion fish invaded, and also the extent of the damage they have caused.

     This video from the New York Times shows how some people are trying to put an end to this invasive species.


For more information:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/07/1468635/lionfish-invade-the-keys.html
http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/04/23/lionfish-invasion-continuing-to-expand.html?s_cid=related-links:TOP

Krebs Cycle Explained

The Krebs Cycle is the second step in cellular respiration.  From one pyruvate, 3 CO2, 4 NADH, 1 FADH2, and 1 ATP are produced.  

Glycolysis Explained

This is a sketchfu showing how glycolysis works.  Glycolysis is the first step in cellular respiration, a decomposition pathway that provides all cells with energy.  Glycolysis requires one molecule of glucose and 2 molecules of ATP.  The outputs of Glycolysis are 2 pyruvates, a net gain of 2 ATP, and 2 NADH.

Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks are Dangerous

     On November 17, 2010, the F.D.A. decided that caffeine is an illegal additive to alcoholic drinks.  The F.D.A. particularly condemned the drink Four Loko, a drink that is 12 percent alcohol by volume and has up to 156 milligrams of caffeine per can.  (equivalent to 4 shots of liquor and 3 cups of coffee)  The F.D.A. research over the past year has proven that people who drink these caffeinated alcoholic beverages are more likely to become intoxicated.  The caffeine masks the effects of alcohol, and leads people to "a state of wide-awake drunk".  This causes them to consume more alcohol without passing out, and do crazy things resulting in hazardous and life-threatening situations.
      Four Loko has caused several deaths in the past months.  Students at Ramapo College in Mahway, M.J., and Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash. who drank this beverage ended up in emergency rooms with high levels of alcohol poisoning.
     The F.D.A. issued warnings to fourteen major companies that produce these caffeinated alcoholic drinks, urging them to take their products off the shelves.  Many colleges have banned Four Loko.  A few states, including Michigan and Washington have also banned the drinks.  Other states are following them.



For more information:
http://www.hedgefundlive.com/blog/blackout-in-a-can
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/us/18drinks.html?ref=science
http://southfield.injuryboard.com/defective-and-dangerous-products/caffeinated-party-brew-banned-in-several-states.aspx?googleid=286270

Osmoregulation in Adelie Penguins

     Adelie Penguins (shown in video below) live in Antarctica, with no access to fresh water.  Their diet is largely made up of marine invertebrates, mostly krill.  Because these penguins require lower salt concentrations in their bodies than their surroundings, they need to regulate the levels of salt and water in their cells, or their osmotic concentration.  This is called osmoregulation.

       An Adelie penguin's salt levels are lower than that of its environment, and this causes a concentration gradient that favors the influx of salt.  They also must drink salt water to obtain the water they need.  In order to get rid of the extra salt, the penguins developed a mechanism called the salt gland.  The salt gland lies in the skull of the penguins.

     This picture from http://digimorph.org/specimens/Pygoscelis_adeliae/ shows where the salt glands are located in the skull of the Adelie Penguin.  Salt diffuses into blood cells, and salt ions (Na⁺ and Cl^-) in the blood are removed by the sodium transport mechanism (the sodium potassium pump).  These salt ions are moved to the salt glands where they are secreted into a highly concentrated salty solution and "sneezed out" by the penguins.
     Salt glands are also found in other marine birds, marine reptiles, and sharks.  Without them these organisms would not be able to drink saltwater without becoming dehydrated. 


Information from:
https://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v114n03/p0488-p0495.pdf
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/zoology/animalphysiology/osmoregulation/osmoregulation.htm

Eukaryotic Cell Project

Chlamydia trachomatis

A jing on the bacteria that causes the STD Chlamydia:

Macromolecules Lab Reflection

     Yesterday during biology class we conducted a series of lab tests to find what macromolecules existed in different foods. Each lab partners were given either egg whites, egg yolks, potatoes, apples, onions, strawberries, or lemons, and were required to find if those foods contained protein, glucose, starch, and/or lipids.  We used different indicator tests to look for each macromolecule.  (shown in picutre) Some of the results were very unexpected and interesting.

     My lab partner was Shelby and we were assigned strawberry. (shown in picture) My prediction was that strawberry would contain glucose, but no protein, starch, or lipids. We tested for glucose by adding 3 mL of Benedict's solution to 5 mL of strawberry in a test tube, then we put the test tube in a beaker of boiling water and heated it. The pink/red strawberry changed to a bright orange color after five minutes. The color change indicated that the strawberry contained glucose. To test for starch, we added five drops of Lugol's iodine solution to 5 mL of strawberry. The strawberry did not turn black, and this meant that there was no starch in the strawberry. We tested for proteins by adding ten drops of Biuret solution to 5 mL of strawberry, and the pink/red strawberry changed to a brown color. This showed that the strawberry had proteins. For the final test, we rubbed strawberry on to a piece of brown paper to look for lipids. We let the paper dry over night, and no glossy finish or grease on the paper was visible, which meant that there were no lipids in strawberries.

     It was very interesting to see the other groups results. For example, I was surprised to see that lemon contained none of the four macromolecules we tested for. I was also surprised to see that the egg yolk and the egg whites didn't have protein in them but strawberry did.  However, experimental error could have occurred because the group could have had a problem, so its possible that the results aren't entirely accurate.  From this experiment I learned a lot about the different macromolecules that exists in different foods.  It was very interesting and fun.

 Picture #1 from: (http://media.photobucket.com/image/starch,%20glucose,%20lipids,%20proteins/veewhy_x3/Sept07/0919075.jpg)
Picture #2 from:
(http://art4linux.org/system/files/strawberry.jpg)

Proteins

A jing about proteins and their structure and functions:

Characteristic Properties of Water

     72% of earth is water, and living cells contain 70 - 80% water.  Obviously, it is a very important substance, and it has many unique, unusual, and amazing properties.

Polarity:
     Water is a polar covalent bond between one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms.  This means two hydrogen atoms decided to share their one electron each with an oxygen atom.  Since oxygen atoms are bigger, they pull the shared electrons (electrons = negative charge) closer to their nucleus, which contains neutrons as well as protons that have a positive charge. This makes the electron and negative charge farther away from its Hydrogen nucleus.  Because of this, the side of the water molecule with the hydrogen atoms has a slight positive charge, and the opposite side has a negative charge.

Solubility:  

     Because water has both a negative and a positive charge,  negatively and positively charged atoms are attracted to it and therefore many different things can dissolve in water, for example, sugar, ions, Na

+

.  This is why water is known as the universal solvent.  

Adhesion and Cohesion:
     Water sticks together, and that is why it forms droplets and puddles.  The negative side of a water molecule is attracted to the positive side of another molecule, and they stick together this way.  It is called a Hydrogen bond.

Density:
     The density water is 1g/ml.  Water in its solid form is less dense than water in its liquid for and therefore, it floats.  For example, icebergs float on the top of the ocean.  The reason why ice is less dense then water is because of the hydrogen bond is stronger, and the molecules are more dense and less stable in water in its liquid form.  The molecules in frozen water form a lattice formation, it is more stable and less dense, and therefore ice is lighter per ml than water.


Specific Heat:
     Specific Heat is the amount of energy necessary to raise one gram of a substance one degree celsius.  Water has a high specific heat because the molecules are bound together so tightly that it takes more energy to break them apart.  For example, when you boil water on a stove, it takes a while for the water to heat up, however the pot or thing that you are using to boil the water in gets hot very quickly.  This indicates that water takes a long time to heat up, and also it takes a long time to cool down.


Neutral pH:
     H₂O is constantly ionizing.  This means the water molecules are separating, creating ions OH^- and H⁺.   As they separate, the water molecules combine again, to form H₂O.  Because there is an equal amount of H⁺ and OH^- molecules in water, water is neither acidic or basic.  Therefore pure water is neutral and has a pH of 7.

Biology Class

     Biology is the study of life, and this year during biology I want to learn more about living things.  It fascinates me how separate cells react together to form an entire living being, how viruses can hijack cells to infect an organism and how scientists can create medicines and vaccines with the knowledge of biology.  Scientists can do amazing things to alter living things, by injecting things into their DNA and changing hormone levels and such, and my goal is to understand more of the science and technology that is involved.  I want to learn how scientists can do all those amazing things to prevent disease, and learn about genetics and evolution.
     Technology will definitely help me reach those goals, because there is so much information on the internet.  Web tools will make this goal more achievable, for example, the blogs will offer a new and interesting way for me to study biology and complete assignments, and to connect to other people and exchange ideas and knowledge.