Sem. 2 Blog #1 Evolution

Why is evolution a theory and not a law?


Evolution is a theory because in order for it to become a law, it would have to be widely accepted and a supported, firmly held belief. Although evolution is supported by a lot of evidence, it isn't enough to make it into a law, which is unchangeable. Theories can be changed and tested and are beliefs that has been generally accepted from experiments and observations unlike laws, which are so firmly established that they often never change. Evolution cannot be a law, because some scientists don't agree with it and there has been much debate. For the theory of evolution to become a law, it must be accepted by all and have enough facts to go by.

Last Biology Blog-Feedback!

What was you favorite activity/topic this year? Why was it a favorite?
What was your least favorite? Why?
If you could change one thing (Not the amount of homework) what would it be and how would you change it?

My favorite activity this year was playing Biology Jeopardy. It was really interesting, and since it was fun, I learned a lot from that. Also, it was my favorite because I love competition (and my group won the most money!). I tend to absorb more information when we are doing something fun, because I'm not bored and since Biology is my first period, I am usually a bit sleepy. Jeopardy definitely woke me up. I like playing games-having fun, but learning at the same time.


This year, my least favorite activity/topic was probably learning about organelles, and animal and plant cells. It found it extremely boring and although I learned this before, I forgot most of it. Also, since it was so boring the information basically went in through one ear and came out in the other. As a result, I failed my first biology benchmark, which was mostly based on this topic. Also, we had to create a poster for it and the animal/plant cells are really hard to draw. That project was designed to help us learn about that topic even more, but I still can't (or won't) remember it, unfortunately.


Lastly, if I could change one thing besides the amount of homework, I would change it to having less labs. I think most people like labs, but I don't because I usually mess up the experiment in some way (like I said, I'm not fully awake during first period) and also, I don't think class time is always enough time to finish the experiment. We do get the next day to complete it, but sometimes I have to stop right in the middle because the bell rang. If I could change it, I'd either do less time consuming labs and do them after getting a full understanding of the lab topic. Something else I'd like to change is to have less notes, or more time to do notes. I feel like we go so fast writing notes, that sometimes I don't even really understand what I wrote down.

Bio Blog #13

Blog#13 How has DNA changed how we investigate crimes? What are the two main tests? Describe them.
  
          DNA has affected the way we investigate crimes because without it, we could never have been as successful in solving crimes. Since its discovery, it has been used to solve crimes and is probably the most powerful tool used to put away dangerous criminals. However, DNA is also used for many other cases. In crimes though, it is used to match a suspect with a crime scene stain.
          There are 2 main types of forensic DNA testing known as RFLP and PCR, abbreviations for Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms and Polymerase Chain Reaction, respectively. RFLP testing needs more DNA than PCR, and requires undegraded DNA. Therefore, if the crime scene DNA evidence is either old or small, it would not be suitable for RFLP testing. On the other hand, PCR can be used for testing smaller amounts of partially degraded DNA. PCR is more commonly used because it requires lest time, but generally creates more mistakes than RFLP. PCR testing increases the amount of DNA available, but it also amplifies contaminants if there are any, which is why it is less specific and can more easily have errors.


Sources:
http://www.scientific.org/tutorials/articles/riley/riley.html
http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/DNA-Testing-has-Changed-Everything/2471

Blog #12

Look up Gregor Mendel and his pea plant experiments. Why does P1 look all alike and F1 looks very different?

P1 are the parents and F1 are the offspring of the parents. P1 is the "parental generation" and F1 all looked different because they represented only the dominant trait. The F1 offspring showed only one of the 2 parental traits. For example, in one of his experiments he crossed a homozygous tall plant with a homozygous short plant(P1) and the offspring(F1) were all tall plants, because "tall" was the dominant trait. The short plants all "skipped" the F1 generation and the recessive traits showed up in the F2 generation when a dominant trait was not present. Because of that, he ended up with a variety of different offspring.

 

Blog #11

Blog 11 In the movie Gattaca parents were allowed to pick the traits of their babies, should we be able to do this? Why or why not?



I don't think parents should be able to do this, because it's like making an artificial baby. I believe that no one should be created perfect; parents should allow their child to come out how they should be instead of trying to "fix them." Parents should be allowed to change traits such as genetic diseases and other things harmful to the baby's health, but should not be allowed to choose traits that will benefit their looks or personality. I think parents should be happy with the way their child is instead of wanting the opportunity to make them the "perfect" son or daughter. The parents should accept their child no matter what.

Bio Blog #10

Blog #10 Post a recipe for something made with fermentation.
Explain how fermentation helps make the food.


Homemade Sauerkraut Recipe:
Time Frame: 1 to 4 weeks
Necessary Equipment: Ceramic crock that holds one gallon or more, plate able to fit inside it,one gallon jug of water, cloth cover.
ingredients: 5 pounds of cabbage, 3 tablespoons of sea salt.


Process:
1) Chop or grate cabbage and place pieces in large bowl.
2) Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go, to pull the water out of the cabbage.
3) (optional) Add other vegetables, fruit, herbs or spices.
4) Mix the ingredients together and pack it into the crock bit by bit. Tamp it down to pack the kraut tight in the crock and helps force the water out of the cabbage.
5) Cover the kraut with a plate or lid and place a clean weight over it (the jug of water) and cover the entire thing with a cloth.
6) Press down on the weight periodically (every few hours) until the brine rises above the cover.
7) Leave the crock to ferment in a cool place.
8) Check it every day or two, test it when you think its ready to eat!


How does fermentation help the food?
Fermentation breaks down the foods to make it easier to digest and the nutrients easier to assimilate. Fermentation also retains the nutrients that are usually destroyed through food processing and heat. After fermentation, the nutritional value of the food goes up. The fermentation process also helps preserve the food, and is generally an important part of the process.


Info from: http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/Fermentation.html
and http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=sauerkraut

Bio Blog #9

How far should the government go in isolating people with an infectious diseases? Should the army be involved?

I believe that the government should isolate people with highly infectious diseases, but not go as far as killing them all like in the movie "Outbreak" based on the book "The Hot Zone." The government should be prepared and careful in making sure that no other citizens catch the disease, especially f it is a dangerous one. They should take steps and do everything neatly and specifically to avoid danger. I think the army should only be involved if it is a case of extreme lethality to provide their service and more help to the government. They should work hard to find a cure and not be lazy and careless in helping to cure the disease and prevent it from spreading.