Throughout this year in this Biology class I have learned quite a bit about myself and my ability to learn. At the beginning of the year, as a lot of people may have noticed, I was having trouble doing my work, because I was more focused on talking to friends than i was on the task at hand. During the first semester I got a B in the class because at the end of the second quarter I quickly did all of my blog posts. I tried a lot harder the second semester though. I did most of my blog posts on time and when I was supposed too. I realized that the hardest part of the class wasn't the work, but having the motivation to actually do it. Being a procrastinator doesn't work well in a "do it yourself" kind of class, where it's up to you to do your work, and if you don't, you fail. I learned something else about how I learn though, and what I learned is that even though I get more done when I work alone, I won't understand it as well as if I work in a group. It's kind of like a double edged sword, because even though I can get more done alone, the quality of my work isn't as good. And if I work in a group, even though what I do get done is better, I won't do as much work. Around the end of this school year, I learned that when I do something, I can't just do it well enough to get by, I need to try my best so that I can reach my full potential. Next year I'm going to need to buckle down and do my work right off the bat, instead of waiting until the last minute. I need to try be more of a positive influence on the class by doing what I'm supposed to. And probably most important of all, I need to make sure I fully understand everything that I'm doing in the class. In order to do this, I'll sit next to people with which I can work well consistently and without getting off topic with. I'll make sure to ask questions when I don't understand something. And I'll tell people (Tyler) to leave me alone if they're distracting me. Other people might be able to help me stay on topic but in the end it's all on me to do my best. So even though I'm not going to promise I do better next year in Anatomy and Physiology, I can promise that I'll try my best.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
DNA Structure
The first thing that you should know, and probably the most basic is that DNA is in the shape of a Double Helix.
It is however much more complex than it looks. DNA is made of 2 long polymers called Nucleotides. The two vertical strands that you see making the shape of the double helix is like the backbone of the DNA. It's Sugars and Phosphate holding the rest of the DNA together. Then you have the Middle portions of the DNA. In the picture above you can see that the DNA almost makes a latter with the red and blue connecting in the middle all the way up and down the DNA. The red and blue parts of the DNA that connect are actually hydrogenous bases, and are being held together by a weak Hydrogen Bond. The bases in the DNA are important because the sequence of bases in your DNA, defines the RNA sequence which then defines your Protein sequence, and that makes up your genetic code. Your genetic code gives you your physical traits. DNA is found in cells, and when cells divide, they have to give a copy of the DNA to each cell so the DNA goes through a process called replication. The DNA is split down the middle and the hydrogen bond is broken. Then half of the DNA goes to each of the new cells. Then replication takes place, and the other half of the strand of DNA is remade with an enzyme called, DNA polymerase. That's how the process of replication takes place.
It is however much more complex than it looks. DNA is made of 2 long polymers called Nucleotides. The two vertical strands that you see making the shape of the double helix is like the backbone of the DNA. It's Sugars and Phosphate holding the rest of the DNA together. Then you have the Middle portions of the DNA. In the picture above you can see that the DNA almost makes a latter with the red and blue connecting in the middle all the way up and down the DNA. The red and blue parts of the DNA that connect are actually hydrogenous bases, and are being held together by a weak Hydrogen Bond. The bases in the DNA are important because the sequence of bases in your DNA, defines the RNA sequence which then defines your Protein sequence, and that makes up your genetic code. Your genetic code gives you your physical traits. DNA is found in cells, and when cells divide, they have to give a copy of the DNA to each cell so the DNA goes through a process called replication. The DNA is split down the middle and the hydrogen bond is broken. Then half of the DNA goes to each of the new cells. Then replication takes place, and the other half of the strand of DNA is remade with an enzyme called, DNA polymerase. That's how the process of replication takes place.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
DNA Sequencing
We were studying DNA Sequencing and learned about how to read part of a DNA sequencing gel, you go from the botom of the gel, up, reading each separate band in the order that they occur. Each band is under a certain letter, and then you write the letter it's under. We practiced this by reading the sequencing gels of 3 different patients, and comparing them to someone named Norm's gel. Norm has the DNA sequence of an average person, so we found the percentage of each person's sequencing that was the same as Norm's. People who are to far off, have a good chance of disease, as compared to people who are very similar to Norm.
Norm was used as the control in this experiment. All of the people in the above graph were compared to Norm. Norm himself wasn't on the graph but the numbers shown for each person shows the percentage of their DNA Sequencing that is the same as Norms. In order to find the percentage similar, we took the the number of DNA that was the same and divided it by the total DNA, then multiplied that number by 100 to get the percentage. We grouped the the DNA into groups of 3. They're were 33 different bases making 11 groups. Each group could then be used to determine a protein sequence. There is a good chance that Carol has a disease because of the genetic flaw. Bob and Abby however are similar to Bob, and have a better chance of living without a disease. Abby had the closest Protein sequence, then Bob, and then Carol had the worst compared to Norm.
Friday, March 4, 2011
DNA
DNA or Deoxyribonucleic Acid is the Nucleic acid that contains the genetic material that makes us all who we are. The strands of DNA are in the shape of a double helix. The reason it's in the shape of the double helix, is because the outside strands of the DNA are polymers called nucleotides, with sugers and nitrogenous bases running perpendicular to them and connecting between them with hydrogen bonds in the middle. It is also these bonds that make DNA replication possible. DNA is found in the structures called chromosomes. It's in cells and whenever a cell reproduces, it splits the DNA down the bond in the middle so that both cells have DNA. Then the cells copy the rest of the DNA based off of what is left of the DNA, making a perfect copy of the strand of DNA that was there before. Both of the daughter cells then have the DNA. The phosphates that are in the middle are always paired up with certain other phosphates. They have an order, and aren't just randomly paired together. That process is known as DNA Replication.
Eugenics/Baby Lab
Eugenics is the study of improving genetics in humans. They improve the genetics using selective breeding, and try to get rid of any bad genes by not reproducing them. Scientists believed that anyone with a disease that is hereditary should be sterilized as to not pass down the bad genes. Eugenics was a very big thing during the 20th century, but largely died down after world war 2. Genes are passed down from chance. For example if someone with a gene Rr has a kid with some rr, then the odds of having a kid that's Rr is 50% and the odds of them having rr is also 50%. You make a Punnett square, to determine the odds of what the kid will get. If there is the dominant trait with the recessive, the dominant will be shown. That's why eugenics is about eliminating a gene they don't want. If they only want the dominant gene then they'll sterilize anyone who has only the recessive gene, to cut down the chances of the recessive gene being spread. When did the baby lab. We looked at the traits both the parents had then made a Punnett square to see which combinations were possible, then flipped a coin to determine which trait each of the parents passed on. If both me and my parter were Cc then we'd both flip a coin, If i got heads, then I'd pass on C and if my partner got tails they'd pass on c. So the kid would have the Cc gene. Almost all of it is about chance
Eugenics was started because most people believed that the fittest and healthiest people were the ones who should have children, so in order to make sure of it, people wanted to eliminate a bad gene from the gene pool. People believed that society had already spent enough money supporting people and there diseases, and that sterilization would be a much better solution to the problem. Some people however believed that it wasn't genes that caused the problems, and that it was a person's environment that can have a big impact on their behavior and defects. At the first international congress in 1911, Punnet said, “Except in very few cases, our knowledge of heredity in man at present is far to slight and far too uncertain to base legislation upon.” He believed that we did not have enough knowledge of genetics to justify sterilizing people. In 1942, a law was passed that the involuntary sterilization of criminals was legal. Then eugenicists tried to stop interracial mariage, and believed that a white person shouldn't be able to marry someone that has any blood in them other than caucasian, however that idea was shot down.
Eugenics has had a big influence through out society, and discourages being ok with the fact that everyone is different from each other. Even Hitler, quotes Eugenicists a lot. He wanted all white, blonde hair, blue eyed people. Hitler had an thorough knowledge of eugenics and how it worked. Eugenics have had a big influence over people now a days and how they act around people that are different.
http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/
https://people.creighton.edu/~idc24708/Genes/Eugenics/History%20of%20Eugenics.htm
Eugenics was started because most people believed that the fittest and healthiest people were the ones who should have children, so in order to make sure of it, people wanted to eliminate a bad gene from the gene pool. People believed that society had already spent enough money supporting people and there diseases, and that sterilization would be a much better solution to the problem. Some people however believed that it wasn't genes that caused the problems, and that it was a person's environment that can have a big impact on their behavior and defects. At the first international congress in 1911, Punnet said, “Except in very few cases, our knowledge of heredity in man at present is far to slight and far too uncertain to base legislation upon.” He believed that we did not have enough knowledge of genetics to justify sterilizing people. In 1942, a law was passed that the involuntary sterilization of criminals was legal. Then eugenicists tried to stop interracial mariage, and believed that a white person shouldn't be able to marry someone that has any blood in them other than caucasian, however that idea was shot down.
Eugenics has had a big influence through out society, and discourages being ok with the fact that everyone is different from each other. Even Hitler, quotes Eugenicists a lot. He wanted all white, blonde hair, blue eyed people. Hitler had an thorough knowledge of eugenics and how it worked. Eugenics have had a big influence over people now a days and how they act around people that are different.
http://www.eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/
https://people.creighton.edu/~idc24708/Genes/Eugenics/History%20of%20Eugenics.htm
Friday, January 7, 2011
Cell Cycle and Mitosis
The first thing that i learned is that mitosis is divided into different steps. It starts out in prophase, then goes into metaphase, then Anaphase, and Telophase is right after that. Prophase is the phase when the spindle fibers come out. Metaphase is the phase that the spindle fibers fully come out and prepare to pull the chromosomes apart. Anaphase is when the spindles actually go and attach and start to pull apart the the chromosome for the chromotids. Once anaphase is over each spindle has a set of chromotids. Then in the last step, telophase, the chromotids are put into new nuclei, which causes the formation of the two new daughter cells. Another thing that i learned is that in the cell cycle, if you start with mitosis the new cells go into the G1 phase, where they check and make copies of parts that it needs. Then it doubles the amount of chromatids making new chromosomes in the S phase. Then it goes into G2 phase which is when it prepares for mitosis before going into mitosis, making new daughter cells, and starting the whole cycle over again. From this lab I've gotten a lot better at identifying what part of mitosis a cell is in and what is happening that makes it look how it does. When we first started I was having a little bit of trouble determining what phase, but after a little practice I got a lot better at it. I would still like to learn more about the cell cycle though. I feel like I know the basics of it but still have a lot more that I need to learn about it. Now that I understand Mitosis I want to learn more about Meiosis and how that works and goes into the cell cycle.
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