Erik Ludlow - Chloroplasts

Chloroplasts

Chloroplasts are the food producers of the cell. The organelles are only found in plant cells and some protists such as algae. Animal cells do not have chloroplasts. Chloroplasts convert the light energy of the Sun into sugars that can be used by cells. The entire process is called photosynthesis and it all depends on the little green chlorophyll molecules in each chloroplast. In the process of photosynthesis, plants create sugars and release oxygen (O2). The oxygen released by the chloroplasts is the same oxygen you breathe every day. Mitochondria work in the opposite direction. They use oxygen in the process of releasing chemical energy from sugars. The purpose of the chloroplast is to make sugars that feed the cell. Photosynthesis is the process of a plant taking energy from the Sun and creating sugars. When the energy from the Sun hits a chloroplast and the chlorophyll molecules, light energy is converted into the chemical energy found in compounds such as ATP. 

http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell_chloroplast.html

Natural Selection

What is it?
Natural selection is a principle of survival-- those most well-suited to their environment and can gain resources easiest survive. This applies to not only to food sources but also competing with other animals for mates to breed, etc.

Who observed this?
Charles Darwin observed natural selection on the Galapagos with finches. He didn't know how the traits came about, but he did notice that the finches with a better adapted beak were populating more easily than the ones who did not.

Other Examples
Among these include birds of paradise, where the males tend to have brighter, flashy coloring and physical aids to help them attract a mate. The females have normal bird colorings.

Personal Reflection
I personally think that natural selection is super interesting. Learning about the national processes of nature is really cool and fascinating.

Symbiotic Relationship: Parasitism

Symbiotic Relationship: Parasitism

What is it?
Parasitism is two organism have a relationship but its a no no no good relationship. One of them is just there and he happens to get into the relationship and it hurts them and they lose stuff from it. Then the other one is just chillin enjoying his relationship because he's getting stuff out of it.
Example- A little cute doggy is walking along in the park and a tick gets on him. The tick is going to enjoy this relationship because he gets food and nourishment from sucking the dogs blood. While the little doggy is going to hate the relationship because it hurts him and he losses blood from it. Long story short the tick gets all the goodies and the doggy gets hurt and losses his goodies ;-;sad face




Reflection: I enjoyed this topic for the soul reason it was really easy and mostly review, all we have to know is what they mean and then put it into correlations with a relationship to tell which one it is. Its really cool to see the relationships between animals you would never think could be friends. For instance alligators and little birdies.

Diabetes- Siene Trunzo

Diabetes


Main Idea: Diabetes is when your bodies ability to make insulin is impaired. This results in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and high levels of glucose in your blood.

Types of Diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes.

Treatment: You can treat diabetes by controlling your blood sugar by keeping a safe diet for your bodies conditions. Certain medications also help benefit keeping a healthy blood sugar level.

Genetics: Diabetes may be genetically passed down to you. It also can be obtained based on your lifestyle factors.

Anaerobic Energy Production

Anaerobic Energy Production

• Anaerobic energy production is very similar to aerobic energy production
• The word part an. means not or without so it means without air.
• It makes energy not by using oxygen but with fermentation.

What is fermentation?

• Fermentation is the production of energy without oxygen.
• Fermentation has two categories, alcoholic and lactic acid.
• Lactic acid fermentation is where our bodies use acid to give us ATP energy when we don't get enough oxygen in our bodies however it is not as effective as aerobic fermentation
• Alcoholic fermentation is what we use for yeast in bread, making/brewing beer.

Summary:

Knowing how anaerobic energy production can help with a few things such as making bread and wine, being a coach,  saving time for when you ask your coach why your muscles are burning. It can be useful for exercise like aerobic respiration but it is still inferior.

Citations

1. https://www.google.com/search?q=Fermentation&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjqttnmkPfTAhXDJiYKHRLmC4kQ_AUICigB&biw=1334&bih=579#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=Anaerobic+respiration
2. Mr. Blacks Lessons

Plasma Membrane

Plasma Membrane
By: Kia Gallmon

A microscopic membrane of lipids and proteins that forms the external boundary of the cytoplasm of a cell or encloses a vacuole, and that regulates the passage of molecules in and out of the cytoplasm. All cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane. The membrane is composed of a phospholipid bilayer arranged back-to-back. The membrane is also covered in places with cholesterol molecules and proteins. The plasma membrane is selectively permeable and regulates which molecules are allowed to enter and exit the cell.

Summary: 

The membrane is made up primarily of lipids and proteins and a 

very small percentage of it is made of carbohydrates. 

The lipids make up the lipid bilayer, which is the primary 

structure of the cell membrane. The plasma membrane is 

a prominent part of the cell that is a critical for a cell's survival. I 

personally  liked learning about the plasma membrane 

Citations:

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/membranes-and-transport/the-plasma-membrane/a/structure-of-the-plasma-membrane

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_membrane

Transcription

Transcription: when a strand of DNA is copied into a new molecule of mRNA. 

Transcription is the first step in gene expression. It copied a gene's sequence to make a RNA molecule.

Hemophilia

Hemophilia:

What is Hemophilia?
 - Hemophilia is a genetic or medical condition in which the ability of the blood to clot is severely reduced, causing the sufferer to bleed severely from even a slight injury. 
 Example: If a kid who has Hemophilia fell and got a cut on his knee it would be 100x more severe then if I was to fall and get a cut. His cut would not clot up to stop the bleeding and would keep bleeding unless treated properly. While my cut would stop bleeding in a matter of second because my blood would clot to stop the bleeding.

Why is it so severe?
 - This condition is so severe for the soul purpose of blood loss that if not treated can lead to the death of the person. If a person who had hemophilia got a cut it would keep bleeding on and on until there was almost no blood left in the body. If you didn't know if you don't have blood YA BOY DIES!

How do you come about getting Hemophilia?
 -Hemophilia is a recessive genetic traits passed on from parents to kids and kids to kids forever and ever. Females have a lower chance to get hemophilia then men.
Why?
 -Men are defined as men because of the XY chromosome and since the Y is a LOSER and cant do ANYTHING he cant hold ANYTHING. The only thing that can hold something is his X meaning he either has it or he doesn't. While women have XX meaning they can either have it or be a carrier of the genetic trait.

Reflection:
 - This unit about Genetics and Hemophilia was one that I enjoy most out of the units we've done this year because its showing actual things in our lives. They are interesting to know about ourselves like where we got our traits from and or if one of us is carrying a trait that is no good and we want. This unit is all about stuff that you might want to know about yourself which helped me retain it better than other units. It interesting to think about how we got to this point in DNA to where we can know almost everything about a person by the DNA in there body and to wonder how much farther we can go with genetics as the years go on. 

Citation:
Alphanate
Genetics Home Reference - National Institutes of Health
Blacks Powerpoint and my Brain 

Homeostasis

Homeostasis

 What is it ? the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes. For an example , Even when you sleep, your body is still working to maintain your balance.
Facts :
- The most important example of homeostasis is life.
-The system (gladiator) needs to know every single change occurring inside and outside of your body
-  It is always monitoring these detectors, if it receives a signal because a value has deviated from normality, it will try to restore that value, giving your body directions of what to do.



Citations - http://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Homeostasis http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-homeostasis-lesson-for-kids.html

Blood Types- Ashton Wilson

Blood Types:

-three alleles: I^A, I^B, i

-(^A)= protein

-(I)= blood cell

-blood type O is the universal donor

-blood type AB can receive any blood type

This unit was very easy and I enjoyed it a lot. It was short and didn't take long to comprehend. 

Mutation: Substitution

Mutation: Substitution 

Major Ideas:

- Exchanges one or more bases for another 

- Can result in different amino acid codon reading 

Reflection with info:

During our time in class I learned that a mutation is any change in the DNA sequence. There are many different ways this can happen for example it could be a spontaneous mistake or an environmental factor. There are three different mutations that we learned about addition, deletion and substitution. In substitution one or more of the nitrogen bases is replaced by a different on. There is the same about of nitrogen bases in the DNA sequence it's just that now instead of having AUG you would have CUG or something like that. Overall I liked learning about the mutations because they were easy and by the names of each mutation you can tell easily what is going to happen to the sequence of DNA. One place you can use this is if you become someone who is a doctor because your looking for all of the possible reasons why something could have went wrong like in the DNA.

Citation: https://islaslab.wikispaces.com/Mutation

Nucleus

Nucleus
By: Rickiah Gallmon

• Power house of the cell.
• The nucleus was the first of the cell organelles to be discovered by scientists.
• The central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth.
• It is within the nucleus that the DNA in the chromosomes is duplicated prior to cell division and where the RNAs are synthesized.

Summary: The nucleus is a dense organelle present in most 
eukaryotic cells, typically a single rounded structure bounded
 by a double membrane, containing the genetic material. It is t
he boss of a organelle. It controls everything. I really enjoyed 
learning about the nucleus. 



Citations:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/physics/physics/nucleus

http://www.ducksters.com/science/biology/cell_nucleus.php

Aerobic Energy production

Aerobic Energy Production

What is Aerobic Energy Production?

1. Aerobic Energy Production/Respiration is the process of making energy from oxygen thus the prefix Aero.
2. Best in terms of Cellular resperation
3. More Preferable in the grand scheme of things during Energy production instead of the alternative Anaerobic Respiration.
4. Main ingredient in making ATP.
5. Second to photosynthesis in making energy.
6. Also used in plants
7. Used by the mitochondria.

What is the process of Aerobic Energy Production?

1. It takes oxygen from the air.
2. The mitochondria converts it into ATP energy (Adenosine Triphosphate)
3. And that's when the cycle of ATP energy comes into play.

Summary.

Knowing about ATP energy can help when you're at the gym. It's the reason trainers tell you to keep breathing it's to keep your energy up while you're exercising.

Citations:
1. https://www.google.com/search?q=ATP&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjg-_fi2tPTAhVL6SYKHT09CbAQ_AUICygC&biw=1129&bih=577#imgrc=jmISw1xB-ic7xM:
2. Mr. Black's Lessons.

Translation

Translation is the process of turning the mRNA message into a protein.

mRNA is the message from the nucleus to the ribosome.

In translation mRNA is decoded by a ribosome to produce specific amino acid chains.

https://www.google.com/search?q=translation+pictures&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3yqSYh_fTAhXKNSYKHYz2DLoQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=671#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=translation+biology&imgrc=PETotP20QNBolM:

Lactic Acid - Siene Trunzo