Photosynthesis comic

Photosynthesis "Dry Lab"

What you will need: One snail, 5 drops of bromothymol blue, a test tube of water,and an aquarium plant.

1. combine five drops of bromothymol blue with water in the test tube.
-Record your observations on what the water looks like.

2. After you have recorded your observations, drop the snail into the now blue-green water. After one minute discribe what the water looks like.

3. Next,remove the snail and combine the bromothymol blue, and drop in the aquarium plant.
What color is the water with the objects in it in the light look like?

4. Combine the bromothymol blue, plus the snail.
-Record what it looks like in the light
-next put the experiment in the dark for about three hours (closet, dark room)

5. Take your water out of the dark room
-What is the color of the water now? why do you think the water did what it did?

Conclusion:
1. Water plus bromothymol blue is blue-green because bromothymol blue plus blue-green liquid changes to a yellow color.
2. The aquarium snail turns yellow because animals respire carbon dioxide in water produces carbonic acid and that acid changes the color yellow.
3. Bromothymol blue and the plant in water turns blue-green in light because water plus sugar and oxygen turn a blue green when light is present. Green plants photosynthesize in the light and respire all the time.
4. Green plants photosynthesize in the light all the time so if the plant is in the dark for three hours the snail changes to yellow because the plant has nothing to give energy out to in the dark.  With out the carbon dioxide in water cannot yield sugar and oxygen, therefore there is no chlorophyll and sunlight to make the plant green.


Questions:
1. Can other animals that breath through their skin do this in an experiment?
2. Why is it that only carbon dioxide turns the water yellow?
3. Do all plants breath under the water too?

Enzyme Action Lab!!! :)

Considering I was with all boys for this Enzyme lab things went quite well. I was fascinated how the yeast had the most action in room temperature, my hypothesis was that the yeast would have the most increase when the yeast was in the hot water. I also thought that it was weird how the temperature on some of these stayed constant then dramatically dropped like the graph on the left shows.
It was a lot easier to use the different colors to tell which experiment was which. Like the graph below you can see all of my groups data  organized and put into different colors.

As you can see the on the blue graph above we had an extraordinary increase in activity with the temperature. It increased about .04 and .05 slope the higher the temperature got. Then with a dramatic drop in the slope when it hit 80 degrees Celsius. With this, our graph changed dramatically but it showed that our experiment stayed constant for a bit.

I liked using the microscopes that you can record your experiments on our Mac Books to graph. It helps me to learn how and why each experiment reacted in different and similar ways. Such as with the graph on the right.As you can see on the right PH 4 and PH 10 enzymes worked best since there was more activity with their slope being 0.17. PH7 enzymes worked the worst and was 0.12 with low activity.

Sarin, a deadly poison :(

Sarin is a deadly poison, it is human-made and can be found in water, cloths, and food. In the 1980's this chemical was used in the Iran-Iraq war and later was used in two Japan terrorist attacks in 1994 and 1995. Since this poison mixes easily in water, anyone who drinks or even touches this poison water will die within a few hours. When cloths come in contact with Sarin it takes only 18 hours to take affect to the body. The nerve agents cause Sarin's toxic effects by preventing the proper operation of the chemical that acts as the body’s “off switch” for glands and muscles. Without an “off switch,” the glands and muscles are constantly being stimulated. When Sarin enters the body the it presents an immediate but short lived threat. The symptoms of Sarin are: Runny nose, eye pain, blurred vision, cough, and drooling. Even a small drop of Sarin n the skin can cause nerve damage. Almost all cases of Sarin poison have killed it's victims. 


Source here

Cell Parts

Parts of a Cell on Prezi

Edmodo ?'s

CYSTIC FIBROSIS - A DISORDER OF MEMBRANE TRANSPORT

A great variety of proteins have roles in moving molecules and ions across cell membranes. Passive transport proteins permit certain substances to diffuse down concentration gradients by moving through the protein's interior. Active transport proteins use ATP energy to pump substances across the membrane against their concentration gradients. To investigate the importance of transport proteins, we will consider the effects of cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder in which there is a defect in a transport protein..

Activity

Part 1.

In this part of the activity you will visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s web site to learn about the causes and symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

Use your browser to go to http://www.cff.org/home/

Use the information provided in the “About cystic fibrosis” section to answer the following questions:

1. What are the signs and symptoms of cystic fibrosis?

Very salty-tasting skin, persistent coughing, lung infections, wheezing or shortness of breath, poor growth, and frequent greasy, bulky stools.

2. How common is this disorder?

There are about 1,000 new cases of CF each year, 70% of paitents are diagnosed by age two, 45% of the CF population is age 18 or older.

3. How is cystic fibrosis diagnosed?

Genetic testing or new born screening

4. How is cystic fibrosis inherited? Does everyone who has a mutant gene for the protein have cystic fibrosis?

The child must inherit one copy of the defective CF gene from each parent.  No.

Part 2.

In this part of the activity you will read an article to learn more about cystic fibrosis.

Use your browser to go to:

http://resources.schoolscience.co.uk/MRC/3/page3.html

Use the information in this article to answer the following questions:

1. Explain the normal function of the protein that is defective in cystic fibrosis.    Normally, the movements of ions brings water to the surface of the airway and keeps the mucus moist.

2. What happens to this protein in CF patients and what are the consequences for the health of these individuals? The chloride channel is blocked therefore there is no movement of chloride ions into the mucus. There is no need for water to move towards the surface and the mucus dries out. There fore the paitents lungs do not function correctly.

Part 3.

In this part of the activity you will read about how cystic fibrosis is treated.

Use your browser to go to:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cystic-fibrosis/DS00287

Use the information in the “Treatment” and “Self-care” sections to answer the following questions:

1. Explain at least 3 treatments for the symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

Medications, Therapy, and surgeries.

2. Discuss at least 3 ways for parents to help their children who have cystic fibrosis.

 Drinks lots of fluids, Excercise, eliminate smoke.

Fluid Mosaic Model

Last week my group and I had to make a fluid mosaic model. We all had equal parts we had to work on too so the work was divided. Even though our drawing looked like an angry monster slice of pie it turned out pretty well. In our model we included a carbohydrate chain, protein molecule, lipids, and protein channel. As the other groups walked around to our poster we had to explain what each thing does in a fluid mosaic model. I got around to a couple other posters and i was very interested in what other people had chosen for their poster. It amazes me on how each model can be so different from one another. But I learned a lot from the other posters an i'm glad we did this as a class because it was fun and I learned along the way.

Proteins

COLLAGEN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

Activity

Read the information and view the graphics. Use this information to answer the following questions:

1. Describe the primary structure of collagen. What are the major amino acid components? Collagen is composed of three chains, wound together in tight triple helix. Each chain is over 1400 amino acides long. Every third amino acid is gycine, many remaining positions in the chain are filled by proline and a modified version of proline which is hydroxyproline.

2. What role does vitamin C play in collagen formation? What happens when a person does not get enough vitamin C in his or her diet? The reaction requires vitamin C to assist in the addition of oxygen. If we don’t get enough Vitamin C in our diet it slows the production of hydroxyproline and stops the construction of new collagen. This causes scurvy.

3. Describe the quaternary structure of collagen (the way in which the polypeptide chains are arranged).  Polypeptides are arranged in a way that it is a straight chain in a pattern.

Part 2.

Read the material in the sections entitled "Facts on Osteogenesis Imperfecta” and “Types of OI.” Use what you have learned to answer the following questions:

1. What is the main symptom of osteogenesis imperfecta?  What are some other symptoms that people with OI may have? The main symptoms of OI are muscle weakness, hearing loss, fatigue, joint laxity, curved bones, scoliosis, blue sclerae, dentinogenesis imperfecta (brittle teeth), and short stature. Other symptoms of OI are easy bruising and bleeding and breathing problems.

2. Type I osteogenesis imperfecta causes fewer problems than the other forms. How does the collagen structure in Type I OI differ from that of the other types? The collagen in type 1 is different from the other types of OI because in type one the collagen is normal.

Read the handout in the resources section on Bone Structure (opens in Acrobat Reader).

1. Describe the role of collagen in bones. Why do collagen problems lead to bone problems?

 collagen is a main part of the bone if something goes wrong with it then the bone will have problems.

THE TEST.

So, I studied really hard for the mid-term in here and I don't know if I did well. I really liked how Mr. Ludwig put the practice tests on the computer because it really helped me out and I hope he does that for every test we have in here. I had outlined chapters two and three for the test as well and I felt prepared for the exam but the practice tests seemed to be the cherry on top! I kind of wish all of my classes were taught in this form of learning because I know if a math class was in this form of teaching I would probably really like math. I tell you the truth, I was nervous about taking this class because I thought I would fall behind and not know what Mr. Ludwig was teaching. I never thought I would end up with an A in this class. I'm really interested in science now and I like to learn new things, from learning about proteins and macromolecules to experimenting in the lab I learn something new everyday. And I love coming home to my mom and telling her all of these new things I know and want to learn more about! It's really great!

Fruit loops

Last week we made macromolecules out of cereal (fruit loops actually) which was quite fun! I learned how the molecule is formed and how some are long strings while others are in a big mess. We also played a game on how to make a molecule and it was sort of confusing but after awhile I got the hang of it! I really like hand on activities in class I seem to learn more when I'm actually doing it myself. It's actually really cool how each molecule is never the same looking around the room at the different models some have different color patters some random patterns and some are twisted or straight. It's all just a random mess of fruit loops that in a way teaches us how molecules are formed and how they look. I kind of wonder if there is a molecule that has the same pattern and the exact same shape in the world?? If so what would it look like?

Technology :)

I used to hate making concept maps on the computer because I could never get the bubbles together or work it all out so that my info was organized. But today technology and I had a connection I actually got my work done without frustration and anger towards whoever made computers. If you know me I like to do things the old fashion way if there is a way to just use a pencil and paper to make something I will do it. But I'm proud of myself that I am getting used to using all of this new technology in class! My concept map  I started today was on carbohydrates and I used my outline on chapter three that I did last night to help me organize the information. It's hard to believe but I feel that I know more about carbohydrates than I did yesterday!!!

Food Lab

Yesterday we did a food lab where we added iodine and benedict to each food to see the reaction. We as a group found that most of the sugary foods such as our Skittles and our Double- bubble gum had the biggest reactions. The Iodine mostly turned the Skittles and gum into a black sort of color and the benedict in boiling water turned the candy into a bright orange color. I would like to find out what would happen if we did the same lab only with sugar free gum and sugar free candy. Would it have the same reaction or a different?? What is the difference between sugar and sugar free candy? I felt like this lab was really fun and I liked working with the people I had in my lab. I feel that doing labs in this class helps me to visually see what we are learning about in the classroom. I am mostly a visual learner so it helps to actually see the reactions than read about it on a web page or a book. :)

Acid Lab

Acid.....no we didn't huff it... it's biology people!!! geez...

Our lab was pretty fun our hypothesis was totally wrong though. It made me think about name brand stuff that we buy. You see, our hypothesis was that the name brand acid medicine will work better than the cheap stuff. We came to find that they both work just about the same, the only difference between the name brand rolads and the cheap brand was basically the name and picture.  Hmmm, I wonder how much money a person spends more buying the name brand things when the cheaper brand works just the same. I found it interesting though how the milk of magnesia seemed to work better than the solid rolads. Is this because a liquid can break down something better and faster than a solid??? I wonder if the acid in your stomach was different that the solid acid pill would work better??? hmmmm......

Article

This article was very interesting to me. The thing about it that stood out to me was how Heath and his colleagues accidentally figured out a technique to pin down moving molecules. It made me think that most scientists discoveries are found by accident. Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a lightening storm not knowing what would happen and he discovered electricity. But back to water experiments, Heath and his crew did various experiments with water using tools such as shrink wrap and a sheet of carbon. I never really realized how water is so important and how it can do so many things. Yeah, of course, I always thought of water as a great thing because it keeps me hydrated so I don't die after doing various work-outs in women's fitness. But I never truly thought of water in molecules or being able to have "layers". It's amazing how water can have so many "jobs" it seems to me like it's basically what keeps this world alive and moving!! What I'm curious about now is why is water the only liquid that can do these amazing things like hold on to string or be able to bubble over a penny. Why is it that water can keep a tree alive or be able to hold a water bug. Thinking back to the penny experiment, alcohol only held on to the penny for about five drops then it spilled over. But with water the penny held 48 drops! Thats amazing to me, so my question is, "can other liquids have properties or is it just water"?

Properties of Water

 This week the class was learning the properties of water, personally I didn't know one thing about the properties of water. So when we did a lab on water and how it "stuck" to the string, wax paper, and penny I noticed that the water wasn't "sticky" there had to be something more to it. When Tonya and I did the first experiment we tried so hard to get the water to "stick" to the string. I thought: "This is never going to work" until I thought that we needed to put the string vertically and pour the water so that the water will stay on the string. Once we did this the water finally stuck to  the piece on string. Now at that point I was too excited to think about why the water did this. I later found out that the water stuck to the string because water molecules are cohesive and adhesive which means they cling together to transport the water. Now that the world made sense again I was still curious. I wonder if it matters if you had multiple strings to transport water if it would make a difference in the speed the water would move. With one string the water seemed to be slow when it traveled. Would three of four pieces of string hold more water therefore increasing the speed in which it travels? Hmmmm..... ???

Control your Placebo or you will be double-blind!! :P

So, today and yesterday in class we had to find a double-blind study that caught our interest. Being a female of course I typed in "Double-blind, placebo women". Immediately, I found a topic that caught me eye it was a study to test a medicine for Schizophrenia in women. I first learned what a double-blind study was because I was completely clueless to what this study was. I had come to learn that in a double-blind study they have a variety of people some of which they give a sugar pill to and the rest the actual medicine. I thought to myself: "Why in pete's sake would they do that"? Well, i came to find that they did this so that the drug would be more effective to the people, the personnel's would get a point blank picture of how the drug worked and what effect it had on the patients. There is also many requirements you have to meet when you would like to participate in a double-blind study. In the study I was reading about the women had to have Schizophrenia and be the age of 40 years old. Thank goodness for the internet or else I would have never learned about a double-blind study!

2.1 Chemical elements... sounds boring but really... it's very interesting!!

So, I thought I would crack open the Biology book today in class, I mean I would have to sometime right? I decided to read the second chapter which Mr. Ludwig announced would probably be a good chapter to start on. I read trough 2.1 which discussed first what matter is, it turns out that matter exists in all three elements of solids, liquids, and gases. Matter is composed of naturally-occuring elements, 92 to be exact, these elements are made up of tiny particles called atoms. It's crazy how such a small particle can contain more tiny elements. Hmmm, I guess you learn something new every day!