Inquiry Hour 1.2

       After reading the article, "The 20 Big Questions in Science" my favorite question out of the 20 is question number 3, which asks are we alone in the universe?
       This question interests me because our universe is so big and it is very possible that there could be life on other planets. I love thinking outside the box, and this question can be challenging because everyone's mind is so curious and wanting to meet another species or race will make the world more exciting.
       A current hypothesis can be, if the universe contains other galaxies, stars, planets and more, then it is most likely that there is life on other planets.
       Below is a list of top 20 questions I have--

1.  When will it be possible to time travel?
2.  In the future, will animals be able to talk to humans?
3. When will the human race become extinct?
4. Why can't  humans live forever?
5. Do mermaids exist?
6. When will there be another animal that is smart enough to communicate to humans?
7. What will technology be like in the future?
8. What will change on Earth?
9. Are there genetic mutations?
10. Will it be possible for humans to live on different planets?
11. Is there life on Mars?
12. Why did dinosaurs become extinct?
13. Why are male seahorses pregnant?
14. Is there a heaven?
15. Is there a hell?
16. When can we get to the center of the Earth?
17. Does every living thing have a soul?
18. What makes a human different to other animals?
19. Why do elephants remember?
20. How can we stop time?

Inquiry Hour 1.1

What caused the extinction of dinosaurs?

 In the article, "The Extinction of Dinosaurs" stated that some dinosaurs might have starved to death which will lead the prehistoric animals unanswered extinction. A hypothesis that was proposed was that there was multiple extinction periods when the ancient animals roamed.

Before reading the article I always resorted to the meteor strike theory. But after reading it, the article stated paleontologists mostly believe the cause of the dinosaurs dying was from a volcano. Evidence of the dinosaurs dying in global segments, proposes that the cause of their extinction is more difficult to uncover. If the remains of the dinosaurs we spread out around the earth in different layers, then that will lead to the fact that some dinosaurs died for different reasons than others.

http://creation.com/the-extinction-of-the-dinosaurs

Unit 2 Reflection

      In this unit, our class were introduced to the basics of biology. The first section, the topic was about chemistry for biology, in the second section and third section the topic discussed about the carbohydrates and the 4 biggest macromolecules. Finally for the fourth section, enzymes were the topic.
      The first section discusses about activation energy, nature of matter, basis of water, acids, bases, and pH. I learned the difference between solute and solvent as well. In the second chapter, I learned that carbohydrates are both large molecules that include fat and carbohydrates are saccharides. In the third chapter, it discussed about proteins and amino acids, it also talked about nucleotides and more. And as for the fourth section of the unit, I learned about the four structures of proteins and denaturation. The four structures of protein includes: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures.
      My strengths in this unit includes the second and third section in which it was about carbohydrates and the macromolecules. My weaknesses are the first section, chemistry for biology, and the last section, enzymes.
      Even though I had trouble with the last section of the unit, I succeeded in the curdling milk lab. I understood the process even more after doing a lab about which helped me very much. I worked well with my teammates in proceeding with the sugar and curdling lab.
      There were no struggles working in collaborative settings. I did not struggle with the video podcasts and I understood the material, but comprehending some details in the lectures put me down. Luckily, we discussed about the section's topics in class which made me stronger in comprehending.
      From these experiences I learned that the best way to study for a test is by quizzing with your friends, family, or by yourself. I also learned that the ungraded quizzes after the lectures can act as a comprehending tool for that specific section. I wonder about the finals that will be coming up in December as well as May.

This is a polysaccharide

How should I study? Will they be difficult? And how do I prepare?

Cheesy Lab Analysis!

In this lab, we asked the question, “What are the optimal conditions and curdling agents for making cheese?”. My team mates and I figured out that chymosin is the best curdling agent when acid or heat is added to the milk solution. This collected information came from the Cheese Lab my class recently proceeded. Also, the scientific study from the lab came from the textbook as well as the video podcasts I had for homework. This data supports our claim because chymosin lowers the activation energy making the curdling process faster. Curdling milk without an enzyme makes the reacting process slower, but when the an enzyme is added, the activation energy lowers and the reacting process is faster. This concludes the data that supports our claim.

While our hypothesis was supported by our data which was, “If the best curdling agent is chymosin, then it would process the milk faster with a lower pH and at room temperature.”. There could have been errors due the class’s hot water bath not being at the right temperature which lead to the fact that the room temperature was warmer. These errors affected our results because it made the time to curdle the milk slower than it was actually supposed to be. Due to these errors, in future experiments I recommend to check if everything is true for the experiment and I also recommend to always test if the water baths are warm or cold.

This lab was done to demonstrate to show that different curdling agents slow down activation energy and speed up curdling process of making cheese out of milk. From this lab I learned that there are different substrates to use for different results which helps me understand the concept of enzymes and what they are used for. Based on my experience from this lab, I learned the different ways of making cheese with different curdling agents with optimal conditions.

Super Sweet Lab Analysis!

       In this lab, we asked the question, "How does the structure of a carbohydrate affect its taste (sweetness)?" My group and I found out that monosaccharides have a sweeter taste thank disaccharides and polysaccharides. The collected information from our data table shows the degree of sweetness between all carbohydrates. It is given that glucose, fructose, galactose (all monosaccharides) are sweet including the disaccharide, sucrose. All this information was given during the lab process. This data supports our claim because my team mates and I tested the different sugars and inferred that monosaccharides do taste sweeter.

       The structure of carbohydrates might affect how they are used by cells and organisms. For which, it may be harder for the human body to break down the sugars which can lead to a different solution. For lactose-intolerant people, the lactose disaccharide is harder for their body to break down that sugar. The testers for the different sugars may have the same results, but it may not. Everyone has different taste buds which can be one reason why they have a different answer than another tester for a sugar. A tester can also have more of an appetite for veggies in which all vegetables are coated with the cell wall, cellulose. So if a tester who has a sweet tooth and the veggie lover tester taste test cellulose, they will get different results. A final reason why the rating of the same samples could be different for different testers concludes to allergies. A tester may be allergic to glucose will not be able to test that sugar. This leads to the fact that different testers will not get the same ratings.

       A cause for humans to taste sweetness leads to the receptor cells throughout our tongue. These receptor cells builds the sensations of of sweetness, spiciness, or bitterness. What makes everyone unique taste testing is that there will be different results for everyone. One taste bud contains almost 100 taste cells. Our taste cells can represent all 5 sensations. A taste of sweetness is very sensational, and that sensation of sugar sends a message to our brain. This is the more specific cause for the testers to rank the sweetness of the same samples differently. As a conclusion, our receptor cells are the cause for humans to taste sweetness.

What is Biology? Collage Technology!