Unit 3 Reflection

       In this unit, I learned about the cell theory, what the cell organelles are as well as their purpose, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration. Our class has discussed many subjects throughout the time of learning Unit 3 and I understand clearly how a cell works for both an animal and a plant. Some essential understandings include the building blocks of a cell, their characteristics, how they react in different environmental conditions, and in different processes. My strengths in this chapter includes the history of cells and photosynthesis. My weaknesses are the organelles of the cells and cellular respiration. Though as a class, we worked diligently when doing labs and worked hard for the lecture notes.

       Comprehending the material for this unit was first difficult but now looking back at my notes, I now understand more on what I am having trouble with. The skills I learned throughout being a student in biology has improved more and more. Studying with my notes has become a simple routine each day. Finally being prepared with the material collected for the unit, passing the upcoming test will be a review for me. 

       I want learn more about the different purposes of the organelles inside a cell so I can enhance my skills and process the information when studying for the test. When I first looked at what we were learning for this, I had trouble with understanding cellular respiration and I still have a few issues with it. Hopefully I will answer this question as I soon look forward to the test. I wonder who made the names for the different building parts of the cell, I would like to research the person who did. My study habits include daily practice and quizzing for 30 minutes. This concludes the Unit 3 Reflection.

Egg Diffusion Lab Conclusion!

       In this lab we soaked an egg in deionized water and another egg in sugar water for 48 hours. Before leaving the fragile egg, my teammates and I took measurements of both eggs. We calculated the circumference and the mass. After waiting for the initial time, we analyzed our final observations and measured the circumference and mass again. Finally, everyone in the class shared their percent change of both solutions.
       Looking at the class data, the mass and circumference of the egg decreased due to the egg's hypertonic environment (sugar water). Taking a closer look inside the egg, the water inside leaves to go to a "high-low" concentration, though the solute outside can not enter due to being too big. This situation leads to the egg shriveling up since there is a smaller solvent inside.
       When the egg is being added to vinegar, later the shell of the egg will dissolve and the membrane becomes visible. This procedure needs to happen to complete thee lab in which now the possibilty of changing the cell  is attainable. Now when the egg is added to the solute, the egg will adapt and passive diffusion may occur throughout the egg.
       This lab demonstrates a biological principle which is the process of diffusion. Diffusion spreads particles in a faster manner throughout the cell membrane.
       When salting the roads, the plants will start to shrivel up due to being in a hypertonic environment. Though, when there are plants in grocery store, the fresh vegetables are sprinkled with water to keep a hypotonic environment for them which will make the plants more happy.
       Based on this experiment, I will use this information to test an egg in different conditions, and to test if the change is hypotonic or hypertonic. These tests will help my knowledge in ddiffusion, hypotonic, and hypertonic.

The Sp-EGG-tacular Macromolecules Lab Conclusion!

       In this lab we asked the question, "Can macromolecules be identified in an egg cell?". My teammates and I found out that some macromolecules will be present in different parts of the egg than others. For the polysaccharide test, results of adding iodine will turn the egg solution from brown to black. The egg membrane turned black so we gave it a 10 out of 10 for the color change. We concluded that polysaccharides are present in the egg membrane because there are carbohydrates on the surface of the cells. As for the egg white in the protein test, macromolecule will be present when the solution turned from blue to purple, it changed to a dark blue from the light blue. Based on previous knowledge egg white has the macromolecule, protein, located in there. As for a conclusion on quantitative data, my group and I gave it a 5, unsure for what happened in the test. In an egg, the embryo, aka the yolk, will eat the egg white because it is a protein that will help develop the organism. Finally, when my teammates and I tested the egg yolk for the lipid test, it turned from red to orange which meant that the macromolecule, lipid, is present in the egg yolk. For a final analysis, the transparent membrane surround the egg yolk is made of phospholipids. This information came from our lecture notes and lab. All of this data supports our claim because our class tested which macromolecules are present and we all discussed which ones are found in the different parts of the egg.
       While our hypothesis supported our data, there could have been errors due to the protein test in which there was not enough egg  in the test tubes so that test had to be re-tested. There was another possible error due to contamination when mixing the egg solutions with the same tool. Due to these errors, in the future experiments I would recommend to pay attention to what you are doing and double check with the instructions to see if you are doing the lab right.
       This lab was done to specify the the macromolecules in a more visual understanding way. From this lab I learned the the construction of an egg and the reasoning behind the macromolecules which helps me understand the concept of molecules and their purposes. Based on my experience from this lab I will use the data I have recieved and use that information to test other biological concepts.

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.