DNA Transcription

DNA Transcription

The process of transcription isn't so complicated as it may seem. The key components are the base DNA of a cell's nucleus and the mRNA required for the transport. This process is meant to transcribe or make a part of DNA available to send around the cell.

Materials:
DNA strand(split)
mRNA(messenger RNA)

Process:
1. Take split DNA and find section to be transcribed. Ex: ACTGACTGA
2. Find complementary strand of previously selected strand. Ex: TGACTGACT
3. Replace the DNA base Thymine with the RNA base Uracil. Ex: UGACUGACU
4. Send mRNA strand of to ribosome for Protein Synthesis.

Reflection:
Going into this topic, I learned a lot about DNA. I always just saw it as half of what DNA is. Now I know that RNA in fact is the transportation gradient of the genetic information in all cells. Also what caught me off guard was the Uracil base, that was pretty interesting. I could see little assistance coming from this outside of Biology, mainly using a strategy like it to organize things perhaps.

Sources:
http://archive.cnx.org/contents/d905928c-7b6f-400f-8d6b-7934d5505ab0@1/bis2a-8-3-transcription

Blood Types

Blood Types
By: Jay Patel

Blood Types are an example of genes with multiple alleles. There are four blood types, A, B, AB, and O. Your blood type is determined by what your blood contains, and certain antigens it has, like the A or B antigen. Also, there is a third antigen, the Rh factor, that is either present (+) or not (-)

• Blood Type A: has only the A antigen. Allele is IA.
• Blood Type B: has only the B antigen. Allele is IB
• Blood Type AB: has both the A and B antigen. Allele is IA IB
• Blood Type O: has no antigens at all. Allele is i.

Depending on what type of blood you have, you can donate blood. 

• O is the universal donor, and can donate blood to anyone. O can only receive from O.
• AB is the universal receiver, and can receive blood from everyone. AB can only donate to AB.

What I learned was the different blood types and how donating and receiving blood works. I learned that there are specific blood types that can donate. What surprised me was how unlucky the O blood is. This can be applied outside biology through genetics and forensics, and blood types can be used to determine parentage in a mix-up, and can be used to determine genetics of a person.

Citations:

American Red Cross. "Blood Types." Recrossblood.org, www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-types.

Notes from Mr. Black's class

Passive Membrane Transport

Passive membrane transport is a movement of ions and other atomic or molecular substances across cell membranes without need of energy input. Unlike active transport, it does not require an input of cellular energy because it is instead driven by the tendency of the system to grow in entropy.

• Diffusion: The movement of particles along a concentration gradient from high concentration to low concentration.
• The particles spread until they fill all available space evenly.
• Diffusion does not require energy
• Particles move due to kinetic energy
• Molecules will always move down the concentration gradient, toward areas of lesser concentration.
• Particles move in an attempt to reach equilibrium making the distribution of particles the same through all available space.
• If permeable membrane separates the concentrations, the particles will attempt-?
• Diffusion across a membrane is called Passive Transport because it does not require energy
• Some particles pass freely through the semipermeable plasma membrane composed of a bi-lipid layer and proteins
• Molecules move through the membrane from high to low concentration.
• Larger molecules may move through the protein channels

• Osmosis: Is the type of passive transport that involves only the movement of water
• Water will always move from high to low concentration or toward the higher solute concentration.
• It is assumed that during osmosis only water can move and not other types of molecules
• The simple rule is is that salt sucks
• Hypotonic Solution- Water is going to move in
• Isotonic Solution- Balanced
• Hypertonic Solution- Out
• Hypertonic Solutions:
• Water moves into the cell
• As the water enters the cell will swell
• An animal cell may continue to swell until it bursts aka Cytolysis
• A plant cell can only swell until it reaches the cell wall resulting in tightening of the cell wall and outward pressure called turgor pressure.
• As water exits the cell the cell will shrink, this is called Plasmolysis
• Plasmolysis causes an animal cell to dehydrate
• Isotonic Solution:
• Water enters and exits the cell at equal rates

What I learned about this subject was that there is a scientific explanation to why anything moves. Osmosis is for the movement of water and Diffusion is everything else (as long as you're not using energy.). It surprised me that a cell is able to burst when put into distilled water. I did not know about this subject until this year. I enjoyed learning about this because it is a quick and easy objective to learn and understand. This can be applied outside biology when I'm trying to move something, and I can determine if it needs energy to move or not.

By: Corban Mills

Mr. Black's class notes

Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic

Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic
Eukaryotic Main Ideas:

- DNA is housed in the nucleus

- Larger in size 

- Known as animal and plant cells 

- Membrane bound organelles 

- No plasmids 

- Outer layer to membrane organelles (allows what goes in and out)

Prokaryotic Main Ideas:

- Less complex

- No membrane bound organelles 

- DNA not housed in nucleus 

- Smaller in size 

- Better known as bacteria 

Summary:

I learned many things about Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cells. There are many differences that I didn't expect. I didn't know that the sizes were different and I learned what they're better know as. I expected them to be more similar than different. Although there are many differences, there are also similarities. Some things similar are that they both have a cell / plasma membrane, DNA, ribosomes, and cytoplasm. I didn't know anything about these two cells before going over them in class. I like learning about these cells and learning all of the differences and what they do. Eukaryotic cells aid in muscle fibres, leucocytes and neuroglia which are animal cells, and parenchyma cells, collenchyma cells and sclerenchyma cells, which are plant cells. Prokaryotic cells aid in  bacteria, e.g. vibrio cholerae, the cholera bacterium.

Citations: 
MCAT, About The. "Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells." MCAT Biology | Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic Cells. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. 

"What Is a Eukaryotic Cell ?" IvyRose Holistic Health and Well-being. IvyRose Holistic Health, 2003. Web. 01 May 2017.

"Prokaryotic Cell Structure." AS Biology. IvyRose Holistic Health, 2003. Web. 01 May 2017. 

Black, Jordan. "Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic." Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic. Jordan Black, 14 Feb. 2017. Web. 14 Apr. 2017./.latest_citation_text

Acid Rain- By DaRon Snipes

Acid Rain

Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents.  The SO2 and NOX react with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids.  These then mix with water and other materials before falling to the ground. Most of it comes from the burning of fossils fuels.

WET DEPOSITION

The sulfuric and nitric acids formed in the atmosphere fall to the ground mixed with rain, snow, fog, or hail. 

DRY DEPOSITION
The acidic particles and gases may deposit to surfaces (water bodies, vegetation, buildings) quickly or may react during atmospheric transport to form larger particles that can be harmful to human health.

Reflection: My thoughts on this was that this was a very easy topic. Acid rain is normally transported by wet deposition. I learned this back in 7th grade and it's a short simple topic to learn. 


CITATION: "Acid Rain." United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA, n.d. Web.

IMAGE("Acid Rain." United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA, n.d. Web.)

Passive vs Acquired Immunity - Olivia Smith

Visual:

Main Ideas:

- Passive Immunity - short term immunity introduced to the body from another person/animal

- Active Immunity - type of immunity that is caused by the production of antibodies by the                                    immune system caused by an antigen

- Passive immunity is immediate, active may take up to several weeks

- Passive immunity last a shorter time than active immunity

- Active immunity doesn't have many side effects if any while passive immunity may have more such as "serum sickness"

- Active immunity happens due to contact with a pathogen while passive happens due to an antibody from the outside 

                                                             Reflection:

During this unit, I learned about the different types of immunities. Before, I hadn't really realized that it branched off that far. Now I know about the different types of immunities and factors about them that make them different from each other. I feel like you can apply this topic outside of biology too because your body is constantly becoming more immune to things around you. 

Aerobic Energy Production

Aerobic energy is produced through the process called Cellular Respiration.
Aerobic energy is made with the use of air and it occurs in eukaryotic cells.

The word equation for aerobic respiration is:
Glucose and Oxygen -----> Carbon Dioxide, Water, and ATP energy

The chemical equation for aerobic respiration is:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 -----> 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP energy

Glucose is being broken down and oxygen is being released from the body during aerobic respiration while energy is being made.

I never heard about aerobic energy production until this year in Biology. I really enjoyed the topic a lot because I learned a bunch about how our body works during workouts. A way that this topic can be taken out of the classroom is when a person works out in the gym and they need to keep up with how they produce energy and how much they need to produce to keep going before the body switches over to anaerobic respiration.


Citations:
Aerobic Production Pathways. Digital image. Commons.wikimedia.org/. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2017.
"Respiration." Passmyexams.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2017.
My notes from Mr. Black