Assignment: Summarize three key ideas you learned from Beak of the Finch or Time, Love, Memory. Be explicit about how it relates to the curriculum.
In Time, Love, Memory by Jonathan Weiner i learned about many scientists and their quest to understanding behavior and molecular genetics. The first key idea from this book was when the scientist Morgan and his raiders first discovered gene mapping. It had been more that 50 years since the discovery of genes ( Gregory Mendel with his peas/flowers) and Morgan decided to find gene traits in flies. Morgan and his students concluded with their experiment of fruit flies that these flies had 1% or one map unit of white eyes and yellow bodies. This helped me understand more of Mendel's work about offsprings, traits, phenotypes and everything else related to genes. Another major concept is the actual experiments that make up the title" Time, Love, Memory". In the time fly experiment, some flies can tell time even if they are in a closed room with no light. This explained why some flies are not affected by seeing the light (signifying the starting of the day) or the darkness(time to go to sleep). In "First Love" the chapter talks about the different drosophila species and how they preform sex with female fruit flies. Some male fruit flies sadly do not have enough "potential" to last a whole ritual of mating because they are too weak or are born with abnormalities. This is important because this is similar in humans. Some male humans can not hold an erection long enough in order to complete reproduction with a female . Therefore by studying these fruit flies, scientists can discover how to prevent this from happening to any man and the causes of these sex situations. The last concept is the Memory fly. There are flies that can learn a concept easily while others do not exemplify a sign of knowledge( referred to as dunce flies). A student of scientist Chipp Quinn, discovered that not all flies are dunce, some just forget their information fast. Tim Tully designed a teaching machine which was very silent and would not distract flies in any way. After his experiment with his new machine and the memory flies, he concluded that the flies who he had taken a new test after another without no break period failed their test because they just crammed everything and did not actually learn. They only had short term memory. On the other hand, the fruit flies that had taken test but with break periods did learn their lessons much faster that the crammers and as a result they could still remember them for more than a week. "Time, Love and Memory" is a great book to read to learn more of the origins of behavior and how it has lead to the study of molecular genetics.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Blog 19 :A Fear of Pheromones" Article
Assignment: Take one of the three articles given to you. Do you agree or disagree with the author? Use the text to support your argument.
In " A Fear of Pheromones" by Lewis Thomas, he explains how people in the twentieth century feared that "we have pheromones" Little did they know that now in the 2000's scientists have recorded and still continue to examine pheromones living inside of us. "Most of the known pheromones are small, simple molecules, active in extremely small concentrations." I find it very interesting the fish have chemical signals that help then identify other fish species that have passed through the waters before them just by sensing their smell. I agree that people are not really interested in pheromones and are more concentrated on how to "get energy from the sun." When this article was published the invention of solar panels and other Eco-friendly inventions had not appeared until the 21st century. Now that pheromones are being well known, people are starting to research about them more and as a result this will help the earth and the life of humans in the long run.
In " A Fear of Pheromones" by Lewis Thomas, he explains how people in the twentieth century feared that "we have pheromones" Little did they know that now in the 2000's scientists have recorded and still continue to examine pheromones living inside of us. "Most of the known pheromones are small, simple molecules, active in extremely small concentrations." I find it very interesting the fish have chemical signals that help then identify other fish species that have passed through the waters before them just by sensing their smell. I agree that people are not really interested in pheromones and are more concentrated on how to "get energy from the sun." When this article was published the invention of solar panels and other Eco-friendly inventions had not appeared until the 21st century. Now that pheromones are being well known, people are starting to research about them more and as a result this will help the earth and the life of humans in the long run.
Blog 18 "Thoughts For a Countdown" Article
Assignment: Take one of the three articles given to you. Do you agree or disagree with the author? Use the text to support your argument.
In "Thoughts For A Countdown" by Lewis Thomas he first starts off by explaining how astronauts live in a state of isolation soon after they come back from their moon expeditions.. They must go through a "long antiseptic ceremony... then they are allowed out into the sun." Humans have an "obsession with disease and death" therefore astronauts must be inspected for viruses or any other contagious disease that will affect us in any way. I agree with his statement " Every creature is, in some sense, connected to and dependent on the rest." It is true many organisms on this earth have symbiotic relationships and without them they would not survive. For example, the bacteria that lives in the tissues of cockroaches appear as required organs for its host. The cockroach could not live without this bacteria. As for the relationship between the moon and the earth, the astronauts most likely have not caught a disease because " it takes long intimacy, familiar inter-living, before one kind of creature can cause illness in another." It is important to know the types of relationships between organisms because they help in the findings of something beneficial for all types of organisms not just for a certain specie.
In "Thoughts For A Countdown" by Lewis Thomas he first starts off by explaining how astronauts live in a state of isolation soon after they come back from their moon expeditions.. They must go through a "long antiseptic ceremony... then they are allowed out into the sun." Humans have an "obsession with disease and death" therefore astronauts must be inspected for viruses or any other contagious disease that will affect us in any way. I agree with his statement " Every creature is, in some sense, connected to and dependent on the rest." It is true many organisms on this earth have symbiotic relationships and without them they would not survive. For example, the bacteria that lives in the tissues of cockroaches appear as required organs for its host. The cockroach could not live without this bacteria. As for the relationship between the moon and the earth, the astronauts most likely have not caught a disease because " it takes long intimacy, familiar inter-living, before one kind of creature can cause illness in another." It is important to know the types of relationships between organisms because they help in the findings of something beneficial for all types of organisms not just for a certain specie.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Blog 17 : "On Societies as Organisms" Article
Assignment: Take one of the three articles given to you. Do you agree or disagree with the author? Use the text to support your argument.
In this article, Lewis Thomas compares the human race to an army of ants because we share the trait of having "compulsive social behavior". "They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into wars, use chemical sprays to alarm and confuse enemies, capture slaves. They do everything but watch television". We are jealous of ants and bees because they can live in an interdependent society and still act like regular organisms. I agree with Thomas statement " If such things exist, they can have nothing to do with us." because the majority of humans can not live with the rules of interdependence. They seem to struggle to find mutuality in a group task especially when working with other colleagues that do not share the same ideas as you. On the other hand, ants do not even have to know each other to complete a task that requires more that one specie because they automatically have that instant relationship. "thousands of ants, crowded together around the Hill, ... you begin to see the whole beast.." "and as though given new orders by telephone, all the workers shift the search to the new twigs" Termites and bees live in collective societies and as a result have powerful colonies that know how to work with one another and prevent arguments from erupting. I envy these organisms because it is true that when humans try to cooperate in a group assignment there will always be arguments of those who didn't contribute to the group are just getting free points just by being lazy. If you try to tell them that they haven't done anything for the group project, they will immediately snap at you or make up an excuse in order to just "kick back". Those who had worked so hard to get a good grade will be angry at those lazy people who are bringing them down resulting into a conflict that could have been resolved if everyone just agreed with one another.
In this article, Lewis Thomas compares the human race to an army of ants because we share the trait of having "compulsive social behavior". "They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into wars, use chemical sprays to alarm and confuse enemies, capture slaves. They do everything but watch television". We are jealous of ants and bees because they can live in an interdependent society and still act like regular organisms. I agree with Thomas statement " If such things exist, they can have nothing to do with us." because the majority of humans can not live with the rules of interdependence. They seem to struggle to find mutuality in a group task especially when working with other colleagues that do not share the same ideas as you. On the other hand, ants do not even have to know each other to complete a task that requires more that one specie because they automatically have that instant relationship. "thousands of ants, crowded together around the Hill, ... you begin to see the whole beast.." "and as though given new orders by telephone, all the workers shift the search to the new twigs" Termites and bees live in collective societies and as a result have powerful colonies that know how to work with one another and prevent arguments from erupting. I envy these organisms because it is true that when humans try to cooperate in a group assignment there will always be arguments of those who didn't contribute to the group are just getting free points just by being lazy. If you try to tell them that they haven't done anything for the group project, they will immediately snap at you or make up an excuse in order to just "kick back". Those who had worked so hard to get a good grade will be angry at those lazy people who are bringing them down resulting into a conflict that could have been resolved if everyone just agreed with one another.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Blog 16 Plant Division
Assignment: Put a description of each major plant division on your blog. Put a representative picture for each.
The four major plant divisions are Mosses(bryophytes), Ferns( pteridophytes), Conifers(gymnosperms), and Flowering Plants(Angiosperms).
Plants in the moss phylum are non-vascular and do not have seeds, roots or flowers. They are able to undergo photosynthesis despite not having stems or leaves. As they begin to decompose, they help with the formation of soil in order for other plant species to grow in that area. They can grow in a wide range of climates such as the dessert and tropical regions.
Plants in the fern phylum do not have seeds or flowers like the bryophytes. Ferns do however, have have a vascular system which is used to carry fluids throughout the plant. Ferns reproduce through spores that are found underneath of their leaves. Ferns are very adaptable to many environments such as rocky areas and woodland. Due to their adaptability, ferns are mostly used as house or landscape plants. An example is the fox-tail fern.
Conifers(gymnosperms) are the phylum of vascular plants that do not grow flowers but do produce seeds. The seeds are commonly referred to as "naked seeds" because they are not covered by a flower or fruit tissue. Therefore many conifers use a cone-like structure, to produce their seeds. They can grow as trees or shrubs. They can grow in different environments but most conifers prefer the sun. An example of a conifer is a pine tree.
The last phylum is the Flowering plants aka the angiosperms. They are vascular plants that contain both seeds and flowers. Reproduction occurs by growing their seeds inside an ovary that is located inside their flowers. Once the seed is fertilized, the flower falls off and the seed grows into a fruit. The fruit serves to help in seed dispersal. Flowering plants can be dicots and monocots. An example of a flowering plant is a sun flower.
REFERENCES
http://www.davidlnelson.md/Cazadero/FourGroupsPlants.htm
http://www.ehow.com/list_7499205_four-phyla-plant-kingdom.html
The four major plant divisions are Mosses(bryophytes), Ferns( pteridophytes), Conifers(gymnosperms), and Flowering Plants(Angiosperms).
Plants in the moss phylum are non-vascular and do not have seeds, roots or flowers. They are able to undergo photosynthesis despite not having stems or leaves. As they begin to decompose, they help with the formation of soil in order for other plant species to grow in that area. They can grow in a wide range of climates such as the dessert and tropical regions.
Plants in the fern phylum do not have seeds or flowers like the bryophytes. Ferns do however, have have a vascular system which is used to carry fluids throughout the plant. Ferns reproduce through spores that are found underneath of their leaves. Ferns are very adaptable to many environments such as rocky areas and woodland. Due to their adaptability, ferns are mostly used as house or landscape plants. An example is the fox-tail fern.
Conifers(gymnosperms) are the phylum of vascular plants that do not grow flowers but do produce seeds. The seeds are commonly referred to as "naked seeds" because they are not covered by a flower or fruit tissue. Therefore many conifers use a cone-like structure, to produce their seeds. They can grow as trees or shrubs. They can grow in different environments but most conifers prefer the sun. An example of a conifer is a pine tree.
The last phylum is the Flowering plants aka the angiosperms. They are vascular plants that contain both seeds and flowers. Reproduction occurs by growing their seeds inside an ovary that is located inside their flowers. Once the seed is fertilized, the flower falls off and the seed grows into a fruit. The fruit serves to help in seed dispersal. Flowering plants can be dicots and monocots. An example of a flowering plant is a sun flower.
REFERENCES
http://www.davidlnelson.md/Cazadero/FourGroupsPlants.htm
http://www.ehow.com/list_7499205_four-phyla-plant-kingdom.html
Blog 15 Time, Love, Memory
Assignment: Write about your lit circle in a separate entry. What has surprise you the most so far?
In the book, Time, Love, Memory by Jonathan Weiner i have been fascinated and learned many new concepts of behavior i did not know before. In chapter sixteen, one of Benzer's students, Chip Quinn decided to continue the memory project they had discovered in his own fly room. He was really interested in finding why some flies learn quicker than others and while some didn't learn their lesson at all. In one experiment, Ronald Booker tied a fly's leg with wire and dangled it over a pool of salt water and 9 out of 10 wild flies learned to keep their leg up to not get an electric shot. But he also discovered that if he attempted to decapitate the fly's head off with a razor blade, the fly quickly reacted in moving its legs so it can survive. He concluded that flies have nerves outside the brain, just as human beings do. Those nerves outside the flies brains were actually learning the lesson. Quinn's other student Tim Tully, decided to improve the teaching machine by designing his own. The new machine he made was quiet and could function with the lights off therefore the flies were much calmer than Quinn's. The random noise that usually distracted the flies was eliminated in this machine and Tully discovered that he can distinguish many types of flies with stupidity. For instance, the fly rutabaga was not stupid; it is able to learn, it just forgets its lessons fast. He also did an experiment with long term memory by giving a set of flies 10 lessons after one another without no break(crammers) and another set learned ten lessons with breaks in between. His results indicated that the crammers forgot everything fast(only made short-term memory) while the set of flies who had breaks in between remembered their lessons after a week! I find this very amusing because this supports my hypothesis that if anyone crams any information for a test you aren't actually learning the material but instead you just know it for like a day. For instance, if you want to get a passing score on the AP Biology test then you must study long term not just cram everything the day before the test. You can guarantee yourself a non passing grade. It's the same for non english speakers who are trying to learn english and they have to practice their skills everyday or else they will not remember the information they learned in class. Memory is an important skill everyone needs if they want to succeed in life.
REFERENCES
Weiner, Jonathan. Time, Love, Memory, A Great Biologist And His Quest For The Origins Of Behavior. New York : Vintage, 1999. 200-212. Print.
In the book, Time, Love, Memory by Jonathan Weiner i have been fascinated and learned many new concepts of behavior i did not know before. In chapter sixteen, one of Benzer's students, Chip Quinn decided to continue the memory project they had discovered in his own fly room. He was really interested in finding why some flies learn quicker than others and while some didn't learn their lesson at all. In one experiment, Ronald Booker tied a fly's leg with wire and dangled it over a pool of salt water and 9 out of 10 wild flies learned to keep their leg up to not get an electric shot. But he also discovered that if he attempted to decapitate the fly's head off with a razor blade, the fly quickly reacted in moving its legs so it can survive. He concluded that flies have nerves outside the brain, just as human beings do. Those nerves outside the flies brains were actually learning the lesson. Quinn's other student Tim Tully, decided to improve the teaching machine by designing his own. The new machine he made was quiet and could function with the lights off therefore the flies were much calmer than Quinn's. The random noise that usually distracted the flies was eliminated in this machine and Tully discovered that he can distinguish many types of flies with stupidity. For instance, the fly rutabaga was not stupid; it is able to learn, it just forgets its lessons fast. He also did an experiment with long term memory by giving a set of flies 10 lessons after one another without no break(crammers) and another set learned ten lessons with breaks in between. His results indicated that the crammers forgot everything fast(only made short-term memory) while the set of flies who had breaks in between remembered their lessons after a week! I find this very amusing because this supports my hypothesis that if anyone crams any information for a test you aren't actually learning the material but instead you just know it for like a day. For instance, if you want to get a passing score on the AP Biology test then you must study long term not just cram everything the day before the test. You can guarantee yourself a non passing grade. It's the same for non english speakers who are trying to learn english and they have to practice their skills everyday or else they will not remember the information they learned in class. Memory is an important skill everyone needs if they want to succeed in life.
REFERENCES
Weiner, Jonathan. Time, Love, Memory, A Great Biologist And His Quest For The Origins Of Behavior. New York : Vintage, 1999. 200-212. Print.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Blog 14 Cell Poem
Assignment:
Write a poem about a cell. Be sure to use vocabulary and demonstrate your understanding of that cell. Go to the class website for examples.
Cell membrane
I am the mighty cell membrane.
My bilayer made up of phobic and phillic
will surely keep the cell mighty fittin
fluidity keeps me going as long as i
continue being cold
substances might not be able to pass through me
unless i let the transport proteins work with me
I am the main barrier of Osmosis and Diffusion
get me into a concentration state to open my gated channel
Without me the cell would be nothing
so please organelles don't try to compete with me
REFERENCES:
https://www.msu.edu/~atkins66/cells2/poetry.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/cell_membranes.html
Write a poem about a cell. Be sure to use vocabulary and demonstrate your understanding of that cell. Go to the class website for examples.
Cell membrane
I am the mighty cell membrane.
My bilayer made up of phobic and phillic
will surely keep the cell mighty fittin
fluidity keeps me going as long as i
continue being cold
substances might not be able to pass through me
unless i let the transport proteins work with me
I am the main barrier of Osmosis and Diffusion
get me into a concentration state to open my gated channel
Without me the cell would be nothing
so please organelles don't try to compete with me
REFERENCES:
https://www.msu.edu/~atkins66/cells2/poetry.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/cell_membranes.html
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