protein synthesis lab

All organisms need protein to live and for the body to work. proteins are made through a very complicated process. First, DNA gets copied into RNA (temporary copy). The mRNA then leaves the nucleus, and snakes out into the cytoplasm. The mRNA then goes to the ribosomes, the ribosomes read groups of 3 different bases. The DNA Polymerase then goes around determining the proper amino acid for the codon. When the process is finished, it winds up and becomes a protein.

Mutations are changes in the arrangement of DNA or RNA. They are like flaws in foods or toys, sometimes there are random mess-ups in how they are created. The three main types of mutations are insertion, deletion, and substitution. Substitution is the least effective mutation because it only affects one sequence. Deletion and insertion can cause huge problems with the protein, especially if they are at the start of the RNA or DNA strands.

 I chose substitution as my mutation not only because it is the least damaging, but because I knew that it wouldn't have a big affect on the DNA strand. It only changed one sequence, and it wouldn't make a difference wherever the mutation was placed.

Proteins are important to all living organisms or plants, so it is very bad to have any mutations. There are mutations that can stop blood in your body from clotting very easily and there are mutations that make it hard for your blood to get oxygen and for hemoglobin to form. These mutations can be very dangerous because if you have a mutation for hemophilia , then bruises can be a very bad thing because if you cant stop the bleeding in your body, you could bleed out and die.

Unit 5 Reflection

This unit was about the copying of DNA and what factors contribute to it. The copied DNA is called mRNA. DNA is the master copy and RNA is the copy of the copy. The factory that makes the DNA copies is called the operon. We also learned about how mutations occur and what a flaw in the DNA or RNA system can cause. I under stood most of this information very well and could explain parts of it to another person. Some of my weaknesses are remembering the names of parts that are involved in making DNA, and decoding DNA into RNA. I can work on both of these by going over the unit again and studying. I will be able to decode DNA quite easily if i just ask for help and practice remembering the substitutes for the letters that are in DNA. Some of my strengths in this unit were understanding the processes of replication and copying such as semi conservative replication. The major concepts i learned from this unit were DNA replication, translation and walking the dogma. After i went to Mr. Elliot for help on how to walk the dogma and understand how to translate DNA into RNA language everything else became easier. I feel that at the end of this unit i am now a better student with even more knowledge to share with others. One thing that i would have liked to learn more about, or go into deeper detail with would be mutations. Its very interesting how even the smallest flaw can affect a human in such a big way. This unit was very helpful to my understanding of how DNA is copied and how it is used. Overall this was a great unit for my personal needs and understandings, and i feel i am a better student today than i was a week ago.

DNA Extraction Lab

In this lab the main question that we were trying to find was "How can DNA be seperated from cheek cells in order to study it"? We found that DNA can be seperated from the cheek cells when it is placed in the 95% isopropanol alcohol solution. our qualitative data shows that this is the case because before the alcohol solution (homogenization stage) there was a thick layer of mucus, but after the alcohol solution was added (precipitation stage) a clump of what looked like spongy meterial began to float to the surface. This material was the DNA that had been extracted from the mucus. In order to get the DNA alone we had to break down the proteins known as histones. We did this by adding pineapple juice witch contained catabolic proteases witch are good at decomposing proteins. Although my results were accurate and reasonable i did make a few errors. My biggest flaw in this experiment was the fact that i forgot to add sodium chloride (salt) into the solution. This would have facilitated the precipitation by shielding the negative phosphate ends of the DNA, allowing them to move closer together. Our overall data contradicts the expected results because of my failure to put sodium chloride into my solution. The results might have been affected because there would be more phosphate ends in my clump of DNA because the solution failed to shield and move them closer together. Two ways i could improve this lab would be to reread the directions and make sure that all the ingredients for the solution are put in, and be more precise about how much of each ingredient i put in the solution. The purpose of this lab was to better help us understand DNA and what compositions break down proteins. I could apply what i learned in this lab to my knowledge when taking tests. I will be able to remember what proteins are composed of and what solutions break them down.

I spent my thanksgiving break in Yosemite national park doing things from hiking, to petting wild deer.

#optoutside

                                                                Unit 4 Reflection

Why is sex so great? This unit was all about sex and how reproduction works. We learned about autosomes, chromosomes, different types of inheritance, meiosis, ect. This unit helped us to understand that sex is more than just a physical action. sex is life. Without the distribution of sperm to eggs, and the inheritance of chromosomes, we wouldn't be alive today. This unit was interesting, but not always easy. I had some weaknesses and some setbacks such as understanding the meaning of certain terms like homologous, heterogeneous and autosomal inheritance. Although there were things i didn't understand, i was good at understanding the process of meiosis and how reproduction occurs. During this unit and doing the inforgaphic, i learned a lot about gametes and how they combine to form an autotroph. I now better understand how genes and the splitting of genes can be randomly chosen and affect the overall individual it creates. I learned that sex is more than just a physical affair, it is the start of the huge process of reproduction. I can take this knowledge and apply it in future experiments and help explain reproduction to others who don't understand. Another great thing i learned how to do was create an infographic. Now if i need to easily explain something through pictures and text, i know how to use piktochart. This skill i can use in all of my classes for just about anything. As of now i am a better student than i was at the beginning of this unit because of all of the activities that helped better further my knowledge. I am a visual (6) and kinesthetic (12) learner. I like to see diagrams and have ideas shown to me by demonstration. I expected to see that i was a visual and kinesthetic learner because i have never liked being lectured to, or being told to read directions. It is very easy for me to use my strengths to my advantage when studying for tests by making graphs, diagrams and having another person quiz me. I'll focus on these techniques for the next test and most likely get a good grade because of it.

genetics infographic

 link to see full size-  https://magic.piktochart.com/output/9210435-untitled-infographic-copy

Photosynthesis Virtual Labs.

Lab 1: Glencoe Photosynthesis Lab

http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/LS12/LS12.html

Analysis Questions

1. Make a hypothesis about which color in the visible spectrum causes the most plant growth and which color in the visible spectrum causes the least plant growth?

A: If green light is focused on plants while they grow, they will grow faster than any plant in another color of light.

2. How did you test your hypothesis? Which variables did you control in your experiment and which variable did you change in order to compare your growth results?

 

A: In this experiment, i tested my hypothesis by comparing the size of each different type of plant. I had one control plant which was under the green light, and then tested the same plant with all the other colors to see the result. The controlled variable in this experiment was the color of light that was projected down on the plants. The final data was that green light was not the color that changed the plants the most; blue light had the most drastic change in size.

Results:

Filter Color	Spinach Avg. Height (cm)	Raddish Avg. Height (cm)	Lettuce Avg. Height (cm)
Red	18cm	13cm	11cm
Orange	14.8cm	8cm	6.5cm
Green	2cm	1.3cm	3cm
Blue	19cm	14.5cm	12.3cm
Violet	16cm	10cm	8.2cm

3. Analyze the results of your experiment. Did your data support your hypothesis? Explain. If you conducted tests with more than one type of seed, explain any differences or similarities you found among types of seeds.

A: No. My data did not support my hypothesis. The green light did not help the plants grow, infact it was the one that stunted the plants growth the most. Since the pigments of light were the same color as the ones in the plants chloroplasts, they couldn't absorb the energy to help the plant grow. All plant seeds seemed to grow the best with blue light.

4. What conclusions can you draw about which color in the visible spectrum causes the most plant growth?

A: I can conclude that blue light is the best color light to grow plants under because it has no pigments the same as the plant, therefore more energy is absorbed.

5. Given that white light contains all colors of the spectrum, what growth results would you expect under white light?

A: I would expect an average growth. White light would be like the control of the experiment. The plants would not grow abnormally big, or small.

Site 2: Photolab

http://www.kscience.co.uk/animations/photolab.swf

This simulation allows you to manipulate many variables. You already observed how light colors will affect the growth of a plant, in this simulation you can directly measure the rate of photosynthesis by counting the number of bubbles of oxygen that are released.

There are 3 other potential variables you could test with this simulation: amount of carbon dioxide, light intensity, and temperature.

Choose one variable and design and experiment that would test how this factor affects the rate of photosynthesis. Remember, that when designing an experiment, you need to keep all variables constant except the one you are testing. Collect data and write a lab report of your findings that includes:

• Question
• Hypothesis
• Experimental parameters (in other words, what is the dependent variable, independent variable, and control?)
• Data table
• Conclusion (Just 1st and 3rd paragraphs since there's no way to make errors in a virtual lab)

Question: what will happen if the light is increased all the way with a high Co2 emission?

Hypothesis: If the light is all the way up, while the plant has Co2 in it, then photosynthesis will be faster.

The control of this experiment would be the plant in the water, at room temperature. The dependent variables are the amount of light, the amount of Co2 and the temperature of the water. The independent variable is the amount of air bubbles coming from the plant.

Intensity of light	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%
One minute time frame	20 bubbles	27 bubbles	30 bubbles	59 bubbles	72 bubbles

Conclusion:  In this lab we wanted to determine what factors affect the speed of a plant's photosynthesis. The plant seemed to react most to warm temperatures, a lot of Co2 and high light concentration. With less light, the plant let off more bubbles around 20 per minute, and at the end with more light, it was letting of about 72 bubbles per minute. This just helps further prove that plants will have more photosynthesis, if they are in bright light with room temperature. This lab was very accurate because it was digital, and there was no way anything errors could possibly happen. This lab could have been more realistic, but over all it was very accurate. I could test this theory in real life by seeing if fish live longer in plant filled water or not.

                                                              Unit 3 Analysis


Unit 3 was all about cells. It went over the basic make up of cells, how cells work and how they reproduce. This unit had lots of information on processes that occur in cells, such as diffusion and photosynthesis. There were sections in this unit that i understood and could easily demonstrate such as the basic make up of a cell, and the difference between plant and animal cells. Although i did understand the basics, i had a few set backs. I had a hard time understanding the ideas of photosynthesis, diffusion and other chemical reactions. To better understand these ideas, i could come in during tutorial and review, or simply watch move videos on the internet that explain the topics. I learned how our bodies work, and what our cells do to work in harmony. This unit helped me to better understand how things are made and composed of cells. I would like to go over the different chemical reactions that occur in cells again. It would better help me to become a smarter student. I have no real questions or concerns about this unit. For the upcoming test, i plan to interactively review my notes and create a quizlet to help me better understand the content.

                               inquiry hour 1.2 Are we alone in the universe?

This paragraph stuck out to me because i have always wondered if there was other life within space itself. We live on a planet, so how come there cant be other living organisms on another planet?

Hypothesis: If we are able to live and prosper on our planet, then there should be conditions on another planet somewhere to sustain living organisms and possibly aliens.

My 20 Questions

Question: how will we ever know if we cant go super far into space?

Question: is it possible that there are other living beings on another planet?

Question: did we evolve? or exist?

Question: why do we cry?

Question: why are opposite sexes attracted?

Question: how do our brains think?

Question: can we ever clone people?

Question: what happens during fertilization to make a boy or girl?

Question: how do drugs addict people?

Question: why do we cry?

Question: could we ever time travel?

Question: it time endless?

Question: will the sun run out of energy?

Question: will meteors kill all of man kind like the dinosaurs?

Question: how do we speak?

Question: why do we have armpit hair?

                                                         Egg Diffusion Lab Analysis

In this lab we tried to demonstrate how cells grow or shrink in a given habitat. We did this by using an egg and its similar characteristics to demonstrate how diffusion works. If the inside of a cell doesn't match with its surrounding environment, then the membrane of the cell will let in or let out water to be even with the environment, through diffusion. According to our data, when the egg was exposed to water with a low concentration of sugar, the eggs circumference and mass grew because the membrane allowed more water to come into the egg. When the egg was placed into a solution of high concentration, the eggs circumference and mass decreased. The eggs membrane wouldn't allow the solute outside the egg to enter, but would allow the water within the egg to exit and create an even concentration of water to sugar both in and outside the egg. Like i have described before, the egg wants the solution within it to match the concentration of the solution on the outside of it, so it will absorb or discard certain amounts of its water. This lab helps demonstrate the biological principles of diffusion and osmosis, by giving good examples of how the egg released or absorbed water to even out with its surroundings. The idea given by this lab is always seen in real life. We see diffusion when we are in snowy areas and notice that there is salt on the road to thaw the ice. The plants along the road are all shriveled up because of diffusion. There is more salt outside the cells than there is in the cells, so the cells release water to better match their outside environments. We also see diffusion and osmosis in super markets. When there is fruit out in the son, there is water put on them. this is done to keep the fruit from diffusing and releasing their liquids. The plants will most likely absorb some of the water. This experiment gets me wondering, if we just put the yolk of an egg in the solutions of vinegar, sugar and water, what would happen? I would conduct this experiment to better further my knowledge of how cells work.

                                     
                                                       Egg Cell Macromolecules Lab

The purpose of this experiment was to find out what macromolecules were in what areas of the egg or "cell". The claim is that the lipids and trysachorides are found in the membrane, the monosacharides are found in the yolk and the disacharides are found within the egg white or "cytoplasm". Our data shows that the monosachrides where most common in the egg yolk. The data also demonstrates that the poly sachrides were mostly in the egg membrane an in the egg yolk. Lastly tour data shows that the lipids were mostly found within the egg membrane, and the proteins were mostly found in the egg yolk.
        Although our data was sufficient and we accomplished what we set out to do, our experiment wasn't perfect; we made some mistakes. During the experiment at the begging when we had to cut the egg and separate the different parts, the yolk and egg white accidentally became combined and i had to separate the the yolk out. Next time i would take longer with separating the egg and make sure that nothing gets mixed together. Another problem we had during this lab was insufficient time in the hot water. I would make sure that all the tubes were put in at the same time, and timed with a stopwatch.

         We did this lab to better understand the macromolecules and how they come into play, and their roles in a cell. We learned that each macromolecule has a different role in a cell, and what each one does. The information learned in this lab could further help me to understand macromolecules. I will be able to use what i have learned in this lab in future labs.

                                                                     unit 2 reflection                                                     Jake Beine

Unit 2 of this year was about Macromolecules, enzymes and enzyme features such as structure. In the beginning of this unit we learned about the different Macromolecules. The 4 main types of Macromolecules are lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. Lipids are fats such as waxes and oils, proteins are things such as meat and milk, carbohydrates are foods such as wheat and bread and nucleic acids are edibles known as sugar. We learned what made up these foods, and what role enzymes had in the process. We learned how enzymes work and how they are put together. We also focused on the components of an enzyme such as the substrate, the product and the active site. We began to understand the structure of enzymes and how they process. Along with enzymes we did a lab helping us to better grasp the concept of how they work. We learned how enzymes contribute to the creation of cheese and tested it out ourselves by making cheese of our own. During this experiment we also learned a lot about things that can affect how enzymes work, such as pH level and temperature. Our understandings on this also helped us to understand how enzymes become denatured and unable to work properly. This unit taught me a lot about my everyday life that i didn't already know. It helps me to better understand the importance of food and the enzymes that work along with those foods.

                                                        

                                                    Cheese Lab Analysis

In this experiment we learned to make cheese, and how the enzymes in cheese work. We also learned how rennin mixed with enzymes break apart the proteins in milk to create cheese. If i was to give someone tips on how to make cheese in as little time as possible, i would tell them to use chymosin as their curdling agent, have the PH level as acidic and have the agent in a hot temperature. This is the fastest and most efficient way to make cheese as our experiment depicts. Although our data is accurate, nothing is perfect. The class as a whole made some minor mistakes during this experiment. The biggest of these errors was the fact that our hot temperature was not actually hot enough to get sufficient and accurate data. If we could do this experiment again and fix one thing we did wrong, we should make sure that all our control, cold temp and hot temp are at the exact temperature in which they should be. overall this experiment went well. As a whole our data was sufficient, and gave us data that would help us come to the conclusion that chymosin, an acidic PH level and a high temp are best for making cheese fast.