Extra Credit blog

What was your favorite topic this semester? Why?

My favorite topic this semester was about the reproductive system because it was so interesting, i learned many things but i felt uncomfortable at the same time.  

What was your least favorite?

My least favorite this semester was crossing the flies because i dont like flies, and because they kept on moving so it was hard to identify if they were female or male.

What would you change about this class if you could?

Something i would change about this class would be the amount of online work from first semester like the online labs. But i think quizlets and reading quizzes are good to keep doing because it actually works. 

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment in biology this year?

My biggest accomplishment would be that i learned something new that i did not learn in my normal biology class during freshmen year and that i disected many many many animals in class because  i usually would not want to touch them. 

Comparing 3 Invertabrates

Porifera

Porifera also known as a sponge is one of the most primitive multicellular aquatic animals. It lacks a respiratory organ and oxygen is supplied by a direct exchange between the tissues and surrounding water. It also has absence of a nervous system because it has lack of coordination in the oscula, pores, and choanocytes so the slow reaction of sponges to stimuli shows no nervous system. Sponges are also filter feeders; water is drawn into the spores tiny hair like flagella, passes through small pores and into the central cavities. Some Sponges start sexual reproduction when only a few weeks old while other wait till several years old. They reproduce sexually and asexually meaning only one gender at a time. They have no permanent gonad, instead number of areas of the sponge will during the reproduction period become changed to produce either sperm or egg.

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS481US481&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=nvAZkYOD7H_pnM:&imgrefurl=http://palaeos.com/metazoa/porifera/porifera.htm&docid=5g3xbkVtZ8U0yM&imgurl=http://palaeos.com/metazoa/porifera/images/rigida.jpg&w=400&h=274&ei=F-_LT9e8CcmK2gX86KXaCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=397&vpy=336&dur=405&hovh=186&hovw=271&tx=142&ty=62&sig=102282481332443564820&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=196&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:129

http://tolweb.org/Porifera/2464

Nematode

Nematodes (also known as roundworms) exist as parasites or as free living organisms and play a role as decomposers that break down organic materials to be utilized by bacteria. They have a worm structure with a lack of features such as cilia or a well defined head. They have an internal body cavity called pseudocoelom which looks like a tube that runs the whole length of their bodies, which also contains the intestines and reproductive organs of the roundworms. Nematodes have a nervous system contains nerves extending to the mouth and the length of the roundworms. There are two nerve cords to activate the muscles relalying sensory information. Nematodes contains a few small organs and a pharynx where food is pulled in and crushed and then moves to the gut cavity, where nutrients and wastes are spread throughout the body cavity by diffusion and taken out by the excretory canal tube. These roundworms have separate sexes when males use a special spine to inject sperm into the females gonophore, they lap up to 27 million eggs at a time. 
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS481US481&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=TFcRooS8WJuA0M:&imgrefurl=http://mint.ippc.orst.edu/rootnemaid.htm&docid=QreOav2BorCS7M&imgurl=http://mint.ippc.orst.edu/images/lesionnema_i.jpg&w=300&h=168&ei=5PTLT8eDO8Se2gWry_XaCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=423&vpy=435&dur=390&hovh=134&hovw=240&tx=153&ty=49&sig=102282481332443564820&page=3&tbnh=116&tbnw=207&start=45&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:45,i:266

http://www.biocontrol.entomology.cornell.edu/pathogens/nematodes.html

Mollusks

Mollusks are soft bodied invertebrates including snails, slugs, octopus, squid, clams, and mussels. Most of them have shells to protect them. Most mollusks have a muscular foot for creeping for burrowing. Some also have a head with sense organs. The soft body has lungs or gills for breathing and digestive and reproductive plants. Most mollusks have a rasping tongue call radula with tiny teeth which help scrapes its food into tiny chunks. Mollusks reproduce sexually. Slugs and snails possesses both female and male organs but still needs to mate for fertilization. Most lay eggs that hatch into small free swimming larvae. Mollusks have shells in many shapes and sizes to provide somewhere to hide  and to prevent the moist soft body from drying out. 

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS481US481&biw=1366&bih=624&tbm=isch&tbnid=KfZlI4SWQo6LzM:&imgrefurl=http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ma-Mu/Mollusks.html&docid=M_3SSpcCwvO1RM&imgurl=http://www.scienceclarified.com/images/uesc_07_img0379.jpg&w=436&h=256&ei=nfnLT7WVN-Hu2QWdwcHaCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=913&vpy=187&dur=530&hovh=172&hovw=293&tx=197&ty=97&sig=102282481332443564820&page=1&tbnh=91&tbnw=155&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:150

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/taxa/inverts/mollusca/mollusca.php

Intelligence

Why is it important to define and debate our understanding of intelligence and its origins? How does this relate to you? 
It is important to define and debate our understanding of intelligence and it origin because it would help people understand what intelligence they have, so once they know they can start continuing to use their technique instead of using other techniques which wont work and just waste time. Debating about intelligence in class was important because i got to see both sides if intelligence was from environment or innate, at first i chose environment but once the debate went on, people on the innate side made me believe that innate influences intelligence.  There are many different types of intelligence, for example someone can be street smart and book smart, or can know a lot about music but not about other stuff. This relates to me because knowing what intelligence i have can benefit me of knowing how i study best.  I like to study from the book and not by visual or lectures. I am someone that needs background noise when i study because i cant concentrate with other noises. Knowing my studying skills will help me save time from studying another technique. 

How does Nephron work

The nephrons role is for the blood to filtered and urine formed. In each nephron, high pressure in the glomerulus pushes water and small dissolved materials into extravascular space of the Bowman’s capsule and into the tubule. The proximal tubule reabsorbs water, salts, glucose, and amino acids to maintain electrolyte levels in the body. The loop of Henle salts will be excreted in the urine, making a concentration gradient in the medulla. The Henle’s loop is absorbant to particular ions with the cortical thick draining into the distal convoluted tubule. The distal tubule contains cells that active transport and maintains urine and blood pH levels, especially the regulation of sodium and potassium. Fluid later passes from the distal tubule to the collecting ducts. Ultra filtration occurs in the cortex in the cortical collecting ducts, which is the last process of the nephron. The urine then passes through the collecting ducts through the drainage system of the kidney to the ureters and bladder for urination. The counter current system is similar to the nephron because the loop of henle is to be able to create dilute urine or concentrated urine depending on what the body wants and needs. Nephron is also similar to hydrostatic skeleton because their function both removes waste and both needs pressure to remove filters. 

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Functions-of-the-Nephron-of-Kidney&id=1342876

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS481US481&biw=1517&bih=693&tbm=isch&tbnid=JhbjjXlL5GBZsM:&imgrefurl=http://analytical.wikia.com/wiki/Nephron&docid=zAG_sy1Yp0f4rM&imgurl=http://images.wikia.com/analytical/images/f/fe/Nephron.jpg&w=800&h=727&ei=iP3LT-jwFOjB2QWqjq3aCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=323&vpy=172&dur=359&hovh=213&hovw=235&tx=129&ty=120&sig=102282481332443564820&page=1&tbnh=138&tbnw=152&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:142

Starfish

Starfish are composed of a central disc from which arms sprout which makes it a radial symmetry. They are triploblastic because like humans they have three germ layers such as the ectoderm (outside), mesoderm (middle) and endoderm (inside). The coelom of a starfish is the secondary body cavity that forms by the partitioning of three body cavities. Starfish are really unique because they do not have blood but instead use sea water to pump around their bodies. The water vascular system uses cilia and the constant contracting ampullae to keep things moving. An ionic imbalance causes water to flow into the madreporite, entering the water vascular system. Some of this water is turned into another direction into the perivisceral coelom (the large cavity), where it is circulated by the beating of cilia. Most oxygen enters the starfish through diffusion into the tube feet, or the papulae (small sacs covering the upper body surface). The starfishs mouth is located underneath the sea star on the oral or ventral surface, it eats  bivalves like mussels, clams, and oysters; or any animal slow enough to be unable to protect it self. Some have specialized tube feet that can extend and catch preys. Starfish have two stomachs including cardiac and pyloric. Cardiac stomach is pushed out of the organism's body and used to digest food. Starfishes dont have a brain, their ring nerves and radial nerves control their direction and balance. But their tube feet, spine, pedicellariae are sensitive to touch.
Crinoidea

Ophiocistioidea

Asteroidea

Echinoidea

Holothuroidea

http://www.earthlife.net/inverts/echinodermata.html

http://www.junglewalk.com/info/star-fish-information.htm

Double fertilization

Double fertilization is the process in most flower plants where two male gametes enter the embryo sac and both get involve in the fertilization process. One male gamete mixes with the female gamete/egg nucleus to form a zygote , which turns into the embryo. The other male gamete mixes with either the polar nuclei (or the defenitive nucleus) to form a triploid primary endosperm nucleus, which will start the endosperm. 

Pictures are from Google Images

http://www.science20.com/news_releases/fbl17_discovery_gene_behind_%E2%80%98plant_sex_mystery%E2%80%99
http://www.gardenguides.com/87589-process-double-fertilization-flowering-plants.html

Genome BOW 10: Self-Interest

Genomes is broken up into many different paragraphs (called .exons) and in between has long stretches (called introns). Genes are protein recipes, but not  all are the best. The common one in the entire genome is called reverse transciptase, it is a gene that that has no purpose at all. The role of reverse transcriptase is that it takes an RNA copy of a gene and copies it back into DNA and puts it back into the genome like a return ticket for a copy of a gene. It means that aids virus can get a copy of its own genome into human DNA to conceal it and maintain it, to get it copied faster. Selfish DNA adds to the size of the genome and therefore to the energy cost of copying the genome. It is in habit of jumping from one location too another or sending copies to new location  it will land in the middle of the working genes which messed them up and then jumping out again causing the mutation to revert. DNA fingerprinting has changed not only forensic science but other fields as well, it helped proved innocent people were right. It has been simplified so single sites of minisatelites can be used to give unique bar codes. The application of DNA fingerprinting to paternity test changed our understanding of bird song, from am experiment biologist discovered that most monogamous of birds where just one male and one female faithfully help each other to rear the brood and the females mate quite often with neighboring males other then other ostensible spouses. All in all,  male birds sings hard when already married because they are looking for affairs.

Genome BOW 9: Death

This chapter starts out with how when you learn new things at the same time you will lose old things you learned before. Mutation is also a cause of disease. Detecting cancer early in development of tumor is important because the larger the tumor becomes the more likely it is going to suffer the next mutation because of probability and rapid proliferation of inside the tumor can lead to mistakes also called as mutation. Apoptosiss has a role on the function that the elimination of cancer cells, it is useful in fighting the ordinary infectious disease. If a cell detects that it had been infected with a virus it can kill itself for good of the body as a whole. It can be also be useful in preventing mutiny than cancer like genetic distortion of the kind induced by selfish tanspoon. Apoptosis has no central planning and no bodily politburo to decide who should die and live. Apoptosis will kill itself if infected, cancerous or genetically mischievous, a cell will die by definition. So there is understanding of how apoptosis evolves.

Geome BOW 8: Immotality

This chapter talks about how this genome seem  to be immortal because the genes we have in our body now are from the unbroken chain of descent links of probably over fifty billion copying over 4 billion years ago.But if the gene is immortal then why does the body die? The body dies because through the four billion years of continuous photocopying did not dull any messages in genes but it is the human skin that slowly loses its elasticity as we age. It also talks about how chromosomes can be copied several hundred times enough to blur the message they contain. So if the fifty billion copying since life you did not inherit the genes you inherit, it is because of chromosome 14 . In the shape of the gene called TEP1, the product of it is a protein which forms most unusual telomerase. So the lack of telomerase causes it put it bluntly, senescence. Also the addition of telomerase will turn certain cells to immortal. Humans are well protected which is why we age slowly and probably more slowly as the era passes. Our infant mortality rate of around fifty percent before age fifty five is high in modern western but is low compared to animals. Natural selection allowed humans to see their children into dependence but no more because at age fifty five and seventy five most people grow grey, stiff, weak, creaky, and deaf.

Genome BOW 7: Fate

Diseases lies in fate. We only know that every genes malfunction can causes a particular disease. The saying that "x has hot the Wolf_Hirschhorn gene" is wrong. Everyone actually has the Wolf-Hirschhorn gene, but people who has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome is the one that is actually missing the gene. This means the sickness is caused from the fact that the gene is missing. The sufferers have the mutation, not the gene. In this chapter it talk about if the huntingtin gene is damaged then why does it work all right for the next thirty years? It is because the mutant form of huntingtin often accumulate in big chunks (it is this accumulation of a sticky lump of protein within the cell that causes the death of the cell that causes death). Another disease Huntington deasease is at the far end of the chart of genetics. It is pure fatalism, straight by environmental varaiables. So all in all, good environment/living, good medicine, healthy food, loving families, and being rich can do nothing about diseases. Your fate in in your genes.

Genome BOW 6: Life

Life is consisted of the ability to replicate and to create order. The ability to replicate is made possible by the existence of a recipe which is the information that is needed to create a new body. Genes contains DNA that is a message written in a code of chemicals, giving one letter for each letter. It only has four letters; A, C, G, and T which represents information, replication, breeding, and sex. RNA is a chemical substance that links RNA and proteins, it is used mainly to translate messages from the alphabet of DNA to the alphabet of proteins. It is hard to identify the earliest form of life because creatures today have genes except from their parents, but that could not have been fully true. For example, bacteria can get genes from other bacteria by eating it. Lastly it is believed that there was only one creation and one single event when life was born.

Genome BOW 5: Disease

Chromosome 9 is a well known gene that determines ABO blood type. The universal ABO system includes A, B, AB, and O which was discovered by Viennese. Type A can donate to A and AB, type B can donate to B and AB, type AB can only donate to AB, and O can donate to any blood types. The difference between blood A and B is 7 letters out of the 1062. The difference between type a and b from o blood type is that they are the same but o has deletion of letters. It is shown that O blood types are more affected to chloera but resistant to malaria. Type A, B, and AB are resistant to cholera and are affected to malaria. Cystic fibrosis is a gene on chromosome 7, it is a dangerous disease in the lungs and intestines but also protects the body from typhoid intestinal disease. An experience was made which resulted with choosing mates based on genes to prevent disease; Four men and women wears a cotton shirt for 2 night with no scent and 121 men and women will sniff and rate it from best to worst. It resulted with men and women both prefer body odor of the opposite sex who are genetically different from then genetically.

Genome BOW 4: Memory

Located on Chromosome 16 are genes that allow learning and memory. Learning is from the provinces of neuroscience and psychology which is opposite of instinct. Instinct is genetically determined behavior and learning is behavior through experience but have very little in common. It is believed that learning is good and instinct is bad. Some things learnt and others are distinctive because  by forcing ourselves to learn something we place ourselves in a selective environment that put the future instincts solution to the problem. Therefore meaning that learning gradually gives way to instinct. It is believed that integrins are central to learning and memory. In 1990 it was discovered that there are drugs that act as integrins could affect memory. Example, LTP known as long term potentiation seems to be the main event in the creation of a memory. The human brain is really impressive, if you prefer geometry, it is an analogue three dimensional machine instead of a digital one dimensional, and if you like thermodynamics it will make alot of heat. The brain is one the complex finest which will never be fully understood.

Genome BOW 3: Personality

The gene that affects personality is located chromosome 11 on its short arm which is the gene called D4DR. This gene is the way to make the protein called dopamine receptor and it is switched on in cells of certain parts of the brain but not the rest. Dopamine role is to control the flow of blood through the brain, but a shortage of dopamine causes an indecisive and frozen personality. Too little dopamine also makes the person lack initiative and motivation. Too much will make the person easily bored setting out adventures. Known as the brains punishment chemical, serotonin, it is the chemical that abets anxiety and depressionIt has different ways to respond to outside influence such as social signals. All in all, personality is affected by the hormones of the body to the chemicals of the mind.                                                                                                      

Genome BOW 2: Stress

Chromosome 10 also known as stress genome has many past history of plagues all over it. Eating well, sleep well, and avoiding stress is a way to keep immune system in a healthy condition. Short term stressors cause an immediate increase in epinephrine and nonrepinephrine (means the hormones that make the heart beat feet and makes the feet cold). Cortisol makes you more affected to disease because in white blood cells cortisol turns on TCF to makes its own proteins when its job is to suppress another protein. Because cortisol hold back the immune alertness of the white blood calls it makes people more vulnerable to diseases. The effect of stress lowers immune survellance of doormat infections, which means stress can a factor for cause of disease. So whenever you are stressed by a life event it makes you easily attacked by cancer and diseases. For example: wheever an animal raise its testoronelevel to fight its enemies for mates it becomes more vulnerable to infections.