Did the article address any ethical, value, or public policy issues?

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Biology homework help

Biology in the News 

The biology concepts presented in this course encourage you to make the connection between textbook biology and biology that appears in daily newspapers and weekly periodicals. This assignment will encourage you to make the connection between the textbook and the world you live in and to recognize how science and technology influence and contribute to modern culture.

This assignment is worth 20 points.  Late work will count half credit.

Select an article from a current newspaper, periodical, or the Internet which correlates with the content of one or more units of instruction covered in the course. Appropriate sources are any major newspaper, news website, scientific magazines, or any other major news source for the public.

Tips on choosing an article

– Article MUST relate to content presented in class

– Article is an appropriate length for the assignment (not a tiny blurb, not 10 pages long)

– Article MUST BE less than 3 months old

– Article is news, not reference material, and from a reputable source

– Article MUST be readable by the general public, not scholarly.

Your essay should consist of the following three items:

1) A cover page, including your name, course and section number, date and instructor name

in the upper right corner, the title of the article centered on the page, and works cited or bibliography at the bottom of the cover page.

2) The body of your essay, which should consist of three carefully prepared paragraphs, each a

minimum of 4 sentences, double spaced.

Paragraph one: Summarize the article with the who?, what?, when?, where?, why?, and how? of the main ideas in the article.

Paragraph two: Correlate the article with a unit of instruction covered in class. Give specific information you learned in class, citing the text and or lab manual sources, and explain how it helps you understand the article, or contradicts the article.

Paragraph three: Give your personal reaction and explain why the content of this article is important to you, your friends, or family. This involves relating the topic of the article to real life, by answering two or more of the following questions.

1. Did the article make you aware of things you had not thought of before?

2. Did the article change your mind or feelings about the topic?

3. Was the article about something you have experienced personally?

4. Did the article address any ethical, value, or public policy issues?

5. Do you agree or disagree with arguments presented in your article? Explain. 6. If you were “in charge”, how would you proceed with the information in the article?

3) A copy of the article must be attached, either copy and paste at the end of the article, or attach as a separate article. 

This assignment must be your own work. No plagiarism will be tolerated. Papers that the instructor determines contain plagiarism in any part will be given a zero for the entire paper. See http://www.plagiarism.org/ for more information on what is plagiarism. Do NOT cut and paste information from any source into your paper. Use your own words to relay information from the article, text or any other source. Then cite the source of that information using a standard citation format.

Design an experiment. Provide a detailed account of the materials and methods used to conduct the experiment.

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Biology homework help

final applied lab project biology

Final Applied Lab Project

Addresses course outcomes 1-4:

  • recognize and explain how the scientific method is used to solve problems
  • make observations and discriminate between scientific and pseudoscientific explanations
  • weigh evidence and make decisions based on strengths and limitations of scientific knowledge and the scientific method
  • use knowledge of biological principles and the scientific method to ask relevant questions, develop hypotheses, design and conduct experiments, interpret results, and draw conclusions

This is the culminating assessment in BIOL 103. It is designed to assess your ability to apply the principles of the scientific method. For this project, you will complete the activity below. Make sure to address all points (questions) associated with the activity.

 

Final Applied Lab Project

Design an experiment in which you will test the effect of an acidic fluid on enzymatic activity. (Recall: enzymes are proteins.) To complete this project, it may be useful for you to review the Scientific Method Tutorial (found the Course Content section of the classroom under the ScienceLearningCenter link) and the Scientific Method lab (Lab 1), so that you can better understand how to design an experiment.  It may also be helpful for you to review your textbook and Lab 4 (Enzymes).  As you review Lab 4, you will be reminded that there are several factors that impact enzymatic activity: pH, temperature, and amount of reagent.  Feel free to refer to observations and information from Lab 4 as you complete the questions required in the Final Applied Project (see the questions below).

As you design your experiment for this project, please remember that you are trying to examine how an acidic fluid will modify the outcome of an enzymatic reaction.  To successfully complete this project, you will need to identify the question(s) being asked in your experiment and the hypothesis that you are testing.  In your experimental design, you must clearly explain what you are doing. That means that you will need to identify the enzyme and the acid, as well as explain your experimental protocol (this information will help you to answer question 2).  You must also thoroughly explain how the addition of the acidic fluid impacted the overall reaction process (this information will help you to answer question 4).

Hint: Keep in mind that the acid will change the environmental conditions of the experiment (for example, a low pH value could change the shape of the active site on the enzyme protein), without directly participating in the reaction.

 

Lab Materials

You may need the following, depending on your experimental design:

Materials in your lab kit:

  •  none

Additional materials you may need:

  • plastic beakers or cups
  • hydrogen peroxide solution (from Lab 4)
  • yeast (from Lab 4)
  • sample of fresh meat, about 1 cm cubed in size (unprocessed and uncooked, e.g., liver, steak, fish, or poultry—particularly organs)
  • sample of fresh vegetable, about 1 cm cubed in size (e.g., potatoes or other root vegetables)
  • a pen for labeling the beakers or cups
  • a ruler with centimeter markings

Remember, the goal of this project is for you to evaluate the effect of an acid on enzymatic activity.  As part of this assignment, you must identify your source of enzyme and the acid used.  As you work though this project, you must also make sure that the following questions/points are addressed:

1. What question are you asking? Clearly state your hypothesis.

2. Design an experiment. Provide a detailed account of the materials and methods used to conduct the experiment. Also include the methods for data collection and analysis.

3. Conduct the experiment and record your results below. What did you observe? Which samples showed bubbling?

4. Use your knowledge about enzymes to interpret your results. It may be necessary for you to refer to your textbook. What effect does the acid have on the enzyme?

5. Was your hypothesis supported? What is your conclusion?

6. Cite all references used to complete your Final Applied Project.

On what basis is electrophoresis able to separate molecules?

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Virtual Lab 4:           Genetics II

A. Learn how electrophoresis works and answer these questions:
•    On what basis is electrophoresis able to separate molecules? What are the lengths of the three DNA bands that you produce in this lab?

B.  Electrophoresis. Select the pBR322 plasmid (a circular piece of DNA used as a cloning vector) to analyze (menu in upper left hand corner of the simulator). You will then see a diagram of the circular plasmid DNA along with the points along the length of the plasmid where the various restriction enzymes (EcoR I, Ple I, Hinc II, and Bgl I) will cut the DNA. For instance notice that the enzyme EcoR 1 only cuts the plasmid at one location at the top of the diagram, whereas the other enzymes cut the plasmid at other places. To analyzes the DNA we cut it up with different enzymes and slowly piece together an understanding of the entire sequence.
•    Load each lane as follows: lane 1 with Bgl 1; lane 2 with EcoR 1; lane 3 with Hinc II; lane 4 with Ple I; lane 5 with predetermined molecular weight markers.
•    Run the gel and describe and explain the number of bands in lanes 2 and 4.

C. Human blood types and the immune system: Emergency Transfusion!
You can skip the video introduction, but will probably want to read the guide before you attempt the emergency simulation. Repeat the simulation until you can get hired on by the virtual hospital staff. Use your mouse to: 1. Take a blood sample from the patient. 2. Place the blood sample in the antibody solutions. 3. Hang the correct blood transfusion bags, so as to start a blood transfusion.
•   Identify the different blood types, the antibodies associated with each, and the types of blood that each type can receive and donate too.

Supplemental:
Electrophoresis Alternative
Genes and blood types

Describe and explain the characteristic of the first generation (F1) of flies

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Virtual Lab 3:           Genetics I

A. Phenotype and genotype of Dragons For fun, you can use this web lab to answer these questions: What genotype(s) result in wings? What genotype(s) result about a brown skinned Dragon? If necessary use your own research to answer the following questions.
•  Define genotype and phenotype.
•  What is an allele?

B. Drosophila Lab Enter the lab as a guest. You need to purchase a breeding pair of  flies. Purchase a female mutant that has a small (vestigial) wing size and a male wild type fly. Breed them and notice the resulting distribution of phenotypes.
•   Describe and explain the characteristic of the first generation (F1) of flies. Is the vestigial wing characteristic dominant or recessive?
•   What percentage of the F1 generation would show the recessive characteristic phenotypically according to your table?  Are your experimental breeding results consistent with what you expect from this assumption and the logic of the Punnet square?
•   Breed two of these F1 flies. To do this select a male and a female from the results of your first cross and put them in the breeding jar. Describe and explain the characteristics of the second generation (F2) flies.

C. Genetic Disorders Library Describe the three main classes of genetic disorders and give an example of each.

Supplemental:
Genetic Terminology Glossary
Punnett squares: an introduction
Alternative Drosophila lab
Genetics

Estimate the percentage of time that a constantly developing cell spends in interphase.

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Virtual Lab 2:           Cellular Processes

A. Bacterial Growth. Observing the growth of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae
These Streptococcus bacteria have been placed on a nutrient rich agar medium and their growth visualized. You can monitor their growth by watching the middle frame and moving through time with the time step buttons.
•   Estimate how long it takes for this population of bacteria to double. Hint- this population doubles multiple times during the duration of this recording.

B. Cellular Reproduction : The Cell Cycle (1 , 2 , 3), Mitosis (1 , 2), Meiosis (1 , 2), and Binary fission (1 , 2).
•  1. Estimate the percentage of time that a constantly developing cell spends in interphase.
•  2. In a random selection of 100 such cells, estimate the number that would be undergoing mitosis at any given time.
•  3. Understand the basic differences between mitosis, meiosis, and binary fission.  Is mitosis
more similar to meiosis or to binary fission? Explain your reasoning.

C. Cellular Metabolism: Cellular Respiration (1 , 2), Photosynthesis (1 , 2), and The Carbon Cycle (1 , 2 , 3)
•  1. In a paragraph or two compare and contrast  photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
•  2. Describe the ecological relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
•  3. Hypothesize about what might happen if a large number of producers were suddenly removed from the biosphere. Where might carbon accumulate if the ratio of number of producers to consumers was markedly reduced?

Gauge the size of various biological components and organisms.

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The Virtual labs (below) are online laboratory simulations that enable you to perform experiments and observations in microscopy, microbial growth, inheritance, and genetic analysis from the relative comfort of your computer.

Use the Virtual Lab Report form to record your observations and results from these online experiments. When saving your work, title your report with your last name, first initial ‘_V1’. Thus the title for Charles Darwin’s report is DarwinC_V1. Use the ‘Save As’ option to save the file as Word 97 .doc file. Submit the report in the Dropbox before 11:00 PM PST on the second Saturday of class.

     Virtual Lab Report Part I         Due: Second Saturday of the course

Virtual Lab 1:            Virtual Microscopy

A. Gauge the size of various biological components and organisms. The Virtual Microscope can be used to make these observations. Estimate the size (length and width in microns) of
•  1. An E. Coli cell
•  2. A mitochondrion.
•  3. A Red blood cell
•  4. A virus.
•  5. A water molecule

B. Observe the various Cell types and learn to distinguish between Bacterial cells, Plant cells (1, 2), and Animal cells (1, 2, 3)
•  1. Observe and describe three differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
•  2. Observe and describe three differences and three similarities between plant and animal cells.

C. Form a hypothesis
•  1. Hypothesize about how you might be able to sort a mixed population of cells into prokaryotes and
eukaryotes. Try to be practical, build on your understanding of the differences between the two cell classes.
•  2. Hypothesize about a means to separate out plant cells from a mixed population of eukaryotic cells.

Supplemental:
Cell structures and functions
Virtual Optical Microscope.
Virtual Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images.

 What is the purpose genetic engineering of crop plants and domestic animals?

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Biology and Technology in the Real World
Instructions 
Written Assignment: Biology and Technology in the Real World

Addresses course outcomes 1-4:

  • recognize and explain how the scientific method is used to solve problems
  • make observations and discriminate between scientific and pseudoscientific explanations
  • weigh evidence and make decisions based on strengths and limitations of scientific knowledge and the scientific
  •  method
  • use knowledge of biological principles, the scientific method, and appropriate technologies to ask relevant
  • questions, develop hypotheses, design and conduct experiments, interpret results, and draw conclusions

1. Select one of the topics listed below.

2. Find at least two information sources related to the topic. You can find assistance with searching for articles at the

athttp://libguides.umuc.edu/science.

3. Write a 750-1500 word paper, excluding references and title page. You must read the information sources that you

find and summarize the information in your own words, addressing each of the questions and expectations for your

chosen topic. Extensive quotes from the article are discouraged. Use APA style for citing references,

seehttp://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/apa.html.

4. Post your assignment to your Assignments folder by the due date listed in the course schedule.

Topics (select one)

a)     Genetically modified organisms (GMOs). What is the purpose genetic engineering of crop plants and domestic

animals? Briefly explain how GMOs are created. What foods in your supermarket contain GMOs? Are foods that

contain GMOs safe for human consumption? What types of regulations exist for these foods? Clearly explain your

reasoning for each answer. The following website from FDA regarding GMO regulation may be helpful:http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm352067.htm

b)    Stem cells. Your friend had a spinal cord injury after a bad car accident. The medical team has decided that he is a

good candidate for a clinical trial using stem cell therapy. Your friend has not had a biology course since high

school, so you decide to write him a letter sharing your knowledge of stem cells. Include in your letter a description of

the biology of stem cells and how these cells are unique from other cells. Contrast the different types of stem cells,

including pros and cons of each.

Explain how stems cells are can be used to treat diseases and injury, with special focus on spinal cord injuries.

Conclude with your own opinion. The following website from NIH regarding stem cell research will be very helpful:

http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp.

c)     Fracking (hydraulic fracturing) and tar sands (oil sands).  With society’s dependence on nonrenewable fossil

fuels, the oil & gas industry is turning to the use of hydraulic fracturing and tar (oil) sands to extract natural gas and

oil respectively.  A friend asks you “What’s all this controversy in the news about fracking and tar sands?”  Briefly

explain to your friend how hydraulic fracturing and tar (oil) sands are used to obtain these fossil fuels. Then, in more

detail, describe the environmental problems that may result from these processes and why they are controversial.

Issues that may be addressed involves, but are not limited to, water, air and soil pollution, effects on human health,

effects on other species and natural ecosystems. Finally, give your opinions on possible solutions to these

environmental problems, with your reasoning backed by the references that you studied. The following websites

from EPA may be helpful: http://www2.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing

How much time is required for the potassium ions in the liposome to reach equilibrium with their environment?

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Biology homework help

Course Number: 211G A20 Course Name: Online – Cellular and Organismal Biology Instructor: Catherine Hartkorn Individual/Partner Project – Biology Math Problems Assignment Write out… Course Number: 211G A20 Course Name: Online – Cellular and Organismal Biology Instructor: Catherine Hartkorn Individual/Partner Project – Biology Math Problems Assignment Write out your calculations and explanations for ALL problems. To solve the problems in this problem set, you will need to review (or look up, if you cannot remember) some geometry formulas. Problem Set 2 – Problems on Cell Structures and Membranes (3 problems): 3. Lysosomes are little sacs of acid in a cell. Their pH is about 5, and an electron micrograph suggests they have a diameter of 0.5 μm. The increased hydrogen ion concentration inside lysosomes is due to the pumping of hydrogen ions across the lysosomal membrane from the surrounding cytosol, which has a pH of 7.2. a. Assuming that a lysosome has the shape of a sphere and that there is no buffering capacity inside the lysosome, how many hydrogen ions were moved to the inside of the lysosome to lead to an internal pH of 5? (hint: first determine the volume of a lysosome in liters, then determine [H+] in moles/L in a lysosome at each pH (5 and 7.2), then determine the number of moles of hydrogen ions at each pH, and finally determine and compare the number of hydrogen ions at each pH). 4. Liposomes are laboratory-prepared artificial membranes. Liposomes can be made in a variety of sizes and can be made so that they have transmembrane proteins, which form membrane. Contents of the liposomes can also be known. For example, let’s say that one lab makes liposomes that are spheres with the diameter of 4 μm and that each liposome has an average of ten protein pores. Each liposome has an internal potassium ion concentration of 100 mM. Each protein pore transports 3x 10^6 potassium ions per second. The pores stay open an average of 0.3 second and stay closed an average of 2 seconds; so, each pore opening and closing cycle takes about 2.3 seconds. a. Assuming that a liposome has the shape of a sphere, how many potassium ions are in a liposome initially? (hint: the method here is similar to what you used to solve problem 3 above, except find the volume of a liposome in μm^3 and the [K+] in mol/μm^3) b. How much time is required for the potassium ions in the liposome to reach equilibrium with their environment? Assume that this environment is relatively large and potassium-free. (hint: before calculating the total time it would take to reach this equilibrium, think about how many potassium ions would need to leak out of the liposome in order to reach this equilibrium – all of them, half of them, none of them, why?) 5. Glycophorin is a single-pass transmembrane protein in red blood cells (RBCs). The protein component of glycophorin is 131 amino acids long and binds carbohydrates on the outside (noncytoplasmic side) of glycophorin. Then, approximately 100 modified sugar residues are attached near the end of each glycophorin; these account for about 60% of this macromolecule’s mass. The average molecular weight of an amino acid is 130 daltons. a. What is the average molecular weight (in daltons) of each modified sugar residue on the glycophorin? b. An RBC contains an average of 6 x 10 ^5 glycophorin molecules. How many modified sugar residues are found attached to glycophorins in one RBC? c. How many grams does the protein component of glycophorin weigh in one RBC?

Describe the organization of the human body at increasingly complex levels.

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Biology homework help

Select a journal article on the subject of supplements and write a 500–700-word review of the article.  The media (newspapers, magazine articles, television news programs, and Web-based information sources) provide us with much of what we know about human biology. After taking a course on human biology, you might be interested in taking advantage of these resources for additional learning. Journal articles on a special topic are particularly informative, because they often go into depth and are a good source of current information, which you can use to continue learning or reviewing biology as a lifelong practice. Journal articles are a good source of information about current advances in a particular area of human biology, and they also highlight possible future advances in the treatment of certain conditions. Show Less Yet, with so much information available in the media, it is important to understand how to evaluate the credibility of these sources. We have all seen questionable statistics presented in the media, or information that appeared to be biased, misleading, or even inaccurate. How can we be sure we are taking in information that is objective, thorough, and accurate? Although we may not be experts, we can do our best to be informed and critical evaluators of information.  By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

•Competency 1: Describe the organization of the human body at increasingly complex levels. ◦Discuss how supplements affect cells and body systems.  •Competency 5: Evaluate the objectivity and legitimacy of biology information found in articles and online. ◦Compare article with multiple sources of information about the same concepts. ◦Incorporate an analysis of sources into an article review. ◦Compare the main points presented about supplements, including specific areas of research and the findings.

•Competency 6: Apply biological concepts to factors related to human health. ◦Examine the role of supplements in athletics and discuss why supplements are currently unregulated. ◦Interpret whether or not supplements should undergo more stringent testing.

•Competency 7: Communicate effectively in a variety of formats. ◦Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics, including correct APA format and citations.

You are encouraged, but not required, to use Senchina’s 2013 article “Athletics and Herbal Supplements,”

Formatting Requirements

•Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

•APA formatting: References and citations should be formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.

•Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.

•Length: Your paper should be between 500 and 700 words in length.

•Format: Either submit both the Article Review paper and the completed Source Evaluation Form, or write a paragraph into your paper addressing the questions from the form.

Describe three things you learned from this opinion article.

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Biology homework help

Welcome to Biology!

For your primary post, select ONE of the following discussion topics. Please select only one of the three topics listed. Using your own words, write a primary post of at least 125 words that follows the instructions. Be sure to address everything listed in the instructions. Each topic has two subtopics [a, b]; please address both of them.

Your primary post is worth up to 14 points. Also, make a substantive reply to a fellow classmate on any topic. Use your own words. You don’t need to use any sources other than the ones specified, but if you do use other sources, you must cite them.

Topic 1. Climate Change / Terrestrial Species. Watch the 7.5 minute video by Cox (2016) about how climate change affects the “species range” of terrestrial species. This video can be found in the “Instructor Insights” of Week 1. Based on the video, address the following:

  1. Describe three things you learned from the video.
  2. Explain how the video relates to the field of biology.

Topic 2. Evo-devo. Watch the video (Olsen, 2007) featuring Sean Carroll discussing the science of evolution and the field of evolutionary-developmental biology (evo-devo).

  1. Describe three things you learned from the video.
  2. Tell me what these things teach us about biology.

Topic 3. The cusp of a revolution in medicine. In a recent op-ed, Craig Venter (2017) shares his opinion that we are “on the cusp of a revolution” in medicine.

Venter also addresses the issue of human germline editing, which is something we discuss in a later part of this course. For now, let me just note that editing the human germline means making permanent changes to the DNA of eggs, sperm, or a fertilized ova. Such changes would be permanent and would be passed on to future generations.

  1. Describe three things you learned from this opinion article.
  2. Explain how this article relates to biology.

References

Olsen, E. (2007, June 25) Sean Carroll on evolution and the science of evo-devo. [Video]. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms/1hlK3uy

Cox, J. (2016). Climate change and species range (version 2). [Video]. Retrieved from this course shell in Instructor Insights, Week 1. (https://blackboard.strayer.edu/webapps/osv-kaltura-bb_bb60/LtiMashupPlayIframeWrapper?playUrl=/browseandembed/index/media/entryid/0_y2jwwltc/showDescription/false/showTitle/false/showTags/false/showDuration/false/showOwner/false/showUploadDate/false/playerSize/400×285/playerSkin/31110461/&course_id=_224226_1&content_id=_23868226_1)

Venter, C. (2017, December 13). Genetic sequencing is the future of medicine. [Op-Ed]. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2017/12/13/human-genome/