Muddiest Point

My muddiest point is the flow of blood through the heart.  What is the order of the structures is flows through?
Also, what is the difference between the Central and Peripheral parts of the nervous system?
Thanks!

Muddiest Point

I am a little confused on the difference between the stoma and the stroma. Also, what evolved first out of the following: mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms?

Muddiest Point

What is aceolomate, and coelomate? What does it have to do with invertebrates and vertebrates?
Also, is the studying of classification taxonomy? That word confuses me..
Thanks!

Muddiest Point

My muddiest point is adaptation. What is it, and how does it relate to the principles of fitness and Darwin's observations? Also, what is survival of the fittest? I looked over the definition, but it just doesn't make sense.

Thanks!

Scribe - 1/26

Hey everyone! Today in class we began with getting our Double Bubble
maps back. We discussed the main points of Darwin vs. Lamarck.

Then we talked about today's lab Breakfast for the Birds. The materials needed for
this lab were:

• pliers
• forceps
• slotted spoon
• staple remover
• 4 paper cups
• colored pencils
• graph paper
• stapler

In this lab, there were five stations that had different types of "food". The "food" was rice, foam,
sunflower seeds, staples, and rubber bands. In order to eat this food, we had a
beak (utensil). We used pliers, forceps, large spoons, and staple removers to
eat as much of the food as we could.

We recorded our data in the table provided, and some of the
beaks worked better than others for eating certain foods.
Finally, we have to graph our data on a bar graph. Make sure to make a key for
each of the environments!

Tonight's homework is to:

• Finish UP 4-8
• read 16.4 with the pink sheet
• TV Ad

Don't forget - tomorrow is a Bio Day!

Muddiest Point

Hi!
My Muddiest Point is distinguishing the amnion and chorion. What is the difference between the two?
Also, what are the Negative/Positive Feedback Loops? I was looking through the objectives, and I didn't recognize some of these things..

Thanks!

Muddiest Point

Hey so my muddiest point is comparing/ contrasting Mitosis and Meiosis. What are the major differences?
Also, what is Independent Assortment and the Law of Segregation?

Thanks!

Genetic Disorder - Beta-thalassemia

Beta - Thalassemia

The genetic disorder I researched was Beta-thalassemia. This is when the blood protein - beta globin - is absent from red blood cells. The red blood cells die, causing anemia. This disorder is recessive, so the person has to inherit 2 copies of the mutated beta globin gene - one from each parent.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

The more severe the disorder, the more severe the symptoms will be. Carriers of thalassemia usually have no symptoms. However, if the person has the disorder, some symptoms include:

• stunted growth


• enlarged spleen (and other organs)


• bone problems


• fatigue


• poor appetite


• jaundice (yellowing of skin, or whites of eyes)

DIAGNOSIS/DETECTION

As you can see, thalassemia cells are not a perfect round shape, like normal red blood cells.

Beta-thalassemia can be diagnosed by taking a blood sample from an infant and looking at it under a microscope. Affected cells will appear oddly shaped and pale in color. Another test measures the MCV (mean corpuscular volume) in blood. The amount of hemoglobin in the blood can also determine if the infant has the disorder.

TREATMENTS

If a person has Beta-thalassemia, blood transfusions are needed for the individual to grow and survive. Therapy for removal of extra iron in the blood is also necessary (because the extra iron is being introduced by blood transfusions).

HOW COMMON IS THE DISORDER?

Thalassemia is most common in people from the Mediterranean, Africa, and South East Asia. In Mediterranean areas, 1 in 10 people can have Thalassemia. It is not as common in the United States; however, approximately 2 million Americans may have some form of the disorder.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

If left untreated, the life expectancy for someone with Beta-thalassemia is about 30 years of age. If the case is milder, the person can live to around the normal life span.

Muddiest Point

Hey guys,
I am most confused about what each cell does (like the types of T cells, B cells, etc.). What is the difference between a killet T cell, and a helper T cell?
Also what is the difference between a specific and non specific defense?\


Thanks!!

Extra Credit (11/5/11)

Today I went to the Restoration Work Day at Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie. We picked different types of seeds and put them in bags. This will eventually serve as food for the plants.

I saw various types of plants and some of them were still in bloom.

Some other types of plants I saw were Orchids, Milkweed, onion plant, and sunflowers. (most of the plants were dry and shriveled up.)

I was really surprised how many different types of plants existed at this site.

When we collected seeds, we made sure to put them in the right bag, so they wouldn't get mixed up.

Muddiest Point (Comment)

This is my comment for Samantha.
Which specific structures are you talking about? Ribosomes make protein, mitochondria convert chemical energy into food for the cell to use,and the nucleolus is where the ribosomes are found. The nucleus is the control center of the cell and the cytoplasm works with it. Hope this is helpful!

Muddiest Point

Hi! My muddiest point has to do with Molecular Transport. What happens during it and why is it important? I am also a little confused on how diffusion works. How do the particles move from high to low concentration?

Thanks.

Comment

This is my comment for Ereni. It won't let me post a comment on her muddiest point.

Pyramids of biomass show the amount of living organic matter at each level in an ecosystem. (Biomass is the total amount of living things in a trophic level)
The primary producers tend to have more mass.
As you go up the pyramid, the numbers decrease.
A pyramid of numbers shows the number of individual organisms at each level in an ecosystem.

Hope this helps!
-Kaitlyn

Class Review 9/19/11

Today in class, we took the last data for our Duckweed experiment. In groups, we have been conducting an experiment on Duckweed. It is to see how quickly the Duckweed reproduce and if other things within the beaker affect the growth. For example, a group put motor oil in the water along with the Duckweed. Another group placed Hornworts in the beaker as well. In some cases, the growth of the Duckweed was affected, and in others, nothing changed.

Another thing we did in class was turn in the homework which was the comparison chart for sections 6.2 and 6.4. We went over the homework that was assigned for this week which is:

• Duckweed Presentations


• read 6.3


• post Muddiest Point to blog


• comment on a post

Finally, we did the Water Testing Lab. We did this to see if the Des Plaines River was polluted. Our class predicted the river would be polluted because of bacteria, and waste from insects and other living organisms found in the water. We tested 8 pollutants to see how comtaminated the water is.

1. Coliform bacteria - pollution from sewage
2. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) - you want a high level of this because it is good for organisms.
3. Biological Oxygen Demand (DOB) - is the amount of DO used by bacteria when they break down waste.
4. Nitrates - if the levels are high, it is from sewage and fertilizers
5. pH - industrial wastes, mining operations, etc. affect this
6. Phosphates - high levels mean it's from human and animal waste and farm run off
7. Temperature - thermal pollution comes from industries
8. Turbidity - is how clear the water is. Can be affected by soil erosion and algae blooms.


For our group, we came to the conclusion that the river water is somewhat polluted.

JESSICA is the next scribe!

Golden Retrievers

Golden Retrievers are dogs with many great characteristics. Originating in Scotland, they were used predominantly for hunting. They are medium sized dogs, and have a beautiful gold coat. The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds today. This dog breed is lovable, loyal, well-mannered and intelligent. They can be easily trained and are even-tempered. Goldens are very good watch dogs-mine always barks, even when she hears the slightest noise.

When I was born, there were two golden retrievers in the house. They were so gentle and calm with me when I was little. They are incredible dogs (one of my favorites) because of their personality. Their life expectancy is 10 - 12 years, however, my goldens lived to be 14 and 15 years old.

Their tail is always wagging - they are happy and good-natured animals. They are called "retrievers", which means they like to carry things in their mouth. For example, my dog looks around in every room of the house until she finds a sock and then walks around and around with it in her mouth.

Golden Retrievers are an excellent dog breed, and everyone should have the experience of owning one!

KaitlynO

What am I most excited about this year?
Choir/other music related activities.

What am I least excited for this year?

Finals/homework.

First Unit Reflection

The first unit was mostly a review because we had learned a lot of the stuff last year. Even though it was review, I definitely needed to refresh my mind on some of the information. There were quite a few labs in the first week of school, which was different than in middle school. Last year, we didn't always do that much of hands-on learning (labs, or experiments). I think participating in labs is a way to learn better. I was kinda surprised when we were given the lab write up because we had never done anything like that last year. Maybe if we had done some practice with lab write ups, we would have a better idea of how to write one.