Water Investigation Labs |
Tip to UBC |
On our feild trip to UBC as a class we were taught many things as well as did a couple of labs such as exploring several microorganisms that live in swamp water and creating our own DNA. Both labs were very interesting, as well as the presentations, but here are the things I found most intriguing.
Swamp Water Investigation In this lab we examinated drops of swamp water, looking at the microorganisms that live in it. Most drops we looked at did not have any life that we could see, though in some we saw microscopic creatures we've never seen before. According to the chart our instructor provided us with, we saw a flat worm 'swimming' around - this looked like a short and transparent worm. Another organism we saw was either a lacrymaria or a paramecium. I would describe this as a translucent, deep turquoise coloured tadpole. It kept hiding under the other pieces in the swamp water, therefore we could not get a photo of it (and it would have been too small anyway). The first image is an example of a dropplet where we did not see many or any organisms because that one does not have much in it, whereas the second image is more crowded with many things like dirt and sticks. |
DIY DNA
In this lab we extracted our own DNA, making it visible for us to see. First, we rinsed a solution in our mouth for about 30 seconds. After this we added ethonal to our used mouth wash solution. This made the DNA molecules want to stick together. DNA cannot stay dissolved so it will precipitate. After leaving that for about 15 minuntes, we added this thing called SDS soap, which breaks open our cells so that the 'insides' can get out. At the end, our DNA look like egg whites floating inbetween the ethonal and the mouth wash solution, like shown in the image to the right. This was unlike what I expected which was a long coloured strand. This experiment was really cool because now I have my own DNA! During our trip to UBC, we also saw several presentations. One that I found pretty interesting was our very first one, presented by Dr. Phillip I believe. He taught us about yeast, and how its molecular structure was simliar to cancer's. This helps scientists further studies on cancer, which I though was very fascinating. |
Lipids
What is the significance of lipids?
Lipids are critical in our everyday lives as they play many important roles in cells and in our body. First off, they contribute to the structure of cell membranes, which are made from a double layer of lipid, as well as to the help make the plasma membranes that enclose both cells and cellular organelles. Lipids also store energy for when no carbohydrates are available. Additionally, we can thank lipids for the body's ability to resist the cold, and is how animals in the Arctic stay alive. Since lipids are small hydrophobic molecules, they are excellent for signalling, which all multi cellular organisms need to send information between organelles and to other cells, so they are also chemical messengers. All these are essentials to keep living things alive, therefore lipids are extremely significant in our everyday lives. Why is it important that lipids are hydrophobic? Since lipids help structure cell membranes, it is fundamental that they are hydrophobic to maintain a boundary between the inside of the cell and the extracellular matrix. If it didn't have polar and non polar phospholipids, the cell membrane would fall apart. |
Carbohydrates
How do carbohydrates supply immediate energy?
Supplying immediate energy is very important because evidently without it we would not really be able to do anything. Carbohydrates are all about energy and are found in foods like fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta, and dairy products. Your body use these to break down into smaller sugars like glucose, which is your body's main energy source. Glucose is a type of sugar that is absorbed and used right away for energy or stored away to be used later. Any glucose not needed right away gets stored in the muscles and the liver. To conclude, carbohydrates are broken down before becoming glucose, that provides us with energy and without energy in the body we are not capable of survival. Sugars, starches and fibres are examples of what? Carbohydrates. These are necessary in our daily diets because they are broken down to supply humans and animals with energy. |
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Proteins What are the roles of proteins?
Proteins are responsible in controlling reaction rates, regulating cell processes, forming bone and muscles, transporting substances in and out of the cell as well as helping fight diseases. What are proteins made up of? Proteins are made of amino acids that join together to form long chains. There are 20 different amino acids that help form the thousands of different proteins in our bodies. |
Nucleic Acids What are the two kinds of nucleic acids and their functions?
DNA and RNA are nucleic acids and play major roles in the cell. Ribonucleic acid molecules perform a variety of roles but are mainly involved in the process of protein synthesis. Deoxyribonucleic acid contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living things. What are the monomers of nucleic acids? Their structure? Nucleotides are the monomers that form nucleic acid polymers of RNA and DNA. These monomers consist of three parts; a pentose sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. |
In biology we have been focusing on invertebrates, specifically the eight phylums that belong to the group. In order to deepen our understanding on these animals, we took a trip to the aquarium as a class. During this experience we got to visit the water labs which turned out to be super cool since they had a variety of invertebrates that they kept for educational reasons. I learned a lot here, our instructor was very knowledgeable on this topic. Like show in the pictures, we saw animals like sea anenomes, barnacles, crabs, and even sea snails. I learned a lot about each of these as well as a handful of other sea creatures, specifically how every animal plays critical roles that make life possible. Overall, I loved this field trip because I truly felt educated about something I am interested in!
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On June 10th, we had our second, and last, capstone night. For my topic I studied viruses since after doing a unit on them I was intriguied and wanted to know more. My main question was "Are viruses beneficial, harmful, or ineffective?" following with my subquestions, "Where does viral diversity come from?", "How do chemists use viruses to benefit society?", and "Do viruses play a role in our ecosystem?". Ultimately I enjoyed the capstone projects because we get to focus on subjects that actually interest us. To conclude our final project we had to answer two questions that summarized our inquiry course;
What does it mean to think like a scientist?In order to handle being in an inquiry course you must think in a different way, for example thinking like a scientist. To me this means: not believing anything unless you test it, so being experimental. Not being afraid to ask questions because the more the better! Also not being biased towards or against anything until it is tested, and being able to believe that your idea, theory, or perception could be proven wrong.
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