Saturday, January 21, 2012

Time Love Memory Last Blog of the Semester

The main concepts with the book have to do with Evolution, Mating, as well as Genetics. Through out the book, Weiner uses past experiments to get through the main concepts. The main one used specifically has to do with Flies. First off, evolution has to the species adaption and the changes made to the species over time. It is facilitated by mating as well as genetics in which each individual has traits specific to it. They have different chromosomes such as Females with YY and Males with XY. It relates to genetics especially to the fly genetics lab in which different traits can be combined to create an offspring entirely different from it's parents. The three concepts all intertwine with one another, not just in flies but in everything in nature. Without the transfer of different chromosomes and genetic traits, off spring would not be different. They would not migrate into other places or would not be able to survive to changing environments with out being helped by small adaptations. Without these changes, evolution would not occur in the long run to adjust and survive entirely to changes not just within the species but to nature,environments, as well as ecosystems.

A Fear of Pheromones

The author comments on pheromones and the fears that humans have because of what the chemical can do. It is something so simple as "eight or ten carbon atoms in a chain... needed to generate precise..kinds of matter." It is ALL that's needed. It is ALL that's needed to so much as control an organism. The pheromones emit a chemical element which has the ability to arouse the opposite sex, alert a signal, organize members of a society, and find a specific person. Pheromones have  can send messages and it can be seen as a "chemical attractant." The author comments on humans fears because it is something that can be used to easily manipulate another being. The author also mentions DNA fingerprinting which talks about how it has, "revolutionized not just forensic science but all other fields as well."  It has helped out in paternity fields as well as influenced knowledge of bird song.

On Societies As Organisms

This chapter of the book has mainly to do with comparing human societies to that of organisms. Going back to a previous theory of the author, he points out that humans like to think of themselves as superior to other beings. It is to human belief," to [take] caution that insects are like creatures from another planet." It is to say that they are completely different compared to humans yet they are "perfectly tooled but crazy little machines." The point that author is trying to get across is that fact that these creatures," live two kinds of lives; they are individual... and they are at the same component parts." It is surprising to think that these creatures, "have a mind at all, much less a thought." And it is in these terms that society is compared to organisms. An organism has its own thought processes, functions, characteristics. It is something a society also has. It is in his example of the ant that helps the main concept become known in that it is agreeable to point out that individuals do not make a difference. They are alone and by themselves and their knowledge is not noticeable. However, when ants come together and they begin to cluster up, it is in that moment that one beings to realize that they do have a thought for themselves.

Thoughts For a Count Down

The main idea of Thoughts for a Count Down is mainly about how humans feels around anything different. Humans tend to associate "different" with disgusting. Humans have a tendency to go through extraordinary measures to "de -sanitize" themselves to avoid catching "cooties." One of the major examples first mentioned involves the man on the moon. After returning, the choreographed behavior astronauts practice as to not,"fall on their knees and kiss the carrier deck," because that would result in contamination. It is amazing that humans know absolutely nothing about anything thats regarded as different. It can not be known because they,"Cannot be cultivated alone." The author's point about interconnection is very agreeable in that association must occur in order for a process to be carried out. Humans have this belief that they are superior beings. They don't realize that everything in life and nature is interconnected. It is this  belief that influences them to not care about anything that is supposedly different.

The Lives of a Cell

The author makes very explicit points in the article. In the very first line, it is agreeable to say that, "the trouble with Modern Man is that he has been trying to detach himself from nature." The observation is true in that modern man believes they are better than nature and even try take advantage of it. It is not "illusion to think that the is anything fragile about the life of the earth," because earth is fragile. Every action inflicted by modern man directly inflicts disturbance on the earth. I do disagree and believe it is irrational to say that mitochondria are not one with man. When in fact these little creatures work to perform the functions of man. Yes they are separate little ecosystems, however they come together to formulate one man. It all interconnects in which there is a domino effect. The body itself is an ecosystem and these "separate" organisms come to get together to work as one.

Cell Wordle

Wordle: Untitled



Cell fractionation is important for scientists to study the function of the major organelles.
Nucleoid is important because it holds the information of the prokaryotic cell including DNA.
cytoplasm holds alot of valuable abundance of membrane organelles with their specialized functions to the cell. Plasma membrane helps the cell by acting as a barrier which controls what goes in and out of the cell such as nutrients and wastes. Ribosomes are essential in the process of protein synthesis.
Smooth ER is important to the liver by detoxifying and its cytoplasmic surface lacks ribosomes.
The golgi apparatus is important because it modifies product of ER and sends them to specific locations.
Chloroplasts are important to the cell because it is the location by which photosynthesis takes place.
Cell wall is important to a plant cell because it protects the cell to prevent excessive water intake which could kill the cell. Transport proteins function by only allowing certain molecules pass through the membrane. Diffusion is when molecules transfer from an area of low concentration to an area of higher concentration. Chemiosmosis is when ATP and Transport proteins couple up as a forceful mechanism to facilitates its travels throughout the membrane.Passive transport is when these molecules move across the membrane. Active Transport allows for the movement of molecules across membrane by aid of expending metabolic energy because it has to go against the concentration gradient.Electron Transport chain helps in facilitating change of electron into oxygen by a multistep process.Chemiosmosis is important because it facilitates movement across a membrane by the allowance of coupling between ATP and transport proteins.Cellular respiration is a catabolic pathway in which oxygen is consumed as a reactant.

cellular metabolism reactions

Wordle: Untitled


Metabolism is an important property of life that results from cell interaction with molecules. It controls energy usage of the cell.
Catabolic Pathways is the process that helps to release energy by breaking down complex molecules.
Anabolic Pathways is the process in which energy is consumed to build molecules.
Energy is the ability for a cell to do work.
Kinetic Energy is energy in motion.
Chemical Energy is energy stored in molecules.
Potential Energy is stored energy. Once in emotion it turns into kinetic energy.
first law of thermodynamics  is the law in which energy can not be created nor destroyed. it is important because it means that everything requires energy.
free energy is energy available to do work.
ATP is important to the reactions because it is the main agent of which energy runs on. it helps the transfer of molecules throughout the cell and helps to facilitate reactions
catalyst helps to speed up reactions without being consumed it self as energy.
enzymes are catalytic proteins that helps chemical reactions
competitive inhibitors that block enzymes from speeding up reaction by blocking substrates.
noncompetitive inhibitors affects substrates by changing the shape of the enzyme which altars its productivity. substrate reactant enzymes use to speed up productivity of reaction by entering active sites.