Fava Beans and Paleontology Project

In class 9/26/13, we reviewed chapter 4 of Survival of the Sickest. Chapter 4 was about Favism, the most common enzyme deficiency in the world, 400 million people are affected by it. Favism is most common and deadly in North Africa and Southern Europe, around the Mediterranean Sea. Favism is carried on the X chromosome, making it more common in men because they have XY chromosome, while women have XX chromosome. If Favism affects one X chromosome, women still have another X chromosome, while men only have one X chromosome.

 

            Favism is a G6PD deficiency, caused by eating fava beans. Fava beans are mad of two sugar compounds: Convicine and Vicine. Which produces free radicals(unpaired electrons) that attack red blood cells and burst them, and produces hydrogen peroxide. This can lead to hemolytic anemia and sometimes death.

 

 

            The G6PD deficiency  carried in people with Favism, is due to evolution to fight Malaria which is prevalent around the Mediterranean Sea. Malaria is a deadly disease transmitted through mosquitos with parasites. The G6PD deficiency is an advantage because it makes red blood cells less hospitable for Malaria, and reduces their chances of getting Malaria and Malaria seeks healthy red blood cells.

 

 

Malaria and red blood cells

            Plants develop toxins to defend against predators, so they can survive and reproduce. For example, the Cassava plant, when eaten raw produces cyanide which can be fatal. Another example are Nightshades ( spicy peppers), Nightshades produce Capsaicin, a sticky poison which cannot be dissolved in water. The last example is the Jimsonweed, the Jimson weed produces chemicals which can cause hallucinations.

 

 

Cassava Plant

            In class, we also chose the organism for our Paleontology project. My partner and I chose Hippocampus Sarmaticus( early seahorse) and for the rest of the class period we researched the organism.

 

Evidence of Evolution Quiz Answers

1. Fossils show that many evolutionary changes are gradual. But the incomplete fossil record can falsely suggest or conceal times of rapid change. The terrestrial animal began developing aquatic features and gained more bone structure. But as the evolution process continued certain body parts (ex: limbs) began to shrink in size due to lack of use (vestigial structures).

 

2. Marsupials began in North America (E.) Then they traveled to Australia

3. The bat, bird, and dragonfly show convergent evolution, since they are independently evolved in similar features in species of different lineages.

4. In the common descent lab, we compared the Cytochrome- C (amino acid) sequences of different organisms. If there were few differences in the sequences which means that the species are closely related and evolved from a common ancestor. If there were many differences in the sequences this means that the organisms are not closely related and evolved from different ancestors. For example, primates and humans have no differences in the Cytochrome-C sequences, which means that both evolved from the same ancestor.

5. Homology is the study of anatomical features, of different organisms, that have a similar appearance or function because they were inherited from a common ancestor that also had them. For example the forelimbs of dolphins and humans are different in appearance but they have similar bone structure and they come from a common ancestor.

 

 

Your Inner Fish

In class 9/20/13, we discussed the chapters we read for homework the night before, in Your Inner Fish. The chapters we read were about how Neil Shubin and his colleagues process of finding Tiktaalik. An important topic discussed in these chapters was where to find fossils. The way to find a good fossil is to look at rocks of the right age (time period), right type of rock (sedimentary rocks), and exposure (fossils towards the surface). Also, the chapters discussed layers of rocks, upper layers are younger and contain more complex and younger fossils, and lower layers contain more simple and primitive fossils. Fossils are formed through a slow process of layer and compacting of sediment.

The discovery of Tiktaalik in Greenland by Neil Shubin and his colleagues gives evidence of evolution. Tiktaalik has a neck which was used for a similar function as humans use necks today; structures which are used for similar functions and have similar structures are known as homologous structures, which further proves that humans and Tiktaalik have the same common ancestor. Tiktaalik is also the missing link between amphibians and fish because it has limbs and can breathe on land and in water.

 

Biochemistry Unit Review

In class 9/13/13, we reviewed for the unit test. We went over the properties of water: cohesive behavior, ability to moderate temperature, freezing upon expansion, and versatility as a solvent. We also went over basic chemistry, covalent and ionic bonding, number of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and valence electrons.

We reviewed polymers which are made through condensation processes (monomers + monomers= polymers and release of water) and we reviewed how monomers get released (polymers + water=release of monomers). In addition we went over different kinds of isomers: structural isomers (differ in covalent partners), geometric isomers (differ in arrangement of double bonds), and enantiomers (differ in spatial arrangement around an asymmetric carbon). There are also different groups of isomers: hydroxyl (ex: ethanol), carbonyl (ex: acetone), carboxyl (ex: vinegar), amino (ex: glycine), sulfhydryl (ex: ethane thiol), and phosphate (ex: glycerol phosphate).

    

  

Hydroxyl group: ethanol

Structural Isomer

After we reviewed these topics, we took a quiz, which helped us prepare for the test.

Testing Food for Biological Macromolecules/ Nutrients

In class 9/11/13, we did a lab to test food for biological macromolecules / nutrients. In the part 1 we had to observe the reactions of starch, protein, lipids, and sugars with benedict’s test, iodine test, Biuret test, and Sudan III test. For the benedict’s test we had to put each test tube in hot water in order to see a reaction. We found that sugars react to Benedict’s solution which is blue and changes to orange. Starches interact with Iodine which is brown and changes to a dark blue. Proteins react with Biuret which is lavender and changes to blue. Lipids react with Sudan III which is red and changes to bright red.

 

 

In part two, we tested 10 unknown food substances with each test, to identify the type of food, depending on the reactions to the Bendict’s, Sudan III, Biuret, and Iodine tests. We found that in the Benedict’s test six solutions reacted with food substances in tubes A, B, E, G, H, and J which indicates that these food substances contain sugars.

 

We found that in the iodine test it reacted to the food substances in tubes C, D, E, F, and G, which indicates that these substances contain starch. In the Biuret test it reacted to substances in tubes B, C, D, and E, which indicates that these food substances contain proteins.  In the Sudan III test it reacted to food substances in tubes A, F, I, and J, which indicates that these substances contain lipids.

 

 

                By testing food substances with Benedict’s, iodine, Biuret, and Sudan III tests, there reaction will indicate if they contain proteins, starch, sugars, and lipids.

9/6/13: Cell Membrane and Differential Diagnoses

 

          Today’s lesson was on cell membrane, function, structure, diffusion, and osmosis. I learned that there are 3 different types of facilitated diffusion: channel, carrier, and active transport diffusion. In all three types of diffusion the proteins help speed the process. I also learned that proteins have 6 different functions. Proteins transport with water and ATP, enzymes, passing on signals, recognize other cells, helps attach cells to other cells, and other things.

 

 

 

 In addition to the lesson, we began the House Case. We listed the symptoms, the needed tests to be done, and the differential diagnoses. We obtained more information from Mr. Quick which helped eliminate some possible diagnoses. At the end of class, we received some test results which will help us determine the correct diagnoses.

 

Diffusion Lab : 9/4/13

      In class 9/4/13, we did two labs. In part 1, we made a cell and filled it with a solution that had 15% glucose and 5% starch. We placed this cell in a cup and added water. Then we added iodine to the water and saw that inside of the cell that had the clear solution changed to a bluish black solution. This reaction occurred because of diffusion, the higher concentration iodine moved into the lower concentration solution inside the cell. Then there was a reaction between the iodine and the starch that occurred which resulted in the solution inside the cell to turn into a bluish black color.

 

 

      The second lab we did also tested diffusion. We had three pieces of agar cut into different shape that were sitting in potassium iodide. We measured the surface areas of each piece and place them into a beaker filled with water. Then we added iodine and waited three minutes. We found that the pieces had changed to a bluish color. We took the pieces out and cut them to see the insides. The insides were still white because we did not wait long enough for the diffusion process to complete.

 

 

 

Diffusion and Osmosis Labs: Part 2 and 3

In class 9/2/13, we did two labs. The first lab was Osmosis- Movement of Water High to Low. The objective of this lab was to find the molarities of the different solutions. In order to do so, we created six cells and filled each with 7 milliliters of different liquid substances in each cell. We massed each cell and then placed each cell into a cup filled with distilled water. We waited 30 minutes and re-massed them and calculated their percent change of their mass. We found that the blue liquid substance had the lowest Molarity because it was actually water. Through osmosis, the blue substance in the cell permeated through the cell because the blue substance had high concentration and permeated from the cell to get to the low concentration distilled water. On the other hand, the red liquid substance which had the highest Molarity increased in mass because the distilled water moved into the cell which contained lower concentration liquid.

 

 

In part 3, we cut a red potato into 24 pieces and massed 4 potatoes as a group. We placed each group of potatoes into a cup and added a different solution to each cup. Then we covered each cup with Parafilm. We came in 9 hour and re-massed the potatoes in each cup. Then calculated the percent change. We found that the result to be opposite from the previous experiment. The potatoes that were in the red solution had the lowest percent change and that the potatoes in the blue solution had the highest percent change. The potatoes in the blue solution(water) increased in mass because the potatoes absorbed the water since the potatoes has a low concentration. The potatoes in the red solution had the lowest percent change because both the potato and the solution had almost the same concentration.

 

Class 8/26/12: Basic Chemistry

 

    In class 8/26/13, we reviewed basic chemistry. We had to choose between two worksheets on covalent and ionic bonding or build molecular models. I chose the worksheets. The point of these two excersizes was to refresh our memories and review how molecules bonded.  On the worksheets, we had to draw Lewis dot structures, determine polarities, and count the number of protons, electrons, and valence electrons. The purpose of these exercises was to prepare us for biochemistry.

Properties of Water

       Seventy percent of the earth’s surface is water.  Sixty percent of the human body is made up of water. Water is the only molecule that can exist in all three states: solid, liquid, and gas. Also, water has a covalent bond and is polar because the unequal sharing of unequal sharing of electrons. The oxygen (8 protons) attracts electrons more strongly than hydrogen (1 proton).

            Water has four properties that facilitate environments for life: cohesive behavior, ability to moderate temperature, expansion upon freezing, and versatility as a solvent. Cohesion is the ability for water molecules to bond and adhesion is the ability for those molecules to stick to other objects. An example of water’s cohesive behavior is in trees. The water molecules first stick to each other through cohesion, and then the water molecules stick to the xylem (tubes inside trees to transfer water up). After adhesion the molecules move up the tree and go up to the leaves and evaporate through transpiration.



            One of the four properties of water is the ability of water to moderate temperature.  Water takes thirty times longer to heat up than gold because the water absorbs energy and releases energy through creating and breaking bonds. That characteristic explains how ocean temperatures fluctuate much less than air temperatures on land. Also, the ability for water to moderate temperatures explains why coastal areas have milder climates than adjacent inland areas.

            Another property of water is its ability to expand upon freezing. When water freezes the molecules become more stable and form a crystalline pattern, creating more space and less mass. In addition, water at thirty two degrees Celsius has no molecular motion. An example of this property is when ice floats on water. Water’s ability to expand upon freezing helps keep water under the surface of large bodies of water, warmer and suitable for life.

            The fourth property of water is its versatility as a solvent. Water is an effective solvent because it readily forms hydrogen bonds. Water is also known as the universal solvent because it can dissolve many things. Also, water is a polar solvent so it can dissolve polar solutes.  But water cannot dissolve strong polar solutes like oil.

            In conclusion, water is the substance of life that is why scientists look for water on distance planets as an indication of possible existence of life.