1/29/17 Super Villans

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Summary

The brain, a part of the nervous system is located inside of your skull, It is sort of like the person in charge due to how it controls most functions in our body. The brain is important because it controls almost everything meaning without it, nothing would function. You wouldn't be able to think, move, feel, or do anything really. The first body system thing I choose to change during my superhero transformation is the nervous system mainly the brain. The brain transforms in my super villain by

Weekly Blog 1/15/16 - Genetic Manupulation

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Summary

A common technique in genetic engineering is to insert a new gene into a plasmid. A plasmid is a loop of bacterial DNA. First, the loop of DNA is cut with a restriction enzyme such as EcoR1. As it runs along the groove of the double helix, it scans for the base letter sequence GAATC. Once it finds it, at that exact point the enzyme cuts the loop of DNA leaving the ends of the loop sticky to allow the new strand of DNA to more easily be inserted. This allows a new piece of DNA to be inserted. After the new strand of DNA gets inserted, the joins are stitched together by another enzyme called DNA ligase. Once you finish all these steps you now have a loop of genetically modified bacteria.

S&P 2: Developing and Using Models

On Monday, I developed a model of my superhero's child epigenetic results which I got from flipping a coin the week before. To represent the sickness that my superhero's child ended up with (breast cancer, other cancers and inefficient and malformed organs), I drew a drawing of her in a hospital bed, bald, with an iv attached as well as with a ventilator. By drawing the outcome of the epigenetics, I was able to use the model to compare the two drawings of my superhero's child, one of a healthy child and one of what actually happened to her.

XCC: Cause and Effect

Modifying someone's genes can have many different effects. For example, if you insert a new string of DNA into the DNA of a type fruit, the effect will be that the fruit will change based on what type of new DNA you put into the fruit or what you took out. Farmers use genetically modified seeds to grow a modified kind of plant or plants that don't get affected by pesticides. In the case of my superhero, her and her partner used human DNA and the DNA of a Lyrebird to grow \modified vocal organs with a higher vocal range giving her "superpowers" once surgically put into her. The cause (altering human DNA with the DNA of an animal) ended up with the effect of a sort of cross between the two (organs for humans with amazing animal like capabilities). 

Weekly Blog 1/8/17 - Genes

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Summary

Genes are made of DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid. A genotype is a pair of alleles or forms of a trait. n addition to all this, traits can be either dominant (represented by uppercase letters) or recessive (lowercase). Genotypes can be either heterozygous (hybird) or homozygrous (purebred). Homozygous means having two of the same alleles of a trait while heterozygous means having one of each. For example, a genotype of Aa would be heterozygous while AA or aa would be homozygous. A phenotype is an observable trait resulting from someones genotype. You inherit your traits from your parents, half from your mom and half from your dad. If you wanted to predict what traits your child will have you could use something called a Punnett square. Punnett squares help scientists make predictions about genotypes.

S&P 2: Developing and Using Models

This week, I filled out several punnet squares and flipped a coin to determine the traits of my superhero child. I then drew a model of that data by creating a drawing of my superheroes child demonstrating the results I got in the coin flip. Creating a drawing or model of the child helped me better visualize what he looks like and see the resemblances between father and mother. I also flipped a coin to determine the healthiness of my superhero based on his mothers and his decisions. Next week, I will create another model of that data by creating another drawing based on the new results I got. 

XCC: Cause and Effect

It turns out the decisions you and even your mother makes while you're developing inside her will affect your health later in your life. The foods moms eat while they are pregnant with their child, how stressed she is, how much she sleeps, whether or not she drinks alcohol and takes drugs, or cause, will all affect the child she is holding after it is born. For example, if you smoke while pregnant, the effect will more than likely be that your child is born too early as well as underweight. Your habits will also determine what illness your child might develop or how healthy he/she will be. However, decisions made by the mom isn't the only thing that affects health, decisions made by the child later on in life will also. For example, if you choose to always stay up  rather than get a healthy amount of sleep, it will lead to sleep deprivation which symptoms include hallucinations and depression.