BIOLOGY
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms.
Biology Blog
http://www.sherpasbiologyblog.blogspot.com/
The purpose of my biology blog is to blog my response to controversies that pertain to biology.
Project Reflections
DNA Project Reflection
In class we learned about the four steps of DNA processing, we did activities to show these steps. The four steps are isolation, amplification, separation, and analysis. For Isolation we did a swishing activity. We got Gatorade and swished it around in our mouth to get cheek cells. The salt in the Gatorade kept our cells from bursting. Then we spit the Gatorade out into a test tube. After that we poured lyses buffer into the test tube. The lyses buffer brakes down the nuclear envelope of a cell and everything else other then the DNA, thus, isolating your DNA. The next step is amplification. DNA is amplified through a process called PCR or Polymerase Chain Reaction. For this we did an online lab that goes through the steps of PCR. PCR copies an individual’s DNA making it easier for scientists to observe and use. Next there is separation, for this we went through a process called electrophoresis. This is when you put samples of DNA into electrophoresis gel and give the gel a positive electric charge. DNA is negatively charged so it moves through the gel, the shorter strands move farther while the longer strands don’t move very far. Finally we analyze where the DNA ended up in the gel. For example we had a few suspects and evidence, suspect one was in the same place the evidence was and had the same pattern so therefore suspect one was guilty. This shows how people can be exonerated. You can match Evidence to suspect and find out if someone is really guilty or not. Over all, these are the labs we did in class. For our biology project we had to make a tape sculpture of an exonerated felon. The felon we chose was kharey Wise. Kharey and four others were convicted of assaulting and raping a central park jogger. He was in jail for eleven point five years before he was proven innocent through DNA technologies. In our sculpture kharey is breaking out of the ground, this pose shows freedom and triumph. He is also holding a gavel representing final justice and the justice system. DNA was incorporated a lot into our sculpture. His raised fist has a cuff around it attached to a broken DNA strand showing that DNA freed him. Also we painted fingerprints, DNA, and electrophoresis bands on him in white. We used a black light to make the paint stand out. Finally, we put a rock with blood in hair on it, in our sculpture because that was the evidence that was used to free kharey.
In this project I learned how important DNA technologies are. They free innocent people and put guilty people in jail. I also learned what DNA is made up of and how it is used. I connected to this project through the art aspect. I feel like me and my partners sculpture was really well done and creative. I am very proud of the sculpture I made and how I did a good job incorporating DNA on it. However, if I could do this project again I would probably try to get florescent paint and a better black light. Over all, this project was really awesome and I learned a lot from it.
Circulatory System Reflection
This year in biology I did a project focusing on the circulatory system. Prior to this project I learned about the different organs and systems of the body. I learned about the pancreas, appendix, thymes, female organs and heart. I also learned about the lymphatic system, circulatory system and the female organ system. For this my group and I made a Mr. Goodbody. This was a paper body that had the organs and systems with their functions drawn on it. This helped when I was doing my project on the circulatory system.
The purpose of the project was to reach out to the community with facts about the circulatory system. That’s the project as a whole but I did creative media two so my purpose was different. The purpose of my part of the project was to research an ailment of the circulatory system then give the information out in a really creative way. I did this by doing an interpretive dance on the Ebola Virus. Other parts of the project are creative media one, editorial, interview and community connections. Over all that’s what the projects all about.
My group worked pretty well together so we didn’t have much of a problem with making decisions. We were all assigned a different role in completing the project. We all had to send Stephan, our community connections, our sources and he would put them up but we had to put our web page up and redesign if we wanted to. Over all decision making in my group was very simple and easy.
The role that I was given was creative media 2. My responsibilities were to first find out an ailment I wanted to research. I decided on the Ebola Virus because I love learning about nasty viruses. Next I had to research the Ebola Virus. I had to find three sources one being a book. Then, I had to think of a project proposal which was my interpretive dance. I created a rough draft as well. After that I finished up the project and put it on my website. Finally we revised a lot and my project was complete.
Work that I did that I am proud of in this project is my interpretive dance in general. I painted myself black to do this project and I am really proud that I went to those lengths. Something I would like to change in my project would be my video. I couldn’t get the music to do what I wanted it to so it ended up fading the words out in the end which I didn’t like. On my next project I would improve my work quality in the next project by keeping all my work organized. I lost a few things in this project but luckily I found them before it was too late. I found this project really relevant because it connected to what I love to do which is being creative. I have never written choreography for a dance before and it was a really cool experience. What I will take away from this project is that you can always make something creative. I turned information about the Ebola Virus into a dance.
Website Linkhttp://circulatorysystembio.blogspot.com/
