Rosalind Franklin - Dark Lady of DNA

Here's the link to the NOVA program telling the story of Rosalind Franklin's key contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Secret of Photo 51. Watson, Crick and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize for the structure of DNA in 1962. Rosalind Franklin died prematurely in 1958, should she have received the Nobel Prize along with Watson, Crick and Wilkins?

Please post a response to this article and question by Monday.

Genetics Worksheets Answer Keys

Answer Key for worksheets 1 & 2

Answer Key for worksheets 3 & 4

Meiosis Video

Poster Presentation Rubrics

Several of you expressed interest in seeing the rubrics for the assignments, so I am posting links to them here.

On Tuesday, you will be evaluating your classmates posters using this rubric.

The AP Bio Students and myself will be evaluating your posters and your presentation using this rubric.

Aerobic Respiration: 2nd Step: the Krebs Cycle

Which sugar does yeast like best?

Instructions for Yeast Lab write-up. Click Here.
Meta questions for your intro:
Why is respiration important to cells?
What kinds of respiration can yeast perform?
Explain those forms of respiration, in detail.
Which yeast does sugar like best?

Write-up Due Thursday, October 28th.
Email it to me by class time, saved as "yourName_RespirationLab.docx"

Calvin Cycle: Bloody Detail!

Photosynthesis summary diagram

BioFlix Photosynthesis Animation

Light Dependent Reactions

Organelle Outlines

Click HERE for a pdf of the Organelle Outlines.

Remember that the monomers and the different macromolecules they make up are also a part of this unit when you're studying. Most of that information is in Chapter 4 in our text.

I will try to respond to my email promptly this weekend if you have questions, but I encourage you to post your questions to this blog, so that your classmates might be able to answer them for you.

Happy Studying!

Link to the Inner Life of the Cell video.

The Origin of Life - Abiogenesis - Dr. Jack Szoztak

We were about 5 minutes into the video. Please watch it to the end, and post a question or a comment about the video by class on Thursday.

Pumpkin time lapse...spontaneous generation?

Since Pasteur debunked the idea of spontaneous generation, what explains what we see here?

Van Leeuwenhoek Gives Us Reason to Brush and Floss

Check out this article with breaking news from Sept. 17th, 1683!

Leave a comment about one of your impressions from the article, or respond to one of your classmates comments by class-time on Monday, September 27th.

This article is highly applicable to one of your review questions for this unit:
What were the major contributions to biology of Anton van Leeuwenhoek?

Was Darwin Wrong?

Read the National Geographic article "Was Darwin Wrong?"
What's your overall reaction to the article? (respond via blog by Friday Sept 17)

Check your email accounts for a download of specific questions. Answer them as you read along. Typed responses (via e-mail) are due on Friday Sept 17.

Welcome Young Biologists!

Hi everyone! Please take just a minute to tell me and any classmates who might read your post a little bit about yourself - what are your passions, interests, likes and dislikes...anything to help me get to know you all a little bit.

Thanks!
Ms. Doering

Please post something by Monday so I can see that you all have access to the blog. Email me if you have trouble.

After Finishing MOAS

The Final BLOG Question: Dr. Nolen describes various medical errors that are made by surgeons as they learn their craft. Choose one example, describe it and then discuss who is ultimately responsible – the hospital, the Chief Resident, the Attending Surgeon, the Intern?

Post a response by Thursday, June 3rd.

After reading Chapters 16 & 17

This one's a bit tough - Dr. Nolen describes treating terminally ill patients and that "a surgeon is reluctant to 'pull the plug'? As recently as 2005 with the "Terry Schiavo" case, how to address the dying is something most of us are reluctant to deal with. If you were the attending surgeon would you be comfortable "playing God"? If you were a family member of a terminally ill patient, what would you do?


Respond by Friday, May 29th.

After Reading Chapters 13, 14 & 15

At the private hospital on Long Island, the attending surgeons Loudon, Grove and Steele each had different “styles” of teaching young residents the art of surgical technique. What “style” did each have? Whose style do you think was most effective? Why?

Post your response by Tuesday, May 25th.

Blood Drive + Medical School

What do you think of the Making of a Surgeon so far? Do you think this is an effective way to train surgeons? What would you do differently if you were in charge of medical school education?

We're having a blood drive on campus next Wednesday. In MOAS, the residents fiercely guard their blood supply...and often had interesting means of keeping their blood bank full. Why was it so important to get people to donate blood? Have you ever donated blood before? How might you encourage your classmates to donate on Wednesday?

Post your response by Tuesday, May 18th.

MOAS - after reading Chapters 7,8 & 9

1.) Describe the composition and functions of blood. Why is monitoring blood and blood pressure so crucial to maintaining a patients course of treatment?

2.) What type of information is gained from an autopsy? An autopsy involved cutting open the patient and removing and studying several organs. Would you give permission to have a deceased family member autopsied by the medical staff? Why? Why not?

Please respond by Cinco de Mayo.

MOAS-After reading Chapter 4, 5 & 6

What is meant by the term “differential diagnosis?” What is the benefit/drawback of this term?


Please respond by Tuesday, April 20th.

MOAS-After reading Chapter 2 & 3

Respond to these two questions by Friday April 16th:

1.) Do you think Dr. Nolen should have asked the Attending Physician for more help during his first appendectomy operation? Why? Why not?

2.) Dr. Nolen describes treating wealthy patients differently than poor, indigent, alcoholic ones. This is a problem with our health care system. What do you think could remedy this situation so that all patients are treating fairly and equally?

Making of a Surgeon--Intro & chapter 1

From "Making of a Surgeon" - You need at least 1 response to receive credit for blogging - ideally you can respond to other posts and create a dialog with your classmates.

Would you have chosen a hospital similar to Bellevue or a “white-tower” hospital in the suburbs?

Brain Rules!

By exploring the interactive rules, you should become familiar with the different aspects of brain research, and the implications presented here.

On Wednesday, we will have a discussion, focusing on the following questions:

1. According to the research presented on the site, how we might re-design the school day, the classroom, and the lecture?
   
2. Taking your 11 years of experience in classrooms into account, which of the above things do you think would be most beneficial for YOU? for classes in general?
   
3. How might you change your study habits, or daily routine to take advantage of this research?
4. What parts of this information are you skeptical of?
5. How does the information presented on the brain-rules site relate to your case study?
   

Pick the Pollinator

Flowering plants represent about one-sixth of all Earth's known living life-forms and are important to the survival of most other species. But how did these immobile organisms manage to spread so far? One answer is pollination, or plant sexual reproduction. Pollinators—typically wind, water, and animals—carry pollen from one flower to another, where fertilization takes place. In this game, match seven plants with their pollinators and learn some of the reasons why flowering plants have come to dominate the botanical world.—Rima Chaddha

Launch Interactive

Stomata Lab analysis

Click here to download the excel spreadsheet to do t-test analysis.

If you want to read more about the T-test, go here.

If you have less than 9 samples, the chart to look up the confidence numbers may be found here.

Please email me, or post here if you have questions!

Overview of Ecology Case Studies

Download a ppt that highlights key facts & ideas from the various case studies.

Click here.

Ecology Case Studies

Click on the case study to reach the description/assignment.

There will be 5 groups of 3 in our class, each doing one of the following:
Bark Beetles
Ecological Basis for a Vegetarian Diet
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Salmon as a Keystone Species
and either
Coral Reef Ecosystems or Ocean Acidification

Your group will be questioned & graded by a panel of APES students either Wednesday, February 10th or Thursday the 11th.

You will be responsible for the material in your case studies, much of which is found in chapter 37 and 38 of the text.

Chapters coverd 1st Semseter

Unless specific sections are listed for a chapter, you are responsible for the whole chapter.

1 The Science of Biology
2.0-2.5 Evolution & Darwin
3 The Chemistry of Life
4 Molecules of Life
5 Cells
6 Energy and Life
7.1-7.5 Photosynthesis
8 How Cells Harvest Energy from Food
9.1-9.4 Mitosis
10 Meiosis
11 Foundations of Genetics
12 DNA: The Genetic Material
13.1-13.3 From Gene to Protein
17 Evolution & Natural Selection
18 How We Name Living Things

Tree of Life Video

This 10 minute video is a great overview of phylogenetic trees, current research done by evolutionary scientists and it's full of pretty & interesting pictures!

Watch by clicking here, then post a comment about some aspect of the video.