Mr. C's Bio20 Blog

Daniel's 3rd replacement blog for June 9/08. 3/3

2008-06-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Concepts:

Homogolous vs. analogous structures
Convergent / divergent evolution
inherited / aquired characteristics
DNA: simularities/differences
Early beliefs about evolution

Thoughts:

I think it makes a lot of sense that natural selection and mutations are mostly responsible for evolution.
i also think its interesting that species can evolve into different species if they're isolated.
Although we have tons of evidence to support the current theory of evolution, there is some evidence that challenges every thing we believe. this evidence is that of the crystal skulls. These skulls are apparently thousands of years old and could not have been made with primitive tools. the only way they could have been made is with some sort of power cutter. if these skulls really are thousands of years old, then it suggests there was once advanced civilization before us. I do a bad job of summarizing the whole story of it, so i strongly suggest to anyone reading that you should really check out the links below. each link is a part of a huge tv special about this mystery. check it out, it's enlightening!

Above and Beyond:

Mystery of the crystal skulls part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=rR32IsutTws
part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kC_QxDXhLkE&feature=related
part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pjad3RfuTHY&feature=related
part 4: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Lz_l9crT8EU&feature=related
part 5: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NW84sj_KJ8k&feature=related
part 6:http://youtube.com/watch?v=UzU4JFEhwhk&feature=related
part 7:http://youtube.com/watch?v=jvzShtBfdC0&feature=related
part 8:http://youtube.com/watch?v=j5IqTAE8NHc&feature=related

3rd Blog, Friday May 23, Tara Landsbergen, 3/3

2008-05-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

What We Did Today:

Talked about aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and factors that affect them
Crossword on ecosystems
Questions, Pg. 107 #1, 2, 3, 4, 7

Thoughts and Opinions:

What different organisms can withstand different levels of acidity in aquatic ecosystems?

Above and Beyond:

Trout- pH 5.0
Bass- pH 5.5
Perch- pH 4.5
Frogs- pH 4.0
Salamanders- pH 5.0
Clams- pH 6.0
Crayfish- pH 5.5
Snails- pH 6.0
Mayfly- pH 5.5

Hayley's Blog Continued

2008-05-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday May 8 2008 Hayley Tarnasky 3/3

2008-05-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

What did we do today?..........:

Hmmmmmm......
What 2 hormones associate with osmoregulation? We were asked this question and the answer is simple: ADH and aldosterone
Where do these hormones come from? Hypothalamus and adrenal gland
Read Page 387-390 and made notes (tons and tons and tons)
Nephritis- inflammation of the Nephron
Kidney Stones: caused by precipitation of mineral solutes from the blood
Dialysis: exchange of substances across a semi-permeable membrane
Two types: Hemo and Peritoneal
Transplants: nothing can surpass the real kidneys
Xenotransplants: from one species to another
Page 392 2,3,4,8,9
Watched a video on Hummingbird metabolisms and i thought it was cruel when they caught them but then i realized that they were simply using them for scientific research
Then we got to play Jeopardy and it was a relief to see my team on the positive spectrum this time

My opinion and any unanswered questions:

I thought this class was one of the better ones because for once i actually understood so that was nice
What is the metabolism of a Hummingbird?

Esma put your hands in the air!!!:

The metabolism of a hummingbird is roughly 100 times that of an elephant!!! Wow!! Thats one bird that does not need Red Bull ( although it already had wings)

Daniel's Blog, May 5/08

2008-05-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

What we did today:

Talked about money for the field trip
Breathing rates
we took the respiratory system test
listened to the AMAZING rap song
saw Hayle's extensive web page
And to top it off, we witnessed Mr. Challonger mess up a lawyer joke

Thoughts/Opinions

i want to go see the body works exhibit, but the money and the long trip on the stinky cheese wagon make me decide otherwise
I wonder what the average breathing rate of a healthy adult is?
I thought the test was easy as long as you payed attention in class. i didnt even study lol
Props to the gals on the rap song. way to go. Craig-the-Retard sucks and should never sing again.

Above and Beyond

The average rate that a healthy adult breaths is 12 breaths per minute.
the average adult pair of lungs can hold 6 litres of air

Thursday, May 2nd, 2008 3/3

2008-05-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

What We Did Today:

Pop quiz on respiratory system. I think. Unless that was the day before, which is also possible.
Learned more stuff about the respiratory system - partial pressures, reviewed the mechanics of breathing, etc.
Finished watching Osmosis Jones.

Thoughts / Opinions:

I hate these bullet points.
How do these cilia in your trachea work, do they just hang out and stick around or do they wiggle or what do they doooo?

Above and Beyond!:

According to http://www.lung.ca/children/grades4_6/respiratory/how_we_breathe.html, "Millions of tiny hairs called CILIA act like tiny brooms to sweep out the bad stuff caught in the mucus. Each cilium sweeps back and forth about ten times every second! That's 36,000 every hour, 24 hours a day! They do this to keep your lungs clean."
I also just noticed that this is grades 4-6, so I guess I'm behind on these things and should have known?
Oh, I also found out that you have like six hundred million alveoli in your lungs. That's six hundred million grape-like sacs. That's almost disgusting.

Rachel Klapp 3/3 Bio Blog from March that would not post

2008-04-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

What we did today:

Took a few minutes to read up on our new unit "Human Systems." Reading on page 236
we then did some questions on page 238 1,2,4,5a,6ab,7ab
We then did a class demonsration with Craig,Krisit and I to better understand enzymes and catalyists.
We got a work sheet on fats, protiens and carbs.
We also did a lab on page 274. A pre lab quiz to start.

Questions and comments:

How many times does the average heart beat in a day?

Above and beyound:

What are some of the most interesting facts about the muscular system?

Muscles can account for about half your body weight. Muscles can only pull, they cannot, as some people assume, push. The longest muscle has muscle cells that can be over a foot long. The smallest muscles are in the middle ear; tensor tympani, and stapedius. The strongest, pound for pound, are the masseters, the chewing muscles.

Rachel Klapp 3/3

2008-04-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

What we did in bio on Thursday:

We had double bio today.
The first block we watched a short video on the components of cells.
Second block we worked on our bio projects that are due next thursday, May 1st.
Sheets were handed out so you can stay on task and know where you are in your project.

Questions and comments:

What is the difference between a Killer T cell and a surpressor T cell?

Above and beyound:

Monday April 21 2008 3/3 Kimara Gratton

2008-04-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

What we did today:

* Handed in blood assignment
* Reviewed questions d-g on page 372
* Played Blood typing game
* Took notes on the immune system
* Got started on our immune system project

Thoughts and opinions:
When we were doing the blood typing game i got really confused because stuff was clumping together and other stuff wasn't and i was like o i dont get it.. but its all good now because i realized if you think backwards it works out just fine:P

Above and beyond:

Who Has Which Blood Type?

TYPES	DISTRIBUTION	RATIOS
O +	1 person in 3	38.4%
O -	1 person in 15	7.7%
A +	1 person in 3	32.3%
A -	1 person in 16	6.5%
B +	1 person in 12	9.4%
B -	1 person in 67	1.7%
AB +	1 person in 29	3.2%
AB -	1 person in 167	0.7%

Mikki Johnston, April 23 3/3

2008-04-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

What we Did today:
1. Listen to Chally talk about something. Ummm I think it was about sitting down or maybe about the field trip I can't remember...
2. Watch this super neat vidoe explaining the Immue system. It had these cool looking guys and such.("Your Magic Doctor" was the name of the cartoon)
3. got sheets so show our progress on out projects.
4. Then we went to the library to work on our projects.

Thoughts and opinions:
So the movie really helped cause it was a cartoon and I could pay attention to it, so I learn more about the Immue system. Having the time to work on our projects was good too!

Above and beyond:
As I was watching the cartoon I got to thinking about how the helper t cells call for help and such. This is what I found out:
"Helper T cells (effector T cells or Th cells) are the "middlemen" of the adaptive immune system. Once activated, they divide rapidly and secrete small proteins called cytokines that regulate or "help" the immune response. Depending on the cytokine signals received, these cells differentiate into TH1, TH2, TH17, or one of other subsets, which secrete different cytokines. CD4+ cells associated with MHC class II. " ----http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_cell

2008-04-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

Daniel's Belated Blog for April 18th/08 3/3

Talked about:

lymph nodes

tricuspid and bicuspid valves

Lub-Dub sounds

We also wrote the test on the circulatory system and the heart

we talked about blood typing and how different types are compatable with each other and some are not.

Thoughts & Opinions:

I felt well prepared for the test and I felt it was pretty easy. We had lots of time to cover the unit and get the right information. I am glad its done though.

Extra Insight

In search of enlightening material on the web, I managed to stumble across this horrifically disturbing picture of a man with a tumor that started on his lip and eventually consumed his entire face. At first you think this is the most disgusting picture you have ever seen. The second thing you think is why this happened? The lies within the Jehovah’s Witness religion. In this religion, blood tansfusions are taboo. When this man first got his tumor at age 14, a simple blood transfusion would have saved him from his terrifying fate. This is why you lock your front door when Jehovah's Witnesses come knocking.

Craig Bourgonje, March 21, 3/3

2008-04-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

What we did today;
1. Marked Lab questions
2. Looked at animal Blood
3. Worked on questions and blood assignment

Thoughts and opinions;
While looking at a few animal blood sample's, it made me think; It is amazing how fast your body can make new blood cells and how many cells it needs to make in order to maintain a healthy blood level.

Above and beyond;
There is approximately 30 trillion red blood cells in your body, according to http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/~dpower/immune/blood.htm.

Watch the video to see the daily life of a red blood cell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQNrW8O9I10&feature=related

2008-04-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 21/08
Cody Vewchar, April 4/08, 3/3

What we did today:

We had a test on the Digestive System
Watched a video called the River Of Life which involved the Circulatory System

Thoughts about the material:

While we were writing our test I was just wondering the whole time how long does it actually take food to reach your stomach from the time you begin chewing it and how long does the whole digestive process actually take.

Above and Beyond:

According to this website http://www.saburchill.com/chapters/chap0016.html food takes about one second to reach the stomach if its a liquid and 5 seconds if its a solid. According to that same website food can actually stay up to 96 hours in your large intestine. That's quite a while. Feel free to check it out.

Hayley Tarnasky, April 22/2008 -- 3/3

2008-04-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

The goings on of another interesting day in Biology 20!!!:

first off we were reminded that our permission forms for the cadaver ( science world) thing in edmonton on the tenth of june! whoot whoot!!!

Then we dove head first into the deep end of reviewing the vital parts of the heart

we recalled that deoxygenated blood is located in the right portion of the heart

and that oxygenated blood is in the left side

We went to page 320 and noticed that the pulmonary artery goes into the lungs

Also on that diagram was we realized that the pulmonary veins go from the heart to the lungs

As we continued our enthusiastic review, we remembered that the aorta is an artery

a capillary :are the smallest of a bodies blood vessels, measuring 5-10 μm in diameter, which connect arterioles and venules, and enable the interchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrient and waste chemical substances between blood and surrounding tissues. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capillary)

Mr. Challoner introduced the brilliant analogy of going from sundre to calgary ( grandma's house) This meant that when your driving on the QE2, you'r'e in an artery then you start going onto the side roads and they get smaller and smaller until you reach residential neighborhoods. There's another clue here, if you go down most roads in smaller areas, there's only room for one car, hence the blood only being able to down capillaries single file.

One of the last things we went over was the difference between the superior and inferior vena cava. Inferior- lower on the "heart totem pole" and the Superior is higher

We finally were winding down and we learned how to decifer the left side from the right side of the heart. When you look at a picture of the heart, the right side of the heart is your left side and vice versa

Lub Dub comes from the atria contracting and ventricles sending out blood to the rest of the body

Thoughts and Opinions

I thought it was very generous of Mr. C to allow us to review everything so that everything was decidedly as clear as mud ( haha)

By spending time reviewing and watching movies and videos and powerpoints, it really enhances our perspective and broadens our horizons.

How much friction does the blood cell cause?

Reach For The Sky!!!:

There is a ton of friction in a blood cell beause there is only so much space for the cell to go through so, if the capillary contracts at all, then this only increases the pressure on the cell, which in turn creates more friction from the cell moving through the blood stream.

So i got really curious and wanted to know what was the deal with heart burn! 'Cause even young people get it nowadays, especially when you eat macaroni to fast. So i put up the extra effort and heres what i found : Heartburn or pyrosis is a painful or burning sensation in the esophagus, just below the breastbone caused by regurgitation of gastric acid.[1] The pain often rises in the chest and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the jaw. Heartburn is also identified as one of the causes of chronic cough, and may even mimic asthma. Despite its name, heartburn actually has nothing to do with the heart. It is so called because of a burning sensation of the breastbone where the heart is located although some heart problems do have a similar sensation to heartburn. Compounding the confusion is the fact that hydrochloric acid from the stomach comes back up the esophagus because of a problem with the cardiac sphincter, a valve which misleadingly contains the word "cardiac" (an adjective referring to the heart) in its name.

So ya, thats it for another day in the rather general bio 20 class!!!! WHOOOOO

Mitch Bach -- April 15, 2008 -- 3/3

2008-04-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

What We Did:

Went over field trip forms

Filled out a heartbeat worksheet

Reviewed homework

Looked over temperature regulation in the body (fig. 4, pg. 333)

read/questions (pg. 336-8 q 2(337), 1(339))

Thoughts and Opinions

When we were going over the temperature regulation in your body, I wondered what the temperature of your body was. I also wondered what temperatures your body can "max out" at, in terms of the lowest it can be and the highest it can be until you die.

Above and Beyond

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_temperature, core body temperature is 36.8 degrees Celsius or 98.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The highest that any fever has ever been brought up to was 108.3 F. While the lowest that a cold has ever gotten to is just a couple degrees Fahrenheit lower then homeostasis.

Melissa Schneider, April 1/08, 3/3

2008-04-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Whooo, April fools day!

What We Did Today;

Discussed S.T.S. (Space Tourism Society? NO, it stands for Science and Technology Studies.... right?) and the variations in digestive systems, as well as "bad foods".
"Ham Sammy" -- Started the assignment that consisted of writing a story of a ham sandwich going through the digestive system. (Due Thursday!)
Went over the "thought lab" from Monday

Thoughts and Opinions;

Wow, there is a lot of obesity in our society! Maybe there should be less pop machines and more water/juice drink machines?
I never knew you could basically get a dog to salivate by ringing a bell.. wonder if humans can be taught to do that? :P
How does a person get Celiac disease, and what are the symptoms?

Above and Beyond;

A person gets Celiac disease genetically (if your parents had it, you have a chance of having it yourself), but it doesn't present itself right away. Sometimes a person won't know they have it until they're an adult, and some might be diagnosed with it when they're a toddler. Celiac disease often shows itself after a stressful event such as surgery, childbirth, infection, or illness.
Some symptoms of Celiac disease are weight loss, fatigue, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, and anemia. If someone has these symptoms and go see their doctor, they will go through blood tests, or possibly even a bowel biopsy.
http://www.pamf.org/teen/health/diseases/celiac.html#How%20does%20someone%20get%20celiac%20disease?
Image: Sample of a bowel biopsy showing Celiac disease.

April Fool's Joke; "Classically Conditioning Craig to Salivate"

After hearing about Ivan Pavlov, a biologist/scientist who was able to classically condition dogs to salivate when they would hear a bell ring, Jen & Craig volunteered to go through an "experiment" to see if humans could start to salivate when hearing someone talking about food, and what Mr. C told them to do was:
Jen was to listen closely to Craig's stomach while Craig listened to Mr. C talk about Belgian waffles. Jen was listening for Craig's stomach to 'secrete gastric juices', but all she could hear was Craig laughing and Mr. C talking. We found out later that it was a joke. APRIL FOOLS!

March 25, 2008, Tara Landsbergen, 3/3

2008-03-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

amylase enzyme:
What We Did Today:

Intro to Human Organism Unit
Are You Ready? Pg. 238 1, 2, 4, 5a, 6ab, 7ab
Nutrients
Enzymes
Preparation for lab, Pg. 274

Thoughts and Opinions:

Really exciting that we're finally starting the human body and its functions!!!
The Are You Ready exercise was a bit of a wake up call, but a good one.
Interesting how the enzymes work.
Can you overdose with vitamins?

Above and Beyond:

Yes, you can overdose with vitamins. Overdoses can lead to side- effects like birth defects, osteoporosis, it mostly effects the central nervous system. Symptoms of Vitamin A toxicity are headaches, dizziness, vomiting, incoordination and blurred vision.

-www.syl.com

March 28th, 2008 Debora Obrist 2/5?/3

2008-03-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

What We Did Today:

Discussed rewrites on yesterday's quiz.
Continued our discussion on the Digestive System.
Discussed the 'papple' and how it would get digested after being broken down into dextrin and disaccharides and stuff.
Did some questions.

Thoughts and Opinions:

How long does gum reeeally stay in your system?

Above and Beyond:

Nope, it gets egested just like all other roughage that enters your intestines. -Yahoo Answers.

I was told to put this on here even though it ties into our cellular respiration more than this unit... Click the link!

February 19, 2008 Amy Kidd 3/3

2008-03-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

What we did today:

- photosynthesis candy lab

- tried to do a "virtual lab" but it didn't work

Thoughts and Opinions:

It helped to do the lab because it told us how much we actually knew about photosynthesis and what we needed to know for the test.

Above and Beyond:

This is pretty much the breakdown of photosynthesis.

Feb. 18, 2008 Mikki Johnston 3/3

2008-03-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

What we did today:

Went over lab
Worked on the assigned questions
Looked over Candy lab

I can't really remember anything else we did...

Thoughts and Opinions

As we were talking about the paper chromatography I thought about what pigments can tell you about the plant.

Above and beyond

When I was thinking about chromatography I researched about what it tells you about the plant. This is what I found out: It tells you about the pigments in the plant. (Which we knew) In terrestrial plants, chlorophyll's a and b are usually found, along with carotene's and xanthophylls.This sweet website had some information about it so check it out:http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/1996-12/850157309.Ag.r.html Also check this tight website out:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_chromatography

Kimara Gratton, March 17, 3/3

2008-03-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

What we did today:

Pre-lab quiz page 195
Pigment chromatography lab
Assignment questions.....there were a lot!!

Thoughts and opinions:

When we were doing the lab i was thinking about what other chemicals were used to bring out different pigments in the spinach.

Above and beyond:

so i was researching and came upon this sweet chart on this tight web site http://shankardyes.tradeindia.com/ where there is a chart telling you all about this sweet stuff!!! ( i tried to copy the chart but it wouldnt copy right)

Craig Bourgonje, March 12 3/3

2008-03-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

What we did:
1. Asked Mr.C questions about cellular respiration.
2. Wrote cellular respiration test.
3. Sat quietly while Vadge drew pictures.
4. Mr.C showed us an article on spinach computers.
5. Looked at slides on cellular respiration.
6. Took a 3 minute break.

Thoughts and opinions:

When we were talking about computers than ran on spinach, I though it would be $#@! WICKED if someone could figure out how to make vehicles that run on vegetables. It made me wonder how green this earth would be if combustion engines were replaced with vegetables engines.

Above and beyond:

The set of spinach proteins, known as Photosystem I, is a well-known component of the photosynthetic process. Until now, however, nobody had been able to figure out how to make them work in combination with electronic circuitry because the proteins cannot survive without water and salt—ingredients that do not mix well with electronics. Zhang solved the incompatibility by creating “detergent peptides,” molecules that form protective shells around the photosynthetic proteins. The peptides seem to hold water inside their shells and prevent it from leaking out. “They keep Photosystem I wet and stable but keep the water away from attached electronics,” Zhang says.

Mitch Bach -- March 10, 2008 -- 3/3

2008-03-13T19:16:00.000-07:00

What We Did

Handed in Bottle Biosphere Project
Chalk and talk with anaerobic and aerobic Cellular Resperation
Questions that were not for marks

Thoughts and Opinions:

When we were discussing lactic acid, I wondered if there was some kind of a lethal dose of it, a set amount that could kill an average human. I also wondered if there were any animals that naturally perform cellular resperation anaerobically.

Above and Beyond

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactic_acid, the highest that it can potentially rise to is 20 mmol/L. Through my understanding, anything greater then that could cause toxic effects, even though lactate doesn't act like a "real" acid. The only kinds of animals/micro-organisms that perform anaerobic are obligate anearobes and facultatave anearobic organisms.

Lindsay Baker, March 11, 2008 3/3

2008-03-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

What We Did Today:

Finished questions really fast
Discussed products of yeast fermentation

C02 + ethanol + 2 ATP

Discussed products of anaerobic respiration

Lactic Acid + 2 ATP

Got bottle biosphere project back! WOOO. I did good.
Learned that H2S is hella deadly because it blocks off a part of the electron transport chain
Prepared for the UNIT TEST! I did not so good.

Thoughts and Opinions:

Everything was pretty interesting. I understood all that junk. I learned you can eat a whole bottle of tums and it's almost like 'roidin'. Without the 'roid rage. I also found that I can't use terms like "whatnot" and "sass" in school projects. Shucks.

Above and Beyond:

Steroids taken for an extended period of time can cause:

stunted growth in teens (by causing bones to mature too fast and stop growing at an early age)
liver tumors
abnormal enlargement of the heart muscles
violent, aggressive behavior and mood swings
blood lipid abnormalities that contribute to heart disease
acne (or a worsening of acne)
increased breast growth in males, especially teens
irreversible stretch marks
a heightened tendency for hair loss and male-pattern baldness
muscle aches

Teen girls and women risk these additional side effects:

male-type facial and body hair growth and male-pattern baldness
deepening of the voice

Sodium bicarbonate, on the other hand, is used to relieve itches from bacterial infections and poison ivy. It can be used to clean your ears when it's in a 10% concentrated solution. It's also used as a base in crack cocaine.

So, if I had to choose between anabolic steroids and chuggin' sodium bicarbonate, I'd do the latter. Even if I had to deal with large doses of diarrhea. (ps; I'm making fun of you, Batch.)

Katie Foster, March 13, 3/3

2008-03-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today we..

received a progress report
got our Cellular respiration tests back
did a quick quiz on photosynthesis
and talked about photo systems in cells

My Thought and Opinions.

Today's discussion made me wonder if there is more than one type of antenna pigments. I also thought about some other differences between photo system 1 and photo system 2, and what those might be. What is ferredoxin? and also, who discovered photo system 1 and 2.

Above and Beyond.

I found by looking at wikipedia that ferredoxin is a compound made of iron and redox. i also found that fossils of what are thought to be filamentous photosynthetic organisms have been dated at 3.4 billion years old. I was unable to find the discoverers of the 2 photo systems.