BSCI103 Lab practical

If you want to examine the detail of a penny, would you use a dissecting scope or a light microscope? Explain.

Dissecting scope because this scope is used for scanning. The light scope is used for examining details in a cell. The dissecting scope is better because you can see the entire penny, but magnified

3 Advantages of using the metric system rather than the standard system of measurement

1. The measurements are based on the decimal system

2. the rest of the world uses the metric system making it easier to compare results

3. measurements grow off of each other

differences between specimen under 4X, 10X, and 40X magnification

As the magnification grew to 40X the details in the scope grew. Under the 4X you could see most of the specimen. Under the 10X the entire specimen was still seen but there was more visible detail. Under the 40X only an area of the specimen under the scope

Another way organisms may be classified besides by the kingdom classification kingdom

an organism may be classified by its domain which is broader making it easier to classify into three domains of Eukarya, Archaea, and Bacteria

Steps of the scientific method

1. observation- define a problem

2. collect information on observation

3. hypothesis- ask question

4.test hypothesis- experiment

5. draw conclusion- support or reject hypothesis

In which kingdom are viruses classified? Explain

viruses are not classified by a kingdom because they have characteristic of more than one kingdom to only be classified into one.

Why are protists so difficult to classify

protists are so difficult to classify because of a lack of commonality. There are too many different shapes of protists to be sure

What effects do high levels of chlorine have on water quality? Why is chlorine present in most water sources?

High levels of chlorine may be harmful to metallic pipes and may indicate an unhealthy level of salt for people. Chlorine is present in most water sources because it is disinfected with free chlorine

Did the water filter improve the overall quality of the water samples?

The water filter did improve the overall quality of the water samples. The water filters decreased the level of copper, iron, and nitrate in the water samples.

Why might some water sources on campus have the presence of nitrogen?

There is nitrogen in fertilizers, which is used abundantly on and around campus. There is also a farm on campus which houses different animals. Nitrate and Nitrite are also found in animal waste.

How does the chemical you tested affect the water quality

Chlorine. If there are high levels of chlorine in the water, it may become harmful to metallic pipes and indicate an unhealthy level of salt making it unsafe for humans to drink

Is water a universal solvent? Explain.

Yes, water is a universal solvent. Water is able to dissolve many different polar chemicals. Also, our cells are made up of non-polar lipid membranes meaning water cant dissolve our skin

Define pH, then explain why changing the pH of a water source can be so dangerous to organisms found in that water supply?

pH is potential of hydrogen. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is, so changing the pH of water can be dangerous to organisms found in that water supply because they can only survive in a certain range of pH

What recommendations would you make to Ms. Rose about the creek by her farm to improve the water quality?

to use less pesticides that run off into the creek causing the nitrate level amount to be a 2. According to the EPA a 2 is a high nitrate level.

What is a DNA fingerprint?

the banding pattern that is unique to an inidividual

What are the four classes of macromolecules? state at least on function for each

1.Proteins- facilitate movement

2. carbohydrates- cell identification

3. lipids- energy stores

4. nucleic acids- informational molecules

What charge does DNA have? Why does DNA have this charge? Toward which end of the electrophoresis chamber will DNA travel?

DNA is negatively charged because it ends with a phosphate group which is negative. The DNA will travel to the bottom end of the electrophoresis chamber that is positive.

What causes the different size fragments of DNA?

the process of cutting DNA with restriction enzyme is digestion. If DNA is digested with several restriction enzymes it is cut into many different sized pieces called fragments

Explain the relationship between DNA and proteins. Be specific

Sections of DNA are used as a template to form mRNA. mRNA exits the nucleus and enters the cytoplasm where it is then used as a template to synthesize protein.

Can DNA prove a person is a father to a child?

Yes

Do you think relatives would have similar DNA fingerprints?

Yes, but not as similar to someone in the immediate family

Do identical twins have identical fingerprints? Do they have identical DNA fingerprints? Explain

Identical twins do not have identical fingerprints. They do however have identical DNA fingerprints because they are formed in the womb which they share.

What is an enzyme? What is the main function of enzymes?

enzymes are specialized proteins that catalyze reactions without actually being consumed in the reaction. The main function of enzymes lower the activation energy of a reaction

How can an enzyme be denatured? Give 2 examples

An enzyme can be denatured by numerous environmental variables like temperature and salinity.

Lactase

breaks down the sugar lactose

pH, temperature and osmolarity would lactase function omptimally?

Temp: 25 C

pH: 7

Osmolarity: 300 mOsM

What is a possible cause of a genetic defect?

A possible cause of genetic defect us by a mutation of a single gene. The mutation changes that specific gene which alters the function of it and leads to defect

Why do you think certain ethnic cultures digest milk better than others?

Certain ethnic groups that are more dependent on dairy products are less likely to become lactose intolerant. cultures that domesticate dairy animals are also likely to be able to digest dairy

What is the relationship between DNA and lactase?

All proteins are coded for by DNA including lactase.

Which is a better way to determine paternity: blood typing or DNA fingerprinting? Explain.

DNA fingerprinting is a better way to determine paternity because blood typing can match to more than one person with that blood type. DNA fingerprinting is more exact because some genes will be very similar between parent and child.

Who is the universal blood donor and acceptor? explain.

O is the universal blood donor because it has neither A or B antigens. AB is the universal acceptor because they have both A and B proteins.

If a child had O blood type, would it be possible for her mother to be AB type and her father to be B type? Explain.

It would not be possible for a child to be O withe these parents. Parents within AB and B would produce children with either AB, B or A blood type.

If a trait is dominant, does this mean there will be more people with that trait than with a recessive trait?

Not necessarily, with the ratio of a 9 there could be the possibility that the recessive gene will be in more people. However it is more likely for people to have the dominant gene.

If a daughter has blood type A- and her mother and father are A- as well does this prove that her father is her birth father. Explain.

It does not prove that her father is her birth because she could have received the allele through her mother.

Totipotent

cells that can become any cell type. they can even become an entire individual. After a few divisions, totipotent cells now become a completely new organism. Identical twins start off life then cloned from totipotent cells capable tog giving rise to any cell type

Pluripotent

Can develop into most, but not all of the if the tissues necessary for development, also cannot form an entirely new organism. Can eventually specialize in any body tissue, but they cant develop into new human beings, capable of giving rise to several different cell types.

Multipotent

cells that are committed to give rise to cells that have a specific class of functions capable of giving rise to several types of cells, tissues, or structures within organisms

How is a meristem similar to a stem cell?

A meristem is similar to a stem cell because they both do not produce cells of different type when they are differentiated

What is cancer and why is it potentially so lethal?

Cancer is a disease characterized by unregulated growth and division of cells. It is potentially lethal becauseD the uncontrolled cells interfere with the function of normal tissue and disrupt our homeostasis or our body's normal conditions

Do you expect to find chloroplasts in the meristem tissue of the newly formed roots?

No because they are newly formed roots they have not yet been exposed to the sun therefore no photosynthesis to form chloroplasts

What happens to a cell when it differentiates?

When a cell differentiates when it becomes a specialized cell with a specific function

Explain how a stem cell may used to treat a degenerative disease

stem cell can be used to treat a degenerative disease like produce insulin that can be used to treat people with diabetes and heart muscle cells, and replace neurons damaged by spinal cord injuries

Cell cycle

1. G1= rapid growth and metabolic activity

2. S= chromosome replication

3. G2= growth and final prep for cell division

Advantage and disadvantage of sexual reproduction

A: results in more diversity within a species

D: produce half as many offspring as asexual reproductoin

Difference between co-dominance and incomplete dominance

1. co-dominance is when both traits of the genes are expressed heterozygously

2. incomplete dominance is a blending of two dominant trait like a pink rose.

Possible chromosome combinations can an average human couple create

2^23x2^23 = 70.6 million combinations

What is meant by the idea of a common ancestor

A common ancestor is the most recent ancestral species that two or more different species evolved from