First Day of School

With the older kids back in school it makes it a lot easier to organize and do activities with my little girls.  We do things all the time, but it can be a challenge to manage everyone at the same time especially since they are at such different levels.  Today though was the start of a great home school year at home too!

We started out with this Alphabet Cookie Game... C can identify some letters, and we worked on the others, as well as their sounds and words that start with each letter.

After that we stuck with the alphabet theme and got our wiggles out before lunch by going through the alphabet and doing actions for animals for each letter.  This was a lot of fun, and we ended up with a herd of zebra heading to the bathroom to wash up for lunch.

C was done with lunch before her younger sister, so she helped in the kitchen baking brownies for a special first day of school, after school snack.  Once those were in the oven it was on to reading time.  It was nice to be able to sit on the couch and read Dr. Seuss' There's a Wocket in my Pocket without interruptions form older kids who needed something!

I then put on a reading learning DVD for them while I got caught up with the lunch and brownie making dishes, and got some laundry started.  Now it's time for some coloring pages, and then we're heading to pick up the older kids from school!

I'm hoping I can find some time soon to go back and blog about some of the things we did at the end of summer.  We had an awesome astronomy lesson linked to out visit to the Lowell Observatory that we called a Star Party, and had a really fun time learning more about that.. I still have some activities left from that that I'm looking forward to getting done soon with the kids as well!

End of Summer Catch Up

The older kids are starting back to school in a week... do you think we've gotten around to going that Jello cell model yet?  Of course not!  But there is still hope to get it done in the next few days, right?!  Although we haven't gotten this specific project done, we have completed a lot of awesome stuff this summer, so I thought I'd do a quick recap of the things that we HAVE done!

All three older kids did 8 weeks of swim classes this summer.  There was a lot of improvement in their swimming ability through this process, and the youngest was even able to attend a 2 week set of parent/tot classes.  We also took to kids to watch their first race (my first triathalon) and they were very excited, and are inspired to participate as well.  They have actually participated in a Girl Scout 5k the past two years, but that didn't seem like as big a deal to them as going to see a "real" race.  The junior race starts at age 7, so we've told the that if their swimming in strong enough, once they are old enough this is a possibility.  I love that we are fostering such a great love of athletics with them.  They have also participated in fitness activities at home, and the oldest loves creating fitness routines.

We completed the summer reading program through the public library.  Each of the kids set a goal of 50 books.  Catie was very excited to get her first library card, and to finally be able to participate in this.  Adam passed his goal, but a few books, and Reagan was close to doubling hers.  Adam has been progressing with his chapter book reading and is finishing the summer with The Indian in the Cupboard series.  It took over a year of convincing, but we finally got Reagan to start reading the Harry Potter books.  She read the first one in under 24 hours and is well into the second half of book two now.  Her goal is to read all of them by the end of the school year.. I don't doubt she will.

We took an awesome family camping trip up to Flagstaff, and were able to get a lot of educational time in while we were having a great time as a family.

Putrefied Forest

 First we took a day trip form there out to Petrified Forest NP.  The older kids have already completed the Jr. Ranger program here, and the younger ones aren't yet old enough.  We found out about a new program though where the kids were able to become Jr. Paleontologists!  While there we visited the Painted Desert Inn, Route 66, and Newspaper Rock.  The Painted Desert Inn isn't the most spectacular of stops, but it had new meaning for us this time as we were just finishing reading the novel When Molly Was a Harvey Girl as a family, and this was a Harvey House.  We were able to visit the dining room, the counter, and the kitchen!

Reagan with the Pluto Telescope

The next day we went to visit the Lowell Observatory.  We visited during the day and went on two tours, getting to learn about the original telescope that started the observatory, and the Pluto scope that was used to take the photos that were used to discover Pluto.  We also got to learn about and see the spectrograph that was used to make the discovery that the universe is expanding!  We were also able to attend the Great Balls of Fire exhibit that they currently have there, and learn about comments and meteorites.  After going back to camp to watch The Magic School Bus in space, and for a nice big meal and some naps, and running around at the playground, we returned to the Lowell for the night program!  We got to actually look through the 117 year old telescope that was the first one there!  We also got to view Saturn and a binary star system through other smaller telescopes that were set up.  We returned a few nights later for the evening programs again, and since it was overcast we went to an interactive mini planetarium show, and spent more time learning in depth about comments and meteors at the exhibit.  The kids were very excited about this whole experience, and it has inspired more fun since we've been home.

We were back outside the next day with a visit to Sunset Crater NM (where we have also previously completed the Jr. Ranger Program) where we hiked a cinder cone.  The trail was only 1 mile long, but was quite steep, and all three older kids walked the entire way.  This was a big hike for Catie, and she was very proud of herself for making it.  The other older kids were great at encouraging her, and making sure we all made it to the top and back together!




Our last day we spent visiting some museums.  First we visited the Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, where we got to tour the historic home, and learn about the family's contributions to the Flagstaff community, life at the time, and the arts and crafts architecture movement.  We loved this tour, and exploring the grounds.  We made in through both the interior and exterior tours just before a thunderstorm!  After this we headed over the the Flagstaff Pioneer History Museum (sadly, not really recommended) where we were able to view a decade by decade history museum, some pioneer cabins, and a train.  The best parts of this stop were getting to board the train caboose, and the furnished cabin we were able to walk through.  The cabin was used at the same time the Riordan Mansion as built, so it gave us a great comparison about how different people lived at the same point in history.

Coming up I plan to blog about summer scout stuff, our studies since we have returned from this trip, including a Star Party we had last night.  I'm also planning to blog about the book we read as a family over on my book blog, so you can look for that too. :)

Hisat' Sinom Where did the Sinagua Go?

Final ethnography project for my anthropology class this semester! :)

Graduating!

I still have a couple more projects to finalize, but I'll be graduating in just 8 days!  The following week Adam graduates from Kindergarten.  Looking forward to a fun, active, and education summer break, and lots of posts about our adventures!

Sonoran Pronghorn

Sonoran Pronghorn
Antilocarpra americana sonoriensis

Information Sources:

Pronghorn. National Wildlife Federation. http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/mammals/pronghorn.aspx. Accessed 2 May, 2013.

Fact Sheet: Sonoran Pronghorn. Defenders of Wildlife. http://www.defenders.org/sonoran-pronghorn/basic-facts. Accessed 2 May, 2013.
Sonoran Pronghorn Antelope. Pima County website. http://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/species/fsheets/sp.html. Accessed 2 May, 2013.

Unit Paper 4- Human Impacts on the Earth

The Unit Paper 4- Human Impacts on the Earth

Humans do not exist in a vacuum.  This semester my biology 156 class has focused on the basics of the human system and how it functions.  However, we are part of a much larger system within which we function, as do countless other animals and plants.  The final unit paper for my 156 class asks that I consider what my world view philosophy is.  This is very much along the lines of the 105 class I have also been taking this semester!

For this paper we were first asked to consider three world views, and which one we felt fit our own ideas the best.  The three world outlooks are planetary management worldview, stewardship worldview, and environmental wisdom worldview.  Planetary management worldview is the idea that we are separate from, and in charge of nature.  Stewardship worldview is similar in that it puts humans as in charge of the world, but sets them more as caretakers, whose responsibility it is to act as shepherds.  Finally, environmental wisdom worldview suggests that we are included in nature, and must engage as sustainable users of the resources we share.  I tend to favor environmental wisdom as the best course to follow.  Although there are areas where I feel we need stewardship to try and repair problems that were previously caused by human activities, the best way to move forwards seems to be one where we don't put humans as dictators of nature.  It is our responsibility to live as sustainably as possible, not our place to exploit the Earth or to decide which other living things should live or die as a species.  Over the history of the Earth many, many species have come and gone, and knowing this is seems ignorant to think that our one species can, or even should, save every other species that happens to coexist with us at this time.

There are many causes of the environmental problems that we see today.
1. Population Growth

One of the biggest concerns is population growth.  If human populations continue to grow and do not level off we will end up with a population larger than can be sustained by the resources available to us.  This is a natural occurrence  and happens in other animal and plant populations, but could be much more devastating in the human case.  Humans have the ability to monopolize resources and prevent others living things from having access to them in a way that most others do not.  This type of behavior would drastically reduce both biodiversity and population densities of other living things, and could spell disaster for many other Earth dwellers besides humans as well. 


2.  Resource Waste

Another major problem is resource management.  There are gross amounts of waste created by humans.  Not all of this is municipal waste that we tend to focus on.  In fact, most waste is industrial waste, and much of it could be reduced for greater efficiency, more sustainability, and lower cost energy and goods.  Current practices generate so much waste of energy and thus resources that well over half of the materials used in most production end up as waste.  This connects to the most raw elements included in industry.  If you consider the mining that is used to gather mineral resources etc, it's easy to see how this happens.  The primary focus here needs to be on decreasing industrial production waste and increasing efficiency.  One way that most people can address this though is through a program of recycling.  The term recycling has come to be a blanket term that people use for the reuse of any previously used item.  Actual recycling is the re-manufacture of resources into new products.  While recycling is good, and does help, the more ideal is reusing.  Reusing is often thought of as part of recycling, but it is separate, and is strictly the re-purposing of items for secondary use.  



3. Pollution

Pollution is one of the major problems that is causing some of the fastest changes in the world right now.  The good news about it is that since we have become more aware of the impacts that it can have we have been doing a lot to try and change the amount of impact that this is has on the Earth.  Pollution can be as complex as the  industrial wastes that are generated through the production process, or as simple as littering.  There needs to be a greater endeavor to make sure that what we are putting back into the environment is as clean as possible.  One of the challenges to this is that some countries are much more proactive about this than others.  Having clean waste coming out of factories can be very expensive to accomplish.  This drives businesses to move production to other countries where regulations are more lax.  This pollutes a different community in the short term, and simply means that world wide effects will stem from a different source.  People have adopted the NIMBY principle, and feel like as long as it is "not in my backyard" it is okay, but there is a growing movement that support NIABY instead "not in anyone's backyard."

4. Education


Many people are simply unaware of the impact that they are having on the world.  Many adopt an attitude that since they are one person, their impact is so small that it doesn't really matter one way or another.  But when everyone thinks in this manner, the results can be catastrophic.  Educating young people about how they can make a difference ensures that the next generation can take a more proactive role.  But it is important to make sure that we educate adults as well.  Everyone needs to be aware of the effects that we have on the Earth, and the different things that we can do to address them.  

Muir Woods,12-1012,  G. Whittaker

For our class we viewed a slideshow on this topic that included Environmental Pioneers.  If I were to research one of these people, I would want to study John Muir.  This past winter I took my kids to visit Muir Woods in California and they learned a little bit about him while we were there.  As a child I visited the woods as well as annual trips to Yosemite, a place with which he was very involved.  I think his cause was admirable, and his life living in nature was fascinating!  Although I have some general knowledge about him I have always wanted to learn more, and would love to read some of his own writings.

Cell Study Plan for Kids

I am blogging this info because I'm planning to work on some of these with my kids, specifically the oldest during the summer, and if I post them here A. I will be able to find all the resources again when I am ready, and B.They are all here for other people to use as well.

It started because I posted to Facebook about the science songs blog post I made a few days ago.  A friend recommended a Jello cell model project, so of course I had to google it!

The Jello cell takes this basic cell model

and uses food items as analog for the different organells.

This way the cell is large enough to investigate, dissect, and eat!  Food learning is always a win with kids, and it makes this project something that can be fun in different ways for various levels of learners.

I managed to find a whole lesson plan that includes this and is accessible to anyone here.
Included are the directions for the Jello cell, also found here, which ends up approximating the cell model above in this way:


And other activities including some conceptual worksheets and the lyrics to a cell rap that I was able to locate on YouTube



I'm really looking forward to being done with all of my school work this week so I have a chance to read through it all better and start planning this for after my kids get out of school in a couple weeks!

Science in a Song

On the way to school today I hear my oldest rapping in the back seat... turns out this is what she was singing



In looking trying to find it I also found this one



Which of course ended up wormhole-ing me to this one:


Too bad I didn't find these when I was studying for my cell exam!  Would have been a fun addition to my studying!

Also because I'm making this random post of awesome science song videos I'm going to include this one.  My baby girl #1 knows this entire thing and is singing it at her school closing ceremonies this month with her class.  I'm also proud to say that when they introduced it to the last she already knew who several of the people were in it, and came home all excited telling me about it!


Now it's time to get back to all those final projects I have to get completed in the next week!

Discussion 3: Lyme borreliosis

For this discussion we were asked to wrote about an emerging infection disease.  An emerging infectious disease is one that is relatively new, or one that is newly more active.  Some of the diseases listed as emerging are actually ones that we have known about for a long time, but that are simply now infecting many more people.  One such disease is Lyme borreliosis.  Lyme disease is caused by bacteria that is transmitted to people by Western black legged ticks, and deer ticks.

The surge in incidence of Lyme disease my be linked to the protection of white tailed deer.  After white tailed deer became protected, their numbers began to rise.  Now they are much more prevalent than they were just fifty years ago, and many have moved into suburban neighborhoods where they eat landscapes and drop off ticks.  The deer serve as a reservoir for Lyme disease.  Infected deer, infect the ticks that they then leave behind.  When these ticks bite humans, they contract Lyme disease as well.  A comparison of maps showing the dispersion of Lyme disease carrying ticks, and white deer populations is indicative of this connection



The similarity in range is clear between the the tick distribution map, and the white tailed deer population dispersal map from 1982.  Now look at the population growth of white tailed deer as shown in this population map from 2008 and you can see how there could be a parallel increase in deer tick populations.

This information is only applicable to the United States, but Lyme disease also occurs in parts of Europe and Asia.

When a person contracts Lyme disease, it is typically identified by the symptoms, combined with likelihood of exposure.  As previously mentioned, with deer moving into more urban areas the likelihood of exposure is growing.  Blood tests can also be used to determine Lyme infection.  Patients typically present with a distinct rash that spreads outward in a ring shape from lesions.  This is accompanied by fever, aches and other flu-like symptoms.  Occasionally the rash does not occur, and in people with more melanin it can be hard to spot.  After a couple of weeks the rash will subside.  As the disease progresses it attacks the joints and causes severe stiffness and pain.  Further complications including ones involving the central nervous system and Bell's Palsy can develop as much as months later if it is left untreated.

There is however, some good news about Lyme disease.  If ticks are removed within the first 36 hours it is possible to prevent Lyme disease.  Although ticks are tiny, they can be spotted and removed through vigilance.  If Lyme disease is contracted, because it is caused by a bacteria, it is fully treatable with a three week course of antibiotics.  It is best to start antibiotics as soon as possible to prevent progress of the disease and to minimize complications.  Lyme disease is also not transferable directly between humans, which helps to limit it's spread.  For those who do contract Lyme disease, there is an online support organization called Lyme Buddies that provides support and information.  The organization also sponsors a 5K to raise awareness of Lyme Disease.  The even better news is that Lyme disease can be prevented by making sure to check for ticks after being outside in areas where they are likely to be present, and through the use of insect repellent and tick habitat management.

Emerging infectious diseases are something of which we all should be aware.  Bacteria and viruses mutate at a much faster rate that humans because their life cycles are much shorter, so we will continue to face new disease threats.  It is important however to make sure we continue to be aware of diseases that have made huge impacts in the past, but that have been mostly contained, although not eradicated for many years. Yellow fever has had devastating effects on populations in the past, but is relatively unknown today, despite the fact that authorities continue to mandate that even a single case  be treated as an epidemic.  Epidemiological awareness is something that is key to ultimate human survival and well being.



Sources:
Lyme Borreliosis (Lyme Disease). WHO. http://www.who.int/ith/diseases/lyme/en/. Accessed 25 April, 2013
Lyme Disease. CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/. Accessed 25 April 2013.
Lyme Disease. Targret Woman. http://www.targetwoman.com/articles/lyme-disease.html. Accessed 25 April 2013.

Unit Paper 3 Bone Remodeling

Section 1

One of the things that we leaned about in our study of bone is that they are constantly being remodeled.  While I was aware that bones grow during childhood, and that their density typically decreases through adulthood, I had no idea that they were remodeled in this kind of way throughout adulthood, and even to the extent of changing the entire shape of the bone.  The process of bone remodeling is important to keeping bones strong and healthy.  Older tissue is removed by osteoclasts, and then a new matrix is formed by osteoblasts, which is then filled in my minerals.



Osteoblasts, and osteoclasts work in concert to turn over bone material.  This process ensures that bone density is maintained at a healthy level, and that bone material is turned over.  The rate of bone turnover in adults is about 10% per year.  Through this process bones are continually being strengthened and rebuilt.

The idea that bones continue to be remodeled and change throughout our lives is quit compelling   Know thing really gives us a great amount of information about how we can protect ourselves against diseases like osteoporosis   Since exercise can have a huge impact on bone density, it is possible to affect this even later in life.  I couldn't find a good image to use that showed this, but in the textbook there is an image that shows how the curvature of a bone can be changed through this process.  This indicates that through therapy it may be possibly to stimulate even adult bones to change shape and grow in a certain way.

Sources:
Hadjidakis, DJ. Bone remodeling. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17308163. Accessed April 17, 2013.
What is Bone Remodeling. WiseGeek. http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-bone-remodeling.htm. Accessed April 16, 2013.

Section 2
1. What one assignment or activity you performed in this unit are you the most proud of?
My favorite assignment was actually the researching on the first portion of this paper.  Although the information between resources doesn't seem to be very varied I was able to find some really neat graphics that helped to explain the process better.  Sometimes those little things can make all the difference!

2. Why did you enroll in this biology class?
I enrolled in this class to fulfill my requirements for graduation   There aren't a lot of science courses that can be done from home and my schedule kind of requires that.  I did have a few classes to choose from and thought I would like to learn more about people physiologically to help my understanding of people and their cultural developments as well.  Understanding the physiological needs of people is a way to help understand their varied methods of fulfilling those needs.  This ties into my major educational focus of cultural anthropology.

3. Did you feel prepared for this experience when you registered?
4. How was your experience different from your expectations?
I had taken a human physiology class in high school that was designed for students who were planning on being premed, so I thought I had a good idea of what I was getting into with this class.  There were a lot of things that I remembered, but I think there was probably more that I had forgotten!  There are definitely areas where this class went into more depth!


5. What can I do to help you?
There hasn't been much that I feel our instructor hasn't done to help the students in this class.  She has always offered to help with and questions or problems that might arise for us and has been very flexible about things when the material has been challenging for the class.  I wouldn't want to take this class with anyone else!

Chicken Leg Dissection Lab

To get a better feeling for how muscles and bones work we were assigned to do a dissection of a chicken leg.  By completing this exercise we were able to look at how the different systems are constructed and how they interact to make movement possible in different kinds of joints.

Ready to start the dissection we have a full leg quarter with skin still intact, and the tools.

The first step was to remove the skin.  As it's peeled back you can see the clear connective tissue that secures the skin to the underlying muscles.

Now that the skin has been removed, the muscles of the leg are clearly visible.

The muscles within the leg can be separated into bundles.  There are muscle bundles that run parallel to, and along the bone, and others that run diagonally over the underlying parallel muscles.

At joints there are muscles that cross the joint to aid in it's movement and stabilization.  This Photo shows a muscle from the thigh (held on the left) that crosses the joint, and attaches diagonally under the muscles of the lower leg.

Muscles are attached to the bones by tendons like the one shown here.  The origin of a tendon is stationary and does not move when it's muscle contracts, while the insertion is moveable.

Once the tendons are cut at one end, the muscles peel back to reveal the bones.  The tibia is obviously visible, while the fibula on the right of the leg is much smaller and more difficult to see.

The leg muscles, when examined individually have stripes across them indicating that they are striated skeletal muscles.  Although I was unable to locate them in my specimen nerves run along the muscle tissues and serve to send messages to control the muscle and thus the movement of the animal.

After pulling away the knee cap (top left), you can see into the knee joining and the ligaments that hold the bones together are clearly visible.  Tendons are made of collagen which makes them strong and flexible.

After removing the muscles from the entire leg the bones and joints are clearly visible.

Although we didn't open the bones in this dissection, they are full of tissue called marrow.  This soft material is comprised of different cells.  Yellow bone marrow is primarily fat cells.  Red bone marrow contains hematopoietic stem cells, which are undifferentiated cells that ultimately differentiate in

to different kinds of blood cells.  Bone marrow also contains mesenchymal stem cells that differentiate into many other types of cells.

This diagram shows the basic leg anatomy of a chicken and the two different kinds of joints present.  The hinge joint of the knee functions like a hinge and allows the lower leg to swing, while the hip joint is a ball and socket that allows for rotation, and much greater movement.

Unit Paper 2 Down Syndrome

Through this unit we studied genetics and how they function.  While we studied normal functioning of genetics, we also learned some about what an happen when genes aren't coded properly.  From these genetic disorders I chose to do further research on Down Syndrome.  Through my life I have known several individuals with Down Syndrome, and have noticed that they all seem to be affected in different ways.  I wanted to know more about why this is the case and whether it was just my perception, or if there was in fact a spectrum of effects of the disorder.

Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by tripling of the 21st chromosome that is named after the physician who first described it.  It wasn't until the mid twentieth century that Down Syndrome was identified as caused by chromosomal error.  Although all Down Syndrome is caused by the presences of additional 21st chromosome is does not always happen in the same manner.  There are three different causes of Down Syndrome.  The first is called Trisomy 21, where through meiotic nondisjunction or error during the production of germ cells in the parent.  The second form is called Mosaic Down Syndrome.  In this form mutation happens to genetics after fertilization occurred and so some cells have the extra 21st chromosome, for a total of 47, while others have the normal 46 chromosomes.  This is different from Trisomy 21 because in that case, all cells have the extra 47th chromosome.  The third type of Down Syndrome is called Translocation Down Syndrome.  Translocation Down Syndrome can occur because of mutations to a germ cell before fertilization, or from mutations that take place at the time of conception.  In this form, the person has the two regular 21st chromosomes, but then also has a copy of a portion of the 21st chromosome that has been translocated, and attached onto another chromosome.  Because there is such variation in the cause of Down Syndrome, the effects on the person can vary greatly as well.  Most show similar symptoms, but for some physical and learning delays are more severe than others.  Typical symptoms of Down Syndrome include certain facial structure, including flattened nose bridge, and slanted eyes, low muscle tone, and an increased risk of various medical conditions, vision, and hearing loss.  Those with the condition typically are delayed in their development and achieve physical milestones later, as well as facing learning challenges.

Although we tend to group Down Syndrome together as a single disorder, there several different causes for it.  Although everyone with Down Syndrome is unified by the addition of an extra chromosome 21, the effects on the person's life can be very different.  I am really glad to have a greater understanding of the causes of Downs and some of the challenges that people who have it face.  My children are in dance class with a girl who has Down Syndrome and absolutely love her, but have asked some questions from time to time.  I hope that now I will better be able to help them understand why she is different and beautiful, and that they will continue to help her in class and be friends with such a lovely girl.


Sources:
Mayo Clinic Staff. Down Syndrome Causes. Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/down-syndrome/DS00182/DSECTION=causes. Accessed 27 March 2013.

Down Syndrome. Kids Health. http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/genetic/down_syndrome.html#. Accessed 27 March 2013.

Genetic Causes of Down Syndrome. Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome. http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/institutes/lindacrnic/Education/LearnMoreAboutDownSyndrome/Pages/GeneticCauses.aspx. Accessed 27 March 2013.

International Down Syndrome Coalition. http://www.theidsc.org/. Accessed 27 March 2013.


Part 2. Thinking About the Course

1. What one assignment or activity you performed in this unit are you the most proud of?
I really enjoyed doing the flip-a-coin genetics lab.  Although it could be completed on my own, I thought it would be more fun to have my husband help with the lab so each of us could be a parent for the data collection.  It was a really interesting experience reading through the information on what facial traits are dominant and recessive, and seeing how that played out through the process.  I was really proud of how my drawing for this assignment of our "child" turned out.  I felt like it really represented the genetics well, and the project was fun as well as very informative.  It led to discussion of our own kids and what the genetic probability was for each of them to end up with the traits they have.  My husband was adopted so we don't know much about his genetics.  He has brown eyes, so we were surprised when 3/4 of our kids have light colored eyes.  The new understanding that I took from the project was really huge for me, and I'm proud not only of what I produced, but of how I was able to apply it in a bigger way to my own life.

2. What do you now understand best about the information in this unit?
Before this unit of study I had no idea that some traits, such as eye color were controlled by multiple genes.  The way that genes function and how they produce the variations they do became a lot clearer to me through doing the work for this class.  The way that genes function and impact both geneotype and phenotype was fascinating and is something I definitely understand better.

3. What actions did you take for yourself to enhance learning or enjoyment of the material?
I like being able to use what I've learned to teach my kids things as well.  Although I had learned some basic genetics ideas before, (primarily Mendelian Genetics) I had never gone as in depth as this course.  My daughter recently attended a genetics lecture for her 4-H rabbit project, and was very confused by all the things they threw at her.  Having read the course material, and completed the labs on genetics I was able to talk with her about it, and help her to have an understanding of the basics of how genetics works.  It's an important thing for her to understand since she is planning on breeding her rabbit later this year, and we can look at the traits in the mother, father, and young, and have some hands on genetics training then as well.  I find that retelling, or teaching information is a great way to reinforce what you have learned, so I feel like this helped me to study some as well.

4. When did you feel most “connected” with the course? Most distanced?
I really feel connected with the course through all the interactive learning.  I like being able to do lab projects that aren't overly complicated but demonstrate a portion of the work very well.  I really feel like the hands on aspect connects me with the material and helps me to understand it and process it in a different way.  I did feel a little distanced from the class through this as well though, because on some labs I think it might be helpful to be able to see other students results as well.

5. What could I offer you to help your understanding or enjoyment of the material?
I would have loved for there to be a way to share our drawings form the coin-flip lab with our classmates.  Since we all had the exact same odds on our coin flips to determine the traits of our "children" I think it would have not only been fun to see what others ended up with, but could really have reinforced the concept of the diversity of human genetics.

Value of Reproductive Cloning

Since the cloning of a sheep named Dolly in the 1990s, cloning has been a hot button issue.  Cloning is the growing of a new living thing; cell, tissue, organ, or entire plant or animal, in a manner that its DNA is identical to a currently, or previously existing one (Cloning Fact Sheet).  Meiosis is the type of cell division specific to sexual reproduction, so any form of reproduction that lacks meiosis is asexual and thus is a form of natural cloning (Asexual Reproduction).  Asexual reproduction is a natural form of reproductive cloning by which a cell or organism creates a replica of itself and then divides in two.  Cells within the human body normally reproduce in this way.  Many plants reproduce by cloning as well.  Any plant that produces seeds that don't need to be fertilized by another plant to propagate is virtually cloning itself (Asexual Reproduction).  We can induce this type of propagation as well sometimes, by separating parts of a plant and growing new plants from them.  One relatable example is the potato.  Once the tuber develops sprouts (commonly called eyes) it can be broken up, and each portion will grow a different plant with identical DNA.  This type of reproductive cloning is used in agriculture.  Typically though, when people think of reproductive cloning, they thing of the laboratory process of joining an adult cell with an egg to form a zygote that is then implanted into a surrogate to mature naturally until birth. (Genome)

Does reproductive cloning artificially narrow, or expand the gene pool?  By adopting the use of cloning for reproductive purposes the variations in DNA that would normally happen through reproduction are eliminated.  However, if used properly, the opposite could be done.  If there is a low population of an endangered animal, taking cell samples from healthy adults to use for a breeding program could help to keep up genetic diversity instead of the opposite happening naturally.  It could also be used to introduce new DNA into an isolated population to help widen their genetic diversity.  Although a clone is considered to be genetically identical to the donor, mitochondrial DNA supplied by the egg after the nucleolus has been removed, does play a role as well.  The prospect of what this could do to expand genetic diversity in dwindling populations is exciting for conservationists (Barchfield).

Is reproductive cloning  very successful?  Dolly the sheep's success was an amazing feat, because many in the scientific community didn't believe that differentiated adult cells could be reprogrammed to grow a new animal.  Although this has been shown to be possible, often times cloning attempts fail, or result in abnormal, or deformed clones.  It is thought that some of this may be due to issues in the reprogramming of the differentiated cells.  It might be possible for the process to be more successful with the use of somatic stem cells (commonly called adult stem cells) instead, since they remain undifferentiated (Stem Cell Basics).  So far of the over eighteen (About Reproductive Cloning) animals cloned most have had health challenges and have died younger than a normal expected lifespan for their species.  This leads many to question how effective cloning really is, and if cloning is ethical because of the effects it has on the life of the clone.  

How would human reproductive cloning be applied?  There are several ways that reproductive cloning can be used.  As mentioned earlier, it is already used in agriculture, and there is hope of using it in conservation efforts, but what about human applications?  There have been scientists who have shown an interest in cloning both modern humans, and human ancestors.  Some scientists have proposed cloning an Neanderthal to be able to better understand our genetic past (Swanson).  Although there are many differing views on human cloning, it hasn't happened yet.  Many believe that it will come to pass in the next few years, despite the controversy.  Another possible application of reproductive cloning is to allow people who can't otherwise have a child to have genetic offspring.

There are some great ideas that people have come up with for the application of reproductive cloning, but there are many ethical questions about whether or not human cloning should go forward.  Several countries have banned human cloning preemptively, and although the United States is not one of them, it is expected that the first human clone will be produced outside of the US, and that the process will be privately funded.  Although those who oppose cloning cite not only ethical issues, but the high risk of deformity to clones, proponents say that cloning is constantly improving and that there are similar risks associated with traditional sexual reproduction as well (Scientific and Medical).  

Although I am not completely opposed to cloning, I am split on the reproductive cloning issue.  I believe there are some benefits offered by cloning in an agricultural setting, and that the opportunity to try and protect endangered animals is something that should certainly be considered.  I don't think that cloning humans or distant, extinct members of any species is advisable.  Human cloning could result in health complications for the clone physically, but may also pose huge psychological difficulties for them as well.  Clones look exactly like their donors, so that haunting feeling that you're looking just like your mother as you age, would be even more real for a clone.

Reproductive cloning is much broader of a topic than many people realize and includes not only animal cloning, but also plant cloning and natural cloning that transpires on a cellular level.  There are both benefits and risks to cloning and many find that there are ethical issues that we face when considering cloning animals and humans in particular.  It is important to understand reproductive cloning and all that is included in that field to be able to make informed decisions about whether or not you believe it is ethical and so that when it becomes a policy issue you can make the best choice possible.

And for some levity I've included this fun spoof song about cloning by Al Yankovic.




Sources:

Barchfield, Jenny. With Animals Under Threat, Brazilian Team Aims to Clone 8 Wild Species. 15 November 2012. The Washington Post. http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/article.php?id=6517. Accessed 3 March, 2013.

Swanson, Emily. Neanderthal ClonePoll Finds Most Americans Oppose Cloning Human Relative. 30, January 2013. Huffington Post. http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/article.php?id=6664 . Accessed 3 March, 2013.

About Reproductive Cloning. Center for Genetics and Society. http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/section.php?id=16 . Accessed 2 March 2013.

Asexual Reproduction. UCMP Berkeley. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss6/asexual.html. Accessed 2 March 2013.

Cloning Fact Sheet. Human Genome Project Information. http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml . Accessed 2 March 2012.

Reproductive Cloning Process Diagram. Genome.gov. http://www.genome.gov/pages/education/illustration_of_cloning.htm . Accessed 2 March 2013.

Scientific and Medical Aspects of Human Reproductive Cloning (p 76). The National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10285&page=76. Accessed 3 March 2013.

Stem Cell Basics. National Institute of Health. http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics4.aspx. Accessed 3 March 2013.

Milk, Juice, Carrot Lab

These three lab experiments were assigned for my BIO156 class, but they became a fun family project for our Science Saturday.  The kids were lab assistants, and enjoyed being able to participate by writing down their own hypotheses.  when the projects were done we discussed what had happened and why which was a great learning experience for us all, and was a great way for me to review as well!  These are all ones that kids can do with help, so feel free to try them!

LAB

MILK, JUICE, CARROT

This exercise has three parts. As you work, please take photographs of what you are doing and record your results.  Three or four photographs of each part should be enough to show the steps and your final result. For each experiment, you will be asked to formulate a hypothesis. Make sure you understand what this is. Write complete, proper sentences, please. Have fun!

Part 1 Milk

Objective: Observe and explain changes occurring in milk due to biological influences

Materials:

Milk

Shallow cup or jar

1.       Pour ½ cup milk into a shallow cup or jar.

2.       Place in a warm, dark place for about three days.

3.       Record what you think will happen to the milk and why you believe this will happen. This is your hypothesis.

4.       At the end of the three days, observe the milk and record what your senses detect.

5.       Explain why any changes (if any) occurred.

6.       List any factors that are playing a part. What could you call what you made (if you had a change in the milk)? Really think about this in terms of cell respiration and any organisms which could play a role.

7.       Record  your  hypothesis, observations, explanation, and factors separately from these instructions. You will see a place for them on the last page.

Part 2 Juice

Objective: Witness the mixing action of molecules and describe the process

Materials:

3 cups or jars

6 cups water

½ cup fruit juice—grape, cranberry, or another that is dark in color

1.       Set up the jars or cups as follows:

Pour 2 cups of room temperature water in Cup 1

Pour 2 cups of ice water in Cup 2

Pour 2 cups of boiling water in Cup 3

2.       Slowly pour one-third of the juice into Cup 1. Observe and record

3.       Repeat for Cup 2 and Cup 3.

4.       Give detailed observations and comparisons between the behaviors of the solutions in the three cups.

5.       Explain why the differences have occurred in terms of the behavior of molecules and what might influence their behavior.

6.       Write your observations and explanation separately from these instructions. You will see a place for them on the last page.

Part 3 Carrot

(Adapted from http://www.ehow.com/how_2087126_do-carrot-osmosis-experiment.html#ixzz1iUzMRpOe)

Before you begin, review the main parts of a cell and particle movement.

Objective:  Investigate cellular functions and cellular structures using a carrot

Materials:

2 jars or cups

string

water

    salt

    masking tape

    carrot

knife

ruler

1.       Pour two cups of water into two jars or cups. Add one teaspoon of salt into one and label it "Salt Water" with a piece of masking tape. Label the other beaker "Fresh Water."

2.       Cut a fresh carrot in half. Measure the length and width of both pieces and record this measurement on the answer sheet. Tie a piece of string just below the cut side of the carrot on both pieces. Tie the string tightly.

3.       Set one carrot with the cut-end side down into one jar and the other with the cut-end side down in the second jar.  Allow the carrots to sit in the jars for 24 hours.

4.       Before you observe results of the experiment, write down what you think will happen to each carrot in this experiment and why you believe this will happen. This is your hypothesis.

5.       Remove the carrots and examine the tightness of the strings. Re-measure the carrots and record the findings.

6.       Note if there are any differences in the tightness of the strings and the textures for both carrot pieces. Observe which type of water caused an increase in carrot size. Observe which type of water caused a decrease in carrot size.

7.       Initial length and width of carrot pieces:

Piece 1

Piece 2

After-experiment length and width of carrot pieces:

Piece 1

Piece 2

Record your hypothesis, tightness of string and texture observations and measurements separately from these instructions. You will see a place for them on the last page.

Answers

Record your answers here, space out as needed, and copy and paste them into your blog. Include three or so photos for each part to illustrate the process of the experiment. Thanks!

Milk: Record your hypothesis, observations, explanation, and factors here.

 Hypothesis: The milk will curdle creating a semi-solid curd of the condensed white blood cells, lipids, etc and a watery whey will come to the top.

Observations: 

The milk created a semi-solid in the center bottom of the cut and a cloudy, watery liquid collected on the top.  The solid portion dislodged from the bottom and made the water a little cloudier when I move it from the location where is sat during the test to take this photo.

Although I knew that milk curdles, and knew to expect this result before performing the test (with 4 kids I have had more than one sippy cup lost under the couch for a couple of days) I wasn't quite sure why this happens.  It turns out that the reason that the milk proteins associate and form into the curd is because the pH of the milk changes.  As bacteria grows in the milk, they bacteria produces lactic acid which raises the pH and causes the normally disassociated milk proteins (casein) to start to clump together.  This process can be artificially produced with other acids such as lemon juice. 

Source:

Why Does Milk Curdle?. Bethany Moncel. http://foodreference.about.com/od/Dairy/a/Why-Does-Milk-Curdle.htm. Accessed 18 February 2013.

Juice: Write your observations and explanation here.

 Hypothesis: The warmer the water the faster the juice will diffuse into solution.

Observations:

Materials ready for the juice lab- ice water, room temp water, boiling water (left to right).

When juice was added to the ice water the juice went to the bottom and mixed with the water.  There was still clear water on the top, but below that the juice a water mixed.  Right after pour the juice in it could be seen swirling in the jar and mixing with the water.


The juice added to the room temperature water could be seen swirling and mixing with it and seemed to turn into a complete solution with the water rather quickly.


This really didn't photograph well, but in the boiling water the juice blended with the water but resulted in a solution that faded through the jar.  It was darkest at the bottom and then still looked like clear water at the top.

Diffusion is the mixing of two substances through kinetic means.  The particles of each are moving, and eventually intermingle enough to create a solution where they are evenly distributed.  Thermal energy can speed this process.  The juice added to the ice water was taking much longer to disperse evenly with the juice because at a lower temperature the molecules are moving more slowly.  At higher temperatures the molecules are more excited and are moving much faster due to thermal energy.  I was puzzle though by the gradiated color in the boiling water jar.

Source:
Diffusion. Georgia State University. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/kinetic/diffus.html. Accessed 18 February 2013.

Carrot:  Record your hypothesis, tightness of string and texture observations and measurements, and what type of water caused shrinkage or expansion here.

Hypothesis: The carrot in fresh water will remain firm and fresh, while the carrot in salt water will behome dehydrated and shrivel.

Observations:

Initial length and width of carrot pieces:

Piece 1: 9 cm long, 7.5 cm circumference (Fresh Water)

Piece 2: 9 cm long, 7.5 cm circumference (Salt Water)

After-experiment length and width of carrot pieces:

Piece 1: 9.5 cm long 8 cm circumference (Fresh Water)

Piece 2: 9 cm long, 7.3 cm circumference (Salt Water)

After soaking in their respective jars for 28 hours the carrots were observed a second time.  There was measurable shrinkage in the circumference of the carrot that had been submerged in salt water, while the carrot that had been submerged in fresh water had increased in size.  Before tying the string on the carrots, it was soaked in water to allow for any stretching the might occur when it got wet.  After the testing period the string was still very tight on the fresh water sample.  On the salt water sample, the string still stayed in place, but could be moved down towards the cut end of the carrot with minor effort.  When it was moved the area where it had been tied was obviously indented with markings from the string.  The area towards the cut end of the salt water sample also felt somewhat more pliable than before the test, and as compared to the other sample.

The sample that was in the salt water lost volume because of diffusion.  The water was a salt solution, meaning that there was a higher sodium content outside of the carrot than inside.  This will pull water out of the carrot through osmosis to try and make the NaCl levels even between the two areas.  As water leaves the carrot cells they become dehydrated and lose their normal structure and functionality.  In the fresh water sample water moves into the carrot through osmosis as in a somewhat opposite process.  Because the water is not pure H2O it is unlikely that it will overfill the cells and burst them, but in a pure environment this would happen.

Source:

Human Biology Sixth Edition: Structure and Function of Cells (p58). Michael D. Johnson. print.