05 Jan (4) Pick an interesting creature

Week 1 discussion

Before responding to this discussion, please read the Scientific Method Tutorial and if needed review optional readings.

Describe an example of how you use the scientific method in your daily life. Which observation(s) lead you to use the scientific method? State a good hypothesis, how you are testing the hypothesis (the experiment), results and conclusion. What are the control and treatment groups in your experiment? What is the dependent and independent variables in your experiment? Name at least one controlled variable.

Your main response should be a minimum of 150 words (more is OK). You must also post a minimum of two significant responses to classmates that contribute to their learning. The replies should also contain at least 150 words. A reference (or references) should also be included to indicate the source of information you present.

In you replies please provide suggestions for how the other students’ scientific method examples can be improved. Examples: How can the hypothesis be edited to make it more specific (better)? Is a proper control group included? Are the independent, dependent and controlled variables correctly identified? How can the experimental design be improved? Also consider sharing any useful videos, tutorials or web-sites that helped you better understand the scientific method.

Week 2 discussion

Before preparing your response to this week’s discussion topic please watch this video, a crash course in biological molecules:

Consider reviewing the information about proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the OLI modules.

Pick a type of food that you enjoy. Before you start researching, state a hypothesis about the nutritional content of this food. Remember a hypothesis is an educated guess (and may be wrong), and a good hypothesis is specific.

Then summarize what you learned from your research. Include an image of at least one molecule found in this food and briefly describe that molecule in terms of the atoms it is made of and potentially the chemical bonds that keep the atoms together. Is this a beneficial molecule to consume? Explain why. Did your research support your hypothesis?

Your main response should be a minimum of 150 words. You also need to post at least two replies to classmates that contribute to their learning (also 150 words minimum). Suggest improvements of hypothesis, ask critical questions or provide additional information that relate to their topic in your reply. Don’t forget to include a reference or references to show the source of information presented.

Week 3 discussion

Please watch the videos found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFuEo2ccTPA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URUJD5NEXC8. You will need to go to YouTube to watch the second video, as its author has restricted the ability to embed it in other content. That video provides an introduction to terminology used to describe cell types and cell components, and different types of cells:

Even though the basic composition of most cells are similar, there are many different types of specialized cells found as single-cell organisms and in in various multi-cell organisms.

In your main post for this discussion you are to describe the theory of endosymbiosis as proposed by Lynn Margulis; (1) describe the theory in general terms; (2) describe what chloroplasts and mitochondria produce in eukaryotic cells (the specific chemical that is produced by electron transport systems in both cases), (3) provide three details from cell biology that support the theory.

You main response should be at least 150 words and include references to all information sources used.

You also need to post at least two 150+ word replies to the posts of other students. Ask thought-provoking questions and/or provide additional information.

Week 4 discussion

In lab 4 you are exploring two enzymes, catalase that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen, and amylase that aids in starch digestion. These are two examples of the many enzymes found inside our bodies, and many thousands (possibly millions) of similar and very different enzymes are found throughout all living organisms.

Enzymes are also used in many of the products we use. Check your cleaning supplies at home, do any of them list enzymes on the ingredient list? If so, does it say which type of enzyme? If not, complete online research to find examples of cleaning products that do contain enzymes. Are there any other products you use that contain enzymes? What type of enzymes are used in industry? Which enzymes are found in the food we eat?

After doing some research, choose and describe one enzyme that is used in cleaning products, other products, industrial procedures or that is found in food.

(1) Explain how this enzyme is used.

(2) What is the substrate in the chemical reaction catalyzed by your enzyme?

(3) And what are the product(s)?

Remember that a chemical reaction catalyzed by an enzyme converts one or more substrates to one or more products, and that most enzymes are substrate specific. When looking for enzymes remember that their names end with -ase.

You main response should be at least 150 words and include references to all information sources used.

You also need to post at least two 150+ word replies to the posts of other students. As part of your reply search for and share a video, tutorial or web-site that helps you and your classmates’ better understand enzymes.

Week 5 discussion

As you prepare the outline for the final applied lab project this week share with the other students what type of experiment you plan to do. Do not post your entire outline, just include a brief description of the type of enzyme you plan to use, how you will measure enzyme activity and what type of treatments you will use to make sure that the presence or absence of an acidic fluid is your independent variable. You may also post your hypothesis to get feedback.

In your replies to the other students (two are required), help them improve their hypothesis and experimental design, point out any aspects of their plan that may not meet the requirements outlined in the assignment description, ask questions about their controls, sample size, details in experimental designs etc.

I will NOT participate in this discussion but rather wait to provide feedback until after you have submitted your outlines. The purpose is for you to assist each other as you plan your project and prepare the outline. You can still ask me questions about the outline/final lab project in the “Ask the Professor” discussion area

Keep in mind that the other students may be wrong, so use critical thinking and your own judgement. You are responsible for your outline and final project and I do expect to see individual and original work from everyone. You can not submit identical outlines that you have created in collaboration with other students (and certainly not copied from other students).

Week 6 discussion

This week you are to discuss the Galapagos Islands and evolutionary biology in four parts:

(1) What is it about the geography and the geology of the Galapagos Islands that make them an ideal place to stimulate ideas about evolution in someone like Charles Darwin?

(2) Describe the preparation (academic studies AND practical experience) of Darwin that allowed him to recognize important characteristics that linked populations of animals he studied in the Galapagos Islands to specific niches in their respective environments.

(3) Contrast Darwin’s ideas about how populations of organisms can change over time with the ideas of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck.

(4) Pick an interesting creature found only in the Galapagos Islands, provide a photo (giving full credit to the source of the photo), and describe the special adaptations of the animal that allow it to survive in the ecosystem where it is naturally found.

(5) Are there any other species in the Galapagos Islands that evolutionary biologists identify as being related to your favorite creature? Whether there are or aren’t, what is thought to be the evolutionary ancestor for the species you picked?

Important hint regarding the pertinent geology: how did the Galapagos Islands form, and how did this mechanism of formation create conditions that would lead to divergent populations of organisms that appear to have descended from a single species? Learn about the geography of the islands and figure out how their location interacts with how they were formed to cause the few species that could arrive there to adapt and specialize into a number of new species over time.

As always, your main post should contain a minimum of 150 words and two substantial response posts are also needed. Don’t forget a reference (or references).