ErikaW

flat =About me=

I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and I will stay here for a year. I really like sports and I want to watch a football game in the stadium before I go back to Brazil. In Rio there are 6 million people so it`s been very different to me in this small town, but I'll get used to it. I hope I can have a great year in America.

= Quaking Aspen: = The scientific name of this tree is //Populus tremuloides michx//. It is related to Bigtooth Aspen, White Poplar, European Aspen etc. Quaking Aspen is a deciduous tree. It's margins are finely toothed, simple and the leaves are alternate. Three distinguish characteristics of the quaking aspen are: the leaves colors (shiny dark green above and lighter below) and the they are are also flattened. One specific use of this tree is that it is used as a popular animal bedding, since it lacks the phenols associated with pine and juniper, witch are thought to cause respiratory system aliments in some animals.



=Black Walnut= The scientific name of this treet is //Juglans nigra//. It is related to English Walnut. Balck Walnut is a deciduous tree. It's margins are singly toothed, compound, pinnate and alternate. You can distinguish Black Walnut because the leaves generally have more leaflets, the bark is grey-black and deeply furrowed and also, this tree is more resistant to the frost than the English Walnut. It can be used for the fruits it produces and for lumber.



=Biomolecules and Food Lab= I tested the Egg White and Peas.

When I tested the Egg White, I thought I would find more carbohydrates than what I found, but there is only protein. When the Peas were tested I was not expecting fats and oils, but I was expecting proteins and it was the opposite, it was surprising. Because peas are usually related to healthy food.

I also tested Spinach and here are the results I got:

=Info-graphics=

=Food Issue Infographic=

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=Photosynthesis Vocab. Infographic=

=DNA Extraction lab=


 * 1) What are the 5 elements that make up DNA? The five elements are Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen, nitrogen and Phosphorus.
 * 2) What is the function of DNA from day to day? The function of DNA from day to day is to control the day-to-day function of the cells, DNA contains the biological and genetic instructions for it. It is like a blueprint, containing the directions necessary to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA
 * 3) Describe how long strands of double-helical DNA fit into the nucleus of a single cheek cell.
 * 4) What was the purpose of using the cell lysis solution? The purpose of using the cell lysis solution was to disrupt the Cell membrane and the nuclear envelope, causing the Cells to burst open and release their DNA.
 * 5) Why does the DNA become visible once the alcohol is added? It becomes visible once the alcohol is added because DNA is insoluble in the cold alcohol solution and precipitates out of solution.
 * 6) If DNA is so thin, how is it that we are able to see it during this simple lab exercise? We are able to see it during this simple lab exercise because cold alcohol creates a condition in which DNA doesn’t stay in solution, so the DNA clumps together and becomes a solid mass that you can see.
 * 7) Why is DNA referred to as your genetic fingerprint? DNA is referred to as your genetic fingerprint because an individual's unique sequence of DNA base pairs, determined by exposing a sample of the person's DNA to molecular probes.
 * 8) Give some examples of how DNA is used everyday. DNA can be used in everyday life by identifying people at risk of genetic dependent disease or potentially fatal genetic traits ( hemophilia, cancer, etc.), on investigations of a crime scene, on paternity tests…


 * Homework question**:

Did everyone in your group have about the same extraction results? Why is this the case? How is the amount of DNA that you extracted affected by your day to day activities? No, the results were different. Some people didn’t swish the Gatorade in mouths long enough, or didn’t “chewed” their cheeks to get the cells. Maybe because of the fact that we has just had lunch, the extraction of DNA could be affected.

=DNA Summary =

The first step in DNA replication is to separate or unzip the two strands of the double helix. The enzyme in charge of this is called a helicase (because it unwinds the helix). The point where the double helix is opened up and the DNA is copied is called a replication fork. Once the strands are separated, an enzyme called DNA polymerase copies each strand using the base-pairing rule. The two strands are not exactly copied the same way. Because a polymerase can only work along the strand in one direction (5' to 3'), it uses a slightly different strategy to copy the DNA on each strand: the leading (the strand that is synthesized in the 5′ to 3′) and lagging (the strand that is synthesized in the 3′ to 5′ direction) strand. Because DNA synthesis can only occur 5' to 3', a molecule of a second type of DNA polymerase binds to the other template strand as the double helix opens. This molecule must synthesize discontinuous segments of polynucleotides (called Okazaki fragments); Okazaki fragments are short segments of single-stranded DNA that is an intermediate in DNA synthesis.

= DNA Infographic =



=DNA Replication Model=

Replication begins at special sites along the DNA molecule called Origins of replication. It is at these sites that the helix opens and moves away from. This movement produces the replication fork. Here the new strands of DNA are added. In order for the DNA strands to separate, 3 types of enzymes are needed. Helicases, single-strand binding proteins and topoisomerase. Priming: Once the replication fork is established a short segment of RNA,formed by an enzyme called primase, initiates the process of replication. With the primer in place, DNA polymerase catalyzes the synthesis of a new strand of DNA. The new nucleotides align themselves with the old DNA. These strands grow from the 5'--3' direction. The energy for this process comes from the 2 P molecules attached to the nucleotide as it is moved into place. There are 2 strands of DNA being formed at the same time. The Leading strand, which is completed in one piece, and moves toward the replication fork; and the lagging strand, which is produced in pieces called Okazaki fragments. These fragments are formed in the 5'--3' direction and linked together by the enzyme DNA ligase. After the process has been completed the DNA molecules undergo proof reading. DNA polymerase is the enzyme that checks for these errors. If a repair is needed DNA polymerase and ligase will identify, cut, remove, and correct the mistake.