Biology Homework due 7/20/10

1. To put it simply, kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Potential energy is stored energy.

To put it less simply, kinetic energy, the energy of motion, is energy in action, energy doing its thing, in the prime of its life. Potential energy, however, isn’t quite ready yet; it’s still in middle school, unsure of itself, timid, perhaps because it’s a bit pimply or probably because it hasn’t grown as tall as the other boys, but either way, it’s just biding its time. It’s waiting, about to take action for once in its so far unremarkable but promising life.

Let’s move beyond middle school. Imagine, for a moment, that we’re at the NASA launch station at Cape Canaveral. The space shuttle Discovery sits on the pad, ready to blast off. “T-10.” The countdown begins. “7." While all systems are online and ready, the rocket fuel sits in the tank. “5.” This fuel is potential energy—chemical energy—and as yet untapped. “3. 2. 1.” However, as soon as the countdown ends and the fuel ignites, its potential energy becomes kinetic energy, the propellant participating in a combustion reaction ferocious enough to hurdle thousands of tons of metal, along with a few hundred meager pounds of human, into the atmosphere.

The pimply teenager has shed his glasses and bowl cut, and can now be seen in Ocean’s Eleven as Danny Ocean and on the cover of People Magazine as The Sexiest Man Alive, but in our hearts, he’s George Clooney. He has done it. He has become kinetic energy.

2. An enzyme is a biological catalyst, nearly always a protein molecule save for ribozymes, which are made of RNA, and some others. An enzyme allows the component or components of the reaction—the substrate(s)—to separate into several products (degradation) or join into one product (synthesis). The substrates bind at the active site of the enzyme and are released as products when the reaction ends, leaving the enzyme in its original form to continue catalyzing reactions.

Factors that affect the function of these catalysts include temperature and pH, extremes in both of which change the shape of the enzyme so that its active site can no longer accept substrates.

But what makes enzymes so great? Are they really necessary? Couldn’t our bodies function without them? Well, I don’t think so. Yes, some of these reactions could certainly occur, mostly by chance, without enzymes. You’re right about that. However, enzymes greatly decrease the energy of activation, increasing the rate and efficiency of the reaction.

Enzyme inhibition is a serious issue facing enzymes these days. When a molecule binds to the enzyme, changing its shape so that it can’t accept substrates, we call it enzyme inhibition. There are two types of enzyme inhibition: noncompetitive and competitive.

Noncompetitive inhibition is when a molecule binds to an enzyme at an allosteric site—not its active site—to change its shape, forcing it to refuse substrates. Competitive inhibition is when a molecule binds at the active site, mimicking the substrates and preventing them from reacting.

Imagine you’ve applied to study at a university, specifically to major in communications. Unfortunately, your admission was denied because the school met its quota of total students—someone in the math department got your spot. This is noncompetitive inhibition. Now imagine another, slightly more unfortunate scenario: you’ve applied to study at a university, specifically in the college of communications. Unfortunately, your admission was denied because the college of communications met its quota of total students—someone in the department to which you applied got your spot. This is competitive inhibition, and it is usually slightly more frustrating than noncompetitive inhibition.

Biology Lab due 7/15/2010

Biology Lab 1: Measuring Simple Things Simply

1: Dimensions of blocks. In measuring several different blocks, I found that all shared the following basic properties: length, width, and height. Of course, this caught my attention, and before I knew it I was furiously recording their dimensions.
#1: L: 4 in. W: 2 in. H: 1 in.
#2: L: 1.5 in. W: 2.22 in. H: 1.45 in.
#3: L: 1.77 in. W: 1.45 in. H: 1.55 in.
#4: L: 3.4 in. W: 1.6 in. H: 1.5 in.

2: Temperature of tap water. Upon activating the faucet, I was surprised to see a rapid flow of a high volume of water, H2O. Luckily I had a thermometer handy, so I measured its temperature and found that it was 32.2 degrees Celsius. I performed the following equation to convert it into Fahrenheit degrees which are of greater use to the whole world excluding everywhere but America.
(32.3) x 1.8 + 32 = 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Interesting.

3. The freezer provided us with ice to perform an equally revelatory experiment: the measurement of tap water with ice in it. Upon taking its temperature, I discovered that ice water is 7.1 degrees Celsius. Once more, the Fahrenheit scale tempted my curiosity.
(7.1) x 1.8 + 32 = 44.78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yes, of course.

4. However, the ultimate test awaited: measuring the animate human body in Celsius degrees. Luckily I had one handy, and started by measuring its internal temperature using the Fahrenheit scale. It politely complied. The instrument read “98.6 degrees Fahrenheit” which sounded both correct and familiar, which just made it feel more correct. I performed the following equation to determine the Celsius measurement:
(98.6-32) / 1.8 = 37 degrees Celsius.

An interesting conclusion; neither boiling nor freezing, but definitely closer to freezing. The human body provides endless fascination, certainly.

Biology homework due 7/12/2010

1. There are several differences between animal and plant cells. While animal cells have many small vacuoles, plant cells have one large central vacuole. Also, while the two types of cells both have a semi-impermeable cellular membrane made of a phospholipid bilayer, only plant cells have cell walls, made of cellulose, which animals enjoy as fiber and humans appreciate as “nature’s broom.” One will also find that although both animal and plant cells have mitochondria, only plant cells have chloroplasts and thus the ability to photosynthesize, and aren’t we all jealous.

The cells differ in their energy storage devices, too. Animal cells store energy in the form of glycogen, long interconnected structures of glucose, whereas plant cells store glucose in the form of starch, which is similar to glycogen in that both are chained polymers of glucose. Glycogen just has slightly more branching.

Also, animals tend to store lipids as solid fat, while plants store lipids as liquid oils. Either way, we’ve got options.

2. DNA is simply a polymer formed of nucleotides—molecules composed of the sugar deoxyribose, a phosphate group (AMP, ADP, or ATP), and a ring shaped nitrogenous base either purine or pyramidine in nature. Because DNA is double-stranded, it forms a shape called a double-helix, delighting in a spiral of near genetic infinity. In the nucleus it is tightly coiled into chromatin, but during cellular mitosis and meiosis it obligingly unfurls its squiggly length to coil and form chromosomes, allowing the division and redistribution of cellular instructions.

3. The differences between DNA and RNA may appear minor on paper, but in physical reality, boy are they extensive! Firstly, DNA contains the saccharide Deoxyribose while RNA contains Ribose. Deoxyribose has one oxygen fewer than RNA, allowing for ease of recognition to cellular enzymes. Just imagine you're an identical twin (but we know, inside you’re different—one of you plays basketball, the other one swims, we get it); in order for your grandmother to recognize and thus monetarily reward both of you, you and your brother decide to wear different colored clothes. This way, all enjoy a calm Chanukah dinner.

Another difference is in the nucleotides that comprise the polymers; the nitrogenous bases in DNA are adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. In RNA, the bases are adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil.

But yet another difference beckons our attention: as mentioned before, DNA is double stranded, dictating that it shape itself into a double-helix; however, RNA is single stranded (usually), and thus feels no compulsion (nor does it have the ability, usually) to do the same as its close and better appreciated relative.

4. ATP is known in academic circles as Adenosine Triphosphate and on the street as “cellular currency.” The molecule consists of adenosine connected to three phosphate groups. In “spending” one phosphate molecule, ATP creates both ADP, Adenosine Diphosphate, and free electrons, whose innocent enthusiasm can be manipulated for cellular purposes, providing energy. ADP, however, is not nearly as useful as ATP. Confides Shylock from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice,

“I hate him for he is ATP;
But more for that in low simplicity
He lends out electrons gratis, and brings down
The rate of usance here with us in Venice.”

(The Merchant of Venice, Act I: Scene 3, line 42-45)

5. Organic molecules abound in nature, as nature is made of them. Carbohydrates enjoy prominence in the organic community, the element carbon being central to their success in all life as we know it, although that can be said about every organic molecule, I suppose. But what really makes carbohydrates special is their propensity for storing energy you don’t need now but will probably want soon, which is why they’ve been said to be the passenger-side seat of organic compounds.

Although lipids are no doubt both organic and quite useful, they suffer from a bad reputation, as Americans like to hoard them in their bodies, generally trying to impress the world with how many they can manage to fit inside one human shell. Doubtless, they are organic.

Proteins have managed to hold a fond place in the public heart for as long as the public has had the pleasure of their acquaintance. Ferraris in the world of organic compounds, proteins always impress with their flashy power and streamlined curves and lines. Yes, they can get you to work on time, but they can also tear up the autobahn like James Dean.

If organic molecules are The Beatles, nucleic acids must be Ringo; without them, everything falls apart, but even when you watch them do their thing in the context of the bigger operation, you just aren’t as impressed as you know you should be, and probably tend to give more credit to the proteins and the carbohydrates, maybe even the lipids. However without them, there would be no cells, at least not as we know them, and once in a while they’re responsible for mutations that either look really cool and work great or fail miserably, only to disappear and be remembered later as a silly idea that yes, seemed to have the potential for success upon conception, but should probably have never made it into distribution.

Inaugural Post

What you see posted on this website is real homework for the summer biology course in which I'm currently enrolled at a local college. I've decided that I want to have fun this summer, and so what you see is the work born of this decision. Every post on this website under the heading "Biology homework due----" is real homework that I will submit on the disclosed date.

You may wonder--"isn't this a lot more work than you actually need to do in order to succeed in this class?" to which I would reply, "Yes, it is."

Then you might ask "is it actually more fun than spending a reasonable amount of time doing your homework?" to which I would reply, "Yes, it is."

To anyone who considers this an insult to the students who work hard to turn in homework completely lacking in any sort of snide tone, I need to tell you that I don't intend it that way at all, and that I do take this class seriously. Sort of. But the students in my class all seem to be smart, hardworking kids so far, and I look forward to studying with them. This is just my way of making something potentially tedious into something ridiculous.

To anyone asking themselves why I'm up at 3:24 AM when I have to be in class at 8 AM and take a test, my answer may surprise. I messed up and just should've done this stuff earlier. Woopsies.