A world of frogs and humans: The connection between us

I had a fascinating, intriguing, interesting, and suprising experience during the two-day process of frog dissection. The three main aspects that I was able to learn was
1. The organs of the frog and how they function
2. The connections between frogs and humans

 Source of picture : howtodrawguide.com 
   Once the frog was open, I was amazed to sell all the organs in one glance.  First was the liver.  Unlike a human, a frog has three parts of it's liver.  The liver creates bile which is a substance that break down fats.  Therefore, without the liver the frog would be overloaded with fats because there is nothing to break them down.  The next main organs belonged to the digestive system.  They were the stomach which was connected into the small and large intestine.  Once the bolus( the food after it is mechanically and chemically broken down) goes down the escophagus, it enter the stomach where it is broken down even more by muscles.  Afterword, it goes into the small intestine where the nutrients is absorbed.  The nutrients go though the bloodstream and give energy to cells so they could function properly.  The remains of the bolus enters the large intestine where it is turned into waste which then exit the body through the anus,a small opening at the end of the digestive system. The next set of organs saw were the two pairs of lungs. The lungs looked like two brown balloons.   I was shocked to see that the pair of lungs were so far from each other.  The lungs is where the frog gets oxygen.  If there was no oxygen in the frog, nothing would power the cells.  The next organ I saw was the spleen.  The spleen was a red balloon which stored blood.  Another organ which looked similar to the spleen was the gallbladder.  the gallbladder was a green sac which stored bile.  The spleen and gallbladder look similar because they are both circular objects.  Sometimes they are very hard to tell apart but the gallbladder is always green and the spleen is always red.  Lastly, the most important in the organ i found in the frog was the heart.  The heart was deep inside the frog covered by other organs.  The purpose of the heart is to pump blood for the bloodstream to move.  If the heart stopped no nutrients or oxygen would get to cells, therefore the frog would be dead.  Lastly, the organ that was covered all round the organs was peritoneum.  This is a spider web substance that covers organs like a membrane.  In frogs there were also a lot of fat bodies which were yellow noodle-structured that support the frog.  Together, all these organs cooperate to make sure the cells have enough to function properly.  Everything the frog does is for the cells.  Therefore, everything is connected.  If one organ breaks down, everything will be effected.  For example, if the stomach is not functioning correctly, the frog cells will not receive any energy to work.

Source: 

http://media12.onsugar.com/files/2011/05/21/1/1587/15872140/6f/I10-82-frog.jpg

   Throughout the dissection, I was amazed by how complicated the organism was.  A small frog yet such a complex system it was. In addition, I was intrigued by the differences between a male and female frog.  The main difference was that a female contained eggs.  The eggs were black sphere object and there were a lot of them.  They are located next to the ovaries.  On the other hand a male frog has a urinary bladder.  

      In addition, the  similarities and differences between human and frog stopped me and made me think.  The  aspects that were the same with the frogs and human  were that we both have a stomach, small intestine, large intestine, heart, lungs, pancreas, and gallbladder.  All these organs both work the same function in each of our species.  I was thoughtful of this because on the outside and frog and human have no physical connections.  For example, a frog walks on four legs while human walk on two.  Frogs have such a size differences to humans.  But in the inside we are both connected.  All our organs would together to satisfy our cells.   We both have a reproductive system to build our population.  We both have a heart that pumps blood.  Both have lungs that give our body oxygen.

  In conclusion, I learned that in a frog and human there are some many ideas that could fit together.  Two species that look so different are really the same in the inside.  

source: 

http://www.froggifts.com/frogart/SwimmingFrogA.jpg

Other sources to learn more about frogs:
www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs/BL_16/BL_16.html
http://www.surgery-games.org/43/Dissect-a-Frog.html
By: Whiteknight83

As the stomach churns DAY 2

    During Day 2 of this lab, many things changed.  For example, in some of the tubes, the white eggs turned bubbly.  The hydrochloric acid was doing it's job.  The acid was digesting and breaking down the egg just like what happens during in a stomach.  We learned that it is necessary for the acid to work with the pepsin or else one substances will be too powerful.  If the pepsin was not in the stomach, the acid would burn our stomach.  We did this lab to understand what really happens in our stomach for it to digest.

As the Stomach Churns Lab DAY 1

In our class, we did a lab on digestion.  We had 4 test tubes and we put a substance in each tube.  In tube A, we putted 10ml of enzyme pepsin along with 3 cubes of egg white.  In tube B, we put in 5ml of enzyme pepsin and 5ml of water along with another 3 cubes of egg white.  The substance in tube C was 5ml of enzyme pepsin and 5ml of hydrochloric acid along 3 cubes of egg white.  Finally, in tube D was put in 3 cubes of egg with 10ml of hydrochloric acid.  For each of the tube there was no immediate reaction.  When we put the blue litmus paper in we got a reaction from the tube D.  For day 2 I expect to get a reaction in the tube with hydrochloric acid.  The acid will break down the egg white.

chicken wing dissection

     In class we dissected a chicken wing.  A chicken wing first is covered with skin which we cut off.  Next was the muscle which is muscle tissue.  The muscle has a biceps and triceps just like humans.  Next was the bone which we were able to crack.  Inside the bone marrow was where blood vessels.  In conclusion, a chicken wing is like a human's arm.  That was a fun lab!

Diffusion Lab Project report

In the science lab, a key term that all scientist use is diffusion.  Diffusion is making a substance, like a strong chemical, less concentrated.  During this process molecules are able to find more space to spread out into.  In addition, the strength of a chemical also tells the concentration of a chemical as well.  The concentration of a chemical is the strength of the substance.  A key element that supports diffusion is water.  Water makes chemicals more diluted therefore the chemical is not as powerful.  Dilution is another way to make a chemical less concentrated.  The water is able to make the chemical less concentrated because of osmosis.  Osmosis is the movement of water molecules.  For example, in a lab when a scientist is mixing iodine and water together that is osmosis.  A project that all these key terms are used in is the corn starch and iodine project.  The scientists left the bag of corn starch in a beaker filled with iodine and water for fifteen minutes.  The result or when you know the reaction is complete is the indicator.  For example, if the substance stays or changes from different colors that is the indication that the reaction is done.  Lastly, the scientist also noticed that the iodine was more stronger than many chemicals.  A substance that is stronger than others is a hypertonic.  In this lab the bag used to hold the corn starch is the hypotonic because the bag is weaker than the corn starch.  Finally, a substance that is isotonic is equally as strong as the other substances.  Going on more about this project, scientist had many purposes and prediction for the project.  The purpose for this project is to see what happens when you mix corn starch and iodine together.  The prediction for this project was that the corn starch or iodine would change color.  However, were these scientist prediction correct?

The result of the project was that the corn starch turned purple while the iodine became a little lighter.  This happened because of the permeable membrane.  The permeable membrane  allowed the small iodine molecules to go through the bag and into the corn starch.  The iodine was able to go through the bag because the water was able to make the iodine less concentrated so which allowed the iodine to go through the bag.  This is like the cell membrane.  The cell membrane controls movement in and out of the cell which is just like the bag.  However, instead of iodine, the cell membrane lets food and water molecules in.  If the cell membrane did not let the food and water molecules through our body would not be able to get protein, energy, and nutrients which would mess up our bodies.  Therefore, it is important to learn the way of how our body works because if something goes wrong people will have a better understanding of how to fix it.

With this concept in people minds, society is able to think of other items that relate to the corn starch and iodine project.  Firstly, is the Lysol disinfecting spay.  When a person presses the button and layer of chemical mist form.  The is like diffusion because the chemical is able to get out of a tight spot and spread out in a more open area.  Secondly, is a water balloon.  When a water balloon crashes into the ground and pops that is also like diffusion.  The water is first concentrated into a balloon but then spreads out all over the place when it hit’s the ground and pops.  Thirdly, is smoke in a chimney.  When fire is burning smoke is released and the only place the smoke could go is up the chimney.  This is like diffusion because the smoke is so conceal in a small area but when it reaches the sky it spreads out because there is more room for the smoke to go. Lastly, is iced tea.  When making iced tea from a packet you have a very concentrated powder but when you put water on it becomes more diluted.  This is an example of osmosis because water molecules are used to mix or make the powder less concentrated.  In conclusion, diffusion and all those key terms aren’t just important in the lab but anywhere in the world.  We need to know how our body works and we must understand that we use these concepts in out everyday lifestyle.

Diffusion Lab: corn starch and iodine

Today in class we did a lab with corn starch and iodine.  We putted a sealed bag of corn starch into a cup of water and iodine.  We put water in the iodine to diluted the chemical so it will be less concentrated.  We wait 15 minutes after we put the bad of corn starch in to see the results.
Before:
The solution in beaker was brown and the solution in the bag was white
After:
The solution in the beaker was dark orange like iced tea and the solution in the bag was purple.
This happen because the iodine molecules were so small they were able to go through the bag.  This
is like a cell membrane.  A cell membrane controls entry in and out of the cell like food and water molecules.
In the iodine case, the bag is letting iodine molecules through
I like this ab a lot because we were able to learn more about the cell with cool examples.
By : The awesome WHITEKNIGHT83

SSSSLLLLEEEEEEEPPPPP!(thats say sleep)

A big crisis in many teenagers life is trying to get enough sleep.  Without enough sleep kids fall asleep in school and don;t get to learn that much.  Studies show that when you are a baby you should get around 12 to 18 hours of sleep.  When you are toddler you should get 12 to 14 hours of sleep.  Also, when you age 4 to 10 you should get around 10 hours of sleep.  However everything changes when you are a teenager.  Teenager get around 6 to 7 hours of sleep.  Teenager only get this  amount of sleep for many reasons.  A regular teenager usual time to sleep is around 11pm or later.  Most because of watching tv.  Some other common reason is communicating with others through things like texting.  With a lack of sleep kids are not able to perform at the best of their abilities.  No good grade, sport, or social life.   Thats is why it is so important to get a lot of sleep.  

SOURCE:    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/health/24brody.html?_r=1&ref=science

Nintendo 3DS

First the nintendo ds, then the nintendo ds lite.   Next came the nintendo Dsi and then the Nintendo Xl.  Everyday,  Nintendo working there hardest think of new ideas for the game loving fans.  In March, Nintendo released its new idea into the world.   The Nintendo 3DS.  But what makes this device different from all the rest?

But its name you could pretty much tell that the 3DS has a 3d feature. However, it more features.  Firstly, the top screen has increased in size and graphics.  Secondly, this thing has a double side camera.  Now the Dsi had this too but with the 3DS you get a better graphic piture.  Next the thickness of the 3ds has improved.  Now the top screen has more support and to make it better is still has its small size so you could fit it in your pocket.  However, this device is still very fragile and vulnerable so be careful. 

  Next is the gameplay itself.  For everyone buying a 3ds also means buying game.  One of the new features on the 3ds is the Mii feature from the Wii.  There are many games for the 3ds and its you are able able to play your old ds game in it.  One of the new features in the 3ds for gameplay is the thumb pad.  At first sit it looks very loose but believe me its on there tight. . 

Another of the new features is the 3d camera.  On the 3ds there are two cameras.  on for regular pictures and one for 3d pictures.  With the new improve graphics the camera program allows you to change up, combine, or draw on any picture you take.  Lastly, with these pictures you could make you mii with them or use them in games.

Lastly, is the overall performance of the device.  It has a 2.5hr battery pack for 3d mode and 5 hr battery pack for regular mode.  The overall hardrive speed has increased and the A, B, X, and Y buttons has been upgrade into a more stiff buttons.  The Wi-fi range has increased making it easier to get internet connection for online play.

In conclusion, The 3ds is an amazing step for the nintendo company and many are more encourage and waiting anxiously for their next creation. 

The 3ds by nintendo   Credit  IGN

Source:   http://gear.ign.com/articles/115/1155978p1.html

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Toothpick Fish!

     In science class we have began our toothpick fish project.  We had to randomly pick and form pairs of fish alleles and the color of the fish were based on those alleles.  Fish in our pond had four possible trait color which were green, red, yellow, and orange.  Green was dominant (G) to red (r) and yellow (y) however red and yellow (ry) were incomplete therefore the color of the fish who had those genotype would be orange.  In addition,  that meant that yellow and red  were recessive to green.  Recessive means the traits are there but it is not shown.  Dominant is the exact opposite.  Dominant traits show their appearances.  A fish would be green if their genotype was "GG, Gy," or "Gy".  A fish would be yellow if their genotype was "yy" and the genotype for red fish would be "rr"

                            Genotypes of fish                               Key
                                Genotype                                     Green = G
Color                                                                            Yellow = y 
Green       GG   Gr     Gy                                             Red = r
Red           rr
Yellow      yy
Orange     ry


      Also, when we pulled the fish alleles pairs out we organized them into four generations based on when the fish were created.  The first generation started of with twelve(12) fish but in the second generation the population lowered to nine(9) because the yellow fish were unable to adapt to their surroundings therefore they died sooner than others.  Adaptation is how an organism interacts with their  surrounding.  Furthermore, the third and fourth generation of fish both also stayed at the population of nine because there was a less chance of yellow fish to be formed.


 Here are the total number of each color offspring in each generation:
 
                                                Result of Fish



 Environment             Generation     Green       Red     Yellow    Orange


Lots of                           First               7               2            3              0
seaweed                        Second          6              2            0               1
and Algae                     Third             7              1            0               1
everywhere                 Fourth            6              2            1               0

NO seaweed
or Algae                    Survivors         4               2            1              0



Throughout the four generation the main  way the fish were able to survive were because there was a large amount of seaweed and algae.  In addition, the green, red and orange fish were able to camouflage in with the algae therefore predators were not able to find them.  However, that kept the yellow fish wide open in the environment open to all the hungry predators which decreased the yellow fish population.  But  what would happen if a disaster happened in the pond and all green fish died  because they were unable to adapt.

Rocks and soil have entered the pond therefore hiding the yellow, red, and orange fish however exposing the green.  Therefore, the green fish died which again lowered the population.  The  population has now lowered to seven.  With the green fish gone we have declared our survivors.   Also the disappearance of green fish also effected the way of life in the pond.  Without the green fish the population will increase greatly because now most of the fish in the pond will be yellow, red or orange since there are not many green alleles left. 

Q: What would happen if the population of red fish and alleles completely disappeared due to another natural disaster and the green fish were still exposed to the predators
A:  If the red fish  and alleles completely disappeared than the only two color fish would be green and yellow.  Therefore, when the green fish are created they would be most likely eaten and the whole population of green fish would be gone.

In conclusion, the fish population decreased from the first generation to the last due to the change in the pond habitat.  Some colored fish were not able to adapt therefore they were not able to survive.


      

TOO MUCH SNOW!

New Jersey had enough snow fall.  Just last week we had our sixth snow storm in 30 days.  But the weird thing was that we got snow and thunder at the same time!  South Brunswick specifically, had 19 inches of snow from our last snowstorm and some say enough is enough.  To make matter worse all schools were canceled.  In addition, many over 400,000 people lose power which was scary because this is only January and we still have one more month to go!
With the 19 inches added to the total of snowfall we have over 50 inches!  Too much snow is what I have to say and if snow keeps falling people will eventually have to give up at some point.  What I recommended to people is to make sure you have shovels and a lot of salt especially if you live up north or in the east.  Good Luck and make sure you stay warm.


Here are some pictures of snow!



SOURCE:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/winter-storm-east-coast-batters-record-breaking-snowstorm/story?id=12774029

Add cThree men attempt to free an automobile from the snow on New York's Upper West Side, Jan. 27

Jan Eggers digs out his car in New York City Jan. 27, 2011, the morning after another storm dumped more than a foot of snow in some areas overnight

Punnett squares!!!!!!

In class we have began the study of genetics.  Genetics is the study of  heredity.  In addition to the fun activities we have done for genetics so far, we also began punnett square.  Punnett squares shows the probability of what alleles can occur when people cross genetics.  This all started from a scientist named Gregor Mendel.  Mendel observed pea plants and noticed that some pea plants had the same and different traits from there parents.  This discovery triggered another one.  When a new organism is made the process of fertilization is formed.  Fertilization is when a egg and a sperm is joined together to create a organism.  Another would for fertilization for pea plants is pollination.  Mendel was a smart man and he wonder; what happened if you cross pollinate?  The hypothesis lead to the activity of cross pollination.  Mendel took one tall pea plant and instead of pollinating it into the same type of pea plant he pollinate it into a different type of pea plant;a small pea plant.  In a couple of days Mendel check the pea plants and it seemed that one plants was three fourths bigger than the other.  Mendel tried again and this time he cross pollinated with four plants instead of two plants.  The results was three-fourths of the plants was tall.  Mendel was intrigued with the results which began the study of punnett squares. 

Gregor Mandel known for his discovery of cross pollination.

  






In class we began punnett squares.
 

"A" stands for tall and "a" stands for small

                                                                  

This is a punnett square.  As you can see the mother traits(Top) and the father traits(Left) cross together.  When looking at a punnett square you could decide what the genotype and phenotype is .  Phenotype is what the organism will look like on the outside and genotype is what it really looks like from the inside is the percentage to see if the traits are homozygous or heterozygous.  Heterozygous means it is different and homozygous means it is the same.  In addition, homozygous could be label as dominate or recessive.   Dominate and recessive are how traits are label because some traits over power other.  Those traits are dominate.  However, some traits are the opposite.  They are recessive.  For example brown eyes is dominate to blue eyes.  Therefore, brown is dominate and blue eyes are recessive.  Lastly, homozygous and heterozygous are label by percentage.  For example 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%.In this example above you can see that the scientist cross correctly.  For phenotype is would be 75% tall and 25% short.  For genotype it would be 25% homozygous dominate, 25% homozygous recessive, and 50% heterozygous.  With punnett squares scientist around the world are able to solve more mysteries about genetics.

                                                                                                          By: Whiteknight83