2031

In science class this week we were asked to write a letter to ourselves, from twenty years in the future in 2031. We were basically asked to write our goals, ambitions, and where we can see ourselves when we are in our thirties. Goals can change, but some always stay. By learning to take care of ourselves we can reach our goals and be healthy. Here is my letter:
Dear Past Annie,
2031 is a magnificent year for me (or us?). After many years of hard work at university I got a PhD. Right now I am a Medical Researcher and am working in a lab trying to find new medicines and cures. It's a very interesting job, and I enjoy working on my studies. Also, I have not given up on writing and am currently working on a book. I'm married too. I won't tell you the name, that would just mess up the time/space continuum! I have moved around a bit and now I'm currently living in London, England. While my job might take me on frequent business trips, its always good to be back home. My family and I still keep in touch well and I still go back to visit them in America. As of right now, I do not have any kids, but might have some soon. I still love animals and have a pet dog. I'm very happy with where I'm at right now in my life, having reached all of my goals. See you later?
Sincerely,
Future Annie

Meiosis vs. Mitosis

For cells, there are two different ways of duplicating. First, there is mitosis in which cells duplicate their DNA and then split into two identical cells. This requires only one cell. The other way of cellular reproduction is called Meiosis. In Meiosis the DNA duplicates and then splits into two cells. Those two cells then split once again (without duplicating DNA) leaving you with four different cells with only 1/2 the proper amount of DNA in them. This involves two different organisms. They only have half the DNA because when they combine with the other haploid (1/2 DNA) cell it will have the correct amount of DNA. In conclusion, there are two different ways of cellular reproduction: Mitosis and Meiosis.















 
 I found this video especially helpful in  explaining the process of Meiosis and explaingin all of the vocabulary concerning the cell division. It shows how they trade genes and divide. 
This is another video I found. Its a fun way to remember Meisosis and has good visual representations.

This is another video I found. Its a fun way to remember Meisosis and has good visual representations.It clearly demonstrates the process of the cell division and uses Vocabulary.

Cancer Warrior Reflection

In the film Cancer Warrior we learned about how scientists are working to find cures for cancer. Some common methods for treating cancer are surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy,which uses deadly poisons to kill cancers cells. Several decades ago a new field of research was discovered that has significantly changed the methods and studies for cancer treatments. This field is called Angeogenisis. Angeogenisis is when tumors send out proteins causing blood vessels to grow towards the cancer cells, causing them to grow.Certain chemicals can be used to block the blood vessel growth and therefore the cancer growths stop growing and die. Since cancer cells use all of the cells around them from the blood vessels to grow, cutting them off from the supply can help eliminate the tumors growth. Though this field and ideas were at first frowned upon and thought to be ridiculous, but today it is one of the leading studies for preventing cancer. From these studies many drugs have been produced including Angeostatin and Endostatin. While these drugs help many people, it does not work for everyone and are different for many patients. Other studies have been able to link Angeogenisis to sudden tumor growth after a large tumor is removed. The main tumors send out chemicals that stop other cancer cells from growing, but when they are removed, so is the chemical, so consequently removing a tumor could possibly make your cancer even worse. While we are a long way from creating a cure for cancer, thanks to new studies and discoveries  we are closer than ever before.

Experimental drugs can be both good and bad for people and society. An experimental drug is one that has not been thoroughly and is not yet approved for everybody. Volunteers can agree to be in experimental trials, but only if they are given permission from the Food and Drug Administration. Experimental medicines have both their advantages and disadvantages. For example, if a field of medical research shows great promise and it is allowed to be tested on humans than that means it might be able to save even more lives and help scientists modify or improve the medicines. On the other hand, drugs should be tested extensively to prevent death and ensure the product is not harmful or have any dangerous side effects. Taking experimental drugs are extremely risky and it takes a long time to determine which drugs have produced the best results and are therefore ready to become available to all patients being treated with cancer. First, the new medicines are tested and studied by scientists and computers. Secondly, they are tested extensively on animals, and finally, they can be tested on humans. New medicines are extremely important in our society, they keep us healthy, cure disease. Without them a lot more people would die and become ill. Overall, when a new drug is created it needs to go through a lot of testing before it becomes available to the public.

There are many positive and negative aspects of releasing new medicines early.  If a new drug were released early it would mean that the people who need it can get it sooner. Also, it would save both time and money if the drug were released before the testing was complete. Less money would be spent on the testing and that money could be used to experiment on other medicines. In addition, if the drugs were released earlier, that means scientists could start working on new medicines to try to find cures to other diseases. On the other hand, if a medicine has not been properly tested than it could turn out to be more harmful than helpful. Also, there might be side effects that the testing did not show that could seriously effect the patient. If the drug turned out to be ineffective than it could cost many people their lives. In addition, if this product were mass produced and was recalled by the FDA, it would lose tons of money for the company and its investors. For example, the drug NV1FGF was designed to improve blood vessel growth in hopes that it would decrease the number of limb amputation, however it turned out to only be as effective as a placebo. Since it was released to the public before properly tested, it lost the company a lot of money and the drug did not work properly.
Taking these drugs is extremely risky. If the medicine does not work, than the patients could die, or waste time trying this procedure instead of trying one that actually works. Overall, releasing a new medicine before its testing is complete is a daring move that could either be very beneficial or very harmful.

In my opinion, medicines should be thoroughly tested before they are available to the public. This ensures that the drug is safe and effective in curing the disease. While releasing the medicines early does have some benefits,  I think the risk outweighs the gain. The possibility of unforeseen problems with the medicine could end up causing serious problems for the patients that could effect them for the rest of their lives. I think drugs should only be released if they show excellent results and the need for them is desperate. All in all, I think medicines should be released after they have gone through all of the testing.

Right now, many different companies are trying to find a cure for cancer, which kills many people every year. Many drugs are being tested in hopes of curing it. There are several factors that can help cause cancer to grow, and by avoiding them, your chance of getting cancer decreases a lot. First of all, smoking causes many diseases, one of which is lung cancer. Also, by protecting yourself from the sun and eating health foods like fruits and vegetables can decrease the chance that you will get cancer. Exercise also is a factor that can effect your probability that you will get cancer. Your heredity also can effect the chance that you will get cancer so it is important to know your family's medical background. In conclusion, by living a healthier lifestyle you can decrease the chance that you will get cancer.

http://cancer.about.com/od/causes/tp/topreventcancer.htm

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-09-22/sanofi-says-experimental-drug-failed-in-late-tests.html

Cracking the Code of Life Reflection

This week in class we watched the movie Cracking the Code of Life. We learned about The Human Genome project, its significance, and other studies like it. Also, the film talked about genetic disorders and diseases as well as explaining the research scientists have been doing to decode all of the human genes. The Human Genome Project is a scientific study to decode the entire human genome. This study became a fierce competition between scientists to see who would be the first to complete this complicated and difficult task. The Human Genome Project was eventually completed in 2003 when they decoded all 20,000-25,000 genes  (3 billion base pairs) and put them in a data base.This video also addressed issues such as the copy-writing sections of the human genome. I think this is horrible, everyone possesses those genes and therefore they should not belong to some company. Also, companies charge scientists large sums of money just to experiment on them and search for cures. In conclusion, this video was very interesting and I learned a lot about how scientists study genes.


1.) Would you want to be tested to learn whether thy had a genetic disease or predisposition if no cure was available? Why or why not?
Yes, I would, even if it turned out there was no cure. It is best to know these thinks earlier because if you don't know you have something or carry it,  it can end up seriously effecting  you offspring. Also, if I knew I was going to die soon, I would be able to spend that time doing what I want to and seeing the world. On the other hand, if there was a cure I would be able to be treated for it and therefor that could save my life. In addition, if I had a disease there was no cure for, scientists would be able to study my DNA to try to find a cure and save other peoples lives, as well as possibly my own.

2.) Would you agree agree to have your DNA be part of a study? Why or why not? Would you want royalties for your part in finding the gene? What if during the testing the company discovered you had a gene that might result in a health problem later in life? Would you want to be informed? Why or why not?

I would absolutely agree to have my DNA studied because the studies could potentially cure a disease or further scientists knowledge of the human genome. Also, I would contribute my DNA to a study because even if it did not help find a cure, scientists could also study it to find out more about what causes different traits.  I would not want payment for this however. All I would have contributed was some DNA samples, the scientists did all of the hard work, therefore they deserve all of the money their discovery earned. If the company discovered I had a gene that might give me health problems later in life I would want them to tell me, that way I could do something to prevent it now or make it less harmful in the future. It would be very helpful to know this information ahead of time, even if it is unlikely that I will suffer this genetic problem.

3.) Identify the meaning of the terms genetic discrimination and genetic privacy. What are some ways to protect against this type of genetic discrimination?

Genetic discrimination is when you are treated differently because of your genes, like companies refusing to hire someone because of their DNA. This is horrible because nobody should be able to examine you genes without your permission and you should not be treated differently because of it. There are several ways to prevent against genetic discrimination. Genetic Privacy can be ensured by keeping everyone's medical files should be kept confidential and any studies done on their genes should keep the DNA doner's name anonymous. Also, designer babies (babies who's parents decided all of their genes, like their looks and how smart they are before they are born) should be prohibited. If designer babies became popular than everyone would be basically the same, with no variety of people. Also, this could create serious problems like discrimination and social problems for people who did not have their genes designed. Overall, peoples genes should be kept secret and people should not be discriminated against because of their genes.


Overall Cracking the Code of Life taught me a lot about the human genome and how scientists study it. I found it especially interesting to learn about the human genome projects and the machines they used to decode all 3 billion base pairs. Also, learning about how you can use people's genes to find their relative that lived centuries ago was very interesting. I also learned a lot about how you can transfer genetic diseases down to the next generation and how people can be carriers for certain genetic diseases. Also, I learned a lot about copy writing genes and issues that that causes for scientists. Overall, I learned a lot about this video and found it very interesting.


http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml

pH lab reflection

As a lab my group decided to test the effect of the strength of Domestos (a base) when you added acidic lemon juice to it. I thought my group did a good job on planning and executing the experiment, we were very organized and our information was correct. Also, we the way we recorded information was very organized and it was easy to find any data or information we needed. This lab report improved greatly over my last one, this time I used the correct format witch ensured that all of the required information was there. In my opinion the data analysis was the easiest part of the lab to write because you have to piece together the information you have found and explain what it means. There are several things I could improve with my lab reports. First of all I need to pay closer attention and do a better job of explaining my thinking in the procedure and charts. Also, I need to always remember to have a ratio when diluting something. In conclusion, I am happy with the grade I got and really enjoyed working on this lab.

Chemical Compounds: Silver

Here is the link to my Prezi about Silver (Ag) and the elements it can bond with. http://prezi.com/_k-txu8lfcjc/chemical-reactions/

Unit Question

Unit Question: How does studying chemistry give us a better view of how industry affects the world?

When you study chemistry you learn a lot about Chemical Reactions and what negative effects they could have. In industry you learn about how factories dispose of waste and release chemicals into the air or water. You combine this information and can see how some chemicals destroy the environment and what they can react with. For example, in agricultural pollution I learned how Nitrate and Ammonia effect the environment and the effects they have on humans and animals. Also, when you learn about bonding you can see how easily elements could bond and create a potentially harmful compound or damage another element and ruin an ecosystem. For example, when salts leak into lakes or streams it increases the salt amount in the water so no fish or other animals can live there or rely on that as a source of water. You can also use your knowledge of Chemistry to see how the chemicals in the air cause smog, acid rain, and global warming. Since hydrogen is found almost anywhere on earth, it can bond with every element, but the noble gasses. Also, you can use Chemistry to see how industry makes their products and how they are designed to suit the consumers needs. For example, air fresheners and cleaning products are all made from chemicals by a factory. In conclusion, learning about Chemistry helps us see the effects of industry better.