January 17

How cells multiply!

Asexual reproduction:

Asexual reproduction is when a single cell makes clones of itself. There are five different types of asexual reproduction, budding, fragmentation, binary fission, vegetative reproduction, finally spore. Budding is when the original parent makes a whole new copy of itself  (that is attached to itself)it does this by just repeating mitosis, then when this new organism is done growing it will sometimes break off into a bud. These buds can repeat this process, budding is common to happens with hydra and sponges. Fragmentation is when the original parent organism undergoes an injury, and the part of that fell off creates a whole new clone of the parent. examples of this are starfish and some types of worms. Binary fission is just when the parent organism splits into identical copies of itself. This is what bacteria uses to make so much of itself. Vegetative reproduction is something that happens in special plant cells that develop and then forms clones of the parent. This is how plants like potatoes and strawberries can spread throughout your garden. finally spore is when a single cell creates a whole new organism, this is common within fungi and some bacterias.

pros of asexual reproduction:

-you only need one parent to reproduce.

-super fast and easy way to increase the population.

-not a lot of time and barely any effort needed to create new organisms.

cons of asexual reproduction:

-the whole population has the same weaknesses since its all just one organism cloned.

-there is no differences between any of the organisms.

Sexual reproduction:

Sexual reproduction is when different organisms come together to form a new organism (this is how anything actually living is created). There are three different stages of this reproduction, first, mating, second, fertilization, and third, development. Mating is basically meiosis, so the DNA from both the dad and the mom crossover to make new DNA unique to that new organism. Fertilization this is when the sperm and egg cells are joining to make the completely new organism. finally development, its in the name. this is just when this organism is forming inside of the egg. this is the process of embryonic development.

pros of sexual reproduction:      

-makes a completely new and unique organism.

-not likely to be affected by something hurting others of its kind because it is not a clone of one parent.

-adaptation can happen throughout reproduction. (can help with survival in new or different places.

cons of sexual reproduction:

-not possible to reproduce without a mate.

-takes a lot of time and effort.

Mitosis:

Mitosis is the process of replacing lost of dead cells. It will duplicate the contents of the nucleus and make two new equivalent cells. during mitosis there is prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. Prophase is when the spindle fibres form and they attach themselves to the chromosomes centromeres. during metaphase all of the chromosomes in the cell line themselves up onto the equator of the cell. Anaphase is when the spindle fibres separate the chromosomes into two sister chromatids and pull them to opposite sides of the cell. During telophase all of the spindle fibres disappear and two new nuclear membranes form around the two new separate groups of the chromosomes. Mitosis is the shortest stage within the cell cycle. I really understood this process when we did the lab with. the string and pipe cleaners.

Meiosis:

Meiosis is a really big part of sexual reproduction. It basically goes through the same steps as mitosis but doubles it. There is prophase 1, metaphase 1, anaphase 1, telophase 1, then prophase 2, metaphase 2, anaphase 2, and telophase 2. The only difference between the two is that in prophase 1 of meiosis there is something called crossover which is taking parts from the mom and parts from the dad to make a unique new organism with a mixture of both of the parents DNA. Also is anaphase 1 the chromosomes don’t get separated into sister chromatids they just stay together until anaphase 2.

How do organisms grow?

Organisms grow using either mitosis or meiosis. These two processes, keep happening until they can make up for all of the lost or dead cells they must replace. A really good example of this human skin cells, everyday we shed millions of them but then again everyday we also create millions of them. If mitosis and meiosis didn’t exist we wouldn’t have skin within hours. These operations make sure every living organism can actually be a living organism.

 

 

 

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January 13

Connections based learning: final post for Tim

Media:

I would personally say that this picture of Tim trying out our original prototype sums up my whole journey throughout this project. It is so cool that we actually got to, not exactly make something but come up with an idea and make it come to life. I am so glad that we are able to make even a small difference in Tims life.


These two photos explain what we did because you can see how much thinking and simplifying we had to do to make a suitable remote for Tim to use. As you can see he used to be using this very complicated remote with many unnecessary and small buttons, throughout this project my group and I simplified this all the way down to the little box you can see in his hands in the second picture. Though is is still (and may never be) perfect it shows how much work we put into this task.

 

 

These two photos are our finished products, on the left is our personal prototype that we created with the help of tinkered, and on the right it the remote we ordered off-line for Tim to use in his everyday life. I think a really cool aspect of these two is that my group and I designed our “remote” before we even saw professional ones, but in the end they looked and worked super similarly.

How we helped:

Our experience began when we had the FaceTime call with Tim and his daughter Nicola, they told us that they think that it would be better and easier for Tim if he had a remote with only a few simple buttons. My group and I automatically thought this would be a great idea for our project. We thought that a remote is for sure a challenge but also super possible. We got straight to work and started to brainstorm ideas on what we wanted our remote to look like. Simple things like how many buttons should it have, the size and any other minor details. We came up with that little coloured box I showed before. This design had the bare minimum for Tim which was exactly what he asked for. We connected with Tim and Nicola again, made some little adjustments, and we also went onto makers making change to get a little inspiration for time to time. In about two weeks our design was printed and ready to go so, Mr. Robinson took it to Tim to show him our prototype and except for some minor changes he really like it! The only problem was that we didn’t know how we were going to get all of the wiring in there and actually make it work so that Tim could connect it to his TV.  We went online and bought a simplified remote that looks almost exact to our design. Now we have a working product that will make Tims life a little bit easier.

What I have learned:

This project has taught my group and I many new things that I don’t think we would have been introduced to if we had not participated. A few examples are 3D printing, thorough critical and creative thinking skills, perseverance and unique designing skills. This is the first time that I have really gotten to be in the process of 3D printing. It was so cool to see the precise steps that are taken in order to make a finished product. This is also where we learned some super cool stuff about designing. We spent a lot of time making sure our prototype was the best it could be and the way we did that was we spent hours figuring out how to design and create the object that we were imagining in our heads. This was  for sure challenging since we had never used that program before but in the big picture we learned something super cool and useful in this day and age. As for the creative and critical thinking, we definitely used these throughout the whole project. examples of this is when we were designing the remote we needed to use our creative and critical thinking to make sure we fulfilled all of Tims needs. personally I have met every learning goal that I set for myself, they were that I want to learn more about 3D printing, which I definitely did. My second learning goal was that I wanted to figure out a way to actually help Tim with our product, and I think we were very successful at this. I am so excited to see if we made Tims life just a little bit easier.

Debrief of the experience:

My group and I worked very well together, and we stuck by the motto we created the first day we got together. that motto was to bounce off each others ideas and to make everyone feel needed, which I feel we completely accomplished. we all had very strong ideas that we wanted to use and we somehow found ways to make sure everyone was happy. we were a really good and string group who I would work with again. I think a few things we did well as a team were, one we actually brought out something very practical that Tim can use in his everyday life. two, we all made sure the work was split evenly. finally three we stayed on task and made sure our parts were done when they were supposed to be done. at the moment I can’t really think of something that we could work on, I think all of us overall did a super great job! in conclusion I really enjoyed this whole project. I did not think I would when we started but once I realized that we were being given the chance to make an actual change I think I got interested. it is still amazing to me that basically everyone in the class came up with a different idea of how to make a difference in Tims life. I am really happy we got to do this project and I hope to do more like it in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 5

Modeling Mitosis

Early interphase: early interphase is just when the cell is doing what it is supposed to be doing and carrying out its normal function.
Late interphase: during late interphase the DNA cell makes exact copies of itself, they are able to duplicate like this with the help of enzymes unzipping process.
Prophase: prophase is when the spindle fibres form, during this the nucleus is completely making itself disappear. After that sister chromosomes are formed and the spindle fibres attach themselves to them.

Metaphase : this is when all of the sister chromosomes line themselves up in the middle of the cell to begin anaphase
.
Anaphase: now that the chromosomes are lined up and attached to the spindle fibres they all get pulled by the spindle fibres to opposite sides of the cell.

Telophase: during telophase all of the spindle fibres disappear and two new nuclei are formed around the different groups of sister chromosomes on the opposite sides of the cell.

Cytokinesis: finally the nucleuses separate to create two individual daughter cells.

And then this process just repeats itself!

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December 18

Edible DNA

  

What is DNA? 

DNA is something that exists in every single cell in any living object. DNA is what’s makes us, us! Its like a recipe, without every specific ingredient it doesn’t work.

What does DNA do?

DNA is the controller of any cell activity, it is the blueprint to any living thing. DNA’s job is to make sure everything on this blueprint of atoms is correct so the proteins come out proper.

How does DNA copy itself?

As I said DNA is in the shape of ladder, when it wants to copy itself this ladder shape unwinds. This results in there being two sides open. These two new open sides creates the template for  the two new DNA ladders.

 

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November 22

Currents in the kitchen

My results:

Voltage of our potato – 0.2

Voltage of our apple – 0.3

Voltage of our lemon – 0.8

Voltage of our orange – 0.4

As you can clearly see the lemon brought in the most amount of volts by far. This is proving that my hypothesis was correct.

Photos :

Explanation :

The reason that a lemon was the best conductor of electricity in the case is because a lemon contains citric acid and this is good because the negatively charged electrons are able to flow within the acid which makes it a conductor. Some observations that my group and I had were that some of the other groups in our class discovered that the potato brought in more voltage than their lemon. This is a bit odd because ours brought in the least amount of voltage out of the four fruits and vegetables. We. also noticed that our potato looked a little bit older and mushier than the others and that could be the reason why it didn’t contain in as voltage as the ones from the other groups.

Here is a photo of the group. that was able to turn on the LED light with their fruits and vegetables.

 

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November 17

Explore the field

My Big Question :

What is the process of adaptation to Huntington’s disease like for someone?

The significance of my question:

My big question is is significant to my teams project because we really need to understand what Tim or anyone else who is suffering from Huntington’s disease is really feeling if we want to make a product for them that will actually make a difference in their day to day life. If we know exactly what is a struggle for them and exactly how their body reacts to it we can make a product that is perfectly adapted to their troubles and needs. My team and I made it our goal to make a remote that is easy for Tim to use. If we want to make this goal reality we need to do our research on how the body reacts to Huntington’s disease.

My research:

I split my research into three smaller questions, what the symptoms of Huntington’s disease are, how those symptoms affect a person in their daily life, and finally what are the best ways or products we can use to help.

a) what are some symptoms of Huntington’s disease?

Huntington’s disease is a disease that is inherited from your family that causes the nerve cells in your brain to breakdown. It. has a very big impact on a persons ability to normally function with things like simple movement and thinking. There are endless symptoms that could result in Huntington’s disease because every person is different but some of the more common ones are, difficulty with speaking or swallowing, slow or abnormal movements in their eyes, unable to control jerking or squirming movements, problems with muscles, impaired posture and / or balance. The biggest and most common is one I already mentioned but I thought it his important to know that it is usually very difficult for them to control their impulse outbursts of movement or behaviour.

b) how do these symptoms affect someone in their daily life?

These symptoms have a ginormous impact of someones life. If they start to suffer from Huntington’s disease their whole world will be flipped upside down, they will begin to struggle with simple things that they used to do without even thinking. A few examples of this is is, using a TV remote, picking up a mug or cup, putting on a jacket or clothes, writing your name, etc. This also includes mandatory actions such as eating (picking up a utensil), drinking, and a big one is speaking. Since Huntington’s is something that affects the brain your speech is something that will  change throughout your personal journey of Huntington’s disease. it is. different for everyone. but usually the troubles of speech include, loss of words, confusion and just not being able to get their words out when they know what to say.

c) what are ways to help?

One of the main ways to help that I have seen constantly on all the websites is to just make sure the person who has Huntington’s knows that you are there and that you care for them. Also make sure they feel like they are still a person, that Huntington’s is not who they are and does not take dominance in their life. Another way to help is to educate yourself so you know how they are feeling. If you can understand what they are going through they will definitely feel more comfortable. Again make sure that you.let them know they are still a person because even though Huntington’s is more a physical disease there are also major metal affects. There isn’t really ways to actually help stop it from happening but you can just be there when they need you for whatever.

My sources :

“Huntington’s New South Wales.” Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Huntington’s Disease | Huntington’s NSW, www.huntingtonsnsw.org.au/information/hd-facts.

i, Author Details Victoria Tan × Victoria Tan, and Author Details. “Huntington’s Disease Symptoms – Communication Issues.” Huntington’s Disease News, huntingtonsdiseasenews.com/hd-symptoms-communication-problems/.

“Huntington’s Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 16 May 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20356117.

Liou, Stephanie. “My Friend Has Huntington’s Disease – How Can I Help?” HOPES Huntington’s Disease Information, 7 Sept. 2016, hopes.stanford.edu/my-friend-has-huntingtons-disease-how-can-i-help/.

How exploration helps:

This exploration made it a lot easier to see the big picture of this project, before I did this I think I didn’t really understand or see what Huntington’s really is.

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October 3

adaptive technology for Tim

1)

a. About a week ago my science nine class got to have a facetime call with Ted Mepham. Ted mephan is a man with huntigtons deseise, this deisese is a brain disorder that makes it difficult for someone to communicate, do most movements and limits many other things that a lot of us take for granted. Nicola Lodge, tims daughter was also present during the call. She helped tim communicate with us.

b. I think what interested me most was that tim for the most part is just a normal guy. He was super funny and kind. A lot of time we would directly ask him questions about his huntigtons deseise and he would act as if he didn’t have it or didn’t know what it was and just answer the question normally. I also loved being able to see his amazing art.

c. I felt super relieved after the call. I felt this way because I was expecting something way worse from tim. Tim had so much more movement and communication than I thought he would. I think if we met tim in real life I would be able to understand him very easily. Im glad that he is healthy and happy.

 

2)

a. When I was in class I was thinking about what could help tim in his daily life. Nicola brought up that tims main troubles everyday are getting up from the couch and using a normal remote. We were thinking about how we could make something simple that could help him. The one about standing up from the couch is a little complicated to make. However the one about the remote can be a simple fix. If we just make a few simple buttons it will make his life a whole lot easier.

b. As I said the remote is probably the one that I will persue. If we just make two to three buttons for volume, changing the channels and turning the tv on and off. This remote can make tims tv time easy and simple.

c. I think for the most part my peers and I can design and put together the remote. The only part that I would need help with is making it with the 3D printer. We would need to have a teacher help with that. Also maybe someone to help us figure out how to connect it to the tv.

 

3)

a. There was lots of other different type of simple remotes on amazon and google. Most of  them are a little bit more complicated than I would like but for the most part its good.

b. I would definiatly need to learn a little bit more about the technology in remotes and how it corresponds with the tvs.

c. I would need the 3D printer and whatever materiel is used to make the product. Probably a few wires and such but for the most part its pretty simple.

My steps:

  1. know my team and whos working on what.
  2. Mak eour plan and know how and when to do what
  3. Get our materiels
  4. Make it
  5. Test it out
  6. Finally give it to tim\

4)

a. my solution fluency process went well, I am happy with the results.

b.I think the quality of my post is moderate, I think if I was there for the full lesson I would’ve done well.

c. I could’ve improved on my research on the remote. I could’ve learned more and worked a little harder to find the technology.

Category: Science 9 | 4 Comments on adaptive technology for Tim