Critical Thinking CC
on Tag: #criticalthinkingcc
on Epigenetics-Biotechnology
on The first thing you may be wondering is, what is epigenetics, and to be honest I could go on and on because it’s such a complex subject. To explain it in its most basic form I would say it’s the study of outside effects on our genetics. You may not know this, but your genes are not set in stone when you are born. Take identical twins for example, even though they have the same genetic makeup, they can still be so different, but how? Well, depending on the environment, the nutrition and the people around them, they will develop certain habits which will translate into their genes. Another fun fact, since these habits can be written in genes, those genes can be passed down to their offspring. Therefore, if a mother has bad time management, it will most likely be somewhat passed down to her offspring.
There have been and will be many more advancements in the field of epigenetics. In my opinion, some of the greatest advancements so far have been discovering the role epigenetics have in exercising, inheritance, and how our nutrition can affect our epigenetics. Firstly, methyl groups, chemical tags attached to DNA strands, can prevent nearby genes from expressing what they are programmed to do. Exercising can reverse changes these chemical tags may make on DNA. Unfortunately, with this test, after three weeks of exercise, the methylation tags came back after two days of resting. Next, in a small Swedish town, genetic scientists analyzed 200 years of harvest records. They discovered that food availability and diet can affect how exact sperm cells are copied from the ages of nine to twelve in boys. Epigenetic inheritance can fluxgate through generations, unlike the genome, which takes many generations to change, epigenetics changes can happen quickly. The inheritance of epigenetics can also be passed down to children from things a parent has experienced, as well as changing from the current environment of an individual. Finally, scientists have found that the food an expectant mother eats not only affects their epigenetics, but their children’s as well. A diet that is low in methyl, the chemical tags, can decrease DNA methylation, which affects how genes are expressed. In bees, scientists have found that a larva destined to become a queen will be fed royal jelly, which is a substance that comes from the heads of worker bees. Scientists discovered that a specific gene called Dnmt3 in bees codes to silence the queen genes. Royal jelly turns off this gene, giving larva queenly behaviors and a larger abdomen for laying eggs. Because the queen bee is fed royal jelly, she will develop these traits, which are different than worker bees, who are otherwise genetically identical.
Epigenetics is a form of biotechnology that involves manipulating genes by turning them on or off based on the external factors that affect your lifestyle. This form of biotechnology is best used in the form of cancer treatments, which many scientists believe has changed the way we treat cancer. Cancer was thought to be purely a genetic disease; however, scientists have discovered that cancer is also caused by epigenetic matters. Epigenetic cancer treatments target the genes that have been turned off in cancer cells and instead of killing the cell, specific genes are reactivated, which leads to the cancer cell resetting itself back into a normal human cell. Epigenetics has revolutionized the way that cancer is being treated, as well as other neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia in the form of DNA methylation. DNA methylation is when methyl is added to genes and changes the way that genes express themselves, which changes the way that the brain functions and can help in the treatment of neurological disorders.
Epigenetics is a very new and complex subject which you could probably see from the past paragraphs, but the future is looking up for epigenetics. In this “Scholarly Resources for Learning and Research | Gale. https://www.gale.com/” it was shown that epigenetics could be one of the leading ways that we can help avoid mental disorders in children such as autism. Since epigenetics is all about the study of inheritance so what if we could alter what the offspring inherit. This of course wouldn’t fully cure them of everything, but it could heavily lessen their load. Since epigenetics is so new, most of the things I am talking about are very hypothetical, but bio engineering was all hypothetical when it was first introduced
The study of epigenetics has evolved significantly throughout the years and has changed the way we use biotechnology today. Gaining a better understanding of how epigenetics works has led scientists to many important discoveries, such as how the external environment affects the development of genes and future generations. Epigenetics has also changed the way certain diseases are treated, such as new cancer treatments which are less invasive and more effective than traditional treatments. Finally, as more advancements are made in the study of epigenetics, we are also getting closer to finding cures for mental disorders in children before they are born. As more research is done on epigenetics, we can be sure that the future can lead to breakthroughs that will drastically affect how we understand and implement epigenetics in our daily lives.
Bibliography:
Xi, Sigma. “Scholarly Resources for Learning and Research | Gale.” Gale in Context: Science , 2012, https://www.gale.com/.
Motevalizadeh Ardekani, Ali. “Role of Epigenetics in Biology and Human Diseases.” Iranian Biomedical Journal, Pasteur Institute, Nov. 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5075137/#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20major%20effects,to%20health%20and%20cancer%20patients.
Weinhold, Bob. “Epigenetics: The Science of Change.” Environmental Health Perspectives, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Mar. 2006, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1392256/.
Issa, Jean-Pierre. “Epigenetic Therapy.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 16 Oct. 2007, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/epigenetic-therapy/.
“Epigenetics and Inheritance.” Epigenetics and Inheritance, genetic science learning centre, 15 July 2013, Epigenetics & Inheritance (utah.edu)
“Nutrition and the Epigenome.” Nutrition and the Epigenome, 15 July 2013,
3D Data Visualization: Global Warming Bracelet
on Data:
Warming temperature of the Earth (in degrees Celsius)
1880s 13.73
1890s 13.75
1900s 13.74
1910s 13.72
1920s 13.83
1930s 13.96
1940s 14.04
1950s 13.98
1960s 13.99
1970s 14.00
1980s 14.18
1990s 14.31
2000s 14.51
2010s 14.73
Fossil Fuel increase (in terra-watt hours)
1880s-1910s >9,000 TWh
1940s 15,000 TWh
1950s-1960s 29,000 TWh
1970s 53,000 TWh
1990s-2000s 90,000 TWh
2010s 129,000 TWh
I chose to do this project on climate change and based it on the earth’s temperature because I know that we as people can do better to protect our planet. I did some research after finding a graph that showed the earth’s temperature over the last century and found that one of the main reasons for global warming was fossil fuel consumption. the earth naturally breaks down fossil fuels, but because humans are overusing these resources, the earth does not have time to recycle them properly, causing the earth’s temperature to increase. I found this very interesting, as I had never really known why climate change was happening, and I now know one of the many reasons. Something that I may have done differently would be using yarn or crocheting rather than a bracelet because it would be easier to see.
Critical Thinking
I can ask questions and consider options.
I needed to figure out a way to effectively showcase data in a 3D way, and I considered what I was interested in and capable of showing well. I decided to show global warming and what its main effect is and what the temperatures were. I considered using the effects of forest fires, but the data that was available to me was not sufficient, so I decided to use different data. I ended up using the increase of fossil fuels over the past century and displayed that data using beads. The colour that the bead is in shows the increase in fossil fuels, and how that has made the earth’s overall temperature warmer.
I can gather and combine new evidence with what I already know to develop reasoned conclusions, judgments, or plans.
When faced with the issue of having a bracelet that was too short, I was able to think outside the box and make every two rows of string five years, rather than 10 years resulting in a longer bracelet. I also used the data of fossil fuels over the past century and showed how they have increased over time, using beads knotted into the bracelet correlating with each year of the data. I used the knowledge that fossil fuels have been a major part of the earth’s warming and found that with an increase of fuels, the earth’s temperature also increased. I planned to show the years with the most increase by placing a bead in that row. Overall, I was able to successfully show the increase of earth’s temperature, and how fossil fuel increase had been the main effect of that.
English 10 Honours Core Competency Reflection
on Creative Writing Reflections
Thinking
How does the artifact you selected demonstrate strengths & growth in the thinking competencies? In what ways might you further develop your thinking competencies?
“I can” Statements
“I can develop a body of creative work over time in an area of interest or passion.” I was able to do this with my creative writing project, the first chapter of a novel. I was interested in creating a lead into a fantasy world, so that is what I did. I have found that the first chapters of books can sometimes over explain and over complicate the situation that the main character is in. I wanted something different, so that was what I created. It took some trial and error to create the correct balance of not over complicating and not making my work too simple. In the end, I was able to develop a piece of creative writing that I am proud of. I think that I was able to further my understanding of this competency because of my work in creative writing.
“I am flexible and open-minded; I can explain more than one perspective and consider implications.” I was able to do this during this course when we had our debate over whether ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ should be taught at school. I was on the opposite side that I supported, it should not be taught, and had to expand my thinking and step into a different pair of shoes to debate the side I was given. I was able to explain the perspective of a choice that I did not agree with and did so with confidence. I think that I was able to become more open-minded to considering different views, but I can work on being able to fully explain other’s perspectives of situations and opinions.
Critical Thinking
While doing this creative writing project, I was able to think critically about creativity, and what that means for me. My thoughts around creative writing have changed from when I started this project. Before, I often found myself thinking that creative writing was solely short stories and books. Throughout this project, I realized that creative writing means something different to everyone, whether that is short stories, poems, or even plays. Doing this creative writing project as also made me think more critically about my own creative process. While I can create an excellent, calming space for writing, I find that I can tend to force that creativity when I do not have a long time to work on something. This can cause me to become unproductive, as I am trying to force something. In the future, I will try to focus on if I am in the mood to do a large amount of writing, or just a small amount. This can help me to avoid a writers block and feel more motivated to create something that I am proud of.
Creative Thinking
My creative ideas come from experiences that I have had in the past, places that I have been, and the people around me. For example, the colors I chose for the title cover of my chapter are purposeful, as I thought back to when I was in Mexico, and movies I have seen that take place in Mexico. Common colors that I have seen are bright pinks, oranges, and blues. I have always gotten ideas for creative projects from my environment, and this class has only secured that. I have experienced writers block more than once, and it can be a difficult thing to overcome. One way that I tend to help deal with a block is stepping away from the project, whether that is for a few minutes, hours, or even days, if time allows it. I have found that stepping away from the project can help me to see my own idea from a different perspective. I overcome other obstacles, such as self-doubt, by taking a portion that I do not feel as good about and trying to take it in a different direction. I have found that this helps me to discover new ideas and feel more confident in myself and what I can create.
English Honours 9 Core Competency
on I can show critical thinking through my journal entries for group book talks on The Help by Kathryn Stockett. One thing that demonstrates my ability to think critically is needing to analyze each chapter that I read, as I needed to find different hidden or double meanings. I also showed critical thinking when I had to pick apart each character and figure out why they might have done what they did. Something that I can improve on is not looking into every little detail, as sometimes events do not happen for any specific reason, which I found happened every so often. One way that I can expand my critical thinking skills is by thinking about a different point of view when analyzing anything, whether it is an article or a novel.