Writing in Biology

The Great Gatsby boasts a popular anachronistic music score. The film features songs that were constructed specifically for the film and pre-existing songs. The movie was underscored by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra who typically play retro-jazz music. Much of the music in the film is a fusion of jazz and hip-hop. The hip-hop music in the film is by popular artists that are still creating music today like Kanye West, Jay - Z, Beyoncé, and others. The music of the score is different than a lot of other film scores. The music does not confine itself to either jazz or hip-hop, which adds to the film's diegesis. By combining 1920s and modern elements both visually and sonically the film captivates the modern audience while also showcasing important aspects of the 1920s. 

After looking at the different aspects of the review article and research article given to us, it appears to me that review articles give a much more in depth account on a field of research while research articles are based on original, more specific research. The research article about jumping spiders was much shorter than the review article about spider-ant associations. It makes sense that an original research paper would be shorter than a review article that contains an extensive summary of all the work regarding a specific topic. The review article also had significantly more references than the research article. While both articles contained level one headings, only the review article contained level two headings. Furthermore, the review article numbered their level one and two headings while the research article only used words for their headings. I was surprised that the research article did not contain much data. On the other hand, the review article had tables to show information as well as photos. There were diagrams explaining the experiment, but did not show the results in tables or figures. The two articles both contain a lot of information for readers to absorb, but the presentation of the articles varies.

The Great Gatsby boasts a popular anachronistic music score. The film features songs that were constructed specifically for the film and songs that already existed. The movie was underscored by The Bryan Ferry Orchestra who typically play retro - jazz music. Much of the music in the film is a fusion of jazz and hip-hop. The hip-hop music in the film is by popular artists that are heard today like Kanye West, Jay - Z, Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, and others. The music of the score is different than a lot of other film scores. The music does not confine itself to either jazz or hip-hop, which adds to the film's diegesis. By combining 1920s and modern elements both visually and sonically the film captivates the modern audience while also showcasing important aspects of the 1920s. 

Computers are extremely new in the grand scheme of humankind, but their invention has completely changed the world. In 2015, it was found that more than 86 percent of Americans had a computer in their home ( /////) and this number continues to grow. Access to computers has changed education, the medical field, and the way that people socialize.   

            Throughout history, education has been something that many people did not have access to. This is still true today, but computers have decreased the number of people without access to an education. Many colleges now offer online classes, and some even offer online degrees. This allows people who cannot go to physical classes to still grow their knowledge. In addition to being able to access an education, they also allow students to gain knowledge at the tips of their fingers. With a quick internet search, students are able to access a huge database of information. This information can further be used in papers, experiments, and projects. Quick access to information like this is also important to others besides students, like people in the medical field. 

             Now that there is a general understanding of the symplesiomorphies of the vertebrates, it will now be easier to identify the characteristics that are unique to each family. To start, we will look at the Myxiniformes, also known as hagfish. Hagfish are unique in that they have remanence of Hemal arches which indicate a linkage to the vertebrates. However, this trait was lost in the species so while it is not actively in hagfish, the presence of the ancestral trait is what links them to the rest of the taxon. Aside from this, Hagfish have no paired fins, a slight caudal tail, a linear brain on a cartilaginous plate (brain case), and a protruding jaw used for tunneling and burrowing into food. Hagfish also have either 5 or 8 gill slits, there is no in between. These characteristics are unique to hagfish and are therefore referred to as apomorphic characteristics.

            Next, we will conclude by look at the apomorphic characteristics of Petromysontiformes. This too is a Latin name which can be loosely translated into “stone sucking fish” or as we call them, lampreys. Lampreys are one of the more unique vertebral fishes in that they were the first to develop a lateral line system. This system is used as a sensory mechanism to detect pressure changes in the water which could indicate the presence of a predator or prey. This system is now common in fishes but was first seen in the lamprey. Other characteristics of lampreys include, three eyes (two lateral and image forming, one dorsal), one dorsal nostril, seven gill slits, and a dorsal and tail fin. Like the hagfish, lampreys don’t have any bones or paired fins. However, lampreys do have the ability to survive in both marine and freshwater systems. Fishes with such capabilities are referred to as anadromous fish. Similar to the lateral line system, lampreys were the first to adopt this style of living.

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Two contradicting stereotypes were given to the Native Americans in the United States: bloodthirsty savages who attacked the white settlers or helpless victims who had their land and resources striped away from them. The two stereotypes are opposites, yet they possess the same stereotypical image. Native Americans are thought be be wearing feathers, braids, beads and holding spears. Modern Indians do not wear that apparel in this era, therefore society has a preconceived idea that they are no longer present in America. This idea is not true due to the large amount of Native American populations and land that still exists. Native Americans blend in with contemporary society.

Native Americans are not aknowledged by most of the nation due to the fact that their history and culture do not fit into the “Master Narrative”. The “Master Narrative” is the idea that all Americans have one single experience. This experience is a success story of our nation’s growth, based on unity, liberty and equality (Calloway 2-3). Native American history did not follow the typical American experience of accomplishment and therefore was ignored by many historians and Americans to this day. Native American history included hardship, resistance, and tragedy. Most Native American history is not accurate because it has been documented by non-Native Americans. The biased opinions skewed the truth behind the Native Americans beliefs, intentions, and actions in the past. This created a misconception across the nation and has shaped many of the stereotypes seen to this day.

        To identify differences across families, it is important to have a general idea of the ancestral characteristics that each family share. For example, Myxiniformes, Petromysontiformes, and the rest of the vertebrates all have a braincase, neural crest cells, a tripartite brain and cranial nerves. They also each have an inner ear with at least one semicircular duct, an optic tectum, a muscularized gut tube, and respiratory gills with hemoglobin. Other shared characteristics include a pituitary gland that is divided into an adenohypophysis and a neurohypophysis portion as well as the use of water for respiration and feeding behaviors. These shared ancestral characteristics that are carried out throughout a taxon are referred to as symplesiomorphies.

            When looking back to the phylogenetic tree from which all species stem from, one of the groups that is often over looked is the Cyclostomata. This group is one of the earliest members of the vertebrates who’s name literally translates to “circle mouth” thus referring to their circular jaws. This group breaks down further into two families, Myxiniformes (hagfish) and Petromysontiformes (lampreys). This passage will serve to discuss the similarities and differences between Myxiniformes, Petromysontiformes, and the rest of the vertebrates.

            To start, it is important to have a general idea of the ancestral characteristics that each family share. For example, all three of the above families have a braincase, neural crest cells, a tripartite brain and cranial nerves. They also have an inner ear with at least one semicircular duct, and optic tectum, a muscularized gut tube, and respiratory gills with hemoglobin. These shared ancestral characteristics are referred to as symplesiomorphies and can be seen in every vertebrate living today.

I would be ecstatic if I had the opportunity to meet with you in order to talk about potentially joining one of your research labs. I am particularly interested in your research about intrinsically disordered proteins and furthermore, its effects on the humans. Yet, I would be more than willing to even shadow another available lab in order to gain experience and learn as much as I can about abnormal protein behavior, fibril growth, or coupling mechanisms of protein channels.

Your advanced research on intrinsically disordered proteins is what captivated me. The contradiction between whether disordered proteins create diversity or disrupt normal protein function and the ambiguity on how they physically interact within the cell intrigues me. I would genuinely love to learn more about this topic and IDPs outcome on the human genome. I believe I would contribute beneficial time to the research and hope learn about not only the topic itself, but new techniques and methodologies I may be introduced to along the way.