atquang's blog

GMOs stand for genetically modified organisms. Their DNA has been artificially modified to enhance effectiveness. Some of these effects include longer shelf life, taste, nutrients, the ability to withstand pesticides, and faster-growing plants and animals. They are mainly found in agriculture products and cattle. An explicit example of GMOs used is to fasten the growth and size of chickens. They are everywhere in grocery stores, and can even start from the birth of livestock. Monsanto is a major producer of pesticides and genetically modified crops, selling a package of farm products that have improved yields and cut down on some pest problems. But while that business has made the company popular with many farmers, a series of scandals have damaged its reputation with consumers. Monsanto is well-known to genetically modify their seeds and crops, create growth hormones forced on cattle; in addition, suing the farmers over patent infringement. These are the reasons Monsanto is an unethical company.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/06/04/why-monsanto-is-n...

https://entjournal.wordpress.com/2012/11/28/devil-in-disguise-the-unethi...

Today I went to my independent study for the first time, where I am supposed to work in a microbiology department on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for 3 hours total. My expectations for what a lab should look like was not very off. One thing I did not expect was how messy a lab should be. I understand that a lab can be messy sometimes, with notebooks left open and test tubes all over the place, but the lab I saw today had a very abstract look to it. It was messy but organized at the same time. For example, there are defined drawers to grab gloves, but nothing is labeled. Bottles are not organized in a neat manner, but they still remain on the shelf. The lab I work in is interested in the transfer of electrons to current harvesting electrodes by bacteria named Geobacter sulfurreducens. The bacteria must grow in solution without oxygen in them, so a mix of nitrogen and carbon dioxide is put together in a gas, and is left to bubble inside the water to remove the oxygen. The oxygen above the water level is also removed by spewing out the same gas afterward. This process takes 25 minutes to complete. An anaerobic solution allows for the bacteria to grow, which will then make electrons for which we can manipulate.

I woke up and brushed my teeth.

I greeted a floormate “Good morning.”

I got changed for school.

I decided what should or should not be in my backpack.

I walked to physics class.

On the way to class, I opened up Pokemon Go to swipe at Pokestops.I sat in physics class.

I got an email for a lab research opportunity during class

I walked to Morill to meet up with the professor and I was able to get the position.

I signed a paper to be able to take 1 credit from the lab as Independent Study.

I went to Worcester Dining Hall to eat.

I studied for my EMT test on Saturday while in Worcester until it was almost time to head for my next class.

I walked to genetics class.

I sat in genetics class.

I walked to the wrong room for my writing in biology class, but shortly got notified and found the right room.

I sat in my writing in biology class.

CATEGORIES:

WALKING

I walked to physics class.

I walked to Morill to meet up with the professor and I was able to get the position.

I walked to genetics class.

I walked to the wrong room for my writing in biology class, but shortly got notified and found the right room.

CLASS

I sat in physics class.

I sat in genetics class.

I sat in my writing in biology class.

PREPARING

I woke up and brushed my teeth.

I got changed for school.

I decided what should or should not be in my backpack.

I studied for my EMT test on Saturday while in Worcester until it was almost time to head for my next class.

MISCELLANEOUS

I greeted a floormate “Good morning.”

On the way to class, I opened up Pokemon Go to swipe at Pokestops.

I got an email for a lab research opportunity during class

I signed a paper to be able to take 1 credit from the lab as Independent Study.

I went to Worcester Dining Hall to eat.

TURN A CATEGORY INTO A PARAGRAPH:

    WALKING

    Walking is nothing more than a chore when trying to go from one place to the other. As a student, walking is the primary way of transportation. What feels worse is not knowing where to go when you are walking. Realizing you are walking the opposite direction of your destination makes you know your effort has gone down the drain. On the other hand, walking the same direction of your destination while knowing you haven’t made it to the end yet can feel less hopeless, as you can physically see progress being made each step of the way. It is hard for humans to continue to do something without seeing progress, but walking inhibits this. One special exception is when you are walking on a treadmill, in which you are going nowhere, and the only thing you know is that your heavy breathing is related to the extra burger you decided to eat for yesterday’s lunch. Walking with purpose is the key to gain motivation, whether it is to your academic classes, or to a job interview you have been excited for.

In the field of biology, understanding the field of genetics can unlock many great things for fields outside of science. An example can be understanding how DNA fingerprinting can be used to convict a criminal. These ideas are sometimes not well-received by the general public at first, but these small ideas can lead to something big. Mammalian cloning is a subject that allows us to dip our toes into what the rest of the world can do with cloning. Dolly the Sheep is the first mammal ever to be cloned. Now, we clone all sorts of animals for both experimental and sentimental reasons. By sentimental, I am referring to the cloning of pets. Modern cloning companies can clone pets after it has passed away. It probably brings up the question, what more can our modern scientists do? Human cloning is on the line, and it brings up a controversial idea of whether we should be doing so. According to NHGRI, no reliable scientific evidence has shown whether human embryos have been cloned.

In the field of biology, understanding the field of genetics can unlock many great things for fields outside of science. An example can be understanding how DNA fingerprinting can be used to convict a criminal. These ideas are sometimes not well-received by the general public at first, but these small ideas can lead to something big. Mammalian cloning is a subject that allows us to dip our toes into what the rest of the world can do with cloning. Dolly the Sheep is the first mammal to ever be cloned. Now, we clone all sorts of animals for both experimental and sentimental reasons. By sentimental, I am referring to the cloning of pets. There are companies that can clone your pet after it has passed away. It probably brings up the question, what more can our modern scientists do? Human cloning is on the line, and it brings up a debatable idea of whether we should be doing so. According to the NHGRI, no solid scientific evidence has been shown that human embryos have been cloned. Furthermore, the drawbacks of cloning are immense. Of 277 cloned embryos, only Dolly the Sheep was born. This does not touch the topic of modifying the genome itself! There has been a lot of drama around a scientist who used the CRISPR/CAS9 gene-editing system to make two twin babies who are supposedly HIV-immune. Although the scientist delivered data that shows he was successful, ethical repercussions are up in the air.

During my time in Genetics Lab, I found out about someone special. Her name is Tasha the boxer. This female boxer dog was the first canine to have its entire genome sequenced. What makes Tasha special is that its specific breed had little variation in its genome, which makes it a reliable reference genome sequence for public use all around the globe. Tasha has a brown coat with a white underside. The skin around the nose droops past the mouth, giving a bulldog-like look. Its nose and mouth are black. Her face is mainly white starting from the t-zone of the forehead and moves down the face, with a black perimeter around its facial extremities. It’s forehead and ears are brown. I’d imagine the dog is taller than knee-height, but shorter than the waist. Genomic sequencing of Tasha allows scientists to create a “blueprint for how complex traits [evolve] in all breeds of dogs.” Although dogs are less closely related to humans than other mammals, such as chimps, evolutionary biologists can test their hypothesis against Tasha’s reference genome to see how mammals had evolved. “Much of the non-coding DNA in dogs is the same as that in humans,” indicating there is more to what meets the eye.

https://www.nature.com/news/2005/051205/full/051205-6.html

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8430-boxer-is-first-dog-to-have-f...

It’s currently 2:36PM on a Sunday afternoon. This would be my second draft for this class. I plan to write about the events that happened Friday after class as well as Saturday morning. To start off, I met with my cousin at the campus pond to catch up on news and hang out. We talked for quite some time. I believe I left class around 4:00 and went to the activities fair that afternoon until 5:30. After meeting up with my cousin at the fair we went to the campus pond to talk for almost 2 hours, just sitting outside in the nice view while greeting friends that sometimes passed by. As someone who doesn’t go outside often, it felt nice to sit outside and do something different for once. We would occasionally have these talks through voice chat via Discord past midnight, but doing it face-to-face was different in a good way.

The day after was my EMT psychomotor (practical) exam, which took place at Ware High School. I was expected to pass 4 different stations, including resuscitation, medical and trauma patient assessment, spinal immobilization, and upper and lower extremity immobilization. At the end of the day, I was able to pass all 4 stations. I now have to complete a 2 hour and 15 minute written exam on 9/14. With this in mind, I should use my time to write drafts for this class not only to complete the assignment, but I could also use it as a tool to take away some stress, even if I don’t typically write about my feelings or stresses.

I understand that these drafts should typically be centered around a scientific topic, but I felt it may be easier to get a better feel of writing by starting out with what is on my mind. Writing descriptive and detailed observations can be easy to read, but I feel that there is emotion and a “sense of human” being left out when all we read is bullet points of observations over and over again. This idea of scientific writing in my head may be wrong, and if so, I hope Professor Brewer can answer that for me. Because this is my second draft, I hate that I cannot revise what I write, even though I see flaws as I write. I hope this idea of having things on paper versus revising on the spot solves itself as I get more used to writing. I will admit I am a student who typically does their writing assignments last minute. I hope I learn something new as I start a new routine of writing everyday.

This red stem connects three leaves; one points upwards while the two other leaves point left and right. It stands up as if it has a head with arms. While one side of it is bright green, the other side is a darker shade of green. The total size of the leaf is small enough to lay flat and stay within my palm. It is 7.8 centimeters in height and 6.6 centimeters in length. It somewhat has a serrated edge, but it is not rigid as a knife. There are visible signs of wilting (black/brown areas throughout the leaf), yet it seems to still breath on its own. One characteristic that separates the leaf from another individual is that it has two scratches that run throughout the top leaf. The scratch starts from the top center of the stem (about 2/3 up the leaf). It travels out towards the edge of the leaf but leaves 0.3 centimeters of space between the cut and the edge of the leaf. The second cut starts at the end of the previous cut and goes down towards the stem in a lightning bolt shape, stopping "1/3 way up the leaf." The signs of wilt were later identified as leaf miners. A little coat of white fur/wax surrounds both the leaves and the stem. The stem seems to have been through blunt trauma as if someone ripped it off rather than cut it. A bit of clear, viscous liquid oozes out the bottom of the stem. Is it calling for water? The darker side of the leaf seems to have a stronger odor coming off it than the other side. It reminds me of a jungle. The darker side of the stem also has visible lines where water travels throughout the plant (almost like veins). Close observation shows  tiny segments outlined by even smaller "veins" throughout the leaf. Although it does not look dangerous to digest, the signs of leaf miners refrain me from doing so (as well as the teacher's advice). The ink from my pen seems to stick onto the leaves thoroughly. I could probably write a whole sentence on it without it tearing.

This green stem has three leaves, one pointing north and two pointing left and right. It stands up as if it has a head with arms. While one side of it is bright green, the other side is more darkerin shade. There are visible signs of wilting (black/brown areas throughout the leaf) yet it seems to still breath on its own. A tiny coat of white fur/wax surrounds both the leaves and the stem. The stem seems to have been through blunt trauma, as if someoneripped it off rather than cut it. A bit of viscous clear liquid oozes out the bottom of the stem. Is it calling for water? The darker side of the leaf seems to have a stronger odor coming off it than the other side. It reminds me of a jungle. The darker side of the stem also has visible lines where water travels throughout the plant (almost like veins). If you look closely, there are tiny segments outlined by even smaller "veins" throughout the leaf. Although it does not look dangerous to digest, the signs of wilt refrain me from doing so (as well as the teacher's advice). my pen ink seems to stick onto the leaves easily. I could probably write a whole sentence on it without it tearing. Top to bottom it is 7.8 centimeters. Left to right it is 6.6 centimeters. one characterisitic that separates my leaf from someone else's is that it has one hole on the top leaf. The puncture is more like a scratch than a hole, cutting from the top 2/3 of the stem out to te edge of the leaf, but leaves 0.3 centimeters left until the edge of the leaf is reached. The cut is almost connected to another cut, going down towards the stem stopping at "the 1/3 way up the leaf" mark. This cut is more of a lightning bolt shape. I would draw a driagram oft he leaf but that isn't allowed. The stem has a reddish tint to it. The total size of the leaf is small enough to lay flat on my palm and be within the size of my palm. I suppose it somewhat has a serrated edge, but it is not rigid as a knife.