Writing in Biology

Throughout the course of our existence the human race has been thought to be responsible for a staggering level of extinction events. However, through the means given to us by modern medicine, we now have the ability to save one individual breed of man’s best friend, the canis lineage, from a rapidly spreading retrovirus. Before a decision is made I believe that an intrinsic worth or value should be assigned to each breed that is determined by their practical use and popularity. From this value, we can then identify the most prefered breeds and then make a decision based on this value from a nation-wide voting system that is similar to the system used in presidential elections. After personally weighing the importance of the breed to mankind and their popularity I believe that the German Shepherd should be vaccinated against the retrovirus.

This experiment, which will be conducted on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, will aim to identify the differences in grass diversity relative to multiple variables. These variables include the pH of the soil, the amount of sunlight the area receives, the amount of foot traffic on the patch of grass, how close to a roadway the patch is, the elevation of the grass relative to its surroundings, the frequency that the grass is mowed, how long ago the grass was planted, and how close the grass is to a body of water. It is important to note that weeds will also be identified when determining species richness of an area. The results of these tests will allow us to see the way an urban environment like a college campus affects the diversity of the grass and weeds that grow on it.

Laplace’s law states that as the thickness of the wall increases, the overall tension decreases, while pressure remains the same. In regard to understanding cardiac function, this law is important because it allows us to see how the variable thickness of arteries, capillaries, and veins helps to keep the stress of normal blood pressure manageable for these vessels.

Oxygen and glucose are essential to all tissues in the body as tissues require oxygen and glucose to function. Brain and nervous tissues use a disproportionally high amount of oxygen. In fact while the brain makes up about 2% of a bodies weight, it consumes 20% of the oxygen and 50% of the glucose in the body. Because these tissues require more oxygen and glucose to function, and because brain cells contain no glucose stores, they are more sensitive to changes in oxygen and glucose levels. If there was a lack of glucose in the brain, the brain tissue would be forced to use ketones in its place.

An experiment to build from the results of this study is to use optogenetics in the same way except in other areas of the brain, not just the two areas in this study. Scientists could also do another experiment where they use a different method besides optogenetics and light-sensitive ion channels. They could just use gene disruption completely and let the genes do all the work with controlling the neurons. They could also do another experiment where they stimulate different types of neurons besides the medium spiny neurons but are still dopaminergic neurons. Another idea could be to use brains of different animals besides mice to see if they get similar or different results to this study. They could then gradually move on to using human brains if there are people who are willing to donate their brains to science.

In the article “Experimental evidence for a mismatch between insect emergence and waterfowl hatching under increased spring temperatures,” it states that insect emergence is mainly driven by temperature. This article shows that even changing a few degrees of temperature will affect whether insects will thrive or not. This information can be used to take into consideration the variation in temperature within both Morrill buildings and within the different floors.

There are two types of muscles smooth and striated. Smooth muscles are located in the digestive tract. Smooth muscles function by the pathway of the autonomic nervous system, which is the pathway from the brain that occurs involuntary. Striated muscles are broken down further as cardiac and skeletal. Cardiac muscles are also controlled by the autonomic nervous system and are located in the cardiovascular region of the body such as the heart. Skeletal muscles are the muscles that move bones around joints, moves eyes, they also help a person breather and produce speech such as the diaphragm. Unlike the cardiac and smooth muscles, skeletal muscles are controlled by the somatic nervous system.

There are two types of muscles smooth and striated. Smooth muscles are located in the digestive tract and are afferent. Smooth muscles are associated with the autonomic nervous system, which is the pathway from the brain that occurs involuntary. Striated muscles are broken down further as cardiac and skeletal. Cardiac muscles are also controlled by the autonomic nervous system and are located in the cardiovascular region of the body such as the heart. Skeletal muscles are the muscles that move bones around joints, moves eyes, they also help a person breather and produce speech such as the diaphragm. Unlike the cardiac and smooth muscles, skeletal muscles are controlled by the somatic nervous system.

For this particular scenario posed, I feel that the type of breed that should be saved and vaccinated is a German Shepherd. We all know German Shepherd's tplay a vast role in society today. Ranging from serving in the police force to army. In these particular situations they serve roles like detecting bombs or drugs present around the surrounding area. According to the American Kennel Club German shepherds when you first look at a German shepherd they are strong and well-musculated, who are attentive, and alert. According to American Kennel Club, “It is poised, but when the occasion demands, eager and alert; both fit and willing to serve in its capacity as companion, watchdog, blind leader, herding dog, or guardian, whichever the circumstances may demand.” [2] As one can see they have multiple roles in a person life and will serve each one with loyalty and confidence characteristics.   

The breed of dog that should be saved is a German Shepherd. The reasons behind this is because this particular breed is known to serve in the police force and army. According to the American Kennel Club German shepherds when you first look at a German shepherd they are strong and well-musculated, who are attentive, and alert. According to American Kennel Club, “It is poised, but when the occasion demands, eager and alert; both fit and willing to serve in its capacity as companion, watchdog, blind leader, herding dog, or guardian, whichever the circumstances may demand.” [2] As one can see they have multiple roles in a person life and will serve each one with loyalty and confidence characteristics.