Writing in Biology

In this lab cyclohexene was synthesized via E-1 elimination through the combination of cyclohexanol and phosphoric acid. It was purified via dehydration and this led to a percent yield of 49.9% . The products were identified as cyclohexene and water using infrared spectroscopy (IR) which is the analysis of infrared light interacting with a molecule and it measures absorption, emission, and reflection in a sample. The infrared spectroscopy did not produce clear peaks due to the fact that the sample was a mixture of water and cyclohexene, but the measured peaks were 3850.00, 2375.32, 1505.00, 650.50 Transmittance. This means that the water was not fully dehydrated because these numbers do not all match up with cyclohexene.

Cyclohexene was confirmed in the product via two chemical tests using bromine in dichloromethane and potassium permanganate.  In the bromine test, the reddish-orange bromine would change to colorless in the presence of an alkene, which was the result observed.  When the potassium permanganate was added it changed from purple to colorless with a dark brown precipitate of manganese dioxide, which indicated the presence of an alkene.  These tests were also performed on an alkene.  The bromine test resulted in a reddish-orange color because bromine does not react with alkanes.  The potassium permanganate test resulted in a purple color because there was no interaction with the alkane.  The infrared spectroscopy (IR) analysis showed two distinct peaks.  One peak at 3022.45 cm^-1 corresponds to sp²-hybridized carbons within the cyclohexane.  The second peak at 2912.51 cm^-1 corresponds to sp³-hybridized carbons within the cyclohexene.  According to the gas chromatography (GC) analysis there is only one lower point material at a retention time of 0.435 that contains 100% of the area indicating the product of cyclohexene is pure.  The amount of cyclohexanol still present in the product is insignificant since it did not appear in the GC analysis. Using a high-boiling component, such as toluene, to continue the distillation and eliminating more water from the product would result in higher present yield and more purity with the obtained product.

The authors studied microsatellite loci in the Afognak population and compared them to the parent population. Microsatellites were used because they have a high degree of polymorphism. Tissue samples of elk from Afognak island and Olympic Peninsula were conducted. The Olympic Peninsula is where the elk that were introduced to Afognak island originated from. DNA extraction, amplification and genotyping took place, fifteen specific microsatellites were chosen to represent the elk genome. The authors found that the two populations of Elk differed in both allele and genotype frequencies. Specifically 10 of 15 allele frequencies differed, and 11 of 15 genotype frequencies differed.  One specific loci exhibited excess heterozygosity in Afognak. Another loci exhibited a deficit in heterozygosity in the Olympic population. The inbreeding coefficient for the Afognak population was 0.019, and -0.006 for the founder population. Surprisingly, a genetic bottleneck in the Afognak population was not found.“Despite the demographic bottleneck, no evidence of a genetic bottleneck in the Afognak population was detected using a test for heterozygosity excess or mode shift of allele frequencies.”

With the addition of heat, cyclohexanol was catalyzed by 85% phosphoric acid using fractional distillation and gas chromatography. IR spectra and chemical tests of bromine in dichloromethane and potassium permanganate were then performed on the product to identify it. After the tests, it was concluded that it was cyclohexene, which was obtained at a 28.48% yield. The characterization methods used in this experiment were gas chromatography, IR spectra, and chemical tests of bromine in dichloromethane and potassium permanganate. The gas chromatography provides analysis and evidence of the purity of the cyclohexene in the obtained product. Since there was only one peak, only one product, 100% pure cyclohexene, was formed. Both results from the chemical tests conducted indicated the presence of an alkene. The first chemical test of bromine in dichloromethane yielded a colorless substance. The second chemical test of potassium permanganate yielded a brownish precipitate that eventually became clear. The color changes found in both test were a cause of the chemicals interacting with an alkene functional group, suggesting that the product is most likely cyclohexene.

The only person to notice my odd behavior and say something about it was the person who I was walking pace for pace next to. Lastly, in class we talked about different cultures and settings affecting our behavior. In the campus center, I did not get questioned by anyone when I walked pace for pace next to them. The reason is because the campus center is generally busy and there’s a lot of foot traffic, so walking next to people for long periods of time is normal. However, when the setting is changed to a quiet area, like the library when class is in session, a lot of foot traffic isn’t normal, and therefore, walking next to people for long periods of time is seen as a strange behavior. All in all, this experiment was interesting to conduct and it really shows how straying from the norm will cause people to automatically question and judge you as a person based on your behaviors.

Many things factor into the power of social norms to guide and restrict our behavior. In class we walked about social customs influencing our behavior. As stated before, there is an unspoken custom that strangers should not walk pace for pace next to each other. One person either has to speed up and go at a faster pace or slow down and go at a slower pace. Another thing we talked about in class was normative influence and avoiding punishment. In this case, I felt awkward when I walked next to people because they would later ask me if I was ok. This is not a harsh punishment, but being called out and assumed to be creepy, made me conform and say it was for a psychology project. In this experiment, I was able to adjust and get used to the norm violation because there wasn’t any group pressure like we talked about in class.

There is almost an unspoken rule that says people should not walk pace for pace next to a stranger. When people first noticed me, they would either stop or speed up to go at a different pace than me. However, when I adjusted my pace to theirs, they would question me. For this norm violation, other people did not notice me or say anything besides the person I was walking next to. Other people who were not involved in the experiment probably assumed that the person I was walking next to was my friend, which is a normal thing to do. Therefore, they did not question me or give me an odd look.

I realized the campus center was too crowded, so I started to walk near the library where there was less foot traffic. This norm was strange and awkward at first because after a while people would stop and ask me if I was ok. Also at times when I first started doing it, I naturally would walk a little slower or faster to go at a different pace. I assumed this natural responsive behavior was caused by the nature of my habits or conformities to the norm. However, after awhile I got used to it and it started becoming funny. At the beginning when people asked me if I was ok, I did have to justify my behavior saying it was for my psychology class. The reason why I did this was because I felt really awkward when confronted and did not want to come off as a creep. I think I felt awkward because walking next to people at the same pace for a while in a narrow sidewalk is not normal.

The norm I decided to violate was walking at the same pace as other people around campus. I walked around the campus center to start because it is a very crowded place and generally when people are walking, they either speed up or slow down to avoid walking right next to each other for long periods of time. When people walk next to each other they are either friends or there’s a lot of foot traffic. However, when there is not a lot of people around and you are a stranger, the circumstances change

Whales are known for their shear size, specifically the blue whale, becoming the largest animal on Earth growing to an average 82 feet and weighing a massive 300,000 pounds. Given their reputation for their size, one thinks that these large creatures must eat other large creatures to gain vast amounts of energy to keep up with their energy expenditure, however, it is quite the opposite. These large whales feed on krill, which are no more than 2 inches long. These large whales have evolved to have baleen, which are sheets of keratin which are used as a strainer. These whales suck in large portions of krill filled water into their oral cavity and use their tongue to push out all of the water, leaving the krill stuck in the baleen which they can then scoop and swallow. There are many hypothesis' on how baleen has come into play. Dental Filtration Hypothesis states that filter feeding evolved from dental cusps, similar to teeth with ripples, that would be used as a sort of strainer. Analogous to the crabeater seal. Medial Baleen Hypothesis states that the beginnings of baleen formed in middle of the mouth, going from the tip of the rostrum to the back, as opposed to on the dental row. Baleen would be more medial. Posterior Baleen Hypothesis states that the baleen formed towards the back of the mouth rather than starting at the tip of the rostrum. Suction Feeding Hypothesis states that they transitioned from a hunting style to a suction style feeding, gradually growing baleen to boost efficiency. However, it is still unclear which of these is the correct hypothesis as it is very difficult to gather information on these animals due to their large size, large range of habitat and their global protection.