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Figure 1. Red Eyed Tree Frog. Red Eyed Tree Frogs perch on flower buds when looking for prey. Insects that they hunt tend to fly near flowering buds allowing the perched Red Eyed Tree Frog to easily catch the passing insect. Red Eyed Tree Frogs that perch on budding flowers have exhibited a higher yield of captured prey. Photo by Ralph Earlandson avaliable at: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/9754481823_b0114636a1_z_d.jpg

(Matthew) Figure 1. Orangutan. An orangutan is a primate native to Indonesia and Malaysia. They can be found in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo. Their distinct trademark is their orange coat. Photo by Andi Fisher available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andi_fisher/10527407384/ Under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

(Alan) Figure 1. Orangutan. The orangutan is brushing its hair back to prevent it from getting into its eyes. Photo by Andi Fisher available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andi_fisher/10527407384/ Under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Figure 1: Volvox. Volvox are a chlorophytic green algae that live in freshwater environments. They form spherical colonies of up to 50,000 and diverged from unicellular ancestors approximately 200 million years ago. Photo by Specious Reasons, available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/28594931@N03/20108157326/

Figure 1: Dumbo octopus. Dumbo octopuses have large fins that resemble the ears of famed cartoon elephant Dumbo. The fins protrude from the mantle just above the eyes and are used for motility. Photo by NOAA Ocean Exploration & Research available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/oceanexplorergov/14142089822/in/photolist-... uunder CC BY-SA 2.0 license. 

Figure 1. Tardigrade. Tardigrades are microscopic segmented animals. Photo by AJC1 available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajc1/37884036601/ under CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

I am currently taking a biochemistry course. And I am just learning that there is way more to amino acids than I previously thought. I took cellular and molecular biology and we talked about how there were polar and nonpolar, hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids, etc. But I never knew how many different properties could go into changing amino acid structure and how that would ultimately change a protein's structure and function. When amino acids are in an acidic environment both alpha groups (amino and carboxyl) are deprotonated. When they are at a physiological pH of approximately 7 then only the amino group is protonated while the carboxyl group is still deprotonated. Then when amino acids are in a very basic environment both the amino and carboxyl groups are protonated. This will affect how these amino acids interact with one another and how they come together to form a structure. When these structures or chains of amino acids come together and fold up and join other folded up chains they function as proteins. But whether or not the protein is in a basic or an acidic environment affects how it’s monomers, the amino acids, are behaving. This is part of the reason why it is so crucial for your body to maintain a constant pH as to not interrupt or disturb the function of many different proteins.

    In organic chemistry, the concept of aromaticity is very important in determining the stability of a compound. In order to determine if a compound is aromatic, anti-aromatic, or non-aromatic (there is a difference between anti- and non-), the number of pi electrons must be determined. This can be done by  using 3 rules that follow a hierarchy system. This means that out of the three rules, if one rule applies compared to the other, one of the rules will override the other due to it having a higher priority. The three rules are as follows; if a carbon is bonded to a double bond, then it’s counted as 1 pi electron. If the carbon has a lone pair of electrons, it is counted as 2 pi electrons. If the the carbon as a positive charge, then it is counted as 0 pi electrons. The priority of the rules follow the order in which the rules were explained earlier. For example, if a carbon was bonded to a double bond but had a positive charge, that carbon would be counted as 1 pi electron instead of 0. When a compound demonstrates 4n + 2 (n=number of pi electrons) pi electrons, then the compound is aromatic. If the compound is antiaromatic, it will exhibit 4n pi electrons. Any other number of pi electrons means that the compound is non-aromatic. In terms of stability, aromatic compounds are the most stable, non-aromatic compounds are the second most, and antiaromatic compounds are the least stable.

The main function of the nervous and endocrine system is communication between tissues. The two systems work to complete that function in different ways. The nervous system acts fast to make localized responses, while the endocrine system is slow and makes global responses. The nervous system typicially responds to one area of the body. For example, skeletal muscle will react to a stimuli and imediately illicit a responses. The endocrine system releases hormones into the blood stream. They circulate the body and activate cells with receptors for that horomone. 

The invention of smartphones has led almost everyone to be constantly connected, whether that be through messaging or social media platforms. People have increasingly implemented time during the day to check applications on their phones to the point where it becomes instinctive. Moreover, there’s a constant desire to be involved in the lives of others and pressure to be in the know. The thought of not having a smartphone is no longer imaginable in today’s society as the age range of individuals with devices widened. Although phones have provided major facility and convenience to everyday life, they are unfortunately also a distraction for most. As for students, smartphones are being brought everyday and being continually checked at inappropriate times. For example, entire lectures or meals cannot be completed without checking their phones. A healthier way to continue the use of smartphones on a daily basis while lowering the distractions, is to set designated times during the day when one can check his or her device. These periods of time should not extend for over 30 minutes and should not be right before bed to avoid interference with sleep. Overall, even the slightest efforts to look up from one’s screen and admire the people and places around them is insightful.

Probability is the chance of an event occuring. In genetics, probability plays a significant role during crosses to predict outcomes. In class, students looked at an example where a female gray cat mates with a gray male cat. The black coat color is dominant over the gray coat color in the cross. The parents produce a gray female kitten in a litter of six kittens, what is the probability that there are three blacks kittens and three gray kittens? We know that the mother is black and she must be heterozygous because they produce a kitten that is gray. In order to find the probability of three black kittens and three gray kittens, we have to use the binomial expansion for n=6 and then the equation 20p3q3. Once all the values are plugged into the equation, the chi-square will calculate the goodness of fit. The null hypothesis can then be accepted or rejected based on the probability outcome.