jhussaini's blog

The purpose of this experiment is to assess the effect of caffeine on the development of sea urchins. The gametes of sea urchins were collected and added to different concentrations of caffeine. The rate of development was measured by the fraction of eggs fertilized and cleaved under a microscope over the span of 40 minutes at intervals of 10, 25, and 40 minutes. Results show that sea urchins treated with 0.25 mg of caffeine have faster development than the control. On the other hand, sea urchins treated with 0.5 mg of caffeine have slower development than the control. These results indicate that small amounts of caffeine increase the rate of development, however, excessive amounts of caffeine lower the rate of development.

            Patient 3 has Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. Patients with this disease have abnormal development of bone in parts of the body where bone is not typically present. The mode of inheritance is autosomal dominant. It is caused by a gene called ACVR1. The ACVR1 protein receptor is found in skeletal muscle and cartilage and regulates ossification. In this disease, the mutated ACVR1 protein is constitutively activated, which causes excessive proliferation of bone.

Patient 2 has Pierre Robin Syndrome, which is a disease that results in facial abnormalities. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. This disease is caused by rearrangements or deletions on the SOX9 gene or the KCNJ2 gene. SOX9 is a transcription factor that turns on other genes involved in skeletal development and embryogenesis. A mutation in this protein is one of the reasons for abnormal ossification. Mutations upstream or downstream of SOX9 can also cause Pierre Robin Syndrome. These mutations produce proteins that are unable to interact with MSX1, a transcription factor that controls formation of structures in the mouth. This causes a fixed jaw and other oral abnormalities characteristic of Pierre Robin Syndrome.

Patient 1 has Brachydactyly type A1, which causes the middle fingers of fingers and toes to be reduced or absent. Short stature and malformed epiphyses is also common in patients with this disease. Brachydactyly type A1 is usually caused by a mutation on the BDA1B gene or on the IHH (Indian Hedgehog gene). It is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. While there are different types of mutations on BDA1B or IHH that can lead to the disease, missense mutations on IHH are a common pathological cause. The mutant Hedgehog protein encoded by IHH is unable to bind to a receptor called Patched-1, which is responsible for differentiation. This mutation along with others on BDA1 and IHH have the potential to prevent cellular growth, condensation and differentiation, which can lead to abnormal bone development.

As a part of the Writing in Biology class at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in spring of 2019, I made a figure showing an interspecific interaction between moss and a tree. Using my methods, another student created a copy of my figure. 13 differences were found between the two photos. These differences were in terms of how the figures were photographed and how they were formatted. From these differences, I inferred that the species of tree is different in both figures, and that the trees were photographed at different locations. The differences also demonstrated that there are multiple ways to format the figures while still adhering to the method section guidelines.

Climate change has many consequences on marine life. Dr. Gobler and a team of researchers utilized data on changes in ocean temperature and growth of toxic algae in order to determine if there was a relationship. The two algae that were studied were Alexanderium Fundyense and Dinophysis Acuminate. At high concentrations, these algae are harmful and have the potential to cause diarrhetic, paralytic, and shell-fish poisoning illnesses. Gobler and his team of researchers focused on a three aspects of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB’s): duration, abundance, and distribution along the North Pacific and North Atlantic. Along the North Atlantic, they found that the annual growth rate of the two species of algae increased. They also found that the duration of the bloom season increased. Along the North Pacific, the trends were less pronounced, however, there was still a significant increase in the amount of algal blooms and duration of bloom season. This most likely occurred because the study was conducted from 1982 until present, and in that time period the Pacific showed less warming than the Atlantic. The findings of this study demonstrate that as ocean temperatures rise, there will be an increase in the intensity and duration of algal blooms.

The contents of the photos, specifically the tree and the background, are different in the two figures. The tree captured in figure 1 is thicker than the tree in figure 2. In addition, the tree in figure 1 is covered in moss. The tree in figure 2 does not have any moss on it. In figure 1, the tree has a rectangular black sign saying “Honey Locust,” whereas the tree in figure 2 does not have any sign on it. The surface of the tree in figure 1 is rough and uneven. The surface of the tree in figure 2 is more smooth in comparison. The background of both figures also differs. The Life Sciences Building appears larger in figure 2 than in figure 1. A gray fence lies behind the tree in figure 1, whereas in figure 2 there is no fence. All of the ground is covered with snow in figure 1. In contrast, the snow covers most of the ground but not all of it in figure 2. Both figures show another tree to the right of the interspecific interaction between the tree and moss. However, in figure 1 this tree to the right appears larger than the tree to the right in figure 2. The Integrated Science Building is present in both photos. But likewise, this building appears larger in figure 2 in comparison to figure 1. Overall there are 9 differences between the two figures in regards to the contents of the photos.

For this project, I simulated the processes of making a procedure that can be reproduced and following someone else’s procedure. I photographed an interaction between two species on the UMass campus. Then, I recorded a summary of my process of taking the pictures and making a multi-panel figure (see “Methods”). The purpose of my Methods section is to facilitate replication of my figure. Then, I find observational differences between the replicated and original figure (see “Results”). Finally, I analyze these observations and make inferences as to what caused them (see “Discussion”).

You brought up a good point that in some cases, believing the idea of free will is comforting, and in other scenarios, not so much. If no one believed in free will, parents would feel more responsible for their own children's faults. They would see no point in teaching them to be different. 

But if most people believed in free will, then it would be detrimental to people like drug addicts, students trying to learn, and just about anyone trying to better themselves. A drug addict would be able to justify their addiction by saying that he or she is not responsible for their own actions, that it's just because of genes. A student might fail a test and instead of developing a growth mindset to work hard and study for the next one, the student would accept their fate that they're not cut out to be smart. In both cases, the lack of free will would help people justify and accept their own actions. Since there is no incentive to change, they wouldn't even try. 

Whether or not there is free will, I think it's interesting to think about the psychological impact that such a belief system could have on everyone.