Writing in Biology

A Chinese biophysics researcher, He Jiankui, performed germline editing via CRISPR-CAS9 on human embryos in order to make them resistant to HIV. The procedure was done without consent to the babies of course and without the permission from the government. The issue with germline editing is that the effects of the genetic mutation on future generations in not yet known. Should germline gene editing be approved for preventing HIV in humans without confident knowledge in the effect on future generations? In other words is the immediate benefit of germline gene editing worth the potential cost of future generations?

SNPs that Promethease categorizes as  “not set” are ones that have no distinct “good” or “bad” repute. One of these identified in this Promethease report is rs11803731(A;A), a SNP  which is associated with hair curliness. The genotype that is homozygous for the “T” allele is associated with curlier hair, whereas the homozygous “A” genotype is associated with straighter hair. This individual has the homozygous “A” genotype, which means that they likely have hair that is less curly and on the straighter side. rs11803731 is found on the Trichohyalin (TCHH) gene which, according to a study of Australians of European ancestry, accounts for an estimated 6% of the variance in hair morphology. The TCHH gene codes for trichohyalin, a protein that is highly expressed in hair follicles and the innermost layer of the hair shaft, as well as being detected in other places such as areas of the epidermis, in the hard palate, and in the nail matrix. Trichohyalin links the heads and tails of keratin chains and is therefore involved in the cross-linking of keratin intermediate filaments, overall contributing to the mechanical strength of the inner sheath of root follicles and other keratinized epithelial tissues.

The poster gives some information but also leaves some things out or does not give full explanations for details important to understanding the poster’s content. For example, an explanation of a “monochromatic interaction” is touched upon but not fully explained, or phrased in such a way so as to make it clear that the sentence in question is defining what a monochromatic interaction is. The figure legends also did not include quite enough information for a reader to fully understand what they were showing and what they illustrated about the topic of the poster. The objects included however were all of reasonably good quality, and contributed nicely to the overall appearance of the poster.

The poster is organized into roughly five section: Introduction, Results, Conclusion, References, and Acknowledgements. There is no Abstract or a defined Methods section, part of which seems to have been added to the end of the Introduction. The poster is fairly easy to follow, as all the text is congregated on the left side of the poster and the Figures referenced are either on the right side of the poster in line with the text that mentions them, or are integrated in the text where relevant. However the fact that all the brightly colored figures are separated from, and are yet in line with, the text makes the poster legible. For the most part the information is easy to find, however the section headings are vertically along the edge of the poster which makes figuring out where one section ends and another begins mildly challenging despite the bolded subheadings which attempt to differentiate between sections. Beyond the bolded subheadings there is no real emphasis on any other text. Each section is focused enough to give enough information about the topic, however there is some overlap in the sections, such as where there are some methods mentioned in the introduction. The writing is focused in short sections, none longer than a paragraph. Although the overall tone and style of language is appropriate for scientific writing, there are some grammatical and structural errors in the text, mostly noticeable in the way sentences are put together—the phrasing is often rather clunky in a hard-to-understand kind of way. The amount of text however is suitable for a poster, and it is not overly text-heavy.

In terms of design, the poster is neatly arranged, with a minimal color palette and layout that makes it easy to read and easy on the eyes. The left side of the poster is taken up the main chunk of text that is broken up by sub-headings and three graphs and and two tables, whereas the right side of the poster is almost entirely figures with the “References” and “Acknowledgements” sections at the bottom. There is consistency an intentionality behind the placement of all the objects and the way they are lined up. The only color besides gray and navy is in the figures on the right side of the poster, which have red, blue, green and lavender/pink elements. Both sections of Figure 4 have a gray background, whereas Figure 1 has a white background. Figures 2 and 3, which are integrated into the text on the left side of the poster have navy blue elements, while Tables 1 and 2—also integrated into the text—are in varying shades of light gray. The main title and the headings for each main section (Introduction, Results, and Conclusion) are white text on a medium-gray background, and the authors names and affiliations are black text on a light gray background. The text is a legible size and sans-serif font. The title is the largest, with the headings and subheadings that are slightly smaller. The title is in title case and the headings for the Introduction, Results, and Conclusion are all in uppercase only, while the subheadings are in a slightly different font and are bolded.

When a fat molecule is broken down, it is turned into acyl-CoA. The acyl-CoA is transported into the mitochondria and goes through beta-oxidation. The result of this process is acetyl-CoA, which can enter into the citric acid cycle (CAC). The acetyl-CoA is reduced and reduced electron carriers, ATP, and carbon dioxide are produed. The reduced electron carriers are used in oxidative phosporylation. They are passed down protiens builit into the inner mitochondrial membrane. This process creates a proton gradient in the inner membrane space. The protons flow through a protein, ATPsynthase, which produces ATP. 

Insecure adolescents may lack serotonin and as a result have trouble sleeping, have disturbed eating habits, and unpleasant moods. To help with these consequences, doctors may prescribe drugs that contain selective reuptake inhibitors to allow serotonin to linger longer in the synaptic cleft. This will prevent serotonin from being reabsorbed by the previous neuron and not being able to be transmitted to the next neuron. As a result, students could slowly become in a slightly better mood and state. Selective reuptake inhibitors are a possible solution for adolescents that have a hard time dealing with their imperfections and low self-esteem. The pituitary gland, also found in the brain, is responsible for the release of hormones and consequently, important during puberty.

In this lab benzoin was reduced with sodium borohydride, a reducing agent, to produce an alcohol. The starting materials were reacted using conditions specific to the reaction being performed and the target product was obtained in 35.19% yield. When an aldehyde or ketone is reacted with NaBH4, followed by an acidic-water workup, an alcohol is the product. The product was analyzed using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and by obtaining melting points. The spots on plate 1 indicate that the recrystallized product (spot B) only contained one component. The component’s rf value was found to be 0.43 that when compared to the spots found on B which have rf values of 0.87 and 0.91, is more polar. An alcohol is more polar than an alcohol or ketone, which indicated that the product was correctly obtained.

We will be comparing dietary style of bird species in relation to habitat type, and the effects these different habitats have upon beak shape and size. We will use the University of Massachusetts Amherst avian collection to collect data on bill length, depth, and width from preserved bird skins. We will use this collection because it will allow us to compare beak measurements of different species using a primary source of data. We will also use reliable ornithology research articles to find information on habitat types, behavior, and diet that will be used to compare bird species. The goal of this study is to analyze differences between beak size and shape, habitat and how they obtain their food. We aim to explore the proximate cause of distinct beak morphology of species by investigating the effects that different environmental pressures and/or dietary constraints have on the beak shape of birds. We seek to determine whether cohabiting species local to New England, as represented by specimens available from the UMass Amherst Ornithology collection, display trends of beak size and shape variation according to distinct dietary needs according to habitat, and analyze what that may mean in regards to how those species interact with one another and their shared ecosystem.

Cyclohexene was made through the dehydration synthesis of cyclohexanol, resulting in a percent yield of 34.88%. The identity of cyclohexene was confirmed using IR spectrometry. The peak at 2926.14 [1/cm] is the Csp3-H stretch. The peak at 3022.58 [1/cm] is the Csp2-H stretch. Gas chromatography was used to show the purity of the compound. There was only one line at 0.738, during the run. If there were more lines being produced that would mean there were more compounds in the solution. Since there was only one line, there was only one compound. When reacting bromine with cyclohexanes the solution turned orange after the first drop. Then after a few more drops the solution turned reddish-brownish. When reacting bromine with cyclohexene there was no change after many drops, the solution remained clear. When reacting potassium permanganate with cyclohexane there were two layers with cyclohexane on top.