Writing in Biology

Recrystallization of trimyristin was processed twice and each melting point was recorded and observed. The tert-butyl methyl ether (3 mL) and nutmeg (1.000 g) were dissolved to obtain crude trimyristin that resulted in a 57.8% recovery yield (0.578 g). After the first recrystallization, ac x 30.2% recovery yield, based on the original amount of nutmeg, was collected. The melting point of the first recrystallization was 53-54 ℃, which is 2℃ under the theoretical melting point. Therefore, we can conclude from this that the product was relatively pure. After, a sample of trimyristin from the first recrystallization (0.167 g) was dissolved in a minimal amount of acetone in the second recrystallization in attempt to obtain a more pure product. A 49.1% recovery yield was attained from the second recrystallization. The corresponding melting point recorded was 54-55℃, which is only 1℃ below the theoretical melting point and reveals that the second recrystallized product is relatively pure.

          The first case study Pearce offers in Honduras was the one I found most disturbing. Berta Caceres an indigenous environmental activist who opposed dams, mines, and other development projects, was assassinated in her home in 2016 by armed intruders after years of threats to her life. It is believed that her murder was retaliation for her organizing against the Agua Zarca dam project on the Gualcarque River in village of Rio Blanco funded Desarrollos Energéticos SA. Associates of the energy company and special forces from the Honduran government are thought to be responsible. The idea of a government being so corrupt and beholden to private interests that they participate in the assassination of one of their own citizens is frightening and infuriating. Other activists had also faced violence, according to Pearce, including being shot at by government soldiers during protests and even attacked with a machete by pro-dam families who claim activists are hindering economic development. This situation and the situation in Israel in which soldiers callously interfere with Palestinians obtaining clean water were a saddening reminder of how commonplace state violence is around the world.

The design of the poster is visually appealing. Each section is enclosed by a box, making it very organized overall. The colors draw my attention but not so much that it is distracting. The headings are all blue and have the same font size and type. This adds to the organization of the poster. However, I also notice that under the some of the headings the text is bolded while the text under other headings is not. This detracts from the organization making it confusing to follow. The content of the poster is presented in a very succinct way. The bullet points make it more digestible to the readers. The figures are also clearly labeled and informative. The bold text in parts of each figure legend draw my eye to specific parts of it so I know where to look first. The tables are also nearly arranged in columns and provide a different way to represent data. Overall the poster is well constructed with only a few mishaps pertaining to design. 

Did humans or ideas evolve first? I personally think that you can’t have one without the other, and that they co-evolved in a mutualistic way. Susan Blackmore said in her Ted Talk that culture is an imitated behavior, and I believe that our genes give are responsible. But I also think many of our shared ideas and behaviors have the power to influence our genes. I think that toxic ideas can spread in a similar way to selfish genes, and that both harm individuals. The video about tide pods demonstrates that not all ideas progress to become better over time, but rather some evolve to become worse.

Quorum sensing is something that bacterial cells can use to communicate. The signals that the bacteria produce are N-acyl-homoserine lactones or AHLs. These signals can be received by the bacterial species or different bacterial species. There are two primary genes involved in quorum sensing. There is the I gene which codes for AHL synthase and the R gene which is a transcriptional regulator. AHL synthase, which the I gene codes for, is responsible for producing the AHL signal that other bacterial cells will be able to receive. The AHL binds to a receptor on a neighboring cell and a transcriptional response is activated, this is where the R gene begins to function. The R gene transcribes new DNA in response to the signal being received. For example the bacteria C. violaceum produces a purple pigmented antibiotic violacein, C. violaceum only produces this antibiotic after it has received a signal from a neighboring cell telling it to do so. Quorum sensing is vital for bacteria living in the environment to communicate with neighboring cells.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a significant increase in the diagnoses of autism. In 2000, one in every 150 children were diagnosed with Autism in the US. More recently, the numbers have increased drastically where one in every 59 children are diagnosed. The search for medical treatments has been ongoing. One promising avenue includes analysis of the gut microbiome. Recent research suggests that changes in normal gut microbiota may be responsible for a large range of diseases. This is specifically of interest for autism research because roughly 30-50% of people with autism have chronic gastrointestinal (GI) problems.

Quorum sensing is something that bacterial cells can use to communicate. The signals that the bacteria produce are N-acyl-homoserine lactones or AHLs. These signals can be received by the bacterial species or different bacterial species. There are two primary genes involved in quorum sensing. There is the I gene which codes for AHL synthase and the R gene which is a transcriptional regulator. Both of these genes are very unique and serve many functions. They both have two main functions though. AHL synthase, which the I gene codes for, is responsible for producing the AHL signal that other bacterial cells will be able to receive. The AHL binds to a receptor on a neighboring cell and a transcriptional response is activated, this is where the R gene begins to function. The R gene transcribes new DNA in response to the signal being received. For example the bacteria C. violaceum produces a purple pigmented antibiotic violacein, C. violaceum only produces this antibiotic after it has received a signal from a neighboring cell telling it to do so.

I found Pearce’s description of the conflicting hydrological requirements of dams interesting and the risks brought on by these contradictions to be interesting. That dams like those on the Yellow River need to both remain full enough to feed irrigation systems, provide urban water, and generate hydroelectricity, as well as maintain low enough to catch floodwaters while catching floods require them to maintain low water levels, despite the obvious incompatibility of those two goals, leads to potentially dangerous situations. Pearce described the Banqiao Dam disaster in the Henan Province in central China as an example of one such circumstance. The dam had been experiencing a typhoon that raised the water levels and became overwhelmed by the addition of water from an upstream dam burst, until it gave way to 400,000 acre feet of water forming a wave 7 miles wide and 20 feet high. The death total, excluding the aftermath, was nearly 26,000 people. Pearce states that over ten times more were killed by the ensuing chaos and famine. The descriptions of such a devastating incident, and the danger of such incidents happening again, was both compelling and deeply concerning.

I found Pearce’s description of the conflicting hydrological requirements of dams interesting and the risks brought on by these contradictions to be interesting. That dams like those on the Yellow River need to both remain full enough to feed irrigation systems, provide urban water, and generate hydroelectricity, as well as maintain low enough to catch floodwaters while catching floods require them to maintain low water levels, despite the obvious incompatibility of those two goals, leads to potentially dangerous situations. Pearce described the Banqiao Dam disaster in the Henan Province in central China as an example of one such circumstance. The dam had been experiencing a typhoon that raised the water levels and became overwhelmed by the addition of water from an upstream dam burst, until it gave way to 400,000 acre feet of water forming a wave 7 miles wide and 20 feet high. The death total, excluding the aftermath, was nearly 26,000 people. Pearce states that over ten times more were killed by the ensuing chaos and famine. The descriptions of such a devastating incident, and the danger of such incidents happening again, was both compelling and deeply concerning.

The new england aquarium just opened a new coral reef tank. It looks absolutely incredible. The reef is set to mimic an indo-pacific coral reef. It holds 9000 gallons of water and spans from the floor to the ceiling. Coral reefs have always been fascinating to me because of how diverse and colorful they are. I have been snorkeling over a reef once and was scared the entire time. I am scared very easily in the water, I just feel like I am too far out of my element. Anything that is in the water can move easily in it, except for things that don’t belong there, like me. I love how beautiful the ocean is and how unique all of the creatures that inhabit it are. The ocean is just too big of a jump for me to make, just knowing how easy it would be for anything in the ocean to cause harm to me. On a separate note I really want to see the coral reef at the aquarium. First because I doubt I will ever be able to a reef of this nature in real, and secondly because even if I did like swimming in the ocean reefs like these may be gone by the time I have the means to visit one.