Writing in Biology

If JH suppresses critical weight transition while delaying metamorphosis, then the larvae growth period is longer, resulting in a larger size. The article describes that juvenile hormone controls the body size and delays the metamorphosis of the larva, causing it to be in the larva stage for longer. The control will be a vial with flies and no JH. The treatments will be the flies and the various JH concentrations: 0.1 μM, 1.0 μM, and 10 μM. Our hypothesis would be supported if the flies in the higher concentrations of JH are larger than the flies in the control group and groups of lower concentration. Our hypothesis would not be supported if the flies in the vial with higher concentrations of JH were the same size or smaller than those of the control group or lower concentrations.

The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is apart of the large mackerel shark species. The shark can be found in the surface waters of all of the major oceans. Known for their large size, females are 20ft, as opposed to males who are 11-13ft. A 2014 study stated that great white sharks can live 70 or more years. This makes the great white shark one of the longest-lived fish known to this day. The great white shark only has one natural predator, known as the killer whale. However, their altercations are extremely rare.

The partial pressure of oxygen moves via concentration gradient towards areas of lesser oxygen in the body. When a breath is inhaled, the partial pressure is at its highest. In mammilian systems, the lungs take oxygen via a universal pool of oxygen and other gasses. Oxygen is trasported into the bloodstream, where the partial pressure of oxygen is significantly lower than the partial pressure of oxygen found in the inhaled breath. This causes the oxygen to diffuse into the blood stream where it is transported throughout the body. Cells that are oxygen deprived pick up oxygen from red blood cells that will eventually return to the lungs. Therefore, the blood returning to the lungs have the least partial pressure of oxygen, and the blood leaving from the lungs will have a higher partial pressure. However, in mammilian systems, the exhaled air will have a greater partial pressure of oxygen compared to the oxygenated blood because most of the oxygen we inhale is not transferred efficiently into the system.

The cheetaur is a member of the order Carnivora, family Felidae, and genus Acinonyx. Acinonyx is a genus with only one extant member, the cheetah, and are cats that do not have retractable claws. Cheetaur is the common name for the Acinonyx equuasis. It is named similarly to the mythical centaur (half man, half horse) for its horse-like legs. Their defining features are their long legs and extremely reduced paws with one toe, hence the species name equuasis (“equus” horse). The cheetaur features a mesaxonic foot with a single toed, hairy paw and non retractable claw. The single claw is curved like a hook for better grip on prey. It’s frame is also larger than the standard cheetah. A cheetah stands at about 2.5 feet from the shoulder (Cheetah Facts, 2018). From shoulder to the ground, an adult cheetaur stands at 4 to 5 feet. With these adaptations, the cheetaur is able to run quite fast for longer. The trade offs for longer limbs and larger body mass is that it cannot reach 112 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour) like those in its genus. It is also not able to easily sneak on prey in areas where the grass is not tall enough. To help it blend in with the grass that is tall enough for coverage, cheetaurs (both male and female) are usually a shade of yellowish brown with dark spots.

Natural selection favors individual birds that achieve the greatest lifetime reproductive success. The investments of males and females in small sperm and large eggs, respectively, drive different options, including their mating opportunities and how best to invest in quality offspring. Most birds pair with a single male and both then raise the offspring together. Both parents are needed to provide adequate care for their young. Females strive to protect their investments in large, expensive eggs. Males must balance the options of mating with extra females against caring for their own young. Conversely, females can improve the quality of their offspring through extra-pair copulations with high-quality males. 

Mitra et al. did a nice experiment in which they antagonized the CAF phenotype of the three micro RNAs mentioned.  In CAFs, reversal of miR-31 and miR-214 downregulation and reversal of miR-155 upregulation caused reversion of CAFs to a normal phenotype.  Designing a treatment based off of these results seems like a logical plan.  We will use liposomal delivery to insert complementary miR-31 and miR-214 as well as a complementary strand to miR-155.  Fibroblast activated protein (FAP) and a-smooth muscle actin (aSMA) are two cell surface antigens of epithelial ovarian cancer CAFs (Mhawech-Fauceglia et. al).  We will engineer a liposome with monoclonal antibodies that can bind to these two cell surface antigens in order to target the CAFs.  

I took some emergen-c the other day because I was starting to feel sick. It has 1000 mg of vitamin c in it, the recommended daily dose is only 75 mg. So I started thinking isn’t 1000 mg a little bit of overkill and I’m pretty sure that it is. Vitamin c is water soluble and is easily washed out of the body. It is additionally easily washed out of the food we cook. So maybe the excess vitamin c is to make sure that the body gets all of it in it’s system. But then the question comes to mind of why the recommended daily dose is only at 75 mg. I am really curious as to how much vitamin c the body actually uses from intake versus what it gets rid of or is unable to use. I’m not convinced that emergen-c actually help your immune system, I think that a cup of orange juice would have the same effect. The cup of orange juice actually has over 75 mg of vitamin c in so you should be all set. I also saw that for smokers the vitamin c recommended dose is increased by 35 mg daily. I wonder if your body processing the smoke takes away from the vitamin c that your body needs.

Intermittent fasting(IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of both eating and fasting. The idea behind this plan is for individuals to essentially lose weight however, partnered with working out you will exceedingly begin to build muscle. IF is aimed for individuals to fast between 12-36 hours essentially lowering the amount of time your gut is actively breaking down molecules for energy. Studies have shown that intermittent fasting is a great way to lose and manage weight while providing a vast amount of health benefits. These benefits include; reduced risk of chronic heart conditions, improved brain health, reduced insulin resistance (which lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes) and reduced oxidative stress within your body. Although you are fasting for a majority of your day, individuals must ensure that they are receiving enough nutrients to nourish ones body. 

The diversity of organisms in soil is critical to all environments as these organisms play an important role in the cycling of ecosystem nutrients. Biodiversity within soil helps create a stable ecosystem by offering protection and regulation to these crops. However, it is not well understood the effects that pesticides and the management of orchards have on these living organisms. In this proposal, we aim to collect and analyze soil samples that will aid us in investigating the correlation between active and inactive orchards within 50 miles of Amherst, Massachusetts. Effectively gathering an even distribution sample of the different orchards and filtering out the living organisms from the soil are fundamental steps in beginning to evaluate the sample. The organisms extracted will be observed through a microscope and identified based on the number of species. While many chemical treatments are used for pest control in modern day farming, these pesticides could have threatening impacts to our ecosystem. These pesticides are not only killing off many of the essential living organisms, but could affect the longevity of these orchards. pose a threat to the health and safety of our ecosystem. 

Now that tracking has been done and clear information on life of the Mephitis scandere has been documented there is a better understanding on how they live. The species is also be referred to as the “Climbing skunk” and lives mostly in the trees of North American forests. The environment the species is used to has an average temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, with mild summers and winters reaching below freezing point.1 Temperatures stay consistent throughout the day and night due to the moist air that surrounds the forest. There is an average of 75 to 150 cm of rainfall every year with the most rain falling during the summer months.1 There are a variety of different trees that live in the biome that the “Climbing skunk” uses to navigate through the forest and shield itself from predators.