Monocot and Eudicots

For my last milestone paper I thought for the section 4 the most interesting to me was chapter 20 “Plant Anatomy and Growth.” It was interesting to me because as a child my grandparents use to take me on little adventures in the fall. We would drive up the side of Mingus Mountain on the back roads or in to would hike Oak Creek Canyon. We would stop periodically and I would pick the different color of leaves. My grandmother would help me press them in a book or we use them to decorate for Thanksgiving.

As a little girl I would always examine the leaves really closely and my grandfather would tell me about the leaves as much as he could to a little girl. When we did chapter it was really neat to actually get to hear other information than that of what my grandfather told me.  The section of monocot versus eudicot was most interesting. It’s interesting that the way the plant grows is all depending on the seed, root, stem, and vascular bundles.  I thought what was really interesting was that if the seed has one cotyledon then the plant will flower in multiples of three and if there are two cotyledon then the plant will flower in multiples of fours.

I found web site page called The Seed Site (theseedsite.co.uk/monocots) it has a graph that was very informative and interesting. It shows the differences between monocot and eudicot. It shows photographs of seed pods, different types of leaves, stems and roots on monocot and eudicot plants.

When we were learning about plants anatomy not only did it clarify the things I learned earlier in life but it was also interesting because most of my art work and photograph’s are of plants and landscape.  Now that I know a little more about how the flowers and leaves co-inside together and the way the vein’s form on differently on different types leaves it is helpful  be more accurate. 

  

Monocot and Eudicot flowers

For my third milestone paper in this section of class, the one subject that was most interesting to me was learning and listening to the stories and history about Charles Darwin. It was interesting to me because I really enjoy learning about history. I also think that his concepts about evolution were amazing for his time. He was very unconventional in his thinking, a true critical thinker.

The little bits of history that I really found interesting in learning about Charles Darwin were of his sensitive nature that prevented him from practicing medicine like his father wanted.  Instead of medicine he went to divinity school were his interest gave him a path to learn about biology and geography. Darwin’s back ground and interest gave him more of an opportunity to accept a position as a naturalist on the HMS Beagle. Joanne’s lecture in class about Darwin was really interesting because it was neat to hear little facts that we don’t normally hear about.  The part about Darwin becoming Captain Adam Sedgwick’s companion on the HMS Beagle all because the Captain didn’t like the solitude of being Captain of a ship. It was also interesting to learn about Darwin’s doubt about divinity because of his daughter’s death and his marriage to his cousin.

Darwin’s conclusion of evolution; that organisms are related to a common ancestry and that adaptation to different environments result in the variety can really be seen and explained in our world today. His studies of different species and environment s on the five year voyage of the Southern Hemisphere gave him the information to form this theory. Even though he wasn’t the first to realize that there was an explanation to the process of nature. The concept of evolution was pretty amazing to me given the time he was in.

I think that given the time and the technology Darwin and many other critical thinkers of that era they were far beyond their time. It is so amazing to know that because of people that have thought outside normal capacity that they have paved the way for others and the world we see today. Even though the religious view that all of nature was created by God is still a view that thrives today we can still see the theory of evolution.  

http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433 This site gave a little more information than what our text did.

Cited:

"Charles Darwin." 2012. The Biography Channel website. Nov 15 2012, 08:47 http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433

1.       I’m most proud of my coyote lab. It really gave me a chance to draw again. I really miss it.

2.       I think evolution was most understandable it’s more of a concept we see today.

3.       I still used my online sources to help me with some of the material.

4.       I still a little vague for me only because it’s a little difficult to balance all my classes and getting back to learning again.

5.       The material and tools that have been provided has been very helpful. Thank you!! 

Milestone Paper  #2

For my milestone I choose Mitosis the step in the division of a cell. I choose Mitosis is because it put the things I learned in the earlier chapters together.  It also made it interesting to me because it was where I could relate things in my own life.

Chapter 8 of our book definitely made things more vivid on how they were related to human life, from the food we eat, our pets and our families. Being mother it was much more interesting to see the dividing of animal cells and the distribution of DNA to each cell. Our cell drawing labs made more of a visual for me to see how living things really are at work all the time.  I was able to really understand how cancer could live so easily in our bodies and how our bodies have its own defense system.

                When I studied or read what I could I would look up things on line of course, I found a YouTube video that when right along with what we were learning about mitosis. I will share that with you. I also found an interactive web site called Cells Alive http://www.cellsalive.com/mitosis where you can control mitosis in a cell and really take it step by step in a real cell. This was very useful to fully understand what was happening in a cell as each phase went along.  Not only was this helpful to understand the process of which healthy cells divide after reading the chapter it helped me understand how fast cancer cells reproduce especially when cancer cells don’t undergo apoptosis.

                Because I was able to relate mitosis a little easier than the thing in the previous chapter I was able to understand it better. Mitosis was definitely more interesting to me and was able to really wrap my head around what was really going on in living things. I really enjoyed learning about this. I can say I truly understood the division of cells in plants as well as the human body.

Sources:

“Cells alive!” http://www.cellsalive.com/mitosis

1.       I really enjoyed working on the drawing of the cells activity. I was fun looking for the cells and “trying” to draw them out.

2.       I understand mitosis pretty good, better than I thought I would.

3.       I looked things up trying to find something that could explain the things that seemed a little complex to me where I could understand it.

4.       I felt most connected these last two chapters I think it’s all starting to make more sense as it goes on. I felt most distance more in the beginning of the semester than now.

5.       I’m not sure what could be offered more? I know the hands on things help me understand better and interacting with others makes it a little easier.

The YouTube video i found the was very perfect for mitosis!! 

Milestone Paper 1

DNA

It has been so very difficult to find something in biology that has been interesting. While doing a process of illumination it popped it to my head, the DNA Extraction Lab.  I think the reason why it is so interesting is because I was engaged in something that I have always wonder about and you also hear so much about it these days, and all the things that is done with such large amount of information form such a small thing.

            The reason why I thought the DNA lab was so interesting is because I didn’t think that you could actually see strands of DNA with the naked eye. I thought that we would have to look in a microscope to see anything.  It was very interesting to know that I actually extracted my own DNA in a little vile and could see it without a microscope.

            I found some pretty interesting things when looking for outside sources of information for DNA.  The one I thought was the most interesting was the YouTube video animation. It really gave me a clearer understanding on what DNA actually does in our bodies.  From how DNA makes exact copies to how six feet of DNA can fit in the nucleus!!

            Learning about DNA was so far the neatest things. . As things with this lab came together for me it made me realize how it was really give us a blue print of how we are made and what it’s real job was in our bodies not just to distinguish us from everyone else, but to make our bodies function all together from our organs to how our hair grows. It was very interesting to see the function of the DNA and how it is just a small part of the living world.

           

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UoKYGKxxMI&feature=player_embedded

http://www.fishforscience.com/genetics

Part 2

11.       I think the thing that I am most proud of so far is my lab note book. I really like how I put it together and was able to add my own little flare.

22.       I am able to understand more about cell and function.  That everything in our body is made up of these tiny little machines.

33.       I’m still in the learning process of what works for me now. I have tried to reread information and flashcards. Still trying to learn the system of my learning.

44.       I really enjoy interacting in the labs. Looking and things and the process. It was most helpful. I really felt like I was in another country when we were learning about molecules and how they are put together. The Molecule lab was like I was reading hieroglyphics.

55.       I not totally sure on what to do as far and trying to understand the material. I feel like I have questions but don’t totally know where. I hope that as I’m learning I can get a better grip on were to ask my questions. I think that being more hands on I am able to learn better. I feel like everything is moving a little fast in ways that I have trouble catching up.