Nucleic Acids

Pictures:
1st slide (Nucleic Acids) photo is from:
http://instruct.westvalley.edu/svensson/CellsandGenes/10MolecularBiology.html
2nd slide (DNA) photo is from:
http://www.scq.ubc.ca/a-monks-flourishing-garden-the-basics-of-molecular-biology-explained/
3rd slide (RNA) photo is from: http://www.uic.edu/classes/phys/phys461/phys450/ANJUM04/

Properties of Water

A cool video I found about Properties of Water. Watch it!

A water droplet, something that looks so simple and basic, is actually quite complicated. It's a  combination of millions of molecules made up of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Water is extremely important and useful. Most organisms and cells are made up of water. Water also has its own unique properties.

This picture is from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Water_droplet_blue_bg03.jpg

One property is surface tension. Surface Tension is the tightness in water, due to polar molecules pulling on each other. Water tries to stay together, but the surface breaks when something penetrates it. 

The picture demonstrates surface tension, this bug can stand on water, because it weighs so little, and doesn't penetrate the water.

This picture is from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/03/sci_nat_enl_1060172019/html/1.stm

Another property of water is polarity. In water molecules, hydrogen atoms are slightly positive, while oxygen atoms are slightly negative. These two things combine to create polar molecules, which have different electrical charges, that create a powerful charge.

Density is a property of water. The density of water is 1.00g/ml. Anything that has a density less than water floats, and if the density is greater, it sinks. For example, if you dropped a rock and a woodchip in water, the rock would sink and the woodchip would float. The rock has a greater density than water, while the woodchips density is less than water.

Water is a Universal Solvent. Since water molecule’s are polar, it can dissolve almost everything, including gasses, liquids, and solids.

Capillary Action is another property of water. Capillary Action pulls water molecules up. An example of capillary action is how water is absorbed through the roots of trees and pulled up to the top of the tree and branches.

Picture is from http://depts.washington.edu/czone/images/trees_mem_planes.jpg

Another unique property of water is Adhesion and Cohesion. Cohesion is when something sticks to itself, for example water is cohesive because it always sticks to itself. Adhesion is when something sticks to something other than itself, for example oxygen atom is slightly negative while it has a bond with hydrogen, which is slightly positive.

Special heat is another property of water. Special heat is the amount of energy necessary to raise 1 gram of a substance 1 degree Celsius. It’s also a characteristic property. Water has a specific high heat because the molecules in the water are so tightly bound that it takes a lot of energy to break up. In the summer, it takes longer for water in the ocean to heat up than the sand at the beach, because sand has a lower specific heat.

pH level is a property of water.  pH level tells the acidity or how basic a substance is. Water for instance is neutral and has a pH level of 7. The range of pH is 0 to 14. The closer the pH level is to 0 the more acidic it is. The closer the pH level is to 14, the more basic it is. Organisms rely on their pH level, and without it, couldn’t survive. 

Biology Intro

I'm excited for Honors Biology, because I think what we are going to learn throughout the year will be extremely fascinating. I'm looking forward to learning about ancient species, evolution, and DNA. I think Honors Biology is going to be more interesting than IPS last year, because we are going to learn about more interesting topics around the world, from the past and in the future. I think technology will make our course more interesting and creative, because all of our assignments will be unique. For example, using the blog for homework will be more engaging to the whole class. Also, on the blog, you can post videos and links that classmates might find interesting or helpful. In conclusion, I'm really excited for the upcoming year in Honors Biology.