My WorksSomething about me; I love science. I am in A.P. Biology, with chemistry next semester. I plan on taking A.P. Chemistry as a junior, then follow up with physics and anatomy as a senior. I want to someday have a well-paying job in the field of biochemistry, or be a geneticist, or a biologist, or something of the sort. Not only does science come naturally to me, but I find it all amazing and interesting.
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Biology: De-Extinction Essay
Science is an amazing. The thought of bringing back a species that is entirely gone is so unrealistic, but it seems we have made it entirely possible. Some scientists believe that through the process of putting an extinct animal’s DNA into a closely related live animal’s egg or nucleus, the extinct animal can be revived or birthed. Some scientists believe this is good. A lot of other’s think this process is bad. I believe this is a ridiculous scheme for a variety of reasons.
One of the reasons I think that extinct species should not be brought back is that whatever species are extinct must be extinct for a reason. Some species die from natural cause, going right along with the entire idea of natural selection. Some species aren’t meant to survive. Quite a few species have gone extinct due to our dumb human hands and guns. We have driven entire species to the brink of death or extinction. I don’t understand why scientists believe we need to make up for our mistakes by bringing them back. Some people will continue to poach these animals until they are extinct again (law or not). What we should do is instead of trying to make up for our mistakes, we should be trying to learn from them. For instance, we could try to not send an entire species into extinction.
Second, I think this is a waste of money. The amount of money (millions and millions of dollars) that will be put into these projects is insane. What is to become of that money if de-extinction is a failure? More debt and less success. We should have a powerful scientific force driving towards inventing a greenhouse-gas safe car or something that is necessary for our environment, not something that has the potential to waste a couple million dollars or become an invasive species, driving other species to extinction as well.
Last, this could lead to a waste of more life. Let’s take the bucardo for an example. Hunters originally sent them to extinction, but a couple scientists brought them back. 57 DNA strands were implanted into the closely related goat. Of those 57 implantations, seven animals became pregnant with a bucardo. Out of those seven pregnancies, only one was a successful birth. Yet, the baby bucardo died within ten minutes of it’s birth due to a malfunctioning body. This is a prime example of why the process of de-extinction is a pure waste of life and money.
These reasons along with several others of why I believe re-extinction should not be attempted. It is a waste of money, life, resources, and it is merely attempting to fight mother nature. That’s why I am so strongly against it.
One of the reasons I think that extinct species should not be brought back is that whatever species are extinct must be extinct for a reason. Some species die from natural cause, going right along with the entire idea of natural selection. Some species aren’t meant to survive. Quite a few species have gone extinct due to our dumb human hands and guns. We have driven entire species to the brink of death or extinction. I don’t understand why scientists believe we need to make up for our mistakes by bringing them back. Some people will continue to poach these animals until they are extinct again (law or not). What we should do is instead of trying to make up for our mistakes, we should be trying to learn from them. For instance, we could try to not send an entire species into extinction.
Second, I think this is a waste of money. The amount of money (millions and millions of dollars) that will be put into these projects is insane. What is to become of that money if de-extinction is a failure? More debt and less success. We should have a powerful scientific force driving towards inventing a greenhouse-gas safe car or something that is necessary for our environment, not something that has the potential to waste a couple million dollars or become an invasive species, driving other species to extinction as well.
Last, this could lead to a waste of more life. Let’s take the bucardo for an example. Hunters originally sent them to extinction, but a couple scientists brought them back. 57 DNA strands were implanted into the closely related goat. Of those 57 implantations, seven animals became pregnant with a bucardo. Out of those seven pregnancies, only one was a successful birth. Yet, the baby bucardo died within ten minutes of it’s birth due to a malfunctioning body. This is a prime example of why the process of de-extinction is a pure waste of life and money.
These reasons along with several others of why I believe re-extinction should not be attempted. It is a waste of money, life, resources, and it is merely attempting to fight mother nature. That’s why I am so strongly against it.
A.P. Biology: Protein Structure Essay
There are four different possible structures of a protein and 5 different ways a protein can bond.
The first, and simplest, level is the primary structure. Primary structures consist of a straight link of amino acids bonded by nucleotides.
Secondary structure is the next level. A protein is bent into an alpha helix or beta-pleated sheet here. This occurs through hydrogen bonding of an H of one amine on one amino acid to the O of a carboxyl group on a separate amino acid.
The third level is tertiary structure. This where one polypeptide’s R-groups interact through 4 different types of bonds; hydrogen bonds (between hydroxyl groups), disulfide bridges (covalently bonded sulfhydryl groups), hydrophobic interactions (between hydrocarbon and nonpolar areas), and ionic bonds (between charged R-groups). When a protein is in it’s third level, it is scrunched together tightly.
The final level of protein structure is the quaternary structure. This consists of two or more polypeptide chains linked by hydrogen bonds, disulfide bridges, hydrophobic interactions, and/or ionic bonds through R-groups. These polypeptide chains group to form a functional protein. The polypeptides can be in alpha helix form or beta pleated-sheet form.
The first, and simplest, level is the primary structure. Primary structures consist of a straight link of amino acids bonded by nucleotides.
Secondary structure is the next level. A protein is bent into an alpha helix or beta-pleated sheet here. This occurs through hydrogen bonding of an H of one amine on one amino acid to the O of a carboxyl group on a separate amino acid.
The third level is tertiary structure. This where one polypeptide’s R-groups interact through 4 different types of bonds; hydrogen bonds (between hydroxyl groups), disulfide bridges (covalently bonded sulfhydryl groups), hydrophobic interactions (between hydrocarbon and nonpolar areas), and ionic bonds (between charged R-groups). When a protein is in it’s third level, it is scrunched together tightly.
The final level of protein structure is the quaternary structure. This consists of two or more polypeptide chains linked by hydrogen bonds, disulfide bridges, hydrophobic interactions, and/or ionic bonds through R-groups. These polypeptide chains group to form a functional protein. The polypeptides can be in alpha helix form or beta pleated-sheet form.