Unit 6 Reflection

        Unit 6 was all about the different aspects of biotech, including bioethics, what biotech is used for, and the technologies and equipment that are used in the field of biotech. Biotech involves using microorganisms to benefit humans. Genetic engineering is also a huge part of biotech. There are 4 main applications of biotechnology. For example, one application is agricultural, which would include things like genetically modified crops. Bioethics is also a part of biotechnology. Bioethics is determining what uses of the technology is moral or correct.

      This unit was generally easy for me to understand. The only concept that was slightly more confusing for me was recombinant DNA, but after going through it, I started to grasp the concept more. I think the labs we did this unit were much more successful and clean than the labs that we did last semester.
   

      For this unit, we did two labs in class and a virtual lab online. The virtual lab taught us about the process of gel electrophoresis, which we then did as an actual lab with the candy electrophoresis lab where we separated different candy dyes by size. The other lab we did was the pGLO lab. In this lab we transformed bacteria using a plasmid called pGLO, and we were able to grow bacteria that glowed under a blacklight. From the labs I learned that although the concepts and processes we learned in the vodcast may seem complicated, but they are not very difficult to execute even in a classroom setting.

       I am interested in learning about how the technologies we learned about are being used currently. I also would like to learn about what other technologies exist besides the ones that we learned about during this unit. 

      In my new years goals post I mentioned that I wanted to try and actually understand the topics we learn rather than blindly memorize them. I think I practiced that a lot during this unit, especially when learning about bioethics and having the world cafe discussions in class, as I actually formed opinions for myself, and the labs also really helped me understand the topics.

pGLO Lab

      Our transformed bacteria (with the pGLO plasmid) have resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin, and can glow under a UV light with the presence of arabinose. In the 100 uL of bacteria we used to spread on each plate, I estimate that there is a large number of individual bacteria like 50 million or even more. Since bacteria are very small and microscopic, a lot can fit into a very small amount of space. The arabinose in the plates acts as a trigger for the plasmid. According to the vodcast, the presence of arabinose triggers the GFP in the plasmid that makes the bacteria glow. 

      The protein GFP has many used and applications in applied science and research, and these are three according to livescience.com and addgene.org. The glowing protein can be used to track cells like cancer cells. It can also be used to track the spread and progress of an HIV infection. It can also be used to monitor gene expression, if it is put under the control of a specific promoter. Another application of genetic engineering is in the agriculture and food industry. Many of the foods we eat are genetically modified (GMO). For example, crops such as corn can be modified to be resistant to pests or diseases that usually affect the crops. 

Candy Electrophoresis Lab

      When we analyzed the results of our gel, there were a few minor differences between our dyes and the reference dyes. The reference dyes generally stayed in one clump and stayed in the same shape. Our own dyes dispersed and spread out a little bit more. Our red and yellow dye even left a bit of a trail as it moved forwards. None of the dyes moved in the wrong direction however, so I believe that they are all negatively charged.

      Out of the 4 dye structures that were pictured, I believe that Fast Green FCF is most similar to the dyes we examined in class. It seem to be negatively charged, as were the dyes we used in class, and all the rest of the dye structures pictured are not negatively charged.

       I believe that dog food manufactures put artificial food colors in dog foods as a marketing strategy. Since the owners want the best food for their dogs, they will most likely choose a dog food that looks more appealing, and one that has nice colors in it would look much better than the natural color of the food. Also in my own diet, I think a lot of the food that I eat has artificial food dye in it. I enjoy eating candy which usually has dye in it, and the snacks I sometimes eat, like chips, also are colored artificially.

      The distance that the dye traveled was controlled by different factors. The main factor is the size of the dye molecules and fragments. The smaller the size, the faster and farther the dye would go. The amount of time also contributed to how far the dye went. If we had left the electrophoresis machine on for longer, the dye would have traveled further. The electrical current flowing from negative to positive helped the dyes moved through the gel. The small holes in the electrophoresis gel allowed the dye to separate by size. The bigger the molecule, the longer it will take to get through the holes, which is why smaller molecules get through the gel faster.

      If we had DNA with molecular weights of 600, 1000, 2000, and 5000 daltons, I would expect the 600 and the 1000 molecules to go much further than the 2000, and especially the 5000. Because they have smaller weights, they can get through the gel much faster than the molecules with larger weights. 

New Years Goals

      This semester, I have the goal to get more sleep to help me perform better during the school day. I will do as much homework as possible during tutorial and lunch during the school day, so I will have less to do when I get home. I will also avoid procrastinating until the last minute, to save me more time in the long run. I will also limit the distractions I get while doing my homework,which are quite frequent, like putting my phone somewhere else so I am not tempted by text messages and social media notifications. I believe that if I do these things, I will wake up in the morning feeling more ready and have enough energy to focus at school. 

     In this class, I have the goal of learning and absorbing the information rather than just memorizing facts. I will do this by asking more questions to try and grasp concepts that I'm confused about. I will also listen more and think more during the vodcast rather than just trying to fill in the notes and. I will also devote more time to studying (not just before a test) as I usually take minimal time to study. I believe that if I achieve this goal, I will perform better on tests and quizzes, and I won't just forget everything by the time I reach AP Bio.