You're Unique!

        Your unique, just like everybody else! Isn't that a great compliment? Makes you feel so... special. Well have you ever wondered what makes you special? The answer is, GENES! Genes are the things in your DNA that decides your physical traits. Like hair color, eye color, height, and other things. You get your genes from your parents. The passing down of genes from them to you is called heredity. 



     The study of genetics has been going on for a long time. A guy named Gregor Mendel started the whole craze in 1822! Long time right? Let's go back and talk with him to see what he learned! TIME TRAVEL TIME! 





Me: Hi Mr. Mendel! I'm Celine. Could you tell us a little about yourself?   


Mendel: Sure Celine! Hi everyone my name is Gregor Mendel! I was born in 1822 around Czechoslovakia. I was really smart as a kid so my parents wanted me to get a really good education. But, we didn't have the money for that. So I became a monk and a teacher instead. 


Me: Cool! And how did you make your scientific discovery? 


Mendel: Well, I love nature. And one day, while on a walk, I was wondering how plants keep the same traits. 


Me: I heard that your most recent experiment has been with pea plants. Could you tell us about that?  

Mendel: Sure! Well, I decide to take two different pea plants and cross-pollinated them. One was yellow and round and one was green and wrinkly. For some reason, the yellow dominated the green and the round dominated the wrinkly. This made me discover dominant and recessive genes. 


Me: Interesting! Wait... what are dominant and recessive genes?  

Mendel: A dominant gene is the gene that stands out. This is the more powerful gene and is more likely to show in the offspring. A recessive gene is the gene that has little or no affect. It's over powered by the dominant gene. It's still there, but it's hidden. 


Me: Oh okay! Well thank you for everything! Bye!  


Mendel: Good bye!


    

      Ok, now let's talk about something called a Punnet Square. A Punnet Square is a chart that shows or predicts all the possible gene combinations. It shows the dominant gene as a upper case letter and the recessive gene as a lower case letter. 




     There are a couple words you have to know when you're talking about genes. For example, you need to know the difference between phenotype and genotype. Genotype is the genetic makeup and phenotype is what the thing actually is. Also know that each gene has two traits, or alleles. Another difference you need to know, is the difference between homozygous and heterozygous. Homozygous means that it's the same trait. Like both dominant or both recessive. Heterozygous means that it's one dominant and one recessive. In plants, if it has heterozygoes genes, it's called a hybrid. 

I'm sorry, but I love this!! 

         
  


  




















     Well, that's all for this unique blog about the stuff everyone has! Couldn't get more special than that! Bye everyone! Science Fun:)

MUTTATIONS! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

    NO! NO GET AWAY FROM ME! I WANT TO LIVE! I WANT TO LIVE! AHHHHH! Oh sorry, I was dreaming that I was in The Hunger Games and then there were mutts chasing after me and I was gonna die and... wow that was terrifying! Thank god that was a dream...

Wouldn't you be scared if THIS was chasing YOU?!

     Well since we're talking about muttations, let's talk about mutations! DNA mutations are formed by DNA damage from environmental problems like ultraviolet light, nuclear radiation, or certain chemicals. Or they can be formed from mistakes in DNA replications. 

        There are three different kinds of mutations. And those are substitution, insertion, and deletion. Substitution is when you switch one base with another. Like changing an "A" to a "G".  Insertion is when you add extra base pairs into a new place in the DNA. Deletion is when a section of the DNA is lost or deleted. 

Substitution 

Insertion

Deletion     

       Now that we know about how it's formed. Let's learn about what it DOES to you. 

WARNING THE FOLLOWING WORDS WILL BE SAD.

Well, most things that have mutations, that same mutation will be passed onto their kids. But, not all will. The kinds that wont are called somatic mutations. The ones that do get passed on are called germ line mutations. Germ line mutation can have a different affects. It can have no big affect on it because it got fixed quickly with DNA repair. It can have a mild affect like making a cat's ears bend backwards slightly. Or, it can have a really big affect. They can cause them to have huge deformities or a disease. 




      Mutated animals/humans is pretty sad. They can have an extra limb or even a disease. Autism and sickle cell anemia are some genetic mutation related diseases. Sickle cell anemia is a blood disease that makes sickle cells instead of red blood cells. Sickle cells have something wrong in the hemoglobin, the stuff inside the cell. Sickle cells are crescent shaped and are sticky so they block up the passage way. Autism is a disorder that affects a person's communication skills. It's more common with kids between the ages of 3. 


      

      Before I leave you, here are some cool links. DNA MUTATIONS! SICKLE CELL ANEMIA! AUTISM! 
That's all for this blog! Bye guys! SURVIVE THE MUTTS! Science Fun:) 

It's The Most Terrible Time Of The Year

   The worst time of the year. It could only mean one thing... the science fair. UGH! I really don't like the science fair, as you guys might have already learned. Yea, not my favorite thing. Well, I guess I'll have to tell you about my experience this year. Let's get this over with!

My famous picture! :D 

      Last year, I thought I did good. I didn't win anything, but I don't care. I never do anyways! So this year, my goal is to pass and not suck. I eventually picked a topic. Man, it takes me forever to pick one! My question was, "How much does smell affect taste?" I chose this because I thought it would be fun! But, before I started, I had to do some research.

 

     Not that kind of research! I meant like how taste and smell are connected! Well after I did my research, I did my actual project! So I got some volunteers, (THEY VOLUNTEER!) made them taste food, and tell me what they think it was. The food was all edible, but it all wasn't the best of food. My volunteers had the funniest reactions to some of the foods! 




    Well after I did my experiment, I had to go into the long, boring, never-ending process that is making my poster board. Gosh it took me FOREVER to do it! That's one thing that I don't like about the science fair. I have to sacrifice my weekends to do it! Eventually I finished. More like the day before the science fair, but hey I finished it didn't I!


 

       Putting my project together was long, but it wasn't super hard. But when it was over, I was happy. So when the science fair came, I thought my poster was okay and thought that I did a good job. But mostly I was just glad it was over! Well, it wasn't technically over yet. I still had to present to the judges. But they were nice so it was cool! I was still nervous, though. And one of the judges never had nutella! The other judge and I were like, WHAT?! NUTELLA IS AWESOME! 


 

      So, I survived the science fair. Yay. Overall, I thought I did pretty good. I think I passed so I'm good. That's all for this blog. Bye! Science Fun:)


P.S. I actually won first place! I have no idea how though... apparently I did awesome. Well cool for me!  
 

Who Wants To Sound Smart?

             CELINE'S TUTORIAL ON SOUNDING SMART: 

Oh no! All your friends are sounding smart and you don't know how! Well, you've come to the right place! All you have to do, is say big words! Like this for example: deoxyribonucleic acid. Can you say that? Yay! Now you can smart with all you're friends! Just remember, it's deoxyribonucleic acid! 




     
         Now that you know a big word, don't you wanna know what it means? No? Well you'r gonna learn anyways! Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the thing tells you how you are. You remember how there are 46 chromosomes in your body? Well, there are about 50-100 genes in each chromosomes. And those genes are made up of DNA. The DNA contains little molecules that hold traits that you have. Like what color hair you have, how tall you are, your eye color, etc. 




      Although the structure of DNA looks complicated, it's actually not. It's made of four base pairs called nucleotides. Imagine a set of blocks with only four shapes, or an alphabet with only four letters. DNA is basically a long strand of these blocks or letters. Each nucleotide has a bound of sugar of which one side is attached to a phosphate group and the other side of it is attached to a nitrogenous group. The four letters of blocks we were talking about earlier are called adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). 


 

        The shape of DNA is pretty cool. It has two strands that hold the nucleotides in place. They twist together to form a double helix. Each nucleotide matches up with another one. Adenine with thymine and guanine with cytosine. These are called base pairs. They only go with each other. Because if you see a mismatch like adenine with cytosine, then you're going to have some kind of deformity or mutation. 


 

        Now since we know the structure, let's talk about how they replicate. First, the enzymes in the DNA makes the helix split up. Then, little protein enzymes cover the side of the DNA to keep it separate. A new strand is starting to form and it makes new nucleotides. After the DNA makes sure the base pairs match, they twist together and from a new DNA molecule! 


 

       This whole time, I've been talking how DNA is so extremely important. But actually, only 2% of DNA is really important. The other 98% is junk DNA. They aren't exactly useless, but that part of DNA isn't as important as the other parts. Scientists don't really know what that 2% does. It's just.. there! 





       So we all know DNA, but do we know RNA? RNA stand for ribonucleic acid. They both are really important but DNA just gets all the credit. Well first off, RNA has only one strand in its helix unlike DNA which has two strands. The DNA basically makes a list of all the genes and stuff the body needs and gives it to the RNA to take to different cells. Unlike DNA, RNA can leave the cell and travel around while DNA can never leave. Poor DNA, it's forever grounded!




       A lot of people love learning about DNA. They even got rewarded for their research! These people were Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, James Watson, and Francis Crick. They got Nobel Peace Prizes! Yay for them!! 





        Here are some cool links! Click here to learn about those scientists I mentioned.  Click here to learn about the structure of DNA.  Click here to learn about DNA and RNA.
Well that's all for this blog! Hope you guys learned a bunch of cool words that can make you sound smart! Bye! Science Fun:)
       
        

Random Social Studies Lesson!

   So, if you read my title, you know we are randomly going to have a social studies blog. If you didn't read my title, well now you know! Anyways, have you ever wanted something so bad that you would do whatever you can to get it? Well every African American during the mid 1900s did. As you guys know, we have a whole month dedicated to black history. It's called, you guessed it, Black History Month. One person who had a big role in the Civil Rights Movement was Medgar Evers. Isn't it that an awesome name?! Well this guy had a big impact on civil rights, even if you probably haven't heard about him. 

http://wagnerpedia.wagner.edu/images/f/f9/Medgar_evers.jpg

      

    Medgar Wiley Evers was born on July 2, 1925 in Mississippi. He went to the Alcorn College and was on the debate team, choir, track team, football team. He was even on the "Who's Who In American Colleges" list. He served in the army in World War II from 1943-1945, and when he came back he married Myrlie Beasley in 1951. "Going to the chapel and they're gonna get married." Afterwards, he got his Bachelor of Arts degree and he began supporting the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP! He also started boycotts against gas stations that wouldn't let Blacks use their bathrooms. Why would you WANT to though? I think they did them a favor. I hate gas station bathrooms! Anyways, he then worked as an insurance worker until 1954. 

http://face2face.si.edu/.a/6a00e550199efb883301310f34bf2d970c-800wi

     

    When Evers tried to apply to the University of Mississippi and got rejected, he knew it was because he was Black. However, this made Evers the first field secretary for the NAACP. Him and his wife then moved to Jackson, Mississippi to set up a NAACP office. He would find problems with Blacks and Whites and try to stop them. He also tried to get Blacks to vote. In the 1960s, he set up boycotts against some merchants which got a lot of attention from a lot of people. 

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ6gyAewKvp04wlbeRQxhtny0L5C7EybTe-wbFdIOIDQiT6xvO5lB_CsEq_

     He tried to send his friend to the University of Mississippi, and he got denied. This got the federal help he'd been wanting. With that help, he got his friend into the college. This was a big thing for civil rights and it made Evers super happy. He was a civil rights leader and he was trying to get equality for Blacks in Mississippi. 

http://www.squarebooks.com/files/squarebooks/MEDGAR_EVERS-_Mississippi_Martyr.jpg

     

    Sadly, not everyone was happy about Everes's success. A riot started and four people died. A lot of people grew to even hate Everes. Medgar Wiley Everes was assassinated on June 12, 1963. He was only 38. HE WAS SO YOUNG! He was coming back from work, when he was at the door to his house he was shot. His wife and kids rushed to his aid, but sadly they were too late. Both Blacks and Whites from all over the country came to his funeral. He was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery. 

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6biowrOfgCIm47gMKSEEWdOh0AJpOTD6k-Wa3zToCvJoWysBgrY5c6k16

     As I said at the beginning of the blog, it's Black History Month! And since it is, I went to the Atlanta History Museum yesterday. We learned about how people had to fight for slavery and to end slavery. This was called the Civil War. I learned that the Civil War was the bloodiest war and had the most deaths. Like if you added up all the deaths for the American Revolution, Spanish American War, War of 1812, World War I and II, Korean War, and the Vietnamese War, it would equal how many people died in the Civil War. 

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1864/june/battle.jpg

      

    Something I liked about going was that we got to pretend we were soldiers. We went through what life would be like for them. It was cool because we had a paper that had a person who actually fought in the Civil War. They gave us actual scenarios that they went through and we had an option of doing things. By the end of the acting thing, we would either die or live and be sane or insane. I died but I was sane! 

http://www.soldierstudies.org/images/webquest/civil%20war%20soldiers.jpg

        

    Well that was my random social studies blog! Hope you enjoyed!  Don't worry, my next blog will be science related! Bye! Science Fun:)

Life Is Life

       Life is life. Tables are tables. Paper is paper. Cells are cells. Oh hi there! I was just... actually I really don't know what I was doing. Well while I was saying random things, I said what we are going to be learning about. That's right we're gonna talk about paper tables! Just kidding we are going to be cell life, or the cell cycle. There are two major stages in the cell cycle. And they are mitosis and interphase. Mitosis has prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Interphase has G1, S, and G2 phases. 


       

     Before a cell can go through cell division, it needs to prepare itself by doubling everything it has. All that happens through interphase.  If you think about it, interphase is basically a copying machine! 



 

        Now on to mitosis. There are 4 main stages in mitosis, and they are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Prophase is the first stage in mitosis. During this stage, it packages DNA into chromosomes. Also, the spindle fibers go to different sides of the cell. 




       The next stage is metaphase. This is when the chromosomes line up in the center of the cell and the spindle fibers spread out to where  one chromosome in on one spindle fiber thread. So everything is exact. Talk about perfectionists! But, it has to be perfect or else the mitosis won't work. 





      The third phase is anaphase. In this phase, the spindle fibers pull the chromosomes apart and half of the chromosome (which is called the chromotid) is pulled to different sides of the cell. 




       The last stage of mitosis is called telophase. In telophase, the DNA spreads out and 2 nuclei are formed. That happens in both animal and plant cells. But there is one part in telophase that is different in a plant cell. In animal cells, the cell membrane pinches to form 2 new daughter cells. In plant cells, a new cell wall forms in between the 2 new daughter cells. So not much of a difference, but it's still a little!




      Now this part next part isn't part of mitosis, but it is part of cell division. Kinda like interphase. This part is called cytokinesis. Isn't that a cool word? Anyways, cytokinesis is the last part of cell division. In this part, the 2 different cell membranes form and the cells separate from each other. Now you have 2 new cells!! YAY!




    Here are some cool links! Click here to learn about mitosis and cytokinesis! Click here to learn about interphase! Click here for a mitosis animation!  
Well that's all for this blog! Bye everyone!! Science Fun:)

And Cue The Awesome Music...

      DU DU DU DUUUUUUU! Oh hey guys! I was just singing the end music for the trailer to this new movie called The Hunger Games. It's awesome and so are the books! I highly recommend it! So aside from awesome stuff, let's go to boring stuff. Just kidding! This stuff is cool too! Okay so today we are going to talk about moving cellular material. How do materials enter and leave a cell? 




       If you want to get into the cell, you're going to have to get past the cell membrane. There are two ways to do that. And those are passive and active transport. Passive transport is when stuff moves into the cell without using any energy. It just happens naturally. There are three different kinds of passive transport, and they are diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and osmosis. Diffusion is when molecules from a high concentrated area move to a low concentrated area. 




       Some molecules can't get through the cell membrane without a little help. Facilitated diffusion is when the molecule can't get through the cell membrane by itself, so it gets a little help. They go through these things called protein channels and that facilitates (helps) the molecule get through! And now you know how facilitated diffusion got it's name! 




     The last one is osmosis. Isn't that an awesome word? Anyway, osmosis is basically the same thing as diffusion except it deals with only water molecules. So this is the special one. Two important words to remember about osmosis is hypertonic and hypotonic. Hypertonic is when the solution has a higher concentration of solutes. Hypotonic is when the solution has a lower concetration of solutes. 




     Now it's time to talk about active transport!! When cells need to move materials in the opposite direction, against a concentration gradient, it needs energy. Pumps or protein are in the cell membrane and it helps the molecules get across. 







    Two words you want to remember is endocytosis and exocytosis. Now those are some cool words! That's what I love about science. It has such cool words and when you say them, they make you sound all smart. Anyways, endocytosis is when the cell takes in large particles by engulfing them. I don't know why, but englufing reminds me of someone eating a golf ball... weird. Anyways, exocytosis is the exact opposite. It's when the cell get's rid of the particles. 




     Here are some cool links! Click here to learn about passive transport. Click here to learn about active transport. Click here to learn about diffusion and osmosis.
    Well that's pretty much it! So out of this blog you got some new information about cells, and you got to learn some new words! Your welcome. Alright then bye! Science Fun:)