Micro "Selfies"

For week two of our unit on Microscopes, Cells and Cell Transport, we are going to have a little contest.  Your challenge is to find the coolest electron microscope image and decide if it is from an scanning electron microscope or a transmission electron microscope.  Be sure to give the image URL and tell which type of microscope was used in taking the image.

Below is an image of a scanning electron microscope image of the head of a human flea taken by retired scientific photographer, Steve Gschmeisser.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/picture-galleries/7397841/Creepy-crawlies-Amazing-Scanning-Electron-Microscope-pictures-of-insects-and-spiders.html

Here is a transmission electron microscope image of a human liver cell taken by Dennis Kunkel.  He even offers electron microscope calendars...how cool is that.

http://www.denniskunkel.com/

I will keep track of the favorites.  Whoever posts the image first gets credit for finding the image and will get a vote for their image to win the prize.  Good luck.

Here is a link to the Cell LibGuide that Mrs. Nelson and I created.  It has some links to microscope images, but there are tons of cool images out there.  In order to get full credit, include the link, what the image is and if it is a SEM microscope picture or a TEM microscope picture.

http://d155.libguides.com/cell_structure_function

Sugar Sugar

November is National Diabetes Month.  When you think about it, National Diabetes month is nestled between Halloween (candy, sugar and treats...oh my) and the holiday season (hello cookies, pies and candy canes).  Even the month of November has Thanksgiving which is synonymous with over-eating and sitting on the couch to watch football.  This week in class we will be learning about the liver and pancreas and blood sugar homeostasis.  It is one of my most favorite cycles that we learn about in biology.

Over 8.3 percent of the population in the United States has diabetes.  This week I want you to "de-bunk" a diabetes myth.  Below, I have attached several links to sites that have information about diabetes, but there are a plethora of other valuable sources out there.  Feel free to find your own information, but make sure that it is scientifically reliable and legitimate.  Start your post with the site that you used and then explain the myth and why it is a myth.  Do you know anyone with diabetes?  Do they have type 1 or type 2 diabetes?  Why do you think type 2 diabetes is on the rise in the United States?  How can we reverse this trend?

American Diabetes Association

What is diabetes? What causes diabetes?

WebMD Diabetes Center

Mayo Clinic Diabetes Definition

CDC/Diabetes

Understanding Diabetes and Busting Myths

8 Diabetes Myths from A Healthier Michigan

All About That Frog

This is it...frog dissection week.  I thought it would be fun to have you interview your parents, guardians, siblings or even grandparents about their biology dissection experience.  Obviously, we will be dissecting frogs and here is a little "Rainbow Connection" to get your creative juices flowing.

Your blog this week will be a narrative about someone in your family's dissection lesson in high school biology.  Who did you interview?  How long ago was the dissection?  What did they dissect?  What did they like best?  What did they like least?  How well do they remember it?  Did they have a lab practical afterwards?  (You will!)  Commenting on someone else's post is optional this week.

Enzymes in the morning, Enzymes all through the night

This week we will start our new unit on Enzymes, Digestion and Nutrition.  It is one of my favorite units of the year.  First watch the following video.  It is only 4 minutes long.

In the video, there were several enzymes that were mentioned.  (Hint:  It might be important for you to know these enzymes for your quiz on Friday.)  Your blog post for this week is to research another enzyme.  With thousands of enzymes to choose from, this is not too difficult of an assignment.  Start your post with the website where you found your enzyme (it cannot be one of the enzymes mentioned in this video and try not repeat enzymes that have been chosen by other students).  Explain what the enzyme does, where it is found and why it is important.   Post early to avoid having to look at all of the other videos that students have chosen.