WEEK 7 - Topic 7: Hormones & Regulation, Discussing Test 1 paper & SUMMARY

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - WEEK 7

Hello readers,

This is the last post for my entries. We have covered the last sub unit topic which is hormones regulators and discussing exam paper for test 1. We do not have class on the first class for week 7 due to the bad haze and we got a day off on Tuesday. Week 7 is actually the last lecture we'll be having class with Prof Madya Dr. Parameswari.

Topic 7: Plants Hormones Regulation 

 

Based on my knowledgement before learning the hormones regulators topic, the most common hormones are auxin, cytokinins and ethyline. As I entered the lecture, a few more hormones that plant actually have which is abscisic acid act as inhibitory chemical compound that affects bud growth, seed and bud dormancy. 

  

  

Next, Gibberellin to initiate mobilization of storage materials in seeds during germination, cause elongation of stems, stimulate bolting in biennials stimulate pollen tube growth. 

So I think, for farmers or anybody who's taking agriculture course and decided to make agricultural as their main or side incomes can increase their crops production with good qualities by controlling their hormones production and nutrients. 

Next, our class had discussed the exam paper for test 1. My mark for test 1 is 7/10 percent. Im quite disappointed with the mark I got because the questions are actually easy and my target is to get an A's. However, I'm still grateful and have to accept it because that was the mark that I deserved based on my revision preparation. I noticed that I'm misunderstood the meaning of questions a lot especially the objective questions.

To be more familiar with the questions I need to do a lot of exercises and readings.

SUMMARY

I would like to thank my Cell and Development Biology's lecturer which is Prof Madya Dr. Parameswari because have taught us well with the syllabuses and also gave us extra knowledge outside of the box. Not only learning about sciences at all but we also got to learn on how to do comics, flyers and the most interesting part ever we got to handle big program which is Trainee Scientist Program for primary school student at standard five level. It's quite tough task and I'm willing to take the responsible because I think I will gain precious experiences while attracts the student's interest into science. This is also my first time doing the proposal of our planning and budgets about the program. I have learnt so many things just for seven weeks. Thank you.


Cheers,
Nurul Syafiqah Azhar, published on 221015, 1052am

WEEK 6 - Topic 6: Plant Cell & Totipotency and Topic 7: Pollination & Development of Plant Embryo

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - WEEK 6 

Hello readers, 

For this week entry, the first thing that we were asked to do is playing a game! What kind of game? Of course a game that related to cell division cycle. It was an exciting game and quite releasing my stress. As u enter to play the game, the first thing is it gave you a few descriptions with information about cell division cycle. The controlling cell division cycle is the CDK & cyclin partner. It's really anxious when i was been given 10 seconds to answer the question before the cell been destroyed. Other than that, I get some useful knowledge as well as i gained joyfulness while studying.

Topic 6: Plant Cell and Totipotency 

 

Honestly, my interest to study is more towards the animal & viruses compared to plants. Even until now i have no idea why i need to study about plant? Why is it important to my life? Then i remembered before this i have try to plant a few type of plants that never grown up. I curious why. I tried a few other ways to make the plants grow but nothing happened. What else did i do not do, did i wrongly do? What is the suitable condition and medium that needed for my plants? Why this plant grown up but why this plant died? When i asked my mom, same thing happened. I actually indirectly learnt about plants. Then i realized,

"Things that i hate the most is things that i needed the most." 

Why plant tissue culture is easy compared to animal cloning? 

http://www.answers.com/Q/Why_cloning_plant_is_easier_than_cloning_animals

This website has clearly make me understood that: 

"Plants are already adapted to either sexual or asexual reproduction (asexual reproduction in the case of plants is called vegetative propagation) and it is not unusual for plants to create clones of themselves, therefore it is not difficult to get this to happen in the laboratory, whereas animals are not adapted to asexual reproduction, and do not normally produce clones."

There are a few methods of tissue culture: 

• The picture's below is a concept map drawn by myself accourding to the lecture in the class about the tissue culture

In the lecture beside the notes given in the putrablast, it has been said that the plant that undergoes tissue culture is under tremendous stress. This is because they were force to form embryo to reproduce. Wow, plants also have pressure state. 

Topic 7: Pollination and Embryo Development 

Pollination is the topic that chosen by my Trainee Scientist Program's Group. Therefore, I'm going to relate this topic with our group's planning about the program. The video of pollination that posted on the putrablast was really useful as we make as a reference for us to build up our model of cross & self pollination and also pollinating agents involved. 


Cheers, 
Nurul Syafiqah Azhar, published on 201015,0600pm

WEEK 5 - FLYER ASSIGNMENT and Topic 5: Endosymbiosis + Test 1

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - WEEK 5 

Hello readers, 

At the end of topic 4, each group were needed to complete another group assignment which is making a flyer about most wanted or unwanted bacteria. My group have made an agreement to choose Lactobacillus Casei as our most wanted bacteria. 2 persons find the information, 1 person write information & draw figures and another 1 person colors the flyer. The picture's below is our group's flyer. 

 

Topic 5: Endosymbiotic Theory

Endosymbiosis in one of the interesting topic for this subject. It's about an evolution the origin of eukaryotic cells from prokaryotics. It stated that several organelles of eukaryotic originated symbiosis between separated single-cell organisms. 

The biochemical evidences are:

• mitochondria developed from proteobacteria (Rickettsiales)
• Chloroplast from cyanobacteria (nitrogen fixing filamentous) 

Before this I only learnt about the functions and structures of these organelles since my secondary school until my matriculation level. I never know how and why is it happened. Let me make this cleared. For example, what is the special characteristics of mitochondria or chloroplast (plastids)? 

Yes of course. it contain single circular DNA and replicate independently and do not contain introns & histones. This characteristic was same as prokaryotics characteristic while mitochondria is actually an eukaryotics organism. Have you all ever wondered how was it happened? 

From that moment, i just knew and realized that these two organelles had gone through evolutionary process which is endosymbiosis around 1.5 billions ago. From ancestral host cell to modern cell that contain mitochondria and chloroplast. Based on what I've learnt from the lecture, the name of mitochondria & chloroplast were not same as they entered the ancestral host cell which called aerobic bacterium & cyanobacterium. 

 

 

 

 

Four pictures above are the forum questions that we need to answered before the next class.

Cell Division Cycle

MITOSIS

MEIOSIS

The learning of division of cell cycle mitosis and meiosis is likely as my revision session because I think all the science stream student from the school have learnt about this cell division cycle. Some terms is common for us such as G1 phase, S phase, G2 phase and M phase. All cells do undergoes mitosis cell division cycle except the reproductive cells which undergoes meiosis. Therefore, when i was learning with Prof Madya Dr. Parameswari i have actually done recalling back my memories and knowledge about the cell division cycle. 

The next class we were having a test that covers topic 1 and 2. The questions are all easy but there's a few question that provided quite confusing answers especially the objective questions. Therefore for the preparation of the next test 2, i have to do more exercises answering questions to be more familiar with any kind of questions given. 

Cheers, 

Nurul Syafiqah Azhar-published on 181015;0600pm 

WEEK 4 - Topic 4: Cell Theory & Prokaryotes and Viruses, Prions & Viroids

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - WEEK 4 

Hello readers,

SCL ACTIVITY

Before the lecture for topic 4 is started, all the students have been doing the SCL activity that related to cell theory, scientists that contributed to the discovery and differences & similarities of prokaryotic and eukaryotic. We have to find the information by our own and discussed it in the class by groups. I think this is for generating the main idea of what we were going to learn for this topic to give us some clues by searching the information in our own research. I find out this was so helpful and i tends to understand it more after the lecture class. 



The sub units that I've learned in this topic are:
-Cell Theory and Prokaryotes
-Viruses
-Prions
-Viroids

Cell Theory and Prokaryotes

Three main ideas of Cell Theory

The biggest contribution to Cell Theory

The Cell Theory's timeline

Prions and Viroids are the new things that I've learnt. At first, I have no idea what prions and viroids are about. But all i know is there are all must be related to diseases causes. 
I really like this topic because it's related to human health. Most of people know variety of diseases but only just a few people know and conscious how and why our body can be infected.

Prions 

 Prion is actually an infectious protein (missed-folded protein) and it will form aggregated or clumped. Therefore this prion protein will not be degraded and caused it to resistance to proteases. So what do you all think the type of disease could be affected by this prion protein? 
The answers are Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases. 

One interesting fact that i love the most when i learnt this topic is the cure of the Alzheimer's disease. It's actually out of the syllabus but i earn extra knowledge from the lecture by Prof Madya Dr. Parameswari.

 Do you all ever known about a plant species called GINKGOBILOBA ? 

Yes, ginkgobiloba also known as Maidenhair Tree is the cure of the Alzheimer's disease which helps to slow down the Alzheimer's disease. It's mostly been used by the Chinese as traditional medicine. Ginkgobiloba sp. is actually the only one species that could survived and came from the dinosaur's era which is billion years ago. It's amazing fact right? 

Viroids

Referring to this helpful website: 

https://www.boundless.com/biology/textbooks/boundless-biology-textbook/viruses-21/prions-and-viroids-139/prions-and-viroids-558-11769/ 

  

Based on my previous knowledge from the lecture, viroids will only infected the plants. Human will not being infected and not harmful for health. Even though in our daily life we still eat the infected plant that caused by viroids. You never heard people get shrink because of eating the infected potatoes so far. But this infection will responsible for crop failures and the loss of millions of dollars in agricultural revenue each year.

Why is it happened? 

If you've been given choices, according to picture above which kind of potato that you will choose? Of course the biggest rounded potato is it? This will causes the left-over infectious potatoes will not being sold and caused a big loss for farmers. Therefore, even though this viroids infection will not harm our body people were finding the cure to prevent the loss of profits selling the potatoes. 

For my opinions, i think a lot of benefits we learned about all the causes of diseases. We can used our modern technology to create a new tools or treatment to prevent the diseases as well as to cure the diseases. 


Cheers, 
Nurul Syafiqah Azhar-published on 121015;0800pm 

WEEK 3 - Topic 2: History Of Life Part II and Topic 3: Classification

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL WEEK 3 

Hello readers, 

History of Life Part II 

This topic is likely to classify each living things in this world with their own specific characteristics. Sincerely, I've been learning this topic in my previous matriculation college which is under Biodiversity's chapter. I think the essences from this topic in my matriculation level is more profound compared to this course, Cell and Development Biology. So it's quite easy for me to learn about biodiversity because of the previous knowledge i have. 

However, speak on behalf of me it's hard to memorize all the divisions and classifications of living things with all the scientific name of organisms makes me even more confused sometimes. So, the lecture notes given in putrablast is easier for us to understand and good for students because of the various pictures provided. We were likely tends to remember for each division of living things easily. Moreover, in the class the itself also we were taught by using the concept map which is more effective to learn. 

Beside that, i also sometime refers to my lecture notes in previous matriculation college that appropriate to the university syllabus which provides the classification of kingdoms in box diagram. 

Furthermore, I have used the simplest acronyms to memorize the sequence of the kingdoms. 

    

There is some sub unit of the topic which is phylogenetics that is new for me. It is presented by cladogram. At first, i did not understand how was the derivation of each branch that called clade. So, i have to make my own research then I've go through a web and I clearly understood

http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/reading-a-phylogenetic-tree-the-meaningof-4195-6  

it has been stated that: 

"a diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms, or genes from a common ancestor. phylogenies are useful for organizing knowledge of biological diversity, for that occurred during evolution."   

Next for topic 3, the class have did the grouping activities including the SCL activity. Each of the group have to do the concept map of the Origin of Life and Classification. My group were actively discussed with each other and get into small conflict about the sequences origin of life. So, we have to make some research on the internet to convince the answers. Therefore, the picture's below shows the flow of the sequence of Origin of Life of my group.

 

Cheers, 

Nurul Syafiqah Azhar-published on 101015;0304pm 

WEEK 2 - COMIC ASSIGNMENT and Topic 1 : History of Life Part I

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - WEEK 2

Hello readers,

We've got an assignment which we were asked to make a comic related to natural selection. So my group decided to create a story of two populations white and black peppered moth living peacefully in same area. Unfortunately, population occurred where the factories had released too many of soot until the trees at the forest became sooty. The population of white peppered moth extremely decreasing due to the insufficient hiding place from the predators. This is because their appearance are too obvious and attractive for predators to catch them compared to the black peppered moth body which is closely and almost same color as the sooty trees.

The second topic of Cell and Development Biology is History of Life. This topic is divided into two division which are

1. History of Life - Part 1 
2. History of Life - Part 2 (Systematic, Taxonomic and Classification)

History of life - part 1

• Have you all imagine how life's form? 
• For the first time by referring to this topic, i'm so curious and think what is actually had happened billions years ago? 
• How was it happened? 
• What is the thing that induced it to happen? 
• How can earth finally turns out like now? How? Why? 

For the first part we had learnt about how did life begin which is the 'the origin of life'. The most important thing that i realized, not all we had naturally nowadays like Oxygen (O₂ gas) is already present itself on the early earth. It surprised me a lot. 

By looking the graph of time-line for the origin of life, i tried to relate it with human evolution theory from the first topic. At what duration of time did human exist actually? It also may took sufficient of time to evolve right? i think it is the biggest and hardest evolution. Ya at least I could know my ancestor's birthday roughly.

Overall based on what I've learnt, the life's begin from the molecules to cells.

                                                 INORGANIC MATERIALS

↓

 chemical evolution occurred 

- life can not survive

-earth is not condusive place for life

↓

ORGANIC MOLECULES

↓

biological evolution occurred  

-life comes out

-about 3.8 billion years ago

↓

LIFE

↓

natural selection and mutation occurred

↓

DIVERSITY 

It's not on the lecture notes but I've been told by Prof Madya Dr. Parameswari that it's took about 1.1 billion years for the chemical reaction the inorganic molecules to accumulate and react before the life started. It's already a sufficient time. 

Before this i'm curious how was the chemical evolution have been induced to occurred? Beside the theory of the fallen comets, it is actually about the prebiotics broth hypothesis that have been proved by Miller-Urey's experiment.

They found that micro molecules like simple amino acid monomers formed at the end of the reaction. Examples, monosaccharides and glycerol + fatty acid. 

CHEMICAL EVOLUTION (PREBIOTICS BROTH HYPOTHESIS)

INORGANIC MOLECULES

                  

         ↓                                   
MONOMERS ORGANIC – SIMPLE ORGANIC         

            ↓                                                              

POLYMERS ORGANIC

Moreover, i like the quite confusing and interesting question for this topic. 

"Can you all guess which came out first, RNA or DNA?"

By referring to this website; 

http://www.science-explained.com/theory/dna-rna-and-protein/ 

It's clearly stated that: 

RNA is synthesized from DNA strands and from a single RNA strand also can be formed DNA strands. Closely like question that never have the exactly true answer so far. 

"Which came out first, egg or chicken?" 

It's confusing right? Well, but between RNA and DNA it is actually RNA did came first in early earth. From the website Exploring Life's Origin;

http://exploringorigins.org/nucleicacids.html

  I find out that the reason is relevant and acceptable which is evolution. At the first beginning, RNA evolved to become DNA because DNA is more stable compared to RNA (not fittest to survive).  The replication of RNA also do not need the help of enzyme, it can be replicated by itself. While DNA replication need the help of enzyme. RNA is actually ribozymes. If DNA need the help of enzyme to replicate, it can be said that RNA must be existed first, right? However, it is sad to say I still couldn't find the answer for which came first either egg or chicken.

  Overall, I think this topic is much related to the first topic which evolution. Because most of the life have been through several stages or evolution. For example the essential part of living thing which is DNA. DNA itself have been through evolution.



Cheers,
Nurul Syafiqah Azhar-published on 260915;0841pm 

WEEK 1 - Topic 1: Evolution and Charles Darwin and Endlessly Forms Most beautiful

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL - week 1

Hello readers,

  One of the subjects i'm taking for my course is Cell and Development Biology. The first topic is Evolution and Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin is an English naturalist and geologist. He had proposed an evolutionary theory, the best distribution of him about evolution.

  At first, I have no idea the purposes on learning the evolutionary theory he had mentioned about and how it is related to this subject.

 For the first learning session, Prof Madya Dr. Parameswari had told us that try to put aside all the religious beliefs and learn this topic with scientific's thinking. This is because we are going to study on how this theory can be generated/developed and for the evidences he had found. Moreover, some other scientist such as Alfred Russel Wallace also have the same idea and conceptional about evolution as he do.

 He proposed and demonstrated:

All species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called 'natural selection'

  I have did some research to strengthen my understanding about evolution through the internet and website such as http://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html

It has been stated that:

"...Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection is not an idea with holes. It's one of the most solid theories in science."

  Furthermore, I've been amazed by watching the video that Dr. Parameswari asked usto watch which is "Endlessly Forms Most Beautiful". It is about a group of people from abroad university discussed the evolutionary theory some kind of the life story about Charles Darwin, his journey travels around the world at the ocean and successfully discovered many things related to evolution in details. I had learnt extra knowledge, got better comprehension and happily it 80% answered and demystifies my questions so far.I will state another 20% unsolved questions that is uncleared for me at the end of this entry.

  I think the most important part he mentioned is about natural selection. From my own understanding, natural selection is a process whereby an individual that have special inherited traits/characteristics that favorable to environment tends to survive compared to other living organisms.

For example: the issue of modern giraffe with long necks. 

Jean Baptiste Lamarck - french naturalist 

  Based on Lamarck's theory, environmental pressure causes body changes to survive. Long time ago, giraffes have short necks. But then this species evolved their long necks by each generation stretching further to get leaves in trees and this caused the body changes of the giraffes and then inherited. 

I also have did some research at http://natureinstitute.org/pub/ic/ic10/giraffe.htm 
It have been stated that: 

"....In Lamarck's view, we must imagine a situation in the past where the best food for browsing mammals was higher up in trees, the lower vegetation having been eaten by other animals. The ancestors of the giraffe—which we should imagine like antelopes or deer—needed to adapt their behavior to this changing environment. As Lamarck wrote, "variations in the environment induce changes in the needs, habits and modes of life of living beings ... these changes give rise to modifications or developments in their organs and the shape of their parts". So Lamarck imagined that over generations the habit of continually reaching for the higher browse produced in the giraffe's ancestors a lengthening of the legs and neck."

  However, Darwin then comes out with different idea that against Lamarck's theory. It is not because of the pressure of environment forces the body changes, but it is because of the mutation, variation and sexual selection.

But...

• Do the first creature of giraffe millions years ago is actually a giraffe with a short neck?

• Is there any strong evidence such as fossils of giraffe with short neck that could been proven the evolution is really occurred?  

• Or people were only have to just imagine and pretend that it is really was, as one way to understand and get a clear vision about evolution? 

• What if actually the giraffe is definitely created with those specific characteristics long necks, forelegs and polka dots body? 

• Why something is created with no reasons? Meaning to say why giraffe is created with short neck if long neck is suitable for them to survive? 

• We can see that there's no giraffes left nowadays with short neck as antelopes/deer. So I assume all the giraffes already and totally evolved with the inherited trait of long necks due to environmental adaptation. Compared to human evolution theory, there are humans and monkeys alive. Why not all the monkeys evolved over time to each generation transform and become a human? 

So refers to the concept/theory of humans evolution.

  Based on Charles Darwin theory, it could be said that the ancestors of human is monkey. So my very old grandparents from million years ago is animal. Well, it is disappointed and sad to know, pity with all the monkeys that do not evolved and can't live as well as humans do.

  He proposed about the natural selection theory whereby natural selection will favor to living organisms with special inherited traits that suitable to environment. If humans' characteristics are more favorable, why there were still monkeys alive on this earth? It also can be said that monkeys' characteristics are favorable to natural selection too, is it? 

  But yes, it is just only a theory, not a fact. It can be either true or false. In scientific's thinking it can be accepted by looking through all the strong evidences collected by Charles Darwin when he was travelling the world for two years at the ocean. For an example, the interesting story of finches in Galapagos Island. A disaster had happened on the island causes this species facing a problem of their basic needs which is food. Because of the different adaptation to new environment, some of them were evolved with different size/shape of beaks to keep surviving. 

SCIENTIFIC THINKING

  For help this to be cleared for learning process, I'm assuming that different areas have different adaptation to the environment. So no wonder this theory comes out in the case of human evolution. If two population of same species such as monkeys lives in different of areas (A & B), one of the population of monkey evolved to be human due to adaptation to the environment in area A while the another population were just fine and favorable to the environment in area B so it remains stay as monkey. So that is why there were still monkeys do not evolved. 

Prepared by, 

Nurul Syafiqah Azhar-published on 180915;0932pm