Adv Science

Summary:  During this week, I completed the Peppered Moths guided notes, where we had to study the lives of the peppered moths ( biston betularia ) and find out why they've become the prime example of natural selection. To be honest, I'd already known a little bit about peppered moths, such as their genus and coloring, so really, there wasn't anything new for me to learn, except that the first time that someone saw a dark-colored peppered moth was in 1848, when a scientist named RS Edleston wrote it down in his journal. SP1: Asking questions and defining problems.  I asked questions when we were completing our Peppered Moths Guided Notes such as, "When the trees became polluted, did the peppered moths' color change because of how dark the trees were?", "Who came up with the idea that peppered moths were an example of natural selection?", and "What do the larvae of the moths eat?"  Image Link:  Peppered Moths Comparison (Dark

Summary:  During this week, I completed the Natural Selection Guided Notes. I learned that Charles Darwin discovered natural selection through his journey to South America to study finches. I also learned that natural selection happens very randomly and that only the organisms with the most beneficial traits will survive. SP1: Asking questions and defining problems.  I asked scientific questions when we were completing our Natural Selection Guided Notes such as, "How could mutations create information in living beings?" and "Do mutations that provide resistance to diseases, poisons, etc. prove evolution?"  Image Link:  Evolution - Skeleton Arms

Summary:  During this week, my class did two labs--one was on mutations and the other was on natural selection. While completing this labs, I learned that a mutation is a change in DNA and that harmful mutations are called "lethals".  SP1: Asking questions and defining problems.  I asked scientific questions when we were completing the lab such as, "Would it be possible for one breed to have a special mutation, inter-breed with another and then pass on that mutation, or would it be a recessive gene, with the  chances of being passed on to the offspring being very low?" Image Link:  Evolution (Berkeley Picture)

Geologic Time - Project Blog Post Summary:  This project was when we had to research different eras of the Geologic Time Scale (GTS) and create an interactive product that teaches others about the eras. There was really no limit to how interactive it was or how it was done, just as long as it was a physical product and was actually interactive (to some extent). However, while completing this project, I learned a lot about the different eras, like in the Paleozoic era, a centipede-like creature roamed the earth and stretched to be about 6 feet long. I also learned that in the Mesozoic era, most of the dinosaur genera were widespread across the three periods, with some of the last dinosaur genera being the titanosaur (the last of the sauropod dinosaurs and being one of the last of the long-necked dinosaur genera).  Backward-Looking: How much did you know about the subject before we started? I knew that the dinosaurs were some of the main species living in the Mesozoic era