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Before starting this course, I was excited to learn about Biology. In the past, I have thoroughly enjoyed Chemistry and Physics, and thus, I have always had an appreciation for the sciences. I had no idea what to expect from this course. I typically associate science courses with a copious amount of studying. I assumed this course would be stressful as my previous science courses. I figured I would lose sleep trying to ensure I understood the material and put myself in the best position to get an A.

Taking this biology course was an incredible experience for me. As someone who has always been interested in science and the natural world, I found the course material fascinating and engaging. As I worked my way through the course, I found myself constantly enthralled by the intricate workings of the natural world. I was amazed by the complexity and interconnectedness of living systems, and I gained a newfound appreciation for the beauty and diversity of life.

Overall, my experience in this biology course exceeded my expectations in every way. I had anticipated that it would be an interesting and informative class, but I never could have predicted how much I would enjoy it. In addition, the fact that the course was generally low-stress added to my sense of enjoyment since I felt more motivated to learn by not being punished for getting things incorrect.

As someone who already has an appreciation for science, completing this course reinforced my interest in the sciences.

Additionally, my experience reinforced my belief that science is a vital and fascinating field that is worth exploring and studying in depth. I now have an even greater appreciation for the scientific method, and I am excited to continue learning about science and its applications in the future as I progress throughout my undergraduate studies.

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I selected the Cuon alpinus or "dhole" as my animal. My reason for doing so was predominantly because of my love for dogs, so upon coming across a species colloquially referred to as the Asiatic wild dog, I was quick to begin writing about it. When looking through Climate change can potentially impact the dhole's habitat, food sources, and water availability, which could have negative consequences on the species' survival.

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Gabriella Gonzalez's padlet is an informative and visually appealing web page that explores various aspects of biology, with a small focus on the monarch butterfly. The purple color that serves as the backdrop for the blog creates a welcoming and visually pleasing atmosphere for readers, which makes navigating the site enjoyable.

One of the main highlights of the blog is the section dedicated to Gabriella's endangered animal of choice, the monarch butterfly. This portion of the site provides readers with in-depth information about the butterfly's ecosystem and reaction to climate change amongst other things. The blog also features commentary on multiple scientific videos, which provides readers with additional personal insights and perspectives on various scientific topics.

Gonzalez's personal introduction is brief but provides readers with an understanding of her background and interests, making her content more relatable to her audience. I was very impressed upon learning she worked on a documentary for Gloria and Emilio Estefan and  won a student Emmy in 2021.

Padlet Link: https://padlet.com/gabriellgonzalez031/my-portfolio-r4ajs3sywggrh90a

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Adenosine is a chemical compound found in human cells and is one of the building blocks of RNA. Its derivatives are adenosine monophosphate, diphosphate, and triphosphate. Adenosine is commonly used to regulate cardiac rhythm.

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Prokaryotic cells are cells that do not contain a nucleus or organelles. Prokaryotic cells are encased by a cell wall and use their flagella and pili to move. Prokaryotic cells are capable of performing all the essential functions a normal cell can: reproduction, respiration, digestion, etc.

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The life cycle of the butterfly - Franziska Bauer

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The life cycle of the butterfly - Franziska Bauer

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One thing that caught my attention is the fact that juvenile hormones prevent metamorphosis from occurring too early in caterpillars. In addition, the fact that the cells self-destruct, liquifying  everything but the imaginal discs, surprised me as well.

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The life cycle of the butterfly - Franziska Bauer

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The dhole is found primarily in Asia, hence it being referred to colloquially as the "Asian wild dog." It is native to Central, South, East, and South East Asia. Dholes inhabit a wide variety of habitats and climates. The dhole is a highly adaptable species and thus can be found in the dense forests of Thailand, the alpine regions of Russia, open grassland steppes in China, and the thick scrub jungles in India. Ultimately, dholes can be found occupying "dense forests, scrub jungles, grassland steppes, and alpine regions." Dholes will inhabit wherever there is “plenty of prey, water, and suitable den sites.” This statement is backed by the differences between the biomes the dhole inhabits. They can live in primary, secondary, and degraded forms of tropical dry and moist deciduous forest or arid scrub jungles. The only habitat the dhole seems to not inhabit is the desert, likely due to the lack of water.

Sources:

https://mnzoo.org/blog/animals/dhole-asian-wild-dog/#:~:text=The%20dhole%20is%20highly%20adaptable,water%20and%20suitable%20den%20sites.

https://www.dholes.org/habitat-and-range.html#:~:text=For%20dholes%2C%20it%20is%20almost,Acharya%202007%2C%20Johnsingh%201995).

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/dhole#:~:text=Found%2520in%2520eastern%2520and%2520southern,beige%252C%2520depending%2520on%2520their%2520habitat.

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"When is a pandemic over?" initially caught my attention because I, too, have asked myself the same question before. Logically, it can be assumed that once the disease is contained and the rates of transmission drop dramatically, that the pandemic can be declared over, which the video calls attention to. The video brings up three distinct ways to fight a pandemic. The first method the video explores involves racing through the pandemic. This method would result in numerous casualties and a poor understanding of the disease but would lead to the general population developing immunity. The second method involves quarantining and taking time to understand and research the disease to come up with protections against the virus (this protection takes form via vaccine). The last method involves global cooperation, which could potentially hasten the timeline of the pandemic. However, the video reveals that the delay and vaccinate method is the optimal solution. The global cooperation needed to make the third method work is near impossible, thus making it an unlikely solution, and the first solution results in far too many casualties and would prove to be catastrophic. What catches me by surprise about this video is that although it seems that the United States took the proper course of action by modeling their efforts to combat the pandemic after the second method, they, in my opinion, handled the COVID-19 pandemic poorly.

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Cell vs. virus: A battle for health - Shannon Stiles

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Why is it so hard to cure the common cold?

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Why is it so hard to cure the common cold?

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Why is it so hard to cure the common cold?

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What is the biggest single-celled organism?

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What is the biggest single-celled organism?

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What is the biggest single-celled organism? - Murry Gans

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The dhole, pronounced "dole," is a dog that is similar in size to the German Sheperd, but is closer in appearance to a fox. The dhole is classified in the taxonomic family Canidae: alongside wolves, jackals, foxes, and coyotes. One of the unique traits of the dhole is the fact that they do not completely fit into the description of any of the dog subfamilies, one of the reasons being they contain one less molar on the lower side of their jaw compared to similar animals.

Source: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/dhole

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The claim, evidence, reasoning (C.E.N) framework is a tool used to conduct conclusions to scientific investigations and engage in scientific argumentation.

A claim is a statement or assertion that describes what the investigation seeks to explain. Evidence is any of the data listed or cited to support the claim being made, and the reasoning serves to bridge the gap between the evidence and claim and show how the data, and, or evidence collected relates to the claim.

The three all share similarities in that they all work cohesively to create a case for a claim about some naturally existing phenomenon. Without evidence or reasoning, a claim has weak backing, and without a claim there can be no evidence or reasoning since they serve the purpose of supporting or hinting towards the truthfulness of a claim.

The three terms are however different from one another: most notably, reasoning and evidence. Reasoning is the link between the evidence presented and claim being made. It may not be apparent on first glance how some data collected implies the truth of the claim being made, which prompts for some reasoning to be given. Evidence, however, is simply the data collected that is supposed to support the claim.

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What are inferences?

*a) Logical conclusions about observations

b) Questions about observations

c) Uneducated guesses about observations

d) Assumptions made before research has been done

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Hello everyone, my name is Lucas Tembras. I was born in 2003, in Miami, to parents who emigrated from Cuba. I spent much of my early childhood playing video games and browsing the internet, which sparked my love for both music and technology. For high school, I attended Coral Gables Senior High, and it was during this time that I explored my passions, learning the guitar, piano and how to code. I am now a computer science major at the Honors College at Miami-Dade Wolfson Campus. My goal in life is to get a good education and spend my career doing work in the software engineering field that I deem novel and fulfilling. My love for video games has carried on, and after having created small-scale video games of my own, it would be nice to pursue a career in independent game development where I can fuse my love for programming and math with my love for music, since I would have the freedom to write the code for a game as well as compose original pieces to be featured in the game itself.