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My name is Katherine Rodriguez. I'm twenty-one years old, and born in Miami, Florida. I grew up in Miami, but I have a love for traveling and exploring new cities. I graduated with a GED after struggling with in my personal life and quickly decided I wanted to pursue college. My major is graphic design. I'm very passionate about my art, and I hope that I could make a successful career out of it. I hope to go into the field of user experience and user interface (UX/UI) after I graduate college.

When I graduate from MDC with my A.A. degree, I hope to transfer to a college in New York City. I travel there quite often to see my boyfriend, and it's one of my favorite cities I've ever been to. In the future, I see myself living in my own apartment in NYC, painting and illustrating as I always have

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1) Which of the following does NOT receive treatment in a scientific experiment?

*A. Control group

B. Experimental group

C. Research group

D. Observational group

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nAETHZTObk

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Can this be used in our daily life when dealing in the news?  How?

I think the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) method can be used in our daily life, especially in the news. In my opinion, there are many unreliable news sources, and it's important to really listen to how these sources are providing us information. Unreliable news sources typically do not give any evidence to support their claims, and especially do not have a reasoning as to why. Gossip and rumours especially in the media regarding celebrities, or more important news articles about Covid-19, or political situations all have at some point been misinformed by unreliable news sources. It's important that these topics are spoken about in the news with competent evidence and reasoning behind their claims. Claim could be the "easy" part: a statement answering a question. However, reliable news sources should have scientific data that supports that claim, and a reasoning as to how or why it does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15aWaGYheJs

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Ambystoma mexicanum

Axolotls are a species of salamander. I personally think they are very cute, and it's sad to know that they are endangered! Axolotls are carnivores and survive off a diet of worms, insects, and more. They are commonly mistaken for fish, however they are completely unique among the amphibian family in that they spend their lives entirely in water!

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Axolotl, a salamander which has retained it's gills, showing off their evolution and neoteny.

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Little information exists about axolotls since their small and generally inaccessible populations make it hard to find information about them. However, what is known about axolotls has been obtained from laboratory colonies. They are descended from the tiger salamander, and are considered to be a "young" species, because they have evolved only recently compared to other salamander species in the region.

Axolotls have evolved into a type of salamander which keeps it webbed feet firmly placed in infancy throughout it's life. Unlike other salamanders, axolotls are neotonic. The axolotl remains aquatic their whole life. Even though it develops lungs to breathe, they use their cute, feather-like gills to breathe underwater.

According to some, neoteny is a "backward" step in evolution, because axolotls are descended from what were once terrestial salamanders. Through nature, a neotenous form developed, and due to some environmental conditions, prospered. Now, neoteny is totally genetic in axolotls. They get to keep their gills and live underwater, it's as if they never grew up!

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Speciation of tiger salamander, which axolotls are directly ascended from.

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Why did I select this species?

I selected axolotls because personally I find them to be very charming and interesting creatures! They are a neotonic species, so they keep their tadpole-like features. It was sad to find out this cute species was endangered and I am excited to learn and share more facts about them with the class.

How will they be impacted by climate change?

Due to climate changes, axolotls have been experiencing decreases in suitable natural habitats as a result of droughts. These droughts have already eliminated one of their original habitats, Lake Texaco, in Mexico City with buildings covering the original site. Lake Xochimilco is one of the last suitable habitats for axolotls. With climate change, there is no guarantee how long this habitat will last for these poor creatures.

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I selected the Padlet of Romy Ruiz. I selected hers because I really like the black and bat aesthetic in her Padlet. Like Romy, I love horror and spooky themes as well. I think the content she has is very informative and well written! Her layout is especially visually pleasing to me, I like how everything looks together, and I particularly love the illustration she chose for her enzyme post. Very nice!

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Osmosis is defined as the net movement of water molecules through a biological membrane from an area of higher to an area of lower water potential.

It could also be described as the process of a solvent diffusing through a semipermeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration.

The tendency of water to flow from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic solution across a semipermeable membrane.

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All cells are divided into two types: prokaryotic and eukaryotic.

Prokaryotic cells are single-celled organisms and lack a nucleus.  They do not have a membrane bound-nucleus or organelles. These cells are small and simple.

In contrast, eukaryotic cells are either single-celled or multicellular and contain a nucleus.  They also contain organelles bound by plasma membranes. These cells are large and complex.

However, they do contain many similarities. They both have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes, and both contain DNA.

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What are calories? Calories are units of energy that a food or drink provides. It is a measurement of the energy content of food. The body needs calories as to perform its functions, such as breathing, circulating the blood, and physical activity.

We burn calories when we're moving, sleeping, or studying for exams. Exercise uses this energy as well. We replace these calories by eating foods or burning up stored fuel.  In general, a person should eat the same amount of energy as their body uses. If the balance is off, they will either lose weight or gain weight.

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The life cycle of a butterfly was very interesting to learn about. What caught my attention the most is the explanation of what a caterpillar really is. The theory is that the caterpillar is a drawn-out veresion of a life stage which takes place inside the egg for other insects. It's fascinating how these insects have evolved to be able to eat and live outside of the egg.

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The life cycle of the butterfly - Franziska Bauer

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In "Will there be another pandemic in your lifetime?" I got to learn much about the timeline of pandemics throughout history.  In our modern day society we don't think much on how these catastrophic and world-changing pandemics can affect us or if it's even likely to happen at all. However, I learned that between 1980 and 2020, there were at least three global pandemics. These diseases are much more likely than we might think.

The way these pandemics happen is for pathogens to spread widely, crossing international boundaries whilst infecting us. Whether this spillover of pathogens becomes a pandemic depends on many variables such as how often humans come into close contact, immunity, and more.

According to the video, scientists have estimated about 1.7 million undiscovered viruses that infect animals, and that rougly 40% of these have potential to spill over. The thought of that is quite scary! But there are things that we could do to make pandemics less destructive. Early warning systems, contact tracing, social distancing and other public health measures protected us from Covid-19 in just the first six months. Eventually, there will be another pandemic. Even so, at least we can have peace of mind knowing we can reduce the risk.

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Will there be another pandemic in your lifetime?

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My species of choice was axolotls. They are a species of salamander commonly mistaken for fish. They are extremely unique among the amphibian family in that they spend their entire lives in water. That being said, where are they found?

Axolotls are exlusively found in the Xochimilco lake complex in the Valley of Mexico, which includes Lake Xochimilco and a series of man-made canals and waterways. They are neotonic and have adapted well to their native habitat, this being a high-altitude region with an average water temperature of around 20 degrees celsius, even during winter. This is unique to axolotls, since other species of salamander have a much wider distribution.  They are sometimes known as the Mexican walking fish, on account of their appearance and adopted habitat.

Unfortunately, there are more axolotls in captivity than there are in the natural world. According to a study carried out by Mexican biologist Luis Zambrano, there were 6,000 axolotls per square kilometre in the Xochimilco lake in 1998. Today, there are just 35. One reason for this could be the rapid development of Mexico City, since the Xochimilco lake complex has been drained and destroyed, including Lake Chalco, one of the axolotl's principal historic habitats.

Source:

“What Is an Axolotl and Why Are They Endangered?” Blue Reef Aquarium, 18 Aug. 2022, https://www.bluereefaquarium.co.uk/portsmouth/blog/education/what-is-an-axolotl-and-why-are-they-endangered/.

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One idea that caught my attention in todays mini lecture was the idea of feedback loops. I learned that feedback loops are not only beneficial, but they make everything function properly, or work. The key element whether it is in sound, the environment, or social science, is a phenomenon called mutal casual interaction where x affects y, y affects x and so on. This is called a feedback loop!

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CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) in Biology

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Map of Lake Xochimilco, where Axolotls are found 

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Map of Lake Xochimilco, where Axolotls are found 

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