BIOL 1012 by

Assignment#1 Biological Evolution of Humans

scolbur3 — 2025-06-02 22:41:22 UTC

A human is anyone belonging to the genus Homo (Latin for 'man'). The Homo habilis lived millions of years ago in Eastern and Southern Africa. Homo rudolfensis lived in Eastern and Southern Africa. The Homo erectus, 'the upright men,' were from Southern Africa all the way to China and Indonesia millions of years ago. Neanderthals' and Denisovans' ancestors mated with superarchaic humans that separated from other humans in Africa around 2 million years ago. Then there were archaic humans to mix it all up from Africa to Europe, Asia, and Australia. Homo sapiens (modern humans) are the only ones that are not extinct.

Assignment #2 Saccharomyces cerevisiae

scolbur3 — 2025-06-05 20:39:09 UTC

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a unicellular fungus. It is a valuable eukaryote that's also known as baker's or brewer's yeast. This article explains how it functions in food, beverages (wine), and biofuel production. It explains that it can be used alone or with other microorganisms in these processes. Saccharomyces is a resilient and genetically adaptable genus. There are different strains of it, but the main species is S. cerevisiae.

Assignment #3 Monocots and Dicots

scolbur3 — 2025-06-11 14:37:16 UTC

Daisies, dandelions, magnolias, roses, geraniums, clovers, fruit trees, and oak trees are a few of the dicot plants we see on a daily basis. There are two cotyledons in the seeds that turn green and form the first two leaves when germinating. They are grown from a five-petaled flower and are tap rooted. The stems have vascular bundles arranged in a circular manner, with a xylem and a phloem that transport water, minerals, and food to the storage organs. They also have webbing in their leaves that grow in a branched pattern.

Assignment #4 Chordata

scolbur3 — 2025-06-13 18:29:39 UTC

This video states that there are 81,600 species of chordates on earth. It lists five characteristics that they all share and what they are used for. The notochord, a flexible rod-like structure serving as support. A dorsal nerve cord located along the back. Pharyngeal slits, which are openings in the pharynx and may develop into gills. A gland involved in metabolism, called an endostyle or thyroid, and a post-anal tail that extends past the anal opening. Then there is a view of a chordate cladogram. It shows clades of members of Chordata that share the same characteristics. This diagram shows how related organisms are, stating that if you know where they sit on the gram, you can figure out how related they are to others.

Assignment #5 Human Homeostasis

scolbur3 — 2025-06-27 00:24:25 UTC

This article explains what homeostasis is and why it's important. The hypothalamus in the brain regulates and maintains the internal systems to function correctly. The body will have negative or positive feedback trying to process an unwanted change to counteract or reverse an injury or illness. Every disease or medical condition will cause a disruption. It also explains how the nervous system, the skeletal system, the respiratory system, and the endocrine system maintain homeostasis. A body adjusts to the homeostatic processes so a person can recover from being hurt or sick by finding the right balance to manage a condition. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/homeostasis

Assignment #6 Alzheimer's Disease

scolbur3 — 2025-06-27 01:37:55 UTC

The article offers insight into Alzheimer's disease's current biomarker research. For more accurate and comprehensive diagnoses and monitoring, it is important to establish CSF levels, the potential of blood-based biomarkers, and the combined use of multiple biomarkers. It confirms the biomarkers already established and supports their validity. It states that plasma neurofilament light (NfL) is a valuable blood-based biomarker because it is affordable and reliable and would make an advancement showing correlation with AD, brain atrophy, and cognitive decline. It suggests that adding more biomarkers into research and clinical practice would improve diagnostic accuracy.Novel Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease: Plasma Neurofilament Light and Cerebrospinal Fluid - ProQuest

Assignment #7 Tropical Rainforest

scolbur3 — 2025-07-06 19:45:02 UTC

Tropical rainforests cover approximately 7% of the earth's surface, lying near the equator, where it's hot and wet. The intense heat warms the land and sea, causing a great amount of water vapor, which cools as it rises to the warm air, forming rain clouds. The rainfall cycle repeats itself, which is why there are constant storms. The moisture level is about 10 times greater than a regular forest. Although they provide homes to more than 50% of all animal species, including monkeys, jaguars, and toucans, they are mainly vegetation communities. The canopy of the forests blocks most of the sunlight, keeping the ground cool for plants and animals. It is home to more than 40,000 plant species, with trees up to 200 feet tall. A tropical rainforest is the most diverse biome on Earth.

Assignment #8 Biodiversity

scolbur3 — 2025-07-06 22:34:32 UTC

This video explains that biodiversity is the food we eat, the water we drink, and the medicines we need. Humans have wiped out 68% of the animal population and disturbed their ecosystems. Floods, fires, and diseases are all connected to the losses. Plants and animals maintain the resilience of nature for our healthy ecosystem. There are tools that we can implement to make biodiversity more secure for all of us. Protect the land and sea. Give nature a chance to recover and integrate the economic value of everything it gives us. The security of all life forms depends on it to survive.