BIOL 1010 by Kimberly Castro

Assessment #1 - Concept: Enzymes

kimberlycs459 — 2025-09-02 18:18:13 UTC

Concept: Enzymes

They are proteins thatch as a speeding up chemical reactions by lowering activation energy. They are essential for process like digestion and energy production.

Why I Chose This Resource:

I think this video by Khan Academy provides clear visuals and simple explanations that make it easy to understand how enzymes work, especially the "lock and key" model.

Application in Everyday Life:

Enzymes help us digest food (like amylase breaking down starch), are used in detergents to remove stains, and play key roles in medical tests.

assignment #2 - Fluid Mosaic Model

kimberlycs459 — 2025-09-16 17:10:04 UTC

I chose a YouTube video on the Fluid Mosaic Model of the Cell membrane because it clearly shows how the phospholipid bilayer and embedded proteins regulate what enter and exits the cell. This concept applies to everyday life because our survival depends on selective permeability for example: When someone drinks water, osmosis through cell membranes help maintain hydration and balance. When medicines like insulin cross membranes to work properly, and when nerve and muscle cells use sodium-potassium pumps for signaling and movement.

Assignment #3 - Calvin Cycle

kimberlycs459 — 2025-10-02 14:07:30 UTC

One major concept from Chapter 5 is the Calvin Cycle, which is the light-independent stage of photosynthesis. In this process, plants use ATP and NADPH from the light relations to convert carbon dioxide into glucose. It has three steps: carbon fixation (CO₂is attached to RuBP), reduction (energy is added to form G3P), and regeneration (RuBP is recycled so the cycle can continue). I chose the OpenStax resource on photosynthesis because it provides clear explanations and diagrams that make this process easier to understand. The Calvin Cycle is important in everyday life because it created the sugars that form the base of our food chain, rules agriculture, and reduces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Without it, humans and animals would not have the oxygen needed to survive.

Assignment #4 - Concept: Gregor Mendel

kimberlycs459 — 2025-10-24 16:16:49 UTC

A key concept from Chapter 8 is Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance, which explain how traits are passed from parents to offspring. Gregor Mendel discovered through his pea plant experiments that some traits are dominant while others are recessive, leading to predictable inheritance patterns. His work produced the Law of Segregation, which states that each parent passes one allele per trait, and the Law of Independent Assortment, which says traits are inherited independently. I chose this Khan Academy video Mendel’s Laws of Inheritance because it clearly shows how Punnett squares predict genetic outcomes and makes the concept easy to visualize. This concept helps explain everyday genetics, like why children resemble their parents, how doctors predict risks for genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis, and how breeders select animals or crops for specific traits.

Assignment #5 - Natural Selection

kimberlycs459 — 2025-11-21 19:53:55 UTC

I chose the YouTube video "Natural Selection - Crash Course Biology" because it clearly explains the major concept of natural selection, which is one of the central ideas covered in Chapter 11 on Evolution. Natural Selection is the mechanism proposed by Darwin and Wallace stating that individuals in a population vary, more offspring are produced than can survive, and those with the most advantages traits or with adaptations are most likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on their traits. The chapter uses examples like the Galapagos finches, whose beak size changed based open available food during droughts, showing how environmental pressures shape populations over generations. I chose this resource because the video uses visuals, animations, and simple explanations that make the concept easier to understand than text alone. Natural selection also affects everyday life, for example bacteria evolving antibiotic resistance, and even human traits like lactose tolerance and skin pigmentation changing over generations. This video helps connect the chapter's scientific ideas to real world examples we see today.