In: Biology
Final Project
You will be required to do a term paper on one of the topics listed below.
Discuss how the unique physical and chemical properties of water contribute to the importance of water for life on Earth to survive.
Discuss how the methods of experimentation and observation have changed throughout the history of science.
Explain the role so called “accidental” discoveries played in the history of science.
Describe the major experiments and scientists involved in the discovery of DNA as our hereditary material and its structure.
Explain what role women played in the Scientific Revolution of the 18th Century? What role do women in science play today?
This assignment will be worth 10% of your grade. Your paper should be creative, interesting and 2-4 pages (500-1,000 words) in length. It should be well-organized and demonstrate an orderly flow of information that clearly addresses the subject chosen.
IN MY OWN WORDS!!!!!! PLEASE NO PLAGIARISM!!!!!!
Discuss how the unique physical and chemical properties of water contribute to the importance of water for life on Earth to survive.
When you're thirsty, you may drink a glass of cold water. It feels great immediately and quenches your thirst - your body recognizes what's beneficial for you. Also, it does. Water is a standout amongst the most one of a kind and basic substances for life as we probably am aware it. Water has a few physical and chemical properties that are suited for supporting life. These properties originate from the nature of the water molecule. A water molecule comprises of one oxygen atom that offers electrons with two hydrogen atoms. The atoms don't share similarly, nonetheless. Oxygen stores the vast majority of the common electrons. This uneven sharing makes the molecule marginally charged, similar to a little magnet (dipole, polar). A water molecule pulls in other water molecules, similar to the contrary shafts of magnets, draw in each other. The power of fascination is a feeble chemical bond called a hydrogen bond. Hydrogen bonds can be made and broken effectively and they represent water's one of a kind properties. Water molecules shape hydrogen bonds with themselves and with other polar substances. This implies water can dissolve a more extensive assortment of substances than other polar molecules, (for example, ammonia) or nonpolar molecules (methane, fats and oils). Since nonpolar molecules don't dissolve in water, they search each other out. The nonpolar molecules can shape obstructions between water-filled compartments; this is the thing that occurs inside cells. The water molecule is molded like a wide, level triangle. When it freezes, it shapes a crystal where the molecules mastermind themselves into a hexagon. The crystal consumes up more room than simply the six water molecules alone. Since the ice crystal possesses more space, the density of ice (water's solid frame) is lower than that of its liquid shape and ice therefore skims. This is a property exceptional to water. At the point when a huge waterway freezes in the winter, ice shapes at the surface, however not where it counts. The ice protects the water underneath, which does not freeze. Any living things in the water underneath the frigid surface don't freeze. Water is one of only a handful couple of substances that can stay liquid over an extensive variety of temperatures. Water-filled living beings likewise can make due in a scope of temperatures. Water can exist on Earth as a solid, liquid and gas. At long last, water has a high ability to store thermal energy, twice as much as alcohol and right around 10 fold the amount of as ammonia. Since Earth is basically canvassed in water, water settles the planet's temperature by absorbing and discharging heat. Life can flourish in a steady environment, which means water is important to the point that astrobiologists have a mantra of "follow the water" in their quest to discover extraterrestrial life.
Discuss how the methods of experimentation and observation have changed throughout the history of science.
Through the span of mankind's history, people have created numerous interconnected and approved thoughts regarding the physical, biological, psychological, and social worlds. Those thoughts have empowered progressive generations to accomplish an inexorably extensive and solid understanding of the human species and its environment. The methods used to build up these thoughts are specific methods for observing, thinking, experimenting, and validating. These ways speak to a fundamental part of the nature of science and reflect how science has a tendency to contrast with other methods of knowing. Science is a procedure for creating knowledge. The procedure depends both on mentioning watchful objective facts of wonders and on inventing theories for appearing well and good out of those observations. Change in knowledge is inevitable in light of the fact that new observations may challenge prevailing theories. Regardless of how well one theory clarifies an arrangement of observations, it is conceivable that another theory may fit similarly too or better, or may fit a still more extensive scope of observations. In science, the testing and enhancing and periodic disposing of theories, whether new or old, go on constantly. Researchers accept that regardless of whether there is no real way to anchor finish and absolute truth, progressively accurate approximations can be made to represent the world and how it functions.
Explain the role so-called “accidental” discoveries played in the history of science.
Serendipity is an upbeat and startling occasion that happens because of chance, and regularly shows up when we are searching for something unique. Serendipity is a pleasure when it occurs in our daily lives and has been in charge of numerous innovations and imperative advances in science and technology. It might appear to be odd to allude to "chance" while discussing science. Scientific research probably works in an extremely methodical, precise and controlled route, with no space for the chance in any zone of the investigation, however, in fact, chance assumes a critical part in disclosures about medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, technology and other sciences and connected sciences. While discussing serendipity in connection to scientific research, "chance" doesn't imply that nature is carrying on capriciously. What it means is that the techniques that a researcher utilizes as a part of an investigation are in charge of a totally sudden and unintended outcome that wasn't anticipated. It's, in reality, difficult to control each part of an exploratory set-up in the most minor detail, and in some cases, researchers are ignorant that a particular choice that they've made concerning the trail conditions will significantly affect the result of the trial. At the point when serendipity happens, it implies that by chance a researcher has made an appropriate blend of conditions to get an abnormal, regularly fascinating and once in a while imperative outcome from his or her investigation. There are numerous cases of serendipity in science. A few researchers evaluate that up to fifty per cent of scientific disclosures are fortunate, and others imagine that the percentage may be much higher. It can be energizing when a researcher understands that what at first appeared like an error may really be an advantage, and there might be incredible handy advantages to the revelation as well. A portion of our most critical advances in science have been because of serendipity, and later on, there will more likely than not be some more awesome fortunate disclosures and developments.
Describe the major experiments and scientists involved in the discovery of DNA as our hereditary material and its structure.
DNA, the molecule carrying the genetic instructions of life, was arguably a standout amongst the most important discoveries of the last century. DNA is utilized as a part of the development of all types of known life, is composed of 4 nucleotides, and has the type of a double helix. In 1866, Gregor Mendel distributes take a shot at hereditary traits in peas. He notes that certain traits are passed from parent to offspring. Later these factors are called genes. In 1869, Friedrich Miescher describes an acidic substance in a cell's nuclei. This substance, first called nuclein, is currently identified as DNA. In 1911, Thomas Hunt Morgan conducts experiments where he demonstrates that genes are located linearly along chromosomes. In 1928, Frederick Griffith, in an experiment with mice, transfers the fatal component of a bacteria causing pneumonia to a benign strain of bacteria, which then cause fatal pneumonia in the mice. He then determined that there must be a genetic factor that can transform the bacteria. In 1929, Phoebus Levene discovers deoxyribose sugar in nucleic acids. Later on, demonstrates that DNA is made up of nucleotides, which are composed of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a base. In 1943, William Astbury takes X-ray diffraction pictures of DNA. In 1944, Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty demonstrate that it isn't protein but DNA that is the factor that Frederick Griffith identified. In 1950, Erwin Chargaff demonstrates that the bases of DNA are equal = there is an A for each T and a C for each G. In 1952, Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin image DNA crystals via X-ray. These images are the basis for the conclusions of Watson and Crick. In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick distribute their description of DNA. They describe it as a double-helix - two spirals held together by complementary base pairs. From 1953-1996, there were various discoveries of individual genes for cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, etc. Also, genetically engineered nourishment, and animal cloning. In 2000, there was an announcement of a draft of the human genome by a joint venture of the public and a private company called Celera. Lastly, in 2003, the final completion of the human genome sequence was announced.
Explain what role women played in the Scientific Revolution of the 18th Century? What role do women in science play today?
The impact that ladies had on science during the 17th and 18th centuries may not have been apparent because of the disapproval from many; but in reality, many ladies changed scientific research from various perspectives because of their persistence and determination. Although a few people had negative attitudes towards ladies who participated in scientific research because of sexist perspectives that were common at that time, there were many people who supported ladies who took part in the study of science, and many ladies contributed many things to science in the 17th and 18thcenturies. Because of ladies who took a hazard by starting to study science, an ever-increasing number of ladies began to study science before the finish of the Scientific Revolution.
Today, despite an unprecedented increase in the course of recent years in the number of ladies in higher education and in employment in all European countries, ladies still occupy an exceptionally minor place in higher level scientific and technical studies and occupations. Within this field, they have progressed considerably in the life sciences (biology, medicine, pharmacy, etc.), in subject areas close to these (chemistry, agronomy etc.) and in architecture. Male hegemony still remains then again in the "hard" sciences: maths, physics and engineering, which still account for the majority of male scientists. This dominance is particularly marked in the private sector (industry, services to enterprises, etc.) but does not spare the public sector, expected to be egalitarian (higher education and research). This gender-based segregation of academic and occupational fields (or "horizontal" segregation) is partly connected with another type of segregation clearly demonstrated by studies on the careers of ladies graduates: that of their progressive elimination from the most selective educational and vocational programs leading to positions of intensity ("vertical" segregation). In all countries and in all fields, in fact, including those with the highest proportion of ladies "at the base", ladies graduates accede rarely, if at any time, to the highest echelons: they constitute an extremely great majority of primary teachers, nurses, laboratory assistants, half of the secondary teachers (often less in math's, physics and above all technology), 10 to 30% of the young engineers, under 10% of university professors and researchers of the highest rank, and just exceptionally occupy the "presidential chair", whether in universities, scientific bodies or big enterprises. In the European Space Agency, for example, ladies in supervisory scientific and administrative posts represent a little under 5% of the total staff.