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Dear AP Biology…
Dear AP Biology,
I would like to thank you for teaching me and others about life. I am so glad I was able to learn and experience so much about you in the past year. Not only have you taught me content varying from topics related to the characteristics to life to genetics and body systems, but you have also taught me about communication, collaboration, time management, and self-care. Oh I am so proud of what I have accomplished and I have to thank you and the awesome and smart people I met because of you. I will truly miss the labs, daily backstage episodes, performances, class activities, and finales. Although they challenged me and sometimes left me in doubt, I knew I had my team by my side to help me succeed. Before every finale, my peers and I would encourage each other and test out how much we studied the night before. I will always cherish all the acts of kindness and memories I made with my peers and teacher.
Now let me tell you about what you prepared me for, the AP Biology exam went relatively smoothly. I had good rest the night before and I had enough food that did not make me too full nor leave me feeling hungry. I was glad I was able to be in a little bit of AP Biology class before my exam so I could do breathing exercising to calm myself down and do an energizer to get pumped! I will certainly do more breathing exercising and energizers whenever I need to do any performance.
When the test began, I was pushing myself to do my best and answer all parts of the essays. When I saw the first essay prompt, I was nervous at first because there were many diagrams and graphs, but when I began to actually read the content, everything seemed familiar. Some topics I recalled during the test related to the lac operon performance, the electron transport chain, and scientific experiments. I also remembered that I would constantly repeat in my head, “claim, evidence, reasoning” and “how and why”. I connected so much content together that I never knew I could do. I guess that is the beauty of science because everything connects! In the second prompt, I instantly connected what project related to the prompt. Now that I think about how I had a flashback, I am proud that I was able to retain so much information in the past year. I believe a big part of why I was able to do so was because we did interactive projects and assignments!
Since the test was online, one problem I had was that I had to continuously scroll up and down to reference different figures. Unfortunately, this strained my eyes, but nonetheless, I was able to complete the test! I will always remember that scores don’t define one’s intelligence and there is always room for improvements.
“Focus on the learning. There is always room for improvements.”
– Mrs. Girard
Prior to starting AP Biology last year, I remember my first pilot backstage episode and telling myself that I am able to push myself in this class. As more and more seasons have come to an end with a finale and I was faced with the series finale, I realized how close I was to the finish line. This made me feel disappointed that I could not keep going. However, now that this has ended for me, there’s space for another show to create my own episodes, seasons, and finales.
All images were taken by Mrs. Girard. Taken from Mrs. Girard’s Twitter.
Thank you for following me on this journey. You guys are rockstars.
Sincerely,
Arabella
Body Systems
Human Body Systems
Ever since I was a young girl, I have always been crazy about the human body and the amazing things the body could do. At a young age, I noticed how the body could heal scrapes and wounds that I got from play structures. In elementary school, I fractured my arm during fencing practice. At the doctor’s office, I was wondering why I only came out with a cast. With time, my body healed itself and I was astonished at what the human body could do. In Season 10 about Kingdom Animalia, I learned so much about the different body systems and I want to share the content with you. Hopefully, I can teach more curious children about our awesome body systems through this book.
Want to study and learn more about the human body systems? Check out this free resource that provides an (introductory) infographic, an activity/article, and a graphic organizer for EACH body system! (BTW, don’t get carried away… I ended up staying on this resource for about an hour 😬!)
https://www.carolina.com/teacher-resources/Interactive/human-body-systems/tr40161.tr
Also, check out these video about the human body systems! All your systems work hard together in harmony to in order to keep you healthy, safe, and protected. For this reason, let’s celebrate our bodies!
Arabella’s star review on these resources:
Fetal Pig
Growing up, I heard stories from my mother about how she was able to dissect cats, frogs, and baby sharks in medical school! When I heard about the fetal pig dissection in AP Biology, I was so excited. Although I was not able to get full hands-on experience, Mrs. Girard still showed us the dissection via Zoom!
Image taken by Mrs. Girard
Prior to watching the fetal pig dissection, I never realized how similar pigs are to humans. I found this idea very fascinating when we were going through the pig’s anatomy. Also, I was surprised to see that diagrams online look extremely similar to the actual body!
Images taken by Mrs. Girard
The image on the left is the fetal pig’s heart. Blood flows through the entire body, carrying different products such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hormones! There are several blood vessels and structures that is part of the circulatory system such as the superior and inferior vena cava, right atrium, tricuspid valve, right ventricle, pulmonary semilunar valve, pulmonary trunk, pulmonary arteries, left atrium, pulmonary veins, left atrium, mitral valve, left ventricle, aortic semilunar valve, and the aorta. The heart also has 4 chambers, which makes the heart so efficient because the several chambers don’t allow oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mix! Around the heart is the pericardium, which is a membrane that is responsible for holding the heart in place, prevents the heart from getting too big in size, serves as a layer of protection from diseases or infections, and lubricates heart muscles.
We also covered several other body systems, such as the digestive, respiratory, and reproduction systems; however, I thought the circulatory system was the most fascinating. When the heart was cut in half, I was so surprised to see the right and left ventricles because of how intricate they looked.
The abdominal and thoracic cavity were also very surprising to me because I did not expect for the organs to look very similar to labeled images online of the body. I was able to see the liver, diaphragm, heart, gallbladder, pancreas, and the large & small intestine (as seen in the image on the left). As a class, we discussed the functions of these organs in the body. The liver produces bile, stores sugars and nutrients, removes toxins, and so much more! The gallbladder stores bile from the liver, while the pancreas aides in food digestion and regulates blood sugar. When food passes the small intestine, nutrients are taken, while the large intestine (or colon) absorbs water from the food. Thinking about how food moves through our body and leaves as feces (or poop!) is just absolutely fascinating to me.
One curious question I have is: If humans and pigs are so similar in anatomy, why has evolution for both organisms been so drastically different?
Citations
Amoeba Sisters, director. Human Body Systems Functions Overview: The 11 Champions (Updated). YouTube, YouTube, 24 Apr. 2016, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEUu-A2wfSE.
Gabriel, Angeli. Human Body 101 | National Geographic. YouTube, YouTube, 1 Dec. 2017, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae4MadKPJC0.
“Human Body Systems.” Carolina Biological Supply, Carolina Biological Supply Company, http://www.carolina.com/teacher-resources/Interactive/human-body-systems/tr40161.tr.
The Immune System
Our body does so many amazing things that we sometimes don’t recognize. We have so many different systems in our body that does specific jobs in order to keep the body healthy. Our body has the ability to fight off lethal pathogens that try to invade our body. Treat your body well because your body fights for you!
Learn about the cells of the immune system:
Happy Earth Day!
HAPPY EARTH DAY GUYS! I am so thankful that we call this beautiful planet our home. Every place I have been to has shown me why this planet is so awesome. Of course, AP Biology class really emphasized, taught me how amazing the Earth is, and even made me appreciate Earth’s beauty. Let’s get together and keep Earth beautiful. I made this video about how you guys can help the Earth! I hope you can use these tips going forward :).
The Botany of Desire
I bet that you didn’t know that each seed an apple produces grows a completely new/different tree. Did you also know that the most beautiful and rare tulips are the ones that are infected with a virus? Where did all this information come from? I learned this in the movie The Botany of Desire. Within the movie, I learned that common organisms or crops have integrated themselves in the human population. In the film, the apple, tulip, cannabis, and the potato were used as examples to show how human desires have lead these organisms or crops to develop a relationship with human, resulting in evolutionary adaptations because of human intervention. The movie had me thinking if the organism/crop was in control of humans or vice versa. Each organism/crop had a major impact on the human population that helped the product to become known in various places of the world.
Interested and want to watch the movies before reading this post about The Botany of Desire? Check out the movie on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B01CGRKWDY/ref=atv_dl_rdr
SPOILERS AHEAD
The movie begins with the journey and history of the apple, which is known for their sweetness. When I go to the store, I usually see the typical Fuji apple that is vibrant red and crunchy. Apples are seen all over the world and are featured in films, phrases, and religious stories. With that being said, we can say that the apple has become a pretty successful fruit among humans. Apples originated in Kazakhstan, where there are so many different types of apples. Unfortunately, humans today artificially select and produce only the sweetest or most desired apples, disregarding the other amazing types of apples and ruining the biodiversity of the fruit. Thinking back to our childhood, do you remember Johnny Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed? He actually had a major role in preserving the biodiversity of apples by straying away from the grafting method that many farmers did to produce only a particular type of apple and grew apples straight by seed, resulting in so many different kinds of apples that could adapt to new environments. I think that the apple is in control of humans because the apple’s sweetness had influenced humans to produce them all throughout the world. Since the apple was cherished in the eyes of humans and are massed produced, I believe humans are manipulated by the sweet fruit!
Following the apple is the tulip, which particularly caught my attention in the movie (maybe because of the beauty)! Tulips are popularly known and produced in the Netherlands. Two years ago, I traveled to the Netherlands and visited a tulip garden. I was surprised by the size of the garden that was filled with so many different tulips. Each tulip I saw had a different shape, color, or size! I was overwhelmed by the beauty and biodiversity of the plant. At one point in history, tulips were worth a fortune because of their beauty and their symbolism of wealth. What I found interesting was that the most beautiful tulips were the ones suffering from a virus and become more fragile the more the infected tulip is produced. I think that the tulip is in control of humans because their beauty has influenced humans to produce more of them and try to produce unique tulips, even if the flower itself has no real use for humans! In a way, the tulips are manipulating humans to reproduce them, make the species more diverse, and spread them all over the world!
Some photos my sister and I took at a tulip garden in Amsterdam!
This next organism relates to the tulip because the plant is openly seen in Amsterdam. The intoxication affect of the cannabis has played an immense role in the overall success of the plant. Cannabis has opened new discoveries and understandings on the human mind. Originally, the plant was used by patients to cope with pain; however, in many areas of the world, cannabis use is illegal since many people abuse and can become addicted to the drug. However, many people still seek this product because the plant provides them a new human experience that they may not attain without the drug. The chemical THC is present in cannabis and causes intoxication in those who use the product. Since this plant is illegal in many places, people have become desperate and began growing cannabis indoors. How is this done if the original plant is tall? Well, scientists have cross-bred the plant so the plant was smaller in size, grew at a fast pace, and was stronger than the original plant. These plants grown artificially indoors now need specific conditions to thrive, such as high amounts of light. As the number of cases of depression increases, I fear that the demand of cannabis will only increase. When I visited Amsterdam, I noticed that cannabis was sold in many places, such as local grocery stores. There were even museums dedicated to cannabis. I believe that humans have control over cannabis plants because they have been able to alter the plant so the plant could be stored indoors, grow faster, and have a higher intoxication affect by making female plants produce more resin. This plant has such fascinating abilities!
When the film began the next section, the potato, I immediately thought about french fries and the Irish Potato Famine. Humans eat potatoes in so many ways, like french fries, mashed potatoes, gratin, baked potatoes, potato salad, potato casserole… the list goes on and on. The potato has become such a popular food because of the nourishment we obtain from the crop and can be used in numerous ways. I learned a lot about the risks of monoculture. The Irish Potato Famine occurred because people were planting on type of potato. When that potato was in contact with a virus, they were all affected. This sheds light on the importance of biodiversity because having different types of potatoes increases the stability of potatoes because some types are resistant to harmful bacteria or viruses. I was also surprised to learn that some potatoes we have eaten were genetically modified, since the modified organism had a Bt protein, in order for the potato to become resistant to bugs. The worst part is that the Food and Drug Administration chose not add a label about the change on products containing genetically modified potatoes. McDonald’s is a big food company that used these genetically modified potatoes in their fries and did not inform the consumers. Of course, this raised bioethical questions and caused protests. Since the government has such a big impact on their people, I hope they can encourage farmers to avoid monocultures, but rather focus on more conventional approaches by using less toxic chemicals and to plant various forms of potatoes to maintain the biodiversity of plants. I believe that humans are more in control of the potato because they are able to genetically modify the crop.
In the paragraphs above, I bolded key words. These key words (sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and nourishment) are what attracted humans to these successful plants/crops. The Botany of Desire emphasizes the importance and the affect of human interaction or intervention among other things or organisms.
Citations
“Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum.” TripAdvisor, TripAdvisor LLC, http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g188590-d244456-Reviews-Hash_Marihuana_Hemp_Museum-Amsterdam_North_Holland_Province.html.
History.com Editors. “Irish Potato Famine.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Oct. 2017, http://www.history.com/topics/immigration/irish-potato-famine.
Pollan, Michael, director. PBS PREVIEWS | The Botany of Desire. YouTube, YouTube, 18 Aug. 2009, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdXOeWMwX-4.
Shwarz, Michael, director. The Botany of Desire. Performance by Michael Pollan, The Botany of Desire, 2009.
“Varieties.” WSU Tree Fruit, Washington State University, treefruit.wsu.edu/varieties-breeding/cultivar-guide/.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
SPOILERS AHEAD – READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
Many of the scientific and medical discoveries today link back to one specific person. Let me tell you a story about a woman named Henrietta Lacks. In the novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman who passed away from cervical cancer. What she didn’t know was that doctors took her cells to do further research. The research was used to advance medicine, such as cancer research. As the story progressed, issues relating to patient confidentiality, injustice, racism, and exploitation. Skloot worked to aid the family and bring justice for Henrietta Lacks. Since, Henrietta Lacks’ cells, or HeLa cells, constantly divide, they are considered immortal and are used to further various types of biomedical research.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is available in paperback, hardcover, audio CD, audiobook, and Kindle.
Henrietta Lacks’ story contains so many important themes and lessons that everyone should understand and learn from. The novel depicted several scenes in which those of color were discriminated against. Fortunately enough, our world has strayed away from discrimination and segregation. Hospitals, such as the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and research centers now have strict rules in regards to patient consent. I appreciate Rebecca Skloot’s hard work to help the Lacks family understand the major contributions Henrietta’s cells have made on a global scale.
If doctors stole cells or tissue from one of my family members, I would want to take action to get justice. I would confront the doctors and hopefully make a greater impact by explaining to numerous people the importance of patient confidentiality and consent. Fortunately, I have social media and several other platforms that easily connects to people to spread awareness and make my voice heard.
If I had cells that had the potential to many great biomedical discoveries, I would donate them for “the good of science” and would stray away from selling them. I perceive the world as one big community; so, I believe we should all support each other in any way we can. I would not want my cells to go to waste if my cells had the ability to lead so many discoveries for illnesses or answer questions that remain unanswered. Having the chance to better the world and partake in the world’s advancement would also feel like a huge accomplishment.
I would give this book 5 stars! I am beginning to like nonfiction science books now! After watching GATTACA, reading The Hot Zone by Richard Preston in Honors Biology, and now The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I have become a geek for this content! Can you recommend any good ones?
Currently, Henrietta Lacks’ family is searching for compensation from Johns Hopkins University and others that used Henrietta’s unauthorized cells for research according to the Washington Post. To learn more, click this link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/henrietta-lackss-family-wants-compensation-for-her-cells/2017/02/14/816481ba-f302-11e6-b9c9-e83fce42fb61_story.html
Citations
“About The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Rebecca Skloot The Immortal Life Comments, Rebecca Skloot, rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/.
TED-Ed, director. The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks – Robin Bulleri. YouTube, YouTube, 8 Feb. 2016, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22lGbAVWhro.
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Amazon, Amazon.com Inc, http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Life-Henrietta-Lacks-ebook/dp/B00338QENI.
The Washington Post. “Henrietta Lacks’s Family Wants Compensation for Her Cells.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 14 Feb. 2017, http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/henrietta-lackss-family-wants-compensation-for-her-cells/2017/02/14/816481ba-f302-11e6-b9c9-e83fce42fb61_story.html.
Protista Exploration
Time to learn about protists! Kingdom Protista contains a collection of diverse and awesome organisms that are actually not considered animals… or plants… or fungi. Pretty cool stuff right? Protists are eukaryotic organisms that are typically unicellular… but some are multicellular. Our ecosystem benefits so much from protists because of they do so many astounding things. Protists can be producers that photosynthesize, keep bacterial populations in check by ingesting them, and can even form (positive or negative) symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Learn more about different protists in the Google Slides that Chloe, Annica, Lily, and I made!
Citations
Vidyasagar, Aparna. “What Are Protists?” LiveScience, Future US Inc, 31 Mar. 2016, http://www.livescience.com/54242-protists.html.
After Save the Bay!
Check out this infographic I made about Save the Bay!
On the field trip, I spent most of my time with my group collecting data. One memory I had with my group members (Chloe, Kristen, and Alysa) was when we were analyzing the biodiversity of the specific areas. I recall working together to obtain the information faster by allowing each person in the group to count the amount of plant species in a specific area. I believe we worked well and efficiently together. Another memory was when my group and I were calculating the biodiversity in the data table. We were all huddled near the car under the shade, completing out our calculations. I had a fund time collaborating with my awesome group.
Photos by Mrs. Girard
I would not change anything about the experience because I had such a fun time! I really hoped to stay longer and do more data collecting. The warm and cool weather made the experience even better! I loved this field trip and the experience exceeded my expectations. This field trip should be done annually for the AP Biology class. I enjoyed the trip so much that I was not scared of getting my hands dirty for once! I wanted to learn more and integrate myself with the awesome SF Bay. I 100/10 recommend this trip!
Left photo by Arabella Sunga. Upper right photo by Mr. Retelas. Bottom right photo by Mrs. Girard.
Citations
“Citizen Science: Partnering the Public and Professional Scientists.” Citizen Science Association, http://www.citizenscience.org/.
“Restoring Our Wetlands.” Save The Bay San Francisco Bay Area Restoration, Save the Bay, 30 May 2019, savesfbay.org/what-we-do/restoring-our-wetlands?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhojzBRC3ARIsAGtNtHU3dz38r07Vfn4us9TFzbuUGdVbx1BpVXRmTq3ZiAE9pyXBljERMgMaAqa1EALw_wcB.
Before I Help Save the Bay!
You know that feeling when you are so excited and looking forward to something, you feel like time goes by slowly? That is happening to me right now! I am excited for my field trip tomorrow to work with Save the Bay to learn about our local environment in the Bay Area. I believe this is an awesome opportunity since my AP Biology teammates and I are so fortunate enough to live in a biodiverse area where so many organisms flourish! I love going on field trips because I get to learn outside of the classroom and apply what I learned at school to my environment. Experiencing this first-hand are essential to learning because I think students become much more curious and intrigued by the topic. Save the Bay would be such an awesome opportunity for me and my teammates to do fun, collaborative activities relating to our local environment. I hope to learn more about collecting data and developing my analysis when analyzing organisms. I want to take these skills and apply them when I go outdoors with my family. I also want to learn more about our local estuary and find ways to encourage others to keep our environment clean and healthy! I do my best to keep my environment healthy by reusing bags and limiting water usage. Small things can help SAVE THE BAY… and beyond!
Citations
KQED, director. Saving the Bay – San Francisco Bay: A Unique Estuary. YouTube, YouTube, 9 Aug. 2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clZz2OjE5n0.
National Geographic Society. “San Francisco Bay Faults.” National Geographic Society, National Geographic Society, 20 Sept. 2012, http://www.nationalgeographic.org/photo/3es-sf/.
Arabella Krystienne's AP Biology Blog 