Unit 8 Reflection

In this unit, we learned about the world, and how insignificant we are to history. The earth dates back roughly 3 billion years ago. People have barely been around for a couple million years. Go to this link to view a timeline of earth's history. It is also amazing to see how evolution occurs. It is really simple when you link back to the saying: survival of the fittest. The animals with badly 'equipped' traits don't survive, and that means the traits don't get passed on. Also, it really shows how the smallest event could change the course of history. If the dinosaurs were still around today, would we even exist? Its also interesting to consider the fact how quickly we are destroying the earth. If you look at pictures of the earth at night, you will see how much of it is actually lit up. This shows how much of the earth has been populated, and makes you wonder how many forests have been destroyed. Also, that haze you are use to- it isn't normal. When you see that thick gray smog in the air, you are breathing chemicals from the exhaust of all the cars. How long have cars been around? Around 120 years is the answer. Add that to all the other factories and incinerators. It is quite worrisome to see this happening. You can refer back to my timeline lab HERE. I want to learn more about what we can do to save the planet. Clearly if we keep polluting at this rate, there is no hope for sustained life on earth. I don't see us sending millions of people into space on a trip to a new planet either, so we are stuck with what we've got. The best move would be to treat it better. Being assertive isn't really a problem for me. I can actually be over-assertive very often. What I need to work on is being less assertive, and keeping quiet more often. My attempts haven't been too successful yet.

Geologic Timeline Reflection

• Describe 3 Major events in Earth's History.  What made them significant? Use the CER format to give evidence and justification for your claims.

About 3.5 billion years ago it is estimated that life started on earth. This is important since this is how we became what we are. About 65.5 years ago the dinasours went extinct. If this didn't occur, there is a chance that we wouldn't be alive today! About 1.8 million years ago the first human fossils were found. This is important since it shows how insignificant we are compared to earths history. 

• Describe the scale of Earth's history.  What surprised you?

I was very surprised how insignificant we are compared to earths history. it also is very concerning considering how quickly we are destroying the earth, and how quickly the population is getting corrupted with technology and violence. The speed of the earth being destroyed is literally like a millisecond compared to the the amount of years it's been around. 

• Consider how much impact we've had on our planet in our short time on Earth.  Discuss your thoughts.  

I discussed this in the previous question without noticing this. Basically it's terrifying what we are doing. Unfortunately forests are not going to be around if we tear them up for all these school worksheets that are only used for maybe half an hour max. Then the air will become polluted and unhealthy. The oceans will be filled with trash, and the water will be harmful. Its a disaster to be honest. We had recycling centers, but they are all closing since China stopped purchasing our recycled material. 

• What questions do you have?

Why isn't the USA recycling material. Clearly they are trying to sell most of our recycled materials. 

• Include a picture(s) of your timeline, or other relevant pictures
  

Hunger Games Final Analysis

1. In this lab, we simulated evolution at a rapid pace. People were given different traits that they needed to use to 'eat' the corks, and there were set amounts of food that people needed to eat in order to survive. After the round is over, the survivors reproduced. They would flip a coin with alleles on it, and this would determine the traits of the offspring. The offspring were basically revived people that died in the previous round. 
2. The pinchers (aa) were the best at getting food because they were able to grab it bwterrn their thumb and their index finger. The knuckles were decent at getting food, but they just we're not as good as the pinchers. Picking food up between your thumb and index finger is very natural for people, so that's why I believe they did the best. 
3. The population did evolve. It started out as a tie. 7 Pinchers, 7 Knucklers, and 7 Stumpys were alive. About halfway through through the lab there were: 11 Pinchers, 7 Knucklers, and 1 Stumpy. At the end of the lab there were only 4 Knucklers, 1 Stumpy, and 13 Pinchers. This is clear quantitative evidence that the population quickly evolved. 
4. Reproduction was defiantly not random. People were selecting their mates because they may have wanted a certain type of offspring. On the other hand, food placement was completely random. Also, the allele type of the offspring was random since we were flipping coins.
5. The corks were a really good size for the Knucklers, but if they were larger that would have changed. If the food was a softball, the Knucklers would have immediately died. the Pinchers would have more trouble, and I believe the Stumpys might do the best. This could happen in nature if the food source changes. This could also happen if a new type of fruit tree/bush becomes present, and some animals are able to eat more than the others.
6. If there wasn't incomplete dominance, then all the alleles with 'Aa' would become Stumpys too.  This would mean that there is a much greater chance of having a stumpy than a pincher because the allele combinations are 2 to 1. 
7. Natural selection could be more related to reproduction. If Pinchers are attracted to Knucklers then they will always naturally mate with them. This is a form of natural selection. Evolution is related to the fact how the population changed over the 7 year period because the Stumpys and Knucklers couldn't eat as much food as the Pinchers. 
8. People reproduced with others usually based on their allele type. This is supporting certain populations because there is higher chance of having offspring of this type. This could occur in nature with certain animals being naturally attracted to other animals. 
9. In evolution, the best traits still survive. The unsuccessful traits get weeded out of the gene pool. This over time evolves to make the population better. Natural selection acts on genotype and phenotype. Natural selection is a huge part of evolution because it is really changing the odds. 

Click here to see my graph!

Bird Beak Lab

Graph:

Hypothesises:
1) If Darwin's theories are true, then spoon beaks might be eliminated throughout evolution.
2) If there are winners and losers, then the bird with the spoon beak certainly won't be one of the winners.

Evidence: Total chicks born
Spoon -> 18
Paperclip -> 6
Tweezers -> 15
Scissors -> 28

I wasn't correct with my hypothesis for this specific test; however, my hypothesis is correct for the part 2 experiment. I believe that the spoon isn't efficient at picking things up. It is actually really difficult so scoop up certain pieces of food unless they are in a big pile. Usually birds don't find a large pile of food.

CER Statements:
The paperclip beaks will defiantly be eliminated from the population because they are loosing by a lot. The scissors population is clearly taking the lead, so they will begin to look like the winners.

Part 2: CER Paragraph
Question: What will happen if all the macaroni a bird eats means -10 food?

Hypothesis: If macaroni is toxic, then the birds with smaller beaks will be way more successful.

CER: The spoon beak bird died because it couldn't pick out the food that wasn't toxic. This clearly shows how the birds with smaller beaks could selectively pick the non-contaminated food.

PE Paragraph:
2 Errors: The tables were not level, so there might have been some advantages to the spoon beak if it were on the lower table because they could use the step as a wall. This would make scooping food a lot easier. The second error could be placement of the food. The food was placed more on one table than the other. This means that the people with the food closer to them could have had a slight advantage. Just try to be more precise when you set everything up, and then you will not have the previously stated errors.

PA Paragraph:
Purpose of lab: This lab allowed us to see how selective evolution can be. It really makes it easy to see how different species can strive or die so quickly. This really helps traits evolve rapidly.

How it relates to vodcasts: The vodcasts were talking about evolution, and the gene pool. This really shows how certain traits can do absolutely horrible in a given environment. It also shows how certain species can strive, and then reproduce more often.

Applied to a different scenario: This can help you understand how certain dogs can be good for certain tasks. They have evolved to the point that they have kept all the important traits needed for their tasks, but also dropped all of the non-important traits.