Anti-biotic resistance.

Antibiotics VS Bacteria!

Who will win?

This is WAR!!!

Hello everyone. It's the one and only Epicraptor here again ready to discuss more about bacteria. Most of the time people think of bacteria as horrible creatures that cause disease but they can also be beneficial. Without them we wouldn't even be able to digest some foods. Speaking of food, certain foods are made by bacteria. Examples are cheese, yogurt and butter. Pasteurization is the process of killing all microorganisms in milk. Without it, every time we drink milk we would get sick.

 

 

Bacteria aren't only good for us, there good for plants as well. Without them plants wouldn't be able to conduct photosynthesis. Bacteria take out the nitrogen in the soil so the plants can receive it.

On the other hand bacteria can be very harmful. They can cause disease and kill millions of people every year. Strep throat, pneumonia and tuberculosis are just some of the many diseases bacteria cause. Thankfully there is medicine called antibiotics to save us.... kind of. Back when they were first invented antibiotics crushed most bacteria to a pulp. So useful that doctors decided to give them to people even when they weren't sick. Animals on farms were on a steady diet of antibiotics. Soon bacteria got used to antibiotics that they evolved. Some times when a bacteria mutates it becomes immune to certain antibiotics. It then reproduces and then you have an entire colony of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Bacteria are mutating faster than we can make new antibiotics. This has lead to the creation of super-bugs like MRSA which are resistant to most common antibiotics. MRSA has only become a threat because of our mistakes.

MRSA

 

 Links

Cheese pic  

Butter pic 

MRSA pic 

Bacteria

Bacteria

Bacteria are microscopic creatures that can vary in shape and sizes. The most common are spiral, spherical or rod shaped bacteria. All bacteria are one celled and are prokaryotic cells which means they don't have a membrane bound nucleus. Most bacteria don't have complex organelles.

 

They were the first life on Earth and are the most abundant lifeforms since there is 5 nonillion of them. 5 nonillion is a 5 followed by 30 zeros. Bacteria can live in food, water, air and even our bodies. Bacteria in your digestive track break down molecules our bodies can't break down by itself. Speaking of food, bacteria can either obtain food by photosynthesis which is what plants use or by hunting other microorganisms. Bacteria can also be evil. They are responsible for strep throat, food poisoning and a lot of other diseases. Luckily drugs called antibiotics can be taken to kill the bacteria.

 

Some can't move but others move by using tiny hairs called cilia or whip-like hair called flagella. Most bacteria reproduce asexually in a process called fission. Fission produces two cells with the same genetic material as the parent cell. Some bacteria exchange genetic material in a process that is closer to sexual reproduction. Some bacteria can reproduce very quickly. Sometimes as fast as once every 20 minutes.

Fission

There is no way life would exist without bacteria. They are among the oldest lifeforms on the planet. No one knows the exact order of events but it is thought that they evolved roughly 3.5 billion years ago, roughly the same time as other microorganisms called archeabacteria. for several billion years they were the only life on Earth. Back then there was very little oxygen in the atmosphere but bacteria changed that. Through photosynthesis they slowly filled our atmosphere with the oxygen we breathe. After all these years life on Earth's parents are still around. You can find archea in the most extreme places on the planet like hot springs, salt lakes and deep ocean vents with no sunlight.

Links

 bacteria pic 1

bacteria pic 2 

Fission gif

King of Gore

King of Gore

About 90 million years ago, meat-eating dinosaurs began undergoing big changes. They were adapting to conditions in what is now the western United States. Best known among them would be the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex, but some of its ancestors also would gone on a crazy rampage through the countryside. Consider Lythronax Argestes a new found addition to the family, it’s the earliest. And its Greek name says it all: Gore King of the Southwest.



A fossil was discovered in Utah and is declared related to the T-rex. Researchers at the Natural History Museum of Utah and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science recently published a paper detailing the new species of dinosaur Lythronax argestes, whose first name translates to "King of Gore." Mark Loewen found the 80-million-year-old bone fragments of the new dinosaur.

 

 Links

 Dino pic 1

Dino pic 2

Algae

Algae

 

As you know I did a recent post on animal-like protists and now I am doing one on plant-like protists. This blog post will be mainly about algae. Most people think of algae as disgusting goop that resides on the surface of ponds but there is much more to it than that.

Algae bloom.



A single algae.

 Algae are similar and different than plants in many ways. Just like plants, algae use photosynthesis to obtain food. Unlike plants they lack roots, stems and leaves. They are six different groups of algae all of which are different.

The first group is green algae which is the most common type of algae. Almost half of the world's oxygen comes from green algae.

 

 

Red algae live deep underwater.Red algae have chlorophyll (used for photosynthesis) but they have a red pigment instead of a green one. The reason they are red is because the red pigment helps them absorb sunlight from deep in the ocean.

 

 

Brown algae live underwater too. Many types of kelp and seaweed are a species of brown algae.

 

 

Euglenoids are next. They have a whip like flagella and eyespots that are sensitive to light.

 The celll walls of diatoms or gold-brown algae are rich in silica, the main element in glass.

 

 

Dinoflagellates have special flagella that spin them circles. They are also responsible for red tide which is an algal bloom of dinoflagellates and can harm the ecosystem. Red tide blocks out sunlight from other organisms and deplete oxygen levels in the water.

 

 

Red tide.

 

Algae are useful to use in many ways. Almost half of the oxygen on the planet comes from them. We also eat red and brown algae. Red algae makes stuff like pudding and toothpaste nice and smooth.

That's it for today see you later.

Protozoa

Protists

 

 

Today we are learning about protists. Protists are single or multicelled microrganisms. Some may seem animal or plant-like or even fungi-like by the way they eat. Scientists have classified them in four different groups based on how they move. Protozoa are the animal-like protists. They have to hunt for food like animals do.

Ciliates are the first we will learn about. They have tiny hairs called cilias all around them which help them move around. The cilias also help the protists catch small bacteria which they eat. They are the most complex protozoa because they have two nuclei, the macronucleus and the micronucleus. The macronucleus controls the daily commands. The micronucleus controls reproduction for the ciliate.



Flagelettes use whip like tails to move around. They can also used their tales as a lasso to capture creatures just like a cowboy.

Ameboids use a "false foot" to move. They basically change shape to move and engulf their prey.

Sporozoa are parasitic protists. With no way of moving on their own they inhabit larger living creatures and make them sick. Many diseases are sporozoa such as Malaria, which kills many people every year and are transferred by mosquito and African sleeping sickness.

It's scary that it looks like they have faces.

http://biology.unm.edu/ccouncil/Biology_203/Summaries/Protists.htm

Rare Saber-Toothed whale found

  Rare Saber-Toothed whale washes ashore in Venice beach

A rare whale known for it's saber like teeth and preference of cold water washes ashore in an unlikely place: A Venice beach. This discovery puzzles scientists as they online live up north and migrate near northern California.The saber toothed whale was loaded onto the bed of a truck early Wednesday and taken for an examination that will give scientists a rare glimpse into the lives of the elusive mammals.Covered in bites from cookie-cutter sharks, which feed by ripping round pieces of flesh from larger animals, the carcass was extremely well-preserved. The whale was probably alive when it washed ashore. Scientists say it got lost while migrating and was attacked by cookie cutter sharks. It's carcass was then pushed to the shore by waves.

 



My reaction to this is a felt sad that such a rare creature died so close to shore when it could have been saved by humans. I am glad it was found and it can be used to learn more about this rare specis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn leaves

 

It's epicraptor again and I'm going to be talking about plants, again. Today we are learning about autumn leaves. Do you wonder why leaves change color in the autumn time. Some people say it is because the temperature gets colder. That is untrue.

Leaves turn orange, yellow and brown because of carotenoids. Carotenoids can be in vegetables and fruits as well. some examples of this are carrots are orange and corn is yellow.

 

Leaves turn red because of anthoycians. Anthoycians produce the color red purple and pink. Some examples are apples are red and eggplant and berries are purple.

Carotenoids and anthoycians were always there but were concealed by the chlorophyll which is what makes leaves green and produce food for the plant. The reason they are green is because the chlorophyll reflects and absorbs green light. In the fall when there is less sunlight the tree stops making chlorophyll and it wears away exposing the carotenoids and anthoycians. Soon the leaves fall off the tree just before winter and decompose. Some trees like pine trees do not lose there leaves since they are adapted to the winter.

Here are some links.

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html

http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.htm 

Carnivorous plants

Carnivorous plants

Have you ever wondered if carnivorous plants like the Venus flytrap use photosynthesis. Well they do, sort of. They use photosynthesis but cannot make enough due to the unhealthy soil in the harsh climates they live in so they have to eat meat. There are over 600 types of carnivorous plants in the world. the ones I will talk about are Venus flytraps, pitcher plant, bladderworts and sundew. And also sorry to spoil your fun, but piranha plants don't exist. Must be a good day for Mario.

The first plant I will tell you about is the Venus flytrap. It has two leaves shaped like a mouth. Inside the mouth are sensory hairs. When the sensory hairs are touched by insects the mouth closes. The more an insect tries to struggle the more the mouth will close. Poor insect. 

A little help please.

 The next plant I will tell you about is the pitcher plant. It is basically a pitfall trap....... of death. It is shaped like a cup and attracts bugs with sweet nectar. They come to the very top of the plant and look for nectar and slip of the edge to the bottom which is full of water that the bugs drown in. The plant then realise digestive acids to consume the insect. Some fun facts are that some spiders and frogs live in the plant. They wait for something to fall into the plant and when the prey is weakened they go in for the kill. Pretty convenient.



Bladderworts are up next. They live underwater and catch water fleas or other creatures by first attracting them with their smell. When the prey gets close enough, a  trap opens and water rushes in, carrying the prey along with it. It's all over in about 1/30 of a second. That's some fast food.



 Next is the sundew. The sundew has sticky drops covering it's stem which attracts prey. Once the prey lands on the drops it gets stuck. The sundew then curls up and digests the insect.

Other plants are the Dewy Pine which is like a sundew and the lobster pot trap which is like the pitcher plant.That's it for this blog see you next time.

http://www.carnivorousplants.org/

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis

 

Today we are learning about the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is when a plant turns sunlight into food but we are going into photosynthesis even more. Leaves have an important part in the process of photosynthesis. Chloroplasts, which are organelles, are in the leave and they turn sunlight into food for the entire plant.

We need plants a lot. Without them we wouldn't be here. They create oxygen which we need to breath. We cut them down to use for paper, clothing and food in return. Not so nice of us is it? But there is one thing we do for them. When we breath in the oxygen they make, we exhale carbon dioxide which is what they need to live. Think of it as a giant circle or a partnership. We need them much more than they need us. If we didn't exist they would get carbon dioxide from animals. If they didn't exist we would have no air, clothes, food and other materials.

 Photosynthesis is when a plant collects energy from the sun to make a sugar called glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for plants, allowing there cells to function and grow. As you probably already know, plants use their roots to collect water from the soil around them. Water travels up from the roots into the rest of the plant in a transport tissue called xylem which is what the wood in trees are. Leaves take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen through openings called stomata which only open and close when the guard cell tells it to prevent chemicals from getting in.

 

  The water and carbon dioxide spread through the leaves into cells called the palisade and spongy cells. These cells contain structures called chloroplasts, which are filled with a green pigment called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is what makes green plants green. In photosynthesis chlorophyll traps energy from sunlight, storing it as chemical energy. This process splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The chemical energy is used to create glucose from the hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The glucose dissolves into extra water molecules and gives the plant plenty of food for growth.

The Six Kingdoms

The Six Kingdoms

Today we are learning about the six kingdoms which is the six groups that all living things are organized in. They range from animals like tigers and humans to trees to mushrooms and even bacteria. The purpose of this is to organize or classify all living things making them easier for scientists to learn about them. One of the early Greek philosophers, Aristotle divided all living things in just two categories, animals and plants and classified them just by looks. For instance, he would probably put animals like dolphin and tuna in the same group because they look alike and live underwater. Today we know that dolphin are more like tigers than tuna. Eventually scientists began to group things with phylogeny, which is how things are organized based on evolution. From then on scientists have made six kingdoms. When microscopes were first invented, people learned about microorganisms. They made a bacteria kingdom which was later divided into three kingdoms.

The first kingdom or group we will learn about is the bacteria kingdom. Bacteria come in many different sizes and shapes. Most Bacteria aren't pathogens, the evil ones that make you sick. Bacteria can live anywhere, in the air, underwater and even inside other living things! In fact bacteria can be very good for you by helping break down food and keeping us healthy.

The next kingdom is the Archean kingdom.These are some of the world's oldest from of life, but we didn't know of them until 40 years ago. Archea can live in extreme environments like deep sea trenches. This kingdom was originally grouped with bacteria. Some Archea can live in boiling water.

On to the next kingdom, the Protist kingdom. Like other kingdoms the protist are single celled microorganisms. Unlike other microorganisms protists cells have a nucleus. Protists are divided up by how they get there food. Amoebas capture food to eat, while plankton use sunlight to make food like a plant. Some protist do both.

The fungi kingdom is next. They survive by sucking up nutrients from other organisms. They are often found on dead animals and plants breaking down remains which is why they are called decomposers. Most fungi attach themselves to their food using clumps of root-like thread called hyphae. 

The plant kingdom is next. Plants and fungi were once grouped together before people learned fungi could not make their own food. Plants however can make there own food using photosynthesis which is the conversion of sunlight into food. Plant cells have rigid walls made of a substance called cellulose.

Last but not least and my favorite kingdom, the animal kingdom. The animal kingdom is huge and has different groups. In fact we are part of this kingdom. Animals are multi-celled organisms that have to find and eat food and water to survive. Animals move around and eat plants or other animals to survive.

 

 

 

The scientific method

The Mad Scientist Blog.

By:EpicRaptor

first blog!!!

The scientific method

The scientific method has multiple steps. It is used to prove a question or observation

Step one- Find a problem that you have or an observation.

Step two- Make a hypothesis about what you think will happen.( A hypothesis is an idea of what you think happens or happened. Example we can use an hypothesis to guess what happened to dinosaurs)

Step three- Create an experiment. Develop a experiment that will prove your hypothesis wrong or right.

Step four-  Perform the experiment. Once you develop an experiment get all the supplies you need and see what happens. Be sure to note what happens.

Step five- Analyze the data, record the results of what happened and check if your hypothesis was right or wrong. If your hypothesis was wrong, that is okay since it happens a lot in the scientific method. If your data was inaccurate you can modify the experiment.

Step six-Last but not least you communicate the results. Write a conclusion about important parts in the experiment and results.

 



Cells

Cells

 

Cells are the building blocks of life. Humans have trillions of cells in their body. Cells may be small but that doesn't mean they don't have different parts. Cells are like factories with each part having an important job. A flexible cell membrane forms the outer layer of the cell and it decides what gets in the cell and what stays out. The nucleus is the command center or the boss that instructs all the other parts of the cell on what to do.The nucleus tells other cell parts what to do. The nucleus is guided by DNA which contains your body's instructions for life. Inside the cell membrane is a mixture of chemicals and water that is called cytoplasm. Cytoplasm flows around the cell carrying structures called organelles. The organelles are listed below.

Mitochondria break down food and release energy.

Lysosomes break down food, cell waste and worn out cell parts.

The endoplasmic reticulum is that ribbony looking thing. there are two types the smooth ER and the rough ER. The smooth ER is used to create and store large molecules. The rough ER is studded with smaller strucutres called Ribosomes.

Ribosomes are responsible for making proteins, which cells need for everything they do like a power plant.

Golgi bodies pack up proteins to be sent to the body like a delivery truck.