Rebecca Suter

Relating to #BS1008, this article shows how adaptations which can be due to environmental and genetics can be tested and analysed to see which have the biggest impact. In this study it was found mother birds who were predator exposed had smaller chicks. This may seem like a disadvantage caused by stress hormones, but it was also found these chicks wings grew longer, making them better at flying, even when a foster mother reared them. This mother birds who were not exposed to predators bringing up the offspring whose mother was, was also compared to the exposed mothers bringing up the offspring of another bird who wasnt as a control. This shows that it was the exposure of predators on the mother during ovulation and not the environment of the upbringing. Genetics may also play a part, and the offspring of this generation could be monitered to see what affect there is on them. - Rebecca Suter

This term is nearly over and i'm really looking forward to going home :). I still plan on doing loads of revision, as i've been slacking lately and only written up notes for #BS1008, so there's loads to do in all the other modules. I'm pleased to have met up with my personal tutor and sorted my modules, and because i'm now specializing in zoology i'm also changing my personal tutor as he does genetics. I think next year i'll start bringing my laptop in to write notes during lectures rather than having to write them up or print the slides, though it'll be annoying carrying it around... I still havent got my Microbiology essay or booklet back :s I thought I would have it by now,as well as the #BS1013 essay. Hopefully i'll get them by the end of the week. It feels like i've come a long way over this year, as I before uni I wanted to do medicine, but now i'm on a completely different track, so i'm really glad to be doing biological sciences instead :D - Rebecca Suter

I've chosen my modules now, just need to see my personal tutor on Monday... It turns out im doing Zoology now, even through I hadn't planned in specializing at all. I've really liked the lectures on animal behaviour, so they have really captured me and made me want to choose all the zoology modules! I did psychology at A-level which I enjoyed, and some of it tied in with that nicely. I would have liked to keep my degree more broad, maybe done a bit of genetics, but I think it would be harder without supporting modules, and I really like the look of the ones i've chosen already. I would also have liked to do physiology, but I don't think I would be any good at pharmocology, so that's a no :/. Good week so far, apart from I came in at 10 thinking I had a practical when I didnt need to be in until 12! Clever... :| - Rebecca Suter

If animals are to show altruism, they need to be able to recognise the other animals in their group. This article and video shows that monkey can recognise each other by their face, and most suprisingly just by looking at a photo. I would not have expected monkeys to be able to recognise photos as they have never seen them before. This is because in a documentary I saw a while ago, monkeys were not aware of their appearance, and didnt recognise themselves in a mirror, (which like a photo is another flat image of a monkey). Relates to #BS1008 - Rebecca Suter

Relating to #BS1008 , this article shows the importance of mutualistic relationships between animals, In this example, that of sharks and cleaner wrasses. The sharks are rid of parasites which would otherwise cause them problems, while the wrasses get food, so both animals benefit. The sharks actually go to areas the clear fish are found, and swim slower in circles, specifically to be cleaned, showing they are aware of it and realise it is beneficial to them. - Rebecca Suter

Decent week so far, and had my first practical since the timetable change which was good. Although it was nice not having one last week, this one (Practical 3) was quite short and not bad at all. Glad to know I have a average/above average heart rate! :) Though could have been better... I like how we are applying what we will learn rather than just been told about heart rate and ECG's. Still need to pick modules too, everyone seems to have decided, so i'll do that soon I think! - Rebecca Suter

In #BS1008 we learned how crows could use tools to get food, and this article shows elephants can too. More suprisingly it shows they can work together to perform the task when needed, and when they know they cannot do it themselves, they wait for help. This shows how intelligent they are, and how cooperative behaviour can be beneficial to animals. - Rebecca Suter

Been a really good week so far :D Nice Birthday- only one hour in uni! Having less hours is much better, so i'm enjoying that, but havent got around to catching up on work yet. The genes write up was hard, so glad to get that out the way too. I don't have any practicals this week which is pretty strange, though i'll have them when others don't so it'll even itself out. - Rebecca Suter

Glad to have submitted the essay and practical write up, and i've nearly done the #BS1011 assessment too. Good to have finished all that work and look forward to my Birthday tommorow :D Really pleased about the reduction in hours, and I plan on using them productively by going through the lectures so far and some extra reading, something there hasn't been much time for lately. - Rebecca Suter

Relating to #BS1013 , this article demonstrates how specialized animals can become with evolution over time. The evolution of jaws was discussed in the lectures, and this is a good example of how animals become adapted to hunting specific prey. The animals are very well adapted for hunting their prey, with huge canines so unlike modern cats today, however becoming so specialized isn't so good if there is a change in the environment, such as decreasing numbers of their chosen prey. This would have made it more difficult to adapt. - Rebecca Suter

Relating to #BS1013. Using images, this shows how bats teeth have adapted over time to their prey. They show fruit-bats have complex molar teeth with bumpy surfaces, unlike those of bats which are insectivours or carnivours. Fruit-bats teeth are evolved for cutting through, crushing and grinding fruit which make feeding more effecttive. Suprisingly bats which are omnivours which also eat fruit don't have the same complex tooth surfaces. - Rebecca Suter

There's so much to do! These deadlines are my number one enemy, i've started two of the essays, but I thought I had more time than I do. I suppose there ain't no rest for the wicked. I think getting a calendar or something and writing deadlines so I can see when everythings in will make it easier to organise myself. At least i'm more in the swing of the practical reports now so they don't take as long, i'll need the extra time in the weekend for all this work! Also I completed my #BS1011 assessment and I got 100% at last :D More of a personal acheivement because I always came annoyingly close, with a stupid mistake usually ruining it. - Rebecca Suter

Actually when are the deadlines? I'm not sure if I have as much time as I think I have :S - Nathan

Showing the importance of sterile lab practices, this article explains a suprisingly high 1/5 of genomes sequenced in the lab contain human DNA from lab workers. In our practicals it wouldn't be so bad as we are still learning, but I wouldn't have thought it would happen in propper labs! - Rebecca Suter

This is a documentary which kind of relates to #BS1013 as it is about energy flow, but I just thought some Biologists might find it interesting. It shows what happens when an elephant dies, and all the animals it feeds, showing how energy (6 million calories in an elephant!) flows to hyena's, leapards, jackals, birds and all kinds of insects. Also shows how the numbers of vultures are decreasing, which as they are an important part of the ecosystem is worrying. - Rebecca Suter

Busy week so far, need to start some of these essays and read up on the lectures before I get bogged down with everything. Glad to have got my BS1013 presentation out the way. In The End I didn't do that well but i'm getting better, my first presentation was awful :'). The Best Is Yet To Come in a few weeks when the timetable changes, i'm aiming to be productive with the extra time. Im pleased with my results today :) even managed to do alright in Chemistry which I was suprised about. - Rebecca Suter

Relating to #BS1009 & #BS1005, the article talks about how pneumococcal vaccines are going to be developed for both the developing countries and poorer countries at the same time. Normally due to financial restrictions, poorer countries have to wait 10-15years to get it, if at all. New methods for developing vaccines are much more ethical than Edward Jenner who infected James Phipps with cowpox, then exposed him to smallpox! They are also selling the vaccine at a reduced price to the countires to make it more accessible. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the Gram-positive encapsulated coccus that causes pneumococcal disease which the vaccine provides an immunity to. - Rebecca Suter

The workload has certainly increased today, set a presentation for next week and an essay for #BS1013 , though we don't know the deadline for that yet. My presentation title is quite interesting- 'deleterious effects of insecticides on bee species survival'. I hadn't realized insecticides were a problem for bee's, guess i'll find out soon :). Some of the others looked really hard, so i'm feeling good. That golden rule is to plan ahead to make sure everything is finished in good time to avoid rushing. - Rebecca Suter

Relating to #BS1005 , this article is about how a plant called cassava (grown in Africa) has been genetically modified to produce more protein. In the future this could have a huge impact as many children die from lack of protein, so it really could save lives. This is a similar story to 'Golden rice' which was modified to produce beta-carotene for those on a restricted diet in poorer countries. However there is still controversy on Genetically modified crops and whether they should be mass produced and eaten. Personally I am pro-GM as they would have a huge positive impact for poorer countries, though they should be isolated from wild-types so diversity isn't reduced. - Rebecca Suter

Today was quite good, i'm liking the late start :D, though I don't think I did very well in the practical, I'll have to see next week when we see the results... I think i'll get better the more we do. Can't say I'm a fan of the big gaps in the day as it means spending more time on the bus, but I know it's not Biosci arranging it. The #BS1013 lecture was good to introduce the topic, and feel I should read up on photosynthesis as I've probably forgotten everything from A-level :') - Rebecca Suter

i forgot about the last #BS1010 assessment!! oops, im in the same boat as you D; im gonna have to do it onday too i guess/ - Christopher Jones

same boat also... reading other peoples comments it seems like many people have not completed/submitted the task as well... - Michael Lam

All module assessments should have been submitted before the end of term. Submit any #BS1010 assessments you are missing as soon as you are able to. - Dr Alan Cann

A suprising number and variety of animals rely on the photosynthesis as an energy source (though this can just be in addition to other sources). Some do this by taking up chloroplasts from plants while others have alga growing within them in a mutualistic relationship, like those mentioned in #BS1012 such as mistletoe, and insect pollination. - Rebecca Suter

It's a pity we don't get feedback for individual questions, that would really help to know where we went wrong. - Rebecca Suter

well done :) I agree tho... in most modules id aim so much higher but I was so happy to get over 40%, I think that was the thing that made me most proud of all my results (happier then 100%'s in practical reports or BS1010 tests!) - Alice Round

Relating to #BS1012, earlier we learnt about bee's using the waggle dance to tell other bees where there is food, and it was mentioned today how they tend to find flowers of the same species (which improves pollination). It says how if they are sleep deprived, like us, they don't work as well and their waggle dance varies, giving the wrong directions to other bees about the location of flowers. - Rebecca Suter

I was exactly the same. But the demonstraters are so helpful :-) - Alice Round

yeah, feel sorry for you, our 1 day of non 9am lectures and you get tutorial :-( - SarahJohnson

Thanks, If it were A-level I would have filled it with diagrams, but I thought it should be mostly written to show I can explain complex things without using them, but i'll do both next time. They really do make explanations clearer. I was also feeling a bit lazy to find and reference pictures :s. Yeah, I'm going to concentrate on chemistry for now because thats 25% of the module as apposed to 10% for biochem. - Rebecca Suter

Not entirely educational, but a really cool stop-motion video relating to #BS1012 called the history of life. It starts with the big bang, then leads on to crabs, lizards, dinosaurs, and all the way to humans in a creative way. - Rebecca Suter

I found out Ricin works as a poison by inhibiting protein synthesis so it takes a while to work, and can be treated so patients can fully recover. It takes only 1 bean to kill a human, and can cause an allergic reaction on exposure to the skin, so it's a good point of how anyone got as far as using it to make castor oil so people could eat it! - Rebecca Suter