First Paper
Christopher Bisda
BIO 101
Week 1 Individual Assignment
02/08/2010
The Process of Science
a. Chapter 2: Question 11
How might you use a radioactive isotope to find out whether the oxygen in CO2 comes from sugar or oxygen gas? I would substitute with a radioactive isotope of oxygen and run the reaction. Upon observation of the result, the oxygen came from what was used if the carbon dioxide is radioactive. If the carbon dioxide is not radioactive, then it came from the sugar.
b. Chapter 3: Question 11
What would you tell the food manufacturer if you were the spokesperson for the FDA? If I were the spokesperson for the FDA, I would congratulate the food manufacturer on his fat-free cake mix. Before congratulating him, I would state my findings and what these findings mean. Although the hydrolysis of the cake mix displays that it is rich in energy, primarily sugar and protein, there are no traces of fat. Given from the hydrolysis, that most of the hydrocarbon chains having a carboxyl group at one end indicates to me that these chains are mostly protein. The rest of the hydrocarbon chains that do not contain a carboxyl group are more than likely to be polysaccharides.
c. Chapter 4: Question 11
Imagine that you are a pediatrician and one of your patients is a newborn who may have a lysosomal storage disease. You remove some cells from the patient and examine them under the microscope. What would you expect to see? Design a series of tests that could reveal whether the patient is indeed suffering from a lysosomal storage disease. I would expect to see lysosomes engorged, possibly swollen, from containing substances that it cannot digest or break down. Some tests that I would conduct to verify the condition of lysosomal storage disease being present is to utilize a method of enzyme assay to measure enzymatic activity. These tests compare enzyme levels in a patient sample (generally blood, urine, or skin fibroblasts) against normal
BIO 101
Week 1 Individual Assignment
02/08/2010
The Process of Science
a. Chapter 2: Question 11
How might you use a radioactive isotope to find out whether the oxygen in CO2 comes from sugar or oxygen gas? I would substitute with a radioactive isotope of oxygen and run the reaction. Upon observation of the result, the oxygen came from what was used if the carbon dioxide is radioactive. If the carbon dioxide is not radioactive, then it came from the sugar.
b. Chapter 3: Question 11
What would you tell the food manufacturer if you were the spokesperson for the FDA? If I were the spokesperson for the FDA, I would congratulate the food manufacturer on his fat-free cake mix. Before congratulating him, I would state my findings and what these findings mean. Although the hydrolysis of the cake mix displays that it is rich in energy, primarily sugar and protein, there are no traces of fat. Given from the hydrolysis, that most of the hydrocarbon chains having a carboxyl group at one end indicates to me that these chains are mostly protein. The rest of the hydrocarbon chains that do not contain a carboxyl group are more than likely to be polysaccharides.
c. Chapter 4: Question 11
Imagine that you are a pediatrician and one of your patients is a newborn who may have a lysosomal storage disease. You remove some cells from the patient and examine them under the microscope. What would you expect to see? Design a series of tests that could reveal whether the patient is indeed suffering from a lysosomal storage disease. I would expect to see lysosomes engorged, possibly swollen, from containing substances that it cannot digest or break down. Some tests that I would conduct to verify the condition of lysosomal storage disease being present is to utilize a method of enzyme assay to measure enzymatic activity. These tests compare enzyme levels in a patient sample (generally blood, urine, or skin fibroblasts) against normal