Blog #12

In Gregor Mendel's pea plant experiment, he cross pollinated smooth yellow pea plants and wrinkly green pea plants. This is the parental generation (P). They are all alike because they are all purebred. When they cross pollinated however, they created the first generation (f1). They all ended up being like one parent plant than the other, all yellow and smooth. This is because they are heterozygous and the yellow and smooth trait were dominant genes whereas the green and wrinkly trait were recessive which made them all yellow and smooth but still carrying the recessive genes.

Blog #11

I don't think that parents should be able to pick the traits of their babies because they could harm the baby since it isn't natural. Changing the genes of the unborn baby could cause genetic diseases to take effect on them when they are born. When you give birth to a baby naturally, there's a chance that the babies won't take on any hereditary diseases. But when you purposely mix up the genes to create perfect traits for the baby, the genes could create some genetic diseases that could be avoided.

Blog #10

Ingredients

• 1 quart fresh milk, for a thicker product substitute 1 pint fresh cream and 1 pint fresh milk (see sources)
• 2 tablespoons Bulgarian or Greek starter (see sources) OR
• 2 tablespoons yogurt from a previous batch OR
• 2 tablespoons plain, unsweetened, additive-free yogurt with live active cultures found at any grocery store

Equipment

• yogurt maker OR
• slow cooker or cooler and a 1-quart mason jar with lid OR
• food dehydrator (see sources) and a 1-quart mason jar
• thermometer, optional but advisable

Method

1. Heat milk in a saucepan over a medium-low flame until it reaches about 110° Fahrenheit / 43º Celsius.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons thermophilic starter culture such as Bulgarian or Greek starter (seesources), or use two tablespoons yogurt from a previous batch to inoculate the raw milk.
3. If you’re using a yogurt maker, simply pour the mixture of fresh milk and starter into the yogurt maker and culture it according to the manufacturer’s  instructions for about eight to twelve hours.
4. If you’re using a food dehydrator or slow cooker, first pour the mixture of starter and raw milk into a 1-quart glass mason jar and cover it with a lid.
5. If you’re using a slow cooker or cooler, place the mason jar full of milk and starter in the center of your slow cooker or cooler and pour  warm water (approximately 110° Fahrenheit, 43º Celsius) into your the ceramic insert or  until it reaches just below the lid of your mason jar.  Cover with a warm towel for added insulation and leave in a warm spot in your kitchen to culture for eight to twelve hours.
6. If you’re using a food dehydrator, simply place the mason jar full of starter culture and milk into the food dehydrator, set the temperature to 110° Fahrenheit / 43º Celsius and allow it to culture for eight to twelve hours.
7. Once the culturing period of eight to twelve hours is complete, remove your still warm raw milk yogurt from the yogurt maker, slow cooker, cooler or dehydrator and place it in the refrigerator to chill and solidify for an hour or two.
8. Serve plain as a sauce, combined with fresh fruit or nuts or sweeten it, if desired, with a touch of honey or maple syrup.

NOTES: Raw milk yogurt has a tendency to be runny; this is normal and is caused by the action of temperature-sensitive enzymes present in raw milk that would otherwise be killed by heat.  If liquid-like consistency is unappealing to you, consider substituting part of the milk for fresh cream or straining the yogurt through a fine butter muslin available from most cheesemaking suppliers (see sources).

Furthermore, due the natural presence of beneficial bacteria in raw milk which are likely to eventually out-populate the strains in your desired  starter, your yogurt starter will degrade over time.  For this reason, it is necessary to maintain a pure seed starter or to be mindful of the desired quality of your yogurt and to purchase new starters to periodically refresh your old starter.  This is generally not necessary when making yogurt from boiled milk.

YIELD: one quart, approximately eight servings

TIME:  10 minutes (preparation) and 8 to 12 hours (culturing)

Fermentation helps make the food by fermenting milk sugar or lactose with bacterias , Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, to lactic acid, causing the curd to form. The acid also restricts the growth of food poisoning bacteria. During the process of fermentation, the flavors of the yogurt is produced, giving it a sour taste.

Blog #9

I think that the extent of isolation depends on how lethal and contagious the disease is. If it is as high and dangerous as the Motaba disease in the movie Outbreak,  then they should go to an extreme isolation where the virus can't spread any farther through direct contact or through the air because it could spread and infect a lot of people. I think that they should have an army there because they could decrease the chaos and keep people safe but if people are escaping because they are scared then I don't think that they should shoot them or hurt them. They should have a system of thoroughly checking the healthy half of the population and letting them leave before they get infected instead of isolating them in there houses forever.

Blog #8

While entering a hot zone biocontainment facility, you have to go through many procedures and protections to be safe. When you first reach the building, you must enter through the main gate guarded by security. Then you go through another entrance where you must show your security badge to gain entrance. After, you go through a maze of corridors and enter the biocontainment chamber. You must strip of everything and put on a scrubs suit along with a pair of socks and three pairs of gloves. Next you put on a biohazard space suit over your scrubs suit and wear boots. In the chamber there are sticky stuff sealing cracks and holes so that the virus won't escape. Also, for further protection, the most lethal viruses are locked with padlocks and sticky tape in a freezer that is more than negative one hundred degrees.

Blog #7

ElephantShoes: Hey did you hear about the infectious disease, Salmonellosis?
Pinky_Purky: oh yeahh, i heard hundreds of people got affected by it since it was in food products such as meat, eggs, milk, and more.
ElephantShoes: i know right. Apparently last year, thousands of peanut butter based products were infected with the bacteria and were recalled. :PP. 
Pinky_Purky: Omgggg i heard about that on the news last time. That sucks because..i like peanut butter :). Anyways, about like more than 600 people got affected by the products in 46 states.
ElephantShoes: wow. I saw on a website that the symptoms include nausea,vomiting,diarrhea,headache and more...do you know how to prevent salmonella from infecting you?
Pinky_Purky: well i researched it last time after hearing about it, and food has to be thoroughly cooked to kill the bacteria. Also dont eat raw egg, milk, or meat products. Remember to wash your fruits and veggies before eating them. Freeze food immediately bc room temperature causes the bacteria to grow quickly. Lastly, be sure to wash your hands, and other objects after preparing uncooked foods.
ElephantShoes: oh wow! thanks :D gtg byee !!1!
Pinky_Purky: no problem :D, you too. byee :P

Blog #6

virus,

dangerous, lethal

harming, destroying, terminating,

germ, infection, illness, pathogen,

obliterating, exterminating, injuring,

fatal, deadly,

disease.

Blog #5

An example of a good prokaryote is Lactobacillus Casei. It is helpful and beneficial to the human body because of it's ability to restrict the growth of harmful bacteria. It is naturally found in the mouth and intestines of the human body and is also found in raw diary products and fresh plant products. It also improves digestion,  helps control diarrhea, reduce lactose intolerance and have an anti-inflammatory effect on the gut.

An example of a harmful microorganism is Streptococcus pyogenes.  Its symptoms include strep throat, scarlet fever,  impetigo (infection of outer layers of skin), and cellulitis (infection of deeper layers of skin). It's one of the most frequent causes of diseases for humans and is estimated that about 5-15% of people that have this bacteria show no signs of diseases. It has been described as a "flesh eating bacteria" and killed many people mainly because it is the most important cause of puerperal fever.

Blog #4

Astronomers have found a planet just 20 light years away that orbits a star and has about the right conditions to sustain life. The new planet is called Gliese 581-g and revolves around the star Gliese 581, a red dwarf. It's at the right distance to have liquid water, a sufficient amount of mass to hold an atmosphere, and be able to protect liquid water on the surface. It's inner layers are rocky, like terrestrial planets. Also, the solar system revolving around Gliese 581 is  like our own solar system but smaller. It has six planets orbiting a star including a planet sitting on the outside like our planet Jupiter. Scientists are now trying to analyze the planet's atmosphere to see if they contain another key element for life, oxygen.


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130215192

Blog #3

I believe that non carbon based life forms are not possible because although there are some elements that are capable of forming complex molecules, carbon has the ability to form long chains with hydrogen that form organic compounds. Also, carbon is very abundant in the universe, which means that there is carbon in most forms in space.

Blog #2

I believe that the US should switch to the metric system because it would be easier for everyone, worldwide, to understand. Also, we wouldn't have to go through the trouble  and confusion of converting all the measurements. If we traveled or moved to another country, it would be hard for us to understand all the different measurements on regular things that we would buy such as screws, bolts, or a gallon of gas. Therefore, I think that the US should start to learn the metric system for everyone to understand more easily. 

Blog #1

Goals for school:
-get straight A's
-join service club
-socialize and participate more

Goals for class:
-get an A
-finish all assignments