RE: Apologia (Full Version)

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mom24wonders -> RE: Apologia (10/15/2008 10:57:25 AM)

Hi! We are using Apologia Biology this year (our first year - my oldest is in 9th) and we love it! We started with a microscope that was on loan from the local hospital, but we weren't able to see too much with it. We took it back there (thinking we just didn't know what we were doing) and they said the focus is not holding. They don't have another one to loan us, but they did say that we could come there to do all of our microscope stuff - however, with 4 children, I just don't see that as a feasible option. :)

I promise, I DO have a question...lol. Here it is: We are now in the market to purchase a microscope. We are members of the homeschool buyer's co-op and right now they have some great buys on microscopes. However, it's really only an awesome deal IF it will work for us. So, I'm asking here hoping that someone will know if one of these will work for this biology course. Here is a link to the one that we were specifically looking at: http://www.boldenmicroscope.com/servlet/the-128/Premiere-Student-Microscope/Detail we can get it for $131, BUT it doesn't have a mechanical stage - that would be an extra $35. Or this one: http://www.boldenmicroscope.com/servlet/the-130/Premiere-Advanced-Student-Microscope/Detail This one we can get for $197.

However, we can get this one: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/products/5820-home-microscope and add the mechanican stage for $24.95 - and I know it's recommended for Apologia Biology.

Is a mechanical stage even necessary? I don't believe the first 2 microscopes are compound, but the one from HST is compound, is that necessary?

I guess I am just LOST. I need someone to point me in the right direction...and if you know of a better, more affordable microscope out there, PLEASE let me know! He hasn't been able to do any microscope viewing for all of module 4 (we finished it up this week) and I hate that he missed it. I don't want him missing any more.

Thanks so much and sorry this is so long! :)



rosenon -> RE: Apologia (10/15/2008 1:25:02 PM)

Dear mom24wonders,

I would go with the second one: http://www.boldenmicroscope.com/servlet/the-130/Premiere-Advanced-Student-Microscope/Detail $197 is a GREAT price for this quality instrument. The mechanical stage is a wonderful feature. Trying to move the slide manually is difficult: a little bump moves the field a long way. The mechanical stage lets you move the stage slowly and in control so you can find those difficult to see little creatures.

Hope that helps.

God Bless,

Steve



cynthia -> RE: Apologia (10/15/2008 1:33:56 PM)

We are doing Apologia Biology this year also. I cannot imagine trying to do it without the mechanical stage. I would consider it imperative for avoiding frustration.



rosenon -> RE: Apologia (11/1/2008 7:01:51 PM)

Hi Everyone,

Here is a great little vignette and web site for those of you working on ECB Module 4:

Some bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics, making the antibiotic useless. The worry among medical professionals is that a “super bacteria” may be formed, which is immune to all antibiotics.

It is very important for us to note that antibiotic-resistance bacteria rarely get that way due to mutation. That is a common misconception, even among some scientists! Antibiotic-resistant bacteria usually get that way because SOME members of a colony already ARE resistant, and either by sexual reproduction or transformation, other members of the population get that trait.

An excellent study showed that bacteria revived from the frozen intestines of explorers who died in polar expeditions carried resistance to several modern antibiotics, which had not been invented when the explorers died.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i1/superbugs.asp

There are some bacteria that become antibiotic resistant through mutation, but those bacteria are always defective and will die out quickly, because the mutation destroys some important function.

For example, loss of a control gene may enhance resistance to penicillin. Some antibiotics need to be taken into the bacterium to do their work. There are sophisticated chemical pumps in bacteria which can actively pump nutrients from the outside through the cell wall into the germ's interior. Those germs which do this efficiently, when in the presence of one of these antibiotics, will therefore efficiently pump into themselves their own executioner.

However, what if one of these bacteria inherits a defective gene, by way of a DNA copying mistake (mutation) which will interfere with the efficiency of this chemical pumping mechanism? Although this bacterium will not be as good at surviving in normal circumstances, this defect actually gives it a survival advantage in the presence of the man-made poison. Thus, the bacteria will survive - very briefly.

Often, if you are treated by penicillin, you might get these mutant bacteria in your system. If you do, DOCTORS DON’T EVEN TREAT THEM, because doctors know that they will die within a few days. Thus, you just have to go about your normal daily routine, and the bacteria will die, because the mutation makes them too weak to survive for long!

Here is also a GREAT web page on slime molds:

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/slime1.htm

Be sure to scroll down and watch the transformation of the vomit slime mold: yes, that is its real name [sm=funny.gif]

God Bless

Steve



rosenon -> RE: Apologia (11/10/2008 11:11:16 PM)

quote:

Hi Everyone,

I was talking with Jay Wile today and I mentioned that it would be cool to bundle my Module WMV screen captures, class notes, formal experiment reports, pre-test review, and online test and answers as individual Module bundles. That way you could purchase a single Module instead of the whole program. We know that some Modules are more difficult than others to master. This would give you a chance to purchase only those that you need. It would look something like this

Video Lectures:

Module 1, Part 1
Module 1, Part 2

Class Notes:

Module 1, Part 1
Module 1, Part 2

Formal Lab Report:

Experiment 1-1

Test Review:

Module Review

Module Test & Answers:

Module Test
Module Test Answers

We are thinking maybe a $19.95 per Module bundle would be a good price point. We would have these available for General Science, Physical Science, Biology, Marine Biology, and Chemistry next year.

We would value your opinion on this new project. If you could write me at rosenon@apologia.com or post a note here, I would appreciate it.



Thanks to all of you who gave us feedback on this program. It is up and running, working well, and we are already seeing fruit. We appreciate your input that helped make this happen.

God Bless,

Steve



rosenon -> RE: Apologia (11/26/2008 10:47:52 AM)

Hi Everyone,

For those of you starting ECB Modules 5 and 6, I wanted to give you a few words on DNA. You have probably heard before that the information stored in DNA is stored in the sequence of nucleotide bases. Many people compare this to Morse code. Just as the entire English language can be reduced to a series of dots and dashes, the information necessary to build a living organism can be reduced to series of nucleotide bases. However, you are probably just a bit fuzzy on WHAT that information is.

Believe it or not, as far as we can tell, DNA does one thing: It instructs the cell on how to make proteins and which proteins to make.

Thus, the INFORMATION that everyone talks about being in DNA is really just a series of RECIPES. The information is an instruction guide, telling the cell WHAT proteins to make and HOW to make them. Now remember, proteins control virtually EVERY chemical process in the body. Thus, it makes sense that they are integral to the life of an organism.

In Module 6, you will learn HOW DNA does this. First, though, I want to give you an overview of how DNA is laid out.

Since the nucleotide bases can only link up with a set partner (Adenine to Thymine, Cytosine to Guanine), the two linked nucleotide bases are usually called a “base pair.” There are roughly 3 BILLION base pairs in human DNA.

Now remember, the sequence of these base pairs is a code that instructs cells on which proteins to make and how to make them. For reasons you will see in Module 6, it takes 3 base pairs to code for a SINGLE amino acid. So, suppose that the protein for which a strand of DNA codes is 1,000 amino acids long. That would require 3,000 base pairs.

You have all heard the term GENE before. A gene is just a series of base pairs that codes for a specific protein. Thus, if a protein has 1,000 amino acids, the 3,000 base pairs that code for that protein would be considered ONE gene.

The human body produces somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 different proteins. As far as we can tell, only about 300 million of the base pairs in human DNA actually code for those proteins. That works out to roughly 10% of DNA. What does the other 90% do? No one really knows.

Evolutionists want to believe that the other 90% is JUNK, left over from evolutionary pathways. Creationists want to believe that this supposed JUNK is absolutely critical for the function of DNA. No one knows for sure. Several experiments have indicated that if you remove the junk, the organism cannot function. However, that does not necessarily mean that the junk is necessary, it may just mean that the chemical machinery required to read DNA knows that the junk is there and accounts for it.

You have probably also heard the term CHROMOSOME linked with certain discussions of DNA. What is a chromosome? Well, the DNA of a human is organized into 23 distinct units, and we call those units chromosomes. It is important to note that in the day-to-day operation of a cell, chromosomes don’t really exist. Only when the cell is reproducing does the DNA separate into its 23 units. During the rest of a cell’s life, the DNA is spread throughout the nucleus and is typically called CHROMATIN.

You have also probably heard of the human genome project. This project is attempted to map all 3 billion base pairs by 2003. To date, they are about ¼ of the way done. Now you might have heard that it is done already. That’s because the media is inept when it comes to reporting science. What HAS been completed is a ROUGH PASS through all 24 chromosomes. Scientists now have a basic latticework in place, which roughly tells them where things are in each chromosome. In fact, they aren’t even completely done with that. Currently, scientists are 66% of the way through the chromosomes. This means they have a rough idea of where 66% of the base pair sequences are and roughly WHAT they are.

What will the human genome project tell us when it is done? It will tell us the complete instruction book for human life. However, by itself, that is useless. Imagine getting instructions for putting your new bike together, but imagine that they are in Japanese. Would those instructions be of any use to you? NO! In order to UNDERSTAND what the genome project tells us, we need to UNDERSTAND the instruction book. Currently, we understand about 10% of the instruction book - the 10% that codes for proteins. What does the other 90% tell us? It tells us NOTHING - until we learn how to READ it!

Here is a GREAT site on DNA structure to help with your studies:

DNA -- http://www.sacredbalance.com/web/flashplayer.html?id=dnaanatomy

Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings everyday!

God Bless,

Steve



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