Stem Cell Web Quest
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stem-cells/CA00081
What are stem cells? – Include two important qualities.
A stem cell is a cell that all other cells with specialized functions are generated from. Under the right conditions, stem cells may be engineered to produce more stem cells.
http://www.tellmeaboutstemcells.org/stem-cell-basics/the-two-types.php
Where can stem cells be found?
Stem cells can be found in embryos and in certain tissues of adults.
http://www.dnalc.org/stemcells.html
How are embryonic stem cells obtained?
Embryonic stem cells are obtained by embryos
http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/chapter4.asp
List 6 places that “adult” stem cells have been found.
brain
bone marrow
peripheral blood
dental pulp
spinal cord
blood vessels
http://www.stemcellresearchfacts.com/pros_cons.html
What are the pros and cons of Embryonic and Adult Stem cells?
Pros: stem cells can be used to replace organs of those who need transplants.
Cons: To many, life begins at contraception, which means that by harvesting stem cells from embryos, scientists are killing people.
There has been a lot of hope for the future of stem cell research. Scientists in many different areas look forward to finding treatments and cures for many disabling and fatal diseases. Below are several websites that describe a few of these possibilities.
http://www.stemcell.umn.edu/stemcell/stemcell101/dzfacts/parkinsonsdisease.html
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/News_and_campaigns/Policy_Watch/stemcells.htm
What are 2 neurological disorders that may be helped by stem cells?
Parkinsons and Alzheimer's
How can stem cells possibly help people with these diseases?
Stem cells may reverse the effects of the disease
http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/pecorino2.html
How could stem cells help burn victims?
Stem cells residing in the hair follicles can be cultured to produce an epidermal equivilant of skin that can be graftrd back onto a person.
http://ww2.arthritis.org/resources/news/news_stemupdate.asp
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/Diabetes-And-Stem-Cell-Research.html
How may two autoimmune diseases be helped by stem cells?
Mesenchymal stem cells are proving to have significant effects on a variety of autoimmune type of problems such as arthritis
Stem cell replacement would simply be a case of swapping insulin-producing cells from a healthy pancreas with those destroyed by diabetes in a diabetic patient.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3209/04.html
At this website you will be voting, which ever way you vote, it will prompt you to look at the other side and I believe you end up voting 7 or 8 times before you are over.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Cloning
What is Cloning?
1. Who is Dolly? Dolly is a sheep that was the first cloned organism.
2. When a zygote divides into to separate cells, it is called: twinning
3. Somatic cells are also called cells other than the germ cells
4. In order to clone a gene, a gene is inserted into a plasmid
5. In order to create an embryo from a somatic cell, the donor egg cell must have its chromosomes removed.
Click and Clone
6. List all the materials needed to clone a mouse.
Three mice: one to be cloned, one to act as a surrogate, and one more to donate an egg cell.
Microscope
Petri Dishes
Sharp Pipette
Blunt Pipette
Chemical to stimulate cell division
7. Place the following steps in the correct order.
4. Stimulate cell division
6. Deliver baby
2. Remove and discard the nucleus from the egg cell
1. Isolate donor cells from egg donor and germ cell donor
3. Transfer the somatic cell nucleus into the egg cell
5. Implant embryo into a surrogate mother
8. There are two time gaps in the process of cloning. What are they? (ie. what do you have to wait for?)
You have to first wait for the DNA to adjust with the egg cell. The second time, you must wait for the cells to go through mitosis until it forms into a morula of 16 cells.
9. What color with the cloned mouse be? Brown What is the name of this mouse? Mini- mimi
Why Clone?
10. Why is cloning extinct animals problematic?
First of all, finding intact DNA would be problematic.
11. What are some reasons a person might want to clone a human?
People may want to clone a human if they are infertile or if they had a deceased child previously.
The Clone Zone
12. What animal was cloned in 1885? A sea urchin was cloned
13. How did Spemann separate the two cells of the embryo of a salamander in 1902? Spemann fashioned a small noose from baby hair to divide the cells of the embryo
14. The process of removing a nucleus is called enucleation
15. In 1952, the nucleus of a tadpole embryo cell was placed into a donor cell. Did it work to clone the animal? yes
16. Can the nucleus of an adult cell be injected into an egg cell and produce a clone? Yes
17. Why are mammals hard to clone? Mammilian egg cells are smaller and harder to manipulate.
18. What were the names of the first two cloned cows? Fusion and Copy
19. In what year was the National Bioethics Advisory Council formed? 1995
20. The first mammal clone to be produced from an adult (somatic) cell? Dolly the sheep was the first.
21. What do scientists do to adult cells to make them "behave" like embryos? Scientists reset the genetic information to make it behave like embyros
22. Transgenic, cloned sheep were used to produce what medical protein? Factor nine.
23. What is a stem cell? A stem cell is a cell that iss found in embryos that can become any cell in the human body.
Cloning Myths
24. Briefly describe in your own words, why CC the cat was not identical in color to Rainbow, even though she was a clone. Despite being genetically identical, when Rainbow was at a young age, her cells "turned off" a whole X chromosome, which contained either a black or an orange fur gene. Some cells specified orange, while others specified black. This is how all calico cats get their markings.
25. What is "nature vs nurture"?
Nature vs. nurture is a say of saying that althought genetics can help determine traits, an organism's environment also helps determine the way it behaves, it's appearance, and physical traits.
Is it Cloning or Not?
26. For each of the following scenarios, indicate YES (it is cloning) or NO (it is not cloning)
NO Sperm taken from a mole goat is combined with a female's egg in a petri dish. The resulting embryo is implanted into the female's uterus to develop
YES A sheep embryo, composed of 16 cells, is removed from the mother's uterus and separated into indivudal cells. Each cell is allowed to multiply, creating 16 separate embryos, which are then implanted in different female sheep to develop to maturity.
YES A cow with many desirable traits is stimulated with hormones to produce a number of egg cells. Each of these eggs is fertilized and implanted into a surrogate mother.
NO In vitro fertilization
YES Cell nuclei from an extinct wolly mammoth are placed into enucleated cow cells.
27. Define or describe each of the following processes Embryo splitting
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer- In somatic cell nuclear transfer, eggs are taken from a female and their nuclei are discarded. Then, they are placed into the eggs of another embryo
Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer- An animal is stimulated to produce a number of eggs which are fertilized and placed into a suggogate mother.
Artificial Insemination- An organism with desireable traits has it's germ cells given to other animals in hope that the offspring will recieve the desireable traits.
What Are the Risks of Cloning?
28. What is one reason why cloning animals has such a high failure rate?
One reason is that the enucleated egg and the transferred nucleus may not be compatible.
29. What is a telomere and how does it affect cloned animals?
A telomere is a sequence of repeated DNA that is on the end of DNA strands to prevent DNA being shortened during cell division
What Are Some Issues in Cloning?
30. Pick one of the questions to ponder and ....ponder it. Write a brief essay on your thoughts and opinions.
Does cloning to create stem cells, also called therapeutic cloning, justify destroying a human embryo?
No, I do not believe that cloning to create stem cells justifies destroying a human embryo. The human embryos all have potential to be perfectly normal human beings who could make a difference in the world. A life is a life and it should never be compromised, no matter how young or old it may be. I consider discarding an embryo to be the same as murder.
1. Who is Dolly? Dolly is a sheep that was the first cloned organism.
2. When a zygote divides into to separate cells, it is called: twinning
3. Somatic cells are also called cells other than the germ cells
4. In order to clone a gene, a gene is inserted into a plasmid
5. In order to create an embryo from a somatic cell, the donor egg cell must have its chromosomes removed.
Click and Clone
6. List all the materials needed to clone a mouse.
Three mice: one to be cloned, one to act as a surrogate, and one more to donate an egg cell.
Microscope
Petri Dishes
Sharp Pipette
Blunt Pipette
Chemical to stimulate cell division
7. Place the following steps in the correct order.
4. Stimulate cell division
6. Deliver baby
2. Remove and discard the nucleus from the egg cell
1. Isolate donor cells from egg donor and germ cell donor
3. Transfer the somatic cell nucleus into the egg cell
5. Implant embryo into a surrogate mother
8. There are two time gaps in the process of cloning. What are they? (ie. what do you have to wait for?)
You have to first wait for the DNA to adjust with the egg cell. The second time, you must wait for the cells to go through mitosis until it forms into a morula of 16 cells.
9. What color with the cloned mouse be? Brown What is the name of this mouse? Mini- mimi
Why Clone?
10. Why is cloning extinct animals problematic?
First of all, finding intact DNA would be problematic.
11. What are some reasons a person might want to clone a human?
People may want to clone a human if they are infertile or if they had a deceased child previously.
The Clone Zone
12. What animal was cloned in 1885? A sea urchin was cloned
13. How did Spemann separate the two cells of the embryo of a salamander in 1902? Spemann fashioned a small noose from baby hair to divide the cells of the embryo
14. The process of removing a nucleus is called enucleation
15. In 1952, the nucleus of a tadpole embryo cell was placed into a donor cell. Did it work to clone the animal? yes
16. Can the nucleus of an adult cell be injected into an egg cell and produce a clone? Yes
17. Why are mammals hard to clone? Mammilian egg cells are smaller and harder to manipulate.
18. What were the names of the first two cloned cows? Fusion and Copy
19. In what year was the National Bioethics Advisory Council formed? 1995
20. The first mammal clone to be produced from an adult (somatic) cell? Dolly the sheep was the first.
21. What do scientists do to adult cells to make them "behave" like embryos? Scientists reset the genetic information to make it behave like embyros
22. Transgenic, cloned sheep were used to produce what medical protein? Factor nine.
23. What is a stem cell? A stem cell is a cell that iss found in embryos that can become any cell in the human body.
Cloning Myths
24. Briefly describe in your own words, why CC the cat was not identical in color to Rainbow, even though she was a clone. Despite being genetically identical, when Rainbow was at a young age, her cells "turned off" a whole X chromosome, which contained either a black or an orange fur gene. Some cells specified orange, while others specified black. This is how all calico cats get their markings.
25. What is "nature vs nurture"?
Nature vs. nurture is a say of saying that althought genetics can help determine traits, an organism's environment also helps determine the way it behaves, it's appearance, and physical traits.
Is it Cloning or Not?
26. For each of the following scenarios, indicate YES (it is cloning) or NO (it is not cloning)
NO Sperm taken from a mole goat is combined with a female's egg in a petri dish. The resulting embryo is implanted into the female's uterus to develop
YES A sheep embryo, composed of 16 cells, is removed from the mother's uterus and separated into indivudal cells. Each cell is allowed to multiply, creating 16 separate embryos, which are then implanted in different female sheep to develop to maturity.
YES A cow with many desirable traits is stimulated with hormones to produce a number of egg cells. Each of these eggs is fertilized and implanted into a surrogate mother.
NO In vitro fertilization
YES Cell nuclei from an extinct wolly mammoth are placed into enucleated cow cells.
27. Define or describe each of the following processes Embryo splitting
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer- In somatic cell nuclear transfer, eggs are taken from a female and their nuclei are discarded. Then, they are placed into the eggs of another embryo
Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer- An animal is stimulated to produce a number of eggs which are fertilized and placed into a suggogate mother.
Artificial Insemination- An organism with desireable traits has it's germ cells given to other animals in hope that the offspring will recieve the desireable traits.
What Are the Risks of Cloning?
28. What is one reason why cloning animals has such a high failure rate?
One reason is that the enucleated egg and the transferred nucleus may not be compatible.
29. What is a telomere and how does it affect cloned animals?
A telomere is a sequence of repeated DNA that is on the end of DNA strands to prevent DNA being shortened during cell division
What Are Some Issues in Cloning?
30. Pick one of the questions to ponder and ....ponder it. Write a brief essay on your thoughts and opinions.
Does cloning to create stem cells, also called therapeutic cloning, justify destroying a human embryo?
No, I do not believe that cloning to create stem cells justifies destroying a human embryo. The human embryos all have potential to be perfectly normal human beings who could make a difference in the world. A life is a life and it should never be compromised, no matter how young or old it may be. I consider discarding an embryo to be the same as murder.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Harvest of Fear
1. What is a GM Crop?
A GM, or genetically modified crop is a crop that has a specific change placed into its DNA by genetic engineering methods. This is usually used to lengthen shelf life or provide a resistance to pesticides.
2. List 2 arguments FOR the growing of GM crops
GM crops are healthier and have longer shelf lives than that of foods that were not genetically modified. Some examples are low calorie sugar beets and oils with low saturated fat content.
GM crops hold the greatest hope for feeding the growing population.
3. List 2 arguments AGAINST the growing of GM crops.
GM crops could cause allergy problems for some people who unknowingly consume foods genetically engineered with other foods.
GM crops will hurt the profit of smaller, local farmers. GM crops may be too expensive for smaller farmers.
Engineer a Crop
4. Practice this simulation until you get the largest ears of corn. How many times did it take you? Four seasons of the simulation
What’s for Dinner?
*Click on the foods on the table to see what research is being done to bioenginner the foods.
5. List two foods and desribe how they are being modified.
Fries- Potatoes are being genetically modified to absorb less oil when fried. Bioengineers are working to create healthier oils to fry foods in.
Fruit- Strawberries, melons, pears, apples, and grapefruits are all being tested for altered sugar content, fruit ripening cycles, and pest resistance.
Viewpoints
Do you think food should be labeled if it has been genetically modified? Why or Why not?
A GM, or genetically modified crop is a crop that has a specific change placed into its DNA by genetic engineering methods. This is usually used to lengthen shelf life or provide a resistance to pesticides.
2. List 2 arguments FOR the growing of GM crops
GM crops are healthier and have longer shelf lives than that of foods that were not genetically modified. Some examples are low calorie sugar beets and oils with low saturated fat content.
GM crops hold the greatest hope for feeding the growing population.
3. List 2 arguments AGAINST the growing of GM crops.
GM crops could cause allergy problems for some people who unknowingly consume foods genetically engineered with other foods.
GM crops will hurt the profit of smaller, local farmers. GM crops may be too expensive for smaller farmers.
Engineer a Crop
4. Practice this simulation until you get the largest ears of corn. How many times did it take you? Four seasons of the simulation
What’s for Dinner?
*Click on the foods on the table to see what research is being done to bioenginner the foods.
5. List two foods and desribe how they are being modified.
Fries- Potatoes are being genetically modified to absorb less oil when fried. Bioengineers are working to create healthier oils to fry foods in.
Fruit- Strawberries, melons, pears, apples, and grapefruits are all being tested for altered sugar content, fruit ripening cycles, and pest resistance.
Viewpoints
Do you think food should be labeled if it has been genetically modified? Why or Why not?
I think that food should be labeled if it is genetically modified because it may cause allergic reactions to those with allergies. Also, if people wanted non- genetically modified food because they enjoyed the taste or some certain aspect of it, they would know which is which without much hassle on their part.
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