Biology & Chemistry Flashcards
How does CRISPR-CAS9 work?
CRISPR encodes specific RNA sequences to recognize. CAS9 is an enzyme that uses the guide RNA to find and snip out that sequence and potentially replace it
What is a protein?
Proteins are large macromolecules or bio molecules composed of amino acids. The sequence of amino acids and protein folding determine the biological function that they serve.
What is an enzyme?
An enzyme is both a protein and a biocatalyst
What is diffusion?
Movement of anything from high to low concentration.
What is osmosis and how is it different from diffusion?
Osmosis is a special case of diffusion where the solvent moves across a semipermeable membrane
What is a hormone?
A chemical substance used to communicate and regulate behavior between organs
How does tree grafting work?
Put desirable top (scion) on an undesirable stump. Good for asexual reproduction and propagation of a tree.
How big is a mole? How was that value picked?
6.022x10^23. Chosen so the atomic mass matches grams
What is a marsh?
A marsh is a wetland that has poorly drained mineral soil and grass with a constant inflow of water. They often have rich mineral deposits and plant and animal life.
What is the difference between a seed, grain, and cereal?
Seeds are just the embryonic part that can grow into a new plant.
Grains are seeds (maybe with bran aka the fruit part) grown for consumption and not necessarily viable.
Cereals are grains for grasses
According to David Attenborough, what 5 things do we need to do to increase biodiversity to address climate change?
- Reduce poverty to slow population growth by providing healthcare and educating girls
- Reverse deforestation
- Switch to renewables and get off fossil fuels
- Rewind farmlands by eating less meat
- Conserve fishing by reserving areas
What is a swamp?
A swamp is a wetland that has waterlogged soils interspersed with dry land. They usually have trees and often develop from marshes as the plants slow down the water.
What is a bog?
A bog (i.e. quagmire) is a wetland that has a sealed clay bottom and lacks nutrients. Moss, fungi, and small plants live and decompose plant matter into peat.
What is a fen?
A fen is a wetland that has a clay bottom but there’s a crack where water seeps up from underground into the depression. Thus, it is like a bog but also has some fresh water flowing in.
What does Richard Dawkins mean by “the selfish gene?”
He argues that the fundamental unit for selection is the gene vying for survival and heredity.