Introduction to Some Biologically Important Molecules

It is difficult to talk about some parts of biology without understanding some basic biochemistry.

Readings

Learn.Genetics. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/

This website, from the University of Utah, contains some great information. In particular, you should check out the sections on "Tour the Basics" and "Amazing Cells".

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged students should be able to

- define inportant chemical terms including, but not limited to, polymer, protein, amino acid, nucleic acids, nucleotides, purines, pyrimidines, fatty acids

- disucss the biologically important polymers and identify the sub-units of each of these polymers

Prebiotic Environment and the Origin of Life

Readings

Introduction to Exobiology- http://www.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/Exobiology/index.html

This website from Duke University has good information about the conditions of the prebiotic environment, the Miller Urey Experiment, and other issues.

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- discuss the characteristics of the prebiotic environment

- discuss how the prebiotic environment differs from the environment we live in today

- discuss some reasons why the current environment differs from the prebiotic environment

- discuss the methodology and the results of the Miller-Urey experiment

- disuss the gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the origin of life

- state the year of Dr. San Francisco's birth

Timeline of the Universe and of the Earth

An understanding of the timeline of events in the history of the universe and in the history of the universe will be helpful for this course.

Timeline of History of the Universe



Timeline of History of the Earth



Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- state the approximate age of the universe

- state the approximate age of the earth

- state the age of life on earth

Writing Assignment #1

So far in this class we have had very general discussions about critical thinking, what is life, the prebiotic environment and the origin of life, and prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. This essay provides you the opportunity to integrate what you have learned so far.

Assignment- Answer the question- are bacteria alive?

In order to provide a full and thoughtful answer to this question is is probably necessary to address at least some of the following issues.

- what do you think is the best definition of life?

- what are bacteria?

- what are the characteristics of an organism that we are used to thinking about (e.g., your goldfish, your puppy, or your little brother) that make you think that they are alive?

- which of these characteristics apply to bacteria?

Critical Thinking Rubric

This table lists characteristics of work done by individuals with different levels of critical thinking skills. Hopefully, this information will help you to (1) write your own papers and (2) critically analyze papers written by your fellow students.

Note: If you double click on the table it will get larger so it is easier to read.

Exobiology and Prebiotic Conditions

Readings

From Primordial Soup to the Prebiotic Beach: An interview with exobiology pioneer, Dr. Stanley L. Miller, University of California San Diego
http://www.accessexcellence.org/WN/NM/miller.php

Titan may host prebiotic brew: Evidence from flybys suggests the Saturnian moon’s environment is similar to that of the early Earth
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/46172/title/Titan_may_host_prebiotic_brew

Critical Thinking Exercise

There are lots of controversial issues on campus, in Lubbock, in Texas, and in the USA that would allow us to practice our critical thinking skills. However, sometimes I think it is easier to think critically about issues that don't seem to immediately affect us. Thus, I would like us to explore an issue that has been in the news recently that is happening in Malaysia.

Malaysia is a very interesting county. If you would like to know more about Malaysia, their environment, and the people that live there you can check out this powerpoint presentation. This slideshow, which is think is pretty cool, was developed by one of my Natural History and Humanities classes to be used in a 5th grade classroom. Even though it was intended for kids, it still serves as a useful introduction to Malaysia.

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/3JwD4G3hq4RjhQ

Crticial Thinking Exercise

Here is a link to the slideshow that I used in class.

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/9SnjQ9zV1GFQMX

Further Viewing

Malaysian woman to be caned for drinking beer - 23 Aug 09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnOWgCz5fj4

Further Reading

If you want to learn more about this story then here are links to a couple of CNN and BBC articles. It seems to me that the outcome of this story is still uncertain, so it will be interesting to follow it to see what happens.

Malaysian model, mother to be caned for drinking beer in public
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/20/malaysia.caning/index.html?iref=newssearch

Malaysia postpones woman's caning
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/24/malaysia.model.caning/index.html?iref=newssearch

Malaysia delays caning beer woman
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8217440.stm

The political cost of caning Kartika
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/28703?tid=14