Project Blog 2/12

A picture of my character portfolio
(the chart paper it was on was ripped and crumpled from the rain, so I had to remove it)

Summary

       The factor that makes you and your parents act and look alike is genetics. Genetics is the name for the directions for only one trait of a living thing. You might be wondering how genetics is able to affect you, this is because of DNA. DNA is the directions an organism's cells follow that tell the living thing how to grow and what it will do. DNA contains nucleic acids which are four molecules you require to survive; Cytosine, Thymine, Adenine, and Guanine. They are instructions that make all organisms appear and behave a certain way. These nucleic acids make up the layers or "steps of the ladder" of DNA. The two structures that hold them together are composed of phosphate and deoxyribose. To determine the probability of an offspring having a certain genotype, biologists use Punnett Squares. These Punnett Squares are 2 x 2 arrays that are filled with genotype combinations. This diagram is used to predict the outcome of a particular cross breeding experiment. Did you know that scientists can actually control what traits an organism obtains? They can do this by Genetic Modification or Genetic Engineering. This process is the direct manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including the transfer of genes within and across species to produce improved organisms. When Genetic Modification is performed or experimented on organisms it is known as GMO, standing for Genetically Modified Organisms. However, organisms can obtain traits by accident as well. Organisms can obtain special abilities by a reaction in their DNA called a mutation. Mutation is the change in nucleic acids. Mutations can be caused by either external factors or internal factors. Mutations happen on accident because they are random and are usually mistakes in one's DNA strand or chromosomes. Did you know that you can inherit certain characteristics from generations before you without it affecting your DNA at all? This happens by Epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself. It is simply the change of an organism's phenotype, yet not it's genotype which in turn effects how cells read the genes. Chemicals that are attached to the DNA turn genes on or off, telling which proteins to produce and in what quantities. These switches are called Epigenetic Tags.

Backward-Looking

       To produce the character portfolio of a superhero that I designed myself, I had to go through many different steps. Throughout these steps, I learned many different topics that relate to genetics. The first step was to actually create the superhero based off of an animal that has "superpowers". The animal I chose was the Beluga Whale because of it's ability to perform echolocation. Echolocation is the ability to create sound waves to locate objects by reflected sound. At this time I drew my character and created the concept behind my superhero, including his powers, costume, strengths, and weaknesses. Next I wrote Beluga Boy's origin story, how he obtained these powers. I chose for Beluga Boy to get special abilities by the process of Genetic Modification or Genetic Engineering. For this story, I had to research the exact process of how a scientist produces GMOs. After thoroughly understanding the process and writing about it in my story, I had to write another story about how Beluga Boy met his mate (Poison Ivy). I then realized that Beluga Boy and Poison Ivy had a child together. So I had to determine what traits the baby would obtain from both of her parents. I did this by filling out punnet squares for each trait. In this unit, I learned the meaning of a dominant and recessive genotype, as well as how to use punnet squares. After I knew what traits the offspring would have, I drew what the offspring would look like as a baby. Next, I learned about Epigenetics. I learned how the choices Beluga Boy's daughter made, effects her. I flipped a coin to determine the choices the daughter of Beluga Boy made in her life, then I drew what she would look like at this point and how she was effected. Lastly, I created the Beluga Boy's villain. This villain is known as Dr. Evil and has many enhanced qualities.  I decided to change his Muscular System, Skeletal System, Respiratory System, and Nervous System. This effects my villain by making him a genius, have super strength, have the ability to breathe underwater, and be above average in size. Afterwards, I created a story of how Beluga Boy and Dr. Evil became enemies.

Inward-Looking

       I feel proud of this piece of work because I feel that the character portfolio shows just how much hard work I put into it. It displays all of the work I've done throughout the different units of genetics. The part of this project I particularly liked was designing my super villain. This is because, I got to change my villain based off of his body systems. Although I was only limited to change just four different systems, I had fun figuring out how changing each part of his systems would change him. I decided to change his Nervous System by changing parts of his brain, his Muscular System by making all of the skeletal muscle on his body become two times larger, his Respiratory System by having gills grow on his lungs, and his Skeletal System by having all of the bones in his framework grow two times larger. These changes effected my villain by making him a genius, have super strength, be able to breathe underwater, and be gigantic in size. I didn't dislike any parts of this project. The activities in this project made learning genetics interesting, as it kept me engaged throughout all of the different units. I was always excited to create stories around my superhero, making it come to life. I enjoy how my superhero portrays the abilities of an actual animal. As well as I enjoyed how this project allowed me to build a complete plot for my superhero.

Outward-Looking

       If I had the chance of giving my project a grade, I would give my character portfolio an A. I worked very hard on this piece of work and think that it deserves to get the full credit grade. I completed all of the different parts of this project, putting my very best work into every activity. I made sure that my drawings were neat and never out of place. As well as I ensured that it was easy to understand which character I drew. For the stories I wrote for my superhero, I always made my ideas clear. I made sure that I was never off topic, wrote run on sentences, or had bad grammar. I also made sure that my stories were interesting and engaged the reader with a climax. For the actual worksheets, I ensured that I understood all of the science behind the activities. This helped me know that I was doing the worksheets correctly and getting the science correct. In addition after finishing all the parts of the project, I double checked my work by going back on my work and checking everything. Checking that I wasn't missing any work or missing any necessary details in any activity.

Forward-Looking

       As I looked at the finished product, I didn't see anything major that I would redo or improve. All of the work was completed to the best of my ability. The drawings were neat and proportional, the stories were clear and engaging, and the work sheets were completed correctly. Overall, all of the work was organised and in great condition. However, there is only one minor thing in the character portfolio that bothers me. This is the actual chart paper that I presented all of my work on. Although all of the work was present and visible, the background that the work was on was unorganized. It didn't have clear titles for each topic. This makes it hard for any audience to understand how the work was organised, where everything was, and what each unit was about. This is however just a minor mistake in the display of my character portfolio that can easily be fixed.