Making A Baby

In the past week we have been doing a lab on making a baby.  Our whole lab was mostly focused on how the baby can get a trait from each parent by a 50/50% chance.  Me and Ashley made a baby and his name was Michael.  What we did was we got a chart and a packet that showed the different traits on it.

Trait Chart

Create A Baby Table

 For example:  The eyebrow size-  Me and Ashley both did not have eyebrows that met so we both had little e's in out genotype.  So we did not have to flip the coin because we both did not have that trait.

For Example: Cheek Freckles-  With freckles Ashley had them and I didn't so that gave her two FF and me ff so we had to flip a coin.  Automatically since she is the mom she would take over a gene which was F.  Since I was the father I had to flip the coin and I flipped tails so that would give me f.  The outcome would be Ff which means the baby would have freckles.

In every outcome we had Ashley would automatically give the baby one of her genotypes since she was the mother.  As the father I would only have 50/50 chance of the baby getting my genotype.  Now if we did or did not have the same trait the baby would most likely get the same exact trait that we both have.

Stem Cell

Stem cells are very important to our body.  They can help our body do many things and help us through many stages we go through such as growth.  They also can be an "internal repair system."  They can repair many cells as long as you are still alive.  Stem cells are special they can repair themselves as well as other cells.  These cells can do this by dividing.  Stem cells cannot only repair other cells but damaged tissue, but although they can do this it takes a lot for them to actually go through with this action.

FOUR KINDS OF STEM CELLS!
Embryonic Cell:
Primitive cells derived from a 5-day embryo that are capable of dividing without differentiating for a prolonged period in culture, and are known to develop into cells and tissues of the three primary germ layers.

Somatic Adult Cell:
A relatively rare undifferentiated cell found in many organs and differentiated tissues with a limited capacity for both self renewal (in the laboratory) and differentiation. Such cells vary in their differentiation capacity, but it is usually limited to cell types in the organ of origin. This is an active area of investigation.

Human Embryonic Cell:
A type of pluripotent stem cell derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst.

Induced Pluripotent Cell:
Somatic (adult) cells reprogrammed to enter an embryonic stem cell–like state by being forced to express factors important for maintaining the "stemness" of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Mouse iPSCs were first reported in 2006 , and human iPSCs were first reported in late 2007 . Mouse iPSCs demonstrate important characteristics of pluripotent stem cells, including the expression of stem cell markers, the formation of tumors containing cells from all three germ layers, and the ability to contribute to many different tissues when injected into mouse embryos at a very early stage in development. Human iPSCs also express stem cell markers and are capable of generating cells characteristic of all three germ layers. Scientists are actively comparing iPSCs and ESCs to identify important similarities and differences.

All in all stem cells can help your body in many different ways.  They can repair mostly anything inside of your body.  Messed up tissue, the heart, lungs, skin, sperm, eggs, bone marrow, muscle, and the brain.

Onion Roots and Cell Cycles!

I was asked to answer a couple of questions on onion roots and what stages a cell goes through...this is what I learned.  MITOSIS!

STAGE ONE!
Interphase Description: Mostly looks like a circle or oval with a whole in the middle...looks more like a bowl.  The cell looks like it is starting to try to come apart.

Interphase Definition:  A normal resting cell exists in a state called interphase in which the chromatin is undifferentiated in the heavily-stained nucleus, as illustrated above.

STAGE TWO!
Prophase Description:  Looks like a circe filled with with black spots.  Looks like everything inside is breaking up into to smaller pieces.

Prophase Definition:  The first phase of mitosis is known as the prophase, where the nuclear chromatin starts to become organized and condenses into thick strands that eventually become chromosomes.  Also there are two types of prophase early and late.

STAGE THREE!
Metaphase Description:  Looks like black lines that are trying to stretch apart.

Metaphase Definition:  metaphase where the chromosomes, attached to the kinetochore microtubules, begin to align in one plane (the metaphase plate) halfway between the spindle poles

STAGE FOUR!
Anaphase Description:  This phase takes the longest.  It looks like the pieces are bigger now and moving to one side. Two big pieces on each side.

Anaphase Definition:  anaphase. Almost immediately after the metaphase chromosomes are aligned at the metaphase plate, the two halves of each chromosome are pulled apart by the spindle apparatus and migrate to the opposite spindle poles.  Also there are two different types of anaphase early and late.

STAGE FIVE!
Telophase Description:  The last stage!  It looks like anaphase but more developed and some spaces between the pieces not as compressed as anaphase.

Telophase Definition:  When telophase is complete and the new cell membrane (or wall in the case of the onion root tips) is being formed, the nuclei have almost matured to the pre-mitotic state.