SCI115
Assignment 1: Biology Article
Due Week 5 and worth 120 points
Use the Internet and / or the Strayer Learning Resource Center to research aspects of biology.
Select an article from a magazine or newspaper that has something in it that pertains to biology. This will serve as the “target article” for this assignment. For instance, you can select an article about medicine, invasive species, nature, conservation, genetic technology, ecology, or any other topic that is related to biology. One purpose of this assignment is to help you become aware of how biology is related to your everyday life.
Write a one to three (1-3) page paper in which you:
- Summarize the article in one (1) or more paragraphs, using your own words. Be sure to identify the article using an in-text citation in the body of the paper, as well as a reference in the reference section.
- Explain how the article relates to this course. Identify which biological concepts from the course and / or text are relevant to the topic covered in the article. Citing the course text, discuss the ways in which this course does (or doesn’t) provide background information to help you understand the article and the larger issues surrounding it.
- Explain why the article caught your attention. Relate the article to your life and to issues that are important to you. Discuss how or if the scientific knowledge about the topic covered in the article affects you directly or indirectly.
- Discuss your opinion on how research on this topic should be funded. State whether you think taxpayer monies should support research on this topic or whether such research in this area should be funded by the private sector. Rate the importance of research on this topic, relative to other areas of research.
In addition to the target article, you should use at least one additional resource, such as your textbook or another article. You must have a reference section which contains an APA reference to your chosen article and all other sources. Additionally, you must provide in-text citations (in APA format) to your references in the body of the text. Integrate all sources into your paper using proper techniques of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, along with your in-text citations.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
- Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
- Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
- Use technology and information resources to research issues in biology.
- Write clearly and concisely about biology using proper writing mechanics.
SCI115 DQ
Choose one of the following three topics for your primary post. Your primary post should address everything that the instructions call for (for the topic you choose). Your post should also be at least 125 words in length. Additionally, please respond to at least one other discussant on any topic.
Topic 1. Tumor-suppressor genes versus Proto-oncogenes. This is a library-research topic in which you are required to provide your sources. Mutations in tumor suppressor genes can contribute to or cause cancer, just as mutations in proto-oncogenes can also contribute to or cause cancer. However, tumor suppressor genes are very different from proto-oncogenes.
- (a) What is the basic difference between a tumor suppressor gene and a proto-oncogene?
- (b) Explain how mutations in these very different types of genes can cause or contribute to causing cancer.
Topic 2. Sexual Reproduction in Unicellular Eukaryotes. Watch the instructor’s video about “Sexual Reproduction in Unicellular Eukaryotes”, which is found in the Instructor Insights section for this week. For a single-celled species to be capable of sexual reproduction, the species must have both haploid and diploid forms
- (a) Explain what diploid form of the organism must be capable of doing, for the species to reproduce sexually.
- (b) Explain what haploid form of the organism must be capable of doing, for the species to reproduce sexually.
- Reminder: you don’t need to cite my videos or the papers that the videos are based on, but if you use any other sources, you must cite them.
Topic 3. Apoptosis. Watch the Khan Academy video about apoptosis (“Apoptosis”, n.d.), then address the following issues in your own words:
- (a) What is the difference between apoptosis and necrosis?
- (b) What is the role of apoptosis in normal, healthy development?
- Reminder: you don’t need to cite the Khan Academy video for this topic, but if you use any other sources, you must cite them.
References:
Apoptosis (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-molecular-biology/stem-cells-and-cancer/v/apoptosis
Cox, J. (2017, July 23). Sexual reproduction in a unicellular eukaryote. [Kaltura video].
Cox, J. (2017, July 30). Sex in S. rosetta. [Kaltura video].
