Unit 5 Reflection

         This unit was about protein synthesis and different types of mutations. We also learned about how DNA is copied and gene regulation. Protein synthesis is when protein is made through transcription then translation. The first step of protein synthesis is a section of DNA being copied by an enzyme and producing a copy called messenger RNA. The mRNA then leaves the nucleus and moves to the cytoplasm. The mRNA then bonds bonds with a ribosome, which will make a protein. The ribosome reads the first three bases called a codon and that determines which amino acid will go with that base. The amino acids are bonded together, and when the mRNA is done being translated, the amino acid chain folds up to become a protein. There are many different types of mutations such as substitution, deletion, and insertion. However, the worst possible case would either be an insertion or deletion in the very beginning of the sequence. It could cause the protein to change drastically and maybe not even start coding until the middle of the sequence, or not start at all. Gene regulation is when the gene prevents itself from being copied by the RNA polymerase. A strength that I have is understanding protein synthesis because of the lab that we did in class. That lab really helped me understand mutations and their effects, but also how the process of protein synthesis works. However, on the other hand, a weakness of mine is understanding gene regulation. Gene regulation is not something that I understand fully yet, and I still have trouble knowing the process of it. I am definitely a better student than I was before this unit because I learned more about these processes in detail, and I think that I can now explain to my peers almost all of the topics of this unit. I want to learn more about mutations and the conditions/diseases they cause because I think it's so interesting how one extra amino acid added or taken out can cause such a big change to the protein. An unanswered question that I still have is how complicated gene regulation can get in humans. I still wonder about how many mutations can be caused in one sequence of bases or whether there is a limit to as how many can occur or not.
          According to the Vark Questionnaire, I learned best when I listened to other people talking and when I saw diagrams and pictures. Because of this new information, I studied playing to my strengths and it actually helped me a lot. I did pretty well on the test and it the most recent test actually ended up being my highest test score. I learned that studying by looking at pictures and listening to vodcasts really helped me soak in all the information. I will definitely study like I did for the most recent test for the upcoming final.

Protein Synthesis Lab

          In order to make a protein, the gene first has to be transcripted. A section of DNA, or a gene, is copied by an enzyme. The copy that is produced is called messenger RNA, or mRNA. The mRNA then leaves the nucleus and travels to the cytoplasm. Then, the copy is used to make a protein in a process called translation. The mRNA bonds with a ribosome to make a protein. The ribosome then reads the first three bases called a codon, and determines which amino acid will correspond with that specific sequence. Each amino acid that is added is determined by the codon read by the ribosome. The amino acids are bonded together and when the mRNA finishes translating, the amino acid chain folds up and becomes a protein.

          The mutation that seemed to have the greatest effect in our lab was deletion, and the mutation that seemed to have the least effect was substitution. During some cases, substitution can cause no change to the amino acids determined and the protein can stay the same. However, in other cases, substitution can cause the protein to change a lot. Insertion could also cause very similar effects as deletion. It is very important where the mutation occurs. If it happens near the beginning of a sequence, then it could become very harmful, whereas if it happened near the end, there would be less of an effect. It would be different if the T that we substituted for C were near the end of the sequence because then it would have caused less amino acids to change; therefore, leaving the protein mainly unchanged.

          When we got the chance to choose our mutation, I chose deletion because I wanted to see how much it would change if I deleted the very first base in the sequence and then again later on. This mutation was different than the others ones we tried because this sequence didn't even start coding until near the middle of the bases. There was no "met" amino acid to tell the ribosome to start coding until it got to the middle of the sequence. It does matter where the mutation occurs because if I hadn't changed the first base and say I changed the last, then the protein would have had a start codon in the beginning.

          If proteins make our bodies work, and proteins are determined by the sequence of amino acids, a mutation could affect my life by causing a disease and my body potentially not behaving correctly. There could be a serious disease caused by one single base being inserted, missing, or substituted that could alter the function of my whole body. An example of a disease caused by a single mutation is Tay-Sachs disease. It is very rare, inherited disease that causes the destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms usually appear from around six months old, and there is no cure. The disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.

DNA Extraction Lab

          In this lab, we asked the question "how can DNA be separated from cheek cells in order to study it?" We found that DNA can be separated from cheek cells in order to study it. The first step of the lab was to scrape the sides of our cheeks with our teeth. We then put a few mL of gatorade in our mouths and then swished it around vigorously. When we swished the gatorade around in our math, we homogenized the cheek cells. We then spit the gatorade back out into our cup and put it in our test tube. After that we added about 10 drops of pineapple juice and soapy water with a pinch of salt. The pineapple juice acted as the enzyme, the soapy water lysed the cell membrane, and the salt was added to make the DNA nonpolar. The salt also facilitated the precipitation. After we added the salt, dish soap, and pineapple juice, we then flipped the test tube upside down about six times. We then let the test tube rest for about five minutes. Last, we added cold alcohol to the test tube, making sure not to mix the alcohol with the mixture. After we added the alcohol, the DNA started to float up into the alcohol. This evidence supports our claim because it shows that the DNA from our cheek cells can be seen using this procedure.

          While our DNA could be extracted from our cheek cells, there could have been errors due to us not scraping our cheeks with our teeth enough and the alcohol mixing with our solution. If we didn't scrape our cheeks enough, then there would have a been a very small amount of DNA or maybe even no DNA to show up doing the experiment. If we mixed the alcohol with our solution then there would not have been enough non polar alcohol to precipitate the DNA. Due to these errors, I would recommend to make sure to scrape the sides of your cheeks thoroughly and to make sure the alcohol is cold and to add it to the mixture at an angle so it doesn't mix as easily.
          This lab was done to demonstrate how DNA can be extracted from our cheek cells. From this lab I learned how DNA could be extracted which helped me understand the concept of DNA replication and the central dogma. Based on my experience from this lab I would apply this to another situation by teaching someone how to extract their own DNA from their cheek cells in order for them to understand the concept of DNA better.

         

Unit 4 Reflection

          This unit was all about genetics and inheritance. We learned about different types of inheritance, genetically linked diseases, and Punnett squares. Some themes and essential understandings of this unit are using the Punnett squares to predict your offpsring's phenotype and genotype, understanding meiosis and mitosis, knowing the different phases of the cell cycle, and learning about dominant and recessive traits. Some of my strengths in this unit was understanding dominance and Punnett squares. A weakness of mine is memorizing and knowing what happens in each phase of the cell cycle. A success of mine is being able to know the difference between mitosis and meiosis after studying it for a long time. A setback of mine is when I had trouble learning dihybrid crosses using Punnett squares. I learned how gene linkage and multifactorial diseases work and how Mendel realized how great sex is. I learned a lot of things from doing the Infographic. I really got to understand meiosis and the different diseases that are x-linked and autosomal. I want to learn more in depth about sickle cell anemia and other autosomal inherited diseases. An unanswered question I still have is what other types of multifactorial diseases are there. I wonder about how scientists will gather more information to further advance our knowledge in genetics.

          I have a multimodal learning preference, but I scored highest in the categories kinesthetic and aural. I scored a 5 in both those categories, a 4 in visual, and a 2 in reading/writing. My results surprised be a bit because I didn't know that I was a kinesthetic learner. I thought I would score highest in visual because I thought I learned best visually. In order to play to my learning strengths, I will listen to vodcasts and look for examples in the textbook.

                            

  

Coin Sex Lab Relate and Review

          In this lab, we flipped coins with either dominant or recessive alleles of different genes on each side to find out the genotype and phenotype of a child. We found the probability of what the children's phenotype would be if they had certain genotypes and then made a hypothesis based on the information. The coins served as a model for genetics concepts because it showed how randomly the chromosomes split and distributed themselves during meiosis and how they recombine themselves into new pairs. During our dihybrid cross, our results matched perfectly with our expected results. We expected that we would get nine individuals with brown hair and brown eyes, three individuals with blonde hair and brown eyes, three individuals with brown hair and blue eyes, and one individual with blonde hair and blue eyes. When we crossed, we got exactly what we expected. Our results matched the expected results perfectly because the Law of Probability states that one will get the most probable outcome; however, others may not get the expected result because there is never a hundred percent chance that they will get what is expected. We also did a monohybrid cross. We crossed a heterozygous individual with a homozygous recessive individual. Our monohybrid cross showed the chances of having a child with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is autosomal inheritance, while something like color blindness is x-linked inheritance. Using probability to predict our offspring's traits are limited to some point. Although it shows the likeliness of the offspring having those certain genes/traits, it isn't completely accurate a hundred percent of the time. Understanding this relates to my life because later when I'm older, I can use a Punnett square to predict what my child's genotype and phenotype will be. I will be able to find the probability of whether my children will be bald, or have a genetic disease.

Genetics Infographic: Why is Sex So Great?

Unit 3 Reflection

            This unit was all about cells and their different parts, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration. Some themes and essential understandings were that cells are the basic unit of life, photosynthesis is the main source of energy for plants, and that cellular respiration has three main steps. Some of my strengths is understanding how diffusion occurs and knowing all of the parts of the cell. One of my weaknesses is fully understanding the process of photosynthesis. I also have trouble memorizing all the jobs of the different parts of the cell. One success of mine is being able to identify all the parts of the cell because I studied a lot to try and memorize them. However, a setback of mine is not being able to understand photosynthesis well because it is a big concept and very important in biology. The two hardest topics to understand are cellular respiration and photosynthesis. I still do not fully understand photosynthesis. I learned that in order to manage the demands of the class well I have to study for tests by reviewing by notes as soon as I'm done with the vodcast to recap all the information in my notes. I learned that I work well in collaborative settings.
            In this unit we learned about the history of cells and their different parts and functions. We learned the differences between plant cells and animal cells. We also learned about photosynthesis and cellular respiration. The reactants and products of cellular respiration and photosynthesis are opposites. We were taught the equations for both photosynthesis and cellular respiration. The three main parts of cellular respiration are glycosides, the Krebs Cycle, and the electron transport chain. In addition to learning about photosynthesis and cellular respiration we also learned about diffusion and the different types of diffusion. Facilitated diffusion uses no energy while active transport requires a lot of energy. Some other things we learned were the levels of organization, unicellular and multicellular organisms, and osmosis.
            I want to learn more about cellular respiration. I don't have any unanswered questions, but I still have to study more for the test in order to be prepared. I wonder about whether we can see a cell during the process of photosynthesis or cellular respiration. In order to study for the test, I am reviewing my vodcast notes and reading my textbook notes. I have not looked at the Studying and Learning page but I am planning to soon. I am planning to highlight all the key ideas and points in my vodcast notes in order for me to understand and remember it better.

Egg Diffusion Lab

            In this lab, we asked the question "how and why does a cell's internal environment change, as it's external environment changes?" For this experiment, we submerged two eggs into vinegar and let them sit for a few days. Then, we took both of them out and measured the mass and circumference for both. We then put one in corn syrup and another into water. We let them sit in the solutions for two days and then measured them again. We found that the egg grew bigger when submerged in deionized water and shrunk when it was put in sugar water, or corn syrup. The corn syrup was a hypertonic solution while the water was a hypotonic solution. When the sugar concentration increased, the mass and circumference of the egg decreased. The class average showed that the mass of the egg decreased by 47.25% and the circumference decreased by 22.94%. Because the solutes can't move into the egg due to the membrane, the solvents had to move out to balance the amount of solvents and solutes inside and outside. The solvents diffused out of the egg because the molecules move from high concentration to low concentration.
            A cell's internal environment changes as its external environment changes because the solvents diffuse either into or out of the cell to try and balance the amount of solvents and solutes. The solvents, water, inside the cell would passively diffuse out of the membrane if put in corn syrup, but if put in water, the water from outside the cell would diffuse into the cell. Because of the water either moving into the cell or out of the cell, it would either shrink or expand. The addition of vinegar caused the egg's shell to dissolve and soon expand. When putting the egg in water, the egg expanded due to diffusion. The water moved into the membrane making the egg a bigger size. However, when the egg was put into the sugar water, it shrunk because of the water moving out of the membrane.
            This lab is a great demonstration for diffusion because it shows the physical changes of what would actually happen to the cell. It shows the egg shrinking and expanding based on the different solutions it was put in. Fresh vegetables are sprayed with water at markets in order to prevent them from wilting. If water is sprayed onto the vegetables, they will stay fresh for longer because the water will diffuse into the vegetables and prevent them from shriveling up. The salting of the roads kills the roadside plants because the plants diffuse water out of the membrane. It shrivels up and stops functioning causing them to die. Based on this experiment, I would want to test an egg that has been put in sugar water first, and then try putting them back in pure water to see if it would expand and go back to their normal mass and circumference.

Egg Macromolecules Lab Conclusion

In this lab we asked the question “can macromolecules be identified in an egg cell?” We found that macromolecules can be identified in egg cells by using special indicators. We used benedict’s solution, iodine, Sudan III, and sodium hydroxide to identify macromolecules in the egg cell. We found that the egg yolk had proteins, the egg membrane had polysaccharides, and the egg whites had lipids. When we added sodium hydroxide to the yolk, the color turned a light purple. The egg yolk had many proteins present because the color changed from yellow to a light purple color. In egg yolk, there is lots of protein because the chick needs a lot of energy to develop its tissues and organs. We rated the quantity of proteins present in the egg yolk a seven out of ten. When we added iodine to the egg membrane, we noticed that it turned to a very dark yellow then to an almost brown color. We rated the quantity of the polysaccharides present a six out of ten. Polysaccharides would be present in the egg membrane because polysaccharides are in the cell membrane, they are actually the carbohydrate chains. Lastly, we found that the egg whites contained lipids. We added Sudan III to the whites and we saw the color change from a whitish pinkish to a light orange. We rated the quantity of lipids present a five out of ten. There would be lipids present in the egg whites because it needs a lot of energy for growth and development. This data supports our claim because we had the correct color changes and there are clear reasons why the macromolecules would be present in the specific parts of the egg.

While our hypothesis was supported by our data, there could have been errors due to the different parts of the egg not being completely separated from each other and the amount of indicators put into each test tube. If the yolk, membrane, and whites were not separated perfectly, then some of them could have tested positive for macromolecules when in reality they were just different parts of the egg that were testing positive. The amount of indicators put into each test tube were also very important roles in getting the most accurate data. The amount of indicators put into each test tube differed from one another because one person could have accidentally put five drops of Sudan III instead of three or maybe they could have put bigger drops of the indicator in. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend separating the yolk, membrane, and whites perfectly and having one person put the indicator into the test tubes to make sure they are all the same amount.

This lab was done to demonstrate which parts of the egg contained which macromolecules. From this lab I learned that yolk has lots of protein, whites have lipids, and the membrane contains polysaccharides. This helps me understand the concept of cells and their jobs because it showed which parts of the egg had which macromolecules and why they had those specific macromolecules to help carry out their job. Based on my experience from this lab I could apply this to another situation by using my knowledge to tell athletes which part of an egg to eat if they, for example, want more proteins or lipids in their diet.

20 Big Questions

I'm most interested in the big 20 question "Are we alone in the universe?" I am interested in this question because it would be so cool to know if there were actually aliens living in the world with us humans. This question has always been a myth that no one seemed to be able to solve. There have even been movies and songs about extra-terrestrials. A current hypothesis for this question could be "If radio telescopes have received a signal bearing the potential hallmarks of an alien message, then there could be places such as Europa and Mars in our solar system to planets many light years away that could have given rise to life. My big 20 questions are very different from the big 20 questions of science.

My big 20 questions:
1.  Will robots take the place of humans?
2.  Can we teleport from place to place?
3.  Is it possible to use 100% of your brain?
4. Did the Big Bang really happen?
5. Why do geniuses usually have a mental illness?
6. Are demons and ghosts real?                                
7. Can people live for ever?
8. Will we ever be able to smell over the phone?
9. Is it possible for everyone to look the same?        
10. What will happen when the sun explodes?
11. Why do we have nightmares?
12. Can people go back in time?
13. Does God exist?
14. Does Big Foot exist?
15. Will there ever be a 10.0 earthquake?
16. Can people live on different planets?
17. Can images on a phone be 3D?
18. Why do people feel pain?
19. Why do people get sore after exercising?
20. Why do some people sweat more?

Identifying Questions and Hypotheses

The scientific study that I chose was an experiment about dreaming. The question of the experiment was whether or not there is a purpose to dreaming or if it is merely electrical brain impulses. Their hypothesis was that dreams don't actually mean anything, and that they are simply electrical brain impulses that pull random thoughts and imagery from our memories. If previous studies have shown that people are more likely to remember their dreams when woken directly from REM sleep, then dreams should just be electrical impulses in the brain. This hypothesis was based on the theory of a prominent neurobiological theory of dreaming called the "activation synthesis hypothesis". The experiment was run by the Italian Research Team and they invited sixty five students to sleep in their research laboratory for two nights. During the first night, the students were left to sleep in sound proof and temperature controlled rooms. The scientists did not run any tests on the students and let them get used to their environment in the rooms. However, on the second night of the students sleeping in the laboratory, they measured the students' brain waves as they slept. While the students were sleeping they were frequently woken up to fill out diaries about whether they dreamed or not and if they did, whether they could remember the content of their dreams. The results showed that people who exhibited more low frequency theta waves in the frontal lobes are more likely to remember their dreams.

                       http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-behind-dreaming/

Unit 2 Reflection

          This unit was about the big four macromolecules: carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. There were many themes and essential understandings that were very important, but for carbohydrates, we learned that there are monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The more rings there are, the less sweet it is, and the less rings there are, the more sweet it is. Carbohydrates are very important because they store energy in our body and carry out many essential functions in our body for us to survive.
          In addition to learning about carbohydrates, we also learned about lipids. Lipids and carbohydrates have somewhat a similar function which is to store energy, but they are different in many ways. Lipids are large molecules that include fats, phospholipids, oils, waxes, and cholesterol. A phospholipid has a tail and a head and the head is hydrophilic, which means it likes water. However, the tail is hydrophobic, meaning that it stays away from water. Lipids mainly store energy, but they also make up cell membranes, and are sometimes used to make hormones.
          We also learned about nucleic acids. Nucleic acids are composed of up to thousands of repeating nucleotides. Nucleotides are made up of a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogen containing molecule called a base. Nucleotides bond together to make either one or two strands. If it bonds to create two strands, then it becomes DNA. If it has one bond, it is RNA. DNA serves as a blueprint for making proteins and is a source of information passed from generation to generation.
         A strength that I have is that I understand nucleic acids and proteins really well, but weakness that I have is that I get confused sometimes with the different functions of carbohydrates and lipids a lot of the time. Some successes is that I finally understand what enzymes do and that they are really essential to our body, and I now know that DNA has two strands while RNA has one. A weakness that I have is that I get confused a lot between whether the head is hydrophilic or the tail is hydrophilic and the other way around.
          I learned a lot about this unit. I learned all about the big four macromolecules. I also learned about all the functions of each and every one of the macromolecules. Lastly, I would like to learn more about proteins in specific because it really interested me the most out of all the macromolecules.

Cheese Lab Conclusion

In this lab we asked the question “what are the optimal conditions and curdling agents for making cheese?” We found that in order for milk to curdle, the best conditions would be to have a warm and acidic environment. When the milk with chymosin was put in hot water, it curdled within five minutes comparing to when it did not curdle within twenty minutes in the cold water. When it was put into a person’s armpit, it curdled within ten minutes. It was neither cold nor hot so it took a little more time to curdle than the hot, but much less time than the cold. Chymosin was the same outcome as rennin, however, rennin took a little longer to curdle. The chymosin and rennin had the exact same results except for the base. Chymosin took a long time to curdle, but the rennin did not curdle at all. Chymosin took twenty minutes while the rennin did not fall within the time range. This data supports my claim because it shows that milk curdles the fastest when put in warm conditions with a low pH level, the milk curdles the fastest.

While my hypothesis was supported by our data, there could have been errors due to time and warmth. The milk could have curdled faster than the amount of time we gathered because we only checked the milk every five minutes. The milk could have curdled before we checked on it causing the data to be somewhat inaccurate. For example, we said that the milk with chymosin in hot water curdled at five minutes; however, it could have curdled at two minutes or three minutes. Another issue could have been that when people put the test tube under their armpits, some people could have been wearing jackets while others were wearing tank tops. If someone was wearing a jacket, it would cause their armpits to be much warmer and therefore make the milk curdle faster. On the other hand, if someone was wearing a tank top, it would curdle slower. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend to either constantly stand by the milk to see if it curdles or to check it more often and have everyone either  wear a jacket, or put the test tube on their bare skin.

This lab was done to demonstrate which conditions and curdling agents would make the milk curdle the fastest. From this lab I learned that in order for milk to curdle and turn to cheese, the milk needs to be put in a warm environment with an acidic curdling agent. Although chymosin and rennin work almost exactly the same, chymosin is the better curdling agent because it works slightly faster than rennin. After all, time is money. We learned in class that chymosin is found in calves and the milk that they ingest. Inside of a calf’s stomach, it would be very warm and acidic. In the lab we put the milk in warm water, and we added the chymosin to the milk in order to make it acidic. This lab experiment could be applied to other situations such as in cheese factories to show which curdling agent works best and in what environment or to teach milk factories how to make sure their milk stays fresh.

  Time to Curdle (minutes)

Curdling Agent:	Chymosin	Rennin	Buttermilk	Milk (control)
Acid	5	5	5
Base	20
pH Control	15	10
Cold
Hot	5	5
Temp. Control	10	10

Sweetness Lab

In this lab we asked the question of "how would the structure of a carbohydrate affect its taste?" Monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides are all different types of carbohydrates. The more rings a carbohydrate has, the less sweet it is, and the less rings a carbohydrate has, the more sweet it is. Monosaccharides are the sweetest, then disaccharides, and lastly polysaccharides are the least sweet. Starch and cellulose, which are both polysaccharides, were rated a five and a zero compared to the degree of sweetness of sucrose, which was a hundred. Maltose and lactose are disaccharides, and they had higher ratings of sweetness than polysaccharides but lower ratings than monosaccharides. Maltose was given a rating of fifty and lactose was given a ten. Lastly, the monosaccharides glucose and fructose were given very high scores of seventy and one hundred and fifty. This data supports my claim because I rated all the monosaccharides the sweetest, the disaccharides the second sweetest, and the polysaccharides the least sweet. The shape of the carbohydrates might affect the way that cells and organisms use it because it could give them more or less energy depending if they're a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, or a polysaccharide. This could affect the amount of energy used by the organism or cell. All testers did not give the same ratings because different people taste different levels of sweetness. One person could think that glucose is sweeter than sucrose while some people could think the opposite. It is very subjective and it really depends on how your tastebuds work. Also, different people would get different amounts of the carbohydrates and some might pick up more of it, causing it to be sweeter. The last reason why some people could have ranked it differently is because they could have tasted the samples in a different order causing something to maybe taste more or less sweet. They could have had something sweeter before and make the next sample seem sweeter than it really is, or the other way around. When humans eat something sweet, it stimulates the receptor proteins on the outer tips of the sweet-responding taste cells. When your taste buds taste something sweet, it excites the sweet taste cell and it sends a message to the brain, to particular centers of the central nervous system that respond to sweetness. Sugar transporter, special ion channels, and potassium ion channels respond to the metabolic state of the organism or the metabolic state of the taste cell. Tasters could rank the sweetness levels of the same samples differently due to the fact that the brain sends different responses on how sweet the substance is to your body.

Carbohydrate	Type of Carbohydrate	Degree of Sweetness	Color	Texture	Other Observations/Connections to Food
Sucrose	disaccharide	100	white	granular	melts very fast in mouth
Glucose	monosaccharide	70	white	granular	melts quickly
Fructose	monosaccharide	150	white	granular	very sweet
Galactose	monosaccharide	30	white	powdery	texture of powdered sugar
Maltose	disaccharide	50	brown	clumpy	weird aftertaste
Lactose	disaccharide	10	white	powdery	tastes like flour
Starch	polysaccharide	5	white	powdery	tastes like paper
Cellulose	polysaccharide	0	white	powdery	tastes like nothing

What is Biology?

Jean Lab Conclusion

In this lab we asked the question, “what concentration of bleach is best to fade the color out of new denim material in 10 minutes without damaging the fabric?” We found that the 100% concentration of the bleach removed the most color out of the denim material; however, it also damaged the fabric the most. We rated the removal of color from the 100% concentration of bleach a 5.7 out of 10 and the fabric damage a 4 out of 10. For the 50% concentration of bleach, we rated the color removal a 4 out of 10 and the fabric damage a 2.7 out of 10. We observed that the higher the concentration of bleach, the more it removed the color and damaged the fabric. It’s widely known that the higher the concentration of bleach, the more it removes color. This concept applied to our lab because the 100% concentration of bleach removed the most color while the 12.5% of bleach removed almost no color. We realized that although the 100% concentration of bleach removed the color the best, the fabric damage was too great. However, with the 25% concentration of bleach, even though there was minimal fabric damage, there was almost no color removal, rating 0.3 out of 10. Using this data, we concluded that the 50% concentration of bleach was the best choice with a rating of 4 out of 10 for color removal and a 2.7 out of 10 for fabric damage.

While our hypothesis was supported by our data, there could have been errors due to inaccurate measuring and inexact timing. Because we didn’t measure the ratio of bleach to water exactly, there could have been less bleach or less water in some of the solutions, thus causing more or less color removal and fabric damage. In addition, we did not perfectly time the lab, so some denim material could have been in the solution for a longer or shorter period of time. This could again cause more or less fabric damage and color removal. Another factor of inaccurate data could be that all the jeans that we used were not the same color. Some were darker and some were lighter than others. Last of all, everyone’s ratings were different because it was their own opinion and some people could think that it faded and damaged more or less than others. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend that you use one pair of jeans to cut out the fabric from and measure out the bleach and water accurately. Also, make sure to watch the time and put in and take out the fabric at the same time.

This lab was done to demonstrate the scientific method and how to follow the procedure of it. The lab demonstrated a control, a dependent variable, and an independent variable. It showed us how to have a high quality scientific study. From this lab I learned how to create a hypothesis, gather data, and interpret the data, which helps me understand the concept of the scientific method. We also learned how to collect information and write a conclusion. Based on my experience from this lab I can apply this to all other labs and experiments in the future. Some things to help future biologists with this experiment is to have a group or maybe even a class vote on what they think the ratings should be for each square of fabric. This lab was important because it taught us the six steps of the scientific method and how to use and complete each step of it.

Concentration (% bleach)	Average Color Removal (scale 1-10)	Average Fabric Damage (scale 1-10)
100	5.7	4
50	4	2.6
25	0.3	2.3
12.5	0.3	2.6
0	0	0.6