Great Sun Images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory has produced some fantastic new images of activities on the Sun’s surface, which should provide researchers with more data and detail to help them explain what is going on up there!
For a gallery of images, head on over to the Guardian,or to NASA’s website.
Good Luck Grade 12!
Good luck Grade 12!
We’ve had our final lesson
I hope the work that you’ve put in
Is going to to get you where
You need to be for the exam
So you can feel prepared.
When you sit down to the paper
Remember this advice
Don’t rush into the answers
Read the question twice.
What is the command term?
Stick to it, don’t digress.
How many points is the question worth?
Be clear, don’t make a mess.
Sleep well and smile,
Think for a while
Before you use that pen
And if you’re feeling really stuck,
Read the question again.
Practice, practice, practice,
Use correct terminology
And you will surely experience success
In the one true subject:
BIOLOGY!
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Good luck!
Here are some review quizzes to play with:
Awesome Random Review: Standard Level
Awesome Random Review: Higher Level
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And for when you’re gone, here are 97 Ways to Save Money in College.
Michael Specter – The Danger of Science Denialism
Why do otherwise rational, sensible people choose to reject good science in some cases and believe unfounded claims in others?
With apparently eroding trust in government and authority, people are looking to less reliable sources of information – which is particularly dangerous when it comes to health. On the one hand, they believe stories such as ‘Facebook causes cancer‘, or in the unproven alt-meds of homeopathy and vitamin supplements, yet they reject solid scientific evidence with regard to vaccine safety, anti-retroviral drugs or GM crops.
As Michael Specter says in this TED 2010 talk, “We hate BigPharma… and we run from it into the arms of Big Placebo*.”
“The idea that we should not allow science to do its job because we are afraid is really very deadening, and it’s preventing millions of people from prospering.”
From a TOK perspective, how does this talk highlight the clash between emotion and reason in the ways of knowing? (Or as Specter says, “You have the right to your own beliefs- but not your own facts.”)
*The industry in non-proven remedies and vitamin supplements runs to billions of dollars a year.
Gene Patent Overturned: Bioethics in Action
This week a federal judge in the USA overturned patents on the BRCA1 and 2 genes, which are held by biotechnology company Myriad.The genes are implicated in breast and cervical cancer in women, specifically those who have a hereditary risk of developing cancer. Myriad’s gene sequence test is good at detecting sequences that indicate risk in these women, and they have patented this sequence of genes. The American Civil Liberties Union, among others, have been campaigning against the patenting of genes – products of nature.
Here is a really good video (45 mins) from Duke University. Prof Robert Cook-Deegan, the director of the Center for Genome Ethics, Law & Policy at Duke’s Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, discusses issues surrounding the patenting of genes, including the case of Myriad Genetics:
The news story from Science magazine is here, and makes for good reading.
Also, read this neat article from BadScience: “I patent your ass. And your leg…”
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Since the Human Genome Project, up to 20% of human genes have been patented by their discoverers. By patenting the genes – which are present in all of us – the companies responsible have control over what can be done with regards to research, diagnostic testing and treatment.
Here is a short video on the BRCA1 gene (critical in women), from OvarianCancerDr:
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Questions:
1. What was the effect of the patent on research and medicine?
2. What is the effect of the patent being overturned now likely to be?
3. Explain the significance of the clause that states “…[patent #5,747,282] makes claim to any sequence of 15 nucleotides, the “letters” of the genetic code, coding for any part of the protein made by the BRCA1 gene.”
4. Who are the major stakeholders in gene patenting and the current Myriad case?
5. What would you do to balance the needs of the biotech industry with freedom to research science without fear of litigation or being blocked?
6. What are the strengths and weaknesses of genetic testing services?
7. What would you do if you knew you had a family history of a type of cancer and knew there was a test you could take to assess your risk?
8. If you could have a full genome-scan done, would you? Why or why not?
9. From a TOK perspective, how does this higlight the issues of ‘knowledge’? Who ‘owns’ knowledge if it is discovered? Would the case be different if Myriad were patenting a gene that they had created rather than one which already exists?
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Resource List:
BRCA1 and 2 genes, from the National Cancer Institute
Gene Patents, from the American Civil Liberties Union
Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy
Bad Science article, from Ben Goldacre
Command Terms in IB Biology
Here’s a presentation to help you with your revision and to become familiar with the command terms – the ‘instruction words‘ that will be used in all exam question and that are used in the assessment statements in the subject guide.
If you go over to SlideShare to view the presentation, you should be able to download it as an editable powerpoint.
Wonders of the Solar System
This looks great, and I’m looking on Amazon for a copy right now!
Rock star professor Brian Cox presents this 5-part series from the BBC, with stunning visuals and accessible, but not dumbed-down, explanations of physics and cosmology. I hadn’t heard about it until reading the Guardian’s Science’s Golden Age article, but am looking forward to seeing the whole series.
Links:
Official page, from the BBC
List of clips from YouTube
Brian Cox profile page from Manchester University
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Brian Cox talks at TED: “What really goes on at the large hadron collider”
Genetic Engineering & Biotech resources
Here’s the class presentation:
Essential Biology: 4.4 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
For more resources on each of the types of biotech studied, head over to the main page.
Ross Durand’s Natural Selection Song
Clearly another advocate of Lyrical Science (with actual musical ability and a good singing voice), Ross Durand is a public school teacher from California. I’ve posted about his Photosynthesis song before, and here’s another from YouTube, The Natural Selection Song:
It looks like he’s started his own website for the science songs, so head on over to Mr Durand Sings Science to get an mp3 and the lyrics to “I Need a Little Light”.
You can also find lots more of his music on his personal website.
Photosynthesis Presentation Updated
Here it is, tidied up for the revision unit:
Head on over to the class page here: Photosynthesis (Core and AHL)
The Story of Bottled Water
This is a nice clip. Next time you reach for a bottle of “...the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world*,” think about the Story of Bottled Water. With Earth Day coming up, it’s a good opportunity to think of the impacts of the little decisions we make on daily basis. Do you need to buy all those bottles of water? In many countries, tap water is as good or better in terms of cleanliness, and even in places like Indonesia, dispensers are everywhere.
How could we significantly reduce the use of plastic bottles in our school?
The story of stuff is a fledgling YouTube channel with a decent purpose – to educate people about the way our motivation for ‘stuff’ becomes a global problem, and how we can take steps to solve the problems.
Maybe it’s time to follow in the footsteps of this Australian town.
*Nice greenwashing there, Nestle.
IB students can think about the links between science and economics in this story, including manufactured demand, pseudoscientific claims and making profits from portraying a product as being more ‘green’ than it really is. Greenwashing is a growing problem, and it takes real critical thinking skills to be able to deduce greenwashing claims from genuine information. Check out this SlideShare presentation for more information:
i-Biology 