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Mitochondria DNA Functions and Forensics

From memory, I know mitochondria are very important for each and every cell, so that we may produce energy. This organelle is able to contribute to the breakdown of complicated molecules to produce ATP required for our bodies to function efficiently. It also has its own DNA which made some theorize that early cells were made by bacteria which integrated themselves into others eventually becoming what we know. This mitochondrial organelle can be transferred from mother to children since it is in the egg which is used during fertilization. This mitochondrial DNA has been used for tracing back origins of mankind and it is useful for forensic analysis in some cases. It also seems to be related that as we age the mitochondria develop mutations. As we have mentioned there is mitochondrial DNA present in our cells which are inherited from our mother. These can be obtained in certain samples to get a hint of who was present at the crime scene. Our own nuclear DNA could also be used but th...
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You’re Not You When Your Hungry

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Our theory of cells has led us to believe that there was a bacterium which was able to produce energy and integrated itself into another organic organism. This created the mitochondria in energy-producing cells which use oxygen and it could have made chloroplasts in cells which use sunlight. Today we still have relationships which are mutual and both organisms benefit from each other. Sometimes it is two animals and sometimes it is on a microscopic scale. In our own bodies, we have bacteria which live in our digestive systems which help with breakdown, nutrient uptake, and general function of our body system. These bacteria produce material which we may sometimes use and now we are learning that we may be receiving more than just digestive help. I actually overheard some speaking about this so I thought I would look into it for myself. I have found that there are bacteria in the gut which produce different neuropeptides such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, GABA, ...
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DNA to RNA to Editing to Protein

As I looked into what makes a species a species last week I assumed that of course, DNA had to be a factor in what makes us who we are. Over time this has changed and it is these changes over a long period of time that allow us to develop into creatures more adapt to our environment. It should take animal generations to adapt to a new environment but maybe one can do it in a shorter amount of time. I go back to one of my first posts which spoke of the commonly known trend of DNA to RNA to protein. We change our DNA so that we can have traits produced to survive in our environments, but why not edit RNA to create the desired proteins. There is information that squids, octopuses, and other coleoids are able to use post-transcription processes to edit their DNA on a different level than mammals. From what I remember we splice out our introns to leave our exons when making our mature RNA. The article states even though we have sites for recoding humans generally try to avoid this. We...
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King Phillip Came Over for Good Spaghetti

I began thinking first about when does a species become a species? Then I got stuck with that idea for the rest of my writing. I have asked this question but wanted to look into it for a more solid definition. I consider If we put two identical animals in different terrains and assume they could survive how long would it take for them to become different species? One definition I have heard states that different species cannot mate or breed with each other. My first thought goes to dogs and squirrels. We have so many different kinds of dogs small to large. If you tell someone who has never seen a dog that a Chihuahua and that Great Dang are the same species they would think you are insane. These cannot be the same animal! Then we see on the other spectrum that we have red squirrels (Sciurus Vulgaris) and gray squirrels (Sciurus Carolinensis) which are similar in many aspects but cannot be considered the same species. Obviously, if this has to do with the compatibility of breeding ...
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Give Me Your Blood Its Good For You.

Hello, this topic came in my mind as I tried to donate this Thursday but arrived too late. I try to donate on a regular basis at my regular Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. I think it just an easy way to give something back without giving money and it is not much of a sacrifice because it only takes about 10-15 minutes. I have never felt any adverse effects so it’s pretty simple every time I go. Anyways I have thought about that just about every two to three months I give about a pint of blood if I am donating whole blood, if not that I donate what they call double red blood cells. I began to wonder what the long-term effects are. Obviously, not many people lose 4 pints of blood a year or on a regular basis. Some have told me it has benefits and some have said it can cause issues . The first thing I consider is red blood cells. We rely on these to give us our oxygen throughout our body and obviously a lack of these would decrease your performance. I believe it is even shown tha...
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Soup of Life

Imagine a flaming fireball coming out of the sky falling onto a planet with water, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen that filled the atmosphere with levels which made life almost unlivable. This ball could have induced such energy or added its own mixtures which may have allowed organic materials to form and develop. These molecules eventually may have led to other processes which created genetic information, cells and more. Creating organic materials from inorganic was thought to be impossible to some until it was shown otherwise by Miller and Urey in the 1950s. Their experiment contained materials which some would think to be gasses from ancient earth and energy which could simulate the energy which could have forced forward the reaction to occur. After a few days, they were able to extract amino acids and other organic compounds. This of course, obtained the attention of many who may have thought they discovered how the first forms of life began. Some consider that it was aldehyde...
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Getting the Gene Across

As we learn about DNA we see how many of our genes relate to the way we look are affected by a mix of four nucleic acids. Some want to start using this to change the way certain organisms behave or look. Already much of the food we eat has been influenced to have certain traits which can benefit the population. Sometimes people refer to these as GMOs which are more of a benefit than damaging, based on what I have seen so far. Some of it has been done through breeding but there are also other processes which allow for certain traits which is what I am interested in finding out. Transgenesis will allow for certain genes to be integrated into a host and possibly continue on to its offspring. Some methods used are plasmids, viral vectors, TALENS, and CRISPRs which will allow for integration. I have been looking for information on transgenesis on animals and how it may have begun. The beginning of this research found that even though we have differentiated cells these still contain our...
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