Exploration of Molecular Biology

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...

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, ...

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...