Friday, November 23, 2012

video uno

https://twitter.com/mightymembrane/status/270903182404755457
check out our war on twitter friends!
also, enjoy the greatness that is cell membrane's first campaign video!

macromolecules

Well, I know this is a tad late, but what a great time for a macromolecule review!
If i had to choose a macromolecule to be.... I'd definitley have to go with Protein.
Reasons I would be a protein.... gosh where to start?
They do EVERYTHING!
Proteins are the most structurally and functionally diverse groups. Proteins create enzymes, provide structural support, they carry and transport inportant substances needed by body cells. Proteins help with communication, they do defense, and they store things as well.
Literally, everything.
They come in a number of beautiful functinal groups like corboxyl, carbonyls, hydroxyls, sulfhydrates...
Basically, without proteins there would be no life. Who wouldn't wanna be protein?

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Spreading the Word

We've been working on spreading the message
keep your eyes open and feel free to appraoch us and ask qeustions about the election!
 
 











Cell Membrane 2012 Campaign Kickoff

Well folks, the Mighty Cell Membrane's campagin is officially underway now.
And we sure have been working hard!
We've poured our own blood




sweat
and tears
 
into this campaign
so keep your eyes peeled for more updates!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Free Write


Hello biology friends. It's time for a free write.
As a junior I took CP Chemistry. I ran pretty hot and cold with my feelings about that class. I thoroughly enjoyed the people with which I took that class, as well as some of the topics. However, I just did not like some of the material. Other times I liked it and felt very smart. Anyway, I'm a really indecisive person and that isn't the point of this.
Whatever else I may have gotten out of chemistry class be it friendship, knowledge, maybe a little bit of work ethic, whatever else, I definitely took away a love for science jokes. My favorite one cannot be expressed to you in words (unless it's about Shrodinger's cat) so I will simply show you this picture:
 
Seriously, if you aren't laughing right now, you've either never taken chemistry or you're heartless.

I was actually writing about chemistry here because this review got me excited to think about how bio and chemistry could overlap. I really liked chem class (sometimes) but I've always thought that i preferred bio more and now that I'm going off to college I feel I need to choose a direction. But many fields had a mixture of bio and chem. So hopefully everything I'm learning will not only just give me good knowledge and help me be a well rounded person but help me to decide if I want to study chem, bio, or biochem within the next year!


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Check out this oarfish!
the video is a couple minutes long and it looks lame at first but it gets cool!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_8nT4zLAQk&feature=player_embedded

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Never thought I'd see the day where I was was left feeling sorry for a wasp!

Just 4 days ago a fossil was discovered of a spider attacking a wasp caught in it's web. "Snore" is probably the word that just dropped out a few of your mouths before you could stop yourselves. Don't worry, I didn't write the paper I just read it so I'm not offended if you aren't interested.
But, this is the interesting part: the fossil in question is 100 Million years old!

That's right, this poor spider, was chilling in his web, for hours, waiting for some poor, sutpid wasp to come along so he could have some dinner. And finally some poor, stupid wasp did land in his web and right as he's about to deliver the killing blow.....

*dramatic pause*

*wait for it*

*do you feel the tension....*

*#building?*




....killing blow... and a quantity of tree resin (amber) chose that moment to engulf both the spider and the wasp.
The article really says it best when it comes to the wasps POV: "This was the wasps worst nightmare, and it never ended... it's large terrified eyes now stare for eternity at it's attacker moving in for the kill."
well, when you say it like that, how could you not feel bad for him?

As far as science goes this is actually pretty cool, because this is the only fossil of a spider actually attacking it's prey, and 15 unbroken strands of spider silk run through the amber piece. and some of them are still stuck to our poor wasp buddy. Which is actually really kinda of cool if you think about it, not cool for the wasp, or the spider either, cuz he died hungry, but cool for us, because, well come on, it's cool!

http://www.macroevolution.net/arachnid-fossils.html
^if you don't believe me just read it for yourself!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Homecoming week!!!!

Homecoming W E E K

That's right. Week. Not day, not game, week. At Sparta (which has the best homecoming around) we literally make it a week long ordeal (no negative connotation on the word ordeal either).
Homecoming is my favorite day/week/thing of the whole entire year!
The Sparta Nation does homecoming like no other.
Every year there is a different theme. All the grades moving through the ranks waiting until they get to be in the senior section wearing their black shirts and hopefully dominating their way to victory and the red apple!
My freshmen year we had 'music' and we killed it rocking out to some elevator music.... yeah, that's right, for freshmen we did pretty darn good.
My sophomore year the theme was 'disney movies' and my class chose toy story.
Junior came along and the theme was 'continents' and my class had Africa.
And finally senior year, 'musicals'. And the senior class chose Rock of Ages. I won't lie to you, I was uber excited to dress up like a groupie!
I was a 4 year mock rock participant and loved it every single time. The practices may be difficult sometimes and frustrating but in the end it's amazing to watch a grade come together and do something so dang cool!

In addition I've perfromed a homecoming routine during the homecoming assembly all four years of high school as a cheerleader. I've got some prettty good memories from that too.
I'm literally estatic that our grade finally had our day and won the red apple, and by a large margin too. Our grade can finally put an end to all the talk about how we lost Sparty Cup in 8th grade because we creamed the juniors this year!

Two of my very best friends were on the homecoming court this year and I made a pretty rockin' sign to support them during the formal assembly. I'm so proud of all of my friends! They're amazing and your friends are definitely a big part of homecoming, because who better to spend my favorite time of year with thatn with my favorite people?

We may have lost the game but our student section was out in full force, just like they always are. If Sparta does one thing right it's students supporting other students. At every event I've ever been to there have been at least a few students their to support their fellow Spartans.

Also, the homecoming dance. Who doesn't love a good dance. I've never had so much fun as I did this year at my senior homecoming. I literally did not realize that the dance was over until the dj anounced that their were only two songs left. I loved my dress, had a great date, went to dinner with a great group of people, and had a blast at the bonfire afterward where we played would you rather :)

I'm sad that this was my last homecoming because this a great part of my life that's drawing to a close, but I couldn't have ended on a better note.

Homecoming was perfect!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

people are idiots

I decided that one of the things humans do to the harm the environment that enrages me the most, is pollute the great lakes. They are a great for a reason people! You know how you like to go to the beach with your friends, and take fun pictures at grandhaven, or go paddleboarding? Yeah, if we keep dumping our nasty into the lakes we can't do that anymore!
This website I'm reading (link below) says that this has been a problem since 1969. The Cuyahoga River, which flows in Lake Eerie, caught on fire! There was so much garbage in the river that the water was in flames! More than once! RED FLAG!
Sewage disposal, toxic contamination through heavy metals and pesticides, overdevelopment of the water's edge, runoff from agriculture and urbanization, and air pollution are all things that are happening to the lakes!
Pollution in the lakes causes deformities and dead fish and things that are bad! Seriously people, this has been going on forever! Why are people just now realizing this is problem!


http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/pollution/water/water3.html
^website that I read^

Monday, September 10, 2012

What I'm most looking forward to this semester.... I'd definitley have to say genetics for sure. Genetics was my favorite unit in biology 10. Not only would you get to study a number of diseases, but the very fabric of life! DNA is so complex and fascinating! But besides that I love looking at dominant versus recessive genes; blue eyes vs brown, tall vs. short. It's so awesome! I think it's so fascinating and it's such a huge field that could help so many people!
I think evolution also has the potential to be really intersting in class. It's so controversial, and always leads to great in class discussions.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Hello Biology Friends!

My name is Sarah Gorkowski. I have been a sideline and competitive cheerleader for 9 years. Last Competitive season I was All-Conference (you can see my picture hanging outside the athletic office :P (I just noticed like 10 minutes ago, pretty exciting stuff)). I'm Sparta High School's National Honor Society Historian, a member of the Interact Club, and a Student Mentor. I'm going to be in art 5 this year and I love art!This past spring was my frist adventure into the world of theater and I absolutely fell in love! West Side Story couldn't have been any better for me. Unfortunately my schedule won't permit me to be involved this fall, I will definitely be back this spring! I'm currently in the Medical Explorer's intern program at Specturm and I hold two jobs; I hostess at TGI Fridays and cashier at Under The Pines.

I'm excited for my intern (my first placement is today incidentally) because I'm interested in studying medicine. Well, medicine is a very broad field and I'm hoping that the internship will help me narrow it down a bit. I'm taking AP Bio this semester because I think it will challenge me, as well as prepare me for college and my future career. In addition to going to school my dearest ambition is to travel the world and travel abroad!

my cheer team!
i'm the second girl from the right