All is well at the front!

Well, my students have now begun to tackle some of the more difficult subjects in AP Biology. Cell signaling, cellular respiration, and photosynthesis always seem to be among the most difficult for students since they deal with a lot of biochemistry. Many of the processes involve the use of spatial temporal reasoning which can enervate even the best students. The first week reminded me of the first 20 minutes of the movie “Saving Private Ryan” but I believe we are now past the beach front and making steady progress towards Ryan. All I know is that once we reach him he WILL come back with us whether he wants to or not!

DNA Fingerprinting

Students have now completed their first analysis of DNA that was treated with three enzymes that acted as “molecular scissors” and cut the DNA at specific sequences. They are now working on quantifying the individual DNA fingerprint bands left behind by these “digests” using two different methods. The first involves very sophisticated equipment called a ruler and logarithmic graph paper and the second a very plain software program called Logger Pro (yes, it IS sarcasm).

As in a lot of other techniques, it is always best to learn the crude method first in order to better understand the easier “click and you are finished” computerized method. The students always look like they are having a blast (as long as it is not the 8 AM class) and they really seem to grasp the intricate details involved with experimentation in biotechnology which is the whole idea behind this course.