Science Skills
An independent variable is...
Something an experiment changes to test the effect of.
The material of inheritance in all living things is...
DNA
What chemistry term best describes water's overall chemical property?
Polar
What level of protein structure is represented by a simple strand of amino acids?
Primary structure
The molecule that binds to an enzyme's active site.
What is the purpose of the control variable?
It provides a basis for comparison, to see if the independent variable did anything.
True or False:
According to a vast majority of Biologists, in order to be considered alive, all 8 characteristics of life must apply to something.
True
These are the types of bonds water molecules form with one another.
Hydrogen bonds
What are two major functions of proteins?
Options:
Enzymes, structure, communication
True or False:
Most enzymes are substrate generalists.
If false, provide a correction.
False
Most enzymes only work with one or two substrates.
Many answers:
1. Mass of potatoes, volume of hydrogen peroxide used, type of potato used, amount of foam produced, amount of time observed.
Our body maintaining its blood sugar levels would be an example of this characteristic of life.
Maintain homeostasis
How does water's polarity contribute to the property capillary action?
Polarity allows water molecules to stick to one another via + and - partial charges, which is cohesion. Water can then stick to other molecules via adhesion the same way. Together they allow water to "Crawl" up surfaces against gravity.
These two structures, influenced by interactions between amino acids, exist in secondary structure.
alpha-helices and beta-pleated sheets
What is the main job of an enzyme within a cell?
Lower the activation energy required to make a chemical reaction happen.
Critique the Hypothesis for missing details:
If I heat up the potato, catalase won't work.
There is no because/explanation aspect to this hypothesis.
If, then, because.
Bacteria in our intestines process foods for us and take a small portion of it for their own needs. In exchange, our immune system only tends to neutralize those that try to pierce the protective cell layer between the gut and the rest of the intestine.
What characteristics of life are on display here?
Cellular organization (layers of cells, tissues); evolution (both the bacteria and our immune system); process/use energy
Which two macromolecules are associated with energy and what are their monomers?
Short term energy -> carbohydrates, monosaccharides are monomers
Long term energy -> lipids, no standard monomer
What are two environmental factors that influence the tertiary structure of a protein?
Temperature
pH
What does denature mean?
Provide one example of a scenario in which enzymes could denature. Do not use a potato catalase example.
Denature means that the enzyme loses its shape and therefore loses its ability to function at full capacity or at all.
Examples: cold temperatures with plants, high fever in the human body for extended periods of time, cooking meats, boiling potentially contaminated water
Independent variables: enzyme concentration (amount of potato), temperature of potato/hydrogen peroxide solution, pH of the potato/hydrogen peroxide solution.
Dependent variable: rate of reaction/ amount of foam produced
Cells receive signals that prompt them to divide in order to help heal wounds and prevent excessive bleeding.
What three characteristics of life does this scenario directly represent? (Do not include cellular organization)
Response to stimuli (receive signals), reproduction (cells divide), and homeostasis (stop bleeding to maintain internal conditions).
What are the monomers of proteins and nucleic acids? Which atoms are contained in their monomers?
Proteins: amino acids, CHONPS
Nucleic Acids: nucleotides, CHONP
Joining two complete, folded protein chains together is this final stage of protein folding.
Quaternary structure
What does the induced fit model of an enzyme mean?
Enzyme active sites do not perfectly fit substrates; when a substrate binds to the enzyme, the active site changes shape to fit the substrate better.