Viruses...Living or Not?

A virus consists of DNA or RNA enclosed by a protein coat. When a virus invades a host cell the protein coat is shed and the viral DNA or RNA becomes part of the host cell's own DNA. When a virus has taken over a host cell and more virus arises, which also may infect other cells.


So are viruses living or not?

Viruses consist of complex molecules and contain many of the characteristics that define life, however they lack one particular important characteristic of life which is the ability to reproduce on their own. Viruses require a host cell in order to reproduce.

Mystery Epidemic....OooOoo!

We know the epidemic affecting "Springfield" in our MYSTERY EPIDEMIC WEEK is one of the following.....

CHOLERA

TYPHOID FEVER

SMALL POX

YERSINIOSIS
LISTERIOSIS
ANTHRAX
DIPTHERIA
SHIGELLOSIS
DENGUE FEVER

SALMONELLOSIS
CAMPYLOBACTERIOSIS
TOXOPLASMOSIS
E-COLI

But how do we know WHICH DISEASE is causing the epidemic?

Below are FOUR WEBSITES for you to use when researching each possible disease for the mystery epidemic:

1. http://www.cdc.gov/

2. http://www.mayoclinic.com/

3. http://www.webmd.com/

4. http://www.emedicine.medscape.com/

5. http://www.who.int/

6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

*REMEMBER* No google, lycos, ask.com, or other search engines allowed or your group will be disqualified.

Bacteria... GOOD?!

Bacteria can be found in so many different places on Earth. They are found in cold, hot, wet, and dry environments. Some bacteria are good for you, and some are bad.

Can you think of some examples of GOOD bacteria?

If you said "yogurt", you're right! Bacteria is used in making yogurt... Read the label and you might be able to see the genus and species name of the bacteria in your yogurt. YUMMM! :)

Can you think of some examples of BAD bacteria?

E. coli is a type of bacteria that can cause deadly food poisoning.
Staphlococcus aureus is a type of bacteria that causes a horrible infection known as a "staph infection".

Strep throat is caused by a bad bacteria called STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE. Check out Streptococcus pneumoniae in action:

*REMEMBER*: Not all bacteria are bad. We try to "sanitize" in the effort to kill all bad bacteria but sometimes we are killing good bacteria that we need in order to survive. The good bacteria eat viruses and microorganisms that make us sick.

WHAT's wrong with YOUR WRIST?

Our bodies have several different activities going on at once. We can eat, see things in the environment, and think all at the same time!

How does all this happen??? NERVES!!!!

Nerves are long tissues which go everywhere inside our body, kind of like a spider web. This picture below shows what our nerves look like throughout our bodies:


Up close and personal, I always think that nerves look like pieces of spaghetti!


Nerves connect to areas throughout our bodies.

When we touch a hot stove, our fingertips send an instant message to the nerves in our arms which then goes to the brain telling our reflexes to move our hand.

Nerves are also involved in helping bring messages from the brain to our fingertips. For example, if you have to write a paper your brain sends messages through nerves to your fingertips telling you what to type. If you are a fast typer, this happens seemingly instantly!

CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME is when the median nerve in the wrist becomes squished. (See picture below). Around this nerve are ligaments and bones which all help us in moving our wrist and fingertips. When we do the same motion with our wrist over and over again, it can damage this area, causing swelling, and causing the median nerve to be squished.


How to heal Carpal Tunnel?

- Wearing a wrist brace at night can help to keep the wrist still and prevent any unnecessary movement of the wrist while we sleep. If you are very active during the day with typing, driving, or other repetitive wrist actions, then you should continue to wear the brace during the day as well.
- If a wrist is unable to heal, then often times people will have surgery. A squished nerve can not only be painful but lead to a permanent loss of feeling in one's fingertips or hand.

Dear Nucleus, what's your point??

Believe it or not, just like you are learning about cells in 7th grade science, hundreds of years ago expert scientists were learning about cells, too.

A German scientist was the first to make a MAJOR DISCOVERY about the nucleus of cells... watch the video...There's some cool stuff in here!

Amoebas, Parameciums, Euglenas... OH MY!

Microscopic Movement:

PROTISTS are unicellular organisms that are very tiny and hard to see with the naked eye.

Unlike humans, protists cannot stand on two legs and walk to the grocery store or drive a car to get their food. They have to find other ways to MOVE.

An AMOEBA is a type of protist that moves with "false feet" called PSEUDOPODS. Pseudopods extend from the body of an amoeba and grab the area it is moving towards...

Ooooooo... slimy looking!


A PARAMECIUM is another type of protist who has hair-like structures covering their body. These hair-like structures are called CILIA. Cilia move really REALLY fast helping the paramecium to swim. Here is a paramecium moving under a microscope:



EUGLENA is another type of protist... these little organisms have chloroplasts which allow them to do PHOTOSYNTHESIS. Euglena move with a tail called a FLAGELLA that whips back and forth, propelling the euglena to move. Take a look: