Our Science Solutions blog assignment for today was to read a linked article about mitosis and explain the process and its phases. This is a pretty interesting science concept, so I'm glad to explain it.

Mitosis is scientific language for the process by which cells divide. You may not realize it, but your cells are constantly dividing. This process happens in four phases. The phase that cells are most often said to be in, interphase, is actually the term for the time at which cells are not dividing.

Cell division starts in prophase, which literally means "before phase". In prophase, identical copies of a cell's DNA are produced in the nucleus. This gives the cell basic instructions for what the daughter, or new, cell will look like. Daughter cells share DNA and are exactly identical to their parent cell. 

Next, in metaphase ("middle phase"), some activity begins to occur. Chromosomes, little patterns for genes found in DNA, attach themselves to flexible fibers called spindle fibers. They line up at the center of the cell so that they are organized before the cell's stretching and reproducing actually begins.

The detachment begins in the next phase, anaphase, when the spindle fibers that have the DNA on them pull apart from the center to opposite poles of the cell. The cell, if looked at under a microscope, will probably appear stretched, but not separate from its daughter. 

The final stage, telophase ("telo-" means "far away"), is when the spindle fibers and DNA strands physically stretch the cell so wide that it creates a daughter cell.

Finally, a process that is not actually a stage called cytokinesis occurs. In cytokinesis, the identical cells are completely separate and new cell memberanes, walls, and cytoplasms begin to form and take shape. Mitosis is complete and the cells are separate from each other. 

Hi! I haven't written in awhile, and you're probably wondering why. It's because we had a four-day weekend and we got back to school yesterday, when we had a double period of Science. Now I have a double period of Computers and I'm writing my Science Solutions blog entry. The assignment today is to compare and contrast plant, animal, and bacteria cells.

One of the main differences between these three cell types are their structures. Bacteria are usually single-celled prokaryotes, tiny but functional organisms with only one cell that moderates all activity and no nucleus. Plants and animals are made of hundreds to trillions upon trillions of nucleic cells with special functions. Plants and animals are both eukaryotes, larger, multicellular organisms who are more capable than prokaryotes.

There are differences between plant and animal cells, though. They share many organelles, like cytoplasms, nuclei, mitochondria, and vacuoles, but often they are found in different places and do different things per each organism. In plants, the vacuole is large and centered in the cell. Plants generate a lot of waste through chloroplasts and photosynthesis, both of which are not found in or do not affect animal cells, whose vacuoles are thereby small and seen as "storage tanks". Plants' green pigment, chlorophyll, is found in special organelles called chloroplasts. While animals have pigment, they do not need chloroplast and they do not use the sun's energy to power them.

Plant and animal cells are not always so different, however. As mentioned previously, they share several organelles, like nuclei. Nuclei have nearly the same job in each cell. They also share genetic organelles like chromosomes and ribosomes, the latter of which is also used in energy-making. Like vacuoles, these organelles can be in different places depending on the cell, cell type, or its function.

Cells don't seem that important, but as is made clear above, they are often the difference between different worlds and the main power source of life. Without cells, you would not exist. 

Our Science Solutions blog assignment for today was to reflect on the edible cell project we did last week. The objective of this project was to construct and explain either a plant or an animal cell from non-perishable items. We were asked questions to address - was it useful? Was it effective? Should the project be continued in the years following?

I really liked the edible cell project. It was a fun and tasty way to learn about cell structures and functions as well as work in a group of three. We could choose either a plant or an animal cell to build. My group chose an animal cell and we built it from cake (cell), frosting (cytoplasm), licorice (DNA), sprinkles (ribosomes), cookies (nucleus), MnMs (nucleolus), Skittles (lysosomes), and gum drops (vacuoles). After building it, Mrs. Poole went around and asked us questions about the cell. Then we ate it. We did our project on Halloween, so it was almost like a celebration. I think it was a good use of our double period and a good excuse to eat in class.

As mentioned above, the project also helped us with our teamwork skills. Everyone in the group had different responsibilities and pitched in to make the project great. It also helped us get to know our new group, since we had recently moved there. I'd say the project helped me a lot in the long run with social things as well as academic ones. 

The project was definitely memorable and made learning about cells fun and relatable. It stuck in our heads and we had to study various parts of the cell in order to answer questions afterward. It's usually remembered as one of the funner parts of 7th Grade Science and it should definitely be continued in future years. I do think, however, that it is a privilege to do this project and to have such hands-on labs in Science class.