Chapter 8- Metabolism

This chapter is all about the changes that occur in a cell that enable it to "live". Metabolism really just refers to all the reactions (mostly chemical) in a cell that allow it to stay at homeostasis. The word metabolism comes from the greek word metabolē, or change. It's not just turning food into energy- its TONS of different complex chemical reactions working in sync with each other (to do things like maintain the cell structure, respond to it's environment, and synthesize energy for other functions). 

There are a lot of varying concepts presented in this chapter, pooled into a sort of metabolism blob. If that makes any sense....

So, here we go. 

First off, we have a bit of a chemistry lesson. If you've taken AP Chemistry, then you know all about Enthalpy, and Entropy. If those terms are gibberish to you, then you might want to check out these resources... (in fact, even if you are familiar with these terms, you should really watch the video. This guy is pretty great). 

So, now that we're clear on Entropy (and Enthalpy as well), we can move on to how this translates into biology. 

Side note:  Something I've discovered over this past year is that Chemistry and Biology are actually like a double helix- they revolve around each other. In an ideal world, they would be taught together, all mashed into one, but alas, we have our Chemistry classes, and we have Biology. 

The world of metabolism is highly controlled by ENZYMES. You might be wondering what the caps lock is for... well, it's that important. Remember back to some of my previous posts- an enzyme is a globular protein that has a specific shape and a specific chemical job. They are catalysts- which means they make reactions happen lightning fast. 

Now, this video is about Biological Molecules- so it's sort of review. But- it talks about proteins a bit, so I'm sticking it in this post. If you start watching, and feel like you already get it, well, then move on. 

Along with Enzymes comes a whole bunch of VOCAB. 

Here are some really important terms to know: 

Catabolic Pathways
Anabolic Pathways
Exergonic and Endergonic
Energy Coupling 
Phosphorylate
Substrate 
Substrate/Enzyme Complex
Allosteric Regulation
Feedback Inhibition
Cofactors
Cooperativity
Activation Energy
Competitive and Non-competative Inhibitors


Enzymes: 

And now for ATP- this is HUGE in understanding cell metabolism. ATP is pretty much the reason we function as human beings. (ok, so there's a bit more to it than that, but you know what I mean). 

Here's another great "Crash Course" Bio video on ATP. It goes a bit deep- so hang in there. 

And that's about all I have for you for today. Just remember- no amount of youtube videos can substitute a good textbook :) So make sure to be reading like crazy. 

Here's a comic, just for fun... 

Chapters 6 and 7: The Cell (and the Phospholipid Bilayer Membrane)

Hola Everyone. I've got some some cool stuff to share today.

The reason I put these two chapters together mainly has to do with vocab. AP Bio is HUGELY vocab oriented. My mom always jokes that it should be worth a foreign language credit. :)  It's a lingo that needs to be mastered for the concepts to fully be absorbed. And the lingo used to describe organelles (chapter 6) is used a lot when describing the phospholipid membrane (chapter 7), therefore I've put the resources for both chapters in this post.

Again, let me just remind everyone, this blog isn't so much reflection, or me teaching necessarily, it's just resources I found useful/ that I think you'll find useful. And I also might clarify some things, especially if I struggled to understand it. Oh, and there's always going to be a comic at the end. But anywho...

Back to cells. I'll start with some good video links, and maybe some flashcards. Like I said, before you get into the nitty gritty stuff- you need to know the terms!

Cool Cell Animation:

It's not necessarily educational, but if you're like me, and you've already taken Bio, then you'll recognize a bunch of different organelles- and it's really quite exciting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDH8sWiUsAM


Another fantastic animation- sort of intense music, but it's good. As you watch, really pick out organelles and try and recall their function. The video isn't much good unless you add to it with your own knowledge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKW4F0Nu-UY




Here are a few very basic flashcards for Organelle practice...

http://quizlet.com/1207358/functions-of-cell-organelles-flash-cards/


Something I didn't understand at first was Co-transport. The way the book describes it is like water pumped uphill, that performs "work" as it flows back down. Which I get, but translating that to hydrogen ions and glucose can be a bit confusing. As soon as I find a good resource for this concept, I'll put it up here.

And, last but not least, here's a bit of a biology related laugh...

Chapter 5: Macromolocules

Hello again. Sorry this post has taken me so long to complete- this was kind of a big chapter to chew on and really absorb. Some of it was review, but since I haven't seen this stuff in about a year, it took a while to remember.

This chapter had four main components- Proteins, Carbohydrates, Nucleic Acids, and Lipids.

These four types of molecules basically make us who we are. Literally. So naturally, they're pretty important to understand.

I'm not going to go into a lot of depth, just mainly overview, but if you have a textbook with a chapter on these molecules- READ IT. Not only is it pretty fascinating to ponder how such simple building blocks in their multitude of variations combine to make us, but reading helps get the vocab down, and you can be sure that this vocab is going to resurface a LOT in AP bio. So, here we go...

First off, heres a few concept maps to warm up your brains. The one I came up with on my own fits my mind, but isn't exactly the clearest. And everyone is different. My suggestion is to take these as suggestions, and struggle with making your own. It's the process that really helps.

Proteins:

Carbs:

Lipids:

This is a PDF doc with  TONS of great info. It's got several concept map, lots of pictures, and some really simple explanations for the different types of lipids and their functions. Check it out...

http://www2.bakersfieldcollege.edu/deharvey/Powerpoints/Chem%2011%20Tmberlake%20Powerpoints/Chem%2011.Chapter%2015.12-10-11.dch.pdf


Nucleic Acids:

Another REALLY important concept introduced (or rather, reintroduced, because you should be familiar with it) was transcription (and translation). Basically, that's when DNA becomes mRNA, and then a ribosome transcribes it into a protein (usually an enzyme).

Here's an amazing video that explains these concepts with a visual animation:

The only other "Big" concept presented was the phospholipid bilayer. Here's a diagram to jog your memory...

Sort of a fuzzy picture. Sorry.

And that's all I've got for you. Next unit is cells (I'M SO EXCITED!). Stay tuned for a post on organelles.

And last but not least, a comic....

This one especially felt relevant... nucleic acids. :)