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Unit 9 – Randomness and Mutation SC 300: Big Ideas in Science • Randomness and Mutation Mistakes happen. From the perspective of science, that can sometimes even be a good thing. In general, errors and unexpected events are part of a much larger idea that rules the entire universe: randomness. o This week, you will examine how chance makes a huge impact on the universe, from tiny pieces of DNA that change the way a person lives, to noises made by stars, and possibly other things, millions of miles away. o Unit 9 Overview • Cystic Fybrosis (CF) caused by a point mutation of one single letter of one small stretch of DNA. o This tiny error makes a massive difference in the way a person with CF lives. o • Discussion involves o Genes that cause CF, other diseases that could caused by such mutations, resources for people with CF etc Discussion – Cystic Fibrosis The scientific method is BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!! PART 1 • Scenario 1: You arrive home late at night. You walk up to the front door, unlock it, and reach in to turn on the light switch located just inside the front door. The light does not come on! Now what? • Scenario 2: Develop your own detailed problem/observation and apply the scientific method to solve. Describe in detail how you would use the 5 steps of the scientific method to handle these situations Unit 9 – Final Paper part 1 1,500 word minimum, APA – worth 250 points! PART 2 • Describe a typical day in your life from the time you wake up, until the time you go to bed. Describe how science impacts you and your routine throughout the day. • How has science improved your quality of life and why? • Are there any negative impacts that science has had? What are they and why? • Do you believe that you could survive without science? Why or why not? • How has this course impacted the way you view science? Unit 9 – Final Paper part 2 • Read ch 23 and reviewed pp 17-19 in ch.1 • View study module Biology Basics: Gene to Protein • Review Key Terms • Attend weekly seminar Other Assignments http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmSYXbgcozY &feature=related After it is over, please post any reflections you might have about it. How does this video provide a picture of what a moment of first contact with intelligent extra-terrestrial life might be like? Video • Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence o o Supported by NASA Cancelled after 1 year of running “Origins” Program Herschel Hubble James Webb Space Telescope SOFIA Spitzer Space Telescope Retrieved on February 2 at: http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/smdprograms/cosmic-origins/ SETI What is the Arecibo Observatory? SETI@HOME • First known extrasolar planets orbiting a neutron star • Binary pulsars that spectacularly confirm Einstein's theories • Thousands of new galaxies that delineate the structure of the local Universe. • The newest hope? Using home computers to generate data SETI@HOME • “Data for the SETI@home project are collected by an instrument at Arecibo called SERENDIP IV, which was installed in September 1998. A dedicated receiver tuned to a frequency near 1420 MHz collects signals from the sky 24 hours a day, seven days a week (except during periods of maintenance and testing).” • “SERENDIP, use powerful computers that analyze data from the telescope in real time…flow of data is so rapid and voluminous, there's no time to look very deeply at the data for weak signals… To tease out the weakest signals, a great amount of computer power is necessary. This is where SETI@home comes in. By combining the power of hundreds of thousands of PCs on the internet, SETI researchers hope to discover elusive signals that SERENDIP's quick look approach might have missed” ET, phone SETI@home (n.d.) Retrieved on February 2, 2010 from: http://science.nasa.gov /science-news/science-at-nasa/1999/ast23may99_1/ SETI@HOME What do you think scientists expect to find through SETI and SETI@home? Discussion Why do you think NASA chose to eliminate funding for SETI in the 1990s? (Refer here for more information: http://history.nasa.gov/garber.pdf) Discussion Garber, S. 1999. Searching for Good Science, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 52, 3-13. Do you believe SETI and SETI@home are worthwhile projects? Why? Discussion What outcome(s) do you think will result from SETI and SETI@home? Discussion Go to http://videos.howstuffworks.com/wgbhnova/13632-seti-explained-video.htm Enjoy! When it is finished, please share your reflections about the talk. Based upon this video, do you think that SETI constitutes a valuable research project? Why or why not? Discussion FINAL THOUGHTS