Investigations in Science 7 June 3, 2016

What we did this week:

This week we took a closer look at the homologous structures of the
pentadacytl limb, a limb with five fingers or toes with bones arranged in a specific
pattern (human forearm and hand). Early land vertebrates were amphibians and
had these limbs. All vertebrates that descended from these early amphibians have
evolved from this same basic pattern. Students worked in groups to find the
features of several animals that resemble the common ancestor and what had
changed from the common ancestor.
We then looked at embryos of a human, pig, calf, chicken, and fish.
Students tried their best to match three stages of embryos to each animal. They
saw that at stage 1 most embryos look the same and stage 2 is still difficult, but
by stage 3 they all look different. Here is a link to an interactive we did if you
want to test yourself to match the embryos:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/guess-embryo.html
We also students were looking evidence of human ancestry through an
interactive. The interactives take them through different parts of a human and
our connection to other organisms. Here are the links if you are interested.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/zoo-you.html
http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/explore-your-inner-animals
We looked at how DNA helps scientists determine relationships. We
sequenced organisms according to their DNA strands. Although a shark and
dolphin seem to have a lot physically in common, their DNA is very different and
they dont share a common ancestor.

Today we will continue with our look at evolutionary evidence. Students will
be given DNA samples of 4 organisms: Whistling Duck, Platypus, North American
Beaver, and Echidna. Although the four species have similar features only 2 of
them are closely related. They will first predict which two organisms are related,

then using the same gel electrophoresis lab as earlier in the year they will test the
DNA samples. The gel will run for 20 minutes and then will be placed on a blue
staining sheet and will be observed on Monday.
Announcements:
Yearbooks were distributed on Thursday in science classes. If you would
like to still order a yearbook, you can do so at:
https://yearbookforever.com/#school/332034/2016
There were some of you that did not received last weeks weekly newsletter
because of some server issues throughout MCPS. If you would like to read last
weeks newsletter, it has been uploaded to my class blog.
Coming Up:
Topics:
Mutations
Natural Selection
Adaptations
Dates:
June 3 - SSL Hours due
June 3 Spirit Day 80s Day
June 10 Spirit Day 90s Day
June 13 - Exams for students enrolled in Spanish 1B, Italian 1B, French 1B,
and Geometry
June 14 - Exams for students enrolled in Spanish 2B, Italian 2B, and French
2B
June 15 - 7th Grade Fun Day
June 17 - Last Day of School Half Day (This date is specific to Farquhar
because of the modernization. It gives teachers an extra day to pack up
their classrooms.)
June 17 - Time Capsule Ceremony @ 8:30-9:30 am