Biology Resources:
The resources on this page are intended to support the learning of Ms. Bo Lang's Ingenuity Biology sections at the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute during her absence in March, 2021.
Please email me at Tomasino@ingenuityproject.org with questions you have about biology content during this time. I taught 9th grade Ingenuity Biology at Poly from 2010-2018 and am generally a science super nerd. I can help you.
Also, if you like Quizlet, I have an extensive class set up that you can join by clicking https://quizlet.com/class/1621963/. The sets most relevant to what you're learning right now are "Transcription and Translation" and "Evolution and Diversity." Finally, if you really want to take a deep dive, you can access the archive of everything (PowerPoints, handouts, etc.) I used to teach this course in 2017-18 at the HS-biology page of this site. Good luck, and please feel free to drop me a line!
Protein Synthesis, by the Amoeba Sisters, is an EXCELLENT introduction to protein synthesis, including RNA transcription and translation into protein. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you do 1 thing from this site, watch this:
Protein Structure and Folding is another blockbuster from the Amoeba Sisters. In it, they describe the 4 different levels of protein structure and the relationship between shape and function in proteins.
What are Mutations and what are the different types of Mutations?, by ScienceABC.com, is new, but good. If you want to know the different types of mutations and why mutation won't make you into a superhero, give it a few minutes of your day.
What Causes Antibiotic Resistance? is a Ted-Ed production by Kevin Wu. It explains how the use of antibiotics ironically leads to the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria through the process of mutation and natural selection.
When Charles Darwin wrote a book describing his theory of evolution back in the 19th century, he entitled it On the Origin of Species, because that is what natural selection explains: how did all these species of plants, animals, and everything else get here? Crash Course Biology is a great series, and Speciation: Of Ligers & Men - Crash Course Biology #15 explains the process and types of speciation.
So that's it... for now. If you've watched this stuff and understand it, you'll know why and how the first chicken egg must have come before the first chicken. (Also, water IS wet, but that's a different subject.) Email me at tomasino@ingenuityproject.org to fight about it or to ask me anything about whatever you might be having trouble with here in biology. I have hopes to maybe produce a video myself about how these topics of protein synthesis, mutation, and natural selection are behind the coronavirus pandemic and the emergence of new strains, but you'll have to stay tuned to see if it happens...
LAST UPDATED: 10:39 AM 3/9/2021