Part 2 Virus

1) Smallpox is somewhat unique in having no animal or insect carrier. Exposure to infective material from humans was the only known for of transmission. It's usually person to person. When a person coughs or sneezes and a person inhales, there is a high chance that they now have the virus ( called variola) meaning that it is VERY contagious. 

2) The symptoms start 7 to 17 days after exposure. The initial symptom is a very high fever following with body aches. People are usually too ill to get out of bed. Within 24 to 48 hours, a rash begins to appear everywhere on the body, especially on the arms, legs, mouth and face. The eyes are affected as well. This could lead to potential blindness among survivors. The lesions ( red dots or rash) resemble a cold sore or blister filled with pus. After a week or two, the lesion with fall off leaving a deep scar. this can lead to death.

3) One out of three people infected died of smallpox. 

4) The origin of the smallpox is uncertain but it is believed that it originated from Africa, then spread to China and India thousands of years ago. The first recorded smallpox epidemic was is 1350 BC during the Egyptian- Hittite war. Smallpox reached Europe between the 5th and 7th centuries and was present in the major European cities by the 18th century.  In North America, the big epidemic occurred in the 17th and 18th century. After a while, smallpox was a significant disease in every country of the world except Australia and a few small islands killing hundreds of millions of people.

5) The circumstances were uncertain but it didn't help that these people did not have any hygiene therefore making themselves even weaker and ready for the virus if they weren't in that position already. This disease was spread from travelers that had gotten disease from another country and brought it into their country, infecting everyone.   

** I would add a photo but the disease is so disturbing I can't bring myself to do it... 
 A documentary on the history of the smallpox epidemic in the world: 

Part 1 Virus

PART 1
1) A virus particle is a nucleic acid (DNA, RNA) and is enclosed in a protein shell/coat

2) Viruses can have a double-stranded DNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA, or a single-stranded RNA. These are only found in particular viruses. They are also covered in a protein coat so they are not exposed.

3) (pictures at bottom of post)

4) Tobacco Mosaic Virus- infects tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and tobacco

5) This is a hard topic because the question if a virus is living or nonliving can go either way. Even though there are some great facts on the fact that a virus is nonliving, I think that a virus is a bit more towards the living side because it contains DNA or RNA genetic material. Not only that but they can reproduce ( with the help of a host) which also means they can mutate. In addition, they are made of proteins.

6) Yes there are some beneficial viruses. For example, there are viruses that kills bacteria. ex. phage

3) 

The Truth

I found out that a hammerhead sharks head is shaped the way it is because it improves their ability to find prey. Their wide-set eyes give them a good 360-degree vision on the vertical plane, meaning they an see above and below them at all times. Because their head is so wide, they have highly specialized sensory organs that are able to fit in there. This gives them the advantage to scan the ocean floor more thoroughly for more food. For example, they use their head to attack stingrays, pinning them to the sea floor. More importantly than all these reasons though, the hammerhead sharks head looks the way it does because the unusual structure of its vertebrae is instrumental in making the turns correctly. 

Hammerhead shark

Why does a hammerhead shark's head look the way it does?

I think that a hammerheads shark's head looks the way it does because maybe it improves the way he sees based on position. Also, maybe the head makes it easier for them to pick up things without having their long nose to get in the way.

Variation Lab Questions

1) A trend I noticed was that in each graph, there was a big group with the same size, or the average size. For example, one graph bar was always much larger than the rest.

2) Overall, only about 3 people had extreme traits varying between below average and above average.

3) A trait with most variation was probably the hand span.

4) Having variation benefits species because if they were all the same, they would not only require a tremendous amount of the same food but it would also only take one thing to weaken or even kill all of the population of that species.

5) Having extreme traits can be very beneficial to the species because they are able to accomplish what a average could not do. It adds variety. For example, there are giraffes with long necks, average necks and short necks. this means that the tall giraffes can get the tall trees while the short giraffes can get food closer to the ground.

6) I have the characteristics I have because of the genes my parents gave me. These genes result to the way I look and the way I act. For example I am tall because both my parents are tall, I have big brown eyes from of my mother, and I have thick brown hair from my father.

7) A gene is a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent gene to an offspring. 
A DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is a self- replicating material located in the cell nucleus and is in 

humans and almost all other living organisms. DNA controls the amount of enzymes and protein which makes humans functional. Mot only that but they are the reason humans are individual in their own way.

Comparing My Animals

      All the animals that I chose were just animals that I liked and attracted me most. To be completely honest, I didn't think that any of these animals would have as much in common as they did. All of my animals obviously come from the Animalia kingdom but also have the Chordata Phylum as well as have a Mammalia class. For the Order, I only have one Carnivora, Monotremata, and Primates. Both my Red Kangaroo and my Koala have the Order in common which is called Diprotodontia. Apparently, one of the few reasons these animals are in the same category is because all members of Diprotodontia exhibit a large pair of incisors on the lower jaw. Also, they have fused fingers which means the second and third digits of the feet are completely fused together, except for the claw. Who knew that all the Kangaroo and Koala had in common was a part of their teeth and their toes? Other than those two, the other animals are special in their own individual way.

All the different kinds of animals

Gray wolf - Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Canis lupus 

  

Platypus - Animalia Chordata Mammalia Monotremata Ornithorhynchidae Ornithorhynchus anatinus 

Golden lion tamarin - Animalia Chordata Mammalia Primates Callitrichidae Leontopithecus rosalia 

Red kangaroo- Animalia Chordata Mammalia Diprotodontia Macropodidae Maropus rufus 

Koala - Animalia Chordata Mammalia Diprotodontia Phascolarctidae Phascolarctos cinereus