Day 22 Daily Starter What do you think biochemistry is?
Day 22 What is Biochemistry?
How do we do what we do? How does the brain cell store math equations or chemical formulas? How can one memorize the lyrics to 100s of songs? What are the similarities and differences between many forms of life? How do organisms store and transfer information necessary to reproduce themselves? How is food digested to provide cellular energy? How does medicine work? How does a disease make you sick, and how do we know how to cure that disease?
Before there were answers Ancient civilizations of Egypt, China, Rome, India, etc. did not understand the biochemical principles of baking bread, or fermentation of fruit juices to make wine, yet they still enjoyed these things. Good health and wellness was all about religion and philosophy.
Ancient beliefs 4th century B.C. ancient Chinese believed that humans contained 5 elements: fire, water, wood, metal, earth, if these were not in balance, illness resulted.
They were getting close… They knew that blindness could be treated with sheep liver… Now we know that blindness is a result of a lack of Vitamin A, which is prevalent in the liver.
More than one “science” From historical beginnings to present day biochemistry, there was more than one path. One path was physical sciences (chem./physics) that studied structural chemistry, the other was biology that studied the structure of the cell.
Biological Chemistry Biochemistry, also called Biological Chemistry, uses the basic laws of chemistry, biology, and physics to explain the processes of living cells. In other words, it is “the chemistry of the living cell” The overall goal of biochemistry is to describe life’s processes at the molecular level.
Macromolecules Even the smallest cell contains thousands of organic and inorganic chemicals, many of which are large molecules called macromolecules. Proteins Carbohydrates Lipids Nucleic Acids (DNA)
Action of Molecules Biological processes, such as vision, digestion, thinking, motion, immunity, are a result of the actions of molecules. To understand biochemistry, one must understand: The structure of the atom (and chemical structure of molecules involved) Cellular structure (many biological processes are compartmentalized, meaning they only occur in certain parts of the cell) The biological function of cellular molecules
The Top 6 Elements in Biomolecules Elements found in bulk-form and essential for life: ~92% of the dry weight of living things Carbon (C) Hydrogen (H) Oxygen (O) Nitrogen (N) Phosphorus (P) Sulfur (S)
Essential Trace Elements “Trace” meaning they are present in small amounts Very likely essential for life Calcium (Ca) Manganese (Mn) Iron (Fe) Iodine (I)
Possibly Essential Trace elements that may be essential for life, such as Arsenic (As) Bromine (Br) Molybdenum (Mo)
More elements in living things: Sodium (Na) Magnesium (Mg) potassium (K) Vanadium (V) chromium (Cr) Cobalt (Co) Nickel (Ni) Chlorine (Cl) Fluorine (F) Selenium (Se) Silicon (Si) Boron (B) Aluminum (Al) Zinc (Zn) Copper (Cu)
QUIZ - Friday YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING THE SYMBOLS AND NAMES FOR ALL 28 OF THESE ELEMENTS
HOMEWORK – Due FRIDAY Choose 3 areas from the 1st page and research them. Job description (what do you do everyday?) Average salary Necessary schooling What is the Human Genome Project? Why are research and writing skills important in science? (explain) How might a law degree be combined with science? Could you ever see yourself in a scientific career field?