AP Biology Practice 7 - Connecting Knowledge

Summary

Mr. Andersen's AP Biology science practice video emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary knowledge connection. He illustrates this with the example of Leonardo da Vinci, who excelled in various fields. The video encourages students to understand biology at different scales, from molecules to ecosystems, and across time spans. It also highlights the need to connect concepts within and beyond biology, such as thermodynamics and biochemistry, to grasp complex phenomena like evolution and natural selection. The 'wiki game' is introduced as a fun exercise to practice making these connections.

Takeaways

• 📚 Science Practice 7 emphasizes the importance of connecting knowledge across various scales, concepts, and domains.
• 🎨 Leonardo da Vinci exemplified the ability to integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines, a skill that is becoming increasingly important in modern science.
• 🔬 Understanding biology requires knowledge across different scales, from molecules to ecosystems, and across various time spans, from microseconds to geological time.
• 🌱 The ability to connect small-scale biological processes, like DNA and chlorophyll, to larger systems like ecosystems and the carbon cycle, is a key aspect of scientific understanding.
• 🌐 Connecting across domains means integrating knowledge from biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics to fully grasp complex biological concepts.
• 🧬 An example of connecting scales and concepts is understanding how sickle cell anemia, caused by a genetic mutation, affects protein structure and function.
• 🔄 The script explains how to approach multiple-choice questions that test the ability to connect concepts across different domains, such as the endocrine system's feedback loops.
• 💡 The 'wiki game' is a classroom activity that helps students practice connecting concepts by navigating through related topics on Wikipedia.
• 🔗 The game challenges students to make connections across different domains and scales, reinforcing the idea that science is interconnected.
• 📈 Overall, the goal is to develop the ability to think broadly, connect ideas, and apply knowledge across different scientific domains and scales.

Q & A

What is the main focus of AP Biology Science Practice 7?

The main focus of AP Biology Science Practice 7 is the ability to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across different domains.

Why is it important to connect knowledge across different disciplines in the study of biology?

Connecting knowledge across different disciplines is important because it allows for a more holistic understanding of biological phenomena, integrating concepts from chemistry, physics, and other fields to gain a deeper insight into complex biological processes.

What does the term 'scale' refer to in the context of AP Biology Science Practice 7?

In the context of AP Biology Science Practice 7, 'scale' refers to the different levels of organization in biology, ranging from the molecular level to the ecosystem level, and also includes the temporal scale from microseconds to geologic time.

Can you provide an example of connecting knowledge across scales in biology?

An example of connecting knowledge across scales in biology is understanding how DNA, which operates on a very small scale, influences the evolution of ecosystems over thousands of years, thus connecting the molecular level to the ecosystem level.

What is the significance of understanding the role of chlorophyll in the carbon cycle?

Understanding the role of chlorophyll in the carbon cycle is significant because it shows how a single molecule can impact processes at the global level, such as how plants take in carbon and harness solar energy, affecting the balance of carbon in the atmosphere.

How does the concept of negative feedback loops relate to the endocrine system?

Negative feedback loops in the endocrine system help maintain homeostasis by regulating hormone levels. When a condition is met (e.g., a certain hormone level is reached), the system responds to reduce the output, thus preventing over- or under-production of hormones.

What is the 'Wiki Game' and how does it help in understanding the concept of connecting knowledge across domains?

The 'Wiki Game' is an educational game where players try to connect one Wikipedia concept to another using only the links provided within the articles. It helps in understanding the concept of connecting knowledge across domains by encouraging players to make interdisciplinary associations and see the interconnectedness of different topics.

How does the example of the Himalayan rabbit illustrate the connection between genetics and the environment?

The Himalayan rabbit example illustrates the connection between genetics and the environment by showing how changes in temperature can trigger the expression of different genes, leading to variations in fur color. This demonstrates how environmental cues can influence genetic expression.

What is the relevance of understanding the structure of DNA to the study of evolution?

Understanding the structure of DNA is relevant to the study of evolution because it provides the basis for genetic variation. Changes in DNA, such as point mutations, can lead to the development of new traits, which are then subject to natural selection, driving evolutionary processes.

How does the concept of free energy and feedback loops relate to an organism's survival in different environments?

The concept of free energy and feedback loops is crucial for an organism's survival as it helps maintain homeostasis and adaptability. Organisms use free energy to perform vital functions, and feedback loops regulate these processes, allowing organisms to respond effectively to environmental changes.

What is the importance of understanding the molecular structure of cellulose in relation to its function?

Understanding the molecular structure of cellulose is important because it explains its function and properties. Although cellulose is made of sugars, its unique structure, where sugar molecules are linked in a way that makes it indigestible to humans, gives it the strength and flexibility needed for plant cell walls.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Understanding Science Practice 7: Making Connections

In this paragraph, Mr. Andersen introduces Science Practice 7, emphasizing the importance of connecting and relating knowledge across different scales, concepts, and domains. He uses Leonardo da Vinci as an example of someone who successfully integrated various disciplines. The goal is for students to make connections not only within biology but also across other fields like physics and chemistry, understanding concepts from molecular to ecosystem levels, and applying these across different spatial and temporal scales.

05:01

🧠 Applying Concepts Through Example Questions

This paragraph discusses how to apply the concept of connecting knowledge across domains through multiple-choice questions. Mr. Andersen guides the viewer through eliminating incorrect options by understanding how amino acids affect protein structure. He emphasizes the importance of not getting stuck in specifics and shows how this approach can help in answering questions that require understanding of concepts across different fields, such as anatomy and genetics.

Keywords

💡Science Practice 7

Science Practice 7 refers to the ability to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains. The video emphasizes that this practice involves understanding and applying concepts across different scientific disciplines and scales, such as molecular biology to ecosystems, and short to geological time scales.

💡Scale

Scale in the context of the video refers to different levels of organization or time in scientific concepts, ranging from molecules to ecosystems, or microseconds to geological time. The video discusses the importance of understanding biological processes across these various scales, such as how DNA operates on a small scale, while ecosystems function on a much larger one.

💡Domains

Domains in this context refer to different areas of science like biology, chemistry, and physics. The video stresses the importance of connecting concepts across these domains to fully understand complex scientific phenomena, such as applying thermodynamics (physics) to understand photosynthesis (biology).

💡Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci is used in the video as an example of someone who connected knowledge across various disciplines, including art, science, and engineering. The video contrasts this Renaissance approach to today's more specialized fields, advocating for a return to interdisciplinary connections similar to those made by da Vinci.

💡Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a molecule highlighted in the video as an example of how understanding a small-scale concept can be applied to larger scales, like the carbon cycle. The video explains how chlorophyll's role in photosynthesis is crucial for energy conversion in plants, which impacts ecosystems on a global scale.

💡Temporal Scale

Temporal scale refers to the time dimension in scientific studies, from microseconds to geological eras. The video illustrates the importance of understanding processes over different time scales, such as how genetic changes over time contribute to evolution, or how ecosystems develop over thousands of years.

💡Peppered Moth

The peppered moth is used in the video as an example of natural selection and evolution. It illustrates how changes in the environment over time, such as pollution, can lead to shifts in the frequency of certain traits (like coloration) within a population, demonstrating the connection between genetics and environmental factors.

💡Feedback Loops

Feedback loops are processes where the output of a system influences its own activity. The video uses the example of negative feedback in the endocrine system to show how feedback loops help maintain homeostasis in organisms, and emphasizes the importance of understanding these loops across different biological domains.

💡Himalayan Rabbit

The Himalayan rabbit is used in the video to demonstrate how environmental factors can influence gene expression. The video explains how temperature changes can cause different genes to be expressed in the rabbit's fur, showing how external conditions can affect biological traits, which relates to the concept of connecting across domains and scales.

💡Cellulose

Cellulose is a complex carbohydrate mentioned in the video to illustrate the importance of understanding chemical structures at different scales. While cellulose is made of sugar molecules, its structure makes it function differently than simple sugars, demonstrating how molecular interactions can lead to different properties in larger biological systems.

Highlights

Introduction to Science Practice 7 and its initial complexity.

Explanation of connecting and relating knowledge across various scales, concepts, and domains.

Use of Leonardo da Vinci as an example of interdisciplinary knowledge integration.

Discussion on the importance of connecting biology with other disciplines like physics, chemistry, and mathematics.

Introduction to the concept of scales in biology, from molecular to ecosystem levels.

Explanation of temporal scale, from microseconds to geologic time.

Illustration of how chlorophyll in photosynthesis connects to the carbon cycle.

Discussion on thermodynamics and its relevance to biology.

Explanation of biochemistry concepts, such as phospholipids and cell membranes.

Application of diffusion in understanding nutrient and gas movement in biology.

Connection of genetic concepts to natural selection, using the example of peppered moths.

Explanation of environmental cues and gene expression using the Himalayan rabbit.

Comparison of sugar and cellulose structures in relation to their biological functions.

Overview of connecting phenomena across spatial and temporal scales with a multiple-choice question example.

Introduction to the 'wiki game' as a method to practice connecting concepts across different domains.

Transcripts

Hi. It's Mr. Andersen and this AP Biology science practice 7. The first time

I read science practice seven it really didn't make any sense to me. And so let me give you

a reading. And then see what you think. "Science Practice 7: The student is able to connect

and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representation in and across

domains." That sounds confusing. But I think what they're really trying to get at is that

they want you to be able to connect knowledge. And so this is da Vinci. And da Vinci had

a lot of different jobs. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician,

engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, botanist, cartographer and writer. In other

words he brought together all of these different disciplines. And that was common back then.

But today we've tended to isolate in each of our different disciplines. If you're a

biologist you really concern yourself just with biology. And that's changing. In other

words, we want you to be able to make these connections and connections of scale. And

what do I mean by scale? We want you to be able to understand how biology works at the

very small scale, at the medium scale and at the very large scale. What's something

at the small scale? That's just going to be molecules. We want you to also be able to

understand scale as far as time span. Time span that is just microseconds all the way

up to geologic time. And also we want you to be able to understand complexity from things

that are very simple to things that are almost infinitely complex, like the human mind. And

so we when we're saying connecting across all of these different scales, if I were to

say this is DNA. DNA is going to be really small. It's not going to be that complex.

It's made up of a few different atoms. And then it's going to operate on a very small

time scale. But they want you to be able to apply that across this whole scale. So if

we're looking at an ecosystem like that, ecosystems evolved over, you know thousands and thousands

of years. They're made up of organisms. Those organisms contain DNA. And so that DNA has

been passed along all the way through this time span. And so we can go from the very

simple to the very complex and they want you to be able to understand that. Or another

example, let's say we have this. This is simply chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is one molecule,

but could you apply how chlorophyll effects everything up to the level of the carbon cycle?

In other words, how plants are taking in carbon. How they're making use of chlorophyll to harness

the power of the sun. And so that's what they mean by senses of scale and making those connections.

And also when they say domains, what they really mean is outside of biology. So thermodynamics

is physics really. But we apply it by understanding that all energy comes from the sun. It's converted

through photosynthesis. And then we make use of that in our food. Or biochemistry. Understanding

how a phospholipid is going to have a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tail allows us better

to understand at a more complex scale how a cell membrane works. Or if we understand

how diffusion works. Which his essentially chemistry. Then we really can understand how

nutrients, molecules, gasses all these things are moving around inside life. And so connecting

across domains means not only using biology, but chemistry and mathematics as well. And

so at each of the different four big ideas they want you to be able to apply this connection

of all these scales and concepts. And so if we were looking at the peppered moths or natural

selection, to really understand that we have to understand what happened over time. So

we have a change in the time scale. We're really looking at genes. And if we don't understand

genetics we really can't understand evolution. We're looking at free energy. Free energy

and understanding feedback loops is important. But understanding how those different feedback

loops are going to allow organisms to survive in different environments. Or if we're looking

at information. This is a great story. This is the Himalayan rabbit. Himalayan rabbits

are always going to be white except if we have a change in their environment. And so

the temperature in the ears and the nose and the feet cause them to express different genes.

And if you were to put a piece of ice on the back of this rabbit right here, you could

actually shave the rabbit and then change that to have a black patch on the back. And

so that's expressing different genes depending on environmental cues. And that has a lot

to do with the histones that the DNA wraps around. Or if we're looking at cotton. At

the very small scale, understanding how the sugar are built is important. But understanding

how those sugars are attached together to create cellulose gives us a totally different

molecule. It's just like sugar but it's connected in such a way that if you eat cotton it's

not going to be like eating sugar. And so they really only want you to be able to do

two things. They want you to be able to connect phenomena across models of spatial and temporal

scale. Remember spatial is where they are. Temporal is at what time. So here's an example

of a multiple choice question. They're telling you that sickle cell anemia results from point

mutation in a specific gene. It results in a misplaced or a replacement of an amino acid

that has a hydrophilic R group. So which of the following would likely result? And so

you could pause the video and take a stab at this if you want to. Okay you could work

your way through it. So I could eliminate a lot of these. I know were not talking about

DNA structure here or fatty acids. So I know I'm dealing with proteins since we're replacing

an amino acid. So I'm now kind of down to A or D. I could eliminate D because it's saying

the proteins secondary structure is a result of interactions between R groups. And so R

groups remember aren't going to effect us until we get to the tertiary structure of

a protein. So I would choose A as the right answer. They also want you be to able to connect

concepts in and across domains. And so this is one where they're asking you to look at

negative feedback loop in the endocrine system. And so they give four different alternative

correct answers for negative feedback. We could start looking at these across you know,

now we're looking at different forms of anatomy. So here we're looking at, this would be a

nervous response. This is a genetic response. And so I could pare it down to these two which

are going to be related to the endocrine system. And then the only one that's going to have

negative feedback would be B. This would be a positive feedback up here at the top. So

again the questions that they're giving as examples of connecting domains are not super

hard. They just want you to not get stuck in specifics. That it's going to cross several

different domains. And so a good way to get at this is a game that I like to play in my

class. It's called the wiki game. So what you do is you logon to wikipedia. And you

try to make connections between one concept and another. There's some rules, like you

can't use the search box, you can't go outside and do links outside that or visit external

websites. You can't go back. You can't hit back space. You can't click on dates. You

can't use search tools. You can't use like find F. And what you try to do is to get from

concept to concept to concept just going to through and making connections in the links

of wikipedia. And so could you do that? Could you connect from peppered moth, feedback,

cellulose, Himalayan rabbits. I think it took me about 38 links to get from peppered moth

to feedback loops to cellulose and to Himalayan rabbits. Maybe you could do better. You could

put your connections down in the comments down below if you beat my score of 38. But

that's really what we're talking about. We're connecting across different sizes, complexity,

time scale and even domains. And I hope that was helpful.