Red Tailed Hawk

The Red-Tailed Hawk is the second largest in the Buteo hawk group in North America. The Latin name for the hawk is Buteo Jamaicensis. The Red-Tailed Hawk is seen all over the United States mostly in open fields since it preys on smaller mammals. They have very loud high pitched raspy scream. They have a very wide wingspan ranging from 45 to 52 inches. Their habitat is all over North America and head north for the summer for breeding. The Red-Tailed Hawk is very identifiable with very broad wings, with a short wide tail. They are mostly brown from above and have a pale belly and they get their name from having a red tail. Red-Tailed Hawks are spotted frequently on long car rides through grasslands.

Antibiotics in Food

This week's Blog topic is regarding the use of antibiotics in factory farmed animals in the attached link.  Antibiotic resistance was addressed in last week's evolution lecture.  Given the information and background you received,  answer whether you think the use of antibiotics in animals in factory farms should or shouldn't be regulated and why.

The use of antibiotics in factory farms should be regulated to an extent. Because animals are being fed antibiotics to help them grow and develop at a faster rate; it is causing a problem of creating new antibiotic-resistant bacteria which we could catch. On the other hand without these drugs the factory farms would be more inefficient and produce less product. Most, if not all, of these factories are just looking for profits and they need to produce the most product to be able to sell. But there should be regulations to protect the consumers to ensure that we will be safe when eating the product. The FDA should set a limit on the amount of antibiotics each factory can purchase and distribute to their animals. This is not fair to the animals to have to be put on antibiotics just so they can mature faster.

Cloning

Visit this website which talks about banking cells from pets who have passed away so that owners might clone their pets as the technology becomes more widely available. Your blog topic for this week is to read the article on the website and then blog what you think of this topic. Is cloning pets a good idea? How does cloning affect our ideas of death? Would you clone your pet?

I think some of these people may be too emotionally attached to their pets and can't give them up so this pretty extreme measure is a way to suffice their need of their pet. Coming from a person with no pets I can't really relate to how pet owners feel but I think it is unnecessary to go through that whole process. I think cloning pets is not a bad idea but I wouldn't classify it as a good idea. I think it is just a way for people to keep their pets alive and a way for people to hide from the idea of death. I think it is a early stage of cloning and it could lead to cloning of people which feels ethically wrong to me. If I had a pet I don't think I would clone it just because I know that I could get a new pet and create new memories with that pet than trying to relive old memories with a "fake" pet.

Cellular Respiration

After reading this week's lecture you should know how many ATP are produced by aerobic cellular respiration and by anaerobic cellular respiration. Could humans function using just anaerobic cellular respiration? Are there any times when humans do rely on anaerobic cellular respiration to function? We can assume from looking at how many ATP are produced by each of these processes that eukaryotes would be much more active than prokaryotes but does that also explain why so-called "warm-blooded" animals like mammals are so much more active than "cold-blooded" animals like crocodiles. If that is not the case, then why is one more active than the other? 

I would have to say that humans could possibly function with just anaerobic cellular respiration because there are other ways to produce ATP but it is not recommended. Humans use anaerobic respiration for example when weightlifting breathing is not the key way to produce ATP and your body breaks down glucose molecules instead to make ATP. Your body does not need the ATP produced from aerobic respiration because your body is trying to make more lactic acid and energy to lift the weight. I think it could be a reason that "warm-blooded" animals are more active than "cold-blooded" animals but not the only reason. A lot I think has to do with the amount of food an animal eats as well as the temperature outside."Warm-blooded" animals do not react differently in cold and warm temperatures but how much food they eat. "Cold-blooded" animals are dependent on the temperature outside because in colder weather reactions in the body do not happen as quickly as in warm weather. Therefore, "warm-blooded" animals are more active because they are not restricted by the temperature outside and they can produce ATP at a much higher rate.

Thermodynamics and Energy Consumption

I think that statement is true because there are ways for people to conserve energy. People have been living with energy problems for a while now and should pay more attention to the amount they use. The thermodynamic reality is that the change in energy of an object is equal to the difference of heat into a system and the work done by that system. In simpler terms it means energy is created by an equal amount of heat added into a system. I think it is not a problem of conserving energy more of ways to conserve energy. Just simply turning off lights when you leave a room or carpooling to work are ways to conserve energy. I believe the world will not run out of fuel or energy but scientists must find ways not to "re-use" energy but conserve energy more efficiently. I don't believe there is a way to re-use energy; once energy is exerted it can't be contained. The new hybrid and electric cars could be great for the world by reducing emissions into the world and by using different sources of energy to power cars. Since cars use most of the fuel the world uses and people believe there is a limited amount the new cars are great ways to conserve. Conservation is the key to make the worlds energy sources last longer. Even though the thermodynamics equation says energy will never run out people still are worried.

Eating Healthy

For my food item I grabbed Honey Maid graham crackers. I counted ten items that I could identify in my own kitchen and then eleven ingredients that I could not recognize. But I'm sure the Soy lecithin and folic acid are very good for you and completely necessary to add in graham crackers. Some natural ingredients are in there like flour, and salt. But then an unnatural ingredient is Thiamine Mononitrate. These unnatural ingredients are not needed in any processed food. Other ingredients are hydrogenated cottonseed oil, riboflavin, and reduced iron. Graham crackers are not the healthiest of items there are and I think that the unnatural ingredients increase

I am not very concerned about eating healthy but am aware of things I can do to help me eat healthy. I will eat healthy for maybe about a day then I just crave sugar. The only thing that helps me eat healthy is that I have never had a hamburger before. Its not that I'm a vegetarian, I have just never tried one. I know that hamburgers are not very good for you so I am not very influenced to eat one. Other than not eating hamburgers I do not take any extra steps to eat healthy. Eating healthy is not a top priority in my life but I do find it important to exercise regularly. Eating healthy is not the only thing needed to become healthy.

About Me

Hello everyone,
My name is Donny Knoll I am in a family of four with one older sister who goes to Sonoma State University. I like all sports and music and are my two real passions. I am taking this course because I need both science credits and this class fit into my schedule. I am taking 14 units with Bio, Astronomy, Pre Calc, and English. I work at the United Artist theaters on Sunrise and Eureka.

I suggest that all the comments are well thought out and easy to understand. As well as everyone being respectful to everyone's comments and hear what their opinion is on the different topics.