Blog #14 - Semester 1 Summary

What was you favorite activity/topic this year? Why was it a favorite? What was your least favorite? Why? If you could change one thing (Not the amount of homework) what would it be and how would you change it?


My first semester of my sophomore year have been a very busy and stressful one. I had a lot more homework and projects than I did in my freshman year. My favorite activity/topic this year is working/learning about genetics and DNA. It is my favorite because I am interesting in how genetics and DNA works. It is also because I wonder how CSI found out the suspect who committed a crime.

My least favorite topic is when working with the microscope. It is because it was very hard to use it such as focusing it until it was clear. I always had problem using it and it wasted my time just trying how to operate it correctly.

If i could change one thing, it would be about notetakings. I want the notes to be short as possible so that our hands are not sore at the end of the day. I take notes in all my class and my hand is sore afterward trying to take notes as fast as possible to get the information that I need from the powerpoint. One thing I could try to change it by myself is take notes that I only need and not to take unneccessary notes that I already know.

Blog #13 - How Has DNA Changed?

How has DNA changed? How we investigate crimes? What are the two main tests? Describe them.

DNA has advanced which makes investigations more accurate and easier to find. We investigated crimes by taking blood test, a piece of hair, and etc. The two main tests are blood test and testing a piece of hair, which is PCR and RFLP. PCR takes the less amount of time to completed. It takes about a week to completed. It is also the quickest to completed too. Geneticists look for certain types of genes to determine matches. If there is no match that is found, the donor was not at the crime scene. The matches are then not conclusive, but there are also many people who may have the same alleles as the donor. PCR using DNA fingerprinting or profiling. It is considered to be the most accurate test. The test examines section of the DNA base pairs with a high probability of the DNA being the donor. When a match is found, it is a hundred percent sure that the donor was at the crime scene. RFLP requires many sample cells such as hair or a large spatters of blood. The blood has to be fresh in order for it to be test. This tests take about three weeks to three months to complete.