Biology

Introduction  With spring just around the corner, most people will either be planting their favorite flowers, trees, etc., maybe they'll just be admiring the beautiful plants around them, or they may be doing both! But, did you know that some of our favorite plants and trees aren't native to North America? Honeysuckles, bluebells, silk trees, bradford pears, and many more are not native to North America. Some non-native species can even be harmful to the environment, which is why it's important to promote native biodiversity. In my post today we'll talk about what native biodiversity is, why it's important, and how we can better promote it. Defining Native Biodiversity So what is native biodiversity? "Native biodiversity refers to species that occur naturally in a given geographic area"  ("What Is Native Biodiversity?," 2024) . To break it down further, biodiversity refers to the variety of life within a particular habitat or ecosystem  ("Wh...

Introduction  It's no secret that urbanization isn't always best for the environment. Because of things like dense populations, insulated buildings, carbon dioxide emissions, impervious surfaces and more, urban areas tend to become much hotter, more polluted, and overall just not always the most ideal environment. So what are some ways we can improve the living conditions in urban areas? We can improve them by implementing "smart surfaces" into our urban planning and design. In my post today, we'll talk about what smart surfaces are, different types of smart surfaces, and how they can help improve urban areas.  Smart Surfaces Smart surfaces include things like reflective materials, porous and permeable pavements, and green roofs  ( Smart Surfaces Coalition , 2024).  Smart surfaces can reduce temperature, reduce stormwater runoff, and improve air quality  (Aidan, 2021), overall making the living conditions in urban areas better.  Reflective Materials  R...

Introduction  Today I'm going to be talking about asexual reproduction. I think there are some fascinating aspects of asexual reproduction, and I wanted to learn more about it and share what I find. I will discuss what asexual reproduction is, a few different types of asexual reproduction, the importance of asexual reproduction, and also the downfalls of asexual reproduction.  What Is Asexual Reproduction? Asexual reproduction is a form of reproduction that produces offspring that is identical to each other and the parent. It involves a single parent that will essentially produce a clone of itself  ("Asexual Reproduction and its Types," 2022) , "passing down all of its genetic material to the next generation"  ("Asexual Reproduction and its Types," 2022) . Some organisms that reproduce asexually, can actually reproduce sexually also  ("Asexual Reproduction and its Types," 2022) .  Different Types Of Asexual Reproduction  There are also differ...

 Introduction  Cancer can be a difficult topic. While writing this post, I found that there's a lot that goes into understanding cancer, and yet there's still a lot we don't know. Today we are going to skim the surface of understanding cancer, and I will be talking about it on a broad, basic level. My main topics will include what cancer is, what causes it, and how to prevent and treat it.  What Is Cancer?  Cancer is essentially   uncontrolled cell division. The National Cancer Institute defines cancer as " a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body"  ( National Cancer Institute , 2023). This can happen during interphase of the cell cycle when the DNA is being replicated.  What Causes Cancer? There are many different types of cancer. Some can be caused by genetics, while others are caused by environmental factors. Cancer can be caused by genetic mutations that are either inherited from birth, o...

Introduction  Today, I’m going to be talking about photosynthesis. Some say that " Photosynthesis is arguably the most important biological process on earth" (Gust, 1996). So why is it so important?  This is what we are going to be exploring in my post today. I’ll discuss what photosynthesis is, why it’s important, and why it's important for us to know about it.  Photosynthesis. What the heck is it?  Contrary to this meme, photosynthesis is not a word used to describe someone's intelligence. Instead, p hotosynthesis is "The process of creating sugar and oxygen from carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight. It happens through a long series of chemical reactions, but it can be summarized like this: Carbon dioxide, water, and light go in. Glucose (a simple sugar), water, and oxygen come out" (Brookshire, 2020). This next photo shows, in an  extremely  simplified and cute way, the process of photosynthesis.  Plants are a type of autotroph (an organism that can ...