I-EQ1

toc Essential Question #1 How does something so small affect an organism, community or planet? =Keshav= tis meh awesome post. woot.

How can somthing so very microsopic affect our gigantic world? Well, it all starts from the begining when this virus or bacteria enters someone's body. Sometimes we are lucky and are imune system takes care of the bacteria or virus for us for us. However sometimes we aren't, and we get sick. Bacteria, for example, are actually harmless most of the time. In fact, they usually help us. Billions of years ago, they made oxygen and other gasses for us. Now, not only do they help us digest food, but they help clean up the environment, still produce gases, help make (and sometimes destroy) food and fuel. So, cocluding,bacteria do more good than harm. However, when they do harm, things can start to get serious. Nowdays, bacteria can usually be treated with antibiotics, and be prevented from spreading so fast untill the point where it is an epidemic. Before, though, thy didn't have all these medicines. Bacteria, and even protists (like the ones that cause the bubonic plague and malaria) killed in greater quantities then, andthere were more epdemics than today. All in all, even with all the hype about AIDS and malaria and stuff (which I admit are serious and should be treated right away) bacteria do more good than harm. Viruses, however, are different. Even though doctors and scientists are doing everything they can to use viruses in a good way (e.g. gene therapy) and even form a cure for them, viruses still do more harm than good. Since you can't kill a nonliving thing, stuff like antibiotics won't work on viruses. The best you can do is treat the symptoms and go for a "cure". I said "cure", because these aren't the oh-ok-I'll-just-do-it-once-and-get-it-over-with type of cures. Ohhhh, no; for these, you have to keep "attacking" the viruses repeatedly and hope they won't come back, which is rare (e.g. Cancer and kemo-therapy). The best you can do here besides all this therepy and stuff is either wait for the virus to run its course, or just live with it. Still, the news isn't all bad. Like I said, cures are on the way. Also, all this treatment is probably really good based on modern technology. My guess is that someday quite soon we will have total, painless cures for all diseases, organism and non-organism caused, and everyone, with small and global scle diseases alike, will never have to fear illness again (for it cand all be cured). Back to top This picture relates to my work, as it shows bacteria entering a cell. I think. Image: '[|Isolated bacteria - Micrococcus luteus]' [|www.flickr.com/photos/10451360@N00/284050321] Keshav: Sorry, it's not letting me indent the paragraphs and keep it.

=Yiannis= = = Something as small as bacteria made the earth so it can contain more complex life forms. So therefore without bacteria, no one would be alive. So I think that we owe bacteria. They also help us digest our food. And even help make food like olives, milk, and apple cider. Showing all this proves that bacteria are more good, then they are bad. Now Viruses are a different story. They make you sick. Plus you can't kill them because first off they aren't alive. But Viruses need you to live because they are parasites. Viruses also use the host to spread throughout a community. This means that Bacterias are bad, but do more good then it does bad. Viruses seem to only hurt organisms, but they don't know to do better because they aren't alive. Enjoy. Haley: I like how you explain the differences between viruses and bacteria. But don't bacteria also cause sicknesses? Michael: I like how you thought more about the positive things about bacteria. Woohea: Ha ha, how do we owe bacteria? I love milk! Great thanks to bacterias. It's really interesting that non- living things can affect the whole planet. Isaac: I didn't know that viruses only hurt organisms. good paragraph. Ivory: Viruses also help us! haha. I agree with Woohea, it is fascinating that non-living things can affect the world. Good pictures by the way. Alice: I like how you pointed out both the bad and good things about viruses and bacteria. Great job. Keshav: Good explintion. It is actually true that without bacteria we wouldn't be alive. Nice comapare and contrast and cool pics. Actually, thee is on thing that viruses are good for.Vacinations.

=Michael= Essential Question #1: How does something so small affect an organism, community, or planet? First things first. These small things are called bacteria, virus, and protozoan. They all are not visible by the naked eye. Also, viruses aren’t alive and are way smaller than a cell. So how can these things affect an organism, community, or planet? A virus that causes cold can infect a cell in a person. Then that virus will multiply in the cell. Then, it will leave the cell and infect more cells, causing the person to get sick. Then, when that person sneezes and doesn’t cover his/her mouth, the person who breathes in the air he/she sneezed in, then that person will get sick. Then the cycle goes on and soon, a community will get sick, then the world. Next, if a bacterium that causes the bubonic plague invades a person, they will get sick, transmit it to someone and then die. This was how 1/3 of the population in medieval Europe was wiped out. On the positive side, bacteria, added oxygen to the earth’s atmosphere about 3.5 billion years ago. Without that, nobody or thing that lives won’t be alive. Lastly, if a protozoan that causes malaria enters an organism via a mosquito bite, it could kill that organism. This picture shows a person sneezing. This is related to my post because this person can transmit the cold to another person. http://intlxpatr.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/1052_woman_sneezing.jpg Back to Top

Haley: Nice real life examples for your answer. Woohea: The example which says' Killed 1/3 of the European population' is the Black Death, right? I like your example of the spreading ot viruses(Black Death).

Isaac: The mosquito spreading Malaria really is scary. Now i really hate mosquitos.

Yiannis: I like how he used examples from Humanities in his response. Michael: Yes, it is the black death. Yiannis, why do you have to be so mean. You said he instead of you. Ivory: I like how you talked roughly about protozoans. Alice: I like the examples of illnesses that you use. Robert:Me 2. Nice picture Mike. Keshav: Cool. Real life examples alays help to clarify things, so I like how you used them. = Haley= Bacteria are good and bad. Some can make you sick, but they can be cured by antibiotics. Others, like Yiannis said, can help you digest and even help make food. Viruses can affect organisms for a longer time period because they cannot be killed, since they aren’t alive. Once they enter a host’s cell, they make the cell reproduce their DNA so there are more of them. Then when they leave the cell, they go and infect other cells. When you get sick from the virus, you touch other people, and sometimes exchange bodily fluids, therefore spreading the virus. The people that you infected could get sick and then go spreading it around more so soon it could affect your community. It could then infect other communities and eventually, the whole planet. My picture is related to my answer because it is of people shaking hands. It is one of the most common ways people touch each other. http://www.thorstenconsulting.com/Shaking%20hands.jpg

Back to Top Michael: I like how you explained how the sickness can be spread. Also, shouldn't the last sentence be "It is one of the most common ways people transmit sicknesses" or something like that? Woohea: I like the way you explained the steps of how the viruses go into the host, and infect it. I think the people who are infected by the viruses should really be careful to not to spread the viruses around. But once they sneeze, the viruses just go into the air, and spread, so I think we really have to think of a way that can prevent the spreading of viruses.

Isaac: Even though viruses are so small, you really mad it sound extremely dangerous. Ivory: Good job. Your answer was short and precise. Alice: I like how your answere was clear and to the point. Robert:Nice hand shaking picture... Keshav: I liked how you used a chain reaction in your paragraph. That is one of my favorite ways to explain things.
 * Manon**: Nicely done. I like how you explained everything. Good job, Haley.

=WooHea=

In viruses case, some of them can be harmful to the organism(host), but for some other 'good' viruses, they actually can be very helpless to us. Actually parasites, which destroys the cells in which they multiply, can be really helpful. They might go in to the bacterias which is responsible for some harmful diseases, such as food poisoning bacterias, strep throat, etc. Viruses can help us by killing the bacteria cells that are harmful. But, for some of the viruses that are not helpful to us like alfalfa mosaic viruses. Alfalfa mosaic viruses are the viruses which stunts the growth of rice plants. Other viruses like distemper can also kill house pets. So if distemper viruses keeps on reproducing, our pets would be gone. And if the number of alfalfa viruses keeps on increasing, people would not get enogh rice to eat, and we will eventully die!!! Planet(Eearh)without human beings. In bacteria case, they can both helpful, and harmful like viruses. For example, harmful bacterias like staphylococcus aureus bacterias causes strep throat. And some bacterias can reproduce as often as once every 20minutes! If staphylococcus aurus bacterias had plenty of food, the right temperature, and other suitable conditions, and reproduce every20 minutes, we'll all have strep throat, soon! But, thank God, growing conditions for bacteria are rarely ideal. Here is a good news. Bacteria can be really helpful to our fuel, food production, environmental recycling, clean up, etc. Archaebacterias produce a gas called methane during respiration, and it is the major component in about 20percent of Earth's deposits of natural gas. If there were no archaebacterias, there was no fuel 3.5 billion years ago. And, we would not be alive if there was no autotrophic bacteria which were responsible for adding oxygen to Earth's atmosphere billion years ago!

This is the picture of autotrophic bacterias. Without this bacterias, there is no US.

http://www.anoxkaldnes.com/Bilder/jpg/RD7.jpg

Isaac: If bacteria grows every 20 minutes, wouldn't we be covered in green stuff? Ivory: Haha. I like how you said "Without this bacteria, there is no US." That makes me think about how important bacteria are. Alice: Nice picture and paragraphs! Keshav: Good explinations and examples. Response to Isaac: Like WooHea said, growing conditions for bacteria are rarley ideal.

=Isaac= EQ#1: How does something so small affect an organism, community, or planet? Well, some bacteria and viruses are harmful. The harmless ones just float around minding their business. Some are in our intestines to break down food that our bodies can't digest. Those are the helpful ones. The harmful ones could cause sickness and diseases. If one virus or bacteria infects an organism(ex: a plant) then that organism could pass it on to another organism. If a plant passed it to an animal, then the animal passed it to humans, and the humans keep passing it to one another, pretty soon, the whole world will be infected. That's what a tiny organism could do to the whole world. Then the virus or bacteria will get stronger and then treatment will be useless against it. bacteria evolve extremely fast. That's how some of the bacteria are immune to some of the treatments that doctors give out to the infected patients.

TO TO Another  To Another  Pretty soon !!!!!!!! This is related to my answer because it shows how disease and viruses are spread.

Ivory: Haha. I like the pictures, and how you included the fact that diseases could spread to animals and plants, and not just human beings. Keshav: Nice job differentiating the good from the bad.
 * Manon:** I have to agree with ivory. i love the pictures too!

=Manon= I think viruses can affect a whole community in many ways. Most of them are already said. Even though most viruses are parasites and are harmful to us, especially the really agressive ones like HIV and ebola, harmless and acutally help us in many ways. Like methane, which is a gas produced by bacteria, there is also alot of food made by bacteria, and they help us digest our food. Bacteria alos takes out all the bad DNA and leaves the good DNA. But thats bacteria. Blargh. Viruses help too. There are two scientists trying to make a cure from viruses because a virus already knows how to move from place to place between cells. If the virus can carry a cure between cells it could cure cancer or other diseases instead of going through chemo-therapy. But when virus ARE harmful and not not helpful they cause diseases. Once one person gets sick by a virus, a whole community can get sick, and if the community spreads out alot or one person who is sick moves to another community that community might get sick too and soon enough the whole world could be contaminated with that same sickness since thvirus spreads so fast. Luckily, because of doctors, that sort of thing doesnt happen. Life as we know it would not be the same without viruses and bacteria. We humans need it to survive in life.

Ivory: The two scientists are trying to make a cure for virus? I thought they were just manipulating what viruses are good at and helping patients with disorders in a gene therapy. However, I like how you stated that life wouldn't be the same without viruses and bacteria. Alice: I like how you mentioned DNA. Keshav: A cure for a virus... what I dont get is why they can't just make a vaccine for them like they did for some of the others. Back to top

=Ivory= Bacteria and viruses may be very small, but they most definitely affect organisms. Viruses cause pathogenic diseases that make us sick. However, it is also used in gene therapy that treats patients with cystic fibrosis. Bacteria cause pathogenic diseases too but it has a lot of qualities too. It produces food such as yogurt, apple cider, cheese, and many more. Not only that, it produced methane, a natural gas we use, during the process of respiration. It also made oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. In addition to all this, bacteria are decomposers. They recycle our environment for us by breaking down large chemicals into small chemicals to be re used. Cleaning up oil spills and gasoline leaks are also something bacteria do. If you are thinking that bacteria don’t help you personally, you are wrong. Bacteria that live in your digestive system helps you break down food particles that your own body cant. Not only that, some vitamins that your body needs are also made by them. Bacteria and viruses don’t only affect organisms like you and me. Any sickness caused by either of them can be spread very easily through direct contact, exchange of bodily fluids, insect bites or animal waste. Every time you sneeze, you are spreading thousands of viruses into the air! As you can see, a disease can be spread very easily. That is why when one person in your math class in sick, everyone in that class slowly becomes sick too. As one class spreads to the next, the whole grade ends up being sick. This shows how bacteria and viruses affect an organism, which then affects a whole community, then finally the entire planet. Bacteria and viruses affect our lives in many ways, positive and negative. Without bacteria, we wouldn't have any yogurt. We would definitely be affected! (: [] =Issa=

Many of the above states negative effects of small stuff. Here are a few positive effects to organisms, communities, and planets.

First, many types of bacteria are helpful to us. Some bacteria break down the food we eat so it is easier for us to absorb. Other bacteria in the intestines fight off bad bacteria trying to stick to the walls. Bacteria also make vitamins our bodies need. Bacteria are also used to make medicine. By changing their genetic material, scientists were able to use bacteria to produce human insulin for people with diabetes. 20% of natural gas, fuel that we use, is made up of methane, a hydrocarbon gas produced by archaebacteria that died millions of years ago. Plus, cheese, yogurt, apple cider and more products we eat are thanks to bacteria.

Next, bacteria help us a lot in our community and world too. If there's an oil spill, bacteria are used to change the harmful stuff in oil into harmless substances. Bacteria also helps plants grow by taking in some of the abundant nitrogen in the air, and releasing it into the soil for plants to take in. Another thing they do is break down large organisms into small chemicals. Finally, it is thanks to bacteria that we have oxygen to breath, as they were the ones responsible for producing oxygen billions of years ago. A picture of a rat being decomposed File:DeatRatPoisonnedNaturallyMummified 2.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DeadRatPoisonnedNaturallyMummified_2.jpg Alice: Talking about the good sides of bacteria are awesome! Robert: Instead of just saying only POSITIVE side of bacteria, why don't you talk about positive AND negative side? Keshav: Great job. I like how you stayed focused on the positive side of things. That's a good thing to do.

Dhalyn How does something so small effect an organism, community, or planet. Well, without bacteria we couldn't get sick, and that is a good thing...... or so you think. If you never get sick how could your body learn to protect itself from diseases. I think bacteria is way more helpful then harmful but, viruses are another story. They cause diseases that can "turn off" your immune systems and it can kill you right on the spot. So it can be very dangerous if it is a contagious disease. A virus can't be killed by a antibiotic because it is non- living. But it does need a host to reproduce and it can infect you there. Bacteria are living and CAN be killed by an antibiotic. They need a very warm place with moisture to multiply. But, as you see they are very different things. Some can help and some can't. This is autotrophic bacteria without them we wouldn't be here. Alice: Nice picture and explanation! Keshav: Good comparig and contrasting.

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=Alice= Bacteria and viruses can both be harmful and harmless. I’ll give an example of how viruses can affect an organism, community, and the entire planet. Imagine that President Barack Obama got strep throat due to bacteria. He was just about to make a very important speech that was going to affect the whole economy and so now he can’t make it anymore. The entire United States of America is then going to have an economic crisis and since the U.S. is a very powerful nation, the whole world will then be affected.

Some viruses are harmless too. Imagine if all the viruses that enter your body harm you. Then, you’ll be full of illnesses and if you were an important person, that will affect your community who are depending on you and in turn affect the whole world.

My picture relates this topic because it's a picture of a clostridium bacteria. s [|www.flickr.com/photos/47353092@N00/51994443] Keshav: Nice real life relation. =Robert= How can something really small affect organims, planet or community? Well for example, some viruses make us sick. If cold was the case, then the cold would pass on to other people by coughing or sneezing or something like that. Then the whole community may get infected, and if it gets worse, then the whole planet may get infected by those infected community. For example... to toto Other than viruses, bacteria affect organisms, community or planet. Some people may think that bacterias are harmful, but in fact, they are mostly harmlaees, and helpful. For example, bacterias allowes plants to photosynthesize. They also break the foods down that we can digest. So if there are no bacterias, then we would not be able to breath in oxygen and digest. so withoutthen we won't be able to breath and digest

Keshav: Chain reactions...always good.

=Isha=

media type="custom" key="3346934" Keshav: Your presentation explains a lot.

=Alison= How does something so small affect an organism, community, planet? Viruses can affect an organism by overtaking and killing the cells in your body, causing you to get sick. And when you get sick, you might contaminate and spread the disease to other people, which affects a a community. Making many other people sick. You can spread a disease by person to person contact, exchange of bodily fluids, through animal waste, and through animal bites. When a whole community gets infected, it can affect the whole. As the diseases can keep on spreading and spreading. Bacteria can help make yogurt and cheese, which will also infect us(because we eat them). It can also infect us because bacteria is responsible for a lot of diseases, like sore throats. This disease can also spread and affect a community, then the disease will affect the whole world.

I think that my picture relates to this topic because diseases can be spread through person to person contact. How does something so small affect an organism, community, or planet? Bacteria and viruses are harmful.However some Bactria help us and some can cause alot of problem for us and the community. For example there is a Bactria the helps us break down tiny particles in our stomach that we cant break down. Getting infected can happen really fast. Aplant can give it to an animal then we come in contact with dogs for example then we get it. After we get it our friends / family gets it then soon its going to go on and on and on so the whole world get it.
 * Ernie**