A letter to the Future Hosses of Sparta High School (:

Dear you awesome, praiseworthy, and totally Ba hoss of a student (I meant Barium teehee #nerdsrule),


Welcome to AP Biology! If you're reading this, congratulations you are probably totally awesome. Prepare to dominate this class and ultimately Sparta High School. Clearly, you are smart and have an interest in biology! I'm here to say that that is awesome! You will have a ton of fun in this class! Throughout the year we had many enjoyable conversations. Plus, Landry is a fantasic teacher and has a great sense of humor!

My advice will be the same to you as it always is to other students. There are three things you must do to be successful: work hard, pay attention, and study. That is it. It's as simple as that! That has been my motto all throughout my years here at Sparta. It got me into Michigan State and the top ten of my class. You will be successful if you do all of these things.

Good luck as you forge on through this school year! I am sure you will be successful! Oh, one last pointer.... DO THE EXTRA CREDIT. It is not difficult and will often times keep your grade alive (and by alive I mean an "A"). (:

Have fun this year!

Megan Wudkewych

AP Biology: Farewell to One of the Greatest Classes at SHS #biostyle #cellslayers

This class was extremely beneficial to me! As a senior now, I feel about a million times more prepared for college biology then I would have been otherwise. This class really went more in depth to subjects than general biology did. I relearned concepts that I had forgot in addition to learning more about the basics that I learned in general biology. One of the most helpful things we did in class was have discussions. We always had great conversations that typically spurred off another peers question. These discussions helped all of us to understand some real life applications of biology and how some of the concepts directly affect us. In general, this class made biology more relatable to me.

This class was extremely beneficial to me in terms of learning how to study and prepare for tests. Mr. Landry would give us assignments throughout a unit but, none of them would be due until the test. This helped me learn to pace myself with assigments and also taught me never to slack off! This will be invaluable to be as a college student! Knowing how to self regulate and pace yourself through school work will be extremely important!

Cell Organelle Project: Megan the Mitochondria

If I could take the role of one organelle, I would choose to be the mitochondria. Though many of you may not know me, as my blog is public, I am quite the powerhouse. The mitochondria and myself share this characteristic. In addition, we both work to not only help ourselves but help others as well. It was and forever will be my destiny to take the role of Megan the mitochondria.

Megan the mitochondria is a fantastic being. In fact, she is so fantastic that she is responsible for most of the useful energy derived from the breakdown of carbs and fatty acids. This useful energy is more commonly known to be the form of ATP.In addition to manufacturing molecules to make energy, mitochondria are involved in other tasks such as signaling, cellular differentiation, cell death, as well as the control of the cell cycle and cell growth. As with all fantastic beings, or organelles in this case, their structure may seem slightly complicated. Although mitochondria can very greatly in size of .5 µm to 10 µm the structures remain very similar across the board. The mitochondria is bound by a double-membrane system, consisting of inner and outer membranes. Folds of the inner membrane (cristae) extend into the interior (matrix) of the organelle itself.

**Insert entertaining and studious information here**
*Citric acid cycle can be viewed by clicking the link
So basically, enzymes thrive in the matrix of the cell


 "The matrix contains the mitochondrial genetic system as well as the enzymes responsible for the central reactions of oxidative metabolism. The oxidative breakdown of glucose and fatty acids is the principal source of metabolic energy in animal cells. The initial stages of glucose metabolism (glycolysis) occur in the cytosol, where glucose is converted to pyruvate. Pyruvate is then transported into mitochondria, where its complete oxidation to CO2 yields the bulk of usable energy (ATP) obtained from glucose metabolism. This involves the initial oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl CoA, which is then broken down to CO2 via the citric acid cycle. The oxidation of fatty acids also yields acetyl CoA, which is similarly metabolized by the citric acid cycle in mitochondria. The enzymes of the citric acid cycle (located in the matrix of mitochondria) thus are central players in the oxidative breakdown of both carbohydrates and fatty acids." - The Cell: A Molecular Approach by Geoffrey M. Cooper

MITOCHONDRIAL DISEASE: the struggle is real
Since the mitochondria produce about 90% of our body's energy, a disease of this organelle is very detrimental to the human body. A malfunction in the mitochondria is caused by a genetic mutation, it isn't contagious but can passed along to offspring. When they fail to function, cell injury or cell death may occur due to the loss of energy. It affects the brain, skeletal muscles, heart, kidneys, liver, ect.
Symptoms may include ( but are not limited to):
Poor growth, loss of muscle coordination, visual or hearing problems, developmental delays, diabetes, neurological problems, ect.

Basically, mitochondria dwell in basically every cell in the human body. When the mitochondria fail, the cells fail, then the organs, then ultimately the body itself will no longer have the energy needed to survive.

Much is still unknown about the mitochondria which is probably due to the thousands of proteins that pass through or make up that organelle. This is another characteristic we share. Mitochondria are complicated as are a woman's emotions. But who knows, science will probably be able to explain the mitochondria through and through (and maybe write a book for men on how to understand a girl (like they would read it anyway (: )).