Exercise 1: Prefixes, Suffixes and Root Words Commonly Used in Biology
Protocol:
Example #1: Biology = study of life Example #2: Hypotonic = below tonicity
Biological Terms
Literal Meaning
Phagocytosis
To eat bag, sac, condition
Chlorophyll
Green leaf
Zoology
Study of animals
Haploid
Single
Diploid
Two, double
Exocytosis
Outside cell condition
Hypertonic
Above, over tonic
Metaphase
Change, after phase
Unicellular
One, single pertaining to
Multicellular
Many pertaining to
Oocyte
Egg cell
Transmembrane
Across membrane
Hydrolysis
Water loosening
Exercise 2: Using the Scientific Method
Protocol:
Background information: Tumor cells are cells that are able to divide and generate new cells at uncontrolled rates. Therefore, in a short amount of time, a single mutated tumor cell can produce many other tumor cells. These cells can eventually take over the human body, resulting in death. But, for these tumor cells to survive, they need nutrition and oxygen just like normal cells. Tumor cells are interesting in that they can release a substance – a protein – that will cause blood vessels to grow towards the ball of tumor cells. This process by which blood vessels grow is called angiogenesis. Blood vessels are required because they are the route by which cells will receive nutrition and oxygen. Therefore, if there were a chemical that could interrupt the growth of the blood vessels towards the ball of tumor cells then it is conceivable that the growth of the tumor could be slowed or halted all together. A protein, called endostatin, has been isolated and scientists want to determine its effect on the growth of blood vessels. Tumor cells can be grown outside of the body in a culture dish, which provides a relatively easy method to test endostatin and how it affects tumor cells and, by having the tumor cells and blood vessels isolated in a culture dish, the environmental conditions can more readily be