Abstract;
Discussion points on the topics of the analogy
of mitochondrion being like your PCs power supply to explain mitochondrion function.
As well as What benefit would there be for animal cells (including those of
humans) to make their own food? The factors that would need to be considered
for chloroplasts to function in an animal or a human. A short comment on if; cell,
tissue, or genetic engineering could allow humans to use chloroplasts this way?
·
Choose 1
organelle, and use an analogy to explain its function.
The mitochondrion is much like your PCs
power supply.
You may not be aware but the power supply in your PC does much more than just supply your PC power. The PC power supply actually takes the 120 Volts of AC power (that’s a lot of power) that comes from the wall outlet and converts it into 12 volts of DC power that the components of your PC can actually use.
So, much like your PC cannot run on AC power, the mitochondrion cannot run on pyruvate molecules alone. The Mitochondrion must take the pyruvate molecules from the glycolysis process and turns them into ATP (and a little power) that the cells can utilize.
You may not be aware but the power supply in your PC does much more than just supply your PC power. The PC power supply actually takes the 120 Volts of AC power (that’s a lot of power) that comes from the wall outlet and converts it into 12 volts of DC power that the components of your PC can actually use.
So, much like your PC cannot run on AC power, the mitochondrion cannot run on pyruvate molecules alone. The Mitochondrion must take the pyruvate molecules from the glycolysis process and turns them into ATP (and a little power) that the cells can utilize.
·
What benefit would
there be for animal cells (including those of humans) to make their own food?
If animal cells could In fact make their
own food no animal (humans included) would ever go hungry or even need to seek
food. Additionally if animal cells could make their own food by way of
photosynthesis animals would no longer need plants to create oxygen either.
·
Describe 1 or 2
factors that would need to be considered for chloroplasts to function in an
animal or a human.
One factor that would need to be
considered would be surface area. If you notice, a plants leaves and also the
Green Sea Slug itself have large surface areas for catching light energy from
the sun. Humans do not have large surface areas that are normally exposed on a
regular basis because of our clothing. So pretty much everyone would have to
walk around close to naked to be able to catch enough light energy to convert
for use, additionally skinny people would have a much harder time catching as
much light energy as larger people so eventually humans would need to evolve
into very large possibly flatter creatures over time to thrive.
The Second Factor would be if
photosynthesis alone could create the amount of energy needed to run our
complex organs. Especially in the case of our brains, which need at least 260
calories a day (or 20% or your daily caloric intake) just to function.
·
Could cell,
tissue, or genetic engineering allow humans to use chloroplasts this way?
According to what I have learned so far
in this course I would hypothesize that Cellular engineering would need to
occur to place chloroplasts into animal cells then genetic engineering would
need to be used to change our DNA because our animal cells do not have photosynthesis
related genes to sustain the photosynthesis process carried out by the
chloroplasts. Past that I would still be unsure that adding chloroplasts into
animal cells could work because of the gaps in evolution created over the years
between the Animal and plant cells.
References
CrashCourse(Biology).
(2012, March 12). ATP & Respiration [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00jbG_cfGuQ
Milius
S. (2010). Green Sea Slug IS Part
Animal, Part Plant. Wired. Retrieved
Editorial
Board. (2015). BIOLOGY. Words of Wisdom. Retrieved from
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