SCIENCE CELL RESEARCH LAB

Go to the following website:

http://www.ibiblio.org/virtualcell/

1.  What is special about the nucleus that makes it different from other organelles?

2.  How does the nucleus send its control messages to the rest of the cell?

3.  Why are the mitochondria sometimes called the “powerhouses” of the cell?

4.  Why are chloroplasts not found in animal cells?

5.  What is the location, shape, and function of the nucleolus?

Go to the following website:

http://www.life.illinois.edu/plantbio/cell/

You will need to explore deeply into the cell by cutting and zooming in on some organelles.

ORGANELLE / DISTINCTIVE FEATURE / FUNCTION
CHOLOROPLAST
THYLAKOID
MITOCHONDRION
CRISTA
NUCLEUS

Go to the following website:

http://www.cellsalive.com/mitosis.htm

Play the animal cell mitosis animation.

1.  Describe what is occurring during mitosis?

2.  What are the phases of mitosis and what happens at each phase?

Click on the cell cycle link on the left side of the page.

3.  During the life of a typical cell, how long will it actually be going through mitosis?

4.  What is the cell doing most of the other time when it isn’t going through mitosis?

Go to the following website:

http://www.cellsalive.com/ecoli.htm

Read the page , then click on the 520K time-lapse movie link in the last paragraph.

1.  Imagine a bacterial cell that divides in two every half hour. How many cells will arise from a single cell after four hours?

2.  Name 3 things that limit the growth of bacteria?

3.  Look at the graph of bacteria as a function of time. Notice the shape of the graph. Now for each third of the graph, describe the growth phase and what is happening.

a.  Describe the growth phase and what is happening in the first third where the graph is almost flat but slopes up gently.

b.  Describe the growth phase and what is happening in the middle third where the graph climbs steeply.

c.  Describe the growth phase and what is happening in the final third where it levels off in an arch and decreases slilghtly.

4.  After viewing the movie a second time, describe in a paragraph, in your own words, what you see happening and why it is occurring.

Go to the following website:

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072495855/student_view0/chapter2/animation__how_osmosis_works.html

Watch the animation as many times as you need and take the quiz on osmosis and diffusion. Describe the processes here.

Go to the following website:

http://www.cellsalive.com/cells/3dcell.htm

1.  What are prokaryotes and what are eukaryotes? Clearly define each type and give an example of each type in order to show the differences between them.

2.  Could your cells ever grow like that of the ecoli in the movie? Why or Why not?

Click on the links in the animal cell

6.  Define these terms for cell parts (cellular organelles). Give a complete definition of each.

¨  Organelle

¨  Nucleus

¨  Cytoplasm

¨  Cell membrane

¨  Mitochondria

¨  Endoplasmic Reticulum

¨  Golgi Body or Golgi Apparatus

¨  Ribosomes

¨  Nucleolus

¨  Lysosomes

If you finish early try your hand at the cell cycle game at:

http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/2001/index.html

If you finish early try your hand at the cellcraft game at:

http://www.carolina.com/category/teacher+resources/interactive+science+games+and+simulations/cellcraft.do

Write a brief review of what the game was about and what you learned from the game. Use the encyclopedia to help you understand key terms.