The Amazing Ant

The ant is truly amazing.  

Like many of you, I also get irritated by them.  But have you ever taken a few minutes to just watch ants?  

This past week end our family joined several other families for a Memorial Day picnic.  We live in the deep South, so it was no surprise to anyone when the ants found our picnic so quickly.  Like other normal people (a biology teacher is rarely normal, but this time I was!) I tried to flick them away from our food and off the picnic table we were using.  

I happened to look down at the ground around the picnic table and spotted the ant hill.  One of us had already stepped in the middle of it, and the ants were in a frenzy.  What caught my eye was the site of the ants lifting the eggs and/or pupae and carrying them to safety.  It was a pretty amazing site, and our group became interested in watching the busy work of these ants.

As I am the biology teacher in the group, my friends began to ask me questions, such as "How do they lift an object that seems as big as they are?"  Other than knowing that they are insects and undergo complete metamorphosis, I had few answers to offer the group.  Since I love being able to spout off biological facts to anyone who will listen, I knew that I had some research to do about ants.

These are some amazing facts that I discovered:

1.   Ants can lift objects that are 20 to 50 times their own body weight.  

2.   Ants live 45 to 60 days.

3.   The ant brain only contains 250,000 cells.  It would take a colony of 40,000 ants to have the same brain size as one human.

4.   Ants have powerful jaws that open from side to side.  They cannot swallow food.  They swallow the juice from the food as they chew.

5.   There are over 10,000 species of ants.  

6.   Each ant colony has one or more queens.  The job of the queen is to lay eggs.

7.  Worker ants are sterile.  Their job is to look after the queen, take care of the eggs and larvae, search for food, clean up the nest, and defend the nest.

8.   Fertile males have one job only.  They mate with the queen and usually die shortly after.

9.   Ants have an amazing ability to communicate with each other.  They use their antennae for tactile communication as well as for smell.  They use chemicals to alert other ants of danger or to lead them to a promising food source.  A trail of scent (pheromone) is used to lead other ants to a source of food.  Cave ants use high pitched squeaks to communicate in the dark.

10.   Some ants live in a mutualistic relationships with plants.  The acacia ant lives in the huge thorns of the acacia tree.  In return, the ant protects the plant from being eaten by herbivores.

11.   Ants evolved 130 million years ago and lived alongside the dinosaurs.

12.   Ants were farmers before humans.  Many species of ants grow and cultivate fungi to support the hive.

13.   Ants are found in almost every corner of the world.  They are not found in Antarctica, Greenland and a few other remote islands.

14.   Ants do not have lungs.  They breathe through a set of spiracles and trachea, which is essentially a bunch of holes along their abdomen.

Here are some links to sites for more information and for some pretty amazing pictures:

National Geographic:  Ants

10 Things About Ants You Didn't Know

7 Reasons Ants Will Inherit the Earth

Happy Teaching!

Who wants FREE teaching materials?

Yep, all are FREE!

You will definitely want to check this out.  I have been meaning to write about this for weeks, but with the end of school madness, I am just now getting around to it.  "Mrs. O", a teacher/author from TeachersPayTeachers.com, put together an amazing list of free teaching materials.  These  materials are always available for free from TpT, but Mrs. O organized these materials into one document.   The document consists of hundreds of links to the free materials and the links are organized by grade level and subject area.

Hundreds of Freebies For Your Classroom!

As you can see from the Table of Contents, there is something for everyone here.  Be sure to bookmark or save this.  It will be a treasure trove when you start the new school year!!

Happy Teaching!!

Outdoor Outings! Love 'Em!!

A great day for hiking!

This past Sunday, my family made the mistake of asking me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day.  Whenever I am asked a question like this, my answer is always the same......  Let's go for a hike!

It just so happens that we live just a few miles from a fairly large river.  Along this river are old growth forests and cypress swamps.  My family is very prepared for one of my outdoor outings.  Everyone quickly donned their hiking boots, water bottles and bug spray.  We live in the deep south..... bug spray is NOT optional!!

The woods are gorgeous at this time of the year, and I always have my camera.  I thought I would share some of the amazing sights from our 2 hour hiking expedition.

In the south, the waters are dark and murky,
but the cypress trees are just gorgeous.
Luckily, we did not come across any water moccasins.  

This area of the swamp is completely covered in duckweed.  It completely covers the surface of the water and is often found in eutrophic conditions.  You might think that it would be destructive by the way it completely covers the surface, but not so.  It is a very simple plant with no leaves or stems.  They consist of just a small thallus.  Duckweed is high in protein and is an excellent food source for the waterfowl.  Duckweed is often used in bioremediation because they grow rapidly and are excellent absorbers of mineral nutrients, especially nitrates and phosphates.  They are great water purifiers.

We saw many types of waterfowl, along with their babies.
Here is a Canada Goose with babies.

Is there anything more precious than baby ducks??
Mama duck was close by, just outside of the picture.

Now this is one amazing sight!!  This owl was out and about
 hunting at around 3 pm.
 It was a dark and overcast day, but even so, I have never seen 
an owl at this time of the day.

We had the pleasure of watching this little guy fishing for crawdads.  

It was a great day spent in the woods.
Many thanks to my family for indulging my every whim on this wonderful Mother's Day!

For My Mom, the Biology Teacher

My mom passed away in 2001, but not a day goes by that I don't think of her.  My mom was a biology teacher, and now I am a biology teacher, too.  My mom was an inspiration to so many people.  We grew up in a very small, rural town in the deep south.  Many of her students never dreamed they could attend college and have a different sort of life than the one they were accustomed to.  She taught them that they could do whatever ever they wanted if they worked hard enough.   She also taught them biology.
Growing up with my mother was quite the adventure!  At a very young age, I was looking at pond water under a microscope and marveling at the creatures I saw there.

I could spot liverworts and bladderworts growing so close to the ground in a swampy area that no one else would even know they existed there.  She always had her wildflower books with her, and the car would come to a screeching  halt whenever she spotted a potentially new wildflower along the road.

The car also stopped for turtles.  They simply had to be moved to the side of the road and out of harms way.  She showed me touch-me-nots and explained how touching them caused the cells to lose turgor pressure and that was why the leaves folded up.  Once on a family vacation to the beach, a dead sting ray washed up on shore.  We dissected it!  She took us fishing and canoeing and walking through the woods.  I caught lightening bugs like all kids do, but I knew the how and why of their flashing.

I have two daughters.  I have taken them on many of these same adventures.  They can amaze their friends with all sorts of biological  facts.  They love going on nature walks with me.  I thank my mother again for the closeness I share with my daughters.  She passed a love of nature to me, and as I passed this on to my daughters, we formed a strong and unbreakable bond to one another.

What choice did I have but to become a biology teacher, too?  I have now taught biology for 28 years.  I sincerely hope that I have inspired some young mind along the way.  Good luck to all my AP students who are taking the AP Biology exam tomorrow.

Thanks, Mom.  I love you.

PS - She was also an avid bird watcher.  She loved hummingbirds best of all.  Mom, this hummingbird is for you.

Protein Synthesis Activity: Transcription and Translation Mystery Organism

Introduction

Teaching transcription and translation can be one of the most challenging parts of a biology unit. Many students struggle to understand how information stored in DNA is converted into proteins that determine the traits of an organism. Concepts such as messenger RNA, transfer RNA, codons, anticodons, and amino acid sequences can feel abstract and difficult for students to visualize.

Protein synthesis is the cellular process where DNA is transcribed into RNA and translated into proteins that determine the traits of an organism.

One way to help students understand these concepts is through a hands-on protein synthesis activity that allows them to simulate the process step by step. In this activity, students decode genetic information from DNA and follow the steps of transcription and translation to determine the traits of a mystery organism. This protein synthesis lab activity gives students hands-on practice with transcription and translation.

Why Students Struggle With Protein Synthesis

Many biology students find protein synthesis confusing because the process involves several steps that occur at a microscopic level. Students must understand how DNA serves as a template for messenger RNA during transcription, how transfer RNA reads the codons during translation, and how amino acids are assembled into proteins.

Without a visual or interactive activity, these processes can seem disconnected. Students may memorize definitions for transcription and translation but still struggle to understand how the entire process works together to produce traits in an organism.

A classroom protein synthesis activity can help bridge this gap by allowing students to simulate each step of the process and see how DNA sequences ultimately determine the structure of proteins.

If your students need additional practice with these concepts, you may also want to try these DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis warm ups and bell ringers, which provide short daily review activities.

Protein Synthesis Mystery Organism Activity

In this protein synthesis activity, students determine the traits of a mystery organism by decoding genetic information from several genes.

Students begin with the DNA sequences for six different genes. Using base pairing rules, they first determine the complementary messenger RNA sequence for each gene. Next, they determine the transfer RNA anticodons that match the mRNA codons.

Once the mRNA codons have been identified, students use a codon chart to determine the amino acids specified by each codon. The sequence of amino acids determines the proteins that are produced, and those proteins determine the traits of the mystery organism.

Because students actively work through the steps of transcription and translation, they are able to see how the genetic code controls the characteristics of an organism.

Printable Protein Synthesis Classroom Activity

The printable version of this activity works well in traditional classroom settings. Students receive a set of handouts that guide them through each step of the protein synthesis process.

Students decode the DNA sequences for six genes and determine:

• the complementary mRNA codons
• the tRNA anticodons
• the amino acid sequences produced
• the resulting traits of the mystery organism

After completing the decoding process, students draw their mystery organism based on the traits they have identified. Students then answer analysis questions about transcription, translation, codons, anticodons, and mutations.

This combination of decoding, analysis questions, and drawing the final organism helps reinforce the connection between genes, proteins, and traits.

Digital Protein Synthesis Activity

This activity is also available as a digital version for Google Slides, making it ideal for 1:1 classrooms, digital learning environments, or distance learning.

In the digital version, students complete the transcription and translation steps digitally and then build their mystery organism by dragging and dropping body parts based on the decoded traits.

The digital format makes it easy for teachers to assign the activity through Google Classroom while still giving students an engaging and interactive way to practice the concepts of transcription and translation.

Why This Protein Synthesis Activity Works

Students often struggle with protein synthesis because they cannot easily visualize how DNA leads to traits. This activity helps students connect each step of the process.

Students practice:

• transcription from DNA to mRNA
• identifying tRNA anticodons
• translating codons into amino acids
• determining how proteins influence traits

Because students determine the traits of a mystery organism at the end of the activity, the lesson becomes both engaging and memorable.

Protein Synthesis Activity for Middle and High School Biology

This activity works well for high school biology classes that are learning about DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis. Teachers often use this activity after introducing the basic concepts of transcription and translation so that students can apply what they have learned.

The activity can be used for:

• biology lessons on DNA and RNA
• protein synthesis practice
• transcription and translation review
• DNA units in grades 9–10

If your students need additional background on DNA structure and function, this DNA informational text reading with graphic organizers provides a great introduction to the topic.

Try the Protein Synthesis Mystery Organism Activity

If you are looking for a protein synthesis activity that helps students understand transcription and translation, this mystery organism activity gives students a hands-on way to decode genes and determine the traits of an organism.

You can view the full activity here:

Protein Synthesis Activity: Determining the Traits of a Mystery Organism