IGCSE Human Biology: Reproduction

Revolting post ahead (or so Gary tells me 🙂 I have no filtering... ).  Sensitive constitutions should exit ASAP.  You have been warned. Learning about reproduction with five teenagers can be humorous, not to mention embarrassing...for them.  I was adamant that I would teach this to them without all the embarrassed giggles one might expect…

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Genetics: Cell division – Meiosis

We are currently working through the specification for an IGCSE in Biology.  The following is copied straight from that specification and is all the information we need to know about meiosis: Understand that division of a cell by meiosis produces four cells, each with half the number of chromosomes, and that this results in the formation…

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Genetics: Cell division – Mitosis

We are currently working through the specification for an IGCSE in Biology.  The following is copied straight from that specification and is all the information we need to know about mitosis: Understand that division of a diploid cell by mitosis produces two cells which contain identical sets of chromosomes. Understand that mitosis occurs during growth, repair,…

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Illustrating Mendelian Genetics: Mr and Mrs Apple-head and their Applettes

Breeding Mr and Mrs Apple-heads to create some Applettes Yesterday I posted about our Gregor Mendel scientist study.  We finished up our study with a bit of fun, making our own father and mother Apple-heads.  It was a really great way to check the children fully understood the new vocabulary: allele, phenotype, genotype, recessive, dominant,…

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Scientist Study: Gregor Mendel – Simple Genetics

Who is Gregor Mendel? Gregor Mendel is regarded as the first ever geneticist.  He overcame poverty and the death of his father, funded his own education and finally joined the abbot to continue with his studies. He spent much of his adult life trying to answer the following question: How do mothers and fathers -…

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Biology: Microbes – Protoctista

Protoctista The last micro-organism we need to cover for their IGCSE Biology is the Protoctista.  This is basically the 'rubbish bin kingdom'.  Every organism which is living and eukaryotic but is not an animal, plant, fungi or bacteria belongs to this kingdom.  Protoctista are more complicated than bacteria, containing a cell nucleus, but less complex…

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Microbes: Fungus and Bacteria – Intrinsically Linked

I probably don't need to say this, but did you know that fungi can kill bacteria?   Most antibiotics used today were found originally in fungi, although many of these chemicals are now synthesized in factories.  Strictly speaking, antibiotics are substances made by microorganisms that stop growth of other microbes or kill them outright. The first ever antibiotic…

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