Photosynthesis

Our natural worlds most precious resource.





In our planet's long history, there has been no biological process that has affected the world as profoundly as photosynthesis. Without this miracle of nature, our Earth would be uninhabitable; a dull black rock floating unknown in the limitless expanses of the universe. I argue that due to the role photosynthesis has played in the creation of our atmosphere, photosynthesis is the most important biological process in the history of organic life and that this life giving function is being threatened by things, such as deforestation . Before one can go into how our environment is influenced by photosynthesis, you must first attempt to understand the chemistry of the photosynthetic world. Chemically speaking the equation of photosynthesis is, 6CO2 + 6H2O + Solar Energy => C6H12O6 + 6O2. What this means is that photosynthesis is responsible for the creation of life sustaining oxygen.

It is because of this creation of oxygen, that we have the planet we have today. About 3500 million years ago, the first photosynthetic bacteria were thought to have emerged into the primordial ooze. There creature were known as Cyanobacterium or Blue-Green Algae. This prehistoric Earth would be considered , by our current standards, a toxic and deadly place. It was these early bacteria that, over time, filled our earth with oxygen. The reason that these bacteria flourished in this desolate past is due to the greenhouse effect.


http://4walled.org/src/c41a65d86445c7271f2dcd64f9acf763.jpg

food inc

So many things can be said about Food Inc. It was eye opening and profound the way that our food is manufactured in America. At the same time it wasnt a huge surprise, at our hearts I think that most of us know where our food comes from, its just easier to ignore the sad truth and go on eating our disgusting food. I wonder though if it could still be done the other way, and if it were would the increase in price have a negative affect on the economy. I also wonder what the public reaction would be if meat packing were to be publicly outed. At the same time I was reminded of “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. It was referred to in the movie but I dont think it was given the attention it deserves. “The Jungle” shows a side of meat packing that when compared to even the modern horror, are nightmarish. If we did go back to the old way what negative or positive side effects would be placed upon our world.

UNORGANIZED DATA

The green photosynthetic bacteria are characterized by the presence of chlorosomes appressed to the cytoplasmic side of the cytoplasmic membrane. The chlorosomes are filled with bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c, d or e molecules in a highly aggregated state. The truly "green" bacteria contain mainly BChl c or d; while the others look orange or brown because of a high content of carotenoid. From a phylogenetic point of view the green bacteria are really two separate "phyla" based on 16S rRNA, reaction center (RC) type and physiology. It is truly remarkable that such different types of bacteria (green filamentous bacteria and green sulfur bacteria) contain such similar light-harvesting entities as chlorosomes. Green filamentous bacteria (Chloroflexaceae) contain a quinone-type RC similar to those found in purple bacteria (Proteobacteria), whereas the green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae) contain an iron-sulfur-type RC similar to those found in heliobacteria and in photosystem I of cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. The filamentous bacteria live either as facultative photoautotrophs that grow in relatively bright light or as respiring chemoheterotrophs. They are found predominantly in hot springs, often in mixed population with cyanobacteria that provide organic carbon compounds for them. Most of our knowledge about the filamentous bacteria at the molecular level comes from one species, Chloroflexus aurantiacus. A second species, Chloroflexus aggregans, has recently been isolated and characterized by Hanada et al. The sulfur bacteria are obligate photoautotrophs and strict anaerobes that grow in dim light in sulfide-rich environments. These conditions are found in effluents of sulfur springs and in the chemocline of stratified lakes and in marine habitats. In one extreme case green sulfur bacteria can be found living at a depth of 80 m in the Black Sea. Our knowledge about the sulfur bacteria comes from several species including Chlorobium limicola, Chlorobium phaeovibrioides, Chlorobium tepidum, Chlorobium vibrioforme, Pelodictyon luteolum and Prosthecochloris aestuarii.

http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid=4286156&q=photosynthesis+bacteria&uid=1337041&setcookie=yes

The crystal structure of the light-harvesting antenna complex (LH2) from Rhodopseudomonas acidophila strain 10050 shows that the active assembly consists of two concentric cylinders of helical protein subunits which enclose the pigment molecules. Eighteen bacteriochlorophyll a molecules sandwiched between the helices form a continuous overlapping ring, and a further nine are positioned between the outer helices with the bacteriochlorin rings perpendicular to the transmembrane helix axis. There is an elegant intertwining of the bacteriochlorophyll phytol chains with carotenoid, which spans the complex.

sdgih

Article 1
 Genetically Modified (GM) Foods.

• Consumption of GM foods
• Consumer image of GM food depends on its sale
• Consumer adversion to labeled GM food
• GM food sells better when the market is saturated
• Consumers perceive GM foods as different than

Article 2
  Light and photosynthesis in aquatic ecosystems

• Plants need Solar energy, CO2, minerals, water
• Water absorbs and scatters light
• Light absorption varies with depth
• Aquatic plants are less effective than land plants
• Hydrologic Optics
• Light is measured in "quantas"
• The average cosine for downwelling is equal to the downward irradiance divided by the downward scalar irradiance.

My thoughts on the thing we saw

Nate Lewis is an amazing man. Simple as that.

At first I thought this would be just another alarmist weirdo talking about how "Were all gonna die, and theres nothing we can do." I was wrong. I do not feel that we as class understood the sheer magnitude of what he was saying when he said the word Terawatt. A terawatt is a ridiculously huge amount of energy, enough energy to power 10 billion 100 watt light bulbs. I am just purely amazed by the amount of power needed to fuel humanity. I found it compelling the way he introduced the facts and odd that there are so many alternative power sources that just simply can not provide the 13 TW we need to survive. The only feasible power source is in fact solar power.

The sun provides, as Nate Lewis said, about 600 TW of reasonable accessible energy. to put that HUGE number into scale. 600 TW is 6.0 × 10^14 watts, if you had a rope that was 6.0 × 10^14 MILLIMETERS (0.0393700787 inch) It would wrap around the world 1498 times! That is HUGE and that also means that the amount of power we can get from the Sun. but for me the question is, how do we turn that power into something that wont strain our infrastructure. I beleive he was right by saying that chemical energy is the way to go but that is much easier said than done.

Holy 3 annotated sources on climate change Batman!!

Source 1:GWsource_1
Historical CO2 Record from the Vostok Ice Core 

• Shows co2 data from the past 400000 years
• Shows an upward trend in recent years
• one of the main components in the graphs used by al gore
• this data comes from antarctic ice cores going down 3304m
• takes into account age of ice and air from samples

Source 2:GWsource_2
Historical Isotopic Temperature Record from the Vostok Ice Core  

• uses the Vostok ice data to calculate temperature data
• temp data goes back over 400000 years
• has no temperature variation in the last 120 years
• a brief look over seems to show a large amount of negative numbers
• this data is used as the standard for graphics on climate change

Source 3:GWsource_3
Estimating the uncertainty of the Mann et al. (1998, 1999) reconstructions 

• bring into question the accuracy of the Mann et al study
• Defines the complicated terms that relate to error in a way that most people can understand
• shows a similar but different trend than the one seen in AIT 
• Admits to possible error in his data and asks for reviews to clarify
• brings into question weather the smoothing models used on the graphs change the outcome
• bring up possible errors and solutions with graphs and data readings.

I believe that by using the same sources that were used by the scientists, i will be able to create a balanced  set of data that are not influenced by media. In my senior project I will be able to use this data to make predictions about the future and the effect that climate change will have on human life.

I also included a media article because it shows a good way for me to find my own data. I admire the way the the author of the JunkScience website used data to come to his own conclusion without the influence of data or "facts" that mainstream media gives. This makes his finding a little more reputable.

KA BOOOM

Cherimoya is deciduous shrub or small tree that reaches up to 7 m tall. The tree flourishes in the coastal lowlands of Ecuador; is rare above 5,000 ft (1,500 m). In Guatemala, it is nearly always found below 4,000 ft (1,220 m It is sensitive to frost and must have periods of cool temperatures or the tree will gradually go dormant. It is cultivated in many places throughout the Americas, including California. Cherimoya's prefer a summer temperature of 65-80F, and a winter temperature of 41-65F. Cherimoya an be grown by seed, grafting, and air layering. Seedlings with 70F bottom heat germinate in about 21 days. Without heat, seeds may take 1-2 months for germination. Flowers are almost never pollinated by their own pollen, and without proper pollinators which do not exist outside its native range, cherimoya's must be hand pollinated. Pollen is generally collected from a few male flowers and stored in a small bag while it is used to pollinate female flowers. Pollen cannot be stored for more than a few hours before it loses viability. Flowers bloom from late winter to early summer, followed by fruit which ripen from October to May. Fruits are large, from 4-8" long, and sometimes weighing over 5 pounds. Harvest fruits when skin turns slightly yellow or pale green, or when skin gives a little to touch. The soil should be a porous medium that retains some moisture, but also maintains air pockets within its structure. It does best in low-lying, deep, rich soil with ample moisture and good drainage. A peat-based soil mix with sand or perlite added is appropriate. Soil pH requirements 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral). The seed of this fruit are poisonous and can be used to kill insects.

BLAH!

Population: Enough of us now

The purpose of this article is to point out how population has been influenced by external and internal forces and how that will play a role in the future

• 25 September 2009 by Paul Ehrlich and Anne Ehrlich
• Magazine issue 2727

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327271.500-population-enough-of-us-now.html?full=true&print=true

• By 2050 there may be about 35 per cent more people on Earth than there are today.
• More people mean less food, less water
• There are only two ways by which population can stop increasing: a falling birth rate or rising death rates.
• Rise in death rates in southern Africa and Russia
• Indian Ocean tsunami killed nearly 250,000 people. Another 160,000 died that day of other causes, and the day's 370,000 births couldn't compensate
• 70,000 deaths caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945 outweighed the population growth of around 60,000
• the Black Death of the 14th century, which killed 75 million people and reduced Europe's population by 30 per cent.
• after 2050 the world will enter a new era when the population will shrink on many days.
  
• We will simply be having fewer children.
• There has to be a recognition, at the highest political level, of the importance of reducing birth rates
• Uganda's population,  growing from around 33 million today to 91 million in the next 40 years
• 2.3 billion people likely to be added to the human population by 2050

Addressing Our Global Water Future
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Sandia National Laboratories
http://www.sandia.gov/water/docs/CSIS-SNL_OGWF_9-28-05.PDF

This study is about the management of water resources in the future

Many efforts over the past twenty-five years have focused on alleviating water
scarcity and providing clean drinking water and sanitation to effected populations
across the planet. These efforts provide valuable lessons and successful models for
new strategies and actions for new levels of crisis in the future.

At issue with industrial facilities are the quantities
of water withdrawn and the quality of water returned to the natural water system.
Industrial withdrawals of water are expected to rise by 55 percent from 752 km3 per
year in 1995 to 1170 km3 per year in 2025

this increase will come from the developing world as countries continue to industrialize.

Overall, about 80 percent of the world’s electricity production
comes from nuclear and fossil fuel plants, where large amounts of water are used to
remove waste heat from the processes. Several closely linked factors determine the
potential impacts on associated water demand

Why Britain faces a bleak future of food shortages

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/dec/13/britain-faces-food-shortage

food shortages are a result of too little water and too many people. This article talks about the changes that need to happen in order to sustain life.

• Wheat prices across the globe soared by 130%, while shopping bills in Britain leapt by 15%.
• a global food shortage would drive up import costs and make food more expensive
• "We are going to have to produce as much food in the next 50 years as was produced over the past 5,000 years. Nothing less will do."
• bluetongue disease, a virus that affects cattle, sheep, deer and goats and is spread by midges.
• Other diseases like epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) and African horse sickness are also spread by midges and threaten Europe and Britain
• About 40% of crops in Britain are vulnerable to destruction by weeds, fungi and insects,

Write up.

Paul Santillan

3/26/87

Environmental Science

Writeup

    100 years is a ling time for humanity. 100 years ago, polio threatened to wipe out thousands and thousands of people. The outlook was bleak and there were rumors that the united stated would never recover. 100 years in the future, the world will be a much different place than it is today. Food will be scarce and water will be in high demand, no doubt if wars have been fought over oil, wars will be fought over food and water. Humanity will be shrinking as a result to these non prime conditions. The reason for these shortages all stem down to population, in the next 50 years our population will grow to nine billion unlike polio however, population growth has no vaccine.

    I have had many ideas about what I could do to combine all of these idea into one product. I have come up with the idea of playing into the template of "yesterdays tomorrow". The house of tomorrow videos were once a platform used to showcase the technology that a company could provide. I want to make new house of tomorrow, but tomorrows house of tomorrow. Rather than diving into the bleakness of what possible futures we could have, I plan to make a house of tomorrow based in 2110 that showcases the perfection that 2120 will bring. Through the presentation the inherent issues of this dystopian future will become painfully apparent. Item such as in home food synthesizers will promise to alleviate the rubber taste of "normal" test tube meat.

    If population will rise to 9 billion by 2050, and that population increase alone, threatens to destroy our current way of life, If we are to believe that industrial withdrawals of water are expected to rise by 55 percent , if we are going to have to produce as much food in the next 50 years as was produced over the past 5,000 years. If all of these things are true, then this means that be 2110 our world will be transformed and altered beyond our wildest dreams

  

Farmer in Chief

We live in a world full of warnings and apocalyptic claims. Growing up in such a world, has numbed me to the alarmist theories and claims that are so frequently made. So it comes as no surprise to me that, upon first scanning the article by Micheal Pollan, I was skeptical. I was skeptical that so much of our society is so intertwined with the food industry.Upon deeper scrutiny, however, I noticed that this article was so much more than simply a warning but more of a wake up call.

We had focus in class on "junk food" and though even the text pointed out that the term is one of ambiguity, we never seemed to grasp that fact in class. The focus of our classroom discussion, the prohibition of junkfood, was met with both proponents and opponents. I was on the the opposing side and throughout the conversation, I started to grasp the full gravity of the situation. Americans as a race, are so ignorant they simply cant see change as a reality.

As a classroom of people who come from the varying backgrounds of San Diego, we represented a sample of America. As a sample of America we couldn't even come to a conclusion on the outcome of junk food. I do not believe we can decide for our selves.

My Farming History

My family history is a long winding one, where the soil is rich and fertile.

In the begging there was my great great grandfather Eirek Vigoren, a man of many seeds. In the great land of Bemidji Minnesota, he grew many crops and raised cows and chickens.

Then we progress to good ol' Elmer Vigoren my great grandfather,  Also a farmer he grew cattle, wheat and corn.

and now my grandfather, His responsibilities lied in taking care of chicken and milking cows. When he was 12, a tornado destroyed his family farm and he moved to california

Something that interests me!!!

So much of our natural world today is starting to change. The advent of genetic engineering has started to create new an exciting changes to the world around us. I find the field of genetic engineering on plants fascinating.

As you should have gained from the video above, Genetic modification is the simple process of exchanging DNA from one item to matching DNA in another. A processes easier said than done. But what does it matter you may ask?

 

Who DOESN'T want a glowing sheep???