AP Bio Summer Assignment 2020

Welcome to the AP Biology summer assignment for 2020. The summer assignment will work as follows:

• Once a week, I will post a few links to current science articles that I find interesting/entertaining

• You pick a few, or all, of the links and read through them

• Post a comment on the blog post about the article(s) that you read. Comments can be anything, as long as it demonstrates that you have read the article and put some thought into your response

• If your comment occurs within the week of posting, you will receive maximum points for that week

• Comments are moderated, so it may take a few days for your comment to show up

• Make sure your Google account setting allow your username to be visible on the blog. If your username does not show up, your comment will not be posted and you will not receive credit for that week's assignment.

I hope to get the first official post (that you will have to comment on) up on the week of July 6; the final post will be the week of August 24. 

In the meantime, some things you can do:

1. Become a follower of the blog. There are two ways to do this, both can be found a little ways down on the right hand sidebar. If you follow via email, Blogger will send you notifications of new posts. There is also the option to subscribe to an RSS feed for both posts and comments.
2. If you know of a time frame which you will be unable to comment due to vacation, follow this link to complete the form to let us know before you leave for vacation. We will make arrangements with you as far as making the missed weeks up. If you do not let us know ahead of time, the missed weeks will count as zeros.

Summer Assignment 8.26.19

This will be the final week of the summer assignment this year. Great job with all the comments, I hope you found some of the articles I linked to interesting. There are a few things I have for you to do this week.

• To get credit for this week's entry, tell me what your favorite post was over the summer, and what you are most looking forward to learning more about this year.
• If you are registered for Dr. H's class, please visit this website and request access. If you have used PB Works before, you can use your previous account information and will not have to confirm your email. If you are new to PB Works, you DO NOT need to use your school email account to request access. After I accept you, you will receive a confirmation email. 
• If you are registered for Miss Drust's class, she will provide you with the course website.
• Once you have access to the wiki, feel free to have a look around. It is still a work in progress, so there is not too much there yet. There are some things on the front page for you to do.

That's it. See you all next week.

Summer Assignment 8.19.19

Only two stories this week. Remember, if your comments are not showing up, make sure your account settings allow your name to be shown on the blog.

• New research into the formation of the first cells answers a long-standing question.
• Speeding up photosynthesis

Summer Assignment 8.12.19

This weeks links:

• Ongoing debate about the earliest animals: Were they similar to modern sponges or closer to comb jellies?
• Cool/creepy video about parasites
• New research indicates that the human microbiome produces a large number of novel, small proteins. These proteins may have a large effect on our health. 

Summer Assignment 8.5.19

This weeks stories:

• CRISPR technology to be used in human trials for the first time in the US.
• Peppered moth caterpillars can sense the color of their surroundings with their skin. I know the article explains that the caterpillars' eyes were painted over, but I still have the mental image of some poor undergrad student tying hundreds of tiny blindfolds. Research is great. 
• Very interesting article about CTVT, a transmissible cancer of dogs.