Melanie+R.

=__ Muscular Dystrophy __=

**Wiki Post #1**
Muscular Dystrophy is genetic diseases caused by errors in the genes(mutations) that are associated with muscle function. In other words, Muscular Dystrophy affects your entire body and life. Once diagnosed with this disease, it never goes away simply because there is no cure. In most cases, it will slowly takes over your body bits by bits until you are wheelchair bound because your arm and leg muscles can no longer function like they used too. The most heart breaking thing about it is there is no way to prevent being diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy entirely and no way to get rid of it either. Like I said early, Muscular Dystrophy is cause by mutated genes. If a gene is mutated that means it will send a damaged protein that you do not need. Proteins are responsible for all living cell structures and functions so if we receive faulty proteins this could mess up the function of our muscles and cause them progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass.

This photo is a good example of what a healthy human's body would look like compared to someone with Muscular Dystrophy. As you can see, there is a major difference in muscle mass.

=__More Information on Muscular Dystrophy__= Muscular Dystrophy is something you are born with yet it is inactive. It doesn't develop or even show up until later in your life but there is no certain age that this develops. Each person who suffers with Muscular Dystrophy develops it at different times in their life. There is no pattern. Also not everyone suffers the same type of Muscular Dystrophy. There're several different types such as:

>
 * **Duchenne ** **muscular dystrophy ****(DMD) **, the most common type of the disease, is caused by a problem with the gene that makes a protein called **dystrophin. **
 * **Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) ** is very similar to DMD, but its symptoms may start later and can be less severe.

>
 * **Emery-Dreifuss ** **muscular dystrophy ** **(EDMD) ** usually starts causing symptoms in late childhood to early teens and sometimes as late as age 25. It involves muscles in the shoulders, upper arms, and shins, and it often causes joint problems.
 * **Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy ** **(LGMD) ** weakening muscles in the shoulders and upper arms and around the hips and thighs. LGMD can begin as early as childhood or as late as mid-adulthood, and it often progresses slowly.

and many different other types. As you can see, there are many diverse types of of Musuclar Dystrophy but when it comes down to it they all affect the same thing and most importantly it pretty much turns your whole world upside down.

Here are some traits of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12.16px; line-height: 18.24px;">

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12.16px; line-height: 18.24px;">Here's an example video of what it is like to live with Muscular Dystrophy by Bryan Arnold: media type="youtube" key="ZAP2SG3IAgI" width="560" height="315"

=__Further Reading__= [] (explains what muscular dystrophy is and the different kinds) [] ( symptoms of muscular dystrophy) [] (Information and advice if you ever get diagnosed) [] (all information you need to know about muscular dystrophy and its affects)

=__Sources Cited__= [] [] [] (I apologize for the sound quality in advance:) ) []

=** __The Evolution of a Turtle Shell__ **=
 * Wikipost #2 **



====Turtle's are found all over the world, but have you ever wondered how the reptile got it's shell? The turtle is one of he oldest reptile groups still alive. It wasn't until the late Triassic period that the turtle's basic body plan was first discovered. This has mainly stayed the same till even now when it comes down to habitat and size. When you think about how the shell evolved, its hard to believe that it was actually that turtle's ribs trying to protect itself which is how the shells were formed. Today the upper part of the shell is called the carapace as the lower is called the plastron. These two are joined by what they call the "bridges" found on the sides of the turtle.====

Here are some of the basic parts of the turtle shell:



But the turtle shell was not always this way. Here is a video on the evolution of the shell:

media type="youtube" key="NphNApmSZ0U" width="654" height="372"

In the video it shows you the different stages on how the shell formed into what it is today. It started with the Milleretta and then it showed how the bones spread out more around and became smaller in length in the Eunotosaurus stage, from that it evolved into the Odontochelys phase where you can see the plastron (Lower shell) beginning to form thicker and larger. In this stage you can clearly see the upper and lower parts of the shell are still not attached by the bridges yet. Which brings me to the Pronganochelys where the bridge have formed and the plastron and carapace are now attached. Finally the chelydra, where the shell becomes more round like a turtle shell.

=More Information on the Turtle Shell=

What is the Carapace?
- The carapace is the back, convex part of the shell. It is made up of the ribs attached tot the dermal bone.The skin of the shell are covered in things called scutes which are made with keratin and are used to protect the shell from being scraped or bruised. This is a diagram of the Carapace and what it is made up of:

What is the Plastron?
- The plastron is the belly structure of the shell.This picture is all of the different parts the plastron is made up of:

Further Reading: [] [] [] []

Work Cited: [] [] [] []