Brianna+E.

=The Pancreas= The pancreas serves as both an exocrine gland and an endocrine gland. As an exocrine gland it releases enzymes that break down proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids in food. It plays a huge part in digestion, the stomach releases partially digested food into the Duodenum. The pancreas secretes a liquid that is a mix of water, salt, bicarbonate and lots of enzymes.

Pancreatic amylase breaks down starches and glycogen into smaller sugars such as maltose, maltotriose, and glucose. The protein-digesting enzymes Trypsin, chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase break proteins down into amino acids. Ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease are enzymes that digest nucleic acids. Ribonuclease breaks down molecules of RNA into the sugar ribose and the nitrogenous bases. Deoxyribonuclease digests DNA molecules into the sugar deoxyribose and the nitrogenous bases. media type="custom" key="26211068" As an endocrine gland it releases insulin and glucagon that helps control blood sugar. Glucagon raises blood glucose levels by having the liver break it down to glucose molecules, insulin on the other hand lowers blood glucose levels by stimulating the absorption of glucose by the liver, muscle tissue and fat.

If the pancreas is unable to release the insulin then it can cause diseases such as diabetes, which is when your body doesn't produce enough insulin or your body doesn't react to it properly. Type 2 diabetes is the most common and can sometimes be fixed by a proper diet and exercise, but often gets worse and people have to take insulin tablets in order have normal blood glucose levels. Type 1 is when the immune system attacks insulin making cells and requires life long insulin injections.

=Further Reading= http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-Does-The-Pancreas-Do.aspx explains in more detail what the pancreas does http://chealth.canoe.ca/condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=334 Talks about pancreatic cancer and what it does. http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-diseases-pancreatitis Talks about pancreatitis and what it is. https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Exocrine_gland.html Talks about other exocrine glands and where to find them

=Bibliography= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreas http://www.innerbody.com/image/endo03.html http://www.diabetes.ca/ http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/picture-of-the-pancreas http://pathology.jhu.edu/pc/BasicOverview1.php?area=ba =_= =Cetacean Evolution=

Whales, dolphins and porpoises are part of the cetacean order and are descendents of land-living mammals. They evolved from their prehistoric ancestors when the one who were able to swim and hold their breath longer were more likely to survive. The whale, for instance, went through many changes and species to become what it is today. =media type="custom" key="25821220"= Dolphins and porpoises went through a process much similar to the whales. How this happened was through multiple generations of mutated genes that caused things like webbed feet that became flippers and nostrils that fused together and migrated to the top of the head to help them breathe easier. One mutation in what used to be known as the junk section of the DNA, but in fact controls whether or not a gene will be turned on, caused the unnecessary hind legs to not grow in at all, but we know it once was because of fetal and skeletal evidence. The Pakicetus, one of the first ancestors of the whale looked nothing like today's whale except for it's skull, particularly in the ear region, which is surrounded by a bony wall and is very similar to whales and not at all alike other mammals. The Ambulocetus had a more aquatic lifestyle with shorter legs and more paddle like feet, and a longer, muscular tail. The oxygen isotopes in it's fossils showed that it likely drank both salt and fresh water.

Scientists believe that the timeline of evolution for cetaceans looks something like this.

=Further Reading= http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/cetacea/cetacean.html http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/otherprehistoriclife/a/ancientwhales.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/e/evolution_of_cetaceans.htm http://www.talkorigins.org/features/whales/ =Bibliography= http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evograms_03 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/ocean-giants/going-aquatic-cetacean-evolution/7577/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_cetaceans http://understanddolphins.tripod.com/dolphinevolution.html http://www.dolphins-world.com/dolphin-evolution/

=Genetically Modified Crops= Brianna Estey

Genetically modified crops are crops that have been changed through the DNA to become bigger and better. The first genetically engineered crop was called the Flavr Savr tomato and was made to last longer than other tomatoes. The Flavr Savr tomatoes were FDA approved in 1994 and in the past twenty years genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been incorporated into our everyday foods. Here are the top ten genetically engineered foods. In the U.S at least 75% of all soybeans and corn qualify as GMOs. There is a lot of controversy surrounding GMOs and despite multiple studies saying that they are okay, people just aren't sure if what they are putting into their bodies is completely safe. Because of this plenty of countries around the world have laws that require that all GMOs have labels telling you what they are.

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Genetic+engineering+pushback+against+foods+with+video/9564708/story.htmlmedia type="custom" key="25319170" To make a GMO you transfer a gene that you want into an organism that you want it in. To do this you need a vector that will carry the gene into the organism. It seems pretty straightforward but there is a lot more work that is put into it such as isolating and removing the gene and also finding a place in the DNA of the organism to insert it in. Genetic engineering is used on crops often to enhance a certain aspect of it to make it better for both the person growing the crops and the person eating them. Here is an example of some genetically engineered crops: The problem with Pest-resistant and Herbicide-resistant crops is the the environment around them is also becoming resistant to the pesticides and herbicides themselves which then causes more of it to be used and is is not good in the long run.