Reflecting back on the course, what are the three major themes you would identify that connect various topics discussed in this course?

We have gone over a lot in this course, but there are a few major categories that most of the material can be separated into. I would say the three major themes of this course were:

-DNA
-Enzymes
-ATP yielding processes

DNA was a big part of the material we covered. We discussed what it is, what it is made of, how it is made, how it replicates. We also discussed how DNA is transcribed into RNA, we went over where and how this process works. We then went over how RNA is translated into amino acids and eventually proteins. To me, this is a huge topic that was definitely a main theme of this course.

ATP yielding processes took up a lot of time to go over. We discussed glycolysis, citric acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, and oxidative phosphorylation. This was a very important part of the course because it showed us how dynamic our body is at producing energy, and it really gave us the big picture about why we need certain molecules.

Enzymes also were a big part of the material. We went over the different types of enzymes and how they work, what reactions the catalyze and how important they are for normal function in our cells. Enzymes are really the unifying theme of this course. Enzymes are involved in most everything we discussed from DNA synthesis, to translation, to glycolysis.

Overall, as stated before, these three themes really widened my view and gave me the big picture. They helped me understand things that had simply been memorization in other courses. Now instead of just knowing that something is happening, I understand why something is happening.

How would you explain the connection between glucose entering the body and energy created by the body to a friend?

I would start off by pointing out that glucose is the main source of energy for our bodies. Glucose is generally obtained through the consumption of carbohydrates. Glucose is stored in our body as glycogen. We then break down this glucose through a series of interrelated processes and cycles. First, we can break a glucose molecule down into two molecules of pyruvate through a series of reactions known as glycolysis. Glycolysis does not require oxygen in order to take place, and along with making two pyruvates, it also produces two ATP molecules (ATP is one of the main energies that our body uses). Then, if oxygen is present, the two pyruvate molecules are oxidized into two Acetyl-CoA molecules. The Acetyl CoA molecules then enter the citric acid cycle where they will eventually go on to produce between 28 and 32 molecules of ATP each. However, if oxygen is not present, then pyruvate cannot be converted into anything, and only two molecules of ATP are made.