HELLO! Sorry for the big hiatus by the way.
OH! I am Yingwei, a sec 4 member. (ex- vice president.)
Studying O levels right now, and I only got the invitation a few months ago.
SO, I cannot update as much. zzz...

Please be patient as we await more updates...

BYE! (:

Singapore Polytechnic Workshop

Last Friday, the Life Science Society went to Singapore Polytechnic for a workshop. The Sec 2 and 3s went on a workshop talking about enzymes whereas the Sec 4s went to a workshop on how drugs are discovered. Here are the details on the Sec 4's workshop.

First of all, there was a brief introduction to the subject of how drugs are discovered. With the old and emerging life-threatening or chronic diseases affecting many in Singapore, there is a need for new drug development. This is done in order to improve the quality of life among patients. So, where do these drugs come from? They can be derived from plants, animals, microbes, and marine life. However, the process does not end there as there is a long tedious process to follow, especially with safety checks being a part of creating a new drug.

General parameters of looking for new drugs include 1 in 10000 chemicals that are screened contains a new drug product. This drug has to be developed for 12 years before it can be used. Thus, many drugs for particular diseases are not researched as there is a lack of profitability, due to the high cost. However, a lot of drugs that are made come from plants, taking up 25% of the total.

Now, there are many future prospects in the look for the new drug. First of all, the use of microbes is providing massive opportunities in finding new medicines. Also, technology has become much more advanced, and there is more knowledge that can be used to discover more drugs. This field of biotechnology remains a big one due to the many simple questions that scientists ask being unanswered.

To detect chemicals in a herb, a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) is used by detecting the mass of the certain chemical that you are looking for. Using this sophisticated equipment, scientists are able to find chemicals that may be the new drug to cure a disease. Lastly, as the use of a drug continuously causes diseases to form immunity against such drugs, it is thus important that research is emphasized on this particular field of biotechnology.

CCA Camp

Had our CCA camp last Wednesday. Before we went on our excursion, had to play some ice breaking games. After that, we set off by bus to Hay`s Goat Farm.

When we reached there, first of all, we had a talk from the man who owned the farm. He told us how they milked the goats to obtain their milk and some interesting facts about the goats:

1. The male goat is known as the buck, the female the doe, and the child a kid.

2. From each female goat, only 4 litres of milk can be obtained, compared to the 10 litres from a cow.

3. Milk can only be obtained from a female goat after it gives birth.

4. Two kids are often born at one time.

5. Female goats can live up to 12 years, and 10 of these years in the farm are used for the female goat to give birth to kids.

Here are some pics we took at the farm:

A kid in the feeding area

Mrs Wee feeding some of the goats

A group of goats eating

Two goats locking heads

After visiting this place, we went on to an aeroponics farm. In the farm, we learn about the use of aeroponics to grow plants. Instead of the standard way of placing plants in the soil, due to Singapore`s lack of land use; and the use of hydroponics, where plants are grown in water, the oxygen in the air is used to provide plants with what it needs. A mist that is sprayed on the plants` roots also provides the mineral salts. Thus, this method saves a lot of farming space. However, before the plant can be grown by aeroponics, it needs some time to germinate and have its roots grow before the plant is able to grow by aeroponics.

Hydroponics

Aeroponics The group walking around
After aeroponics, the plants are transferred to the soil.
Tomato plant

Our guide talking to us about some things about the farmHybrid papaya trees
Pineapple plant
Papaya Tree (close-up)
Tomato Plant
GourdWatching a video talking about aeroponics

Lastly, for our destination before returning to school, we went to the fish farm. Here, most of the group went to try fishing for guppies with a small net and a plastic container.

Here are some pics:

We had a treasure hunt back at school, and some water games and a barbeque before ending off the day.

Bacteria

Bacteria are unicellular microorganisms that exist in every habitat on earth. Most of them are typically a few micrometres in length, and cannot be seen by the naked eye. Therefore, scientists study them using microscopes.

Bacteria was first observed by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1676, using a microscope he designed. Louis Pasteur demonstrated that the fermentation process is caused by the growth of microorganisms, rather than the idea of spontaneous generation. He was also one of the first who spread the germ theory of disease. This theory was proven by Robert Koch, a pioneer in medical microbiology, for which he was rewarded the Nobel Prize.

With the knowledge that bacteria are the cause of many diseases that affect the human body, there was the problem where no effective antibacterial treatments that could cure people were available. It was then in 1910 when Paul Ehrlich developed the first antibiotic.

to be continued...

Microbiology

Going to start on microbiology in preparation of next year, when there are going to be a lot of competitions that we will be participating in.

First of all, what is microbiology? Well, it is the study of microorganisms, which include prokaryotes and eukaryotes. It also includes the study of viruses, though they are not considered as living organisms.

The science of microbiology has been hypothesized since the 14th century. However, nobody could prove of the existance of such until the microscope was invented in the 17th century by three men, notably Hans Lippershey, Hans Janssen, and his son Zacharias. It was hypothesized later on during the Black Death period that the microorganisms were the cause of diseases that affected living organisms.

So, what is the use of microbiology in modern times? Well, there are several very important uses for it, namely:

- Genetics

- Medical Field, eg. Pathology and Immunology

- Industry, eg. Fermentation

- Food

- Pharmaceutical

-Environmental