Reflective Post....on pH stuff...whoo...

So pH levels....pretty cool stuff right? pH levels are determined by the concentration of ions in a substance. In pure water (H2O), there is 1 ion for every 555 million water molocules, this can be noted as 1x10^-7. On the pH scale water is a 7 (neutral). The number on the pH scale is the exponent on the scientific notation (not the log... Michael) of the concentration of hydrogen ions. Acids are H+, meaning they have a higher concentration of Hydrogen ions which makes the exponent smaller (1x10^-2, or something......you do know what an exponent is right?) Bases, which are on the other end of the pH scale have more OH-. Since the have more OH- their concentration of H+ is smaller, resulting in a higher exponent value(seems backwards right?).   Water.....the magical liquid of life has a pH level of 7. pH level 7 is in the middle of the pH table (0-14....do the math). Water is special enough to get the pH level of 7 because it has one H+ and one OH- ion. (H+) + (OH-) = (H2O). Since water has one of each charged molocule it is neutral....a positive and a negative charge cancel out.

Acids In Your Tummy Log.....Whoo!!!

Here is the write up for the Lab on the effectiveness of different antacids. Contributors Include Michael Rees, Tyler White, Seth Nixon, and Myself.

Properties of Water......With Muggsy and Puggsy!

Clinical Trials.....

So this week we have been working with clinical trials in Biology. Go Experimental Drugs! Since we are graded on proving that we actually learned something this week rather than just screwing around on the internet, I decided to write a post about what I learned, so here goes.....

Once upon a time in a world far far away, there was a brilliant scientist named Flinn who had just discovered an amazing new drug that seemed to cure severe lung cancer. In another part of the world a small child named Bob (lame right?) who had just been diagnosed with lung cancer, and had been given only 4 months to live because there was no cure for the cancer. Now Bob's doctor had just read an article about Flinn's drug and knew that it was entering into the clinical trial phase. Thinking that this was Bob's best hope Greg (the doctor) got Bob enrolled in the trial (Yay!). Now the trial itself was a Double Blind Placebo meaning that patients that are receiving the drugs don't know if they are taking the placebo (fake drug with no effect) or the experimental drug. In a double blind study the staff that hand out the drugs and record the changes also don't know what drugs the patients are taking. This type of procedure helps prevents false and bias results in clinical trails. Now little Bob got extremely lucky because the drug worked and cured the cancer. And they all lived happily ever after.