cell biology explores every biology learners would like to know about cell structure and function
Cell biology explores the molecules of life that are found in the cell. The field of biology tries to explain the basic types of molecules that help the cell to perform its functions. The first molecule is nucleic acids, and the study of cell biology proved these kinds of molecules carry genetic information. The second molecule is proteins, and through cell biology, we learned that proteins “are strings of amino acids that are often folded into complex 3-D shapes” (2). The remaining two types of molecules are lipids and carbohydrates. Cell biology demonstrated how lipids end up forming complex molecules when chained together. The argument of how carbohydrates molecules are broken down into atoms which supply the organism with energy is fully explained in cell biology. Therefore, it is evident that cell biology explores every biology learners would like to know about cell structure and function.
With the study of nucleic acids, we can end up understanding the forces of evolution. Biologists discovered that nucleic acid molecules comprise deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The same DNA carries other essential components, namely a sugar-phosphate backbone and nucleotides. The information about DNA nucleotides has allowed physical anthropologists to “determine how different organisms are related to each other” (11) and specifically through DNA sequences. I came to learn that every organism has a unique DNA genetic code that carries hereditary information. For DNA to survive in a cell, undergo mutation replication.
The two processes, DNA mutation, and DNA replication, play a vital role in evolution because they contribute to genetic change occurring in a population over time. Mutation is one of the mechanisms through which evolution takes place. The other mechanisms are natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow. Natural selection “occurs when certain phenotypes confer an advantage or disadvantage in survival and/or reproductive success” (19). From the reading, I found an example of natural selection is the one type of insect called the peppered moth (Biston betularia). It was discovered that the insect changes to a pepper coloration that matches the bark of the tree. It makes it harder for moth-eating birds to see them. The ideas of micro and macro perspectives have been crucial biological anthropology because they explain how environmental aspects have contributed to the changes of “species and their phylogenetic relationships with other taxa “(25).