Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Carbon: Coming Soon To A Cell Near You!


Have you ever heard of carbon dating? No, it is not a new type of relationship. This is an effective way for scientists to tell the age of prehistoric objects based on the amount of carbon leftover in its cells.

Carbon is considered is important for life and thus all living things contain this important organic compound. The building blocks for life are all composed of carbon. There are four important biomolecules (living molecules) found in our bodies.

Carbohydrates - these are considered the energy of life. There are simple carbohydrates, think sugar, white pasta, white bread. And there are complex carbohydrates, think whole wheat, beans, and most vegetables. Complex carbohydrates take longest to digest so they make you feel fuller longer.

Lipids - there are three categories of lipids: fats, oils, and waxes. Fats and oils are used to keep our bodies healthy, they are not all bad. Some of these are used to store energy and others are used in the membranes that surround our cells.

Proteins - our bodies are made up of different kinds of proteins. These proteins are made up of a certain order of amino acids. There are only twenty amino acids but they can be arranged to create millions of different types of proteins.

DNA & RNA - both of these are abbreviations for deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid. If a builder was given blueprints, he or she could use those important papers to build an amazing house. DNA and RNA are the blueprints for humans. In theory, we could take all of this genetic code and build a perfect human. We will learn more about the actual structure of both of these molecules and how they work together when we begin to study genetics.

No comments:

Post a Comment