Fertilization (the fusing of one sperm and an ovum) results in a(n) _____.

The sequence of amino acids in a gene determines the primary structure of a protein. The components necessary fortranslationare located in the cytoplasm. Translation is the making of proteins by mRNA binding to a ribosome with the start codon that initiates the production of amino acids. Apeptide bondforms and connects the amino acids together. The sequence of amino acids determines the protein’s structure, which determines its function.

Both litmus paper and a pH scale can be used to indicate whether a solution is acidic. However, a pH scale can also determine the strength of an acid.

Researchers can determine the strength of an acid or a base by measuring the pH of a solution. The pH value describes how acidic or basic a solution is. On pH scale, shown below, if the number is less than 7 the solution is acidic. A pH greater than 7 means the solution is basic. When the pH is exactly 7, the solution is neutral.

A neutralization reaction is a type of acid-base reaction where an acid and base react to form a salt and water.

In an aqueous solution, a base increases the hydroxide concentration (OH–), while an acid increases the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration. Sometimes,neutralization reactionsalso occur. This type of reaction happens when an acid and a base react with each other to form water and salt. Salt is typically defined as anionic compoundthat includes any cation except H+and any anion except OH–. Consider the following example of a neutralization reaction between hydrobromic acid (HBr) and potassium hydroxide (KOH).

HBr+KOH→KBr+H2O

Not all neutralization reactions proceed in the manner where all reactants are in the aqueous phase. In some chemical reactions, one reactant may be a solid. The neutralization reaction can still proceed to completion.

The particles in a sample of gas are farther apart than in solids or liquids and therefore have the lowest amount of cohesion.

• Cohesion is the tendency of particles of the same kind to stick to each other.
• A solid has the lowest amount of energy because its particles are packed close together. Liquids have more energy than a solid, and gases have more energy than solids or liquids because the cohesive forces are very weak.

Nitrogen and oxygen are both nonmetals, which means they will share electrons in a covalent bond. For example, two oxygen atoms form a double bond, in which two pairs of electrons (four electrons total) are shared. Similarly, two nitrogen atoms form a molecule with a triple bond, in which three pairs of electrons (six electrons total) are shared. 

A cell copies its DNA during the S phase, and nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA. Thus, the step preceding the S phase, theG1phase, is the phase of the cell cycle when the cell would contain the most nucleotides.

For a cell to divide into more cells, it must grow, copy its DNA, and produce new daughter cells. Thecell cycleregulates cellular division. This process can either prevent a cell from dividing or trigger it to start dividing.

The cell cycle is an organized process divided into two phases:interphaseand theM (mitotic) phase. During interphase, the cell grows and copies its DNA. After the cell reaches the M phase, division of the two new cells can occur. The G1, S, and G2phases make up interphase.

• G1:The first gap phase, during which the cell prepares to copy its DNA
• S:The synthesis phase, during which DNA is copied
• G2:The second gap phase, during which the cell prepares for cell division

It may appear that little is happening in the cell during the gap phases. Most of the activity occurs at the level of enzymes and macromolecules. The cell produces things like nucleotidesfor synthesizing new DNA strands, enzymes for copying the DNA, and tubulin proteins for building the mitotic spindle. During the S phase, the DNA in the cell doubles, but few other signs are obvious under the microscope. All the dramatic events that can be seen under a microscope occur during the M phase: the chromosomes move, and the cell splits into two new cells with identical nuclei.

Theaging processaffects hormone activity in one of three ways: their secretion can decrease, remain unchanged, or increase.

Hormones thatdecrease secretioninclude the following:

• Estrogen (in women)
• Testosterone (in men)
• Growth hormone
• Melatonin

Inwomen, the decline in estrogen levels leads to menopause. Inmen, testosterone levels usually decrease gradually. Decreased levels of growth hormone may lead to decreased muscle mass and strength. Decreased melatonin levels may play an important role in the loss of normal sleep-wake cycles (circadian rhythms) with aging.

Hormones that usually remainunchangedorslightly decreaseinclude the following:

• Cortisol
• Insulin
• Thyroid hormones

Hormones that mayincrease secretionslevels include the following:

Parathyroid hormone

• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
• Luteinizing hormone (LH)
• Norepinephrine
• Epinephrine, in the very old

A pH of 7 is a neutral solution, which is how pure water is classified. Researchers can determine the strength of an acid or a base by measuring the pH of a solution. The pH value describes how acidic or basic a solution is. On pH scale, shown below, if the number is less than 7 the solution is acidic. A pH greater than 7 means the solution is basic. When the pH is exactly 7, the solution is neutral.

The phenotype is the physical appearance of an organism, and the genotype is the set of alleles.

Mendel’s Theory of Heredity

To explain his results, Mendel proposed a theory that has become the foundation of the science of genetics. The theory has five elements:

• Parents do not transmit traits directly to their offspring. Rather, they pass on units of information calledgenes.
• For each trait, an individual has two factors: one from each parent. If the two factors have the same information, the individual ishomozygousfor that trait. If the two factors are different, the individual isheterozygousfor that trait. Each copy of a factor, orgene, is called anallele.
• The alleles determine the physical appearance, orphenotype. The set of alleles an individual has is itsgenotype.
• An individual receives one allele from each parent.
• The presence of an allele does not guarantee that the trait will be expressed

In solids, particles are usually closer together than in other states of matter because of the strong cohesive forces between the particles.

• Solids, liquids, gases, and plasmas differ from one another in the amount of energy that the particles have and the strength of the cohesive forces that hold the particles together.
• Cohesion is the tendency of particles of the same kind to stick to each other.
• A solid has the lowest amount of energy because its particles are packed close together. Liquids have more energy than a solid, and gases have more energy than solids or liquids because the cohesive forces are very weak.