Fantastic Voyage - The Three Subjects Basic Research

 Today, we received our brief for the Fantastic Voyage project. The overall aim is to produce a science based animation starting from scratch. This means doing the whole production process, planing, concept art etc, right up to final animation and rendering.  We have been given three topics to choose from, theses are as follows:

  1. Slime Molds Life Cycles

2. Mitosis and Meiosis

3. Fungi Life Cycles

  Choosing one of these, we have to research it thoroughly and make sure we have all the correct information before moving onto production. Once happy, it will come down to how to show and animate the topic in a engaging manor. We have to think about the age group, style, genre, music, etc.

  So, I decided to do a little research on all three subjects to see which one I found most intriguing, also in the hope that it will bring some ideas to light.

  Slime Molds Life Cycles - Protists

  There are two known types of Protists - Cellular and Plasmodial.
   - Cellular Protists are a cluster of separate amoebas that work together for production (single nuclei).
   - Plasmodial are single celled amoebas with thousands of nuclei (Diploid).

  Slimes feed mainly on bacteria, yeast and fungi, helping in the decomposition process. They also thrive well in dark, cool and moist conditions. The most common places to be found are in soils, forest floors, logs and sometimes damp rooms.

The cycle of a slime varies depending on the classification.

Parasitic Protists depend on a host to survive,  often needing to move to other species to complete their life cycles. Some examples of parasitic protists are Plasmodium (causes Malaria), Entamoeba (diarrhea) amd Giardiasis (D&V - contracted through contaminated water and resides in the digestive tract). Parasitic molds can infect animals as well as humans, and have 3 sub categories for mobility.
  - Flagella have a hair like appendage that whips or rotate to propel. 
  - Pseudopodia use a arm like projection in the direction of movement.
  - Sporozoan lack locomotion and are non-motile (requiring assistance for transition).
Entamoeba histolytica is amoeba found in tropical environments that can cause dysentery  in humans when consumed.

Depending on the slime mold, the cellular structure can change though the life cycle development process.

Plasmodial Slime Moulds

 - Large multinucleated cells that move along using using Pseudopodia (creating a blob like appearance), consuming bacteria along forest floors and surfaces as it travels.

 -  During development, plasmodium undergo metamorphosis into a net like structure and develop fruiting bodies known as Sporangia (spores produced by Sporangia via meiosis are haploid based and contain a single set of unpaired chromosomes).

- The haploid spores are then launched through the air or travel by water from the sporangia. When encountering a desired location, the spores germinate to create amoeboid and flagellated cells. These are of opposite mating types, contain a half of the number of chromosomes each.

- When fertilized, they create a diploid zygote mass, and the production starts all over again.

- Plasmodial are often bright in colour, ranging in whites, yellows and reds.

Cellular Slime Molds

- Cellular molds can reproduce in two forms during of production cycles. Then food is rich, they work as singular amoebas. When food is scarce, they become aggregated (Grouped) to feed and mate.

- A aggregated unit is known as a Slug, and some cells work towards creating the stalk needed for spore dispersal (normally 2-3 cm high). The fruiting body (Sporocarp and Sporangium) itself is asexual, and its spores are all haploid.

- Germination best occurs in moist environments, the spores becoming a single celled naked amoeba called a myxamoebae.

- These Myxamoebae gather together to create clusters, surrounding a singular cell. When the formation is complete, a thick wall is formed to make the zygote (called a macrocyst).

-Karyogamy (the fusing of two eukaryotic cells) begins, causing the process of meiotic and mitotic division. Once complete, the macrocyst breaks, releasing more amoeba for the cycle to start again.

  Mitosis and Meiosis

 These are he processes of cell division.

- Mitosis the production of identical diploid (containing 2 sets of Chromosomes) cells, these are used for cellular growth and repair. Examples of these are skin, muscles, and red blood cells.

- Meiosis produces haploid non-identical sex cells (gametes), which fuse with to create a fertilized egg (diploid) during reproduction.

- The process of Meiosis happens in both animals and plants.

Mitosis

- Starting with a single, a copy is made of each chromosomes DNA in the nucleus.
- The nuclear membrane then dissolves, and the chromosomes then lined up in the center of the cell.
- The chromosomes are split into two, moving to the opposite sides of the cell.
- Here, new nuclear membranes are formed around the two sets of chromosomes, and the cell divides.
- These two new cells are genetically identical, and work to replace cells that have deteriorated or died.
- Mitosis only contains one round of division and are always genetically identical, containing 46 chromosomes in total.
-Mitosis happens all over the body, apart from in the production of sex cells (this is where Meiosis occurs).

BBC Bitesize

Meiosis

 - Meiosis also starts with a single cell, but before any division starts, the chromosomes of every DNA is copied.
- This results in double the amount of chromosomes in the nucleus.
- In Meiosis, the chromosome mix up their genes, this is called recombination.
- The cell then divides into two.
- The chromosomes move to the center of the new new nuclear membranes, and long spindles attach come from the side to attach.
- As the spindles pull away with the divided chromosomes, the cell then divides again.
- This creates 4 haploid (a single set of unpaired Chromosomes)  cells, and contain only half the original genetic material.
- During fertilization (reproduction), the haploids will meet a Gamete cell (a egg or a sperm). They will combine if successful on meeting and create a diploid cell (completed pairs of chromosomes).
-This cell will then develop into a embryo.
- Gametes are genetically different to the mother cell.
- Meiosis produces 4 cells rather then 2.
- Meiosis creates four genetically different haploids, and this is called reduction division (meaning the chromosome number has halved).

BBC Bitesize

Chromosomes

   Chromosomes are strands of DNA that are tightly coiled around proteins called histones, which in turn support the chromosome structure. Chromosome are not visible when the cell is undivided, but the DNA becomes tighter during the dividing process and becomes visible.

  Every chromosome has a centromere (a specialized DNA  sequence that links a pair of sister chromatids). These centromeres contain specialized areas called kinetochores, which attach spindle fibers to the chromosomes during prophase in mitosis.

  The centromere divides the chromosomes in two sections, the shorter sections are called the "P arms".  The longer side is known as the "Q arm". The location of the centromere in a chromosome can deter the location of specific genes.

  Pairs of chromosome found in the nucleus is called a Alleles, and are different version of the same gene. However, the outcome between these genes are determined by the alleles dominant or recessive structure. A dominant gene means you only need one copy of that allele to have a specific trait (e.g being brown hair). A recessive allele trait only occurs if there are two copies of it, and none of the dominate allele.

U.S National Library of Medicine

Genes

A gene is the DNA structure of physical and function inheritance. Humans contains two copies of each gene, one is inherited from each parent. Less than 1% of genes are slightly different, and these are called Alleles. Although the main mass of the genes are the same between people, these small differences in Allege is what gives everyone their uniques attributes/ appearances. Overall, there is estimated to be between 20,000 and 25,000 genes, each mapped by the Human Genome Project. Genes are assigned a series of codes, combined between number and letters. These codes act as a indicator what what the gene represents.

BBC Bitesize

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)

DNA is large double helix strands of coiled coding which is found in the cells nucleus (but some is in the Mitochondria).  DNA carry the genetic coding of living organisms, and determines the physical and characteristic traits. Plants are found to have small amounts of DNA in the mitochondria, these help in the production of photosynthesis.

The genetic information contained in a double helix structure is stored as code, which is made up of 4 chemical bases. These bases are called Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C) and Thymine (T). The coding all fit together in an order to determine the building and maintenance of the organism. The base pairs fit as so:

A - T

C - G

Each pair is attached by a single sugar and phosphate molecule, altogether creating a Nucleotide. These Nucleotides are formed into long spiral stands and help in creating the double helix shape. The structures of the code in the helix gives a ladder effect. The DNA is capable of self-replication, and is vital for cell division. Each new cell needs to have a exact copy of the DNA from the previous cell to help in restructuring. 

U.S National Library of Medicine

Fungi Life Cycle

  Fungi are mainly broken down into four groups, these groups are determined by how they reproduce. 

Theses groups are:

Chytridiomycota 

  These fungal spores are motile, and have a single flagellum that propels them though watery environments. sometimes these fungi are found in the intestines of cows, and can function without oxygen.

Zygomycota

 Often found in the mold of rotten food (like fruit), and are the smallest percentage group at 1%.

Ascomycota

  These are the large group of fungi at 75%, and are used for a multitude of things. The Saccharomyces Cerevisiae yeast produced by these is used for beer brewing and baking. Also, the well used antibiotic Penicillin comes from the Penicillium chrysogenum fungi. 

Basidiomycota

 These fungi break down decaying matters, such as wood, plants and leaves. Helping in restoring nutrients back to the soil. 

- Fungi are not able to make their own food like other plants, and find their food source by the use of spores. 

- These spores are minute, and are produced by the hyphae. The spores are so tiny they float easily through the air currents, attaching themselves to animals and can travel by water. 

- When a spore lands in a good place, it will germinate and produce their own hyphae. These then grow out in all directions and form a circle called a colony, more than one colony need to grow next to each other in order to mate and produce more spores.
- Spores are made in the body of a mushroom cap, in between the shelve like rivets underneath.
- The fungi must spread their spores quickly once produced as they will only survive a few days
-the cap of a mushroom is shaped to stop rain from destroying the spores.

Fungi can choose between reproducing sexually or asexually.

Sexually
  All fungi spores are haploid based (single copy of genes), and once settled in the correct  environment, the spore will germinate and grows roots called mycelium.
When encountering another compatible fungi with the mycelium, the cells from each fungi will fuse together and create one single cell. This fused cell is now a diploid, and will then undergoes Meiosis.

Asexually
  When producing the mycelium,  fungi can choose to become asexual in reproduction. This is mainly determined by the environmental factors surround the fungi. If the conditions are not right and unable to with another fungi, it will choses to produce mitospores instead. These mitospores are identical to the parent, and on dispersal and germination will create their own mycelium. The process then starts all over again.

Science Learning Hub

  Now I have some basic research on all three subjects, I feel more inclined towards mitosis and meiosis. Some further research will be required, then sitting down to start planning how I would illustrate these scenarios.