Biology Bricks

Well, it's only taken around 5 years, but the keywords pages are now complete. Every page that has a different subject, has a keywords page that is downloadable, printable, and should be easy for you to cut out, laminate, or stick in a book somewhere.

The next part is to add a Pinterest board for each page as well. Watch this space!

Did you know we are mobile? Looking over insights data shows that most of you access the site on a desktop computer screen, but we are in fact, mobile too.

Since the website has been built, the mobile aspect has been in place. So while you may be out and about (enjoying the sun when it's out, ina coffee shop, etc) you can still have access to learning by using the mobile version of Biology Bricks.

It looks the same, albeit the locations of a few items have been "squished" down to the bottom, due to the screen size.

Go on, give it a go. Go mobile.

Exams season is fast approaching. While mock exams are great for a baseline in order to get you to prepare for them, the real thing is different wholly. You can be fine sitting a mock exam, but the stresses involved can be insurmountable.

Here are a few tips as a SEN mentor we have learnt through the years. They are simply guidelines, and no one way is the best way to do it. Exams are the most stressful times of a teenager's life.

Sincerely, me.

Honestly, this website has evolved over the past 5 years; from the initial resource gathering, to the current behemoth as it stands now, the website has evolved from an idea born out of lockdown (ugh, I hate that) to a fully fledged website with hundreds (if not thousands) of resources.

So, thank you all for your support and continued use of it.

You can access the website at www.biologybricks.co.uk - just in case you weren't aware!

"If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off... no matter what they say." ~ Barbara McClintock

Barbara McClintock was an American geneticist who worked on telomeres, and how chromosomes can jump from one spot to another. She was an acclaimed scientist, winning awards for her work, including what would someday be known as meiosis - the process of cell multiplication creating four daughter cells carrying 23 chromosomes each - and ten of the seventeen advancements in maize cytogenetics.

She died in 1992, aged 91.

People with Cystic Fibrosis are encouraged to stay six feet apart from another person with the same condition. This is due to certain types of bacteria that can be passed between them, as they are the only ones that carry these bacteria.

A little more about Cystic Fibrosis. While it can affect mainly the lungs, a common misconception is that it only does so, which is not fully true. It can also affect other organs, and because it is lifelong, it can cause serious amounts of pain, without the right treatment.

In the lungs, Cystic Fibrosis is the restriction of airflow through enlarged muscles in the trachea and lung, along with a thicker wall of mucus. It can cause people with this condition to have a longer response to infection without proper treatment, and can cause other symptoms such as shortness of breath, weight loss, constipation, and others.

It can also cause increased amounts of salt on the skin, which can cause irritation. The enzymes that help digest food get clogged up in the excess mucus, which then means that foods are not broken down by lock and key theory very efficiently.

There are many treatments, including the reduction and breakdown of mucus within the body, to help people maintain a normal lifestyle. It is always recommended (by the doctor) to start medication and maintain it as soon as possible.

A 7-year-old girl named Olivia is the only known case of Chromosome 6 deletion. She does not feel hunger, pain or need to sleep. In 2016, she was hit by a car and dragged nearly 100 feet, but felt no pain and emerged with only minor injuries.

Genetic disorders/conditions. They have been extensively looked at in the last 100 years, from Down's syndrome (discovered by John Langdon Down), to Cystic Fibrosis. But, what makes us have these disorders/conditions?

It's all down to genetics. A genetic disorder is a disruption in the genetic makeup, passed down through generations. For Down's syndrome, it's an extra chromosome (number 21) that is present. Patau syndrome is an extra chromosome (number 13) that happens, and usually causes fatality at a very young age.

There are lots of different disorders. They can't be cured (due to them being genetic), however, they can be treated - Cystic Fibrosis has treatments that help lessen the excess mucus, and enables people with the condition a somewhat easier lifestyle.