Homework
Weekly homework submissions:
Week 1 HW: Principles and Practices
Project Interest I am interested in the application of synthetic biology to help address waste problems, particularly plastic and organic waste. I envision the use of microorganisms that can help decompose waste in a more environmentally friendly way. This topic interests me because waste is a real issue that we often encounter, yet it remains difficult to address effectively. Using a biological approach, I hope this technology can provide a more sustainable solution than conventional methods.
Professor Jacobson Question 1 DNA polymerase is the enzyme responsible for copying DNA during cell division. It does not work perfectly and has an error rate of about one mistake per 10⁷ to 10⁹ nucleotides. When this is compared to the size of the human genome, which is around 3 billion base pairs, it means that errors could potentially happen every time DNA is replicated. Biology deals with this problem by using several layers of correction. DNA polymerase can proofread its own work and fix mistakes as replication happens. In addition, cells have DNA repair systems that detect and correct remaining errors. Because of these mechanisms, most mistakes are fixed before they can cause serious problems, allowing genetic information to remain stable.