Assignment: Metabolic Theory of Evolution Responses

Assignment: Metabolic Theory of Evolution Responses

Living “things” must maintain homeostasis Are viruses made up of cells? Are viruses able to monitor or create change in their internal environment? No, Viruses are not cells since they are not capable of self-replication and are not considered “living.” The capacity of viruses to replicate their genes, synthesize all of their proteins, or replicate on their own is limited; as a result, they must parasitize the cells of other life forms to do so2. Viruses infiltrate cells and subsequently take over the cell’s mechanism to promote their reproduction. The newly generated viruses are later released from the host cell and spread throughout the host body. Maintaining homeostasis, which is balanced inside the body, is essential for all living organisms. Our bodies produce sweat to keep us cool. Throughout the day, billions of changes are made to keep our body temperature and chemicals in our body regulated within their stable limits. Because viruses lack cellular organs and bodily fluids, they are unable to govern their internal environment, and as a result, they cannot manage their homeostasis1. 2. Living “things” have different levels of organization.

Do viruses have different levels of organization? In contrast to living organisms, viruses lack the vast majority of the internal structure and machinery that distinguishes them, including the biosynthetic machinery required for reproduction. For a virus to reproduce, it must first infect a cell that is suited for replication.” On the other hand, the virus has degrees of organization in that it has genes comprised of nucleic acids and a protein coat known as a capsid built of smaller protein units known as capsomeres. 3. Living “things” reproduce Do viruses replicate or reproduce? Yes, viruses do replicate, but they can’t multiply on their own; instead, they must rely on the genome synthesis pathways of their host cell to reproduce successfully 7. This usually happens due to the virus inserting its genetic material into host cells, capturing and utilizing the host proteins to generate viral particles that self-assemble and eventually cause the cell to burst due to the vast amount of new viral particles synthesized during this process2. 4. Living “things” grow Do viruses grow in size or complexity? Because of their basic structure, viruses cannot move or multiply on their own without the assistance of a susceptible host cell. However, once a virus has found a host, it can grow and spread quickly. In order to infiltrate the host, viruses have evolved receptors on their surfaces that are identical to those of their ideal target cell, allowing the virus to enter the cell and hijack the host’s cellular machinery and multiply its genetic material and proteins.

This tiny machinery has prospered and grown in complexity alongside their host species3. 5. Living “things” use energy Do viruses use energy? No, because to survive, viruses must take energy from the cells they infect. Because viruses are too little and straightforward to manufacture, store, or utilize their power, they steal it from their infected cells. Viral replication necessitates the expenditure of energy only when the virus replicates itself, and while the virus is outside of a cell, it requires no energy at all. In contrast to bacteria, viruses cannot create or store energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and must instead get energy and all other metabolic processes from the host cell1. 6. Living “things” respond to stimuli Do viruses respond to external stimuli? No, Viruses do not react to external stimuli; they do not grow, move toward, or away from any external stimuli, and they do not have any specific receptor to receive external stimuli. 7. Living “things” adapt to their environment Do viruses adapt to their environment? Yes, like any living creature, a virus changes over time can adapt to its environment.

On the other hand, Viruses are unable to use their genetic material on their own, and they need the presence of a living host cell required to function and multiply; else, they act as if they are lifeless. Although the virus and its host have evolved separately throughout time, both have remained well suited to each other4. In the bible, God says: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them (Psalm 139:13-16)5. References 4. Simmonds P, Aiewsakun P, and Katzourakis.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource