Mitochondrial Eve Lab

The idea of Mitochondrial Eve refers to the idea of a common ancestor between all living humans. Because mitochondria passes through generations maternally, it is believed that there is a woman that we are able to trace back every humans lineage to. Although "Mitochondrial Eve" was not the only woman of her time, she is the only female to have an unbroken female line all the way to the present day. As a result of a common ancestor, humans all have similar features with distinct differences. Here are photos from people across the world. Although there are obvious similarities, there are also differences that make it easy to distinguish peoples from across the world.

Middle Eastern Man

Hispanic Woman

Swedish Woman

Japanese Man

African Man

Map Lab

The four map types that we have discussed in class are the choropleth map, isopleth map, dot density map, proportional symbol map. Here is a brief example of map of each type.

Choropleth- A choropleth map is a map that depicts different areas by different colors or patterns depending on whatever the map is displaying. These maps make it easy to visualize the geographical tendencies of whatever the measurement is. This is a simple choropleth map showing population by area, with white meaning there is little to no population and purple meaning that area is heavily populated.



Isopleth- Isopleth maps are maps used to display maps using a third dimension. They are most often used to display elevation in the surface and other geographical factors. This map is a little different, showing how much rain falls in the state of New York annually. The lines separate different amounts of rainfall.



Dot Density Map- A dot density map uses dots to represent a certain amount of something on a map. For example, this map from 2000 is a dot density map where each dot represents a number of people living there. Where there are few dots, there is little population there. Where there is a lot of dots, the population is large.



Proportional Symbol Map- Proportional symbol maps simply uses of different sizes to represent whatever it is that the map is portraying. In this proportional symbol map, the size of the circle represents how many Wal-Marts there are per state.

Rock Identification Lab

Rocks can be identified as igneous, sedimentary, and igneous. These labels distinguish how the rocks were made. Igneous rocks are made from the cooling of magma and lava when heat is released and the transformation from liquid to solid occurs. Sedimentary rocks are the result of accumulating pieces of loose rocks and sediments that form together. Metamorphic rocks were once sedimentary or igneous rocks that underwent pressure and/or heat that it wasn't used to, and as a result, became metamorphic. Here are examples of each of the 3 rock types.

Igneous Rock- Andesite

Andesite is an intrusive igneous rock often described as middle ground between basalt and dacite.

Sedimentary Rock- Coal

Coal is an organic sedimentary rock formed from the debris of plants. Coal is also combustible and often used as a fuel when burned.

Metamorphic Rock- Quartzite

Quartzite is a metamorphic rock made up primarily of quartz. Quartzite is a result of the metamorphosis that sandstone has undergone. 

A Soil Texture Diagram is a geological tool used to identify soil types by the amount of sand, silt, and clay that make it up. Someone using the diagram would need to know the percentage of sand, silt, and clay that is present in the soil so that they can identify what type of soil it is. For example, if the soil contained 30% clay and 40% silt, the soil type would be clay loam.

Tree Identification Lab

Yellow Birch
Betula alleghaniensis


The yellow birch is a type of deciduous, birch tree that is native to the eastern part of North America. It covers the eastern provinces of Canada and extends all the way south to Georgia's Appalachian mountains. The bark is soft and golden and the tree usually grows to be about 20 m tall.


Witch-Hazel
Hamamelis


Witch-hazel is a flowering shrub common in North America and north eastern Asia. It is a deciduous shrub that typically grows to be between 3-9 meters tall. Hamamelis means "together with fruit". When the flowers of the shrub bloom, they do so explosively, shooting seeds out at distances up to 10 m away.


Weeping Willow
Salix Babylonica


The weeping willow is a species of the willow family that is indigenous to dry parts of northern China (although it can be found all over Asia and Europe due to trading along the Silk Road). It is a fast growing, large deciduous tree. It typically grows to be around 70 feet, however they only live to be 40-75 years old.


Ocean Spray
Holodiscus discolor


Ocean spray/Creambush/Ironwood is a shrub found in western North America. It gets to be about 5 meters tall and is very fast growing. It is deciduous and has juicy green leaves when first blooming, but eventually grows white flowers, giving it the name creambush.


Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora


The southern magnolia is found in the southeastern United States, going as far north as Virginia and as far west as Oklahoma. This evergreen is very tall, growing to be about 90 feet at its highest point. It also has large white flowers. The timber is very useful in making furniture and has been harvested across the world for that reason.