2023 (Jan.): NY Regents - Living Environment
By Sara Cowley
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Last updated 3 months ago
85 Questions
Note from the author:
From the New York State Education Department. The University of the State of New York REGENTS HIGH SCHOOL EXAMINATION LIVING ENVIRONMENT. Internet. Available from https://www.nysedregents.org/LivingEnvironment/123/lenv12023-exam.pdf; accessed 23, June, 2023.
From the New York State Education Department. The University of the State of New York REGENTS HIGH SCHOOL EXAMINATION LIVING ENVIRONMENT. Internet. Available from https://www.nysedregents.org/LivingEnvironment/123/lenv12023-exam.pdf; accessed 23, June, 2023.
Base your answers to questions 38 and 39 on the passage below and on your knowledge of biology.
Copy Cat
In February 2002, Cc — the first-ever cloned cat — was introduced to the public by researchers at Texas A&M University. The kitten had been born December 22, 2001, but announcement of the successful cloning was delayed until the animal had completed its shot series and its immune system was fully developed. In the cloning process, DNA [the nucleus] was transplanted from the 2-year-old donor mother cat into an egg cell whose nucleus had been removed. This embryo then was implanted into the surrogate mother cat. …
Source: Discover Science Almanac. 2003:452-453. Editors of Discover Science Magazine. Stonesong Press: New York, NY.
Base your answers to questions 53 through 55 on the information below and on your knowledge of biology.
Proteins are an important part of any diet. Many kinds of food can provide the proteins that we need.
Base your answer to question 56–58 on the information below and on your knowledge of biology.
Ecological succession and evolution are both processes that involve changes over time. However, these two processes are very different.
Base your answers to questions 59 through 61 on the information below and on your knowledge of biology.
Nose Antibiotics
Scientists have found what they think could be an important weapon in the fight against superbugs, and it lives in your nose. A new antibiotic made by nose-dwelling bacteria, Staphylococcus lugdunensis (S. lugdunensis) has been found to kill drug-resistant MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which kills up to 10,000 people a year in the United States.
As a result of swabbing noses, scientists discovered that MRSA and S. lugdunensis are rarely found together. This discovery supports the idea that S. lugdunensis helps in fighting off MRSA. This bacterium produces an antibiotic, called lugdunin, which prevents MRSA from growing in Petri dishes. When applied to the skin of mice infected with MRSA, it reduced or eliminated the infection. MRSA shows no sign of antibiotic resistance to lugdunin. Although S. lugdunensis is effective in treating MRSA infections, it carries its own risk of causing infections in the heart, joints, skin, and eyes.
Normally, antibiotics are formed by soil bacteria and fungi. The idea that human bacteria may be a source of antimicrobial agents is a new discovery. A new class of antibiotics like this has not been found since the 1980s.
Base your answers to questions 62 and 63 on the information below and on your knowledge of biology.
Lysosomes–Not Just Garbage Disposals
Lysosomes are cellular organelles that have the ability to break down large organic compounds or old, worn-out cell organelles. Some of the products that are produced as a result of this breakdown process can be reused as building blocks, while other products are released as wastes from the cell.
Recently, studies have shown that lysosomes are more than just garbage disposals. New research has shown that lysosomes have the ability to sense how well-nourished a cell is. If lysosomes detect that there is a lack of nutrients for energy, the organelle prompts the cell to produce more enzymes. These enzymes can break down fat reserves and other cellular materials that could be used as a source of energy. On the other hand, if the cell has an abundance of nutrients, signals are sent from the lysosome that prompt the cell to grow or divide, making more cells.
Base your answers to questions 64 and 65 on the information below and on your knowledge of biology.
HVTN 702 – A New Vaccine
In November 2016, a new vaccine against HIV was tested in South Africa in a study identified as HVTN 702.
The vaccine has been developed to protect against the HVTN 702 strain that is most common in southern Africa. It is hoped that the new vaccine will provide greater and more long-lasting protection.
Base your answers to questions 66 through 68 on the passage below and on your knowledge of biology.
Frostbite
Frostbite occurs when tissues freeze. This condition happens when you are exposed to temperatures below the freezing point of skin.
…In conditions of prolonged cold exposure, your body sends signals to the blood vessels in your arms and legs telling them to constrict (narrow). By slowing blood fl ow to the skin, your body is able to send more blood to the vital organs, supplying them with critical nutrients, while also preventing a further decrease in internal body temperature by exposing less blood to the outside cold.
As this process continues and your extremities (the parts farthest from your heart) become colder and colder, a condition called the hunting response is initiated. Your blood vessels are dilated (widened) for a period of time and then constricted again. Periods of dilation are cycled with times of constriction in order to preserve as much function in your extremities as possible. However, when your brain senses that you are in danger of hypothermia (when your body temperature drops significantly below 98.6°F), it permanently constricts these blood vessels in order to prevent them from returning cold blood to the internal organs. When this happens, frostbite has begun. …
Source: http://webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/frostbite#1