PHYS1160 Introduction to Astronomy
Introduction to Astronomy
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PHYS1160 Introduction to Astronomy
Below is an example of the level of detail we are looking for related to the draft and final report
(excerpt).
Note that this is NOT a perfect example – it is just an indicator of the level of detail!
Draft of assignment (showing the photo, intended topic, and structure)
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DNA Helix
The photo that I have been assigned is a DNA double helix (above).
My plan for the piece:
Style: Scientific blog post
Object of focus: mRNA vaccines
Structural plan:
Paragraph 1: Introduction to topic. (150 words??)
• General knowledge of DNA within the public – sequencing (23&me), crime fighting (DNA
fingerprinting)
• Public less familiar with RNA, but it is now at the spearhead of vaccine development against
viruses, especially the COVID-19 varients that have put the worlding into lockdown.
Paragraph 2: Brief history of RNA. (300 words??)
• Discovery
• Role within our cells
Paragraph 3: RNA vaccines (750 words?)
• How it is being used in vaccines
• Safety profile?
• Effectiveness?
Paragraph 4: Will they replace “traditional” vaccines? (400 words?)
• Downsides of mRNA vaccines
o Requirements for storage, transport etc.
o Can they be used for other diseases?
Paragraph 5: Summary. (150 words??)
• Amazing progression from discovery of genetic material to today
• General poor performance of coronavirus vaccines to date
• New frontier
Estimated wordcount: 1750 words
Example of writing style.
Introduction:
For many people the image of a DNA double helix is ubiquitous with who we are as humans. We can
use it to trace our heritage and ancestry, through companies such as 23&me, or we can use it to help
solve crimes, both current and past, by helping to identify the parties who were present when it all went
down. But few of us would be familiar with its cousin RNA. And for many of us we probably had not
really heard of it until late 2020 when it emerged as a key weapon in the fight against the COVID-19
pandemic that had locked down the world. (word count 106)
Excerpt of final assignment (showing the link between photo and topic)
Note: references have NOT been included in the excerpt below, but in your final version, you
must have references.
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New vaccine, who dis?
How DNA’s cousin became the newest weapon in the COVID wars
Blog by A Student.
DNA Helix
For many people the image of a DNA double helix is ubiquitous with who we are as humans. We can
use it to trace our heritage and ancestry, through companies such as 23&me, or we can use it to help
solve crimes, both current and past, by helping to identify the parties who were present when it all went
down. But few of us would be familiar with its cousin RNA. And for many of us we probably had not
really heard of it until late 2020 when it emerged as a key weapon in the fight against the COVID-19
pandemic that had locked down the world.
We are all familiar by now with the idea that DNA (the double stranded helix in the image above) is the
master blueprint of our bodies. It encodes for every single protein in our bodies, but it only holds the
details and stays within a vault inside our cells that we call the nucleus. In order for a cell to use the
blueprint to build something, we first need to make a copy of the instructions, which we can then take
out of the vault and use as a template. This is where messenger RNA (mRNA) comes into play. It is the
mRNA that is this template that the cell uses to build proteins.
When a traditional vaccine is given, the immune cells of the body will attack the “invading” pathogen
and identify unique proteins or protein fragments associated with the pathogen. These unique identifiers
can trigger immune responses, and when they do they are called antigens. Antigens are the important
components of vaccines because they initiate the immune response. The main difference between
traditional vaccines and mRNA vaccines is where the antigen comes from. A traditional vaccine, as
explained, introduces the antigens into the body through the injection. An mRNA vaccine, on the other
hand, introduces the template for the antigen. The body takes this template and produces the protein
or protein fragment and then presents the antigen to the immune system.