Biomolecules (Older Video 2016)

Summary

In a vibrant and engaging manner, the Amoeba Sisters present an overview of the four major biomolecules essential for life: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Starting with a humorous connection to favorite foods, the video defines monomers as the building blocks of these biomolecules. Carbohydrates are highlighted for their role in providing quick energy, while lipids are recognized for long-term energy storage and their function in insulation. Proteins are celebrated for muscle building and their vital role in immune functions and as enzymes. Finally, nucleic acids like DNA and RNA are explained as carriers of genetic information crucial for cellular activities. With an emphasis on the elements—carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus—and their arrangements, the video encourages viewers to explore and understand the significance of biomolecular structures.

Highlights

• Carbs are your fast energy friends, especially if you're pasta loading for a marathon! 🍝
• Lipids, aka fats, store your energy long-term and help you stay warm like a blubbery seal! 🦭
• Proteins aren't just for muscles; they help in immune functions and act as enzymes! 🏋️‍♀️
• Nucleic acids hold your genetic secrets in DNA & RNA! 🧬
• Elements in biomolecules have their own catchy mnemonic: CHO, CHO, CHON, CHONP! 🎶

Key Takeaways

• Biomolecules are essential building blocks of life forming carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. 📚
• Carbohydrates provide quick energy but need balance in consumption for health. 🍞
• Lipids not only store energy long-term but also insulate and form cell membranes. 🏊‍♂️
• Proteins are vital for muscle growth, immune system functions, and act as enzymes. 💪
• Nucleic acids like DNA & RNA are vital for genetic coding and cellular function. 🧬
• Remember the mnemonic CHO, CHO, CHON, CHONP for the elements in biomolecules! ✏️

Overview

The Amoeba Sisters dive into the fascinating world of biomolecules with their characteristic blend of humor and educational insight. Tying the topic of biomolecules to our favorite foods, they set the stage to discuss carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids as the foundational components of life. With clear explanations of complex terms like monomers, they make science accessible and engaging for all viewers.

Carbohydrates are celebrated for their role in providing energy, especially in high-demand situations like marathon running. Lipids are explained as invaluable energy reserves and insulators, emphasizing their role in both human physiology and the animal kingdom, like in seals' blubber. The commentary continues with proteins, which go beyond muscle building, contributing to immune defense and enzymatic activity.

The video ends by highlighting nucleic acids, the genetic directors of life, setting the stage for their role in genetics. With a memorable mnemonic device, CHO, CHO, CHON, CHONP, viewers are encouraged to understand these biomolecules' elemental composition and structural significance, associating each with an enjoyable and easy-to-remember framework.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Biomolecules The 'Introduction to Biomolecules' chapter begins with a prompt for the reader to think about their favorite food and connects it to the topic of biomolecules, which are essential large molecules needed for life. The chapter introduces the concept that there are four major types of biomolecules that constitute all living organisms, setting the stage for a deeper exploration in the subsequent discussion.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Monomers as Building Blocks In the chapter titled 'Monomers as Building Blocks,' the discussion centers around the term 'monomer,' a critical concept in understanding biomolecules. Monomers are described as the fundamental building blocks of larger substances. The chapter emphasizes the importance of grasping the nature of monomers to comprehend what biomolecules are comprised of, given that biomolecules are essential components of life.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Carbohydrates The chapter introduces four essential biomolecules and focuses on carbohydrates, commonly known from diet discussions. It highlights that carbs, found in foods like pasta and breads, are a significant source of energy.
• 02:00 - 04:00: Lipids The chapter discusses lipids and their role as a fast source of energy. It mentions that marathon runners often eat a lot of carbohydrates before a race, a practice known as pasta loading, to boost their energy levels. Carbohydrates have monosaccharides as their monomers, which are described as the building blocks of carbs.
• 04:00 - 06:00: Proteins In this chapter titled 'Proteins,' the focus is on the various macromolecules that are crucial to biological functions. The chapter initially highlights that proteins are not carbohydrates. It then transitions into a discussion on lipids, which are commonly known as fats. Lipids consist of two primary building blocks: fatty acids and glycerol. The chapter provides examples of lipids, such as butter, oil, and cholesterol, and emphasizes their important roles, challenging the reader's perception of fats as merely detrimental. The discussion suggests a nuanced understanding of the functions and benefits of fats within biological systems.
• 06:00 - 08:00: Nucleic Acids The chapter starts with an analogy to harp seal pups which have fluffy white hair that helps keep them warm. This is used to transition into the topic of nucleic acids, likely by comparing the development of these seals to biological processes. The illustration highlights how natural characteristics evolve for survival, paralleling the role of nucleic acids in growth and development. It specifically contrasts the cute appearance of baby seals with their later development of blubber as a survival mechanism.
• 08:00 - 10:00: Structure and Elements of Biomolecules The chapter discusses the role of lipids in biomolecules, highlighting their abilities to provide insulation and long-term energy storage. Lipids are essential for maintaining warmth and act as effective energy reserves, which are crucial for activities requiring prolonged energy expenditure, such as swimming long distances like the English Channel.
• 10:00 - 11:00: Conclusion and Mnemonic Device The chapter 'Conclusion and Mnemonic Device' emphasizes the importance of lipids in the body, particularly during activities like long-distance swimming which can last for 25 hours. It explains that lipids are crucial as an energy reserve after carbohydrates are depleted, as carbs provide a quick source of energy but may be quickly exhausted. Additionally, lipids are fundamental components of cell membranes, underscoring their importance to life since all living organisms are made of cells. However, it is also noted that an excessive amount of lipids can be detrimental.
• 11:00 - 12:00: Importance of Molecular Arrangement The chapter titled "Importance of Molecular Arrangement" begins with a discussion on the role of proteins in health, emphasizing the need for moderation. It transitions into how proteins are frequently associated with products like protein bars, which are marketed as beneficial for muscle building due to their high protein content. Protein-rich foods, such as meats and beans, are mentioned, highlighting that proteins are made up of amino acids, the monomers that form protein structures.

Biomolecules (Older Video 2016) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Captioning is on! To turn off, click CC button at bottom right! Follow the amoebas on Twitter (@AmoebaSisters) and on Facebook. I want you to think for a moment about your very favorite food. What is it? Pizza? Macaroni and cheese? Chicken Salad? Sushi? Well we all have different food preferences, but food is a source of large molecules that are needed for life called biomolecules. There are 4 major biomolecules that make up all of life, and this will be the focus of this video.
• 00:30 - 01:00 Before we get into details about the 4 biomolecules, we need to talk about one very important vocabulary word. The word monomer. A monomer is a building block – if I had some large substance, the parts that make up that substance are called monomers. Just like building blocks. We're going to talk a lot about monomers today, because we need to understand what the biomolecules are made of. And we need to understand biomolecules, because they're building components of life.
• 01:00 - 01:30 So let’s introduce the 4 biomolecules now and talk a little bit about their functions. We'll start with carbohydrates. Carbs. Well carbs are something you have probably heard about when people are talking about diets. You know, they try to go low carb or maybe they want a lot of carbs...diets always come and go. Pasta and breads are examples of foods heavy in carbohydrates. Carbs are actually a very important source of energy. In fact, that's one big function of carbs.
• 01:30 - 02:00 They are a great, fast source of energy. If you were a marathon runner, you might want to eat a lot of carbs the night before a race. Lots of marathon runners do this. It's called pasta loading. They eat a big pasta dinner the night before they go out on their marathon. Now carbs have a monomer- again, remember, monomers are building blocks. The monomer for a carb is called a monosaccharide. I know that's a big mouthful but monosaccharides
• 02:00 - 02:30 make up carbohydrates. Next one up is a diverse group known as lipids. Lipids are better known as fats. They have 2 different types of building blocks. One type of building block is called a fatty acid and the other type is called a glycerol. Now examples of lipids include butter, oil, and cholesterol. Lipids, though, they have a lot of great functions. You may think well that's fat...how good can fat be? Well it just depends when you put it into
• 02:30 - 03:00 context. For example, you know those really adorable seals that you see on calendars? They have this fluffy white hair. They're actually called a harp seal. Well they actually only look like that when they're babies. When they get older, they're not quite as cute. But in their little baby stage, they actually have a lot of this hair that they're born with that help keep them warm. But over time, they have to develop blubber. It's fat and
• 03:00 - 03:30 it helps keep them warm. Lipids are great for insulating. Also you might not think about fats as being related to energy, but fats are a great source of long term energy. They can store energy for a long, long time. Say for example you wanted to swim the English Channel. That's like 21 miles of swimming. The fastest swimmers might be able to do that in 7 or 8 hours but it might take a lot longer than that for the average swimmer. More like
• 03:30 - 04:00 25 hours, and that's a lot of swimming. Well you would want to make sure that your body has enough lipids- enough stored fat- that it can pull upon. Because after you burn off those carbohydrates (remember carbs are the fast source of energy), you might not have enough energy storage unless you have some lipids on hand. Lipids also make up cell membranes so they are very important for life because all living things are made of cells. Of course an excessive amount of lipids could be a bad
• 04:00 - 04:30 thing for your health. Remember it's all about moderation. Ok, next, proteins! When you hear about proteins, a lot of times you might think about protein bars. They say they have lots of protein in them and that they help with muscle building. Well protein is great for muscle building. Examples of foods that are high in protein include meats and many types of beans. The monomers of protein are amino acids. So sometimes you
• 04:30 - 05:00 see these labels that say, "This has 20 amino acids in this food." Really they're just trying to say that it has protein, and proteins are made up of amino acids so that's just some fancy advertising for you. But in addition to it being important for muscle development, protein is also very important in other functions such as working in the immune system and acting as enzymes. Remember enzymes are made of proteins so proteins are important for the body.
• 05:00 - 05:30 Now when we start talking about genes - the DNA genes not the jeans you wear- the DNA codes for proteins that are very important for structure and function in the body. The last big biomolecule is known as a nucleic acid. Nucleic acids include DNA and RNA, which we'll get to when we get to genetics. They have a monomer called a nucleotide. That's going to be an easy one for you to remember because nucleotide sounds a lot like nucleic acid.
• 05:30 - 06:00 If considering DNA and RNA, both of these are involved in genetic information for the coding of your traits. They are found in a lot of your food, because whenever you eat something that came from something once living, it can still contain the DNA. For example, when you eat a strawberry, you're actually consuming all the cells that make up that strawberry. In the nucleus of all of those strawberry cells is DNA. Plants and animals
• 06:00 - 06:30 both have DNA. In fact, any type of life must contain nucleic acids like DNA to direct the cells' activities. So we just powered through introducing the 4 biomolecules by providing examples, exploring their monomers, and giving some general functions. One last very important part to mention is the structure of these biomolecules. Understanding the structure can help with predicting their properties and easily being able to identify them. One thing I like to tell students to
• 06:30 - 07:00 do is to write the 4 biomolecules in this same order we went through: carbs, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Then remember this mnemonic device that goes with these 4 biomolecules. CHO, CHO, CHON, CHONP. Instead of chomp at the end with a "m," it's chomp with an "n.” The c stands for carbon, the h stands for hydrogen, the o for oxygen. So carbs, lipids,
• 07:00 - 07:30 proteins, and nucleic acids all have that CHO in there. It's just that proteins and nucleic acids also have an N which is nitrogen and nucleic acids additionally have a P which is for phosphorous. So again CHO, CHO, CHON, CHONP---the major elements in the 4 biomolecules.
• 07:30 - 08:00 Now these elements are arranged differently in the 4 biomolecules---such as a ring arrangement or a chain arrangement. It’s important to explore the arrangement of the elements in biomolecules, because the structure of that arrangement greatly impacts the biomolecule function. So to the Google to discover some biomolecule arrangement illustrations. Well that's it for the Amoeba Sisters and we remind you to stay curious.