The AP Biology Ultimate Review Packet is available now! Find out how you can get a free preview and discount code to access exclusive videos, study guides, practice sheets, practice multiple choice and a full length practice exam. The URP has everything you need to get an A in your biology class and a 5 on the exam. STUDENTS, GET YOUR FREE PREVIEW OF THE ULTIMATE REVIEW PACKET: https://www.ultimatereviewpacket.com/... TEACHERS, GET YOUR FREE URP TEACHER TRIAL WITH BONUS RESOURCES: https://www.ul...
Mar 08, 2024•4 min•Ep. 85
This episode is a teaser for our YouTube Channel where we recap the entire AP Bio curriculum. That’s right - all 8 units from start to finish with the top terms, concepts, and equations1 you need to remember for the exam in May. SPEED REVIEW VIDEO SPEED REVIEW CHECKLIST PRACTICE EXAM STUDY GUIDE Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (AP is a registered trademark of the College Board and is not affiliated with The APsolute RecAP. Copyright 2023 - The APsolute RecAP, LLC....
May 04, 2023•6 min•Ep. 84
https://feeds.simplecast.com/iksAjLoV Melanie Kingett from the APsolute RecAP has joined the Ultimate Review Packet for AP Biology! https://www.ultimatereviewpacket.com/courses/ap-biology Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (AP is a registered trademark of the College Board and is not affiliated with The APsolute RecAP. Copyright 2023 - The APsolute RecAP, LLC. All rights reserved.) Website: www.theapsoluterecap.com EMAIL: TheAPsoluteRecAP@gmail.com Follow Us: INSTAGR...
Apr 17, 2023•4 min•Ep. 83
The exam is almost here! Deep breath! It's one test, on one day. 90 minutes for 60 multiple choice and 90 minutes for 6 FRQs testing all 8 Units of Biology. Pace yourself and trust your gut. A few strategies to help you: Read and rank the FRQs (2:30). Answer the prompt (4:11). Read past unfamiliar terms (4:35). And don’t leave anything blank! (5:19) The Question of the Day asks (6:29) True or False. Error bars are 2 times SEM above the average. Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biol...
May 12, 2021•7 min•Ep. 82
Episode 81 will recap multiple topics - it’ our third Listener’s Choice Episode. Cladograms are branching diagrams that show common ancestry among groups of organisms. (0:46) Cellular respiration and photosynthesis are energy conversion processes - focus on what goes in, what comes out, where, and why. (2:07) Cell signaling involves reception, transduction and response. (3:22) DNA replication is semiconservative and involves several enzymes. (5:38) And the central dogma has information flow from...
May 05, 2021•10 min•Ep. 81
In AP Biology - Science skill number 5 is titled statistical tests and data analysis. On test day, have your calculator handy and check your equations and formulas sheet. Always make your math have meaning through analysis, biological application and units. This episode recaps probability (1:41), standard deviation (2:38), error bars (3:09) and Chi-Square hypothesis testing (3:38). The Question of the Day asks (9:30) A normal mother and colorblind father have a boy and a girl. What is the chance...
Apr 28, 2021•10 min•Ep. 80
Communities with greater biodiversity are more resistant to ecosystem disruptions and environmental change. (1:00) Some community interactions are permanent, having evolved dependency over many many years with symbiosis. (2:22) A niche is the role or job that an organism has within an ecosystem (4:21). The Question of the Day asks (6:22) The clownfish hides within the anemone and excretes wastes within it. What type of symbiotic relationship is this? Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP...
Apr 21, 2021•7 min•Ep. 79
The APsolute Recap: Biology Edition - Biodiversity What is an ecosystem? Ecosystems have biotic and abiotic components working together in a system (0:54). The more diverse an ecosystem is, the more resilient it is during environmental changes. (1:27) Both biotic and abiotic factors play a role in maintaining species diversity and the keystone species is the lynch pin. (2:13) The Question of the Day asks (6:35) Approximately how much energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next? Than...
Apr 14, 2021•7 min•Ep. 78
Graphs and ecology - they go together like predator and prey. Episode 77 recAPs the four equations discussed in Unit 8 - population growth (1:11), exponential growth (2:42), logistic growth (5:00) and Simpson’s Diversity Index (6:26). Get your calculator ready for some practice examples! The Question of the Day asks (9:01) Autotrophic organisms that capture energy from small inorganic compounds are classified as these. Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (AP is a regi...
Apr 07, 2021•10 min•Ep. 77
What does the fox say? ALOT! Each yip, growl, howl and cry is a response to a stimulus in its environment and aids in the fox’s survival and overall reproductive success. (0:30) Survive long enough to pass on those genes and use every trick in your biological power to do so (1:39). Melanie recAPs a variety of examples ranging from phototropism (2:13) and shark blood detection (4:30) to honeybees (5:56). The Question of the Day asks (7:53) This is the state animals enter when they lower their met...
Mar 31, 2021•9 min•Ep. 76
Evolution doesn’t have goals or dated deadlines, but simply responds to environmental change. Seen through continual changes in genotypic frequencies (1:09), the fossil record (2:01) and antibiotic resistance (4:26) - evolution isn’t about the destination, but the pathway of change. The Question of the Day asks (7:45) N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide is an insect repellent developed by the US Army in 1946. What is it commonly known as? Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (A...
Mar 24, 2021•9 min•Ep. 75
Everything is connected and the evidence is overwhelming. You are in the Domain Eukarya, Kingdom animalia – but the common ancestor of all eukaryotes was the OG with membrane bound organelles (1:02), linear chromosomes (2:47) and genes that contain introns(4:51). Each piece of structural and process evidence on the molecular and cellular level supports the common ancestry of all eukaryotes. The Question of the Day asks (7:25) Collectively, what is a stack of thylakoids called? Thank you for list...
Mar 17, 2021•8 min•Ep. 74
Join Melanie on a 5K in episode 73. Phylogeny studies the evolutionary history amongst groups of organisms. It tells the story of relatedness, the branches in the road. (1:37). Be careful - just because two organisms are physically adjacent on a diagram, does not mean they are more closely related (4:05). The episode concludes with unit connections and exam tips (5:34). The Question of the Day asks (6:50) Ernst Haeckel coined the phrase “ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny.” What is ontogeny? Thank...
Mar 10, 2021•8 min•Ep. 73
It is not practical to perform a Punnett square analysis on all possible combinations of all members of a population (1:24). Enter the Hardy-Weinberg equation! The Hardy-Weinberg equation is a tool biologists use not only to make predictions about a population but also to show whether or not the population is evolving. There are 5 conditions that must be met for this to be true. (2:14) Melanie break’s down the H-W equation variables and walks you through an example problem. (5:25) The Question o...
Mar 03, 2021•8 min•Ep. 72
Search for signs of life in Episode 71. Do you know the primordial soup recipe? (1:05) Melanie recaps the when (1:46) and how (2:38) life may have begun. Scientists have gathered evidence and created models to describe their thinking (4:29). The Question of the Day asks (7:35) T/F - The first organisms on earth were likely anerobic. Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (AP is a registered trademark of the College Board and is not affiliated with The APsolute RecAP. Cop...
Feb 24, 2021•8 min•Ep. 71
You have enough DNA in your body to stretch to the sun and back over sixty times. And your cells need to copy it all! Episode 70 recaps the primary enzymes in DNA replication: topoisomerase (3:53), helicase (4:24), DNA polymerase (5:11), and ligase (6:11). The Question of the Day asks (7:36) When comparing pentose sugars, on which carbon does ribose have a hydroxyl group where deoxyribose does not? Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (AP is a registered trademark of t...
Feb 17, 2021•8 min•Ep. 70
Melanie gets poetic in Episode 69. Roses are red, violets are blue. If a promoter is blocked this may be untrue. Make sure to appropriately distinguish between genes and alleles (1:59). Gene expression occurs at many levels, all of which are essential in producing an organism’s phenotype (3:03). The episode concludes with a recap of the Lac Operon - everyone’s favorite bacterial gene expression example (6:17). The Question of the Day asks (8:31) In the Lac Operon, is the promoter upstream or dow...
Feb 10, 2021•9 min•Ep. 69
Episode 68 explores how does the structure of DNA influence the process of replication and transcription. Beginning with cell cycle placement (1:20), Melanie then distinguishes between quantity of synthesis (2:21). Zoom in further to draw 5’ to 3’ on a nucleotide (3:12). Lastly, the episode contrasts enzymes, cell types and Chargaff’s rules (5:55). The Question of the Day asks (10:10) Which nitrogenous bases are classified as purines? Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Editio...
Feb 03, 2021•11 min•Ep. 68
UGA and listen to Episode 67! Translation - it's kind of like riding a bike. Once you learn how, you never forget. This episode is all about codons - what they are (1:13), where they come from (2:08), how to read them, and what happens if there's a mistake (5:18). The Question of the Day asks (8:08) What is the greatest number of codons that give the same amino acid? Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (AP is a registered trademark of the College Board and is not affi...
Jan 27, 2021•9 min•Ep. 67
Episode 66 is going to make all your puppy dreams come true! Beginning with a word nerd moment before completing a Labrador dihybrid cross (1:15). Epistatic interactions don’t always have to be in opposition, as explained in a wheat color dihybrid cross (5:07). Melanie concludes with unit and exam connections (6:13). The Question of the Day asks (7:08) What famous mouse study connects epigenetics, diet and obesity? Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (AP is a register...
Jan 20, 2021•8 min•Ep. 66
Move aside Mendel! Life isn’t all peas and carrots and some rules are made to be broken. Episode 65 recaps several patterns of non-Mendelian inheritance including incomplete dominance (1:59), multiple alleles and codominance (3:21), sex linked recessive traits (5:41), recombinants (7:14) and polygenetic traits (8:14). Get ready to practice your Punnett squares! The Question of the Day asks (9:39) What organism did Sir Thomas Hunt Morgan perform genetic experiments on while developing his chromos...
Jan 13, 2021•11 min•Ep. 65
If I flip a coin, what are the chances it will land on heads? Find out all about probability according to Mendel in Episode 64. Two of Mendel’s major observations are highly rooted in meiosis and the manner in which homologous chromosomes separate (2:08). Get some Chi-Square testing with some awesome brave corn (4:34). The rules of probability can be applied to study the passing of single-gene traits through generations (7:06). The Question of the Day asks (8:23) What male plant structure produc...
Jan 06, 2021•9 min•Ep. 64
Even the closest siblings are genetically unique, thanks to a microscopic DNA dance known as meiosis. Episode 63 begins with a recap of chromosome structure and homologous pairs (1:48). In order to reduce the chromosomes number in half, the cells will need to go through PMAT twice. (2:53) When does meiosis occur and why are the haploid cells different? (7:19) The Question of the Day asks (9:35) True or false? Mitochondria are inherited through egg and sperm. Thank you for listening to The APsolu...
Dec 30, 2020•10 min•Ep. 63
What did the cell say when her sister stepped on her foot? MY TOE, SIS! Episode 62 recaps the process of nuclear division which creates two identical diploid cells. (1:12) Mitosis has four main sequential events - prophase (3:57), metaphase (4:31), anaphase (5:10) and telophase (5:36). The Question of the Day asks (7:20) What protein filament creates the contractile ring in animal cell cytokinesis? Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! (AP is a registered trademark of t...
Dec 23, 2020•8 min•Ep. 62
You have the ability to respond to stimuli on so many levels - molecular, cellular, physiological, and behavioral! (0:55) Maintaining internal conditions despite external and internal changes is the basis of homeostasis. There are two types of feedback mechanisms used by organisms - negative (2:30) and positive. (4:48) Homeostasis links to several units of study in the curriculum (5:37). The Question of the Day asks (7:18) What paramecium organelle pumps out excess water when the cell is placed ...
Dec 16, 2020•8 min•Ep. 61
The cell cycle consists of interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis.(1:33) There are a number of internal checkpoints that regulate a cell's progression through the cell cycle, including cyclins(4:23) and Cdk complexes(5:23). These couple with phosphorylation to activate target proteins throughout the cell cycle. The Question of the Day asks (7:38) Some cells, like neurons, exit the cell cycle prior to the S phase - what phase are they in? Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Editio...
Dec 09, 2020•8 min•Ep. 60
If you are ever lucky enough to have a major scientific discovery, you’d probably name it after yourself too. Melanie recaps each scientist's background (1:05) (4:26) before discussing the main events of the Calvin Cycle (1:40) and Krebs Cycle (5:02). The Calvin cycle forms sugars in the stroma of chloroplasts while the Krebs cycle oxidizes sugars in the matrix of mitochondria. The Question of the Day asks (7:19) What group of biological molecules does the coenzyme NADH belong to? Thank you for ...
Dec 02, 2020•8 min•Ep. 59
Like Pacman, enzymes have specific shapes, act on smaller molecules and can be destroyed by external factors. Enzymes are made of proteins - each having a unique structure for a specific function.(1:10) Melanie explains lactose intolerance (3:30) before straightening her hair for a night out (5:43). There are several environmental factors which influence enzyme functioning (6:41). Disrupt those hydrogen bonds or R group interactions and lose structure as well as function. The Question of the Day...
Nov 25, 2020•10 min•Ep. 58
Electrons are going to enter a membranous pinball machine in episode 57. The electron transport chain is found in the process of photosynthesis (2:10) and the process of cellular respiration.(4:30) This recap will first focus on structure and function for each respective organelle before drawing similarities (7:34) and pointing out differences. The episode concludes with unit connections and exam tips! (8:29) The Question of the Day asks (9:43) True or False?Sequentially, photosystem I precedes ...
Nov 18, 2020•11 min•Ep. 57
Let’s put our sneakers on and go for a run while listening to Episode 56! Melanie begins by debunking some myths to make our chemistry and physics colleagues happy (1:30). Next, remember key activation energy concepts (2:43). Lastly, analyze two graphs to distinguish between energy storing and energy releasing reactions (4:36). The Question of the Day asks (8:02) True or False? ΔG is constant in catalyzed and uncatalyzed reactions. Thank you for listening to The APsolute RecAP: Biology Edition! ...
Nov 11, 2020•9 min•Ep. 56
