Question

1. Most newborn babies have significant amounts of brown adipose tissue (fat). This tissue is gradually reduced during development. What is a plausible role for the brown adipose cells in babies and why their function becomes less important as child grows?

2. Imagine you are growing some photosynthetic algae in a flask and can measure amount of oxygen they release. When you illuminate them with 700mm wavelength light, almost no oxygen is produced. But, when you change the bulb and illuminate them with 600mm wavelength light, ample oxygen production takes place. What is the reason for these observations?

Answer 1

Q1

ANSWER:

The brown adipose tissue or brown fat is an important component of the infant body. This fat is used to produce heat n newborns when required. It protects them from hypothermia , which is the drop in body temperature. Hypothermia is one of the main causes of death of premature newborns. Brown fat is an alternative way to regulate the body heat.

Older persons have lower proportion of surface area of head, older persons have the ability to shiver and move to hotter places. Newborns do not possess this.

Q2

ANSWER:

Photosynthesis is a photochemical reaction, which is a chemical reaction that occurs with the help of light. But all the wavelengths of electromagnetic spectrum cannot affect a photochemical reaction. A particular wavelength (or energy) drives a particular photochemical reaction. That is why the reaction occurs at particular wavelength (600 nm).