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March 29, 2024, 08:29:55 pm

Author Topic: Biology error thread: post errors identified in textbooks, other resources  (Read 5982 times)  Share 

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vox nihili

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Hey everyone!

With a new course on us, there are a whole stack of new resources out. This can only mean one thing: errors.

Inevitably, when new resources are released, they will contain some errors. Use this thread to post errors you think you may have found and to seek clarification about their veracity.


I'll get the ball rolling:

Edrolo: Analogous Structures

This particular clip is one that has garnered a degree of criticism. For context, the presenter uses the human thumb and the panda thumb as examples of analogous structures. Though this is technically the case, many students have reported feeling confused about this, as both thumbs are derived from the hand.

As usual the devil is in the detail. In the case of the human, the thumb is effectively a finger (metacarpal + phalanges), which has evolved into a thumb; whereas, in pandas, the thumb is actually derived from one of the wrist bones (called carpals, specifically the sesamoid in this case).

The presenter of the video identifies the panda thumb as coming from a metacarpal. This is untrue and would have meant that the panda thumb is in fact a homologous structure, which it is not. He should have said carpal.

TL;DR: the panda thumb is indeed an analogous structure, derived from a carpal bone rather than a metacarpal.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2017, 11:56:51 pm by vox nihili »
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PhoenixxFire

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Found a really minor error in the atar notes complete course notes for 3/4 Biology. On page 51 in reference to carbon 14 dating it says... 'There are a number of isotopes of carbon (same atomic number of 12, different mass number)'
However 12 is not the atomic number it is the most common atomic weight. The atomic number of carbon is 6.

EDIT: Also worth noting the edrolo error has been (badly) edited so it now says carpal instead of metacarpal.
« Last Edit: August 23, 2017, 10:15:21 am by PhoenixxFire »
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vox nihili

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0

EDIT: Also worth noting the edrolo error has been (badly) edited so it now says carpal instead of metacarpal.

My student let me know this weekend. I actually wrote to EdRolo and in their defence they got it fixed fairly promptly, if a little clunkily.
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brenden

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+1
Found a really minor error in the atar notes complete course notes for 3/4 Biology. On page 51 in reference to carbon 14 dating it says... 'There are a number of isotopes of carbon (same atomic number of 12, different mass number)'
However 12 is not the atomic number it is the most common atomic weight. The atomic number of carbon is 6.

EDIT: Also worth noting the edrolo error has been (badly) edited so it now says carpal instead of metacarpal.
Legend, thanks heaps. We'll consult with the author and get  this changed :)
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not.yet.a.nerd

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The 2017 ATAR notes topic tests are riddled with errors to the point where it's not worth pointing them all out. I hope they revise the edition before it is republished!

Aaron

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The 2017 ATAR notes topic tests are riddled with errors to the point where it's not worth pointing them all out. I hope they revise the edition before it is republished!

perhaps you could assist by providing some examples of the errors? This will also allow the author to clarify any misinterpretations etc. Thank you :)
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PhoenixxFire

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perhaps you could assist by providing some examples of the errors? This will also allow the author to clarify any misinterpretations etc. Thank you :)
There are some i've emailed through about issues like an answer being repeated under both a. and b. There are also multiple where the answers have the wrong number ie. answered are numbered 12,13,14,15. but they actually belong to questions 14,15,12,13
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Sine

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The 2017 ATAR notes topic tests are riddled with errors to the point where it's not worth pointing them all out. I hope they revise the edition before it is republished!
who wrote this edition? I had the previous edition in 2015 (same edition as 2016 i think) written by thushan and that was near perfect :)

PhoenixxFire

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who wrote this edition? I had the previous edition in 2015 (same edition as 2016 i think) written by thushan and that was near perfect :)
Joseph Bloom and Katherine Twite
The course summary was written by Thushan
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Poet

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Re: Biology error thread: post errors identified in textbooks, other resources
« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2018, 01:47:49 pm »
+5
TBH, these aren't major errors, I just found them funny. In the online Cambridge Checkpoints 2018 QuizMeMore tools and questions, there are a surprising amount of typos. I counted three obvious ones in the first multiple choice, but the one that really got me was the "sevin". Not seven, not Steven, but SEVIN. That's a type of insecticide with a bad rep, for all you city peeps. (This from the girl going to a 'rural' school) :o
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kiara rodrigo

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Re: Biology error thread: post errors identified in textbooks, other resources
« Reply #10 on: October 08, 2018, 04:43:47 pm »
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there r heaps saying that dna fragments travel fast in gel electrophoresis coz they r lighter when actually it is coz they r smaller and therefore snag less in the pores in the agar gel

not.yet.a.nerd

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Re: Biology error thread: post errors identified in textbooks, other resources
« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2018, 05:49:39 pm »
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there r heaps saying that dna fragments travel fast in gel electrophoresis coz they r lighter when actually it is coz they r smaller and therefore snag less in the pores in the agar gel

I think if a DNA molecule is smaller, it is therefore lighter. Conversely, if a DNA molecule is lighter, then it is smaller. So essentially it's the same concept but different wording?

Sine

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Re: Biology error thread: post errors identified in textbooks, other resources
« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2018, 06:40:45 pm »
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there r heaps saying that dna fragments travel fast in gel electrophoresis coz they r lighter when actually it is coz they r smaller and therefore snag less in the pores in the agar gel
I mean, they probably won't care for the distinction between the two imo. If the quesiton asks WHY? you would give your answer but some questions may just reflect on whether heavy or light move faster/slower. If you just say that smaller fragments are less impeded in their movement unlike longer fragments you will be fine.