September 28, 20XX
One such recognizable group on Earth that fights alongside with established meta-human groups, military, and first responders was the Power Rangers.
In the city of Angel Grove, where an ancient and wise alien sage named Zordon and his robotic assistant, Alpha 5, recruit a group of teenagers with different backgrounds to become the Power Rangers.
Each Ranger is given a unique color and possesses martial arts skills.
They are initially tasked with defending the Earth from Rita Repulsa, an evil sorceress, and her minions, such as Goldar, Finster, and Putty Patrollers.
The Rangers morph into their powerful armored forms with the help of their Zords (giant mech robots).
Later, they face even more formidable foes, including Lord Zedd and the introduction of new Ranger powers and Zords.
Eventually, the meta-humans are allied by the Transformers or Cybertronians; a highly advanced aliens who are sentient transforming metallic beings.
Their civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons has impacted Earth and across multiple galaxies.
The conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons began on their planet Cybertron. Originally, all Transformers were created by the deity-like Primus to be a peaceful and highly advanced race. However, ideological differences led to a schism among them.
The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (who once was an ex-military records clerk going by name Orion Pax), are characterized by their desire for peace and the protection of sentient life. They value freedom, cooperation, and harmony.
The Decepticons, led by Megatron (who once was an ex-military turned gladiator; Earth's civilized equivalent of an Olympic/street-fighting athlete or boxer; by name Megatronus), seek power and control. They are often willing to use force and manipulation to achieve their goals. Their name is derived from "deceptive," reflecting their unscrupulous methods. Believes after overthrowing their previous government, this warlord also tends to expand their new empire across the cosmos.
The conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons escalated into a full-scale war on Cybertron, often referred to as the Great War. The Decepticons sought to conquer and dominate the planet, while the Autobots aimed to defend their home and preserve freedom.
As the war on Cybertron raged on, both factions realized that their planet was becoming increasingly uninhabitable. In a desperate move, both sides pursued a new energy source called Energon, which led them to Earth. They crashed on Earth millions of years ago and went into stasis until they were totally reactivated in the modern era.
Until then, as human civilizations processed with secret societies and other alien races hiding the shadows, the Transformers' minor impact was a certain human secret society bore from the medieval age with legends of fabled civilizations to global events of World War Two.
Upon fully awakening, the Autobots and Decepticons continued their conflict on Earth, using the planet's resources, including Energon, to fuel their war. This conflict often drew in human allies and bystanders, and eventually galactic civilizations.
Bio Notes: (filled with academic musings)
THE FUNDAMENTAL UNITS OF LIFE
• Cells are the building blocks of all organisms
• In single-celled organisms the cell is everything
THE HIERARCHY OF BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Atom (H): 1x10-10 m
Molecule (H2O): 3x10-10 m
Macromolecule (glucose): 1 x 10-9 m
Organelle (mitochondrion): 1 x 10-6 m
Cell: 2 x 10-5 m
Tissues are composed of interconnected cells with a common function
Several tissues combine to form an organ
Organs working together make up an organ system
Multiple systems that function together form the entire organism
THREE DOMAINS OF LIFE
All cell types share 4 fundamental cell components
1) An enclosing plasma membrane which separates the cell's interior from the environment
2) Cytoplasm made of cytosol in which other components of the cell are found
3) DNA - the genetic material of the cell
4) Ribosomes which synthesize proteins
Cell type dictates the cell structure
Two categories of Cells:
Prokaryotic cells — Bacteria and Archaea
0.1–5.0 μm 50-70 μm 10-100 μm
Eukaryotic cells — plants, fungi, protists, and animals
• Chromosomal DNA is localized in a nucleoid
• Ribosomes are in the cytoplasm
• The cell membrane is surrounded by a cell wall
• The other structures shown may be present in some, but not all, bacteria
Prokaryotes are mostly single celled organisms lacking internal organelles
Prokaryotic cells are smaller than eukaryotic cells
Reasons for small size of prokaryotic cells:
– Surface area to volume ratio is more favorable for moving material in and out of the cell
– They lack modifications found in eukaryotes that aid internal transport
Factors Limiting Cell Size
Surface area–to–volume ratio
– As cells get bigger, volume increases faster than surface area
Eukaryotic Cells
The plasma membrane is a mosaic model of lipids and proteins
Outside of cell
Hydrophilic region of protein
Hydrophilic head
Hydrophobic tail
Hydrophobic regions of protein
Phospholipid bilayer
Proteins
Cytoplasm (inside of cell)
Cell wall not present in animal cells
Plant Cell
Animal Cell
Animal Cell Membrane
Eukaryotic plasma membrane
Phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins.
ACE2: (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2)
Helps to control blood pressure in the lungs by dilating the blood vessels
Cytoplasm: Region between the plasma membrane and the nuclear envelope
• This consists of organelles suspended in gel-like cytosol plus the cytoskeleton.
• 70-80% of the cytoplasm is water but it has semi-solid consistency due to proteins within it.
Nucleus
• Usually only one per cell
– the largest organelle (10% of cellular contents)
– Bigger itself than most prokaryotic cells
Nuclear Envelope is a double membrane structure and forms the outermost portion of the nucleus
• Double membrane
– Separates DNA from cytoplasm
– Separates transcription from translation
• Nuclear pores perforate this membrane
– Connect nucleoplasm to cytoplasm
– Regulate flow of molecules back & forth
– Large molecules require nuclear localization signal (NLS) to pass
THE NUCLEUS HOLD THE HEREDITARY
INFORMATION OF THE CELL, THE DNA
Nucleolus is the region inside the nucleus where ribosomes are assembled from RNA and proteins
Ribosomes are the cellular structures responsible for protein synthesis - Translation
• Made of two different-sized subunits
• Slightly larger in eukaryotes
• Made of special RNA (rRNA) and proteins
• During protein synthesis, ribosomes assemble amino acids into proteins
Mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell
• Site for conversion of stored energy
(macromolecule molecular bonds) to more useful form (ATP)
• Inner membrane is folded
– Folds are called cristae
– Area enclosed is the mitochondrial matrix
Electron micrograph of a mitochondrion
Peroxisomes
• Peroxisomes are small rounded organelles enclosed by a single membrane
• Reactions that break down fatty acids and amino acids
• Peroxisomes may detoxify poisons
Contrasting Animal and Plant Cells
• Both have microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs), but animal cells also have centrioles associated with the MTOC
– This complex is called the centrosome
• Animal cells each have a centrosome and lysosomes but plant cells do not
• Plant cells have a cell wall, chloroplasts and other specialized plastids and a large central vacuole - animal cells do not
• The centrosome consists of two centrioles that lie at right angles to each other
• Each centriole is a cylinder made up of nine triplets of microtubules
• Nontubulin proteins (indicated by the green lines) hold the microtubule triplets together
Lysosomes
• Lysosomes in animal cells contain digestive enzymes, the cells "garbage disposal"
• These breakdown large biomolecules and even worn-out organelles
Lysosome
Plant Cell Walls
• The cell wall is a rigid protective structure external to the plasma membrane
• Plant cell walls differ from prokaryotes because they are made up of cellulose rather than peptidoglycan.
Cellulose molecule
Chloroplasts
• Chloroplasts are double-membrane organelles; have their own ribosomes and DNA like mitochondria
• The inner membrane encloses an aqueous fluid (stroma) that contains a set of interconnected and stacked fluid-filled membrane sacs called thylakoids
• Each stack of thylakoids is a granum (plural = grana).
The Central Vacuole
• Plant cells have a large vacuole that occupies most of the area of the cell
• This central vacuole helps regulate water concentration under changing environmental conditions, and contributes to cell expansion.
