Week 4 — Readings & Resources · Cellular Metabolism & Protein Synthesis

Course: Anatomy & Physiology I (BIOL 2301 + BIOL 2101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Navarro
Objective covered: Objective 2 — Explain, at an overview level, ATP and cellular respiration (stages in order) and the central dogma (DNA → transcription → translation → protein).

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser, the same way you'd open a YouTube link. Nothing needs to be downloaded.

This week's load is deliberately light: 2 videos + 1 reading + 1 interactive simulation, grouped by the ideas from the lecture. Watch or read one item per group and you're ready for the quiz; do all of them and you'll be very comfortable. Total time is roughly 35–45 minutes if you do everything, far less if you pick one per group.

Order that matches the lecture: ① ATP & cellular respiration (the three stages in order) → ② the central dogma (transcription → translation, the codon) → ③ see it happen (a protein-synthesis simulation).

A habit to start now: before you trust any A&P claim — in these resources, in a chatbot, or anywhere — ask the questions from class: Are the respiration stages in the right order (glycolysis → Krebs → ETC)? Is the most ATP credited to the ETC? Is "transcription" DNA → RNA and "translation" RNA → protein?

① ATP & Cellular Respiration (the three stages, in order)

Maps to Lecture Segments 2–4. ATP is the cell's spendable energy currency; cellular respiration makes it in three stages — glycolysis (cytoplasm) → Krebs cycle (matrix) → electron transport chain (inner membrane, most ATP), with oxygen as the final electron acceptor.

Video — "ATP & Respiration" (CrashCourse Biology #7)
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00jbG_cfGuQ
Why it earns the click: an energetic ~13-minute tour of exactly our energy half — what ATP is, then glycolysis (≈ 4:13), the Krebs cycle (≈ 7:06), and the electron transport chain (≈ 10:55), plus a clear aside on aerobic vs. anaerobic/fermentation (≈ 5:33). Keep it at the overview level the lecture set — you want the order and the locations, not every enzyme.
⏱ ~13 min

Reading — Khan Academy: "Cellular respiration and fermentation" (unit overview)
🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-respiration-and-fermentation
Why it's assigned: the cleanest plain-language statement of ATP, glucose, and the stages of cellular respiration in order (glycolysis → Krebs cycle → electron transport chain) with their cellular locations, plus fermentation — a free unit of short articles and videos. Read the overview and the stage summaries; you can skip the detailed reaction steps (we stay overview-level this week).
⏱ ~10 min

② The Central Dogma — Transcription → Translation → Protein

Maps to Lecture Segments 5–6. DNA → (transcription, in the nucleus) → mRNA → (translation, at the ribosome) → protein. A codon is three mRNA bases = one amino acid.

Video — "DNA, Hot Pockets, & The Longest Word Ever" (CrashCourse Biology #11)
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itsb2SqR-R0
Why it earns the click: a ~14-minute walk through transcription (DNA → mRNA, ≈ 2:12) and translation (mRNA → protein at the ribosome, ≈ 7:28), including codons and anticodons (≈ 8:39) and how the protein folds. This is the single best "see the whole path in order" video for the week — focus on keeping transcription and translation straight.
⏱ ~14 min

Reading — "Anatomy and Physiology 2e," Ch. 3 §3.4 Protein Synthesis (OpenStax)
🔗 https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/3-4-protein-synthesis
Why it's assigned: the best A&P-specific page on the path from DNA → mRNA → protein — it walks transcription ("From DNA to RNA") and translation ("From RNA to Protein"), defines the codon (three mRNA bases), and explains the ribosome's role — a free online textbook page, no account needed. Read the two main sections; you can skim the splicing/tRNA detail (we stay overview-level this week).
⏱ ~12 min

③ See It Happen — A Protein-Synthesis Simulation

Maps to Lecture Segment 8 + Lab 4. Watch a ribosome build a protein from a strand, step by step — transcription, then translation, in order.

Interactive — PhET "Gene Expression Essentials" (free, no download)
🔗 https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/gene-expression-essentials
Why it earns the click: a free, browser-based simulation where you build mRNA from DNA and watch the ribosome assemble a protein — transcription and translation made visible, in the right order. You'll use it in Lab 4; spend five minutes now getting comfortable starting and stepping through it.
⏱ ~5 min (browse)

Optional one-stop references (free online)

• Khan Academy — Gene expression and the central dogma. A free unit of short articles and videos on transcription, translation, and the genetic code — a good place to return to all term.
  🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/gene-expression-central-dogma
• Khan Academy — Human Anatomy & Physiology. The course-wide A&P unit (organization, cells, metabolism, and more); handy for a second explanation in plain language.
  🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/human-anatomy-and-physiology

Pick-one quick path (≈20 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these two and you'll be ready for the quiz:
1. Watch "ATP & Respiration" (CrashCourse Biology #7) for the energy half (the three stages in order).
2. Watch "DNA, Hot Pockets..." (CrashCourse Biology #11) for the central dogma (transcription → translation, the codon).

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Navarro and use the OpenStax or Khan Academy references above in the meantime.