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SANDBACH COLLEGE NEWSLETTER: Autumn edition 2018/19

A very French summer...

Last summer I attended a 2-week French residential course for A level students at le Grand Osier in Brittany, France. The course is run by Caroline and Richard Tracey who both taught in schools and uni-versities before settling in France 30 years ago. Caroline writes a new course book every year and has published a grammar book covering A level and beyond.

After a particularly difficult ferry crossing, I was met enthusiastically at the port by my hosts. From that point on it was only French conversation allowed, and any English remarks were followed quickly with cries of en Français! The other four students came from the top public schools in England, but despite being from very different backgrounds, we all pulled together and helped each other every morning in the tests, sorry Caroline! We stayed in the student house with our own rooms, a TV, a kitchen stocked with juice, biscuits and French cider, (which we helped to mysteriously vanish on the last day), and a lounge area where any remaining free time was spent chatting the nights away.

Every day followed a strict but effective regime: French breakfast, followed by 4 hours of intensive French grammar revision and tests, all before lunch. For lunch we ate a selection of good French chees-es, regional foods and of course the legendary salade richardaise, all whilst discussing current affairs en français!

 

 

A very French summer...

After lunch we made cultural visits to local places such as le château de Combourg where Caroline gave us a guided tour en français. On other occasions we completed small projects in the local town of Dinan, which of course re-quired an ability to converse quickly in French, whilst at the same time ensuring locals could understand what we were trying to say. A word of advice: don’t confuse the French word ‘outside’ with ‘hard’. What a faux pas!

Returning exhausted, we then had homework to complete before we were served tea. Teatime was again another chance to sample local delicacies and discuss future aspirations, of course still in French. Following tea, we either stayed up solving (or trying to solve) mind-boggling puzzles, giving our best rendition of some classic French songs (accompanied by Caroline on lead vocals and Rich-ard on guitar)…or having individual 1:1 grammar sessions working on the bits we found hard. When I signed up for the course, I never thought I’d be having a 10:30pm 1:1 on relative pronouns, ante-cedents and agreements. La pomme que j’ai man-gée is certainly a phrase I’ll never forget!

Some highlights: the famed fête du blé: where we sat on the river bank eating traditional food, listening to traditional music and watching a spectacle portraying the history of Brittany. And, it goes without saying, the end of course celebration where we all had to perform a party piece. I chose to compile a list of witty French phrases we used the most throughout the

course, and present these in a light-hearted, hu-morous way, much to everyone’s amusement.

I can’t put into words how beneficial this course has been, not only for French grammar (as I didn’t think I’d get to the point where I could accurately translate the phrase ‘If she had not given it to him, they wouldn’t have had to have

left’) but for my overall development as well. I now know that my life-long ambition is to live and work in France when I am older, and I at-tribute this realisation to Caroline’s abundant enthusiasm for French and Richard’s witty comments throughout my stay at Le Grand Osier.

Jennifer Courtney is a Year 13 student studying French, English Liter-ature and Classical Civilisations. She hopes to study French and Clas-sics at the University of Exeter.

English Literature theatre trip

 Sandbach College English Literature students recently travelled to Mold in North Wales to see a production of what is arguably Tennes-see Williams’ best-known play, A Streetcar Named Desire.

The play begins with the arrival of Blanche DuBois, a fading southern belle at her sister Stella’s small flat in New Orleans where she lives with her alpha male husband Stanley. It soon becomes apparent that Blanche is in the midst of breakdown and has come in the hope of finding some solace. She develops a rela-tionship with the sympathetic Mitch but her hopes of a lasting relationship are dashed when Stanley reveals to Mitch rumours about Blanche’s past life. Blanche is appalled by the behaviour of Stanley and tries to convince Stella that he is a brute. Stella tells Blanche she is pregnant and shortly before the baby is born Blanche finds herself alone with Stanley who rapes her. Blanche suffers a complete breakdown and is committed to an institution by her sister and the play ends with Stella in the arms of Stanley.

Despite first being performed in 1947, the themes in the play – among them the tension between fantasy and reality and the power of de-sire – remain very relevant today though it’s to be hoped that Stan-ley is not wholly representative of the behaviour of contemporary males.

The production at Mold was superb and, while there was a feeling that none of the charac-ters come out of the play with much credit, the quality of the acting was impressive throughout, particularly that of Kelly Gough who played Blanche and who carries the whole play.

There were positive comments from among us about the staging of the play and the way in which the set was slowly dismantled before Blanche’s eyes towards the end of the play to represent her mind coming apart and her de-scent into madness. There were some impres-sive dance scenes too and the scenes of vio-lence were appropriately shocking. We all felt that bringing the setting up to date worked well despite the occasional odd refer-ence and inconsistency – it is clear that many of the concerns of the late 1940s remain cur-rent today.

The trip was enjoyed by all, not least for the opportunity to visit McDonalds before the per-formance. The journey home was uneventful and even gave a couple of us the chance to catch up some much-needed sleep.

Raw by Sigrid

At 22 years of age Sigrid is arguably of one of the most prolific artists of her generation, currently on a whirlwind ascent to the top after winning BBC Sound of 2018. Yet despite her young age she seems to have a very clear focus on herself and her image, something which shines through her 2018 EP Raw. The album is centred on an explo-ration of her very character, with the title track telling us “I just want to be raw”, championing her true nature and refusing to conform to the image expected of a pop star. Following through with this theme, the other upbeat track on the album is High Five. More typical of contemporary pop music, with prevalent electronics and a stadi-um vibe, the track still manages to have deep meaning, criticising the attention seeking charac-ter simply “looking for high fives” with no real love in their life – someone who Sigrid refuses to become. Away from the intimate character analy-sis Sigrid also exhibits the more conventional storyline of teenage love and heartbreak through three other tracks on the album. Perhaps not as deeply meaningful as other areas of the album, these songs still carry items relate able for Sigrid’s audiences. In all honesty, not every song on the album would make it to the charts, how-ever they all carry their own importance and are definitely worth a listen. Her minimalist style is sure to be the sound of the future.

- Matt Brett

Albums reviewed by aspiring College musicians

A brief inquiry into online relationships by The 1975

Perhaps an album we’ve all been waiting for, or at least those of us who love their indie/electro vibes, this is the third album released by The 1975 just two years after their previous and successful album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It.

Providing us with 15 new tracks, this album is ar-guably one for the more chilled amongst us, it’s perfect for easy listening – many of the songs are very stripped back and mellow, some are even near or completely instrumental. But don’t fear fans of their older music! The album still provides the classic sounds associated with the 1975, espe-cially with the songs previously released as sin-gles, including Give Yourself a Try and TooTime-TooTimeTooTime but also It's Not Living (If It's Not with You) and Love It If We Made It, which are two new songs that live up to the upbeat rocky feel that gave The 1975 their rise to fame.

I would highly recommend giving it a listen; it’s definitely a well-balanced album that brings some great new music to the current music scene.

- Rowena Jones

Blush by Moose Blood

A slightly older album but one of their best, hit-ting the top of UK Rock charts, Blush is the sec-ond album released by emo-pop band Moose Blood.

While this album only gives 10 songs, they cer-tainly do pack a punch, with all of them carrying driven rhythmic guitar lines accompanied by emo-tive and catchy lyrics you will undoubtedly find yourself singing along to. Looking deeper into the meaning behind the words you can really connect with the sentimentality of the messages being portrayed, especially in the songs Honey and Sulk. In particular the songs Shimmer and Spring carry slightly more negative tones, yet they still carry an overarching theme of redemption and hope and are still relatively upbeat and not too emotional.

Blush is most certainly one of the best albums to have a good jam to, perfect for a feel good vibe when having a moment to yourself.

- Rowena Jones

Albums reviewed by aspiring College musicians

Lemonade by Beyonce

Worlds apart from her early noughties tracks of love and optimism, Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album Lemonade is one of much darker themes. With the aid of an accompanying film, the narrative takes us on a story of adultery, from hopelessness to redemption, a personal journey of loss and deceit which puts the star at her most vulnerable, and in turn most rebellious, that we have ever seen her. We are also taken through much deeper themes of racism, sexism and slavery, creating an album which is one large voice for change whilst simulta-neously acting as a self-help guide. Sonically the album is an array of musical genres, from R&B to trap, reggae to country, all tied together to cre-ate a universal tour de force which could find a rightful place in anyone’s music collection. Aside from all of the political motivation behind the al-bum, the songs themselves are simply nice to lis-ten to.

-Matt Brett

Matt Brett is currently studying for A levels in Music, Biology and Mathemat-ics and performed at the BBC Young Musician of the Year award. He has also performed with the Halle Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra. He hopes to study at the Royal Academy of Music next year.

Rowena Jones is currently studying Mathematics, Psychology and PE and is a keen amateur musician and writer. She hopes to study Psychology at univer-sity.

Oxford hopefuls attend Target One

 In October a small group of Year 12 students spent a morning at Knutsford High School which was hosting an event - attended by students from schools across East Cheshire - intended to dispel some of the myths surrounding applying to universities like Oxford and Cambridge.

Target One Cheshire is a four year programme funded by Pembroke College Oxford which aims to provide state school students, parents and teachers in Cheshire with information and guid-ance to increase the growing number of students from non-selective state schools in Cheshire making successful applications to Oxford, Cambridge and other prestigious Russell Group uni-versities.

The morning consisted of a talk by Dr Peter Claus, a reader in History at Pembroke College, about the mechanics of applying to Oxford. He explained that too many people are put off ap-plying to top universities because they imagine there’s too much competition to get in or be-cause they’re not for “people like us” but, in reality, the ratio of applications to offers is sur-prisingly high and those offers are made to people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

After a break for refreshments he asked for a volunteer from the audience to come down and play the role of a candidate at a mock interview. The Sandbach cohort were quick to put up their hands to volunteer but not quite quick enough! The interview, which in fact seemed much more like a conversation, was intended to give us an idea of what the real thing is like. It was agreed it wasn’t anywhere as frightening as some might have thought and might almost be fun.

After the interview, Dr. Claus talked about the way Jewish people had been presented in the media over the past century or so to demonstrate the kind of lecture you might attend if you were studying at his College. The talk was hugely thought-provoking and there was the oppor-tunity to ask questions afterwards – we managed to get a couple of questions in!

The message from the morning was that if you are passionate about learning and if you have the ambition to be part of a community of scholars from across all disciplines, from all across the world, then you should consider Oxford. It’s easy to be put off by things we read in the media or hear from those who don’t have first-hand knowledge but it was inspiring to hear someone demonstrate their passion for their subject and their desire to get more students from schools like ours into the top universities.

On Friday 21st September a group of outstanding Year 12 students attended the High Ability Learners’ Conference at Alsager School. The day was centred around the practise of higher-order thinking skills, beginning with puzzles and word games and a seminar on critical thinking. Students particularly enjoyed working with those from other colleges to practise a series of Cambridge Thinking Skills questions, an example of which is at the bottom of this article. A large portion of the day was devoted to preparing and conducting debates, for which students worked in teams to prepare arguments on the topics of cyber-spying and obesity. Alex Milnes was recognised by staff from all colleges for her confident and eloquent contributions to the debate. Finally, students were treated to a lecture by Professor Simon Ray, cardiologist and president of the British Heart Valve Society which focussed on aortic valve replacement. The students involved really enjoyed the day (even the stresses and frustrations of the debate) and did the College proud.

Lois Sourbutts, Isabelle Wilton and Lucy Gregg pondering a tricky thinking challenge

Test yourself: here is one of the problems the girls were faced with...

Every year in Britain there are nearly 25,000 car fires, yet it is estimated that only five per cent of motorists travel with a fire extinguisher in their car. If more motorists could be encour-aged to carry fire extinguishers then the number of car fires could be considerably reduced. Which of the following is the best statement of the flaw in the argument above? A It ignores the fact that millions of motorists never experience a car fire. B It assumes that carrying a fire extinguisher will enable fires to be put out. C It implies that the occurrence of car fires is related to the lack of an extinguisher. D It overlooks the possibility that fires might not be put out with an extinguisher. E It ignores the fact that there are different extinguishers for different kinds of fires

Year 12 brightest attend HAL conference

Senior Science Society in pictures

 

Years 10-13 meet on a Wednesday lunchtime in G7 (12.30-1.00) to explore areas of Science that interest us. Last half term we investigated electrostatics, made slime (with a thermo-chromic pigment!) grew crystal gardens investigated different fuels in the ‘Whoosh’ bottle and enjoyed a Science themed ‘Bake Off’. This term we’ve worked on the ‘I wonder’ display, an-swering questions posed by fellow students and we’ve got an eye dissection and crystal Christ-mas decorations planned. If you’d like to join us we’d love to see you!

Senior Science Society in pictures

 

 

Senior citizens’ Christmas lunch

Once again this December, the school hosted the annual senior citizens’ Christmas lunch. Hundreds from the local community enjoyed a hearty turkey dinner and were treated to excellent performances from our students including ballet and pantomime. New Head of English Mr Batty entertained the crowds as Master of Ceremonies while the raffle raised £768 for the school’s charity Alzheimers. Special thanks go the caretakers, catering team and Student Leadership Group who helped make this fantastic event possible.

 

The long read: Tyler Essay Prize entry

What role does symmetry play in biology?

Symmetry – the ability to mathema cally transform an 

object and it not to change – is prevalent in mul ple 

disciplines, from art to the sciences (Coolman, 2015). 

Symmetry was found to be central to the fundamental 

laws of physics (Goldberg, 2013) and is also found 

throughout biological forms, from microscopic to mac-

roscopic scales, though unlike physics and maths, it is 

not always geometrically exact (Candela et al., 

2014:2645). Symmetry can result from mul ple types of 

transforma ons, such as bilateral symmetry, where a 

reflec on along a line or plane results in two sides 

which are mirror images of each other, or radial sym-

metry, where a rota on of n° results in the same image 

(Coolman, 2015). The bilateral symmetry of bird’s wings 

are needed in order for them to fly (Moubayidin & 

Østergaard, 2015:985), while radial symmetry is com-

monly found in flowers. Transla onal symmetry is key 

when looking at crystal la ces, with the unit cell being 

repeated infinitely in all direc ons. More complex 

transforma ons, with mul ple steps can also result in 

symmetrical pa erns (Coolman, 2015) which can be 

found in nature, such as the glide rota on of the flow-

ers of Heliconia rostrata. 

Throughout evolu on a number of organisms have de-

veloped and maintained some kind of symmetry, 

whether in the molecules that make them up, or their 

en re body plans; there is some debate whether this 

symmetry has a func onal purpose or is an accident of 

evolu on (Wolynes, 1996:14249), yet there are possible 

explana ons for the advantages that these symmetries 

provide. 

Proteins are fundamental to life, from their role in the 

capturing of sunlight for photosynthesis in plants to 

forming an bodies to combat infec ons in the immune 

response of animals. There are many different proteins 

with varying roles, but they are all made up of the same 

structure of a chain of amino acids, of which there are 

20. Many proteins are oligomeric, meaning that they 

are made up of many copies of a few amino acids, in a 

chain which can be symmetric (Goodsell, 2000:235). 

The chain of amino acids may then fold to form a sym-

metrical 3D structure. The symmetry adopted by the 

protein depends on the func on and stability require-

ments and is a consequence of how the protein folds 

and the subunits it is made up from (Goldenfeld, n.d). 

The symmetry of proteins could poten ally have many func-

ons, if it isn’t simply an accident of nature. The symmetry in 

chains allows for a simpler code for the protein to be tran-

scribed and then translated during synthesis (Goldenfeld, 

n.d), reducing the chance of a muta on in the protein which 

would alter the func on, as a change in the primary structure 

of amino acids can have larger consequences in the 3D ter-

ary structure. Symmetry within the amino acid chain also 

contributes to how funnelled the protein folding energy land-

scape is. A funnelled energy landscape suggests rapid protein 

folding (Wolynes, 1996:14251), with proteins folding un l 

they reach the ground energy state, represented by the base 

on the funnel (or as close as possible) (Humbio Core, 2011). A 

funnelled shape is key to this, as there is one possible lowest 

energy state, which ensures that the polypep de chain is 

folded in the correct 3D structure that will enable it to func-

on properly.  

The achievement of the lowest free energy state also reflects 

a higher stability that comes with symmetry (Blagojevic, 

2013), meaning that the protein is less likely to denature. 

This is key to ensuring that proteins con nue to func on – 

for example, the denaturing of an enzyme and consequent 

change in the shape of the binding site means it can no long-

er form an enzyme-substrate complex, and therefore can no 

longer catalyse important biological reac ons, such as the 

breakdown of hydrogen peroxide produced through respira-

on in mitochondria. 

Maybe one of the most well-known examples of a protein 

with symmetry in its 3D structure is haemoglobin, which con-

sists of four polypep de chains – two alpha helices and two 

beta pleated sheets. These arrange in a structure which has 

two-fold symmetry, as a rota on of 180° will not change 

what the haemoglobin looks like. This allows for the affinity 

for oxygen changing at different par al pressures (Wolynes, 

1996:14249), which is key in the efficient delivery of oxygen. 

From biomolecules, the next step up is the organelles and 

cells which make up the  ssues of organisms. Within these, 

symmetry is key in cell divisions in order to produce iden cal 

daughter cells. This is important in prolifera on of cells such 

as T and B lymphocytes during the specific immune response 

and the produc on of soma c stem cells which can then 

differen ate through asymmetric divisions to regenerate 

ssue (Castro et al, 2015:2026). to the growth of a tumour.  

The long read: Tyler Essay Prize entry

Mathema cal modelling carried out by Komarova and Shari-

yari (2013:10) showed that the symmetric divisions of stem 

cells (instead of just asymmetric divisions to produce special-

ised cells) reduces the chance of two muta ons occurring in 

the gene cs which code for cell prolifera on.  

This, according to the ‘Two-Hit Hypothesis’ proposed by Al-

fred G Knudson whereby the inheritance of one muta on 

from a parent and a second muta on a er concep on or two 

muta ons occurring a er concep on, would result in the 

development of cancer (Russo, 1999). Therefore, the role of 

symmetry in stem cell division is not only to replenish the 

supply of soma c stem cells, but provides an evolu onary 

advantage in reducing the chance of muta ons which would 

lead to cancer (therefore increasing the likelihood of surviv-

al).  It could also be argued that another role of symmetry on 

a cellular level is to be broken – according to Pohl 

(2015:2062) ‘animal development relies on repeated sym-

metry breaking’ with P.W. Anderson sugges ng that in-

creased symmetry breaking reflects the increasing complexi-

ty of an organism (Bowerman, 2010:1). As suggested above, 

the asymmetric distribu on of cell content results in daugh-

ter cells with different cell fates, leading to cell specialisa on, 

which is o en associated with more complex forms. This cell 

polarity is also key in the func oning of some cells, such as 

neurons which have a dendrite and an axon end, controlling 

the flow of the signal (Na onal University of Singapore, 

2018), or migra ng cells, where the establishment of a front 

and rear end allow a direc on of migra on to be established 

(Borisy et al., 2003:1). 

Symmetry is also visible on the macroscopic scale, in animal 

body plans and various plant organs. Both kingdoms exhibit 

both radial and bilateral symmetry, with the la er symme-

tries having evolved from the former.  Over 99% of animal 

species are bilaterally symmetrical on the outside (Holló & 

Novák, 2012:1), with one common ancestor which appeared 

during the Vendian period, 635 to 541 million years ago 

(Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2015), just before the 

Cambrian Explosion which marked the rapid diversifica on of 

organisms with hard body parts. There are mul ple theories 

of why the Bilateria have been so successful, from the im-

provement in manoeuvrability to the simple aesthe c of 

symmetry.  

Animals with radial symmetry tend to have sessile lifestyles, 

with a surrounding environment which is equal in all direc-

ons and generally a nervous system that has not got a con-

centra on of nerves (ie. brain or spinal cord) (Prosser, 2012). 

This even distribu on of organs and nerves means that the 

organisms can sense their environment equally from all sides, 

and can catch food on all sides with equal probability. 

However, organisms which display bilateral symmetry have 

much more ac ve lifestyles and are associated with cephali-

za on, or the development of a concentra on of sensory 

organs in the head as this is the end which is more likely to 

meet a s mulus first (Lodal, n.d.). Mathema cal modelling of 

aqua c organisms carried out by Holló and Novák (2012:3) 

showed that bilateral symmetry provides an advantage in the 

ability to change direc on quickly, which is needed for both 

catching prey and avoiding being prey. This is due to the abil-

ity to change both the surface area and drag of one side of 

the body in order to make a force against the water sur-

rounding the organism large enough to change direc on. As 

life evolved in a water environment, and the genes for bilat-

eral symmetry evolved early in the development of life, this is 

a plausible explana on for the reasoning behind many organ-

isms exhibi ng bilateral symmetry, and the role that this 

symmetry has in increasing the likelihood of survival through 

improving the ability of an organism to move quickly. 

Symmetry however is not always advantageous - if the heart 

was symmetrical, survival is unlikely in ac ve organisms 

(Zimmer, 2013), as having a larger le  side means that blood 

can be pumped under a high enough pressure to reach every-

where in the body, while a smaller right side prevents the 

delicate capillaries of the lungs from burs ng. The interior 

arrangement of humans and many other organisms is asym-

metric, with the le  being preferred over the right, which 

could have evolved from the use of the le  side of the body 

over the right by some ancient ancestor (Gee, 1988). 

Another reasonable explana on is that symmetry has con n-

ued to prevail on the exterior of organisms because it is simp-

ly more aesthe cally pleasing. The symmetry of an organism 

may reflect the gene c health of it, and as females look for a 

mate with the best genes in order to increase the likelihood 

of healthy offspring, they select the most symmetrical mates. 

Therefore the genes for symmetry are passed on, and the 

alleles become more common within the popula on, leading 

to the evolu on of symmetrical beings.  This theory is reflect-

ed in the preference of male barn-swallows with tail forks of 

similar lengths by female barn-swallows looking for a mate 

(Gee, 1998).  

The advantage in reproduc on that symmetry gives is also a 

possible explana on for the changing symmetry of plants. 

There have been many cases of bilaterally symmetrical flow-

ers evolving from radially symmetrical flowers in various 

plant families, which is thought to be a result of the influence 

on pollina on. more common in the popula on.  

The long read: Tyler Essay Prize entry

This preference for bilaterally symmetrical flowers was 

shown through a study carried out by José Gómez, in which 

2000 observa ons were taken of pollinators visi ng the flow-

ers of Erysimum mediohispanicum, which produces both bi-

laterally and radially symmetrical forms. The results showed 

that plants with bilaterally symmetrical flowers had more 

visits from pollinators and produced more seeds and off-

spring, sugges ng that this form of symmetry was advanta-

geous over radial symmetry (Balter, 2006).  

Plants also exhibit different forms of symmetry throughout 

different organs, from roots to leaves. This could be as a re-

sult of the  ming of the cell cycle, with an equal amount of 

cell divisions occurring all around  ssues, therefore they de-

velop in the same way in every direc on (Hudson, 2000:356). 

However, when looking at the whole form of a plant, the 

surrounding environment also has a large impact on the 

growth of plants, as exhibited by the different forms of tro-

pism which result from uneven distribu on of the growth 

hormone auxin, showing the benefits of symmetry breaking, 

such as the growth of shoots towards a source of water, as it 

increases the likelihood of plants surviving.  

In conclusion, symmetry has mul ple roles throughout biolo-

gy, star ng with the smallest molecular units all the way up 

to whole forms. It is prevalent when it provides some sort of 

func onal advantage to an organism, from the efficiency of 

protein folding to the chance of a plant being fer lised and 

may con nue to evolve in instances where more symmetrical 

forms are preferred due to simpler aesthe c reasons.  

- Natalie Stevenson 

Selected Bibliography 

Balter, M. (2006) Pollinators Power Flower Evolu onI, 

[Online], Available: h p://www.sciencemag.org/

news/2006/10/pollinators-power-flower-evolu on [11 Au-

gust 2018] 

Blagojevic, V.A. (2013) What is the rela on between stability

of protein and Gibbs free energy?, [Online], Available:h ps://

www.researchgate.net/post/

What_is_the_rela on_between_stability_of_protein_and_Gi

bbs_free_energy [20 August 2018] 

Borisy, G., Firtel, R.A., Ginsbery, M.H., Horwitz, A.R., Parsons, 

T.J., Ridley, A.J. & Schwartz, M.A. (2008) ‘Cell Migra on: Inte-

gra ng Signals from Front to Back’ Science, Vol. 302, no. 

5651, pp. 1704-1709. 

Hudson, A., (2000) ‘Development of Symmetry in Plants’. 

Annual review of plant physiology and plant molecular biolo-

gy, no. 51, pp. 349-370. 

Humbio Core (2011) Introduc on to Thermodynamics and

Proteins Folding.mp4, [Online], Available: h ps://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq4T7-UrIvE [19 July 2018] 

Komarova, N. & Shahriyari, L. (2013) ‘Symmetric vs. Asym-

metric Stem Cell Divisions: An Adapta on against Cancer?’. 

Public Library for Science One, Vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 1-16. 

Lodal, K. (n.d) Symmetry in Organismal Biology, [Online], 

Available: h ps://www.math.brown.edu/~banchoff/Yale/

project04/bio.html [25 July 2018] 

Lomonosov Moscow State University (2015) Origin of bilat-

eral symmetry: Humans’ distant ancestors had tentacles,

[Online], Available: h ps://www.sciencedaily.com/

releases/2015/04/150422142354.htm [15 July 2018] 

Moubayidin, L. & Østergaard, L. (2015) ‘Symmetry Ma ers’. 

New Phytologist, no. 207, pp. 985-990. 

Na onal University of Singapore (2018) What is cell polarity?,

[Online], Available: h ps://www.mechanobio.info/

development/what-is-cell-polarity/ [24 July 2018] 

Pohl, C. (2015) ‘Cytoskeletal Symmetry Breaking and Chirali-

ty: From Recons tuted Systems to Animal Development’. 

Symmetry, Vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 2062-2107. 

Prosser, W.A.M., (2012) Animal Body Plans and Movement:

Symmetry in Ac on, [Online], Available: h ps://

www.decodedscience.org/animal-body-plans-symmetry-in-

ac on/13171 [6 July 2018] 

Zimmer, C. (2013) Growing Le , Growing Right, [Online], 

Available: h ps://www.ny mes.com/2013/06/04/science/

growing-le -growing-right-how-a-body-breaks-

symmetry.html [9 August 2018]  

Natalie Stevenson is a Year 13 student currently studying Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry. She hopes to gain a place to study Earth Sciences at Oxford University.

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