Application Biochemistry and Cell Biology Imagine you are making plans to take care of your home as you prepare to leave for a long vacation. You realize there are two things in your home that require special attention your pets and your houseplants. These need special attention because they are . Have you thought closely about what distinguishes a living organism from a non-living thing? “Biochemistry is the study of the structure, composition, and chemical reactions of substances in living systems” (American Chemical Society, 2012). This week, you begin to explore biochemistry as you learn about the fundamental unit of all living things—the cell. You discover what all cells require for life, learn about the cell’s structure and how it functions, and pay special attention to a critical cell component, the cell membrane. For this Application Assignment, you complete the Cell Structure and Function Virtual Lab and complete a hands-on lab about cell function, the Osmosis Lab. You also complete and submit a lab report based on the Osmosis Lab. Reference American Chemical Society. (2012). Careers in Chemistry Biochemistry. Retrieved January 17, 2012, from http//portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=1188&content_id=CTP_003379&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=046229e5-a4d2-4fb3-b0ef-52004408a6fd. To prepare for this week’s Application Assignment The following schedule outlines your assignments for this week’s Application Assignment. By Day 3 You must obtain or purchase a few inexpensive items for this lab. See the list of lab materials under the Required Resources section. Also, Part 1 of the lab takes 48 hours to complete, so start the lab no later than Day 3. By Day 5 By Day 7