Class Response: Aquarium Field Trip

Our class recently took a field trip to an aquarium to see some of the animals that we studied earlier in the year. Since the aquarium was big and considerably far away and we had to be back at school in time for the buses, we didn't get much time to see the animals. However, I am only going to mention two examples that related most to my science curriculum. We got a chance to see hippos and birds. The two hippos seemed to be asleep, and the birds would occasionally land on their heads. After further investigation, I found out that the birds land on the hippopotamus' heads to pick off toxins that are potentially harmful to the hippos. This is a great example of symbiosis, where at least one animal benefits from another animal. In this case, both animals benefit- the bird gets food, and the hippo gets toxins picked off of it.
Another animal that we saw was the medusa jellyfish. It comes from the phylum of "Cnidaria", which means "stinging cells". I'm sure you know that jellyfish sting, but do you know how they sting? Since they don't have eyes, they use the sense of touch rather than sight to find their prey. When something brushes up against them, a cell shoots out of its skin and acts almost like a harpoon. This then injects venom into whatever brushed up against it. The venom is only deadly enough to kill small animals that can be eaten by the jellyfish and are generally uncomfortable but harmless to humans. This is the stinging sensation that you feel, hence the name "stinging cells".
I enjoyed the aquarium field trip. There were quite a few things that I could relate to experiences in my science class this year, and aquariums in general are just fun. I would have liked to have a bit longer to stay at the aquarium, however. I would like to go back with family or friends one day and stay a while longer to see the rest of the animals. Overall, the aquarium was a fun time.

Chilean Earthquake

Early in the morning on February 27, 2010, a massive and devastating earthquake hit Chile. An 8.8 on the seismograph, it is said to be the strongest since 1960, when an earthquake sent a tsunami across the Indian Ocean. Some areas, such as Santiago, are on the fault lines, so tremors are not unusual. This, however, was far from normal. 706 people are reportedly dead, 500,000 homes destroyed, and 1.5 million people were affected. About ninety aftershocks have rattled Chile again, one being almost as strong as Haiti's devastating tremor. People in Chile have lost power, water, internet, not to mention homes... so many luxuries that we, as Americans, take for granted.

In my opinion, Chilean citizens are doing a great job maintaining positive attitudes and working to get everything back to normal. It's these attitudes that get things done. At the same time, I feel sympathy for Chile. I mean, you wake up one morning to an earthquake destroying the country. What are you supposed to do? Chile's situation is heartbreaking, but they're strong, and I'm confident that they'll get through this.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/02/28/sask-chile-earthquake-reax.html

Math Blog- How is Global Warming Related to Math?

As I'm sure you've heard, the Earth's surface temperature is increasing because of anthropogenic (human-caused) pollution. That's the topic of a research essay that I wrote, so I know a lot about this phenomena. The essay covered four out of five subjects: Science, in the aspect of how the Earth is warming, Social Studies, represented in how people are affected and/or causing global warming, Literature, in researching and comprehending information, and Language Arts, in writing the actual essay. The only subject left out is Math, and my assignment is to relate global warming to mathematics. Well, scientists use math to predict the rates at which some factors may escalate. If math weren't involved, scientists wouldn't be able to predict how warm it may get, when it can get that warm, and the extinction rates of animals and plants. Math is also needed to find the rates at which the temperature has already changed, and the speed that it is increasing at. If you think about it, this is most of the information that we need to understand global warming. So if we didn't have math, global warming would pretty much be a mystery. Thank you, mathematics, for helping us understand why the Earth is warming, and why it's such a big deal!

Haitian Earthquake-- Why So Significant?

The story of the massive earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 has been all over the news. But what makes this earthquake more significant than other earthquakes that have occured recently? Well, there are three good reasons:

1. The earthquake occured extremely close to Haiti's capital city, Port au Prince.
2. It occured only 10 or 15 meters below the Earth's crust, which is very shallow, and makes the earthquake notably powerful.
3. Haiti is a poor counrty, and many people can't afford to build a strong building. As a result, many buildings were destroyed.

These factors coming into play made this earthquake a "worst case scenario," as Jian Lin, a senior scientist with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) said. The Haitian earthquake was caused by "a highly complex tangle of tectonic faults" underneath where the North American tectonic plate meets the Carribean tectonic plate. The strike-slip fault didn't cause a tsunami or any other type of dangerous or disconcerting wave because it was underneath land, as opposed to sea. Aftershocks are expected from any amount of time from days to decades. Unfortunately, about 50,000 people were killed. All of the other Carribean nations are advised to take note and stay alert- this could be their fate as well.

While I extend my deepest sympathy to Haitians affected by this massive tremor, I am glad that it didn't claim more than the 50,000 lives that have already been lost because of it. I can't imagine something this devastating taking place in my hometown, and I'd prefer not to. The terrible fact that this devastation took place anywhere in the world is upsetting. I anticipate and hope that Haiti will be able to rebuild, just as New Orleans, Louisiana did after Hurricane Katrina wiped out homes and buildings in August 2005.

Source: ScienceDaily

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100114143321.htm