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

Class Response- Cork Popping Experiment

*Note: This picture shows the reaction between baking soda and vinegar in an uncorked test tube. In our experiment, the test tube was corked.

As you can imagine, class was quite interesting when our teacher announced that our experiment was to shoot a cork across the classroom. The method was actually quite simple- we had to find the correct ratio of baking soda to vinegar to make the cork hit the window on the other side of the classroom, which was 675 cm away. The combination of baking soda and vinegar causes a chemical reaction, creating carbon dioxide, or CO2. The CO2 then expands, creating pressure behind the cork. This is what causes the cork to pop out of the test tube.

1. In our first attempt, we used 10 mL of baking soda, and 15 mL of vinegar. We first added the baking soda to the test tube. Once we were on the firing range, we added the vinegar. The cork went 605 cm out of the total 675 cm.


2. My lab partners and I decided to increase the quantities of both the baking soda and vinegar for our second attempt. When we were on the firing range, the test tube was pointed too low. As a result, the vinegar spilled directly onto the floor, only a little bit getting into the test tube. The cork only popped 40 cm.


3. Since we made a silly mistake on our second attempt, we decided to try the same thing again. This time, our cork popped 655 cm out of the total 675 cm.


4. We decided to increase the amount of baking soda to 20 mL, and decrease the amount of vinegar to 10 mL. This time, the cork popped 589 cm, 156 cm less than the time before.


5. This time, we decided to add the vinegar first, as in our tries 1-4 we had added baking soda first. When the baking soda was added, there was not much initial reaction. Because of this, my lab partner, who was holding the test tube, shook it. Unfortunately, he shook it vertically. The cork shot up, hit the ceiling, and fell behind us.


6. We decided to try the same method as Trial 5. The cork went 401 cm before falling down. My lab partners and I agreed that adding baking soda first doesn't work as well.


7. For our 7th try, we decided to use equal amounts of baking soda and vinegar, using 15 mL of both. We also went back to adding the baking soda before the vinegar. This proved to be our best method so far- it went the full 675 cm, hitting the vent at the back of the class. However, we did not hit the window.


8. We decided to use the same method again, but aim more toward the window. The cork went 675 cm again, hitting the windowsill, but again, not the window.


9. Our group decided to increase both the quantities of baking soda and vinegar to 20 mL. This time, the cork hit the last tile, so again, it went 675 cm.


10. Once again, we tried the same thing, and got the same result. We kept getting so close to hitting the window, but that's all we got- close.


11. For our 11th attempt, we used 10 mL of baking soda, and 20 mL of vinegar. This time, the cork popped out, hit the light, and fell, at 510 cm.


12. We used the same method as above, and got the result that we had been getting-the cork went 675 cm, and hit the vent at the back of the class.


13. Our 13th try was our last. We decided to try the same thing as our 12th try, hoping that our problem was with our angle. We tried it again, and got the same result.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this experiment. Though our group's cork never hit the window, we had fun trying to figure out how to get the result we want. I think that out of all the experiments we've done so far, this was my favorite.

Meteor Shower- October 2009

Just for the record, the image above is not of the Orionids Meteor Shower, it is a picture of the Perseids Meteor Shower. I could not find a clear picture of the Orionids Meteor Shower, and this is why I am using the Perseids Meteor Shower to substitute.

As you may know, the Orionids Meteor Shower was visible in our sky starting on October 2. This meteor shower occurs every October. Halley's Comet, which causes the Orionids Meteor Shower, also produces another meteor shower in May called Eta Aquarids.

Before I go into any more detail about the Orionids Meteor Shower specifically, I should probably give a little bit of information about meteor showers themselves. A meteor is a streak of light in the sky. They occur when a meteoroid, which is a solid moving object in space and often come from a comet (as in the case of the Orionids) , enters the atmosphere. These, when they are in clusters, are called meteor showers.

The Orionids Meteor Shower gets its name, like many other meteor showers, from a constellation it seems to radiate from. In this case, this constellation is Orion. This meteor shower will be visible from October 2 until November 7. The strongest activity supposedly took place this morning, October 21, during the predawn hours. The Orionids always seems to show what is called "submaxima activity" from October 18 until October 24. This means that sudden outbursts may occur at any time. Like I said before, the Orionids Meteor Shower is only in the sky until November 7, so if you are interested, look up and towards the constellation Orion while it is dark outside, and see what you can see!

Sources:

MeteorBlog.com: www.meteorblog.com

Wikipedia.com: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor#Meteor

Blue Eyes

Scientists have known for a while that blue eyes were caused by a genetic mutation about 10,000 years ago. Just recently, they found the mutated gene, called the OCA2 gene. This gene, located in the chromosomes, controls melanin production in the iris, which gives your eyes their color. Brown eyes contain a lot of melanin, while blue eyes contain little. Depending on the amout of melanin, eyes can be any color from brown to green. Originally, all people had brown eyes. Scientists say that all blye-eyed people have exactly the same DNA sequence, linking them all to one common ancestor. All blue-eyed people inherited the genetic switch in the same spot of DNA. The genetic switch somehow spread throughout Europe, and now other parts of the world.

I found this article interesting, being blue-eyed myself. I also found it interesting because I have ancestors from Denmark, one of the countires this study was conducted in. My question is, how did this mutation take place?


One Common Ancestor Behind Blue Eyes LiveScience
http://www.livescience.com/health/080131-blue-eyes.html

Plasticity Lab

In science class, we did a lab to demonstrate the plasticity of Earth's mantle. To do this, we used cornstarch and water, and combined them in a large beaker. The result- though very hard to stir- was extremely interesting. This mixture created a substance that went between liquid and solid. It seemed to melt when you did not handle it, but when you touched it again it was solid. Because it went between being liquid and solid very rapidly, I think it was both.

As I stated before, this lab was to demonstrate the plasticity of Earth's mantle. The mixture that we created was similar to the mantle because it reacts the same way that scientists have found that the mantle does. It has the same texture as well. Both substances are solid, yet behave like a liquid, and also behave somewhat like plastic.

I enjoyed this lab a lot. I want to try this again at home, because the mixture that we created was so interesting and fun to play with!

Source:
Wikipedia.org

October Sky Blog

In school we watched a fascinating movie called "October Sky". It was about four teenage boys who decide to try to build a rocket after being inspired by the Russian sattelite, Sputnik. But the boys face a problem- they are growing up in a mining town in which you were expected to only finish high school, then go to work in the mines. Though the main character, Homer Hickam, faced many failed attempts, as well as an unsupportive father, he eventually succeeded in building a rocket, won the national science fair, and got a scholarship to college.

"October Sky" can be connected to science, math and character education because Homer used science to both build his rocket, and make it fly. The Russian sattelite Sputnik is also relevent in the same ways as rockets. In addition, the health hazards that the miners faced are also valid connections, because the human body and health are also part of science.

Math was used in figuring out how to get it off the ground, how fast it would go, how high it would go, and where it would eventually land. Adding to this, Homer proved that the boys's rocket did not start the forest fire by figuring out how high it would go, and how far it had traveled. Homer had calculated the exact spot that the rocket would have landed- and found it right there.

The character traits Homer and the "Rocket Boys", as they were called, displayed can be connected to CARES. For example, the boys worked together to build the rocket, showing cooperation. Homer used assertion when talking to his father about continuing to try to build his rockets, though showing respect for his wishes. This would show both assertion and respect. Empathy was shown when Homer's father told the son of a man who was killed in the mines what a great man his father was, and how terrible it was that the accident that had killed him occurred. Throughout the movie, Homer showed self-control by not physically hurting his father, no matter how rude and uncaring Mr. Hickam was to his son.

I enjoyed the movie "October Sky" very much, and I think that all the science and math connections, as well as connections to character education, are very relevent to our curriculum.

Response to: Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle Cell Anemia, a genetic disorder that affects bone marrow, seems to be an interesting disease. I feel bad for the people with Sickle Cell Anemia, because it can be a lifelong disease if the Sickle Cells reproduce. According to softballgirl96, it affects many people worldwide. I hope that a cure is found soon, though a rather risky one is bone marrow transplant. It seems that many genes that cause genetic disorders are mutated, rather than being absent or having extra copies. In my opinion, the sooner a cure is found, the better. I would like to learn more about Sickle Cell Anemia.

Source:
softballgirl96

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the skin and bowels. The symptoms and possible complications of people with this disorder are:

• very salty-tasting skin

• persistent coughing, at times with phlegm

• frequent lung infections

• wheezing or shortness of breath

• poor growth or weight gain in spite of a good appetite

• frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movement

30,000 people in the United States have Cystic Fibrosis, and 70,00 people worldwide. Children and adolescents are most vulnerable to the disease. People that had cystic fibrosis used to die young, but now, with new treatments, they live into their 30's, 40's, and beyond, though the median age is 37.

At the molecular level, there is a mutated gene. For example, genes G542X, G551D, N1303K, W1282X, and ΔF508. The gene mutation ΔF508, the most common mutation involved in Cystic Fibrosis, is a deletion of three nucleotides.

Though there is no known cure for Cystic Fibrosis, a good nutrition and active lifestyle can help. Knowing this, I am sympathetic to people with Cystic Fibrosis. With the median mortality being 37 years old, that does not seem like a very long- or comfortable- lifetime. I hope that in the future, there is a cure for this dreadful genetic disorder.

Source:
Wikipedia.org

Social Studies Blog

This week, New Jersey Senate committee approved a bill to decrease taxes in small buisnesses. The bill, as stated by an online article on www.nj.com, "was an element of the economic stimulus package proposed in October by Gov. Jon Corzine". Simply put, it was based on an idea that Governor Jon Corzine stated in October. This gives the state of New Jersey more money for other causes that the government feels is important. The vote was unanimous, all fourteen representitives for New Jersey voting for this bill. This may help small buisnesses not go out of buisness, also helping the economy. I think this was a good decision, and more small buisnesses will probably succeed because of this new law.

"Senate committee approves bill to spur loans to small businesses, individuals"

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/senate_approves_push_for_econo.html

My Roller Coaster

Sachmokido

Roller Coaster Project

In science, we are making roller coasters out of paper towel tubes, milk cartons, and other common items. The requirements of the roller coaster are:

-it has to have at least three hills

-it has to have at least one other roller coaster feature

-it must be completed in the time given

-you must buy all materials using "Omega Money" that you earn from teachers

Our group's roller coaster, which we have decided to name "Sachmokido" for the two first letters of everyone's name in our group, unfortunately does not meet requirements. Though Sachmokido does not meet requirements, my group and I had fun assembling it. While this assignment was a lot of fun, it also related to Newton's laws. For example, the marble does not move until it is dropped into the start of our roller coaster, as stated in Newton's First law of motion. Newton's Second law is demonstrated by the marble picking up more speed at some points, and slowing down slightly at others. Our roller coaster relates to Newton's Third law because when the marble hits the tape we put at the end to stop it, we then tilt the roller coaster the opposite way, making the marble go in the opposite direction it was going before it hit the tape. I think this was a very fun and very educational assignment, and my group and I enjoyed it a lot. If only all assignments were this much fun...

LCD televisions vs. the enviroment

Yes, your LCD television is destroying the world around you. But the real question is, how? One reason is that producing plasma screen televisions releases a greenhouse gas called nitrogen trifluoride, which is about 17, 000 times more destructive than carbon dioxide. It is even more of a concern because the levels of this gas have not been measured, and it is not known wheather it is "captured on sight or broken down before release into the atmosphere". Nitrogen trifluoride is not covered by the Kyoto protocol, an enviromental treaty that was established at a United Nations conference. This is because in 1997, when the treaty was signed, nitrogen trifluoride was only produced in small amounts, because LCD televisions were not popular yet. As their populariy grew, and more needed to be manufactured, more harmful gasses were released into the air. It is estimated that 4,000 tons of nitrogen trifluoride was produced in 2008, and it is likely to double in 2009. What a cheerful way to kick off the new year!

In my opinion, nitrogen trifluoride should be included in a future treaty like the Kyoto protocol. If this is not put into effect, the enviroment will become even more damaged, and some animal species may become extinct.

Article by Yahoo! Green http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/624/are-lcd-tvs-worse-than-coal-plants.html

Dissecting Owl Pellets

In science class, we are dissecting owl pellets from a barn owl. Owl pellets, although many people mistake them for feces or vomit, are regurgitated matter which an owl can't digest. This includes the bones and fur or feathers of the animals that the owl ingested. The prey of barn owls is mostly vertebrates, or a group of animals characterized by a segmented spinal column and a well differentiated head. Rodents seem to be the most popular kind of prey for a barn owl. Though barn owls aren't picky eaters-- they eat practically anything they can get to that's more than a beakful. So far, my partner and I have found two rodent skulls, a rib, and a bone we have not yet identified. I think that this assignment is educational and unique, and helps students both learn and better understand predators and prey.

Symbiosis

In science class, we are learning about symbiosis. Symbiosis is a close relationship between two organisms in which one organism lives near, on, or even inside another organism and in which at least one organism benefits. There are three kinds of symbiosis: mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism. Mutualism is when both organisms involved in the relationship benefit. Parasitism is when one organism benefits, and the other is hurt. In a commensal relationship, one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor helped.

Symbiosis is believed to be one factor that makes evolution possible. This is because it is said that evolution is based on co-operation, interaction, and mutual dependence. Also, it is typically only the symbiotic relationships that are lifelong and involve biochemical contact can be considered symbiotic. This means that typically only relationships that last for an organism's entire life that are involved with the process of chemicals through an organism can be considered symbiotic. Another fact is that at one point in its life, an animal is a host to one or more parasites, in a parasitic relationship.

I know that symbiosis is vital to the life of all organisms. I think that the most important role that symbiosis plays is aiding evolution. Without symbiosis, humans may have never existed. I also feel that although it is neccisary, parasitism is unfair to a parasite's host. A parasite can kill its host, although its relationship is neccisary, which is unfair to the host.

Sources:

Wikipedia.com-- symbiosis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiosis biochemical: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochemical

Which Species Should We Save?

As you have probably heard, many species of animals are starting to become extinct. Rather than try to save every species that is beginning to die off, scientists in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences are now trying to decide which are the most crucial. These are the animals with the greatest genetic diversity, the team reported two weeks ago. Marc W. Cadotte, a researcher on the team, said, "Given that we are losing species from ecosystems around the world, we need to know which species matter the most -- and which we should pour our resources into protecting," . Taking one part out of an ecosystem may mean losing the whole ecosystem. For example, if all of the polar bears in an arctic ecosystem become extinct, the decomposers have no food. If there are no decomposers, the producers can't survive, and if producers can't survive, niether can herbivores. Once all the herbivores are gone, the carnivores die off, and the ecosystem is gone. So the scientists researching this have a really important decision to make- if they decide wrong, it can destroy many other ecosystems, ultimately leading to us- every ecosystem is ultimately linked together, called the biosphere. Scientists are saying that this is the second biggest extinction the world has seen, only to be beat by the extinction of the dinosaurs about 65million years ago. I am not sure how well this plan will work- every ecosystem in the world is connected via the biosphere, so it will ultimately affect us- I think it may be easier to save the most important parts of the ecosystem than to save every endangered species in the world.

Article by Yahoo! Green http://green.yahoo.com/news/livescience/20081021/sc_livescience/scientistsdeterminingwhichspeciestosave.html

New Study on Bottled Water

Scientific testing by the Washington- based Enviromental Working Group revealed that bottled water, which had been thought of as much purer than tap water, actually has some of the same contaminants. The major brands were tested, and they all seemed to comply with the federal health standards. The study of the ten major brands of bottled water revealed thirty- eight chemicals. Some of these chemicals are bacteria, caffeine, pain reliever acetaminophin, fertilizer solvents, plastic- making chemicals and the radioactive element strontium. Researchers said that some of the chemicals may have been from the tap water that some companies use, and others from the plastic bottles. The study, which was two years long, has found the contaminants in bottled water purchased in Washington, D. C. and nine other states. The study showed that all but two brands turned out to be pure enought to exclude them from further testing. I feel that bottled water should not be from a tap, and that it should be purified more by the companies. If this were to happen, less contaminants would be found in the water, and studies such as this would not be required.

Article by Yahoo! Green http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081015/ap_on_sc/impure_bottled_water_1.html

GO OMEGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!