Rock Planet with similar complexion to Earth found just 500 light years away.

Rock Planet with similar complexion to Earth found just 500 light years away.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/09/16/new.rocky.planet/index.html

Louis Florio

Review on Article

In this well written article, A new planet scientists call CoRoT- 7b was found with similar complexion to Earth. This planet is located off the constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. Though said to be similar to Earth, in terms of climate it is very different. On its light side the temperature reaches up to 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit and on its night side temperatures can reach -328 degrees Fahrenheit. Many scientists call this a good example of what humans depict as hell. Hatzes a scientist that has been observing this planet said that it has no atmosphere to redistribute its heat. Also, another interesting fact is that one of our days is equal to an entire year on this planet. CoRoT- 7b is also the first rocky planet ever found in another system and has an orbit around its star seven times faster than earth. The planet was first detected early in 2008 by the CoRoT satellite, a 30centimeter space telescope launched by the European Space Agency in December 2006, specifically with the mission of detecting rocky planets outside the solar system. 42 scientists at 17 institutions worked this project on. This planet also has 5 times Earths mass and in technically in Earths solar neighborhood. Over all I thought this article had a lot of facts and details but did not elaborate on them enough. Even though this was a downfall it was fun to read and the topic is very interesting as well.

White House Pushes Science and Math Education

White House Pushes Science and Math Education

By Warren Kraemer

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/education/23educ.html?_r=1&sq=Science&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=2&adxnnlx=1259289146-TNZKkjkJPJiNDAuo+fjrzQ

The White House has decided to recruit Big Bird and Elmo in order to improve mathematics and science across America. The President will announce on Monday a campaign to enlist companies and nonprofit groups to give money, time, and volunteer effort to help encourage students to pursue science and technology. This campaign, called Educated to Innovate, will mainly focus on activities outside the classroom. For example, the Discovery Channel has promised to use two hours of the afternoon schedule on its Science Channel cable network for commercial-free programming geared toward middle school students. The MacArthur Foundation and technology industry organizations are giving out prizes in a contest to develop video games that teach science and math. Back in April, Mr. Obama told the National Academy of Sciences, “ a renewed commitment” would move to America “from the middle of the top of the pack in science and math over the next decade.” Obama believes that to achieve this goal he must “forge partnerships.” Monday’s announcement contains the first wave of such partnerships, officials said. “Sesame Street” has planned to incorporate nature in their season, and has just decided to add discussions on the scientific method in next year’s episodes.

I think this article has a good effect on humanity. It shows that because our society is lacking in technology and math compared to other countries, we have decided to do something about that. So by incorporating science in things we watch all the time, like T.V. shows, younger children will start to learn more advanced materials than ever before.

I thought this was a very well written article. It was straight forward, and clear to its point. I would have enjoyed if the writer had talked a little more about how our lack of technology and science has hurt us, and why we are in desperate need to change that.

The Color of Sin

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-color-of-sin

It is a well known fact that most people associate white with purity
and black with sin. Two scientists in Virginia, Gary Sherman and Gerald
Clore, wanted to explore this concept and see if the association went
below metaphors and stemmed from an ancient fear of dirt and contagion
rooted in the human neurons. To do this they adapted the Stroop test,
which was made in the 1930's, but has become a popular internet pastime
for some. The test involves several words of differentiating colors. For
example: one might read pink, but in white script. The idea is to
identify the COLOR of the text as quickly as possible. The task becomes
difficult, because our mind wants to automatically think of the word we
read instead of the actual shade. Hesitation is seen as conflict within
the mind and a heightened inability to break the brain's association
between the word and the color it says as opposed to the physical
properties of the letters. The scientists modified the test, by using
words that had moral overtones: such as greed and honesty. The words
would flash in either black and white on a screen. Fast reaction time
was seen as evidence that the relationship was seen automaticly and
natural within the subject's brain. Any hesitation was seen as a forced
connection; therefore in the participants mind they would not normally
associate the word with that specific color. The scientists' experiments
proved their hypothesis: reaction time was considerably faster when the
moral words were white and the immoral words were black, rather than
when virtue was black and sin was white. To test the colors connections
between purity and dirt as well as right and wrong the scientists'
re-administered the test. Except this time some participants were asked
to read a book about a greedy, corrupt lawyer before the test in order
to put them in the mood for immoral thoughts. These participants'
results would then be compared to those geared towards more ethical
thinking. The idea was that those primed for immoral thoughts would
score faster in connecting black with immorality. Again, the hypothesis
rang true. They also associated black with not only misbehavior such as
crime and cheating, but with being a self-centered, irresponsible
slacker. One last time they retested individuals, this time those who
were obsessed with cleanliness. Again, these individuals scored higher
reaction times, but only if they preferred cleaning products having to
do with personal hygiene as opposed to object cleanser such as Lysol.
The article sums up by saying that, despite their lack of separate
racial testing, that this may provide answers as to why prejudice
exists.
I do not think this article affects humanity that much, since most of
us are already aware of the color associations in our brains. What would
have been interesting is if they did racial separate testing to see
whether dark skinned people thought differently than white skinned.
Then, if the results remained constant they could conclude that the
association might have to do with an instinctual fear of darkness as it
alludes to insecurity, whereas in light one is safe to view other
predators or possible foodstuffs.
I think that this article was written too early, as the studies are
obviously still in an early phase if they wish to eventually conclude
that all people think white is better. I also think it is very rash for
the writer/scientists to assume that people associate white with fair
skinned people and black with dark skinned. There is a great difference
between the two and skin comes in many shades so it is unfair to make
conclusions about prejudice based on the evidence they collected so far.
However, the article itself was well written, starting with classic
examples of the relationship of white and purity in our media: westerns
where the good cowboys all where white hats, the idea of pristine
new-fallen snow. I also found his usage of links to related articles
extremely helpful in my understanding.

Exposure to Lead, Tobacco Smoke Raises Risk of ADHD

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (2009, November 23). Exposure to lead, tobacco smoke raises risk of ADHD. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/11/091123083652.htm

This article is about how exposure to tobacco and lead can lead to ADHD in children. A study done shows that prenatal exposure to tobacco can drastically raise the chances of a child getting ADHD. With lead exposure the odds are raised even more. The research shows that a child has eight times the chance of getting the disorder if they have had exposure to both lead and smoke before. The researches also concluded that younger children, even after they are born are more likely to get ADHD then children who aren’t.

I think this is a very important study. Second hand smoke kills, but it can also effect the daily lives of children. I think parents should be more responsible about smoking around children and pregnant woman. ADHD can cause children to have trouble paying attention, which could affect their grades, so without the disorder their lives would be much easer. I think it is very important that everyone is informed about these studies, because if they learn from them they could help prevent the disorder in their children.

I thought this was a very well written article. The author was very clear and put in a lot of evidence to prove his point. Also this article kept my attention with ought using too complicated vocabulary words, or running on for to long. To improve this article, the author could have been more clear on a few points and could have described what ADHD was.

Exposure to Lead, Tobacco smoke raises risk of ADHD

Olivia Estes 

11/23/09

Chemistry/Block B 

Mr. Ippolito

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. “Exposure to lead, tobacco smoke raises risk of ADHD” Science Daily. 2009, November 23. November 24, 2009, http://www.sciencedaily.com

Exposure to Lead, Tobacco smoke raises risk of ADHD

This article addresses the risks in exposing prenatal (before birth) fetuses to lead or tobacco. This study states that the exposure to these chemicals will dramatically increase the chances of your child being diagnosed with ADHD. It was said that we thoroughly study the treatment for ADHD but we should be more focused on preventing it. It is important that we do our best to reduce exposures to environmental toxicants, which will lower rates of ADHD in children. The researchers found that children exposed prenatally to tobacco smoke were 2.4 times more likely to have ADHD. Those with blood lead levels in the top third had a 2.3 fold increased likelihood of ADHD. This article is very relevant to our society as it is something that is quite common and poses threats to many babies more that often. By knowing these crucial facts we can successfully lower ADHD rates and therefore lessen the poisoning of our children and those to come. This article was written very briefly and I feel that details were lacking and more research needed to be acquired to successfully argue the fact that these exposures increase the rate of ADHD. This article was very informative and factual, I learnt many important evidence in reducing ADHD rates. 

Is Doomsday Coming? Perhaps, but not in 2012

Chem                                                                                                11/19/09

Current Events                                                                        Brooke Bonfiglio

                        Is Doomsday Coming? Perhaps, but Not in 2012

                                                            By Dennis Overby

            In this article it is saying the accusations that the earth will end in 2012 is completely false. The team of NASA said that doomsday would not be happening in 2012 as many people have been frantic about and is much like the situation when CERN in Russia last year said the earth would be eaten by a black hole. NASA says this idea was contemplated because this is when the 5,125-year cycle known as the Long Count in the Mayan calendar supposedly ends. This myth you could say was built up more than it was needed to be because the movie 2012 was on coming attractions and coming out this month. The NASA team says how this movie made people more frantic than necessary such as sending scientist emails asking if they should kill themselves to avoid suffering in 2012. This movie also allowed people to react more because it had a “scientific” hypothesis on how the world would end. Saying the Earth and the sun went into a strange alignment and storms and natural occurrences on earth went crazy. This article ensures everyone on Earth that an occurrence like this won’t happen for millions of years.

 

            This article obviously affects humankind in the way that everyone no longer has to live in fear of the date December 21, 2012. The scientists of NASA have ensured to us we will not be harmed by this alignment of the sun and earth because the alignment changes every year by necessity. These science fiction movies from this article we see are taken more seriously sometimes than actual science fact, which is ironic. It shows us how human kind takes to advertisement and entertainment too seriously sometimes and must check back into reality and facts especially in a situation such as the Earth ending.

 

            This article was the most interesting science article I have read in my life defiantly. I would say this most likely because it includes a relevant topic to entertainment for many ages and compares the facts with the truth. I like how it pointed out science fiction is NEVER facts and we must check facts before going crazy. Also this article was written with simple vocabulary and therefore easy to understand unlike many science articles. Lastly I believe this article gave many straightforward facts and when it used outside information it gave a brief background on the connection it made or fact it used. This allowed for me to read the whole article with understanding.  

 

  

Phys Ed: Why Exercise Makes You Less Anxious

Allison Cane November 19, 2009
Chemistry Article review

Phys Ed: Why Exercise Makes You Less Anxious
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/phys-ed-why-exercise-makes-you-less-anxious/?em

Researchers at Princeton University made a new discovery about the brains of rats and exercise. The neurons in their brains react differently in the brains of exercised rats rather then slothful rats. The brains of the exercised rats were more calm then those of unexercised rats. The scientists say that they always knew exercise effected mood, but how it effected anxiety was unclear until now. Other researchers have looked at how exercise alters the activity of dopamine, another neurotransmitter in the brain, while still others have concentrated on the antioxidant powers of moderate exercise. Anxiety in rats and people, have been proven to kill cells especially in the brain. When rats in one experiment were injected with a chemical that induced stress, they became extremely anxious. The intensity of the exercise is also uncertain as of the moment, but there are many experiments that are going on to find out more. Less stress may not come after one jog, but after a few weeks you will notice a difference says one of the doctors.
This article was very interesting. I had no idea that exercise relieved stress from the body. I think that this article was written very well. It included a lot of detail and explained everything well. One thing that I did not especial enjoy about the article was that it was written more for adults. I didn’t understand everything they were talking about so it was a little difficult to follow. Over all it was very good.

Little Progress in Freeing a Rover on Mars

Victoria Corbo 11/19/09
CHEM Block C ODD Mr. Ippolito

Chang, Kenneth. "Little Progress in Freeing a Rover on Mars." The New York Times 17 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2009. .

After being still for about a half of a year, the NASA rover, Spirit, moved. Albeit very little, but, still, it’s an improvement. When the rover first got stuck, back in May, mission managers had to make sure that when it did move it didn’t get more stuck. So they put on tight moving constrictions. Because of this the rover only moved a very little bit. For now the Spirit is awaiting new commands. Engineers are currently figuring out what their next move will be. Although the fact that the Spirit is stuck is a pain, it did get stuck in an interesting place. Geologists say that the sand where the Spirit is stuck is richer in sulfates then anywhere else on Mars that they studied. The sulfates told scientists that there may have been acidic waters in that region a long time ago. This is important for humans because it teaches us a little bit more about the big ol’ universe around us. This was a pretty good article. It was interesting and informative. Two things I didn’t like. One, the end got a little boring. Two, it didn’t really explain why this was important.

Is Doomsday Coming? Perhaps, But not in 20012

Recently there has been some talk about the movie 2012. Well it turns out that this theory based on the end of the Mayan calendar is a hoax, the world will not be ending anytime soon. Both NASA and CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research) have ensured that the world will not be coming to an end. Which is good news for us. In the article it talks about the social buzz the year 2012 has been getting since the Mayan calendar has been found, yet it is still shot down by the contradictory findings of NASA and CERN. This is so much of a hoax that Ed Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory, in Los Angeles, an expert on ancient astronomy says “Most of what’s claimed for 2012 relies on wishful thinking, wild pseudoscientific folly, ignorance of astronomy and a level of paranoia of the Night of the Living Dead.” Some people such as Anthony Aveni, an astronomer and anthropologist at Colgate University believe that the Mayans should be given more respect. He claims that the Mayans never said anything about the world coming to an end they just stop taking count on their calendar. Basically, people chill out.

I don’t feel as if this article and discoveries can truly help society. It can finally, for most people put to rest a scary fact and give confirmation that the world is not coming to an end anytime soon. The Mayans had been astronomers for as long as they existed, yes. They wrote down everything that had possibly known about astronomy, yes. The Mayans had been serving up a calendar for thousands of years above when they existed. What most of the professors and what NASA and CERN are saying in this article is that the Mayans just happened to stop taking records here and IF they knew the world was going to come to an end in 2012, they would have written about it and we would know by now.

Overall I thought this was a very well rounded article. It consisted of a good author, good points and key facts and most importantly he chose a title and a topic that many people, including me found interesting and wanted to read about. Not only that but he had provided a bit of dry humor which I had personally liked. It gave a twist to what people where thinking about would happen in 2012 and showed them what the true point of this article is. 2012 is a hoax.

Overbye, Dennis . "Is Doomsday Coming? Perhaps, but Not in 2012." New York TImes 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. .

When Mountain Hunt, They Prey On the Weak

In this article, we learn that the Colorodo Division of Wildlife researched lions' choice of prey, and that the results were very interesting. With sample tissue from male deer carcasses, they discovered that the lions greatly favor hunting deer with chronic wasting disease, a mental disorder similar to mad cow disease. Although we already postulized that predators hunt for the weak prey, chronic wasting disease does not symptons observable by a hunter, therefore the hunter is just as likely to kill a regular deer.

This is an interesting article since it tells the reader something about the mountain lion that was not previously know. They can determine a deer's disorder before a human can. This is extremely fascinating because humans are very smart.

I learned that we do not give lions as much credit as we should, since they are able to make smart choices about what they hunt. Lions have normally just been seen as big cats that growl to me, but now I know they are insightful creatures.

Is Doomsday Coming? Perhaps, but Not in 2012

Alex Adrian

November 16th,2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/science/17essay.html?_r=1&ref=science

Is Doomsday Coming? Perhaps, but Not in 2012

A week ago our NASA program stated that the world is not ending, like some believe that in 2012 the world will come to its final day on november twelfth. Otherwise known as 12/12/12, the doomsday for the earth, has been stated false by both NASA and CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research. Some people are glad to hear this news that these predictions are false. Some people are are particularly “habitually jittery” aka someone who is afraid of days like 12/12/12/ in the fear that the world will die. Some say that a black hole would be spit out of its new Large Hadron Collider and eat the Earth.YouTube videos and web site postings have gone off of the charts in responds to the worry that the world will end on Dec. 21, 2012 when the the Mayan calendar supposedly ends. The movie “2012” portrays these images that the 5,125 year cycle comes to the final day. The movie shows the sun going berserk resulting in gigantic storms that pour out huge number of subatomic particles, otherwise known as neutrinos. The world would be covered with thick black ash. All of these videos, movies, books, articles, blogs, etc are a bunk according to astronomers. “Most of what’s claimed for 2012 relies on wishful thinking, wild pseudoscientific folly, ignorance of astronomy and a level of paranoia worthy of ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ ” Ed Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory, in Los Angeles, and an expert on ancient astronomy, wrote in an article in the November issue of Sky & Telescope. If it was true that another planet out there was heading our way, people would have seen it by now. Astronomers say that for the fierce solar storms,the next sunspot maximum could not possibly occur until 2013. This storm will be mild and astronomers support this notion. To further prove that the world will not be coming to an end anytime soon, some say that there will more big earthquakes in California which will happen again, but these earthquakes have the potential to destroy Los Angeles, as the movie portrays this. Plus, the Yellowstone could erupt again with cataclysmic force anytime now. When I say “anytime now” i really mean in hundreds of millions of years. Dr. Krupp, an astronomer and anthropologist at Colgate University say that there is no evidence now that the Mayans believed that something significant would occur on 12/12/12 to make them end their calendars then. The original article expressed different ways that the world could end and the article also describes how these predictions are false. There is no facts to prove that the world will come to its finale on December 12th, 2012, therefore we should all live our lives to the fullest and not expect to end our lives in three years.

"Speech Gene Shows Its Bossy Nature"

Henry Arcano Nov. 15, 2009

Block C Even http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/science/12gene.html?ref=science

Both humans and animals have the gene FOXP2, which controls human speech. However, humans are the only species that can speak. Only 2 out of 740 units of the human gene differ from the chimpanzee form. This may be the reason why chimpanzees cannot speak and humans can. An experiment done on mice shows that there is no major transformation when the human FOXP2 gene is inserted into mice, but that is probably because our last common ancestor lived 60 million years ago. A parallel experiment has recently been completed where the chimp version of the gene was inserted into a human neuron. Because it was not a full brain, the neurons only gave a glimpse of what would happen if the gene was inserted into a full human brain. Even so, this experiment confirmed that the gene controls at least 116 different genes. The gene, as if it was a conductor in an orchestra, makes some of the genes quiet while making others do a lot. The human gene seems to be acting on a much more much more refined set of genes than the chimp gene. Also, it looks like the entire set of genes has evolved to make a language. Some of the genes in the FOXP2 are also linked to speech malfunctions, which confirms that it is important in speech. The FOXP2 system genes aren't the only genes involved in speech though, because while the FOXP2 genes are equally active on both sides of the brain, the use of all of the genes needed in language is not equal on both sides.

This article is important because scientists think that they can learn a lot more about language from studying this new gene. Dr. Daniel H. Geschwind, the leader of the chimpanzee experiment, hopes "to use FOXP2 as a lever to get a view of the molecular machinery in a biological language circuit." Martin Dominguez and Dr. Pasko Rakic of Yale describe this as an important discovery that “provides a starting point for future studies of the molecular basis of language and human evolution.”

I thought that this article was very thorough in explaining the FOXP2 gene, but the wording could be hard for me to understand. I needed to look up neuron and genome, as I did not know either of them. A neuron is a cell that transmits nerve impulses, or a nerve cell, and a genome is the complete set of genes in a cell or organism.

“Signature of Antimatter Detected in Lightning”

Clara Barth 11/12/09
Core Chemistry H Blog - article review


I read an article entitled “Signature of Antimatter Detected in Lightning”. This article was about how, using a Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, high emissions of gamma-rays were recorded when the telescope was pointed at lightning here on Earth. (The telescope is usually used to find gamma-ray concentrations in the universe.) Fermi discovered that gamma-ray emissions of a certain type of energy were produced in lightning. This energy could only have been produced by the decay of energetic positrons. Positrons are the antimatter equivalent of electrons. What Fermi found was unusual because the normal orientation for an electric field in a lightning storm was somehow reversed. Now, scientists are trying to figure out how that could be possible.
Although the subject matter is very interesting, I don’t think that it will really affect anyone’s life other than the scientists involved. The finding of gamma rays in lightning will not affect humanity in any way, good or bad.
I liked this article. I thought it was a little bit short, but it was concise and to-the-point. It was written very well and I felt as if I really got the point after reading it. It also explained a little bit about the technology used to find the gamma rays in lightning. I found that helpful as I am not familiar with most of the terms they used.

"AFLOAT IN THE OCEAN, EXPANDING ISLANDS OF TRASH"

Caroline Yerkes November 11, 2009
Block Odd C Mr. Ippolito

Hoshaw, Lindsey. “Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash” New York Times (Online) 11 Nov 2009. 10 Nov 2009.
1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii, there is patch of the Pacific Ocean where trash is all that can be seen. Things like bottle caps, toothbrushes, Popsicle sticks and very small of pieces of plastic fill the Pacific garbage patch, a place where the trash that inhabits it doubles every 10 years. This place is believed to be about twice the size of Texas! Scientists state that the patch is just one of five that could be around the world’s oceans. Plastic is most common in the patch because it can float, making its way and over time, breaking down. But once it does break down, the sections look like confetti. Millions and even more of these plastic pieces are floating in the world’s oceans. Charles Moore found the Pacific garbage patch by accident 12 years ago. He came upon it when he was coming back from a sailing race in Hawaii. Many scientists believe there is a garbage patch off the coast of Japan and another in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Jeffery Ernst says, the patch was “just a reminder that there’s nowhere that isn’t affected by humanity.”
At first, I chose this article at a glance. However, after reading it I realized that it is very important that our society learns how much we affect the environment around use. Especially we should know how our waste affects the eco-systems of many other animals. Also, I do care about our environment. <3
I thought this article was very boring to read. The topic was interesting, but there were way to many articles and it was too complex for someone who just wants to know a little about the topic. I thought the writing was very easy to understand and for the most part I enjoyed reading this article.

A Dream Interpretation: Tuneups for Brains

Last month, a paper was published by a man named Dr. J. Allan Hobson, a psychiatrist and sleep researcher at Harvard. He believes dreaming that occurs when there is rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep is physiological. The brain is preparing the body with sights, sounds, and emotions of waking. Dr. Hobson is arguing that dreaming is a parallel state of consciousness. Dr. Rodolfo Llinas, neurologist and physiologist at New York University disagrees with this statement. He proposed that the act of dreaming is consciousness itself, but without senses. Then, when people are awake the brain fills in the sight, touch and hearing for that dream. All the ideas about dreaming are partly based on the findings about REM sleep. Evidence has been found that REM activity helps the brain make connections, particularly in visual areas. This article goes on to talk about different studies that have been done to try to obtain a better understanding of dreams.
Learning more about dreams is important because it helps scientists learn more about the way the brain works. This article showed the different theories about why humans dream. It explained that studies have done, but scientists still do not have a definite purpose of why the brain has dreams.
I think that this article has a lot of detail and is very interesting. Some parts of it were confusing because the explanations of each theory could have been written in a more understandable way. In this article they could have also done a better job of explaining what REM is. I would have enjoyed learning more about other proposals of why humans dream. Overall, I was pleased with the amount of information that I was able to learn from this article.
Carey, Benedict. "A Dream Interpretation: Tuneups for the Brain." New York Times 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/health/10mind.html?ref=science

Current Events Review 11/11/09

"Pigs Prove to Be Smart, if Not Vain" 

       When we think of pigs, smart, intelligent, or brilliant are not words that first come to mind. But, in the current issue of Animal Behaviour, researchers introduced evidence that domestic pigs have a keen sense of learning. This is shown in a recent “mirror self-recognition” test that pigs can understand how mirrors work and will use this to reflect images which could help them see their surroundings better. Ultimately, making them find their food much easier. Other researchers have also found that pigs are able to remember where food stores are cached and how big each stash is compared to the rest. They are slow to forget, and are very clever. Researchers have found that pigs are among the quickest animals to demonstrate a new routine, jump hoops, bow and stand, spin and make word like sounds. Last week, an international team of biologists released the first sequence of the pig genome which was the complete set of genetic instructions for making the Duroc breed of Sus scrofus. What researchers found from this is that the pig genome compares much alike to the human genome.

         Pigs have been known as farm animals in a stable for up to 8,000 years. But, these new studies can affect humanity. From this information, pigs have been looked at differently. Not just the lazy, dirty, farm animal, but an animal having many physiological and behavioral parallels that compare favorable to humans. “I look at the pig as a great animal model for human lifestyle diseases”, said Dr. Schook. Researchers are now aware that the pig may not just be a domesticated animal, but could possibly be back in the wild holding their own.

         This article, “Pigs Prove to Be Smart, if Not Vain” was written very well. It was long and had a lot of detail. It also kept the reader interested by keeping it amusing. One thing that would attract the reader is that we are able to see a well-known animal in a new light. This concept was explained very thoroughly. Overall, I thought this article was interesting, and entertaining.

 

Angier, Nancy. ""Pigs Prove to Be Smart, if Not Vain"." New York Times Nov. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. .

By Amanda Austi 

Mt. Kilimanjaro Ice Cap Continues Rapid Retreat

Bhanoo, Sindya. “Mt. Kilimanjaro Ice Cap Continues Rapid Retreat.” New York Times. November 3, 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/world/africa/03melt.html?_r=2&ref=science&pagewanted=print>

Mount Kilimanjaro is a famous mountain in Tanzania, Africa. Its ice cap has decreased 26% in nine years, since 2000. Last records show that 85% of the ice cap that was present in 1912 has vanished, or melted. Douglas R. Hardy proved that both sides of the mountain, horizontally are declining at the same rate. Some hypothesis for why this is happening are human activity on the mountain, r climatological influences. Lonnie Thompson extracted deep cylinders of ice from the glaciers and found that they were full of elongated bubbles. This proves that this ice had melted and refroze in recent years. But surface melting has not occurred in 11,700 years. An explanation for this is the decline in moisture level. Not only is this happening in Mt. Kilimanjaro but the similar signs are happening with ice in other places in Africa, South America, Indonesia, and the Himalayas. Nepal Katmandu’s cabinet is meeting on Mount Everest to announce the threat of global warming, which may be the explanation for the ice caps to be melting.

This topic really highlights the fact of global warming. People in the world today are really guilty of harming the environment. I felt like I should present this topic as current events because it seemed like the environment really comes second to humans. When we act we do not respect our environment and it effects us in a very negative way.

This article was nicely written, but needed more evidence. Bhanoo could have put more examples in this article and made it longer. I liked how it was very easy to understand. It was not easy to write about because it was cut down so much already.

"What happens when good robots go 'bad'?."

Cyrus Adamiyatt 11/5/09

Chemistry 9

Robots used in our lives our considered luxuries, and beneficial, but some robots are a bridge for hackers intruding on your lives. At a recent international conference on ubiquitous computing a handful of potentially harmful scenarios were imagined. These robots are very tricky because they look like toys or appliances. They can be used for different purposes however. A robot is really a little computer that sometimes has a web-cam. These have the ability to hear, see, and sometimes handle things. This article attempted to make people aware of the flaws these robots have. They may be all fun and games and useful until a hacker uses your robot. By hacking into your robot he can possibly hear and see what goes on in your household. These robots could be used for robot spying and even vandalism.

This article applies to my humanity and my life for a number of reasons. Eventually the majority of the population will invest in robots to do their chores and other useful things. This industry grows everyday and over 4 million robotic units have been sold worldwide since 2002. This means that there is a possibility that those robots could be hacked into and used to commit crime against the owner.

I thought that this was a very well written article. It was long, but the writer kept the reader engaged by keeping it very interesting. One thing that was great was it affects humanity and many people can relate to the article. I also thought it was well written in that it showed substantial research had been done to write this article in a correct matter. Overall I thought that the writer did a great job.

Mapes, Diane. "What happens when good robots go 'bad'?." msnbc.msn.com MSNBC, 5 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 Nov. 2009 .

Falklands Wolf First Appeared in North America, Researchers Say

The Falklands Wolf has baffled scientists including Charles Darwin for more that 100 years. It was a land mammal native to the Falkland Islands about 300 miles off the coast of Argentina, but in 1876 it was hunted to extinction. Scientist could not determine what other animal it evolved from and how it got to the islands. It was originally thought that ancient people took them to the islands but the first wolfs emerged 70,000 years ago, much before man could build boats. But scientists at the University of California obtain samples of DNA of the Falkland Wolf from museums and discovered that they evolved from other wolfs native to North America. This suggests that the wolf migrated from North America and found their way onto the islands either by ice burgs or vegetation.

This article tells the true story of the Falkland Wolf and how it migrated from North America to the Falkland Islands. This discovery shows us how the Falkland Wolf evolved and gives us more information on all of its relatives including the Maned Wolf, which drove the Falkland Wolf out of North America because of competition for food. This new data on wolfs and how they evolve, migrate, and compete for food can tell us much about wolfs.

This was a very good article that gave a perfect amount of information and explained everything to make it easy to comprehend. It was very interesting to read and never lost the reader with boring facts. It cut right to the chase and explained all of the information in a perfect manor.

“Falklands Wolf First Appeared in North America, Researchers Say”

by Henry Fountain

-Brewster Warble

Thirsty Plant Dries Out Yemen

Deep in the Sands of Yemen, there is a rare plant that is only grown and found in the Middle East called Qat. But despite how rare it is, it uses up a lot of soil and is sucking Yemen dry from water, which is causing a major drought in the Native areas of Northern Yemen. Even though they know that this plant is very harmful to the environment, and is causing a massive drought, the government does not supply these villages with other sources of food. This is mainly because of the journeys they need to take in order to reach these villages, and because of the lack of good weather that is needed to enrich and fertilize the soil for the growing season. The U.N is launching an International Food Program that is to help aid the people that inherit these villages who are currently being affected by this crisis. However, this is very Ironic in the fact that many people are using this plant as a last resort despite the fact that it is also one of the causes of what making it impossible to grow crops in their current location.

Worth, Robert F. “Thirsty Plant Dries Out Yemen.” New York Times 31 Oct. 2009, A6.

Acid Rain in Adirondack Mountains Worries Scientists

Core Chem Honors - Block 2 Nick Proios
Dr. Charles Ippolito November 2, 2009

link: http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Current_Events/acid_rain_in_adirondack_mounta.html

For many years, acid rain has basically been polluting the Adirondack Mountains in New York. Many scientists have been paying close attention to this problem. They noticed that all of the acid rain has been excessively polluting the mountains and killing many different species. The water in rivers and lakes of the Adirondack Mountains have become so polluted that wildlife cannot survive in them any longer. The federal report which was prepared by The National Acidic Precipitation Assessment said that the acid rain problem isn't only in the Adirondacks but throughout Colorado as well. A democrat and former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan proposed a bill that would reduce emissions of sulfur and nitrogen from the air which didn't turn out to be very popular in Congress. It was however popular in New York and environmentalists supported the bill and said that the federal report would convince people that the bill is important. Utility companies have been threatened by trying to increase pollution and acid rain levels because they have been producing larger amounts of nitrogen and sulfur which has been a huge cause of acid rain.
Acid rain is considered poison. This article is important because it makes readers aware of the dangers of acid rain. It is important because it shows what harm acid rain can do to a big region of mountains. Acid rain pollutes the area and it is kills plants and animals so it is critical that the problem of acid rain is taken care of. The more people read this article the more people will notice this issue.
I enjoyed this article overall. It grabbed my attention as soon as I began to read it. I honestly did think that it was a bit short. On the other hand it still conveyed the message. The message that it sends is very significant which is why it is a good article. I was informed of the harm that acid rain can do to wildlife and what it does to a large area.

"Study Sees an Acid Rain Threat in Adirondacks and Beyond." Environment News. Lycos. 1999. (May, 1999)

'World's biggest' sea monster found on UK coast

In the south coast of England, a fossil hunter has found the remains of what is thought to be the world's biggest sea monster. This sea monster, which was alive 150 million years ago and was 15.8 meters long, was MUCH larger than a tyrannosaurus rex and could easily have eaten one. The whole skeleton was not found, only a whopping 8 foot skull of the creature called a pliosaur was discovered. It was found by Kevan Sheehan, a local collector, and was purchased by Dorset county council for $35,750 and will be on display at the Dorset County Museum. It took Sheehan four years to find the whole fossil after he came along a large piece that fell out of a cliff.
This is the largest sea monster found in history; the previous largest creature was a smaller pliosaur. This will mark a new knowledge of sea creatures and of the history of the sea. It will help scientists know more about the pliosaur, and young children who visit museum could one day possibly see the skeleton of a sea monster, seemingly just a legend.
This was a very interesting article and pleasant to read. I learned about the pliosaur and a major discovery that took place. I personally feel that the article wasn't organized very well, but was very easy to understand. In order to make the article better however, is that I would provide a bit more information about the pliosaur and some more facts. Overall, it was very entertaining to read and was well written.

Scientists track meteorites that are dangerous to Earth
Mone, Gregory. "Rock Hunt." Popular science Sept. 2009: 54-59. Print.

In October of 2008, an asteroid the size of a small car plummeted through Earth’s atmosphere and crashed into the ground in northern Sudan. Scientists had spotted the rock 20 hours earlier, realized that it was headed for Earth, and then decided to attempt to trace its path to see if they could accurately predict the spot where it would land. The scientists at NASA’s NEO (Near Earth Object) program, which has been studying the orbits of large asteroids since 1998, also realized that this would be a good chance to study the composition of the asteroid. The NEO has a software program called sentry that searches for possible asteroid impacts in the future. On the day that the asteroid was sighted, The Minor Planet Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory called the NEO and alerted them that there was going to be a collision. The NEO began collecting data from 26 different observatories around the world and eventually narrowed down the area where the fragments would hit down to a 200 square mile patch of desert. The fragments of the asteroid were exactly where scientists said that they would be. This is important to humanity because it shows that scientists can locate asteroids that have the potential to hit Earth and destroy cities and other places where people can live.