Sean Carroll Talks School Science and Time Travel

James Faville 4/20/10
Time travel is a fantastic notion that is embedded in modern culture and literature. This question is, is it possible? And if it isn’t, why not? Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist and research professor at CIT (California Institute of Technology) who tries to find the answers to questions such as these. He recently published a book, From Eternity to Here, in which he discusses how time can only progress forward, not backward, and time travel to the past would be impossible. This is because of the law of entropy, which states that the universe began highly organized and becomes increasingly chaotic. Entropy is a measure of how organized something is - as a system’s entropy increases, it becomes more chaotic and disorganized. The reason we have memories of the past and not the future is because the past has lower entropy. It is also the reason why we cannot change the past, according to Carroll.

For centuries, scientists have speculated about the possibility of traveling into the past. Any science fiction isle in a bookstore will demonstrate that the speculation is just as rampant today. But according to some physicists such as Carroll, it is likely that the dream of time-travel into the past will never be realized. But does the theory of entropy mean that scientists will stop investigating new methods of trying to achieve time travel? Definitely not. As long as humanity endures, we will likely continue to push the boundaries of Mother Nature’s rules. The idea of artificial lighting was probably as unlikely to Benjamin Franklin as time travel is to us today. So while entropy explains much of how time works, never say never when it comes to time travel.

I enjoyed reading this article, as it offered a definitive explanation of why time behaves the way it does. However, I’m sure there are plenty of other theorists out with different opinions on the issue of time travel, and the article might have benefited from offering some alternative theories (although it was an interview of Carroll). Carroll also didn’t explain specifically why entropy would make time-travel impossible, other than simply blaming it.

Dreifus, Claudia. "Sean Carroll Talks School Science and Time Travel." The New York Times 19 Apr. 2010.

“Video Shows Chimpanzees Reacting to Death Like Humans”

“Video Shows Chimpanzees Reacting to Death Like Humans”

Chris Davis

Associated Press. "Video Shows Chimpanzees Reacting to Death Like Humans ." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. .

A recent video, taken at a zoo in Scotland, reveals yet another similarity between humans and monkeys. The video showed three Chimpanzees “caressing and grooming the fourth, a dying female, more than usual,” according to James Anderson. After the Chimpanzee died, the other three were checking for signs of life. Once they accepted the fact that their companion was dead, the Chimpanzee’s daughter built a nest and slept next to her dead mother. The zoo’s head keeper said that the animals were “quieter than normal and lost their appetites after the death.”

This article is important to society because it shows just one more similarity between Humans and Chimpanzee’s. The fact that the chimpanzees were empathetic to one another shows that these animals have personalities just like us humans.

Overall I thought that this article was very interesting. The article was concise, and provided a new perspective on animal life.

"Researchers Find Rare Giant Worm Doesn’t Live Up to Its Billing"

The Palouse earthworm of Idaho was said to have gone extinct in the 1980s. However, two scientists discovered what they thought to be these particular worms while working on the prairie region in Idaho. This article was very interesting because it explained that there were myths about how these worms were massive, growing up to 3 feet in length. They were also reported to smell like lilies. However, upon the worms being dissected, the scientists realized that these myths weren't true. The worms were about seven inches long and there was no noticeable "lily" scent detected on them. Even though the worms didn't match any specific criteria, they were still a good find because a lot of people believed that the worms didn't even exist.

I believe that this article contributes to society because it opens new doors about species that must have been once extinct. There might be species that we have thought to be extinct but have been here all along.

I enjoyed this article. It was very interesting to read and it gave me a new perspective about something simple as worms.

ACROBATIC ANTS

Duncan Colquhoun                                                                                                            4.19.10

Chemistry                                                                                                            Current Event

 

ACROBATIC ANTS

           

            There are ten thousand to fourteen thousand ant species in the world.  How many do you think are capable of leaping, jumping, or hopping or can produce a fatal bight?  The answer is three.  There are only three species of ants that are capable of getting into the air by jumping.  One of which is the Jack jumper ant, which is native to Australia and jumps when agitated.  It has highly toxic venom, which allows it to prey on insects as large as wasps.  Another acrobatic ant is the Jerdon’s Jumping Ant.  This ant uses jumping as a normal way of transportation.  European and Indian researchers used a high speed camera and watched the ants jump.  It can accomplish a 12 to 18 inch leap by synchronizing its middle and hind legs.  The third and final ant is the Trap-Jaw ant.  It uses its overdeveloped jaw to propel itself into the air sometimes at 145 miles per hour.  This powerful leap allows the ant to strike prey with a force equivalent to 300 times its own body weight the researchers said.           

Giant Lizard Is Discovered in the Philippines

"Giant Lizard Is Discovered in the Philippines." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 7 Apr. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. .

Recently a previously discovered lizard was proved to be its own species. The lizard was originally spotted in 2004 in the Sierra Madre Mountains but was only found to be it’s own new species last year and the study was released Wednesday. Scientists were able to catch an adult and take a DNA sample to find that the lizard was new to science. This lizard is golden spotted and is 6.5 feet long. It feasts on fruits and snails rather than carcasses. It spends most of its time in the treetops and has claws that allow it to reach its favorite fruits. Many of the scientists involved say that it is a rare occurrence as well as that finding this species in unexplored forests in the Philippines could open the possibility to finding some other species there as well.

I feel that this discovery could be important to society because this could open up the possibilities of discovering more new species. These new species could be in the same place as the lizard or many other places. If more new species are discovered that could also broaden the overall field of science and different testing and such that can be done.

This article was overall a good article. It was well written, but it could have been longer and more descriptive than it was. They probably could have described the lizard better and more about it.

“New Hominid Species Discovered in South Africa”

The article that I read about “New Hominid Species Discovered in South Africa” discusses the discovery of a new species that lived over 2 million years ago. Nine year old Matthew Berger stumbled over this great archaeological spot while chasing his dog through high grass. Matthews father an American paleontologist had been searching for hominoid bones just a hill and a half a way. Matthew had discovered a fossil, the ancient remains of a 4 foot 2 inch boy, a little younger then himself. The team then began to search the area and came up with the boys extremely well preserved skull, and four other individuals. Doctor Berger suggests that the new species existed up too 1.95 million years ago, and most likely descended from Australopithecus africanus. The species were described as possible ancestors of the Homo erectus.
This article is important and significant because it gives us further insight on our past and our ancestors. These discoveries could help us learn about what life was like millions of years ago. It also shows how we are making new discoveries each day, and how hard paleontologists work at what they do.
I believe that the article should have explained what a Homo Erectus was, or an Australopithecus africanus, for many people these terms could’ve been difficult to understand. Also it could’ve gone into more detail about the discovery of the fossil and how they new what it was. Overall I enjoyed the article and thought it was highly informative.

"Rule On Lead Safety Set to Take Effect"

Navarro, Mireya. "Rule On Lead Safety Set to Take Effect." New York Times 8 Apr. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. .

In 1992, Congress forced the EPA to create a regulation on lead in places where children are in order to reduce the number of cases each year with lead poisoning among children ages six ande below. The EPA finally created a regulation ten years later in 2008 which will start on this coming April 22, 2010. Mireya Navarro discusses this topic in depth in her article Rule on Lead Safety Set to Take Effect in the New York Times. She tells us how any people have been filing lawsuits against the EPA to make the regulation happen and even to change it some more. This rule is aiming to fix building built before 1978 where lead was used without knowledge of the harmful effects it would have on children. Some of the effects that lead does have on children are neurological damage such as lowering of /IQ and behavioral problems. The fine for not working according to the new regulations is $37,500 so the rule will be self enforced. The regulation will cause many people to purchase things to fit the requirement such as a vacuum to suck in some of the lead dust, this will lead unfortunately to price raises. The main problem in this regulation taking affect is that many businesses have not been trained in doing their work the right way which may lead to many ignorant people getting fined unfairly. Since this new regulation has been passed, many have stressed to only use certified companies and hire only certified workers. This is a serious event that will affect the way things are made in this country for many years to come.
This article is very significant for everyone, not just construction workers. This will make the lives of children safer, extremely lowering the rates of children facing lead poisoning. People will now also have to be careful in who they higher to build things in their home from basements to kitchens to redoing older rooms. This is a great advance towards healthy building that does not affect the environment. I chose this article because the facts in this article affect everyone in the country. People are always getting their houses redone, or building completely new houses, therefore the importance is very large.
This article was extremely well written, but I would have liked the author to do some things differently. There should have been a more detail on what lead is and why it is so bad. I also would have liked some example where workers would be fined. Besides those two critiques, the article was very well written and I liked it a lot.

A New Exit to Space Readies for Business

Barry, Dan. “A New Exit to Space Readies for Business.” New York Times 20 March 2010. 21 February 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/us/22land.html

The article “A New Exit to Space Readies for Business” by Dan Barry describes a new space port being built. In Upham, New Mexico in a small town in the middle of the desert there is Spaceport America. Spaceport America is a $198 million project by the State of New Mexico to create commercial flights to space. Spaceport America is mainly meant for tourism but could be used for other things. People would be able to go 80 miles up and view the earth from space. There is five minutes of weightlessness guaranteed on the flight. The cost of one round trip is $200,000. Virgin Galactic is the commercial space travel business that is located at Spaceport America. Virgin Galactic is owned by the British billionaire, Richard Branson and 326 people have already placed reservations for their trips to space. Virgin Galactic has received $44 million in deposits so far. This could all happen by 2011 but is highly unlikely because Virgin Galactic is mainly concerned about getting licensing and being safe rather than having it ready quickly.

This article affects people a lot. Once this spaceport is open for business, normal people will be able to take a trip to space, not just astronauts. This would change people’s views of outer space and the earth because they would see it in a totally different perspective. Once these space tours are available to the common people this may spur people to create new technology. This article also gives people an idea of what is going on in our country. The spaceport will be the first of its kind and probably many more will be built. This article shows how much more accessible technology is becoming.

This article, by Dan Barry was very well written. Right in the beginning the author grabbed your attention by setting the location. This article was very cleverly written because it included all of the details but kept it in a simple and readable way. I think the article went on a little too much because it included a lot of information that was unnecessary. Also, details of the physical appearance of the space crafts and the space station were left out so it made it hard to visualize what the spaceport may look like. Overall this article was well written and kept the reader’s attention.

In Brookhaven Collider, Scientists Briefly Break a Law of Nature.

Overbye, Dennis. In Brookhaven Collider, Scientists Briefly Break a Law of Nature. New York Times, 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2010.

This article tells us how scientists broke a law of nature. They

did this by speeding up gold nuclei to 99.995% of the speed of light. They did

this to see if colliding nuclei can be broken down to quarks and gluons which

is a very high temperature plasma. Quark-gluon plasma is what existed

when the world was only a microsecond old. After doing this they found

that the freed quarks could tell left from right which breaks a law of nature.

This law is known as parity, the idea that laws are the same if switched from

left to right, negative to positive. The temperature of the quark=gluon

plasma was 4 trillion degrees Celsius and 250,000 times hotter than the

center of the sun.

I found this article very interesting, before reading this article

I didn’t know that nuclei could be broken down any further than it already

was.Also that we could get something to 99.995% of the speed of light and

something could be made the same heat as the sun no less 250,000 times

hotter than the sun, which to me is astounding.

Although this article was very well done it was very hard to understand

and to fully understand you would have to have had with scientific literature,

even though I think I understood it very well.

Zachary Mattes 3/18/10
Chem. Current Even

New Planet Found; May Be Cosmic Rosetta Stone

Than, Ker. "New Planet Found; May Be Cosmic Rosetta Stone." National Geographic. N.p., 17 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. .

The article “New Planet Found; May Be Cosmic Rosetta Stone” is about the discovery of a new exoplanet (a planet outside of our solar system). The planet is called Corot-9b and is located in the constellation Serpens. Corot-9b is a gas-giant, like Jupiter or Saturn, and is in a circular orbit around its star. The planet passes in front of its star as seen from Earth during its orbit, allowing scientists to study the planet’s atmosphere and size. The size of the planet can be found by seeing the amount of light from the star that is completely blocked out by the planet and the components of the atmosphere can be found by studying the light that passed through the atmosphere and was not completely blocked out. Scientists think that most exoplanets in the galaxy will resemble Corot-9b – temperate gas giants with circular orbits. Because not many exoplanets orbit in front of their star, which makes it impossible to study them, Corot-9b allows scientists to research exoplanets in greater detail.

Finding Corot-9b will allow planets outside of our solar system to be further researched. This could lead to advances in many fields in astronomy, and help humanity to explore and inhabit the galaxy. With more knowledge on exoplanets, humanity could eventually find a habitable earth-like planet in our galaxy, and if worse comes to worst, people could find refuge on another planet.

I liked this article very much, especially the way it was written. The author explained how the planets were studied and what scientists did with the information. I also liked the simplicity of the article.

ABE, Pioneering Robotic Undersea Explorer, Is Dead at 16 By Henry Fountain

“ABE, Pioneering Robotic Undersea Explorer, Is Dead at 16.” Henry Fountain. The New York Times. 15 March 2010. 17 March 2010.

“ABE, Pioneering Robotic Undersea Explorer, Is Dead at 16” is a great article that discusses the undersea robot’s career and death. ABE, short for Autonomous Benthic Explorer, was an undersea robot created in 1994. It was one of the earliest autonomous underwater vehicles designed for civilian use. Before ABE under water expeditions were done with small crowded submarines or unnamed research vehicles, tethered to ships. It’s technology was unlike anything the world had ever seen before. It was the first underwater vehicle to map a mid-ocean ridge and find hydrothermal vents, undergoing hundreds of successful expeditions underwater. Sadly, on March fifth it was lost at sea in southern Italy. Scientists suspect that it was most likely destroyed by the implosion of a pressure housing under enormous water pressure at a depth of about 10,000 feet.

The findings done by ABE currently have a great impact on the world today. In any scientific exploration new findings lead to miraculous and great new technology. ABE himself, was this new technology like this at one point. I am interested in seeing what new technology will come out to replace ABE.

I really enjoyed reading this article. It was well written and interesting. I think technology as advanced as ABE shows just how great advancements have come these days. It is cool and interesting to go from a submarine which could only go a certain level to an automatic robot that could reach depths up to 10,00 feet. I am extremely stunned and impressed with the technological advancements of today

Small Molecules Found to Protect Cells in Multiple Models of Parkinson's Disease

As this article explains, there are some very small molecules that have been found to protect cells from alpha-synuclein toxicity. This has been known as a strong sign of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that causes tremors and slowed movement. It can develop to the point of impaired speech and no movement. Parkinson’s does not have a cure. Julie Su, the co-author of the paper explains, “ In this research, we used yeast as a Parkinson’s disease system to identify the compounds that really work in two higher order model systems of Parkinson’s.” It has been found that four molecules prevented the development of certain traits that are thought to lead to Parkinson’s, including the build up of alpha-synuclein. The research was done on yeast that produced this alpha-synuclein in cells. These cells began to show the effects the same as those in Parkinson’s patients. The scientists then screened numerous small compounds to see if they would stop the traits in the yeast. The four compounds found, did help decrease the symptoms in the cells. They were then tested on worms and rats and found to be successful as well. This research is a potential break through for Parkinson’s disease. I took an interest in this because of a family background with the disease. I enjoyed reading about how these four compounds could potentially slow down or end the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The article was well written and explained in detail the advances being made.

Infection Defense May Spur Alzheimer’s

In the article “Infection Defense May Spur Alzheimer’s” explained the possibilities of a natural protein, beta amyloid or A-beta, causing Alzheimer by overproducing. This causes plaque on the brain that destroys signals between the nerves in the body with the brain. The hypothesis for this was started by Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi, a researcher at Harvard Medical School. He states that the innate immune system, a set of proteins that protect the brain since blood cannot got through to the brain, so antibodies cannot reach the brain in case of an infection, are overproduced are cause it to stick on the brain and destroys signals from the brain. Scientists first saw A-beta after comparing it to LL-37, a protein that is part of the innate immune system. Both proteins can destroy the same bacteria types and microbes. What Dr. Tanzi believes is causing the overproduction of A-beta is that the brain is overreacting to the infection on brain and is producing too much of the protein, which later turns into small, clumpy molds on the brain. With this new evidence, Dr. Tanzi is looking for evidence on how to cure Alzheimer’s if A-beta is truly the protein causing it. One idea was to remove the plaque from the brain, but the next step is to fix the nerves that were broken, but with this new data many other scientists can now go on to try to find a cure for Alzheimer’s.
This article is important because it shows that sometimes the diseases, like Alzheimer’s, is cause not by foreign invaders or viruses, but by proteins that our body creates to protect the brain from infections. This is important because Alzheimer’s is a very serious disease in which people start to forget everything from their lives, and makes them have a harder life since they do not remember important information. A cure to Alzheimer’s can save many lives and help the elderly by allowing them to remember information that they need in their lives. The discovery of A-beta and how it is part of the innate immune system tells scientists what to take as the next step, which is to control the brain on the production of this protein. Many people can be saved from getting Alzheimer’s and can lead normal lives when they are elderly.
The article states well on why A-beta and other proteins in the brain are important to figuring out why Alzheimer’s is caused in the brain. Also, the article explains well on how A-beta is very similar to other proteins and how it might cause Alzheimer’s. The article could have expanded more on how the nerves were broken after the plaque builds up on it, and also explain on why only removing the plaque will not cure the disease. This article is very important by trying to piece together the mystery on why Alzheimer’s is cause and how it should be treated. Hopefully in the near future more data is being discovered and Alzheimer’s will be completely cured.
Kolata, Gina. “Infection Defense May Spur Alzheimer’s.” New York Times 8 Mar. 2010: n. pag. Web. 8 Mar. 2010. .

A Little Black Box to Jog Failing Memory

Bhattacharjee, Yudhijt. "A Little Black Box to Jog Failing Memory." The New York Times 9 Mar. 2010: D6. Print.

The Senescam is a revolutionary idea in the advances of medicine in problems relating to memory.  The Microsoft research lab in Cambridge, England developed a small black box known as the Senescam.  It contains a digital camera and an accelerometer which measures neck movement.  The camera takes hundreds of pictures in a short time, and is both beneficial to older people with memory issues, and younger people who wish to log their lives.  Researchers think that this new technology will be good for the older generations that need help as well as their supporting families, because conversations will not have to repeated multiple times before they stick.  Instead of just taking tons of pictures and placing them next to each other, the Senescam focuses in on the more important images that might be key to unlocking memories.  This is still being adapted and modified, but the people who have helped test it say that it has great results, and a good future ahead of it.

            The Senescam will be very useful to people of all ages.  Some people might want to make a log of their lives, so they can just wear the Senescam around their neck.  Older people with memory problems can use this as a tool to awaken and strengthen the memory of certain events.  The people surrounding them can also use this to save time and not repeat the same conversation multiple times.

            This was a good article and it was very well written.  It both explained how the Senescam works, and the benefits of it.  It was well written and informative, and I really liked it.

Bacterial Product Isolated in Soil from Easter Island Rescues Learning, Memory in Alzheimer’s mouse model

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "Bacterial Product Isolated in Soil from Easter Island Rescues Learning, Memory in Alzheimer's Mouse Model." ScienceDaily. 8 March 2010. 8 March 2010

The article, “Bacterial Product Isolated in Soil from Easter Island Rescues Learning, Memory in Alzheimer’s mouse model,” discussed a new use found for a drug found in the soil of Easter Island. This drug, Rapamycin, has previously been used for many other medical purposes, but in the latest test, it was proven to rescue learning and memory loss in a mouse with the likes of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists were able to observe these results by feeding Rapamycin to mice with a disease like Alzheimer’s for 10 weeks. The scientists used the Morris water maze to test the mice’s memory and their learning. At the end of the test, Scientists learned that the drug had in fact treated the mice’s equivalent of Alzheimer’s. Through brain scans, scientists also learned that the Rapamycin also reduced brain lesions, or damage, with likeness to those lesions found in the brains of humans who have died from Alzheimer’s. While scientists are still unsure whether this new test will successfully help patients fight Alzheimer’s, they are hopeful, and want to move forward with new tests quickly.

This test could very well have a huge impact on our lives. Alzheimer’s is a very tragic, heartbreaking disease that many people today suffer from severely. Test such as this one are important, because finding a cure to diseases such as Alzheimer’s can save thousands of lives. This newfound use of Rapamycin has the potential to help the medical world and people suffering from Alzheimer’s significantly.

I really enjoyed reading this article, because I think that people should be educated about medical breakthroughs such as this one. Finding a cure to Alzheimer’s would be a huge achievement, and as I already stated it would greatly help many people. Other than just being about an important topic, I thought that the article was well written. It was easy enough to understand, and thoroughly explained the depth and the importance of this new discovery.

Are Pesticides from Plants Dangerous to Humans?

The article "Are Pesticides from Plants Dangerous to Humans?" discusses the potential dangers of pyrethroids, synthetic versions of pesticides naturally occurring in plants such as the chrysanthemum flower that have been chemically altered to make them more stable in sunlight and to increase their toxicity. It is estimated that over 70% of Americans have come into contact with pyrethroids, which, while less dangerous than organophosphate, which consumers have widely abandoned due to the dangers they pose to humans and wildlife, have been linked in studies with animals to damage to the thyroid, liver, and nervous system, and also to changes in the immune system and the disruption of reproductive hormones. These pesticides are also toxic to small marine animals eaten by fish, insects, and possibly other animals, appearing in toxic concentrations in rivers in Texas and California which were tested. This year, pyrethroids are being reevaluated by the EPA as part of its 2010 pesticide review (it reevaluates all pesticides every 15 years). Alternatives to pyrethroids include the chrysanthemum flower itself, whose natural pesticides do not persist in the enviornment which pyrethroids do, or boric acid. Experts agree, however, that the best thing for consumers to do is to try to minimize the use of any pesticides at all.

Pyrethroids, which have been shown to be present in the environment areas throughout the US, if harmful to humans would pose a major health risk. For that reason it is important for the EPA and private scientists to continue to investigate the safety of these pesticides. This also shows how altering chemicals such as pyrethroids can change them in ways we cannot fully anticipate, as the natural pesticides of chrysanthemum flowers are much less dangerous. Chemistry is a major industry in the US, but can sometimes produce unsafe products. Perhaps a more thorough review process of chemicals by the EPA to be used in the future, regardless of what they conclude about the dangers of pyrethroids to humans this year. In the 21st century, chemicals are becoming more and more unpredictable, and thus must be regulated very carefully.

I enjoyed reading Mr. Jabr's article, which highlights how further testing of chemicals such as pyrethroids which have already pervaded US society are needed. Unlike many of the reviews I see on this blog, Mr. Jabr's article was very detailed, and left me with no further questions about the topic other than what the EPA concludes in the future. I recommend sciam.com to my fellow classmates, as its articles seem to be much more thorough than those from other sources, such as the New York Times. However, it seems to me like Mr. Jabr may have exaggerated the facts in this article, as he himself says on the second page of the article that little scientific data exists to support or rebuke his assertion that pyrethroids are likely very dangerous to humans and should be avoided whenever possible. This is one of the flaws of modern media - that scientists have the ability to present their theories to the media without enough data to validate their claims. While this article may be valid, other articles make even more exaggerated claims, frightening consumers needlessly. Like Mr. Jabr says, more data on this subject is needed, which the EPA should provide by the end of the year.

Jabr, Farris. "Are Pesticides from Plants Dangerous to Humans?" Scientific American Online 26 Feb. 2010.

Move Your Body, Power Your Cellphone

Everybody always worries about their cellphone "dying" on them when there is no charger to be found, but now there is no need to anymore. In the article Henry Fountain describes a new invention, a chip that takes the energy from a person's body movement and converts it to energy that you could charge a cellphone with.They plan on first putting the chip into shoes and hope to one day be able to implant into peoples' chests.

This affects our lives because it would make charging our portable devices much easier and less time consuming because you would not have to wait for your phone to charge you could just take it with you where ever you go. It would also eventually make people somewhat like cyborgs.

I enjoyed the article. It was very factual and got right down to the point. It also gave interesting facts i.e. "The act of breathing — of moving the ribs to draw air into the lungs and expel it — can generate about a watt of power."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/science/02obribbon.html?ref=science

Jails Hope Eye Scanners Can Provide Foolproof Identification System for Inmates

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/us/28eyes.html?ref=science

Jails Hope Eye Scanners Can Provide Foolproof Identification System for Inmates

There is always the possibility of human error, as all humans are imperfect, and sometimes mistakes can have huge impact. Recently, as well as in the past, there have been instances of jailbreaks, where inmates have pretended to be a soon-to-be-released cellmate and have escaped from jail. In an effort to end such deception, the Federal government, more specifically the Justice Department, is awarding grants worth $500,000 to the National Sheriff’s Association. This money will be distributed to almost 50 jails across the country to fund the purchase of eye, or retina, scanners. Retinas are the innermost coat that lines the interior of the eyeball, containing various layers of photoreceptive cells that are directly connected to the brain. Every person has a unique retina pattern, and light reflects differently off them; the scanners use this fact to identify an individual. Though this biology-based technology was created 10-15 years ago, the scanners still remain rare because of their cost. However, since you get what you pay for, this technology is also much more efficient and effective than dated technologies such as fingerprinting devices. Results are more accurate and returned faster, and the actual scanning process takes just seconds. Despite the advantages of the iris scan and the database it creates, fingerprinting is still used, and will continue to be used in the future. Iris scanners cannot be used on dead bodies, and privacy issues may limit the use of scanners as well.

This information affects us all because it will help keep our streets safe by eliminating the human aspect of identification. Also, as it said in the article, prisons are often testing grounds for technologies that may be used in the general public, so one day we all may have our retinas scanned before entering public places, such as airports, and it is important to educate ourselves about them.

I thought this article covered a very interesting topic, but could have been more detailed. For instance, it did not go into detail about how the scanners work, and so I had to research the topic myself. I also wish it had asked the opinions of more people and incorporated more quotes into the article.

Puzzle Solved: How a Fatherless Lizard Species Maintains Its Genetic Diversity

Bahnoo, Sindya N. "Puzzle Solved: How a Fatherless Lizard Species Maintains Its Genetic Diversity." The New York Times 23 Feb. 2010

A long time ago, a scientist named Bill Neaves discovered a species of lizard. However, this was no ordinary species of lizard. This kind of whiptail lizard is asexual, which means that a lizard can reproduce all by itself. Us humans, vary greatly from person to person. This is achieved over years of reproduction, but usually only in sexual beings. Mr. Neaves was dumbfounded as to how each lizard could be so different from each other when they are asexual. Now, over 40 years later, we know the answer. Aracely Lutes found out how this happens. Sexual lizard species gets 23 chromosomes from each parent, but in this asexual species, there is only one parent so you would think that the lizards would be missing 23 chromosomes right? Wrong. The mother provides all 46 chromosomes, since there is no father to mix the genes; the baby lizard is a genetic copy of the mother. And since the mother lizards are different from each other to begin with, their “clones” are too.

I chose this article because it shows how diverse and vast nature is. I would have never thought that a lizard could reproduce by itself. Also, this article shows that we need to be more careful with our environment, because if unknown species are to go extinct, then how will we become more intelligent as to our surroundings?

I liked the way that Mrs. Bahnoo writes, but I wish the article was more in-depth. It would have been nice to know what other species can reproduce asexually, or how many of these lizards exist, where they live, etc.

Windows to Space

Duncan Colquhoun                                                                                                           2/21/10     

Chemistry                                                                                                            Current Event

Windows to Space

Ten years after astronauts first used the International Space Station it now has picture windows installed.  The Italian built Cupola has seven large thirty inch windows centered around a central pane.  NASA calls it “the largest window ever built in space.”  Until now astronauts have had to use very small portholes to see outside the station.  This will allow the astronauts to see the stations outside robotic arms and also to see the earth.  The windows were opened for the first time and the astronauts were shown the great African Sahara dessert.  The views brought tears to many of their eyes.  Although many of the astronauts love these knew windows the engineers hate them.  Windows are weaknesses for micrometeorite strikes.  They do admit that the heat load increases which helps with the drastic weather changes.  To address some these of these dangers the windows have shutters.  Many astronauts say that seeing the earth is important to them “it keeps them going.”

                        http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/weekinreview/21patton.html?ref=science

"Crickets Warn Young Before Birth of Dangers of Wolf Spiders"

Bhanoo, Sindya. “Crickets Warn Young Before Birth of Dangers of Wolf Spiders.” New York Times Online. 18 Feb. 2010.

In the article “Crickets Warn Young Before Birth of Dangers of Wolf Spiders”, tests proved that crickets could warn their offspring about the dangers of the outside environment, before they were even born. Crickets leave their young after they are born, so a baby cricket is very vulnerable when danger lurks nearby. This is why it would be incredibly useful for a mother to be able to forewarn her young about predators that could be of harm. An experiment was set up in which a pregnant cricket was placed in an environment where she was stalked by a wolf spider (the spider's fangs had wax on them to protect the cricket). Another pregnant cricket was placed in an environment with no wolf spiders. When the new crickets were born, they were all placed in an arena with a wolf spider whose fangs were not waxed, which meant that the spider could eat the crickets. It turned out the the crickets whose mother had been stalked by the wolf spider survived longer than the others. They could hide for longer and detect when the spider was around, because they sensed its silk and feces. Scientists aren't sure how the crickets could have warned their children about the nearby predators, but there is a theory that some sort of hormone is transmitted between mother and child.

This article is important to society in several ways. One being the fact that people can now get deeper into this topic. We can find out about other animals that may be able to forewarn their prey about danger. This article is important to me because it was very interesting. I never thought that simple crickets could be the base of a very intriguing new discovery.

Overall, the article was very well written. However it could have stressed more about why it's hard to figure out why the crickets can forewarn their offspring. It also could have talked about what kinds of tests would be needed in order to do so.

"Up in the Air, and Down, With a Twist."

Fountain, Henry. "Up in the Air, and Down, With a Twist." New York Times 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 5 Feb. 2010. .

            In this science article by Henry Fountain, “Up in the Air, and Down, With a Twist” the science in the tricks that freestyle aerialists perform, are discussed.  Freestyle aerialists ski and jump high into the air and perform tricks such as twisting and turning in all different directions and landing the jump at the end. Mr. Fountain divulges into the science behind each jump which fits into the category of physics.  The basic ideas of performing the tricks have to do with rotational inertia, momentum, and the force that you take off of the ramp.  Every angle is important so that the skier lands safely and correctly.  This type of skiing is a major event in the Olympics and will be in the coming Olympics in Vancouver.  A freestyle aerialist, Ryan St. Onge is interviewed in the article.  He discusses what he does during the jumps and how he feels afterwards.  Mr. St. Onge says that he barely feels any pain afterwards because almost all the crashes he has, and everyone has, are never that bad.  Mr. St. Onge must keep everything perfect so that physics allows him to do what he wants in the air just by wiggling a little bit or taking off at a certain angle.

            This article is very important to me and to society for variety of reasons.  The article is very important to me because I ski even though I do not do a lot of big jumps.  I now love to ski although I just started last year.  When I read this article it inspires me to become a better skier and to learn how science can help me with my skiing.  This article is also important to society because many people all over the world ski.  Almost all my friends and all my parents’ friends ski, and skiing is making people all over the world fall in love with it.  I chose the article because it was interesting and discussed a topic that I could connect to.

            I like this article a great deal for several reasons.  It takes doing a lot of complicated stuff such as, twisting, turning, and flipping high above the ground into something as simple as a formula for rotational momentum.  Mr. Fountain goes into great depth about the topic and interviews people who have great knowledge on the topic.  I would probably talk to more freestyle aerialists then just one, but overall, this was a fabulous article.

T. Atkins

“Evidence Builds on Color of Dinosaurs.”

“Zimmer, Carl. “Evidence Builds on Color of Dinosaurs.” The New York Times. 4 February 2010.”

Up until last week paleontologists cold not offer clear evidence on the colors of dinosaurs. Last week paleontologists could provide evidence that a dinosaur known as Sinosauropteryx had a ginger and white colored tail. Now though a team of these scientists has published an extremely detailed photo of another dinosaur, they believe they have found its colorings. One particular scientist Dr. Prum and his colleagues took advantage of the fact that feathers of some dinosaurs contain melanosomes- commonly know as pigment sacs. In 2009 it was proven that melanosomes survived for many years in the feathers of birds. The shape and the arrangement of the melanosomes help produce the color of the feathers, so clues about the colors of dinosaurs were found in the melanosomes alone. This outstanding discovery prompted scientists in places such as Britain and China to examine dinosaur fossils that are covered in feather-like structures. Take out the melanosomes and inspect them. Scientists began to work on finding the colorings of a species known as an Anchiornoris, the removed 29 small chips from the animals’ feathers. They found melanosomes in these chips therefore allowing them to figure out its coloring.
This article is important because, though there is clear evidence that these creatures did exist, we’ve never really had a clear image of what they look like. Now that these scientist have discovered these melanosomes in the feathers, we now can figure out what dinosaurs*with feathers* really do look like, which is very interesting. It makes the image of the dinosaur much more realistic because now we have one more clue as to what they really look like. I chose this article because I thought it was very interesting that scientist could figure something like this out, even though dinosaurs existed so very long ago.
I believe that in this article though it was very well written, was difficult to understand at points. For someone who is not a scientist or paleontologist some of the terms in this article were tough to understand, making the article as a whole a little difficult to get. Overall though I believe it gave pretty good insight on how scientist can now figure out how to find the color of dinosaurs.

C. Blatt

Evidence Builds on Color of Dinosaurs

Zimmer, Carl. “Evidence Builds on Color of Dinosaurs” New York Times Online.

4 Feb2010. 

In this article it is stated that some scientists found some more information to what a dinosaur might look like, such as the colors of the dinosaur. Some researchers found that a dinosaur called a Sinosauropteryx had a white and ginger striped tail. The way that these scientists were able to find the color of these dinosaurs is that in the fossils of certain dinosaurs they were able to find these melanosomes, pigment loaded sacs contained in feathers. The shape and the arrangement of the melanosomes help produce the color of feathers, so the scientists were able to figure out some of the basic colors of the dinosaurs by looking at and testing the melanosomes. Because of this discovery more scientists began to investigate the color of many different dinosaurs. Scientists identified some dinosaurs that they believed they could identify the color of because they would choose dinosaurs that’s fossils were covered with featherlike structures. For instance, the Sinosauropteryx had bristles on its skin so the scientists investigated and found that it had reddish and white rings along its tail. This research also may support research showing that birds are dinosaurs. Apparently they descended from a group of bipedal dinosaurs called theropods. Another group of scientists were also working on a similar project. They began to study a 150-million-year-old species called Anchiornis huxleyi, a “chicken sized theropod”. The researchers discovered melanosomes on a fossil of this theropod in 29 “poppy seed” sized chips taken from its body. From its melanosomes the scientists were able to discover that the Anchiornis “had a crown of reddish feathers surrounding dark gray ones, and its face was mottled with reddish and black spots. Its body was dark gray, but its limb feathers were white with black tips.” The color pattern of the Anchiornis was similar to that of some birds today. The scientist believed that the color scheme of the Anchiornis was so extravagant and was used for possibly attracting mates and escaping predators by possibly dazing them with the black and white limb feathers. “The researchers expect many more surprises as scientists look at other dinosaur fossils.”

This article is important to society in multiple ways. One way that it is important is that people are curious about the looks of dinosaurs and if birds could be descendants of dinosaurs. Another way that this article is important to society is that it just shows some of the evolution of different species, but also not very much has changed, older species and modern species are similar in many ways. This article is important to me because I am very interested in all of the characteristics of dinosaurs and the different kinds of evolution. I chose this article because when I saw the title it appealed to me and seemed interesting and when I read the article I was intrigued with the discoveries made by these researchers.

I feel that the way that this article was written was not as well written than it could have been. I also believe that the article does not go into enough detail on any of the species that it described. I think that he really just summarized in only telling the name of the dinosaur or bird, the name of the researchers and what the animal or bird may have looked like and it did not really go into great depth.

"War can sometimes establish unexpected havens for wildlife."

Pearl, Mary C. "War can sometimes establish unexpected havens for wildlife." Discover 3 Feb. 2010: 10-11. Print.

Carp DNA Is Found in Lake Michigan

Henry Arcano 1/21/10

Chemistry Article Review

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/science/20carp.html?ref=science

Genetic material of the Asian Carp, an invasive species that has been nearing the Great Lakes for years, has been found in Lake Michigan. That means that the fish has somehow gone past the elaborate system of barriers created to keep it out of the Great Lakes. These barriers, costing millions of dollars, were made to stop the fish from reaching the Great Lakes, where it would have no natural competitors and will threaten the fish population. Now no live or dead fish have been found, and there are many other ways that the DNA could have reached Lake Michigan. However, it is being taken as an early warning that there may be live Carp in the Lake. No one knows how the DNA got into the Lake, and no one probably ever will. The Supreme Court denied Michigan the right to close the locks of a Chicago shipping canal that goes directly into the lake on the day the positive DNA samples were found. This is bringing even more calls for help from the Great Lake states. The governors of Wisconsin and Michigan have called for the Obama administration to call an emergency summit and identify an emergency rapid response. Professor Lodge of Notre Dame says that the court rulings and the DNA findings “Highlight the urgency” of action to protect the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes have a 7 billion dollar fishing industry and 20% of the world’s fresh water.

This crisis affects humanity in general. If the Asian Carp invade the Great lakes, then they would be able to support high-density populations. This would lead to a decrease in the population of the natural species of fish. That might deplete the 7 billion dollar fishing industry going on right now.

I found this article very interesting, but I thought that it was hard to understand unless you already have background information about what’s happening with Asian Carp. Other than that, I did not have any problems with this article.

"Scientists Find a Shared Gene in Dogs With Compulsive Behavior."

Derr, Mark. "Scientists Find a Shared Gene in Dogs With Compulsive Behavior." The New York Times 18 Jan. 2010. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. .

Researchers have recently studied Doberman Pinschers and their compulsive actions. For example, Dobermans will suck their flanks for ours at a time. These Scientists describe their findings remarkable, considering they have thought to find “the first gene identified in dogs.” OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) is found from 2.5 percent to 8 percent of the human population. OCD symptoms in humans can be identified from behavior such as excessive hand washing, repetitive checking of stoves and with that pulling the hair from root and self-mutilation. Dr. Dodman, Tufts University, and his scholars did a study. They gathered a group of 94 Doberman Pinschers that did suck their flanks or blanket. They also took another group of 73 Dobermans that did neither of these two actions. For both of these groups Dodman studied their genetic history along with their DNA. After many studies Dodman discovered a spot on canine chromosome 7, it contained the gene CDH2(Cadherin 2). From his discovery of this spot he was able to make a distinction between the two groups of dogs. “OCD” dogs (dogs that sucked blankets and splits) had the spot, while the ones who did neither had no spot. In further studies the Cadherin found in humans usually results in autism and spectrum disorder, which involve compulsivity.

I thought that this article gives scientists another look how we are in a way related to all living beings. Not only in chromosomes of humans, but in dog genes of compulsivity are found. I just find that unbelievable. I also think after taking in information from this article, that from the findings of Dr. Dodman could take us one step into the future of finding genetic disorders in humans. Not only could we find it in humans, but in all living beings. Overall I predict that the discoveries of Dodman will, at some point better the future of the human race, and the world.

Being a critic for this article is tough, considering that there is not to much to talk about considering its flaws. I thought overall it was a nicely written article. It was very informative, interesting and kept me reading. I would have to say the only think Derr Mark could improve upon is how he lures the reader in. I like dogs, that is the reason that kept me reading. He needed to include more interesting comparisons or facts to break up the stiffness and the seriousness.

Bacteria Transformed into Living Blinking Clocks

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-01/video-bacteria-transformed-living-blinking-clocks-could-provide-precisely-timed-drug-delivery This is a video accompanied by an article about the discovery scientists from UCSD involving the bacteria E. coli. Scientists discovered away to manipulate these bacteria in away so that they release florescent beams of energy at periodic intervals. In other words, they make the bacteria blink. This is extremely interesting, but even more phenomenal was the discovery of quorom sensing, an exchange of molecules between the bacteria, in order for the bacteria cultures to be synchronized.

What does this mean for us? Actually, it is a great deal of importance towards us because the researchers are able to implement this in other bacteria cultures, such as those found in yogurt, so that they exchange molecules containing information on the consumers system. Basically, the bacteria receive live feedback of the body's condition, so they can assess what is wrong and deal out the correct amount of medicine. At least, that's the goal. These researches are now trying to swap the dye gene that emits light with man made compounds, like drugs, so they can be released from the pill at the appropriate time.

I think this article was very intriguing and that the video was amazing. In the last few years, man has made some major steps in medicine, and this not only proof of it, but further advancement of our capabilities. I'm excited to find out more about the outcome of this operation and hope it can help humans greatly in the future.

Mind Readers

In the article "Mind Readers" by Lisa Katayama she describes her
experiences visiting the University of California at Berkeley and
learning about the technology research being put forward to create
computers that are able to pull pictures from the brain just by scanning
it. When you see a picture the visual cortex immediately interprets it
(there are an estimated 300 million neurons in the visual cortex alone,)
sending various electrical and chemical signals through the brain. What
Dr Jack Gallant is trying to do is create a mass catalogue of the
different type of signals that different visual stimuli trigger and
using a computer, recreate the scene based on these results. To do this
his team at the Henry H. Wheeler Jr. Brain Imaging Center send many
people through MRI scans and show them pictures, recording the activity
in their brain. Using an algorithm called Baye's theorem they calculate
the probability that the signals they see are associated with the
specific picture. This way they can figure out, with around ninety
percent accuracy, which signals correspond to which aspect of the photo.
So far his computer is able to register some blobby shapes and
movements, so if you think about an elephant crawling across a desert, a
grey Dumbo shaped blob will appear to be crawling across the computer
screen. This is quite impressive, but all around the world scientists
are working on creating brain reading machines for not just pictures,
but emotions and dreams as well. What all these scientists agree on, is
that the first brain reading machines will be in use sometime this
century.
This article is fascinating, because the subject matter sounds like it
comes from a horror science fiction movie, but is actually happening at
this very moment. If such technology was perfected it could help
humankind immensely, affecting many different fields. This technology
could illuminate the inner worlds of those suffering from
hallucinations, post traumatic stress disorders and other cognitive
difficulties, thus aiding doctors in their search for a cure. Judges
could also use this technology in the courtroom, by probing into
suspects brains, and testing to see whether those claiming insanity do
have valid justification. However, many new ethical issues may be
raised, because many are uncomfortable with the idea that our private
thoughts could be subject to snoopers and hackers.
I didn't have any major qualms with this article; I found it very
informative and interesting. The only thing I would change is to spend
less time taking Dr. Gallant's ideas on why the brain is so awesome and
spitting it back at us. We know the brain is awesome already, what we
want to find out is how we can unlock all of this power.

Not All Ski Slopes Are Environmentally Equal, Study Concludes

This article speaks about studies that have been done recently on ski slopes. It has been concluded that cleared ski runs cause less damage to our ecosystem than graded slopes because on cleared runs, seed banks and small shrubs are left on the slope. Also the top layers of the soil are left intact. This supports plant growth and vegetation, which in turn supports wildlife. On graded slopes everything is bulldozed over which removes topsoil and vegetation. This significantly damages our ecosystem. The article also states that the only reason that there are graded slopes is because they open a couple of weeks earlier than cleared runs.
This article is very important because not many people realize that the slopes that they are skiing on could be damaging the environment. Also, it is teaching people that they could be helping the environment if they wait few weeks later normal for the skiing season to start.
I though that this article was very interesting. It taught me a lot; I never thought of ski slopes as not being environmentally friendly. This article was easy to understand and there was not one point in it where I was bored. I would even be interested to learn more about this topic from reading this article.

Bhanoo, Sindya N. "Not All Ski Slopes Are Environmentally Equal, Study Concludes." New York Times 12 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Jan. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/science/12slopes.html?ref=science>.

COUNTING OF CALORIES ISN'T ALWAYS ACCURATE

Counting of Calories Isn’t Always Accurate
Caroline Yerkes
January 13, 2010
CHEM IH

CITATION: Bakalar, Nicholas. The New York Times Online. 13 Jan 2010. 11 Jan 2010.

SUMMARY:

Are calorie totals always correct? When researchers tested the food sold in some chain restaurants and frozen foods sold in grocery stores, they found that the actual calorie content of most foods averaged higher than the given amounts.

Not all foods were this way, and and some dishes actually contained more calories than listed. Some food companies are arguing that not all servings are identical, and more tests need to be done to reach an accurate conclusion.

This article is interesting because you would think that since these values should be regulated by the government that they should always be correct. However this is not the case, and in the research, most listed calorie counts are not correct. This article would be helpful for those basing their diets around a 2000 calories intake, if they have inaccurate figures, it is impossible for them to do this.

I liked this article because it was very interesting. It was pretty well written. It was not very complex or confusing. I like getting articles from the New York Times because they are always very well written and prepared with just the right amount of detail.

"E.P.A. Seeks Stricter Rules to Curb Smog"

Amanda Austi January 11 2010

Chemistry 1H Current Events

E.P.A. SEEKS STRICTER RULES TO CURB SMOG

Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency has introduced a stricter standard for smog-causing pollutants. Smog or ground-level ozone is formed in the presence of sunlight by a reaction of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and methane. The main sources of these pollutants are power plants and factories, fumes from volatile solvents, vehicles emissions and gasoline vapors. The new standard will bring ample health benefits to many Americans, as well as imposing large costs on industry and local governments. In 2008, Bush had made an administration that has been challenged by state officials for being too weak, and not protecting human health and the environment. Obama’s new administration sets a standard for ground level ozone, up to 0.060 to 0.70 parts per million, over 2 decades. This new rule will replace the 0.075 parts per million proposed by the Bush administration. The Obama administration would also propose a secondary smog standard that would change depending on the season, thus protecting plants and trees.

The new standard proposed by Obama, will affect our humanity in many ways. IT will force hundreds of countries that meet the current law to take steps to get back into compliance. 322 countries of the 675 that monitor ozone levels are out of compliance. If the limit if followed, 515 countries would be out of compliance. Obviously, this is a huge difference and could help out environment. Lastly, agency analysts have estimated that if the standard is followed, 12,000 premature deaths per year from heart or lung diseases could be avoided, as well as cases of bronchitis, asthma, and nonfatal heart attacks. Obama’s new administration clearly affects humanity today and will help our environment tremendously.

The article, “E.P.A. Seeks Stricter Rules To Curb Smog” was a very well written article. I enjoyed reading it a lot because the author, John M. Broder made it very comprehendible. This was a very confusing topic, but it was easier to read because Broder explained everything about the administration. Also, what I really liked was how he compared it to the previous administration by Bush, and explained the harmful effects of smog. Therefore, I thought this article was very helpful and interesting.

Citation: Broder, John M. ""E.P.A. Seeks Stricter Rules to Curb Smog"." nytimes.com N.p., Jan. 2010. Web. 11 Jan. 2010. . Path: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/science/earth/08smog.html?ref=science.

Cancer Risks Debated for Type of X-Ray Scan

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/health/09scanner.html?ref=science
Cancer Risks Debated for Type of X-Ray Scan
In this article scientists and political leaders are debating whether or not to put full body X-Rays in airports. Most scientists say that it has radioactivity and the waves can cause cancer. This debate mainly came forth on December 25, when a plane was attempted to bombed from Amsterdam to Detroit. The American Civil Liberties Union denounced these scanners as a “visual strip search.” They think that this would be a violation of peoples privacy. Some airports already have this equipment for their random special security checks. Another issue is the amount of radiation. The less radiation they use in the scanners, the less effective and visual the x-rays will be. Its been said that the billion people that use these scanners there will only be ten more deaths a year from the radioactivity. It was said that those deaths would represent only a tiny increment over the existing cancer rate, just as the extra dose was a tiny fraction of the natural background dose of radiation people get from everyday exposures, but they should still be considered.
I chose this article because I’ve heard a lot about the airplane traveling and attempted bombing. Also I went on a trip in and out of the country while this cenario was going on. The security was very on their feet because of this man, getting through security and on to a plane with this bomb.
This article was written well. It was easy to understand. It also did not have too much scientific wording that was difficult for me to comprehend. Also, it was on a topic that I was interested and knew most of the vocabulary from when I had heard this previously.

Poison-taster ants help save colonies

Chemistry 9 1/10/10 Cyrus Adamiyatt

Poison-taster ants help save colonies

This article tells of an element of an ant’s lifestyle that helps save its colonies. These ants have evolved in order to help combat poison. When it gets cold and ants find themselves out of food, they often enter homes looking for something to eat. In reaction to this homeowners often put out poison to kill the ants. Ants use three tactics to fight poison and famine, and one particularly interesting is sacrificing some ants as poison-tasters. This same tactic can be used to distribute food quickly after a famine, while guarding against sickness. Researchers from the University of the West of England discovered this through experimentation ants. They housed the ants and gave them no food or water for 48 hours. During the famine ants that had normally been active stayed in place to conserve energy and food. When working ants needed a boost food was shared through mouth to mouth regurgitation. The ants known as “living silos” that tested the food could act as both testers for food toxicity and to store food. When the famine ended 95% of ants were fed within the first 30 minutes, but the system of food distribution through living silos meant that the food was mixed and diluted lowering the chance of poison.

This article can relate to humanity because many people have problems with ant infestation and now it is known that poison will not necessarily take care of the colonies that have made your house their home.

I thought that this article was very well-written with the use of good vocabulary, and very well summarized. This was a long topic that could have been made into a long and confusing article. Instead the author was able to keep the article to an adequate length, but still teach everything in a way that is understood. I enjoyed reading this article and I have to say that it was very well-written and had few noticeable flaws in any aspect of the article.

Viegas, Jennifer. "Poison-taster ants help save colonies." www.msnbc.com MSNBC, Jan. 2010. Web. 10 Jan. 2010. .

Where Did the Time Go? Do Not Ask the Brain

Where Did the Time Go? Do Not Ask the Brain

By Benedict Carey

Many people have recently been asking themselves questions like, “what happened to 2009” and, “did we really just start a new decade?” It seems like the previous decade has gone by much faster than others, why? Because the brain is awful at telling time. Scientists have been studying how the brain keeps time but have not proved anything yet. Some think that certain cells count intervals in the brain like an internal clock. But this clock is not good at telling time. For example, when a group of college students where asked when Brittany Spears shaved her head, on average they were 3 months off. Another example is a French explorer who spent 2 months in a cave without being able to tell if it were day or night. He was convinced he had only spent 25 days in the cave. The way time is kept in the brain depends on what is happening in that person’s life. Something emotional such as a breakup or getting married seems much more recent than it really was. Memories help the brain tell time. This is why other people’s children seem to grow up much faster than their own. Because they only have memories of that child when they were much smaller, compared to their own children who they see everyday and can not notice their growth. Overall, it is very hard to comprehend how the brain tells time and no scientist has discovered exactly how it does. What we do know is that it is bad at telling time.

This article can relate to all human beings because everybody has trouble telling time with their brain. It tells about how the brain tells time and why it is so bad at telling time too. This article relates to me because I also have trouble at telling time without a clock or calendar.

Overall this was a good article. It was able to make this complicated subject about the brain into a comprehendible article about time. It had good examples of how awful the brain is with time and why it is so bad with it too. Overall this was a great article.

Rare Breeds, Frozen in Time

Alex Adrian 1/9/10

Chemistry Current Events

Rare Breeds, Frozen in Time

By Barry Estabrook

This intriguing article brings to the surface a new way to save the breeds of animals that are dying off. The SFV method to maintaining a steady growth of near-extinct farm animals is that the scientists freeze embryos of the animals in a freezer about the size of a washing machine. The purpose of this is to conserve the breed before it is too late. These embryos are then thawed out and embedded in a surrogate mother. The baby animal will be born; with no problems or disabilities and Chip is the breathing proof. Chip is a rare fainting goat from Tennessee that has a beard and an impressive pair of horns. The SFV was the foundation that brought Chip into the world and many other animals. This heritage livestock preservation facility helps make these animals lives happen and these animals do not ever end up on a cabob. The SFV organization is the only one in the country that’s main goal is to conserve rare heritage livestock breeds through a process of freezing semen and embryos. This technique is called cryopreservation. On Chips long journey to the earth he spent his first six days in his mothers embryo and then he was flushed from her womb and spent a few months frozen in the freezers. He was then thawed and transplanted into his surrogate mother who was not of the same species, but a common breed called a Nubian doe. Chip was born a normal fainting goat. Some say that the creatures born at the SFV center are misfits but these special animals are anything but. They are the last of their kind that are very necessary in sustaining these breeds. The animals are not bred for the company to make money off of them by selling their meat;these animals live a normal, healthy life on a farm eating nothing but grass in a pasture. Dr. George Saperstein, who is the foundation’s chief scientific adviser said, “Think of this as a safety valve program.” The doctor meant that the SFV program would be the savior of the generations if there was ever a famine in the livestock industry because the frozen embryos would come into play. In California in 2006, there was a heat wave that wiped out 16,500 cows and the farmers could not do anything to stop it. Livestock was wiped away, and the farms were producing little to nothing. Programs like SFV are hopefully going to sprout up in more parts of the US enabling the US to keep our precious animals living for as long as possible. These animals do contribute to our everyday lives because just like any other goat, Chip produces milk, which is then sold. His milk is no different than any other goat’s milk, which further proves that these animals are not being genetically altered. They are being born when their mothers cannot have enough babies in her lifespan.

This article was clearly written and the format of the article was perfect. I would read about background information first and then read more about the program called SFV that was helpful because I had never heard of the organization. A good amount of supporting details helped me better understand the article. To improve the article a few more examples could have been included but from the article I became aware of the situation that arose recently. Lastly, the amount of proof was perfect because I could see that the article was completely true and that the SFV is a fabulous program that is greatly needed in the US. The company is a nonprofit organization that needs to gain more awareness and contributions of America can help us save our dying-off animals!

Sources:

Estabrook, Barry. "Rare Breeds, Frozen in Time." The New York Times 5 Jan. 2010,
science ed.: n. pag. Web. 9 Jan. 2010. 06/dining/06frozen.html?ref=science>.