Exercise as a Potent Medicine

Reynolds, Gretchen. "Exercise as Potent Medicine." Well Exercise as Potent Medicine Comments. The New York Times, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/exercise-as-potent-medicine/?ref=health>.

Exercise as a Potent Medicine

by Gretchen Reynolds

A recent study suggests that exercise can be as effective as many frequently-prescribed drugs in treating some of the leading causes of death today. The study raises questions about whether our health care system focuses too much on prescribed medicine and too little on exercise as a cure. In this study, researchers compared various drugs and exercises and how they work when treating and reducing deaths among people who have been diagnosed with common diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. Through multiple tests, researchers gathered data concluding that drugs and produced almost exactly the same results when compared in trials.

This article explains the importance of health and fitness in everyday life, and makes people realize the benefits of having a fit and healthy lifestyle. Because of this thorough and conclusive sutdy on the effects of exercise, hopefully people will now have more opportunities to regain their health through healthy amounts of exercise, while continuing to rely on prescribed medicines for more urgent needs.

I thought that this article explained and written this topic very well. It helped me understand the severity of common illnesses and the new and healthier treatments being used to cure these illnesses. I didn’t know about this topic before, and I thought it was great how the author explained many important details of it, making me understand more about how this new type of cure is helpful.

As Rover Lands, China Joins Moon Club

          On Saturday December 7^th, China became the third country to join the moon club; along with the United States and Russia. This is a very big deal for China as they are trying to grow as a country to become a respected world power and become a major presence in space. The fact that they joined the “international deep-space exploration club” means that they now share all the resources on the moon with all the other members. Inside the Chang’e (the space craft that landed on the moon) there was a solar-powered rover called Jade Rabbit that explored the Bay of Rainbows, a smooth part of the moon. While this feat is great for China it has raised some worries among American politicians because they fear that America will become irrelevant in space within a couple of decades.

          This is incredibly important because China is a growing force in the world and the country has growing plans for their future in space. If everything goes well for the growing country they will become the second country to have humans go to the moon and come back. China might also be the only country to have an operating space station by the year 2020 because the international space station is going to be dismantled. Chinas station would be much smaller but would still be the only working one. 

          This was a very well written article and it also gave a lot of good information. The article had a lot of detail and background information. The article was a little hard to understand and it would have been very interesting to hear if anybody at NASA had any plans or a way to keep up with the Chinese and their space endeavors but overall the article was really good.

Buckley, Chris. "As Rover Lands, China Joins Moon Club." New York Times 14 Dec. 2013: n. pag. NYtimes. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/world/asia/china-lands-probe-on-the moon-report-says.html?ref=science&_r=0

Scientists Turn Their Gaze Toward Tiny Threats to Great Lakes

Tiny plastic beads used in facial scrubs and toothpastes have been accumulating by the millions in the Great Lakes. Fish have been eating them with all the pollutants they carry. Scientists are worried that they could move up the food chain to humans. Recently, multiple cosmetics companies have been switching out the beads for natural alternatives. Some companies have been questioning whether or not the plastic beads are actually getting through wastewater treatment plants. Professors and students have been examining samples of the water for the small plastic beads. Scientists have been trying to show that poison from the beads is transferred into the body of the animal that eats them.

           

Waste in bodies of water is a major issue in the environment, and plastic is one of the leading problems. These tiny beads are small enough (“…as big as a period on a newspaper page”) to get through wastewater treatment plants to be eaten by fish. Water pollution is an issue for humans as much as it is for animals in the water. Pollutants have poisons and toxins in them. When fish or other water creatures ingest these pollutants, and a human eats the fish, the poisons and toxins can be transferred to the human. Water pollutants can jeopardize the health of the entire food chain.

I enjoyed reading this article. It was very informative and gave me a lot of insight on a topic that I did not know about. I know about the beads they are talking about, but I actually had no idea that they are plastic and that they are causing an issue in the environment. However, I would’ve liked to know more of where these beads come from and how exactly they pass through wastewater treatment plants.

Schwartz, John. "Scientists Turn Their Gaze Toward Tiny Threats to Great Lakes."

NYTimes.com. The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/us/scientists-turn-their-gaze-toward-tiny-threats-to-great-lakes.html?ref=science>.

Baffling 400,000-Year-Old Clue to Human Origins

The article “Baffling 400,000-Year-Old Clue to Human Origins” by Carl Zimmer, talks about how a fossil, a thigh bone, could lead to new discoveries on evolution. In Spain in a cave called Sima de los Huesos (“the pit of bones”), a 400,000 year old femur was found. By testing the extracting DNA, scientists were able to test to see whether the DNA would match that of the Neanderthals. Unexpectedly I didn’t match, but rather was closely related to the DNA belonging Denisovans, which had been discovered in Siberia in 2010. This group is thought to be limited to East Asia, and they are also not thought to look like the Neanderthals. Based on this new discovery, scientists believe that humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans all shared a common ancestor from a half a million years ago. It is believed that these ancestors split off, with Humans staying in Africa, Neanderthals heading west and Denisovans moving eastward. Many scientists also believe that humans interbreed with the Neanderthals and Denisovans, later causing these two groups to become extinct.   Scientists have come up with many explanations. One explanation stated that the humans of the Sima de los Huesos weren’t really Neanderthals but belonged to ancestors of Neanderthals and Denisovans. Another says that this new DNA was passed to the Neanderthals and Denisovans disappearing from Neanderthals and becoming replaced by alternative forms (variants.) The most radical theory is that the humans in that region belong to a different branch of humans, a species called Hom erectus, from 1.8 million years ago. Although this new discovery shed light on newfound information, it has also raised lots of questions.

This discovery may not be important to humans today, but we can get a better look at evolution. This discovery is really astounding at how far back this DNA was found, it is 300,000 years older than the previously oldest DNA. This finding rises many questions that many scientists will know be on the hunt to find about the Denisovans. I think that this discovery is important to finding more clues to our ancient past and clues to finding the whole story of evolution. There are some pieces that we know, but so many things are still currently unknown.

I thought that this article was very informative and included lots of information from different scientists and colleges who had information on this topic. There was also a lot of background information which helped to better understand where is was taking place. I thought that the author could have done a better job organizing the article because it wasn’t in a very neat order. I thought that it talked about the discovery and then talked about some background and then about future things and it got very confusing. It would have been easier to read if everything had been in a chronological order. Overall, I found this article very interesting, and I think that this will be very important in both science and history.

Zimmer, Carl. "Baffling 400,000-Year-Old Clue to Human Origins." Nytimes.com. N.p., 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/science/at-400000-years-oldest-human-dna-yet-found-raises-new-mysteries.html?ref=science&_r=0>.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/science/at-400000-years-oldest-human-dna-yet-found-raises-new-mysteries.html?ref=science&_r=0

$12 Billion is pledged to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria by Donald G. Mc Neil jr.

$12 Billion is pledged to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria by Donald G. Mc Neil jr.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/04/world/12-billion-is-pledged-to-fight-aids-tb-and-malaria.html?ref=science&_r=0

 

 

 World wide, countries are stepping up to donate to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Dr. Mark R. Dybul, the director of the fund, said that the 12 billion raised is incredible and shows a growing optimism that the fund is working and an end is finally in sight. This is actually a very large increase versus the last fundraiser in 2010 which only resulted in 10.4 billion. The goal of this fundraiser was actually even higher, 15 billion which would have helped 82% of the people in need. But, the 12 billion still is able to help 68% of the people in need worldwide. The US is the largest donator out of all the countries involved and offered to match the other countries donation 1:2, willing to pay a whole 5 billion per year to the fund, but only ended up paying 4 billion due to the lack of donations from other countries.

              The fund itself has had a large affect on all the branches that it raises money for. Malaria, the easiest to fight of the three, has dropped to only 650,000 deaths a year from over a million due to increased funds. About 10 million people with HIV are now able to receive the antiretroviral drug. And new forms of research can now continued to find new ways to fight these diseases. The problem still remains; even with 12 billion more money is still needed to help everyone. Only 68% of the people in need are helped with the whole 12 billion. The UN needs an estimated total of 24 billion to fight AIDS alone and as of now is only able to spend 19 billion in it.

              I would have liked it more if the author had stated less on how much each individual country donated and more of how this money is help people. I feel as though the author could have used more specific details on the use of the donated money instead of just where it came from.

Experts Say Poaching Could Soon Lead to a Decline in the Rhino Population

Lucero, Louis. "Experts Say Poaching Could Soon Lead to a Decline in the Rhino Population." Experts Say Poaching Could Soon Lead to a Decline in the Rhino Population. N.p., 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/23/science/experts-say-poaching-could-soon-lead-to-a-decline-in-the-rhino-population.html?ref=endangeredandextinctspecies>.

The world population of Rhinos is decreasing because of the high rate of poachers. The International Rhino Foundation said that there were around 688 rhinos killed in 2012. Illegal poaching is the only obvious reasoning that is there when it comes to the extinction of rhinos, even though there are several other reasons. Some of those reasons may include, deforestation, the displacement of human settlements and the destruction of the rhino’s habitat. For example, in Zimbabwe, thousands of acres of the rhinos’ natural habitat has been turned into a farmland. Fewer than 30,000 rhinos are left in the five surviving species. Out of those five species, the most at risk is the Sumatran rhino with fewer than 100 rhinos around the world. The white rhinos are the least at risk of extinction.

            Rhinos are the largest living land mammals, are they are seen to be as symbols of humans’ impact on the natural world. They have been hunted for centuries, because of their horns, which or worth more than gold as the amount gets bugger, and because their horns also make a traditional Chinese medicine.

            I think that the author did a good job in writing this article. He clearly explained the different species of rhinos that are getting extinct. Also, he gave statistics for the amount of rhinos that are left in the world, the specific species, and how many have been killed. I think that the author could have added more detail to his work, and maybe that could have maybe made me understand this topic a bit more. I think that what is happening to the rhinos is terrible, and this should really stop. I hope that we can save the rhinos. 

With Extra Anchovies, Deluxe Whale Watching

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/us/with-extra-anchovies-deluxe-whale-watching.html?ref=science&_r=0

Goode, Erica. "With Extra Anchovies, Deluxe Whale Watching." New York Times. N.p., 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

          In the waters of Monterey Bay there have been miles and miles of anchovies. Thousands of sea lions came to the bay, pelicans flew in, bottle nosed dolphins, and humpback whales. Whale watchers were amazed as they watched about 200 whales breach and blow. These animals are common to this area but none have stayed this long. All the animals together haven't made a dent in the population of anchovies. In one spot there were so many anchovies the oxygen ran out and many died off. The waters have created the "perfect storm" so the anchovies lay there eggs in the warm waters and they develop quickly. Scientists are not sure when these animals will finally migrate, they estimate it could be December.

          This event shows scientists that animals, specifically humpback whales, don't migrate only due to weather. These animals have survived longer because they have enough food. This also shows scientists that when there is a surplus of food different species of animals won't attack each other as much. Because there is enough anchovies for all the whales and sea lions didn't interact. Lastly this article proves that any year could be a good year for a species. The past six years have been hard on these animals and this year has been great for them.

          This article was well written and had enough interesting info to make the reader want to continue. It was interesting to hear the stories of the whale watchers, I never thought so many whales and dolphins could be in one place at once. However there is not a lot of scientific info so there is not a lot of proof of why it is happening.

Researchers Find Ancient Seawater Had Twice The Salt

Neuman, Scott. "Researchers Find Ancient Seawater Had Twice The Salt." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/19/246187564/researchers-find-ancient-seawater-had-twice-the-salt

Scientists recently discovered a pocket of ancient seawater near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. This pocket of seawater has been trapped below layers of sediment near the present day area of Chrales, Virginia. It is estimated that this archaic seawater has been trapped since the days of the dinosaurs, approximately 100-150 million years ago. Hydrologist Ward Sanford theorized that the seawater was struck my an asteroid some 35 million years ago which prevented the water from being flushed out with sediments, isolating it. This water pocket was found 5,000 feet underground. This is the oldest large body of seawater ever discovered. It was discovered that the seawater of the Cretaceous Era was nearly twice as salty as modern day water. Scientists were able to identify the age of the water using the amount of helium in the water, helium is given off by uranium deposits as they age.

This discovery has a large impact in the science community. It gives evidence that ancient oceans had a much higher degree of salinity (saltiness) than they have today. This discovery does not really have an impact on the average person but I believe it will in the long run. Scientific discoveries like this help us to understand the world and design solutions for current issues.

I thought this article was well written by author Scott Neuman, it was concise, to the point and easy to read. Despite the article not being as lengthy as I would like it still provides the reader with a wealth of information. Neuman provides useful information about this important scienfic discovery.

Finally, a Way to Predict a Wildfire's Behavior in Real Time

Chem                                                                                                                             John Markola

 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=finally-a-way-to-predict-a-wildfires-behavior-in-real-time 

Massey, Nathanael. "Finally, a Way to Predict a Wildfire's Behavior in Real Time: Scientific American." Finally, a Way to Predict a Wildfire's Behavior in Real Time: Scientific American. Scientific American, 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=finally-a-way-to-predict-a-wildfires-behavior-in-real-time>.

 This article was about how Scientists have developed a new technique to predict the behavior of wildfires, using high-resolution satellite imagery to periodically check and revise computer simulations. Also, The Suomi NPP, a weather satellite operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, carries a special infrared sensor that can capture high-resolution images anywhere on the globe. This is called the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and it can observe the Earth's surface at a much finer scale than the average satellite sensor.

By giving scientists the information of how the wildfire will act, we can stop the wildfires before they grow too large and have a devastating effect on where it hit. This research is important to our everyday lives because it would stop many wildfires and help save a great deal of nature and animals, and prevent the gases that pollute the atmosphere during the event of a wildfire.

I thought this article was very interesting, and I was impressed while reading it how they have now created such a contemporary device to tell so much about these wildfires and help preserve our nature.