Blizzard Website

This is our website on Blizzards, a weather storm.
http://pianoplayer97andsoftballgirl96.webs.com/
Hope you enjoy it!

Adventure Aquarium

Recently, my class and I went on a field trip to Camden Adventure Aquarium. After a long bus ride, my group and I went to several exhibits. The purpose of our trip was to expand our knowledge of aquatic and marine animals after learning about them for three months. Educational and fun, this place is definitely worth the trip. I felt that the most entertaining and interesting exhibits were the African penguins, and sea creatures we got to touch.

First were the African Black-Footed Penguins, found in an exhibit called Penguin Island. Personally, I love penguins and find them very fascinating. These penguins are not like the stereotypical penguins that need cold weather to survive. Their normal habitat is located on the coast of South Africa. They enjoy cold weather, but prefer the weather normally found in Central, New Jersey. Their habitat here in captivity includes a lake for swimming, land for walking, and something like a shower that sprays over the land. This is one of the only places located outside. Though they are surrounded with all this water, I have learned that they get water into their bodies from their food. The diet they have includes squid and small fish and crustaceans. In fact, they eat 20 percent on their body weight in just one sitting!

The next exhibit that caught my attention was called the Interactive Inlet. This is where we got to go hands-on with the chosen sea creatures. There were shrimp, pulsing moon jellyfish, freshwater stingrays, lobsters and much more. In my opinion, I thought the jellyfish and the stingrays were the most interesting. In my experiences at aquariums and sea creature exhibits, not once have visitors been allowed to touch jellyfish! And this new experience turned out for the best. The jellyfish were soft, squishy, and very pleasant to touch. My other favorite were the stingrays. I always thought that stingrays were soft because when I had gone to other places they were soft. But when my group and I got to the stingray tank the first thing I noticed was the three or four different kinds of stingray. And when I touched them, all had a different texture. Some were bumpy and some were hard but not one soft! It suddenly occurred to me that there are obviously more than one species of stingrays in the world! Overall, I was glad that I got to experience this and it was very interesting.

All in all, the trip to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden was exceedingly enjoyable. It was enlightening and we learned so much! Not to mention a lot of fun! This is definitely on my recommendation for field trips for schools to go on. It is pleasurable and interactive and with a great group like mine you have an amazing time. From penguins to jellyfish and stingrays you never know what to expect next. I had an amazing time and I hope you did or will too! :)

I got my information from:

http://www.adventureaquarium.com/exhibits.cfm

I got my pictures from:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2148/2234243530_3361b700ff.jpg?v=0

http://img.guba.com/public/video/1/01/3000017581m.jpg

What Happens When Air is Heated?

When we put the aluminum spiral over the hot plate, it spun. I think this is because when air is heated, it rises. So when the hot air rose and touched the top of the aluminum spiral, it came back down it. This is because aluminum is a conductor of heat. So when the heat touched the top of the spiral it had a domino effect and the heat came down the spiral. Simultaneously, another heat wave is coming up to the top of the spiral while heat is going down it. Because there is constant heat going in the same direction, the spiral was spinning. If the heat stopped, it would stop spinning. It is all because heat rises.

I got my picture from:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAA9rJ0ejLHuYK0OrH521KQn7m-U_w23jLDbrCZwsq83PqCTwjmt33uy3niFzgD4AX9aSxPZ5P0NMPzUaHdjbdHltUeg-dwxOQl3K9A0bh5XGWA2pvq3vZV8974RT44fwnS6jI6oXCjOk/s400/heat-rising.jpg

Can Collapsing Lab

The water in the can boiled because of the increase in heat. The aluminum can also heat up along with the water inside it, because aluminum is a conductor of heat. During the experiment the water took a while to boil. This is because the atoms took some time to start moving faster. Once the water vapor was coming out of the can we could tell it was boiling. So, when we put the can with the water inside it into ice water, the can collapsed. This is because the bouncing atoms hit instant cool. When the hot can suddenly hit ice cold water it collapsed. This is also because of air pressure. When the water was heated, the air pressure in the can was less than the air pressure outside the can, causing it to be unbalanced. The air pressure on the outside was pushing on the can. So when the molecules hit cold water they escaped from the can into the water. The air pressure outside the can pushed with a sudden force causing the can to collapse.

I got my picture from:

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/diet-sodas.jpg

Why does Popcorn Pop?

The radiation from the microwave helps the popcorn kernels pop because it gives off heat. Inside a kernel there is a little drop of water surrounded by starch and on the outside there is a hard shell. When put in the microwave or any source of heat warming it, the little drop of water turns into water vapor within the kernel. When the water vapor cannot stand to be in the confined space anymore and there is too much pressure, the kernel explodes, making popcorn. The water vapor escapes and that is why there is steam coming out of the bag when you open it.

I got my information from:

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/home/popcorn.html

I got my picture from:

http://www.healthcare-guide.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/popcorn.jpg

Article connects to Science

Recently, a marine’s wife gave birth to a premature child. This marine was overseas during the birth and wished to go home on emergency leave to see his sick daughter. Unfortunately, he was denied this privilege and his wife was devastated. The doctor taking care of their daughter insisted that his unit commander give this marine an emergency leave to come see his daughter, because she was extremely sick. But soon enough due to modern science, the marine was told that his child was doing better. The marine must now get special permission to go on a leave, and I personally, I hope he can.
This story along with every other story has some relation to science. In this case, a connection to science is that since the daughter of the marine was born prematurely, she was put into intensive care. This is when the doctors have individual care for the patients and give them special medicines as well as equipment to care for their personal needs while they mature. These medicines and the equipment to care for these babies are science for the reason that people use facts and principles, the basis of science, to create them.

The article:

http://www.wpix.com/news/local/wpix-military-dad-denied-leave,0,1398499.story

I got my picture from:

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/xml/news/2007/07/marine_22ndMEU_deployment_070731/MT_22ndMEU2_500_070731.JPG

TV show connecting to science

One of my favorite TV shows is House. It is about a doctor, Gregory House, and his team trying to help patients. Dr. House is a very unusual character because he does not like communicating with the patients, is very stubborn, and acts like he hates people and hates all his patients. He also has a mood to him that makes him seem like he does not care if the patient gets better or not. This show takes place in the Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital. This show connects to science in many ways. First of all, Dr. House and his team use medicines to cure or treat the diseases and infections. The medicines are made by different kinds of scientists. Also, on House, they use different medicines to calm heart rates and stabilize the patient’s body. Another way this show connects to science is that the team and other doctors on the show use machines and instruments developed to find out what is wrong with a patient. They are also used to enhance to knowledge of science, created by researchers, doctors, and scientists. An additional way House connects to science is that Dr. House has a crippled leg. He takes patients’ unused morphine pills and uses it to stop his leg from paining. Morphine is a pain-reliever that can be dangerous if overdosed. House takes the chance of dying due to a morphine overdose. This relates to science because Morphine is a pharmaceutical drug created with certain chemicals. All in all the show House is a very intense show that is directly and indirectly related to science.

I got my picture from:

http://neoavatara.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/house-md-d-house-md-1048019_1152_864-1024x768.jpg

Impact of Deforestation

We all know that deforestation is horrible. One of its consequences is Global Warming, something that affects the world as a whole. Not only is one of the problems of deforestation global warming, but it is killing numerous plants and animals as well. Apparently, in the Amazon this isn’t all that’s getting destroyed. There are many unknown species of bacteria lurking within the Amazon, say Eric Triplett and James Borneman from the Agronomy Department of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. They took soil samples from a full-grown rainforest and compared it to a pastureland created by deforestation that was right next to the rainforest. Once the soils were sampled, they took out the bacterial DNA. Comparing the two soils and the DNA in it, they recognized 100 diverse DNA sequences, none of them being duplicates. There were 18% of the sequences that could not be categorized into any known bacterial kingdom. Dr. Triplett said, "The microbial diversity found in the mature forest and pasture soils from eastern Amazonia is immense." There is a phenomenal difference between the two soil samples. He also enforces the fact that even with all the work that is being done to save the Amazon, there needs to be more. Basically, there really shouldn’t be such a huge difference in the soils of neighboring lands. One underwent deforestation while other did not. There have been endless studies of the fresh water, animal species, and plants living in the Amazon. But very few studies have been done on the soil and the microbial populations living within it. Triplett also talks about why he and Borneman did the research in the first place. He says, "It's such a rich biological resource that we decided to go and study it. In the discovery of new organisms we can find previously unknown enzymes that can help further the progress of biotechnology. In addition, there are bacteria out there producing antibiotics that we have yet to discover.” What he is trying to say is that the reason scientists and researchers should examine and compare soils, and identify the micro-populations within the soils is to help the process of sciences. To contact Dr. Triplett for more questions click here.

Personally, I agree with Dr. Triplett. Seeing what he has accomplished, and what he found, scientists and researchers should study this topic more in depth. They should take into consideration the information and realize that a rainforest is more than just animals and plants. They are about discovery and facing the unknown. Dr. Triplett is trying to tell the world that if you study this topic, small things can be discovered like locating a new bacteria, as well as big things like creating a new antibiotic, something that can treat and maybe cure diseases and infections. Deforestation is taking that away. In an indirect way he is telling us to “Go Green” and protects the earth and the nutrients it provides us with.

I got my information from:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/06/970629230930.htm

I got the picture from:

http://nksandeep.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/20070511_deforestation1.jpg

Biology: Animals

The order of what the universe is made up with is:
• Quark
• Neutrons, Protons, and Electrons
• Atom
• Molecule
• Cell
• Tissue
• Organ
• Organ System
• Organism
• Population
• Community
• Ecosystem
• Biome
• Biosphere
• Solar System
• Galaxy
• Universe


In life, everything is made up of something and makes something. The start is quarks, and scientists are still trying to figure out what they are. Quarks make up neutrons, protons, and electrons. Neutrons, protons, and electrons make up atoms, and atoms make up molecules. Molecules make up cells, which is the basic unit of structure and function in living things. Cells are grouped together to form tissue which has a specific job in the body. Tissues combine to form an organ, which performs a more complex job than each tissue by itself. Organs combine to form an organ system, which has a broad function in the body. Did you know that there are ten major organ systems in the human body? Imagine how many cells that is! Next, all of the organ systems in the body make an organism. Many organisms make up a population, and populations make up a community. Communities make ecosystems, and ecosystems make up biomes. Biomes make up a biosphere, and biospheres make up a solar system. Solar Systems form galaxies and galaxies form universes. So in the end you can assume that quarks make up the universe. Quarks are “seen” as elementary particles, therefore based on this order, the universe must be made up of millions of elementary particles. To find more in-depth information on quarks see the links below. In my opinion, I think it would be fascinating to figure out if quarks come from or are found in the universe. That would mean, rather than a list of everything making up the universe it would become a circle, where everything came back to each other. Also, I hope that someday scientists learn what is really smaller than a quark because it would be really interesting to find out if it is possible for that to happen or if a quark is really the smallest thing in the universe.


Another biology fact is that scientists classify animals into major groups called phyla. Each phylum has different characteristics. When doing this they consider an animal’s body structure, the way an animal develops, and the animal’s DNA. Phyla help scientists observe each animal and compare it with animals that are alike with it. Personally, I feel this is a great idea. Though invented a long time ago, it is helpful to us even now. For example, if scientist finds a new species, they can easily find out where the animal belongs, and what animals it is similar to. Also, the similar DNA certain animals in phyla share might convince scientist they were made from a similar ancestor. So, if they see what that animal is related to and continuing on and on with the process they could eventually end up going back to where all animals rose from: a single celled organism. Overall the use of phyla is very interesting. For some example of phyla, look at the sites listed below.


In general, biology very complex and has many parts to it. You need to know the simple facts to move on to everything else. This is just the start of biology and more information is headed toward the future.

Quark websites:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Particles/quark.html

http://www.4to40.com/science/index.asp?id=109

Phyla websites:

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/trnov01.htm

http://www.occc.edu/deanderson/Phyla/phyla_html/title.html

http://cas.bellarmine.edu/tietjen/images/general_overview_of_animal_phyla.htm

I got my information from:

http://www.occc.edu/deanderson/Phyla/phyla_html/title.html

http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/061108_strange_little.html

http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~acarpi/NSC/14-anatomy.htm

I got my picture from:

http://homepage.smc.edu/grippo_alessandro/phyla.jpg

2012

Everybody must think that the world is going to end in 2012. This is due to the movie 2012, and the many theories that discuss the end of the Mayan calendar. Well, according to NASA, the world is not going to end in 2012. The planet Nibiru is not going to crash into the earth and a solar flare will not burn up the planet. Everything is fictional, and do not believe what is in the movie.

One person asks NASA, “Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012.” NASA explains that our planet has survived for over 4 billion years, with the thoughts that the world was going to end several times. So, nothing is going to happen in 2012. Another person wonders what the origin of the theory 2012 is. Replying to this, NASA states that it started when a supposive planet discovered by the Sumerians, Nibiru, was headed toward the Earth. It was expected to reach in May 2003, but when nothing happened, its expected date to reach the earth was changed to December 21, 2012, the winter solstice. Now, the beliefs lead to the legend that describes the end of the Mayan calendar as well. To clear things up, NASA explains that just as our calendar does not go farther than December 31, the Mayan calendar does not go past December 21, 2012. And the new calendar for us begins again January 1st, and another Mayan calendar starts to count a long-period.


The planets’ aligning is another hypothesis that people think could kill this Earth on December 21, 2012. The planets are not due to align for the next few decades, says NASA. And if they do, it will not affect our Earth. An annual event that occurs every December is when the Earth and sun align at the estimated center of the Milky Way Galaxy. This happens every year and will not do any harm to us. A meteor crashing into the earth is another assumption about what is going to happen in 2012. The Earth has always been in danger of asteroids and comets, and the impacts they cause. Big hits are very uncommon, and the last one that occurred caused the dinosaurs to become extinct. There are scientists dedicated to studying and watching for meteors, asteroids, and comets so there is nothing to worry about. Lastly, somebody asked NASA how they felt about the upcoming supposed “doomsday”. NASA replied asking the people of Earth, where is the science? Where is the evidence? You should realize that there is none. Just because movies, books, documentaries, and stories over the internet are made, these do not support that fact that there is no actual scientific evidence.


As you can see, there are many theories that the world is going to end in 2012. The movie, 2012, has most likely promoted the start of these uncertainties. Personally, I agree with NASA. There is no true scientific evidence suppoting the end of the world in 2012. But, I also disagree with the part about our calendar starting over and over every year. Many years ago I believe that we made our calendar, naming the months and days. So every year we assume that it is going to start over and be exactly the same. But, I strongly believe that anything is possible. I am not saying that I think the world is going to end in 2012, but I think that NASA is overestimating themselves. They cannot be sure that nothing is going to happen, and that the calendar is going to stay exactly the same. They just assume that. For more information on NASA and 2012 click here.


I got my information from:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33911941/ns/technology_and_science-science/

NCIS (Extra Credit)

My favorite TV show is NCIS, which means Naval Criminal Investigative Service. This connects to science because during the show the team is investigating the deaths of naval soldiers. The team is lead my Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and its members are Senior Field Agent Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo, Special Agent Timothy McGee, and Special Agent Ziva David. The other helpful members of the NCIS team are Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard and Abigail “Abby” Sciuto. This show connects to science in many different ways. First of all, Tony, Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee all carry guns. This is scientific because the properties of guns use science. They have bullets, which are made specially using different types of metals and chemicals according to the distance needed to shoot. Second, there is Ducky and all his tools. Ducky’s job is to examine the dead bodies of the naval officers and predict when and how the person was killed and with what. He opens the body, and looks at the bullets if they have been shot. He looks at their lungs, and many other body parts. In addition to normal autopsy, he also sometimes does a psychological evaluation. Overall, everything Ducky does is scientific. The most scientific part of the show is Abby’s role. She is a Forensic Toxicologist, and uses technology to crack codes, observes specimens found at the crime scene and in the body. She also sometimes recreates the crime scene. Abby finds a way to explain everything and without her, the many investigations would not be solved. She has numerous amounts of equipment to help her examine the objects given to her and she can do almost anything with computer needs. All in all, NCIS uses a lot of science. It is a great show and extremely educational as well. You definitely should watch it.

I got the names from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCIS_(TV_series)

Another Extra Credit

Yes, I would like the opportunity to get another 15 extra credit points.

Extra Credit Quote

"In Science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurred. "

Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician.


In my opinion, this means that just because someone got an idea and researched it and did all the hard work, it is only right in science world. Now though the whole world has something or the other that has to do with science, not everybody will understand this idea. And, if the people of the world do not understand it, they do not believe it is true and will not publish it and make it known. So, the person that convinces the world that an idea is true usually gets the credit rather than the man whom the idea first occurred. When the world believes it is true, it is surely true.

I got the quote from here.

Density

Matter is anything that has mass and volume. Density is the mass per unit volume of an object. Density allows you to compare different types of matter, and is a very important property. All matter has density, and the density of different kinds of matter is the property that helps identify it from other types of matter. The formula for density is:

Density = Matter/Volume

Density is written as g/cm3 because matter is grams and volume is centimeters cubed. It is important that everything done in science is written in metric units because that is a universal unit of measurement. The density of fresh water is 1g/cm3. Anything with the density lower than water will float, like ice, and anything with the density higher than water will sink, like steel. Above are densities of common substances.

Some new information I learned was that density was discovered by the Greek mathematician Archimedes around 250 B.C. To see the full story click here. I also learned that density can be helpful in real life. It is critical for building ships, because they need to float on water as well as for building “lighter-than-air" crafts like hot air balloons. I also learned that density is a physical property of matter; for example, water and ice have the same chemical formula but different densities.

My opinion on density is that it is very useful and can be used in real life, not just in science class. Therefore this makes density an important topic to learn and understand. It allows you to compare types of matter, and every object has matter. So, all in all, density is an important property to learn, and I am glad we have learn how to find it, understand it, and use it.

I got my information and picture from:

http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=37

Differences Between North and South Poles

The North and South Poles and the areas around them, are cold and unknown to most commoners. Though they may seem similar, differences come upon them in many ways. The Arctic region includes Canada, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland, the United States, and Greenland, while the bottom is the continent of Antarctica. The arctic area is basically frozen ocean surrounded by land, while Antarctica on the other hand, is filled with mountain ranges, lakes, and is surrounded by an ocean. Also, Antarctica has about 90% of the world’s ice. That means that nearly three-fourths of the Earth’s fresh water is locked away there. This is because in Antarctica, oil drilling is off limits. Conversely, untapped oil reserves are found in the arctic region and Russia claimed it. Some people have thought of towing icebergs to the dry, quenched areas on the world.

Did you know that Antarctica remains the only land mass in the world that is not owned by anyone? Despite the pictures of flags on the South Pole, Antarctica is unclaimed. It is governed by the Antarctic treaty, which states that the land and resources will be used for peaceful and scientific reasons only. In opposition, the arctic region is very diverse in countries. In addition, the arctic is sensitive to climate change. In the summer, it becomes warmer and the temperature breaks the ice. While in the Antarctic, it is extremely cold and the snow never melts.

The final difference has to do with the future of our planet, the ozone layer. The Antarctic has an ozone [invisible] hole that has grown to be around three times the size of the United States’ land mass. On the other hand, the Arctic’s hole is not as big, but is growing. As said in the article, “In truth, there is no actual hole; the 'hole' is a region of severely depleted ozone, a chemical that helps protect the planet from harmful solar radiation.” This is saying that the hole is just something used to picture in your head, so you can visualize how bad the situation is. The reason why there is a larger hole in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere is because it is warmer in the Arctic, which limits the cloud that is killing the ozone while in the Antarctic it is the opposite.

Personally, I am glad I read this article. I never knew the differences between the Poles of the Earth. To me, they were both just two cold places that most people did not go to. Now I see the distinction between the two areas. It made me realize that we do not learn that much about these lands. For example, almost everybody knows about the ozone layer, but most people don’t know why or how it is destroying our earth, and specifically where. It made me take a new perspective on why scientists study so much about these kinds of places. They research and learn, then teach the rest of the world. All in all, this was a very helpful article to have read and I feel much more informed about our planet now.

I got my information from: http://www.livescience.com/environment/top10_polar_differences.html

Structure of the Earth: Plasticity Lab

Recently, we did an experiment on plasticity in the earth. Plasticity is pressure inside the mantle. In this lab, my group and I were suppose to make a mixture that introduced us to the form of plasticity. The materials used for this lab were cornstarch, water, 2 small beakers, and a spoon. We first put 5 teaspoons of cornstarch in one beaker, and 20 milliliters of water in the second beaker. Then we poured the water into the cornstarch, and stirred. It was difficult to mix this white mixture, and that means we did the lab correctly. The mixture was liquid-like at first, but dried to a solid form. A few of our group members put their fingers in the mixture to feel the substance. When they put their fingers in the mixture quickly, the mixture acted like water and did not do anything. But, when they put their fingers in slowly, the mixture made a solid-like formation around their fingers. Next, one of our group members pick up some of the mixture and played with it in their hands. When the mixture was in a open hand, it was liquid-like, yet when the person closed his hand, he said it felt like a solid. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that when this substance was under pressure and heat, it became hard-like, and when no pressure and heat was applied, it was liquid-like. I also realized that this relates to the mantle of the Earth as well. The mixture was similar by its movement. The mantle moves like a liquid, yet when added with pressure and hear, it becomes solid-like. The asthenosphere is liquid-like because there is less pressure that in the lithosphere, which is solid-like. This lab made me understand more about the Earth's mantle. Another odd job that happened was the cleaning up. We could not clean the tables with water, otherwise the excess cornstarch would get gooey again, so we simply had to wipe it off the table. It was something different that we usually do not do in lab clean-up. Overall, plasticity is very interesting. I wonder how scientists discovered plasticity and how they researched it and are still researching it. It is a very fascinating and pertinent topic to studying the Earth.

October Sky

The movie, October Sky was a very inspirational movie. It showed that if you really want something, you can achieve it. Homer, a child living in a coal mining community, has a very difficult life. Coal mines could kill numerous people, and were very dangerous. In a cold mining community like Homers', the coal mines owned everything in the town, including, houses, shops, stores, and schools. One member of the family had to be working in the mines at all times to live there. Homer's dad worked at the mine and believed the occupations to do after ending school were either getting a football scholarship, or going to the mines. Most people in this town believed in this concept of life as well. Homer, and a few of his friends wanted to think beyond this. With the motivation of his teacher, and the release of a new spaceship Sputnik (first shuttle going into space, built by the Russians), rockets became a fascination for these young boys. After several attempts, even after being kicked off their own land and having to find a clear space eight miles away, Homer and his friends finally launched their rocket. They had help from a couple of adults, but mainly figured it out themselves. Many people attended their rocket launching, and now appreciate Homer and his friend's dreams more. One day, his father gets into an severe accident at the coal mine and his dad could not go to work for a while. Homer drops out of school to support his family, because he doesn't want his brother to, and loose his football scholarship. His father eventually gets better and continues working at the coal mine. Later on, the mayor of the town baned them from launching anymore rockets because he thought one started a forest fire. Homer used math to figure out that it wasn't their rocket, and started working on the science fair rocket with his friends. They won the state competition and later won the national science fair and got a science scholarship. His dad finally starts supporting Homer at science.

This story connects to science and math in many ways. From rockets to the simple health dangers this movie shows, it is very educational. Homer and his friends use the physical science to build their rocket. Newton's laws helped them control the gravity and make the rocket go up, not down. The science fair in the movie involved many different sciences in every station. Coal mines also related to science because the people mining these mines used light underground, and the coal found was used for many different jobs such as creating a fire. In addition, Sputnik and the Russians used physical and earth science to launch their first rocket. They, again, used Newton's Laws, and also when beyond the earth's crust and got a look of earth for a far distance. Safety in the lab was also displayed, when Quentin and Homer throw something in the sink and another girl throws a match in the sink and all the burners in the room lit up. It showed this was the wrong thing to do and that you should never throw something in the sink without a teacher's permission. Lastly, the connection to math was the use of parabolas. Homer used parabolas to find the it was not his rocket that caused the forest fire.

Character Education is an important life lesson to learn. This movie, October Sky, and the characters within the story, showed C.A.R.E.S. characteristics. Homer shows determination because he was trying every way to learn about rockets. Quentin show perseverance when he tried every way imaginable to build a rocket, and was trying his best at it. Homer also shows self-control when his father is hurt and he has to give up school to work in the mine, which is not his favorite job to do. All of Homer's friends showed cooperation and assertion when working together on the rocket and believing that the rocket could fly sooner or later. In addition, Homer shows respect to his father, and listened to him when he said to fly rockets elsewhere, not on the coal mine property. Lastly, Homer showed empathy for his teacher when he found out she had cancer. Character Education was a large part in this movie.

This movie also had a personal effect on me. October Sky was very inspiring and promoted me to try new things. It showed that anything is possible, if you try your hardest. This movie got me interested in Sputnik, and rockets. It makes me wonder about the people working at space research facilities, like NASA. Overall, this was a fascinating movie.

Response: Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle Cell Anemia is a very dreadful disease. It affects males and females, and the patients with the disease are only expected to live 42-48 years of age. Some symptoms of the disease could be chest pain, pulmonary infiltrate, fever and difficulty in breathing. These symptoms restricts blood flow to organs, causing ischemia pain and, may also cause organ damage. Hydration and analgesics are treatment for this disease at the moment. In order to develop more treatments, the people researching must comprehend how sickle cell anemia affects bones, so that a new medicine can be developed, to prevent the disease from eliminating the bone marrow. The population that is most vulnerable to this disease is African Americans, where 1 in 5,000 are affected, as well as 3,600 Hispanic children. Personally, this made me wonder, what people like me can do for people who have this disease. It makes me feel very saddened by the fact that so many people are suffering from this disease.

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Turner's Syndrome

Turner's Syndrome, discovered by Dr. Henry Turner in 1938, is a genetic disorder found in females. This happens when the X chromosome in female body is absent or, missing. Females are more vulnerable to this disease, unfortunately. Symptoms and possible complications of being a patient with the disease are, short neck with webbed appearance, heart defects, kidney abnormalities, various malformations, heightened incidence of osteoporosis, type II diabetes, hypothyroidism, swollen hands and feet, wide and webbed neck, drooping eyelids, dry eyes, and short height. Treatments for this disease are growth hormones and Estrogen replacement therapy, but there is no cure yet. Sadly, the expected mortality, or death rate of the disease is 3.6. Many females are not expected to live after the age of 17. This disorder affects one out of 2500 females’ worldwide. Personally, this disease made me feel saddened for the people that have it. It makes me feel that I am very privileged, and I would like to know what I could do to help these poor, innocent girls.

I got my information from:

http://children.webmd.com/turner-syndrome
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/birthdefects/risk/risk25-turner.shtm
http://www.turnersyndrome.com/
http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/40/2/97
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/turnersyndrome.html

Gamma-Rays Explosion

Have you ever wondered what happens 12 billion light years away in space? Think how far that is-our sun is eight light minutes away from earth and Pluto, the lost planet, is twelve light hours away. Now imagine how far away 12 billion light years are?! A magnificent blast of huge gamma rays just occurred in the Carina constellation, which is 12 billion light years away from earth. This produced energies 3,000 to five billion times of visible light. That is a lot! Scientists believe that this blast was as large as 9,000 supernovae-which is a very fierce explosion that happens at the end of a star’s lifetime. “Gamma-ray bursts are the universe’s most luminous explosions…” as said in the article. This was a big deal for scientists. “Studying gamma-ray bursts allows scientists to ‘sample an individual star at a distance where we can’t even see galaxies clearly,’ [Frank] Reddy [the astrophysicist] said.” In my opinion, if explosions like these keep happening over a period of time, even if they are not as big, it will help scientists learn about galaxies very far away. Sooner or later, I believe that scientists will find out if there is life on a planet other than ours. This just brings scientists a step closer.



I got my information from:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090219/sc_afp/sciencespaceastronomy