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.