Extra Credit

In the book Angels & Demons, science is often represented. For example, there is an element called "anti-matter" and is similar to plasma, since it contains a lot of energy and is very dangerous and volatile. Robert Langdon, the main character, has to find the capsule of anti-matter before it comes into contact with the air, or any form of matter, which would cause a chemical reaction, and will explode; vaporizing everything in a half-mile radius. This would be including solids, liquids, and gases. Not only that, when Langdon has to chase the Illuminati around Vactican City, he becomes trapped in a catacomb that's eroding, and therefore, shows a physical property. Also, Dan Brown writes in the book describing the BoeingX33, a fictional prototype of a jet, with a flat top that had stubby wings. This novel is really interesting and full of action, while relating to science and religion! You should read it!

Click here for Angels & Demons

Plant's Able to Recognize Eachother?

Article Link

Today I found an interesting article about how plans can recognize plants that are besides them. Based on a new study, it has come to a conclusion that they use chemical signals that come from the roots of each plant. Say, that a plant's sibling was planted besides them. The plant would not compete with it for space and vitamins, however if the plant were unknown to the our plant, it would not play fair with it and compete for area and vitamins. The evidence that shows this? The fact that the roots of a plant are spread out even more when it's next to a stranger rather than it's sibling. Another piece of evidence, its how plants grow above the ground. If the two plants are siblings, they will grow together and intertwine. But if they are not siblings, both of them will grow away from each other, or straight, not together at all. It's some what like how humans are for example you wouldn't go hug a stranger would you? In the same way the two stanger plants do not grow together. It's the same with their root's growth. If we were competing against some one we didn't know, we couldn't care less about the person and would try to get ahead of them. If it was, however someone you knew you wouldn't compete so hard, and wouldn't want to hurt them.
I personally think this is pretty cool. I never really expected plants to sense anything, they seemed to be just a growing thing that was beautiful and created oxygen, but with no ability other than that. If they can recognize things, they must be smarter than we believe them to be. Hopefully, we may find further advances on this topic.

~Swimmer/writer girl

Live Science Blog

Today I read an article about how shower heads are loaded with pathogens and bacteria that can cause diseases. Click here for the article.

Who: Everyone that uses a shower and doesn't regularly clean the shower head. They can become, unknowingly, covered in sickness causing germs, that may harm the people with weak immune systems. We may become carriers of dangerous diseases.

What: The article is about how shower heads have tons of pathogens and germs that can harm you. For example there is mycobacterium avium that causes a plumonary disease. The best thing you can do to prevent this is to change your shower head in order to get rid of all the germs. If you try to hand clean it, it will be very difficult, trying to get all the nooks and crannies, and apparently cleaners only get rid of some of the germs. But most of the germs affect only the people with compromised immune systems. Getting a metal shower head may help keep clean and away from bacteria because some pathogens attach them selves more easily to plastics.

When: This happens when people take a shower. The water flows through the shower head and carries the mycobacterium, and other bacterias through the shower head and onto a person.

Where: In shower heads where water stays, and moisture builds up created bacteria. Also, they bacteria is on the person too, so we could be considered a where.

Why: Because the water in the shower head stays there and becomes dirty over time creating bacteria, that will be eventually washed away from the head, but onto a persons head and body, and possibly into cuts where it can infect.

Personally I found this pretty scary. I always thought a shower cleaned us and didn't make us more dirty than we already were. Sure it does clean off the mud and grime, but the germs are probably more dangerous that mud and grime. I'm glad I have a good immune system, or I may have been suffering from a shower induced disease. Hopefully, anybody who reads this article will not stop taking a shower, but will make sure their shower head is clean and or get a new shower head that's fully metal in order to protect them selves.

Caption: This picture shows a growth of mold in a shower head, that hadn't been cleaned in a while.


~swimmer writer girl

1st image from: www.gadgetgrid.com
2nd image from: www.dspinspections.com
Information from: www.livescience.com
3rd image caption: Mycobacterium Avium
3rd image source: http://cienciaaldia.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/ducharse-puede-ser-malo-para-la-salud/

Obleck!

Plasticity Lab

Problem: What is the plasticity of the Earth's mantle like?
Hypothesis: If we mix cornstarch and water together then it will make a solid with the properties of a liquid like the crust.
Materials:

• Water
• Cornstarch
• 2 beakers

Procedures:

1. First we added the water to the cornstarch.
2. Then we took turns blending it together.
3. My science teacher added food coloring.
4. We mixed that together too.
5. We played with it and observed it's properties.

Observation and Data: The obleck was very odd. If you pressurized it it became solid but if you just let it sit on your palm it became liquid like and shiny.

Conclusion: The obleck was a good stimulation of the earths mantle. It showed us how liquid and solid coexist. The only thing wrong was we didn't have a stimulation of the crusts pressure on the obleck. But other then that it was fine. I learned about how solid and liquid coexist under the crust. I can apply this knowledge in the real world by knowing how obleck is like people. If you put them under pressure they harden but if just leave them alone they soften and relax.

Connections...to October Sky

The movie October Sky connects to science alot. There was a lot of science related things: Sputnik, rockets, science fairs and scientific math. Sputnik connects to science because its a satellite and there was a lot of science used to create it and launch it into space. Rockets connect to science because you need science to figure out how to make one. The boys in the movie, used a lot of formulas and chemistry to figure out how to make the rocket move and go faster. Science fairs connect to science because you need science to be in one. In the movie Homer used scientific math to prove his innocence. The scientific math also connects to science because it is used to figure out scientific things like how far something would go, or how high something would go like a rocket.
October Sky also has alot of character education traits in it. The boys cooperated together to build the rocket. They all respected each other. Homer controlled himself when he was angry at his father, and instead of bursting out he just walked away. At the end of the movie Homer's father finally felt empathy for his son and went to see the rocket launching.
All in all the movie October Sky has a connection to a lot of things.

Blog Response to Science Blog #9 by reality23x2

This is a response to Science Blog #9 by reality23x2. The blog is about Turner's Syndrome. Turner Syndrome must be hard to live with. With all the impairments and possible teasing because you look different. Turners syndrome is when one of your sex chromosomes is missing. Usually there's two chromosomes but when you have Turners Syndrome you have one chromosome missing from one pair so most of your chromosomes will be like this || and the odd one will be like this |. Turner's Syndrome affects only females. One out of two thousand five hundred girls is afflicted by Turners Syndrome. Usually people with Turners Syndrome live a normal life length. Turners Syndrome must be hard to live with. I feel compassion for those with Turners Syndrome. I hope they live a happy life.

Citation
www.reality23x2.blogspot.com

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is genetics disease. Didn't know that did you? It affects mostly females but it can still affect males because of the fact that its a genetic disease. Breast cancer is when the cells in your breast starts producing extra cells forming a tumor that can hurt your inner organs. The symptoms are lumps in your breast, swelling changes of the skin, changes in the size or shape of your breast and discharge from your nipple. You can get breast cancer treated with radiation, lumpectomy, mastectomy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. How long you live depends on what happens to you. Like if the treatment works or not, or if your cancer spreads. This disease was discovered in 2002. It's more common in African American women, and a certain type of Jewish group. It in general is more common in women than men. For those who are afflicted with breast cancer I hope you find a cure and survive and enjoy your life.

Citations:
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/disorders/whataregd/
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticdisorders.html