The Water Cycle

In class we did an activity which represented the water cycle. In this cycle, water is transferred into many different reservoirs, but overall it maintains balanced. In the first round we had a few students holding a cup walking around. They were the clouds. Then about fifteen people walked around with spoons and their job was to take a spoon out of the reservoir and empty it into a cloud (cup). This showed evaporation. The reservoirs were places like the ocean, plants and animals, aquifer, and many more. In the second round, there were people walking around with spoons, cups, and bigger cups. The bigger cups were in charge of taking water out of the ocean and aquifer and filling it up in the smaller reservoirs like agriculture. This represented the human impact on it. In the last round everything remained the same except for the blue dye that was added to some cups. The blue dye represented the pollution from factories and humans. As the water was recycled throughout the blue dye spread everywhere. Overall, the rain cycle was balanced because there was an equal everywhere.

Why kites fly

Everyone knows that in order for a kite to fly you need wind. But what type of wind is needed? Well, a once in a while breeze can help a kite fly. These winds are called local winds. Local winds occur in a small area and change direction very often. Global winds take place in a large area and are usually very strong. Local winds may arise from a sea breeze which is common during the day. The sea breeze is cool air being pushed upon warm land from a body of water. The best place to fly a kite is at the beach during the day because that is when a sea breeze is most common. A land breeze is the complete opposite and occurs at night. Local winds are caused by uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the Sun. Also, by convection currents. Winds help us understand weather better because of the Polar Easterlies. The Polar Easterlies are the cold but weak winds that change the weather in the U.S. My kite did not fly very much because there wasn't any wind. Although, if I went to the beach to fly my kite there would be a better chance of it flying. Besides that I wouldn't have changed anything about my kite.

Social Studies Technology advancements

I think that the biggest advancements in technology since thrity years ago is the cellphone. Thirty years ago phones were connected with a wire to the wall. Now, phones are cordless. Many people today have cellphones, even kids. Having a cellphone helps parents keep tabs on their kid. Also, if someone is in trouble or is hurt they can get the help they need in seconds. Cellphones help keep everyone safe and allow people to talk on the phone if they are just bored. Cellphones allow you to talk to anyone where ever you are. Without cellphones life would be very difficult. If you didn't have a cellphone and you were in an unknown place, there would be very limited options. Cellphones are one of the best resources that technology has advanced in.

Social Studies Technology advancements

This comet is acting unusual

Most comets are small, not that bright, and don't last that long. Although, in less then 24 hours, Comet 17P/Holmes 400,000 times brighter than any other comet before! This big ball of dust and ice could be seen without a telescope for many weeks.It is normal for comets to become brighter when they are revolving close to the Sun. When the comet is near the Sun, the ice on it melts and the Sun's rays reflect its light on the dust part. The Holmes comet was as far as the Earth was to the sun and it never got much heat. When the comet was in orbit, it was not next to the sun. It was five months past the closest location. Scientists explain this for happening because the outer layer disintegrated. Then, the Sun reflected its rays on the halo of dust. This may have been seen five months after its closest point because it was probably soaking up the Sun's rays before. A discovery like this one was discovered in 1892 by an English astronomer. Holmes was a bright comet at one point but then it disappeared. Scientists lost track of it and now it has resurfaced. This whole cycle could happen again but scientists are keeping a close watch on it now.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20071128/Note3.asp

Queen Hatshepsut

A 3,500 year old corpse has now surfaced in Egypt. It has been identified as the most 'powerful queen' in Egypt: Queen Hatshepsut. Scientists are taking it slow to confirm that this is the Pharaoh indeed. They are still analyzing DNA and also, trying to figure out what caused her death like they did with King Tut. This mummy is put in the Egyptian museum's royal mummy room. They have been able to identify that this is the body of Queen Hatshepsut . The information that they have concluded so far has been based on the CT scans that they did. The scans showed many similarities with the mummy and pictures like a tooth gap. Some assumptions were based on her genetic makeup. Her royal relatives had a skin disease which she also had. They compared her to her grandmother. The scientists in Egypt are trying their best to prove with DNA samples that this is indeed is Hatshepsut. Scientists are using her relatives, CT scans, and DNA results to make this decision final.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/12/24/mummies.dna.ap/index.html

Frog dissection

Dissecting a frog is very fun and interesting unless you get a girl like my group did. Our frog had a big tummy at first and when we cut it open we saw why. The frog had two handfuls of eggs in it. They were small black beads each with a dot in them. So before we got to look at any organs we had to empty all the eggs out. After we finished removing the eggs I saw corkscrew type organs, long stringy organs, and big round organs. I saw the stomach, heart, lungs, and intestines. The heart had a thin sac around it which we tried to remove. Then we took out the intestines and attempted to measure it. It was 28cm long. As we were exploring through the frog in the back we located the kidneys. They looked exactly like miniature kidney beans. On the sides of the frog there were a lot of stringy looking organs that were orange. Those were the frogs body fats. After we were done exploring its body we tried opening its mouth. It was hard to do but we got a glimpse of its tounge and teeth. Overall, the frog dissection was cool.

Word Study Project T1

This is our wordstudy project! Hope you enjoy the cartoon voice over.

Mythbusters Ex. Credit

Do you get more wet if you run in the rain or walk? Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters were trying to find an answer to this mystery. Most people would run in the rain instead of walk. Adam and Jamie believed that when a person walks in the rain, the rain hits their head and shoulders. Although, when a person is running the rain hits their whole body because they are stretched out. They tested it by making an experiment. They made some rain by fixing pipes to the ceiling and running water through them. Adam and Jamie had to factor some aspects into their experiment, like the velocity of the rain and the speed that they would run at. After they finished the test the results were quite surprising. It was found that if you walk in the rain instead of run you stay drier. This myth was BUSTED! In this show there wasn't exactly any safety equipment used because it wasn't very dangerous. Although, there was one time when Adam was up on a machine connecting pipes together on the ceiling he used a harness. Using a harness showed safety because he was up in the air and a harness can keep him from unexpectedly falling off. This episode was all about science because they measured the velocity of the rain and the speed of the people running. You would need a back round in science in order to perform an experiment with special effects like this because it would help organize the experiment. Also, having a career in science can help you almost anywhere.

1. My favorite TV show is.......(explain why) My favorite TVshow is 24 because it is an action and suspenseful show. At the end of every show it ends with a cliffhanger. This makes you want to watch the next show.

2. My favorite meal is...... (explain the meal in detail) My favorite meal is chicken parmigiana with spaghetti. Most people have probably eaten this before. It is a piece of chicken with sauce and cheese on it.I enjoy eating Italian food.

3. My favorite nonschool activity is...... (explain why but do not give specific names that can identify you) My favorite nonschool activity is just hanging out with my friends outside. If I am not outside I like to go on the computer, watch TV or just relax.

4. Someone I look up to is....... (explain why) The three people I look up to are my parents or sister because they are really smart and successful in life. They work hard and do a good job at their jobs. They all set a good example to me and help me if I need help.

5. My goal for the future is..... My goal for the future is to become really successful by making a lot of money. I like helping people out so I might do a job that helps the world out. I would work as a dentist or a nurse.

6. In the first hour after school I usually do...... (explain why but do not give specific events or names that can identify you) After I come home from school I eat a snack and watch TV. Then I may do any homework that I have and go outside to hang out with my friends. Most of the time after I come home from school I just relax because I am tired.

Do thunder and Greenland melting have a connection?

Would you ever think that thunderstorms in one area have something to do with land in a totally different area? Well people in Greeland say now that they have never heard thunder but know of it because they have seen it in movies. This is not known for sure but scientists believe that every crack of thunder is cracking ice in Greenland. Greenland is now melting at a rapid rate and it's faster than scientists thought it would. The reason that all of this is a threat. If it all does all melt than the oceans will raise 23 more feet higher than usual. This is enough to flood New York, London, and all the small islands in between. Now because of global warming it is melting faster than anywhere in the world. The global warming is known to be caused because of humans using fossil fuels. Greenland is one of world's biggest islands and if it melts it can be a disaster. In the last 30 years Greenland's melting zone has increased by 30%. Greenland's ice cap is about 624,000 cubic miles and it is a 10th of the world's fresh water. In the winter temperatures are getting colder but the summer temperatures are remaining the same. Two or three melted icebergs could be enough water supply for New York for a year. Greenland melting can be a huge natural disaster and can affect many continents. The greatest thing that could happen at this point is that it doesn't melt anymore.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/06/06/greenland.warming.reut/index.html

Krest Kingdom the Roller Coaster

How fun is it to go on a roller coaster? Fun right! Well how about creating your own??? It's ten times better. This roller coaster Krest Kingdom may put you on the edge of your seat. When designing this roller coaster we used toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, chopsticks, straws and tape. On the right is a picture of how it looked. This roller coaster had four hills and two turns. We tested it using a marble. After we completed this project we measure the distance using a string and measuring it. Then we timed how long it took the marble to pass through it. That helped us get the speed. The track was 142 inches long, it took the marble 4:64 milliseconds to pass through the whole obstacle course. To find the speed you would divide 142/4.64. And the result would be 30.603 in per millisecond. Next, the hills were measured with a timer and a marble. The first hill took 0:40, the second one took 1:41, the third one was0:46, and the last one was 2:12 milliseconds. At the end this rollercoaster was succesful. The marble rolled fluently throughout the ride.This was a really fun project that the group worked hard on.

Learning about the sun is so much fun

You know you may not even notice it but the Sun is a very important part of our lives. We need it for food, heat, and light. We should be thankful for it. Without the Sun very few people would be able to live. Well, why don't we take some time to learn about it and appreciate it. Now looking at the Sun you may think that it is the biggest star but it's not. We only think it is big because it is so close to Earth. The Sun is big though. It takes up 99.8% of the Solar System with it's mass. The Sun's mass is what holds the planets in place. The Sun is made up of a mix of gases, both hydrogen and helium. It has three main parts to it; the Core, Radiation Zone and the Convention Zone. The Core is located in the middle of this fire ball. In the Core the Sun produces a lot of energy which is made by nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion occurs when there is a really high temperature. The Core of the Sun can reach up to 15 million degrees Celsius. The energy which is made in the Core slowly leans outward into space and to us. The next main part is the Radiation Zone. The Radiation Zone is the middle layer inside the Sun after the core. The Radiation Zone is a tight area to get through that it can take more than 100,000 years to get through it. Last is the Convection Zone which is the outer layer. The energy which is made from the inside slowly approaches the top and makes loops of gas. The Sun's atmosphere contains three parts including the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona. The photosphere is the outer layer of the atmosphere. Itgives off light because of it's thick gases. The photosphere is what you see when you look at the Sun. Second, is the chromosphere. The chromosphere is a thin layer which can only be seen during a solar eclipse. It is a reddish glow that can be seen around the rim. Last is the Corona. The Corona is the layer which is seen to be around the Sun. It stretches out for miles and miles long around the Sun. If you look closely at a picture of the Sun you can see that on the surface there are dark parts and sometimes loops of fire. The dark spots are called sunspots. The loops of fire are called prominences. The Sun so far has been up and alive for about 5 million years and scientist estimate that it will be alive for another 5 million years. So now after reading this I bet you learned a lot about the Sun that you never knew before.

Monkey Mystery

As most of us know, humans evolved from monkeys. But now there is new information coming in that a new type of monkey called the Rhesus Macque is very similar to us humans. Scientists have found this information by deciphering the monkey's DNA. The benefit of this is that if a medicine needs to be tested for diseases on humans it can first be tested on the monkeys to look for any weird reactions. Finding a closer species to humans can help cure many diseases. Also, this information can help scientists understand what makes us humans in the first place.After a great deal of researching, the Macque monkey and the chimpanzees are the closest relatives to humans. Long ago, Macque's were found to be part of the Ape family which explains why the D.N.A. may match. Best of all, we can use these monkeys to find cures for cancer and AIDS. Many scientists are working on this to crack the code on this monkey mystery. So far they think that there was a huge mutation that happened to the monkeys which made humans. Although, the scientists have a great deal to figure out, they speculate that a huge mutation caused monkeys to evolve into humans.
To read more about this mystery you can visit the following website:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/04/12/monkey.genes.ap/index.html

Are their aliens on Mars?

Many people question if there are aliens in space. Well, some scientists believe there are aliens on the planet Mars and are trying to prove their hypothesis. They have tried to send signals into space but there has been no reply. Then they decided to try a different method. A group of scientists went out to one of the hottest deserts in Chile called the Atacama Desert and tried to imagine how natural life would be able to survive in the heat. They tried testing it by placing a rover in the desert to learn how different objects can withstand the heat. They did this test to learn about hot areas and how there could be life in such a dry area. The rover, Zoe, was a test to learn about these conditions. The robot carries a bunch of solar cells on its back and its job is to collect energy from the sun. Robot Zoe just scans the land and sends data back to the researchers. Zoe has three different cameras that are located on it and they take pictures to send very detailed information back to the researchers. Each of the pictures tells what kind of land and minerals that the robot is roving on. The group of researchers believe that there is more to the desert than just the dirt, sky, and sun. They want to prove that there is a sign of life. If there was water on this desert, there would be a definite sign of life. Right now, however, the rover is still doing its job.

For more information and detailed pictures you can go to the following website.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040922/Feature1.asp

Astroid may hit in 2036!

Can people on Earth move something as big as an asteroid if it is endangering our lives? Well, scientists and astronauts are now working on how to steer an asteroid away from the Earth using gravity. It is better to steer it away from Earth than destroy it completely. If this asteroid does hit then barely no one will survive. Scientists are now researching to see how many rocks have a larger width than 140 meters in diameter. So far they have found five thousand rocks. NASA is now watching Asteroid Apophis; it has a chance of one out of forty-five thousand that it will hit the Earth in 2036. One out of forty-five thousand sounds like a little but if it does hit, the consequences will be terrible. We have to try to come up with a way to stop it. Asteroid Apophis has a diameter width of 320 meters. This is not big enough to wipe out the world but it is big enough to wipe out a state or small country. Right now the asteroid is headed toward Africa. Using a spacecraft, we could give a little push on the Asteroid to steer it a little to the right or left and eventually, it would move far away from the earth. Using the spacecraft is better than firing explosives at it, because then the debris of the asteroid will affect the atmosphere. But no need to worry yet because as the years go on, technology will improve. The odds of it hitting the Earth will diminish over the years. So no need to worry unless researchers say it is time to worry. To research more about this asteroid visit the following website:

http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/1852935.htm?space

Diamonds born in space?

This black diamond shown on above has been found to be born in space. Scientist say that this diamond was part of a star that exploded and is now dead. Scientists believe this because there were parts of the diamond that looked like they came from nitrogen and hydrogen in the black 'carbonado' diamonds. It seems that it wasn't found on land. One scientist says, " the molecules seem to reflect a mixture of gases seen in interstellar space." The black 'carbonado' diamonds are only found in Central African Republic and Brazil. The question is if the weather on earth or space causes the diamond to have a glaze around itself. Some scientists believe that this diamond was part of a formation of a star that was released into space after the star's explosion. Then it mixed up in the earths atmosphere and has been there ever since.In the future, it would be cool to hold a piece of a star in your jewelry everyday. Also,it is interesting to think that a star could be pretty enough to make a diamond like this.
To find more information about this great discovery go to the website listed below.
http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/1831109.htm?space

Punnet square for hamsters

The picture above is a punnet square which shows what color the baby of Pancakes and Midnight will be. Capital B means brown. Lowercase b means white. Midnight, a boy, is a purebred (BB) brown and is shown at the top. Pancakes, a girl, is shown on the side, and is a hybrid (Bb) brown. After you crossbreed the two, you can find out what color the offspring, Applejacks, will be. First, for box number one, you have to "multiply" B and B. Which gives you (BB). (BB) means it is purebred homozygous brown. Then you write (BB) in box number one. For box number two you have to "multiply" B and B which gives you (BB). (BB) means purebred homozygous brown. Then for box number three, "multiply" B and b. That gives you (Bb). (Bb) means that it is a hybrid heterozygous brown. Lastly, for box number four, you have to "multiply" B and b. That gives you (Bb) which is hybrid heterozygous brown. The phenotype or physical appearance of Applejacks will be 100% brown. This is because all of the offsprings traits have the dominant gene which is brown. Remember each small square in the big square is 25%.The only way a hamster could be white is if there are two recessive traits (bb). The genotype or genetic make up of this offspring would be 50% purebred homozygous (BB), pure brown and 50% hybrid heterozygous (Bb), brown because the dominant gene takes over. So to conclude this, Applejacks will be brown because of it's parents genetic make up. After you find out what Applejacks looks like you can try finding what her offspring looks like with another hamster. Even though this punnet square example is used to find out what a hamster's skin color is, punnet squares are also used to find out what color eyes, hair, and skin humans possess too. If you actually think about it you can predict how your baby would look like, although, you would have to know your genes in order to do this.

24 extra credit

On 24, CTU has a lot of high-technology knowledge and accessories. The CTU agents use computers which connect to satellite dishes. When Jack Bauer and his tact teams go in to catch Fayed, CTU has complete satellite access and can watch everything that happens to stop an attack. Sometimes Jack takes a small ear piece and puts it in his ear. These ear pieces use wireless technology. He can talk to his co-workers at CTU and the tact teams. The agents also have a program which can locate where people are hidden. It does this by detecting body heat. When Jack Bauer needs to interrogate his suspects, the doctors monitor body temperature and heart beat to make sure the suspects do not die. These are a few of the many kinds of scientific knowledge CTU takes advantage of while trying to stop terrorists.

Water found on Mars?

Was water found on Mars? Yes! There were signs and evidence of water found on Mars by a space craft. Scientists are still debating if there was water and if there are any signs of life. The orbiter shows "layers of dark- and light-toned rock in a giant rift valley." On the pieces of rock there are joints, or fractures lined up surrounded by "halos which is light- toned bedrock" say researchers. Some scientists say that around these halos are signs of water. One scientist said that "minerals in the fluid strengthen and bleach the rock making it more resistant to erosion than other areas." So a bleaching of a rock near a fracture shows that chemicals met one time or another. There may have been fluids flowing on Mars a couple of years ago or even maybe now! Exploring about how there may be another planet with living things is cool. Just like there were signs of water found on Saturn. Learning about outer space objects can be very interesting especially if there may be living things that you have never seen or heard about far away!

For more information about water on Mars go to the following website:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/02/15/mars.water.ap/index.html