How a Distant Black Hole Devoured a Star

Patrick F. -- Recent research led by astronomers at the University of Warwick has evidenced the source of one of the brightest beams of energy yet recorded in human history. This beam is concluded to have occurred 3.8 billion years ago following a massive black hole's consumption of a star. This implosion is theorized to have caused the high energy X-rays and gamma-rays observed from Earth recently, 3.8 billion years after the star was ripped apart.

Lead researcher Andrew Levan notes the pure chance which allowed such high energy rays to be observed from Earth: “We still only happen to see this event because our solar system happened to be looking right down the barrel of this jet of energy.” This event, now labeled Sw 1644+57, believed to have occurred in a far away galaxy existent in the constellation Draco. Levan's research indicates that only the consumption of a star in such a manner would be capable of replicating the size, intensity, time scale, and levels of fluctuation observed. This research was conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope, Swift satellite, and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and provides valuable insights as well as observable evidence towards the nature and effects of black holes located within star systems.


Link:  How a Distant Black Hole Devoured a Star

The Atmospheric Signature of the Japan Tsunami Could Help Develop a Space-Based Warning System

Matt M. -- Researchers from around the world are hoping that future tsunamis can be predicted by a satellite in stationary orbit over the pacific. This could help be achieved based on a picture captured from a Hawaiian mountain top this camera captured a red atmospheric glow caused by the march 11th tsunami that resulted from the Japan earthquake. Researchers believe that the glow was caused by ocean pressure pushing up on the atmosphere. Even though tsunamis can move hundreds of miles per hour and change the ocean very little they can still impact not only the land but the ionosphere where the air is much thinner and the amplitude of the pressure wave is able to glow. this can cause a faint red glow when the pressure comes in contact with the charged plasma of the earths upper atmosphere.

I hope this works because if it does happen to work then it will save lives because we will be able to predict where a tsunami will hit. However, there could be complications with the system. Just because it will be able to predict a tsunami doesn't mean predict it early enough to give people enough time to evacuate. For example, the glow over Hawaii didn't happen until about an hour before the tsunami hit and that may not very much time to evacuate. If they find a way to improve the system to a day or more hours than just one then yes, I believe this will help people out a lot.


Link:  The Atmospheric Signature of the Japan Tsunami Could Help Develop a Space-Based Warning System

Could New Drug Cure Nearly Any Viral Infection?

Susie M. -- There is a new drug targeted at cells that have viruses in it. This might help cure the viruses which would help a lot of people. Scientists have used animals and humans cells to see if it was going to cure. They used a mice with the DRACO to see if it would cure and unfortunately it did work, and did not have toxic to mice.

I thought this article was very interesting to learn about because I think that they should make a cure. Because a lot of people have bad cells in them and if this cure helps then those people would have a better life. Also if this cure works then a lot of wouldn’t die, or have the feeling when they are gonna die. If you have a lot of viruses then this would be amazing.

Link:  Could New Drug Cure Nearly Any Viral Infection? Technology Shows Promise Against Common Cold, Influenza and Other Ailments, Researchers Say

Pulsar Transformed Into Small Planet Made of Diamond Discovered in Milky Way

Katie A. -- This month, astronomers discovered something in the Milky Way – a planet that seems to be made of diamonds. Once a large white dwarf star, scientists believe that the planet had lost many of its outer layers, and now retains less than 0.1% of its original mass. What remains, they say, is most likely oxygen and carbon, and its density indicates that it can only be a material very similar to diamonds. This material is called crystalline. The discovery was made while using the Effelsberf radio telescope in Germany to conduct a systematic search for pulsars across the entire sky. More and similar finds are expected to occur as a result of this new method of searching.

            This article is interesting to me because everything we find in space is cool. It’s always sort of harder to imagine what could be out there, because it’s an area so foreign and vast that the possibilities are pretty much endless. The more often and the more intently we look to find new things, the more we will find and the cooler they will probably be. A planet made of diamonds sounds like something out of a sci fi movie, and I’m excited to see what else is out there.

Link:  Pulsar Transformed Into Small Planet Made of Diamond Discovered in Milky Way

Cod’s Surprising Immune System

Aiden B. -- This article is about the recent discovery of a new type of immune system found in the cod fish.   It was originally thought that cod (like other animals) had a similar immune system to humans.  New research shows that they do not.  The cod fish lacks the gene MHC II which senses infection, parasites, and harmful bacteria. The immune system of the cod fish instead uses a higher number of the gene MHC I. Scientists continue to study the immune system of the cod to understand how this difference can benefit modern medicine.  This discovery can lead to new medical research and advances.   Also it will definitely affect the fishing industry.

I thought this article was interesting even though it didn’t provide enough detail and information.   Most of the time, the anatomy of other creatures are seen to closely resemble that of a human, this causes people to overlook the small details.   By closely studying the cod’s body functions this new topic was discovered.   I felt that they simply made a summary of the story by leaving out small bits of information that would be good to know to better understand the article.  I also look forward to seeing how this discovery will affect our world.   It’s always fun to learn more about the new advances and discoveries being made today.

Link:  Cod's Surprising Immune System

Childhood Vaccines Cleared of Autism, Diabetes Link

Miranda B. -- Yet another meta-analysis of vaccine research (this time from the US Institute of Medicine) has concluded that there is no link between vaccines and autism. The report, which has been two years in the making, covers vaccines for meningococcal disease, chicken pox, hepatitis B, HPV, DTaP, MMR, hepatitis A, and influenza, which generate the most of the claims for the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP). Most of the side effects for which strong evidence of a causal relationship was found were relatively mild and temporary, such as fainting, allergic reactions, and localized swelling. The only vaccines which were strongly linked with severe side effects were MMR and chicken pox (seizures and fever and inflammation of the brain, and certain infections, respectively), and these side effects were found only in immunocompromised children for whom the vaccine is contraindicated anyway. This study offers even more convincing evidence against Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 MMR/autism study which sparked the anti-vaccine movement, and another report that linked MMR and DTaP with diabetes. However, this study is just one boulder in an Everest of evidence that vaccines do not, in fact, cause autism. By this point, any person who believes that vaccines cause autism will not be swayed by any evidence. There is one problem with this report, though- it effectively worked backwards, looking at case reports and trying to see links. This method increases the subjectivity of a report. They had to do it that way because of the lack of population studies for all vaccines but MMR and the cost of conducting studies huge enough to find rates of adverse effects. Basically, the report is flawed (although not fatally) because of the lack of clear and consistent rules for accessing patient data.

Really, this should not be an issue anymore. There has been one (1) study linking MMR to autism, and that study was conclusively proven to be fraudulent and shockingly poorly conducted. The diabetes link is based on one (1) case of diabetes that developed in the Boostrix DTaP clinical trials. Time after time, careful examination of empirical evidence (what some call “reality”) has revealed that antivaccer’s points are not valid. To illustrate these people’s complete lack of sense, one should consider that they complain about the presence of formaldehyde in vaccines, ignorant of the facts that 1) it’s the dose that makes the poison, and 2) humans actually produce some amount of formaldehyde on their own. At this point, any effort to show them sense is a wasted one. The US Institute of Medicine employed people for two years to produce this study, which will not reduce the antivaccer’s numbers. On the other hand, it did clarify the side effects of certain vaccines, so it will be useful to the NVICP. Overall, the article should have focused on that aspect, rather than the old news about autism.


Link:  Childhood Vaccines Cleared of Autism, Diabetes Link

Ancient Whale Skulls and Directional Hearing: A Twisted Tale

Laura E. -- Skewed whale skulls helped the whale discriminate the direction of sound, but recently scientists have discovered that the whale's skull adapted over time to develop echolocation.

 

Asymmetric skulls [characteristic of modern odontocetes (toothed whale)] use their highly structured nose as an echolocation device, a reliable source to find food. But the other modern whale group, mysticetes (baleen whales), have symmetrical skulls and does not echolocate. Scientists thought that these abilities were passed down from the ancient whales, but now scientists are finding out that asymmetry is not derived from echolocation.

 

Faulke thought that ancient whales were like baleen whales, but the jaw lines were just not matching up. It then dawned on her that the ancient whales might have had asymmetrical skulls, and sure enough, she made the discovery that they did. She discovered that asymmetry existed well before toothed whales and baleen whales. Asymmetrical skulls actually evolved into symmetrical whales. The echolocation came from the asymmetrical whales.

Link:  Ancient Whale Skulls and Directional Hearing: A Twisted Tale

'Polarbeargate' Scientist To Head Back To Work

D'vine N. --  That complaint alleged that Department of the Interior officials are guilty of scientific ,and scholarly misconduct because of their treatment of Monnett. An inquiry is being conducted into those allegations, according to a letter sent to Ruch by the Department of the Interior's scientific integrity officer.

this Article I chose bacons it have polar bears in it and than are so cute. Also the dead polar bearsbecame are powerful, and controversial, that the melting ice and climate change we are just kill them one by one. if we keep on doing this is going to be no more of this cute animals. The Author infomashin is valid to what he put. It is also helpful to see what is happening in other places. if we can help out or not.

Link:  'Polarbeargate' Scientist to Head Back to Work

Scientists discover the diamond planet

Madison G. -- Researchers from Swineburne University of Technology in Melbourne have discovered what they believe to be a planet made of diamonds. It was said to be huge star that existed at one time in our galaxy, but is now just the remnants of that star. It has a diameter of about 20 KM and emits electromagnetic radiation. What researchers found strange about this planet was that the beams of radiation it emitted were at different angles. This attributed to their conclusion of the planet being one huge diamond. It is 40 % the size of Jupiter but contains a mass that is slightly larger than that of Jupiter’s. Researchers suggest that this planet originated from carbon and oxygen due to its density. This planet is 4000 light years away from earth and resides in the constellation of Serpens.

It’s so awesome to think that there’s an entire planet made out of diamonds. If anyone got their hands on it, they would most likely be filled with greed. There’s so much money you could make off of a giant diamond with a diameter of 20 km. If there are planets made of diamonds, it makes you wonder what other types of planets are out there. Whethere they be topaz or emerald. There could be an entire planet made from the eruption of volcanoes, similar to how an island is formed. Our universe is so vast; we’re not even close to understanding a little bit of all that it has to offer.

Link:  Scientists Discover the Diamond Planet 

Cycles of war = cycles of weather?

Dia G. -- El Nino is when the sea temperatures get warmer in the tropical Pacific, which causes abnormal weather changes around the world. David Tenenbaum; the author of the article, stated that conflicts are twice as likely to occur during El Nino in the places that they’re affecting. He states that people become more aggressive in hotter weather. They found that there was an increase in fighting during hot weather periods in Africa. Also that all the fights were happening in the regions that El Nino was affecting.
I think that this article could have had more supporting evidence, but I chose this because I can relate. When I’m really hot, or sweaty or outside in the sun for a really long time I start to get grumpy. This article might not be relevant, because I’m pretty sure that all these countries that are fighting right now aren’t fighting because they’re hot. People fight just to fight sometimes, or because they’re tired of something. 


I’d have to mostly disagree with the author, because you see all these countries fighting right now, but we’re not in the middle of El Nino right now. So it makes no sense that people are relating the two things. I mean, I can imagine that it’s hot everywhere, because its VERY hot here, but I don’t think they have enough evidence to support their theories in this article.


Link:  Cycles of war = cycles of weather?

COOKIECUTTER SHARK 'SCOOPED' OUT SWIMMER'S FLESH

Breckon C. -- The Cookie-cutter shark is maximum length approximately 42–56 centimeter. Also it is not like the other sharks by having a pattern in its teeth. When the shark bights it looks like a cookie cutter stamp. When the Cookie-cutter shark is going to attack, the shark opens the mouth 180 degrease. Bighting the fish takes that part out of the fish. But leaves the fish that was attack, and the fish that was attacked are still alive. There are most common at Miami, Florida, and the moats deaths.

This is the smallest shark that I have ever seen in my life. Even though I have been fishing I never had seen fish smaller than that. I would like to see this shark in real life. Also se a fish with those holes in another fish. This is a really weird shark but I think this is the most interesting thing that I have read. In the next few years I would like to study about this some more. Also I would like to seen a attack on a human.

Link:  Cookiecutter Shark 'Scooped' Out Swimmer's Flesh

Ancient Dog Skull Shows Early Pet Domestication

Eddie W. -- In the 1970’s, wolf fossils were found in the Atlay Mountains of Sibera, and it was recently looked up and was found out that it was one of the first pets. Usually, 14,000 year old dog fossils are the oldest ones scientists find but this one was older, close to 26,500 years old. Because there’s not a lot of history recorded about wolves, scientists don’t know how the genes of the wolves’ population changed to be dogs and when it actually happened. ’’ That's why our find is very important—we have a very lucky case,” ( Yaroslav Kuzmin). This quote shows that they needed to find out about that dog in order to get some info on when wolves’ genes population changed. Yaroslav Kuzmin and a group of scientists compared the fossils of the dog to other wolves’ bones and dog fossils about the same age as the other dog. They found out that the dog was similar to dogs in Greenland because it looked similar to one. ’’Animals that were more comfortable around humans underwent changes in their growth rates—probably regulated by hormones—that eventually changed their reproductive patterns, sizes, and shapes, turning them into dogs,’’ ( Susan Crawford). This quote is evidence that the wolf could have enjoyed being around people so much, that there hormones took control of how they looked and their inherited traits changed.


I think this is really interesting because this one of the first pets that people had. It is helpful to people because it involves some history of wolves and dogs. The Article used evidence from scientists and zooarchaeologists, and anthoropologists so I think this author, you could agree with. This article includes a photo that would call attention to readers. This article has a few historic details about fossils. It explains why and how things could have happened. When there was evidence the article said where it came from.


Link:  Ancient Dog Skull Shows Early Pet Domestication

Cancers Might Be Newly Evolved Species

Adrianna H. -- Cancerous tumors are parasitic organisms, according to a new paper in the journal Cell Cycle that argues cancers are newly evolving species. Each cancer is a novel species that, like other parasites, depends on its host for food but otherwise operates independently and often to the detriment of its host, according to project leader Peter Duesberg. Duesberg, a molecular and cell biology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues believe that carcinogenesis—the generation of cancer is just another form of speciation, the evolution of new species.


Cancer is comparable to a bacterial level of complexity, but still autonomous, that is, it doesnt depend on other cells for survival it doesn’t follow orders like other cells in the body, and it can grow where, when and how it likes, said Duesberg in a UC Berkeley press release. Thats what species are all about Once a cell has crossed that barrier of autonomy its a new species. The key to this new theory is that he and his team negate the widely held view that tumors begin when a handful of mutated genes send a cell into uncontrolled growth. Instead, they argue that carcinogenesis is initiated by a disruption of the chromosomes, which leads to duplicates, deletions, breaks and other chromosomal damage that alter the balance of tens of thousands of genes. The result is a cell with totally new traits that is, a new phenotype representing a unique species. 


The idea is already gaining support from other experts. Mark Vincent, a medical oncologist at the London Regional Cancer Program and University of Western Ontario, said, "I think Duesberg is correct by criticizing mutation theory, which sustains a billion-dollar drug industry focused on blocking these mutations. Yet very few cancers have been cured by targeted drug therapy and even if a drug helps a patient survive six or nine more months, cancer cells often find a way around it Revived" since evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley wrote in 1956 that Once the neoplastic process has crossed the threshold of autonomy the resultant tumor can be logically regarded as a new biologic species Other researchers since Huxley have proposed that cancer is more like a parasite than a disease.Because the disrupted chromosomes of newly evolved cancers are visible in a microscope, it may be possible to detect cancers earlier. Already, Pap smears rely on changes in the shapes of cervical cells as an indication of chromosomal problems that could lead to cervical cancer. Cancer should be beatable. As Vincent points out, cancers are likely operating right at the edge of survivability, maintaining genomic flexibility while retaining the ability to divide forever. Driving them to evolve even faster, he said, "might push them over the edge.

I think this discovery will help scientist to determine what to do about the cancer. A lot of people are getting cancer, so this is a start to finding a cure to prevent and get rid of it. Disrupted chromosomes of newly evolved cancers are visible now in microscopes. For so many years people have died from cancer because there were no cures and they might have found out to late they had cancer and then die. With these new studies coming out they may can prevent an see cancer.


Link:  Cancers Might Be Newly Evolved Species

One of the world’s ‘most feared’ pests found in Chicago

Kristin H. -- One of the worlds “most feared” pests was found in Chicago… the Khapra Beetle. It’s the “most feared” pest because of its ability to destroy grain. This species originated in South Asia but came to Northern Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and South Africa. In 1953 the first Khapra beetle was seen in California. It wasn’t till 1966 when they destroyed it at a cost of 15 million dollars! This year specialist has seen them 100 times compared to when they only saw them three to six times per year. Even though we have seen some of these beetles the beetles have not made it into our grain supply.

This is something that doesn’t personally affect me but can affect our country. I personality think beetles in general are gross and nasty and when they destroy our food that makes me dislike them even more. Plus with our economy the way it is we don’t need to spend that kind of money on trying to get rid of bugs. I liked how the author made the article short and clear so it was easy to get the point without reading a book. I also liked how it was descriptive; this makes the article more attracting.


Link:  One of the world's "most feared" pests found in Chicago

Human Pathogen Killing Corals in the Florida Keys

Annie T. -- Corals in the Florida Keys are being destroyed by humans disposal of sewage which causes white pox disease in the Caibbean elkhorn coral. This white pox takes fives days to appear definite evidence that humans are the source of this pathogen. Florida Keys is a popular tourist attraction, where humans spend money on water-related activities. By doing so, humans are polluting our water and destroying the ecosystem that the sea creatures live in. Diseases such as HIV or bird flu, have also made an impact on the decline in population of marin invertebrate. These diseases from humans are killing corals, but we can solve this problem with wastewater treatment. The University of Gerogia and The Collins College have funded 2.2 million dollars to help investigate the affect of white pox in the Florida Keys.

The beautiful reefs and colrals in Florida Keys are being harmed by humans. We are destroying something that is irriplaceable. I agree that we humans need to make an effort in keeping our enviroment clean. Not only do we need to create wastewater treatment facilities but we need to enforce the law of littering. We need to limit the the water-related activites, so we can keep our oceans uncontaminated. This article is a great way to spread awareness on the affect of how humans are polluting our earth. Not only is our activities on the water affecting the ocean, but also in the atmosphere. We need to be more aware of what we do that contributes to the polluting of our earth.

Link:  Human Pathogen Killing Corals in the Florida Keys

SONGBIRDS USE GRAMMAR IN TWEETS

Justin C. -- Birds prove to be much smarter then we thought. Japanese scientist’s discovery that songbirds use their own form of grammar. This study shows that humans man not be the only organism to use grammar in sentences. The birds used in this experiment were Bengalese finches which are very social birds that do a lot of vocalizing. Each male bird has a different unique song call. Scientists played jumbled up bird songs to different birds to see how they would react to it. All the birds reacted to certain ones and had no reaction at all to other ones. It also seems that the order of the syllables mattered to the birds which suggest that the birds use grammar.

This article just amazed me. It is an excellent example of how animals are not given enough credit for what their capable of. They are much smarter then most people think. But I do think that maybe the birds are not listening for grammar but for certain sounds and they only recognize those certain sounds. I think that the scientists should play different languages to the birds and see how they respond to each language, this could prove if their listening for grammar or just sounds.

Link:  Songbirds Use Grammar in Tweets