SHAGGY, SHOVEL-HEADED RHINO EVOLVED IN TIBET

Emily F. -- Woolly rhinos and other large prehistoric animals were the first to evolve that could tolerate the cold temperatures. This was an evolutionary cradle for Ice Age mega plant-eaters, according to a new paper. A current study helps explain why so many different species lived in North America, Europe and
Asia during the last Ice Age (2.8mya). They adapted to the cold temperatures in the west Himalayans
before moving around to other areas. Most of the animals were very large, and covered with long hair. There are known theorys that some of the animals grew larger, the colder the weather was.

I found this article interesting, because the Ice Age is a cool topic to learn about! I thought the theory on the animals growing larger due to the cooler temperatures was neat. I also liked this article because it reminded me of the Ice Age movie Serious. Those movies and this article have made want to do more research on the Ice Age time period.

Link:  SHAGGY, SHOVEL-HEADED RHINO EVOLVED IN TIBET

Up from the Depths: How Bacteria Capture Carbon in the 'Twilight Zone'

Justin G. -- Archaea a deep sea single celled organism has been able to make there engery out of other bacteria in the deep sea ocean creating carbon. they create there engery by trapping the carbon and uses there single celled genomes to creat metbolic capabilites.

I think this will help medicine alot because they could probably rearrange the atoms to take certain atoms out of diseases. it also could work for military things like the thing from G-I Joe that had little Anit-bodies that could eat almost any particles. i think this a big step finding out how things down there live also because ive never heard of anything on the surface that could change stuff into carbon.


Link:  Up from the Depths: How Bacteria Capture Carbon in the 'Twilight Zone'

To the rescue -- finding a purpose for rejected shelter dogs

Lizette Y. -- In Santa Paula, California rescue downs are used to help find people after a disaster has occurred. The association is called the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation Founded by Wilma Melville. The dogs have all been trained and have been to the Japan when the earth quake happened and, the tornado that happened in Missouri. All of the dogs Melville gets are 90% from Animal shelters. All the dogs that look capable of being a rescue dogs go through a test but only few pass.

I think this is good thing she is doing because Sense dog are able to track down people if there buried or stuck underneath something or even missing. So it is saving a lot of people’s life just because what she is doing. Maybe if people discover what she is doing then possibly other people will follow her and help her.

Link:  To the rescue -- finding a purpose for rejected shelter dogs

Fish (Happily) Out of Water

Natalie R. -- A new fish has been discovered, the Pacific Leaping Blenny. These fish have been found living outside of water. They still need water to live, so they have to live right next to the water, but they can remain outside the water as long as they have some water inside them. These “walking fish” are very capable outside of the water; they can still
mate and do the things they need to do to survive. But when they completely dry up, they can no longer breathe and would suffocate.

A walking fish is awesome. Though it isn’t completely a fish out of water, it can partially live on land. I think that it is a new step towards new species. This fish shows us that we and all other animals are still constantly evolving. We are always moving forward so our species can survive and live on.

Link:  "Walking" Fish a Model of Evolution in Action

Study Finds That Injecting Old Mice With Young Mouse Blood Has a Rejuvenating Effect

Toyosi O. -- Researchers from Stanford took blood from a young mouse and injected it into an older mouse. When they did this the older mouse was “Rejuvenated”. More neutrons were fired which caused the mouse to think and react quicker. When they injected the younger mouse with blood from the older mouse the younger mouse acted more like how an older mouse would act.

I found this article interesting for many reasons. If we can make mice act “younger” then what about humans? Could this help humans live longer or have more energy?  I wonder if it would be possible for scientist to find things that would cause more neutrons to fire in the brain and use it as a “cure” to anti aging. I think that this new knowledge could be very beneficial to help fight dieses that are due to aging.

Link:  Study Finds That Injecting Old Mice With Young Mouse Blood Has a Rejuvenating Effect

Plant develops echo to attract bats

Rachel T. -- This article is mainly about the evolution of the Marcgravia evenia, a plant that has developed a curved-shaped leaf next to the flowers which helps as a reflector of sounds. The bats that the plant is trying to attract need a lot of food supply to fulfill their energy. With these new leaves, the bats can be more efficient in finding and eating their food quotas per night. Also, the plant needs the bats to move the pollen and seeds from place to place frequently, since Marcgravia evenia grows in such low abundance. In all
this new adaptation and evolution is a mutual benefit interaction.

I thought that this article related a lot to our last unit of Biology. The adaptation of this plant just hit me right off the bat as one of the Ten Themes of Biology, as well as the interaction of the plant and the bats. I liked this article too because it gave me a little bit of insight on the world around me and I want to be more aware of the things that are occurring on the earth. The Marcgravia evenia sort of reminded me of the Venus fly trap for some reason and how they both have a part curved, even if the concave parts serve different purposes.

Link:  Plant develops echo to attract bats

Night Owls More Likely to Suffer from Nightmares, Survey Suggests

Jaden K. -- According to many scientific studies, people who stay up late are more likely to get night mares.  Around 80% of adults have at least one nightmare a year, while five percent get about one every month.  College students have also been studied for this showing that their late night studying (or partying) makes it more likely to have nightmares. Yavuz Selvi and other scientist made a study to a variety of people asking to rate the frequency of their nightmares from one being the lowest to four being the highest. They had found that people who call themselves evening people rated around 2.10 while people who called themselves morning people had an average of 1.23. Even though the cause of nightmares is still partly unknown, this shows that going to bed late is still a factor.

Throughout this article it shows more and more facts and examples that nightmares partly come from staying up late to a lack of sleep. It’s very interesting to know about and knowing this I might start heading to bed a little earlier. Looking at this article it shows that scientists are not just looking at space or medication. They are also trying to help us the small things in life. From dreams to dinosaurs to space who knows what is going to be learned about next, all I know is that I should start heading to bed.

Link:  Night Owls More Likely to Suffer from Nightmares, Survey Suggests

Humans made sophisticated tools before was thought possible

Joey A. -- Scientists have figured out that early humans (Homo erectus) have been able to make advanced tools from up to 1.8 million years ago, a whole 300,000 years further back than thought. It's a little weird, because Homo erectus came in to view about 2 million years ago, and they weren't just making tools that consisted of a stick and a pebble attached, they were shaving stones in to points and attaching them to sticks. These tools suggested that they could hack away joints, and be able to butcher animals more effectively than their previous tools. That also meant they were able to think ahead, and were possibly more sophisticated than scientists thought. Along with that, scientists also believed that the Homo erectus species could have lived at the same time as their bretherin, the Homo habilis, because they had similarties between their tools. Homo erectus could have possibly migrated to Dmansi, Georgia, and lost all of their new found technology, which could have made all of the scientists suggestions invalid. Archaeologists started researching this, and they are still discovering something new every day.

I think that if homo erectus really did come up with all of that technology, scientists would have found out by now. It just sounds kind of ridiculous because the cousin of Homo erectus, the Homo habilis, could have made this technology, which makes sense. I also find it hard to believe that when they possibly migrated to Georgia, they lost their technology. If I was Homo erectus, I would hold onto those new tools for dear life and would not let them out of my sight! I had to take into consideration that they were not as sophisticated as us, but still! Just think how mad they must have been! I did however, think that this article was intersting, and I enjoyed reading about it, cause I had no idea that dextrous beings lived that far back.

Link:  Humans Shaped Stone Axes 1.8 Million Years Ago: Advanced Tool-Making Methods Pushed Back in Time

New Genetic Circuit Detects Cancerous Cells and Forces Them To Commit Suicide

Antonio W. -- In cancer, there are specific molecules that makes cancer... well, cancer. Recently, researchers at MIT and ETH Zurich have made a logic circuit system that detects cells and whether or not it has certain cancerous molecules. When at least five are detected, the body orders self destruction. They studied that the HeLa cancer cells have about 1,000 types of microRNA, the regulator of RNA, the sender of DNA information, each having unique properties. They developed an artificial code inside that instructed to make new self destruction proteins. It would only turn on if the levels of miRNA are present in the right amounts, leaving those that lack the HeLa gene alone. It cannot yet be used on a living animal, but is a step forward towards cancer treatment.

After some research, I have learned that as of 2007, over 1.5 million people in North America had cases of cancer. This is one step closer to getting rid of this terrible disease. Similar to this was a type of bee venom that was modified to find and destroy only cancer cells. I know that there are many people out there suffering, waiting for a cure. I personally don't know anyone who has died of cancer, but I can't imagine what it must feel like to lose someone that close. I hope that this prevents people in the future from having to go through things such as chemotherapy . With September 11th coming up, I hope that the brave men and women who sacrificed their health to save others become rewarded.

Link:  New Genetic Circuit Detects Cancerous Cells and Forces Them To Commit Suicide

Dolphin whisperer can help us talk to E.T.

Arianna K. -- For 27 years, marine biologist Denise Herzing and colleagues have been regular visitors in the Atlantic Ocean home of a 200-member pod of spotted dolphin living north of the Bahama islands. Understand the relationships between the members of the pod is key to unraveling what their dozens of whistles, clicks and other signals mean. “The large goal of this project is to tell the story of what it's like to be a dolphin,” Herzing , a researcher with Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and the founder and head of the Wild Dolphin Project, told Discovery news. “There are times that they play games with us in the water,” Herzing said. “This particular group seems to be curious about us, probably because we're in the water analyzing them. Scientist are trying to teach dolphins to communicate with humans with curtain noises. Some scientist are using this to communicate with wild dolphins.

The purpose of the article is to inform people that dolphins and possibly other animals can communicate with one another and us. This can help us understand other animals and find a way to help preserve their habitats and maybe fix the ones humans destroyed. This is interesting because it shows that animals are capable of thinking and feeling. It also shows that animal experiments are wrong, if they can't do it on humans they shouldn't do it on other humans. The article should show more examples of the communication and more reasons it is useful.

Link:  Dolphin whisperer can help us talk to E.T.

Genes may explain who gets sick from flu

Sean C. -- The human body has two  polarized ways to fight of infection. The first is to cause inflammation throughout the body, the second is to release a anti-inflammatory.  A study was done on 19 volunteers who were infected  with a strain of the flu, 9 of them reported feeling unwell. Study of gene patterns show that the 9 who were feeling unwell had chemicals in their blood stream causing increased stress levels as well as inflammatory responses, the other subjects had anti-inflammatory responses as well as not getting as stressed. Analyzation of this data can help us detect who is in  more danger of getting extremely sick. The people who stayed well spread less viruses. these patterns are not concrete evidence, there are many other factors that could have effected the results but it is a start.

This is interesting news. In case of a pandemic we could not only quarantine more effectively but also administer aid on a risk based order. There are flaws in both of these though; in the article it said that this data was not conclusive, after all correlation does not imply causation. We could possible give drugs that would replicate the effects or the anti-inflammatory response, letting people feel well whilst still fighting infections just as effectively.

Link: Genes may explain who gets sick from flu

Dinosaur Colors

Dakota P. -- Scientist have now figured out that they can use a fossil for figuring out more than when a specific animal lived. They have no figured out that they can also get what color a dinosaur, which did not have lizard skin, was. Scientist found this out so that we could have a better understanding of what the biology actually was back then as accurately as possible. This is important to biologist especially so they we can now accurately place certain animals into the ancestral lines that they have.

I think that this is really cool and interesting because dino’s with colors other then green and scaly. To know that the world has always been colorful and not totally bland makes me happy. In my opinion it will also make the topic of pre-historic life in science class more interesting.

Link:  Dinosaur Colors

Spiders Fleeing Pakistan's Floodwater Take to the Trees

Taryn R. -- Due to the floods in Pakistan last year, milllions of people had to move - as well as millions of spiders. Although spiders rarely move to trees during natural disasters, the flooding was so heavy they had to go up the trees and stay there. According to Todd Blackledge, some of these spiders spin new webs every day. After weeks, the webs cover the trees in dense layers of silk. Russell Watkins, a photographer, went down to Pakistan and saw the web covered trees. "I wasn't prepared for the scale. Literally thousands of trees and bushes over dozens of miles were shrouded. It really was very spooky" said Russell.

 

This is absolutly amazing to me! The picture was even more facinating. It would be great if I was able to visit this place and see the spiders. Since they were unable to go about normaly on the ground, they climbed up the trees and are surviving up there. What if they start living in the trees? Would they need to adapt or change? Perhaps not, I think they will eventually move back to the ground.

Link:  Spiders Fleeing Pakistan's Floodwater Take to the Trees

Cycles of war = cycles of weather?

Zane R. -- Climatologists have long theorized that changes in local climate can effect conflict in that area. It has been shown that countries effected by El Niño have an increase of up to double as many conflicts in such seasons. Previous efforts had studied a correlation between historical environmental change with major conflicts as well as the rise and fall of civilizations. However, the studies were all case by case and researcher Solomon Hsiang pointed out “even if every conflict or collapse happened at random, some would occur during a period of environmental change, so this isn’t compelling evidence”. Because of this he decided to study the issue more systematically, by finding which nations responded to El Niño, took records on all civil or intrastate conflicts that at least 25 people were killed that took place between 1950 and 2004, and compared the two to find a correlation between them. The studies showed that twice as many conflicts happened during El Niño months and that 21% of all conflicts can be attributed to it. While the motivation of the study was to “peer through the keyhole of time” and anticipate the effects of global warming, Hsiang admits that El Niño is very different in the way it effects the world, and says that the prediction power gained by this study is actually fairly limited.

The article presents a very interesting idea. That a warmer world is a more violent one. The fact that such small changes (“0.05°C rise in temperature, and 0.1 millimeter reduction in daily rainfall”) can have such a huge effect on conflicts leads to some major concerns for our warming world. While it does state that there is a huge difference between El Niño and global warming another study mentioned in the article had found “Significant increase in warfare during hot weather in sub-Saharan Africa”. This proves that El Niño is not the only climate effecting change that can impact conflict. On top of its interesting topic the article uses multiple researches and quotes many leading minds in the worlds studies to create its report. And like most articles on the Whyfiles its presented in an effective formatting that allows for both in depth information as well as prominently displayed main points that allows for easy skimming.

Link:  Cycles of war = cycles of weather?

Woolly rhinos came down from the cold

Matthew R. -- The Woolly Rhino has two horns weighs two tons and has a lot of hair and attitude. They survived with woolly mammoths and other creatures during the ice age. Xiaoming Wang discovered a Woolly Rhino skull in the Tibetan plateau he was shocked that it was 3.5 million years old. what was shocking was that this skull was here a million years before the ice age he thinks that this showed that they were getting prepared for the ice age. what is amazing is that the horn was used to sweep snow away so they could keep moving.

I think this is amazing if they did know the ice age was coming because this was to happen a million years later. I think that this is the ultimate adaption story i ever heard with the long horn the big body and all that hair. and another thing this fits one of the themes of biology this falls under adaption to evolution.

Link:  Woolly rhinos came down from the cold

New 'thunder-thighs' dinosaur discovered

Gabe M. -- Very recently, scientists discovered a new type of dinosaur. Its name was the Brontomerus. Its nickname was “thunder-thighs” because it had such enormous thighs and attacked its predators with them. It was a member of the Long-Neck sauropod group of dinosaurs. The Brontomerus was found in Utah and was believed to live in the early cretaceous period. the scientists found a female adult, and a juvenile Brontomerus. They believe that the female weighed about 6 tons and the kid 200kg.

I think it is pretty cool that scientists are finding new dinosaurs still. It’s just really interesting to look at the creatures back then and relate to the ones we have now. it also seems really crazy that it was in Utah. I have not heard of many American dinosaurs. This article made me think a lot about how things were back then and made me pretty interested.

Link:  New 'thunder-thighs' dinosaur discovered

NASA Will Rescue Thousands of Sea Turtle Eggs from Oil Leak Areas

Luis K. -- Generally NASA always is on a mission that has to do with space. The space agency has been working on one that did not encounter spacecrafts or satellites. NASA has been helping thousands of baby sea turtles successfully make their flight easier to the open water. Many Biologists have helped dig up around 700 sea turtle nests on the northern gulf beaches affected by the BP oil spill. The Biologists have gone as far as Panama City to Apalachicola, Florida and have relocating the eggs to NASA’s KSC in Florida (Kennedy Space Center). Each nest has 100 to 120 eggs, and have been taken cared of at the undisclosed facility until each one has hatched. Once the sea turtles hatched, they were hurriedly moved to nearby beaches to make their march to the sea. “Although biologist cant be certain the sea turtle relocation plan will succeed, they say all of this year's hatchlings from the northern Gulf of Mexico will be lost if nothing is done.”

          I really thought this article was neat. It was good for NASA to put away all of the space stuff behind for a while and help out an endangered, and significant animal as the baby sea turtles. If it weren’t for them those baby sea turtles would not have gotten as far. It’s always good to help out the environment and the organisms that live in it. And even though there are other turtles and animals out there, it made a difference for those ones. I think maybe why the writer wrote this article is to show that anyone can make a difference and everything and everyone counts.

Link:  NASA Will Rescue Thousands of Sea Turtle Eggs from Oil Leak Areas

Woolly Rhino Fossil Discovery in Tibet Provides Important Clues to Evolution of Ice Age Giants

Susie M. -- A group of geologists and paleontologists from two different history museums found many new species of extinct mammal fossils in the Himalayan Mountains of Tibet in 2007. They found the complete skull and lower jaw of a Woolly rhino, a parts of the skeletons of a three-toed horse, a blue sheep, a species of badger and 23 other mammals. The leaders of the two groups believe that some of these animals, such as the Woolly rhino, decided that he liked being cold and uncomfortable and cold, so he left the mild climate at the base of the mountain and went to live at the top of the mountain where it was cold and food was sparse so that he (the Woolly rhino) could adapt over millions to the cold by growing long think woolly fur to keep him/her warm. When the next Ice Age came the Woolly rhino was ready-or “pre-prepared” for the colder climate and so survived, as did the other animals they found and, supposedly, some of the large fauna. The “experts” believe  that  same preparation that the rhino made was made by the mega-fauna, making the scientists change their theory about the evolution of plants.

I thought this article was somewhat interesting but not believable. There is no way to prove how long an Ice Age lasted, how old these fossils are or what would cause a species to adapt BEFORE  it was necessary. It was not necessary for the Woolly rhino to grow thicker fur; he could have remained at the base of the mountain where it was warmer; he didn’t have to go up the mountain where it was cold.  This theory of the paleontologists is ridiculous and unfounded especially since the Woolly Mammoth was found flash-frozen in the Arctic and with buttercup flowers in it’s intestines. Buttercups do not grow in frozen tundras; they grow in mild climates. So, it makes sense that both the Woolly Mammoth and the Woolly Rhino lived in mild climates, despite their thick fur coats.


Link:  Woolly Rhino Fossil Discovery in Tibet Provides Important Clues to Evolution of Ice Age Giants

From omnivore to vegan: The dietary education of Bill Clinton

Olga C. -- Bill Clinton used to love eating junk food like hamburgers , French fries , chocolate cake and other things that involved a tone of calories but then he decided to become a healthier person . former
president Clinton now considers himself a vegan. He's dropped more than 20 pounds, and he says he's healthier than ever, his wife farmer first lady Hillary Clinton . Even with the change of the white house menu Clinton battled his weight throughout his two terms as president. He had gained 18 pounds and had gotten really high blood pressure but after he had accomplished his goal of loosing weight he decided to share his experience for healthy eating childten The Clinton Foundation has teamed up with the American Heart Association and is helping 12,000 schools promote exercise and offer better lunches so decades from now, today's children will not face the same heart troubles he has.  "It's turning a ship around before it hits the iceberg, but I think we're beginning to turn it around,"Clinton said.

i think this is very interesting because Bill Clinton was vey brave to quit on all the junk food to save his life , I honestly don’t think I will be able to do that I barely eat fruit , I am very bad at eating healthy . but I am trying to do the same ting that he did to save myself and ill try to share it with other people as well and I also think it is very nice of him to share his story and his method to other children.

Link:  From omnivore to vegan: The dietary education of Bill Clinton

Pot smokers skinnier than non-tokers, study says

Megan C. -- This Article is about how Scientists in France were wrong about their hypothesis. The hypothesis was that people who smoke pot are more likely to be obese because of something in it called ‘cannabis’. Cannabis is supposed to increase appetite. Then they did a test with both smokers, who smoked at least three times a week, and non-smokers. Results? Non-smokers had a bigger obesity percentage then
the ‘pot heads’. Lesson learned, although scientists are very smart, they can be wrong too.

I think it’s funny that were wrong. I know a lot of people who smoke all types of stuff, I don’t though
(gross), and their all skin and bones. Of course in the article it said not to smoke, but I think the people
who really want to lose weight (and seem to be obsessed with it) are willing to do whatever they can to
shed the pounds. So, they shouldn’t have posted this online.

Link:  Pot smokers skinnier than non-tokers, study says

Energy From Cyborg Bugs

Peter D. -- In this article it talks about this beetle that has computer parts in to produce energy. One beetle is able to generate 45 watts of energy. That is enough to power a small electrical device.

I think this is really cool that they have found another device that we could use to get energy without using something harmful to the environment. I don’t know why they would ever think of this it just seems so random. So how they make the beetles make energy is that scientists put a small computer chip inside the beetle and after that they can control the beetle all they want. When the wings flap they produce energy. Some people think this is a better solution than batteries because it is cheaper and it weighs a lot less. A normal battery will weigh about 1.2 grams but a cyborg beetle only weighs 0.3 grams. It’s pretty dang cool.

Link:  ENERGY FROM CYBORG BUGS

86 Percent of Earth's Species Still Unknown?

Mario R. -- Studies say that there are about 8.7 million speices that we have not yet discovered on earth. Scientist say that we've discovered less than 15% of the living organism. Co-author Boris Worm of Canada's Dalhousie University says, "Are we within reach of finding all species, or are we way off?" He says," We are far off." Researchers predict that there is only 7% of fungi, and less10% of the ocean life found on earth today. Two hundred and fifty years after Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus has found a system for classifying the diversity of nature. The study says that we have nearly completed the mammals and birds speices.

It's just so ineresting to think that you know all the living things on earth then 7 million more are still out there some where. To think how the other animals look, react with other animals, and all of the other things that animals do. And if they are domestic, or if we can use them for food or medicine. Just what we can do for them and what they can do for us, without making them go extinct. I just find nature so interesting and to find out that there's even more animals around the world.

Link:  86 Percent of Earth's Species Still Unknown?
 

Texas Drought Takes Its Toll On Wildlife

Alex A. -- The drought in Texas is having a huge impact on not only water sources, but also wildlife all over the state. The lack of rain has caused large rivers to dry up in multiple places, so animals can’t get the
water they need to survive. Animals with babies have to abandon them to early because they can barely get enough water to sustain themselves let alone many babies. Insects are being affected too especially mosquitoes, which again effects something else, the bats. In Austin the bats now have to go out earlier and stay out later in order to feed themselves enough because of the decrease in mosquitoes. Usually at the end of summer in Texas cicadas are everywhere, but because of the drought they are nowhere to be seen. And no one is really sure when the drought will end.

This article makes me really sad! And I probably have a very different opinion then other people might because Texas is my home and it always has been, so im not really sure how people from other states may react. I especially don’t like the part about Austin because that’s just sad that bats have to work so hard to survive just because of one drought. It’s crazy how a drought can affect so many things, not just plants but also bugs and animals and babies as well. I wish that there was something we could do to stop this drought and make everything okay again, and I really hope it stops soon and cools off.

Link:  Texas Drought Takes Its Toll On Wildlife

How exercise benefits nerve cells

Keke W. -- A nurons electrical activity makes other cells come and put a protctive coat on the nurons that makes them travel faster. The protective coat that wraps itself around the message –sending axons is called myelin. Certain brain cells called oligodendrocytes wraps up to 150 layers on one axon. So basicly the body wants to make sure that this message gets delivered quick and safe.

What really surprised me is the brain cells would wrap that much of itslef around one anox so that it could be protcted. I never knew that this happens when ever you try new things because you would think that its normal but you body knows that its something new. Exercising helps the nerve cells be cause it makes the nurons travel faster even with the myelin on it.

Link:  How exercise benefits nerve cells

Star goes boom, telescopes zoom

Felipe C. -- August 24, telescopes at the Palomar Observatory in southern California took a picture of a white dwarf star that is 21 million light-years away. Mark Sullivan an astronomer from the University of Oxford said “We think we found it probably 12 hours after it exploded” “The amazing thing for me is, that supernova exploded 21 million years ago. And we just happened to open up the telescope on the telescope on that Wednesday night, and in came the photons.”  Scientist classify this supernova as a 1a supernova and they say that’s is so incredible that soon after this supernova was born we were able to see it, and it is something that has never happened before the last 1a supernova that we saw happen a couple of decades ago. This 1a supernova occurred because white dwarf stars gain weight, from materials destroyed by a similar star.

I think that this is a really cool article because they are informing us that new things are happening out in the outer space faster than we have ever seen. Also, scientists are learning new things about 1a type supernovas and how they occur and why they occur.

Link:  Star goes boom, telescopes zoom

Water On Mars?

Taylor W. -- Scientist at NASA may have finally done it. The may have found proof of water on Mars. On August 5th 2011 NASA scientists revealed that they had found dozens of dark streaks on the surface of Mars that they believe are a result of running water. This discovery was made thanks to NASA’s
powerful camera called HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) that is aboard NASA’s Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter. This orb has been taking pictures of mars for the last 5 years. The streaks were
discovered running inside narrow channels along the inner walls of a small crater called Newton, located
on the southern hemisphere of Mars. What puts this theory over the rest is that the streaks are not
permanent, but come and go depending on the season. When the planet heats up the water melts and
runs downhill, while during winter when it freezes, the streaks disappear again and repeat the cycle. It is
believed that it is from indeed water but not fresh water salt water b/c the winter temperatures would
indefinitely freeze the fresh water. This theory is not a 100% but it may help in the theory that mars was
once a warm and wet planet.

I think that this discovery is amazing. I think that the streaks on mars were caused by salt water. I also think that there was and that there is still water on mars. Maybe other than the ice cap it’s deep under the crust of mars. I agree with the scientists at NASA. Maybe if there’s water on mars, why not other planets. Neptune has a never ending storm on it maybe its core is not just a gas, maybe it’s a solid.

Link:  Water On Mars?

New 'bionic' leg gives amputees a natural gait

Ashley C. -- Vanderbilt University has created a brand new prosthetic leg. The new creation has made it possible for amputees to move, without the leg-dragging effect that the original prosthetic’s use
to have. The leg uses a sensor, electric monitor, as well as battery technology, which gives it much better biotic capabilities. This is the first prosthetic that has movable knee and ankle joints.  It has sensors that track its user’s motions. To operate, and predict the movements the user is trying to make, it has microprocessors. This prosthetic limb took seven years to make. It also has a stumble protector. If the artificial leg senses the user stumbling, it will lift the leg up to clear obstructions and plant it back on the ground. This will help to try and keep the user from falling.  This prosthetic was created to help better the lives, and increase mobility of amputees.

I think that this new development in technology will better the lives, of our soldiers, as well as regular people that lose their limbs, by giving them better mobility, and making their lives easier. I always think of how I would feel, if I needed a prosthetic, or if someone in my family need a prosthetic and this would definitely make life easier for them by making life more livable because this prosthetic is lighter, and has more technology involved in making it work better, and simpler for people that need it.

Link:  New 'bionic' leg gives amputees a natural gait

New Planet May Be Among Most Earthlike—Weather Permitting

Marcus G. -- On August 30th Rachel Kaufman wrote an article on the most Earthlike planet we have
seen outside our solar system. The planet HD85512b was found orbiting an Orange Dwarf
Star. Using Radial Velocity to find this planet scientist and astronomers soon found out that
it held liquid water. To be even more shocking is that the planet is close enough to the sun
to feel its heat, but far enough to sustain water in liquid form. As scientists and astronomers
looked at HD85512b they saw it was round enough to have a stable climate. The other fact that
lead scientists to looking for life there is that the star is old enough to not be inducing it to a
lot of solar storms to destroy its atmosphere. Scientists predict that its size it should have the
atmosphere similar to Earth's which consists of mainly Oxygen and Nitrogen.

This interested me a lot when I read this. I like to learn about the universe, because there
is so much out there we don't know. We don't even know everything that happens here on Earth.
I know we are not the only ones in the universe and to know that we are getting closer to finding
more about Alien worlds that might hold life is awesome. Although we cannot for surely know
if this planet may hold life or be able to sustain it with ease it is still a fantastic accomplishment.
The planet is we may not be able to touch for a long time if any, but it helps get an understanding
of planets out of our solar system. Even so science has yet to prove life on other planets.

Link:  New Planet May Be Among Most Earthlike—Weather Permitting

What is killing Killer Whales?

Andrea K. -- Marine experts are concerned with chemical flame retardants PCB's (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) and that they will be affecting the marine animals, causing their specie to decrease, which they are already noticing a decrease in the orcas. The PCB's have been building up in the oceans, since people used them in World War II. The chemicals were later figured out to harm people, animals, and ecosystems and was banned in 1970's. It's affecting the killer whales because the fish they eat, they feed on polluted prey, and absorb the polluted water. Once the orcas eat their prey, they absorb that polluted water, leading to a decrease in the specie. Studies show that high levels of chemical flame retardants were found in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. Dr. Visser, who grew up watching and loving killer whales, she's doing whatever it takes to protect the orcas, and to make sure it does not harm any other marine animals.     

    It made me a little sad to read this article, i love killer whales, and to read about their specie decreasing left me with a bad feeling. I just think it's suprising that the chemical flame retardants would be affecting our marine life now, but it has been building up in the oceans since we used it in World War II. I'm just happy it got banned in the 70's, but many industries are near the coast, so that could be the reason the chemical flame retardants are spreading through out the oceans more. In a way im glad i read the article, because i doubt i would have heard about it anywhere else, so i can know what's going on with our planet. Im also really glad people like Dr. Visser would go out and try to help and protect our marine animals. It makes me want to do better and help out our world more, i know what's done is done, but i feel like we can help out the animals that really need it.

Link:  What is killing killer whales?

Cycles of war = cycles of weather?

Afton T. -- A new study shows correlation between years with an el Nino weather pattern and years with political stress and upheaval. The interesting part is that only countries affected by the el Nino experience this correlation. Other studies have related changes in weather patterns with civil unrest, but since most of the studies were case by case, most people were skeptical, even if completely at random, some cases would coincide with weather patterns. Solomon Hsiang, the leader of the study, classified countries by whether or not they were affected by el Nino, and then researched those that do feel the effects to find the dates of all their civil unrest. They then compared the number of periods of civil unrest during el Nino to the number during normal weather patterns. They found that twice as many conflicts started in countries under el Nino’s influence during the warmer weather patterns. they also found that at least 21 percent of the worlds conflicts can be related to el Nino. There are many reasons that el Nino could affect our society so much. One, people become more aggressive in warmer weather; two, difficulty in fonding a job causes working in the militia to look more exciting; and three, a lack of food causes people to be dissatisfied with their life and more likely to rebel. The interesting point of this article is the way it connects historical conflict to today’s world. It points out the fact that, with all the changes in the weather patterns around the world caused by global warming, the amounts of conflicts worldwide may go up.

This article stood out to me because of the way it linked historical events to topics that are relevant now, such as global warming. I found the fact that people are more aggressive when it is warmer to be interesting, and I have to agree with it: I know that I at least am easier to anger when it is hot outside, and I think that most people are. The article also poses some interesting questions: Do the number of revolutions going on in the Middle East have anything to do with climate change? It also makes me wonder how this will affect us, the next generation. Will we live in a time full of war and strife? I also liked the fact that such a tiny change could affect the world on such a massive scale. A change of .05 degrees Celsius doesn’t seem that big of a deal to us, yet it has such a large and widespread effect. Going back to my original topic, if such a small change affects the world so greatly, then how much of a change will we see as global warming gets greater? All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this article, and the way it made me think.

Link: Cycles of war = cycles of weather?