Fog Dissection

In class we had been studying all of the life systems. At first  we learned the function of each system, and then we learned how they are all connected. To better to understand how all of the systems are connected, we dissected a frog. We dissected frogs because  their organ structure is very similar to humans. This was very helpful because it really helped me see how everything is connected. I could really see how the organs are all connected to each other, and how they work together. I could tell how if one system failed all would stop working. For example if the digestive system stopped working then the rest of the body wouldn't get nutrients and all of the systems would fail. It also helped show the location of the organs in the body. This lab was very helpful and it helped me better understand the organ systems, their functions, and how they are all connected.
More information
Virtual Dissection
Frog Organs Picture
Human Organs Picture

Chicken Wing Dissection

In sccience we watched our teacher dissect a chicken wing to show us the different kinds of tissue. The four different types of tissue that we learned about are epithelial which covers and protects, muscle which make your body move, connective which support and protect, and nervous which send commands from your brain to other parts of your body. Epithelial tissue found in the chicken was the skin, because it covers and protects the cell. Muscle tissue was the triceps and biceps because, they make the wing move. Connective tissue was the bones, because they supported the wing. Nervous tissue was the nerves in the wing, because it gave messages from the brain to the wing. This was a fun lab to watch and helped me better understand the different types of tissue.

First Lab

Today in class we had our first lab. We have been studying cells so our teacher made this lab to show us how cell membranes only let in certain substances. First we put corn starch in a plastic bag to simulate the cell membrane, and the corn startch was to indicate when the iodine got past the "cell membrane". Then we put the bag in a beaker full of water with a few drops of iodine mixed in. What was supposed to happen was that the iodine would go through the bag, to simulate a substance going throught the cell membrane, and turn the cornstartch purple. This didn't work out in our class because the plastic bag was to strong to let the iodine in. By the end of class we only got the very bottom of the bag to turn light purple. I had fun during the lab and learning about cells. I hope that the next time we do this the cornstartch turns purple.

The Claim: Playing a Wind Instrument Causes Respiratory Infection

For years people have  thought that playing an instrument could lead to a higher risk of sore throat or airway inflammation. Research suggested that saliva and micro organisms could build and get blown deeper in the instrument.  Until now scientists didn't know  if the germs could survive long enough to make someone sick. The International Journal of Environmental Health Research, Tufts University scientists tested 20 instruments — flutes, clarinets, trumpets and saxophones. All were found to harbor living bacteria, mold and yeast, some of which survived for several days. Wooden reeds and mouthpieces had the most contamination. Researchers have not been looking at infection rates in musicians there have been numerous reports of lung problems linked to instruments. Such as a 35-year-old trombone player who had suffered a bad cough for 15 years; it went away after he started disinfecting the instrument with rubbing alcohol, and a 67-year-old saxophonist with shortness of breath saw the problem disappear after he made a habit of washing his mouthpiece. a 67-year-old saxophonist with shortness of breath saw the problem disappear after he made a habit of washing his mouthpiece. In the end Certain instruments can raise the risk of infections if not routinely cleaned.


I think that this article shows the need for hygiene. For example if nobody cleans an instrument that they share it can end up getting many people sick. It also suprises me that no one thought to clean their instrument by them selves. This is a problem that can be easily prevented and should be.
nytimes.com

Endeavour Lifts Off on Its Final Flight

At 8:56 a.m. on May 16th at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Endeavor space ship took off to reveal the secrets of the universe. The ship contained a 6 man crew commanded by Captin Mark E. Kelly. This was the second attempt because of an electrical short circuit on April 29th. The crew is going to install a $2 billion giant doughnut shaped magnet, on the International Space Station, that will sift through cosmic particles to find evidence of dark matter. It weighs almost 8 tons and is made to last as long as the space sation, untill around 2025. It will create a strong magnetic field that will push away cosmic particles and an array of detectors will analyze the deflection and will hopefully discover new particles.


I think this is a good idea, because if we discover dark matter does exist we would be able to someday use it to discover new galaxies. We might even be able to find planets that are similar to earth. It would also not waste years of research.
nytimes.com

Fish Alleles

In class we tested the probability of different fish alleles and which would survive. There were three possible alleles: green, red, and yellow. Green was dominant which means if a fish has one green allele it will be green. Yellow and red are recessive to green, but are incompletely dominant to each other. This means they can mix to make orange. There were many green and orange fish because, green is always present and the red and yellow usually mixed.
Then we tested the environment, which was seaweed and algae, to see what fish would survive best. Normally the yellow fish died because they couldn't hide well in the 1st-3rd generations. Then at the end all of the algae and seaweed died, and the new surroundings hid all of the fish except the green ones. All of the green fish ended up dying. This completely wiped out all of the green alleles because if one is present it is showing. Below is a list of all of the fish through out the generations.

                        Green(GG,Gy,Gr)  Red(rr)  Yellow(yy)  Orange(ry)

1st Generation: 6                                 1         1                       4       Then all of the yellows died due to lack of camouflage 

2nd generation: 7                                 1         0                       3  

3rd generation:  6                                 2         1                       2      Yellows die again

4th generation:  5                                 3         0                       2     All of the seaweed and algae die which lets the other fish hide but wipes out all of the green fish

survivors:          0          3          0            2

If we had changed something such as the environment the outcome would have been different. Such as if they were in a different environment different fish would be able to hide better. If they lived in a sandy place yellow would do better, green in algae, red in dirt, or orange in coral. We could also have the fish adapt so the strong genes live but the weak die, over population, low food, or a different color fish could migrate over. We could also change the climate which would change type/number of fish and type/number of predators. There is a infinite list of things we could do to change the outcome.

Arctic Waters Warmer Than In 2000 Years

Water flowing from the North Atlanticinto the Arctic Ocean is warmer today than any time in the past 2000 years.The Fram Strait, which runs between Greenland and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard,  have been warmed 3.5 degrees over the past 100 years. These temperatures are 2.5 degrees higher than in the Medieval Warm Period, a time of elevated warmth from 900-1300A.D.. This is proof that global warming is atypical in the context of historical climate fluctuations. Scientists found an abundance of warm water fish that rose over the past 100 years, becoming dominant over the cold water fish for the first time in 2000 years. A growing number of studies in the last decade have added weight to the theory that the warming over the past 100 years is unusual, however. Arctic Waters Warmer Than In 2000 Years

I think this is proof that we need to find a new way to live. Such as finding alternate fuel sources and planting more trees. If we don't the results will become worse and worse every year.

Spread of Deadly Virus Because of Forest Decline

In 2004 many aspen in the west started dying. Scientists thought it was because of the drought and heat wave in 2002. At first it was just destroying the land now it is spreading a new strain of hantavirus that is deadly to humans. It is called Sin Nombre Virus, the Spanish word for nameless virus. This disease is carried by deer mice mostly in sudden aspen dying areas. You can get infected by inhaling dust mixed with mouse urine, droppings, or saliva. If inhaled you can develop hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The virus has a 40% fatality rate, but infections are rare with 20-40 annual cases in the United States. Infections remain mostly concentrated in the Southwest where sudden aspen die-back is common. The die-back is slowed down because of cooler wetter years, but aspens are vulnerable to sudden climate shifts. The die-backs are expected to be more common since the climate is starting to change. The spread of hantavirus through mice should be considered an "unintended consequence of climate change". Dr.Lehmer said, "Climate change is brining new diseases because we are disrupting plants and animals ecosystems. Spread of Deadly Virus Because of Forest Decline

I think this proves we need to be more careful about the environment. If we don't this kind of thing will become more and more common.