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Monday, October 10, 2016
Lightning Hits this Place for 300 Nights...
Did you know that the intersection between Catatumbo River and Lake Maracaibo in northwestern Venezuela is victim to lightning strikes 300 times a year and lightning flashes several times over one second? It holds the world's most lightning bolts per kilometer squared. This is created from the cool air from the Andes that mixes with the warm air from the Caribbean Sea causing this very unusual weather phenomenon.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Halloween Fact 1: The Silly String Fine
Did you know that you could be fined 1,000 dollars for using or selling silly string on Halloween in Hollywood? This fine started when thousands of people in Hollywood were so bored they went and bought silly string. Thus, they took it upon themselves to start vandalizing the streets of Hollywood, as a side note some people bought it illegally. Unfortunately, the city didn't take this too lightly, thus if you use or sell Silly String in Hollywood from 12:01 am on Oct. 31 to 12:00 pm on Nov. 1, you might get a fine that caps at 1,000 dollars. Talk about an expensive holiday!
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Coming Back from the Dead
Coming Back from the Dead
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Hey guys, it's been a while so I thought I would do something along the lines of Genetics. Also, I feel this would be sort of festive with Halloween coming up, so I thought this would be appropriate for this month's post.
Remember those times when you watched all those horror movies that had to do with monsters and zombies that came back from the dead? Well now, that may actually be a possibility. Scientists have recently found a bacteria called Deinococcus radiodurans which is able to withstand very extreme UV radiation and heat. In fact, it doesn't technically survive under these conditions because it actually destroys the bacteria's genome and breaks it apart into hundreds of fragments of DNA. Then in a few hours it reassembles all the fragments back into it's original genome, thus bringing it back to life. Unlike most bacteria, Deinococcus radiodurans doesn't divide rapidly, instead it has evolved to become more robust to its environment. It is similar the neuron cells in our body, Deinococcus radiodurans carries two copies of its genomes. So what is really behind this weird magic trick?
The Process of Resurrection
When the genome initially breaks apart, it shatters into hundreds of double-helix DNA fragments. Proteins then come to break down the ends of the fragments which created single stranded DNA which are called "tails". Those tails were then called "sticky ends" since they could combine with each other. But they sticky ends must be complimentary to each other. This basically means that the sequence of nucleic bases must be the opposite of the other, and so they attract. (Ex: Adenine is attracted to Thymine, and Guanine is attracted to Cytosine.) A protein helps organize the strands of DNA into circular chromosomes that help make up the bacteria's characteristics. After the genome is back together again, then the bacteria cell can create proteins, lipids, and the membranes. Because of the bacteria's strong tolerance to the most extreme conditions scientists are very excited about new applications of this technique and what this could mean towards the future of health and genetics.
Habitat
It has numerous habitats that it lives in but since researchers have commonly found it in various soils it has been classified as a soil bacteria. Usually, it is cultured from elephant dung and doesn't have any significant interactions with other organisms making it practically harmless.
History
Deinococcus radiodurans was the first discovered in 1956 by Arthur W. Anderson in Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station in Corvallis,Oregon, It had been found in a can of meat which had been treated with very large amounts of radiation to sterilize it from hazardous bacteria. It's complete DNA sequence was first published in 1999 by TIGR. It's durability was put to the test and finally Scientists came found that Deinococcus can survive up to 1,000 times that amount of radiation that would kill a regular human being.
Applications
This mechanism of resurrection has paved a very bright future in the areas of health and biotechnology. For example, scientists believe that they can use this mechanism to help the regeneration of neuron cells inside the human body. In fact, we may be able to utilize this to bring life back to various types of cells in our bodies.
This post might be a little short, don't worry I'll post one or two more in this month. Hope you guys enjoyed this fun little post!
Hey guys, it's been a while so I thought I would do something along the lines of Genetics. Also, I feel this would be sort of festive with Halloween coming up, so I thought this would be appropriate for this month's post.
Remember those times when you watched all those horror movies that had to do with monsters and zombies that came back from the dead? Well now, that may actually be a possibility. Scientists have recently found a bacteria called Deinococcus radiodurans which is able to withstand very extreme UV radiation and heat. In fact, it doesn't technically survive under these conditions because it actually destroys the bacteria's genome and breaks it apart into hundreds of fragments of DNA. Then in a few hours it reassembles all the fragments back into it's original genome, thus bringing it back to life. Unlike most bacteria, Deinococcus radiodurans doesn't divide rapidly, instead it has evolved to become more robust to its environment. It is similar the neuron cells in our body, Deinococcus radiodurans carries two copies of its genomes. So what is really behind this weird magic trick?
The Process of Resurrection
When the genome initially breaks apart, it shatters into hundreds of double-helix DNA fragments. Proteins then come to break down the ends of the fragments which created single stranded DNA which are called "tails". Those tails were then called "sticky ends" since they could combine with each other. But they sticky ends must be complimentary to each other. This basically means that the sequence of nucleic bases must be the opposite of the other, and so they attract. (Ex: Adenine is attracted to Thymine, and Guanine is attracted to Cytosine.) A protein helps organize the strands of DNA into circular chromosomes that help make up the bacteria's characteristics. After the genome is back together again, then the bacteria cell can create proteins, lipids, and the membranes. Because of the bacteria's strong tolerance to the most extreme conditions scientists are very excited about new applications of this technique and what this could mean towards the future of health and genetics.
Habitat
It has numerous habitats that it lives in but since researchers have commonly found it in various soils it has been classified as a soil bacteria. Usually, it is cultured from elephant dung and doesn't have any significant interactions with other organisms making it practically harmless.
History
Deinococcus radiodurans was the first discovered in 1956 by Arthur W. Anderson in Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station in Corvallis,Oregon, It had been found in a can of meat which had been treated with very large amounts of radiation to sterilize it from hazardous bacteria. It's complete DNA sequence was first published in 1999 by TIGR. It's durability was put to the test and finally Scientists came found that Deinococcus can survive up to 1,000 times that amount of radiation that would kill a regular human being.
Applications
This mechanism of resurrection has paved a very bright future in the areas of health and biotechnology. For example, scientists believe that they can use this mechanism to help the regeneration of neuron cells inside the human body. In fact, we may be able to utilize this to bring life back to various types of cells in our bodies.
This post might be a little short, don't worry I'll post one or two more in this month. Hope you guys enjoyed this fun little post!
Saturday, September 17, 2016
The Pentagon
Did you know that the Pentagon is 17.5 miles long? General Eisenhower got lost in the Pentagon trying to find his office.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
The Winged Misconception
Did you know that the 1903 Wright Flyer exhibit that we all know and love was not donate until a matter of decades? This was because Orville Wright was furious that the Smithsonian Museum tried to save face for the sake of Samuel Langley who experimented with the Langley Aerodrome which crashed 9 days before the Wright Brothers took flight. They altered the Aerodrome and called it the first machine "capable" of manned flight. Thus, Orville tried to correct this by donating his flying machine to the London Science Museum in 1925. Finally, in the 1940s, the Smithsonian corrected the mistake and Orville donated the invention a year before his death.
Monday, September 12, 2016
A Shallow Attack
Did you know that a shark attack on a human usually happens in less than 6 feet 6 inches of calm water with a relatively short distance from shore. This is a common misconception with many people who believe shark attacks happen in very deep waters isolated from an sight of land.
3D Printing in Gold
Did you know that you can use various materials for 3D printing? Some of these materials include gold, sliver, titanium, wood, and ceramics. 3D printers can now have the capability to 3D print prosthetics to 3D printing jewelry.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Permanent Footprints
Did you know that the Apollo astronauts' footprints on the moon will stay there for approximately 100 million years? This is because the Moon has no atmosphere so there is no wind or water to erode the footprints away. However, there are micrometeorites that hit the moon so erosion is still taking place but at a slower rate.
The Fifth Leg
Did you know that a walking kangaroo's tail works just as hard as an average human's leg at strolling speed? The tail acts as a fifth leg for the kangaroo and helps make the hop of the kangaroo more effective. If you want more about kangaroos visit National Geographic!
Friday, September 2, 2016
Man's Best Friend: The First Living Thing to Orbit the Earth (and come back alive)
Did you know two dogs named Belka and Strelka were the first living organisms to orbit the Earth?
Their real names were Albina and Markiza but they were renamed because the country's leadership didn't like foreign names. In August 1960, they orbited the Earth 15 times and their voyage was a little over 24 hours. When they returned from space they were studied to see what impact space had on their bodies. After, they died natural deaths and were old in age. Today, Belka and Strelka are located at the Cosmonautics Memorial Museum in Moscow.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Hitler's Capital: Oxford older than the Aztecs
Note:
September, the month where a new year of school begins for many. Since it is that time of the year, I wanted to make a post dedicated to education! I will upload another post really soon after this one. I hope you enjoy!
Oxford University
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Oxford University is one of the oldest universities that are still operational to this day. But, it seems as though Oxford University is never really considered ancient in our books. In fact, Oxford University was around since the Aztec Empire. However, when we think about Aztecs, we associate this civilization with ancient in our timeline. Just the thought that the Oxford University today was around the same time Aztecs were busy sacrificing themselves and Spanish Conquistadors were still looking for gold, is a little weird. Let's go way back to the founding of Oxford University.
There is no clear date for when Oxford University was actually founded, but there was some form of teaching at Oxford during 1096. It developed quickly from 1167. This was when Henry II banned English Students from attending the University of Paris. In 1188, Gerald of Wales, a historian, gave a public reading to the Oxford dons. In 1190, Emo of Friesland attended Oxford becoming the first known overseas student. This started Oxford's University's tradition of international scholarly links. In 1231, the masters were recognized as a universitas or corporation. Later in the 13th century, rioting between the townspeople of Oxford and the students caused the hasty creation of the very first halls of residence for the students of Oxford University. These halls were quickly replaced by Oxford's first colleges, which originally began as medieval 'halls of residence' or endowed houses supervised by a Master. The oldest colleges are Balliol and Merton Colleges, which were established between 1249 and 1264. Soon Oxford was given praises from popes, kings, and sages because of its antiquity, curriculum, doctrine, and privileges. In 1355, Edward III paid tribute to Oxford for its contribution to learning. Oxford University was Royalist during the Civil War, and Charles I held a counter-Parliament in Convocation House. Later, in the later 17th century, the Oxford philosopher John Locke was suspected of treason and had to escape the country. The University assumed a strong leading role in the Victorian era, and contributed significantly to religious controversy. From 1833 and on The Oxford Movement wanted to revitalize the Catholic aspects of the Anglican Church. A well known leader was John Henry Newman, he became a Roman Catholic in 1845 and was later made a Cardinal. 15 years later, the new University Museum was the scene of very well known debate between Thomas Huxley, the champion of evolution, and Bishop Wilberforce. From 1878, academic halls were established for women and were admitted full membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges of Oxford University first admitted women in 1974 and after all colleges have admitted women and men. This is a brief history of Oxford University.
If you ever visit Oxford here are some interesting facts that could make things a little more interesting (not saying that Oxford is boring!).
1. Adolf Hitler planned to make Oxford his capital if he ever took over England. This is why it was not bombed during World War II.
2. Sir Roger Bannister ran the four minute mile in Oxford in 1954. He was a medical student at Oxford University.
3. Bob Hawke, a former Australian Prime Minister, broke the Guinness World Record for drinking a yard of ale in 11 seconds at Oxford University.
4. The formal word for somebody from Oxford is Oxonian.
5. The Oxford Comma is Oxford's own grammatical use for a comma.
6. Oxford is one degree west of the Prime Meridian, thus 5 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time. This is shown by the bell Great Tom, which rings 101 times during 9:05 pm every evening.
7. For all of you Harry Potter fans out there, Oxford University is where the Great Hall in Harry Potter was filmed. The place in Oxford University is called the Christ Church College. Christ Church College is also where Lewis Carroll was inspired to write Alice in Wonderland.
Besides the history and the interesting facts, Oxford University is one of the leading universities in the world. For all of you people going to Oxford University, it is truly a great honor. A lot of respect goes out to you guys. If you ever get the chance, visit Oxford University sometime. It is really wonderful and a memorable experience. Have a nice day guys!
September, the month where a new year of school begins for many. Since it is that time of the year, I wanted to make a post dedicated to education! I will upload another post really soon after this one. I hope you enjoy!
Oxford University
Oxford University is one of the oldest universities that are still operational to this day. But, it seems as though Oxford University is never really considered ancient in our books. In fact, Oxford University was around since the Aztec Empire. However, when we think about Aztecs, we associate this civilization with ancient in our timeline. Just the thought that the Oxford University today was around the same time Aztecs were busy sacrificing themselves and Spanish Conquistadors were still looking for gold, is a little weird. Let's go way back to the founding of Oxford University.
There is no clear date for when Oxford University was actually founded, but there was some form of teaching at Oxford during 1096. It developed quickly from 1167. This was when Henry II banned English Students from attending the University of Paris. In 1188, Gerald of Wales, a historian, gave a public reading to the Oxford dons. In 1190, Emo of Friesland attended Oxford becoming the first known overseas student. This started Oxford's University's tradition of international scholarly links. In 1231, the masters were recognized as a universitas or corporation. Later in the 13th century, rioting between the townspeople of Oxford and the students caused the hasty creation of the very first halls of residence for the students of Oxford University. These halls were quickly replaced by Oxford's first colleges, which originally began as medieval 'halls of residence' or endowed houses supervised by a Master. The oldest colleges are Balliol and Merton Colleges, which were established between 1249 and 1264. Soon Oxford was given praises from popes, kings, and sages because of its antiquity, curriculum, doctrine, and privileges. In 1355, Edward III paid tribute to Oxford for its contribution to learning. Oxford University was Royalist during the Civil War, and Charles I held a counter-Parliament in Convocation House. Later, in the later 17th century, the Oxford philosopher John Locke was suspected of treason and had to escape the country. The University assumed a strong leading role in the Victorian era, and contributed significantly to religious controversy. From 1833 and on The Oxford Movement wanted to revitalize the Catholic aspects of the Anglican Church. A well known leader was John Henry Newman, he became a Roman Catholic in 1845 and was later made a Cardinal. 15 years later, the new University Museum was the scene of very well known debate between Thomas Huxley, the champion of evolution, and Bishop Wilberforce. From 1878, academic halls were established for women and were admitted full membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges of Oxford University first admitted women in 1974 and after all colleges have admitted women and men. This is a brief history of Oxford University.
If you ever visit Oxford here are some interesting facts that could make things a little more interesting (not saying that Oxford is boring!).
1. Adolf Hitler planned to make Oxford his capital if he ever took over England. This is why it was not bombed during World War II.
2. Sir Roger Bannister ran the four minute mile in Oxford in 1954. He was a medical student at Oxford University.
3. Bob Hawke, a former Australian Prime Minister, broke the Guinness World Record for drinking a yard of ale in 11 seconds at Oxford University.
4. The formal word for somebody from Oxford is Oxonian.
5. The Oxford Comma is Oxford's own grammatical use for a comma.
6. Oxford is one degree west of the Prime Meridian, thus 5 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time. This is shown by the bell Great Tom, which rings 101 times during 9:05 pm every evening.
7. For all of you Harry Potter fans out there, Oxford University is where the Great Hall in Harry Potter was filmed. The place in Oxford University is called the Christ Church College. Christ Church College is also where Lewis Carroll was inspired to write Alice in Wonderland.
Besides the history and the interesting facts, Oxford University is one of the leading universities in the world. For all of you people going to Oxford University, it is truly a great honor. A lot of respect goes out to you guys. If you ever get the chance, visit Oxford University sometime. It is really wonderful and a memorable experience. Have a nice day guys!
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Kiwi
Did you know the kiwi was originally called the "Chinese Gooseberry" but was later changed due to the name being negatively associated with the Cold War?
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The iPad over the iPhone
Did you know that the first thing that came out was the iPad instead of the iPhone? Apple began exploring tablet devices way before the idea of an iPhone took shape. In fact, Steve Jobs during an interview that Apple was researching tablet designs with a virtual keyboard, they came back with a multi touch function and Steve Jobs thought to apply this to a phone. Thus, they began working on the iPhone.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
The Slow Eater
Did you know it takes a giant panda up to 16 hours to eat bamboo? This is because bamboo is very poor in nutrition, thus pandas must to consume 20 kg of bamboo to meet their dietary needs.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
Technology over Hygiene?
Did you know that there are 6.8 billion people in the world and 4 billion use a mobile phone? But only 3.5 billion of them use a toothbrush.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Gazelles
Did you know when Gazelles jump it actually slows the Gazelles down when it is being chased by a predator? It is used as a taunt to show the how fit the Gazelle is. This technique is called stotting.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Jedi are Real
Did you know Jedism is a real religion where people believe in the ways of The Force?
Over 53,000 people in New Zealand listed themselves as Jedi in New Zealand's 2001 census. Although it was not counted, it would have been the second largest religion in New Zealand.
It is also the 4th largest religion in England and Wales. In Australia, more than 70,000 people, which is 0.37% of the total population listed themselves as part of the Jedi order in the 2001 census as well.
Are you part of the Jedi?
Over 53,000 people in New Zealand listed themselves as Jedi in New Zealand's 2001 census. Although it was not counted, it would have been the second largest religion in New Zealand.
It is also the 4th largest religion in England and Wales. In Australia, more than 70,000 people, which is 0.37% of the total population listed themselves as part of the Jedi order in the 2001 census as well.
Are you part of the Jedi?
Saturday, August 13, 2016
The Decoy
Did you know when in danger, lizards have the ability to lose their tail to distract and confuse their predator? The tail that was left will then move to give time for the lizard to escape while the predator is confused. The tail will then grow back slimmer and in a different color.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Leonardo da Vinci
Did you know Leonardo da Vinci drew plans for a humanoid machine in 1945. Later Engineer Mark Rosheim created a functional mini version to help NASA colonize Mars.
The Amazing Water Bear
The Amazing Water Bear
You think Superman may be the most indestructible hero in the DC Universe. These living water bears may be the next best thing in our reality.
Water bears, also known as Tardigrades, can live in the most extreme conditions found on Earth. The tardigrade is so resilient it can even survive in outer space! Outer space is as extreme as it can get for a living organism. Not only that but these water bears are able to curl up into dry dehydrated balls in survive for decades without any hydration. Then you can animate them back to a lively state in seconds with a single drop of water! Many scientists can find them in hot springs or in layers of ice on Himalayan mountaintops.
Many scientists have tested the limits of these hardy tardigrades. They were tested where they survived being frozen at -328 degrees Fahrenheit or heated to more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and are even capable of coming out unscathed from pressures as powerful as 6000 times that of the Earth's atmosphere. They are capable of surviving doses radiation that are thousands of times stronger than the amount needed to be fatal to an average human being. If you want to go so extreme a group of European researchers in 2007 exposed a group of dehydrated tardigrades to the vacuum and solar radiation of outer space for ten days. When they descended to Earth and rehydrated, 68 percent of them that were shielded from the radiation lived. Even a couple of tardigrades that were exposed with no radiation protection came back to life and could produce healthy offspring.
So how can these tardigrades survive in such harsh conditions? Well, this is because they have a unique feature that allows them to immerse into a dehydrated state that simulating death or is very similar to death. When their environment puts stress on them, a tardigrade only has to curl up into a dry and death like state called a tun, which helps reduce metabolic activity which can be as low as .01 percent of normal levels. Thus, to get to the tun state the tardigrade produces a special protective sugar called trehalose, which forms a gel-like medium. This preserves the organelles and membranes that make up the organism's cells. In this form, the water bear can survive for decades and even longer periods of time. For instance, scientists were able to take dehydrated tardigrades that were in a museum sample of dried moss that was more than 100 years old and brought them back to life. However, the longer the tardigrade is in this state it's chances of being brought back to life get lower.
The tun is not the only form that the tardigrade has. In fact this creature has various other forms it is capable of transforming into when necessary in a certain environment it is living in. For example, if the oxygen in their water medium decreases so low that they cannot use enough oxygen for respiration they will stretch out into a long relaxed state where their metabolic rate is reduced but their muscles will be relaxed enough to let in as much water and oxygen into their cells as possible. In addition, if the temperature in a tardigrade's environment drops abruptly to below freezing, it would form a special cold-resistant tun, with molecules that help prevent the formation of large ice crystals that could potentially cell membranes.
Tardigrades surprisingly have the most foreign DNA of any animal known to man. Tardigrades do not belong to any known Phylum. Most of you probably thought they belonged with the Arthropods. The tardigrade has it's own special phylum made just for them called Tardigrada. But, doesn't it have the anatomy of an arthropod? Well that is not the case, the anatomy of the tardigade is not like a typical Arthropod although it does have eight legs and might put it into the Arachnids. On the contrary, the tardigrade has a head region of an arthropod put a short body with four fuse segments unlike an arthropod. Extending from the body are 8 unjointed limbs with several sharp claws on the ends. They have no specialized organs of circulation or respiration, and the alimentary canal goes from one end of the body and out the other. The tardigrade has stylets near the mouth that helps pierce individual plant cells and suck out the cell contents. However, some tardigrades are carnivores.
Watch out for these fearsome creatures, they could be lurking in the infinite depths of outer space or just feasting on your grass in the backyard. I hope you enjoyed today's blog post!
You think Superman may be the most indestructible hero in the DC Universe. These living water bears may be the next best thing in our reality.
Water bears, also known as Tardigrades, can live in the most extreme conditions found on Earth. The tardigrade is so resilient it can even survive in outer space! Outer space is as extreme as it can get for a living organism. Not only that but these water bears are able to curl up into dry dehydrated balls in survive for decades without any hydration. Then you can animate them back to a lively state in seconds with a single drop of water! Many scientists can find them in hot springs or in layers of ice on Himalayan mountaintops.
Many scientists have tested the limits of these hardy tardigrades. They were tested where they survived being frozen at -328 degrees Fahrenheit or heated to more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and are even capable of coming out unscathed from pressures as powerful as 6000 times that of the Earth's atmosphere. They are capable of surviving doses radiation that are thousands of times stronger than the amount needed to be fatal to an average human being. If you want to go so extreme a group of European researchers in 2007 exposed a group of dehydrated tardigrades to the vacuum and solar radiation of outer space for ten days. When they descended to Earth and rehydrated, 68 percent of them that were shielded from the radiation lived. Even a couple of tardigrades that were exposed with no radiation protection came back to life and could produce healthy offspring.
So how can these tardigrades survive in such harsh conditions? Well, this is because they have a unique feature that allows them to immerse into a dehydrated state that simulating death or is very similar to death. When their environment puts stress on them, a tardigrade only has to curl up into a dry and death like state called a tun, which helps reduce metabolic activity which can be as low as .01 percent of normal levels. Thus, to get to the tun state the tardigrade produces a special protective sugar called trehalose, which forms a gel-like medium. This preserves the organelles and membranes that make up the organism's cells. In this form, the water bear can survive for decades and even longer periods of time. For instance, scientists were able to take dehydrated tardigrades that were in a museum sample of dried moss that was more than 100 years old and brought them back to life. However, the longer the tardigrade is in this state it's chances of being brought back to life get lower.
The tun is not the only form that the tardigrade has. In fact this creature has various other forms it is capable of transforming into when necessary in a certain environment it is living in. For example, if the oxygen in their water medium decreases so low that they cannot use enough oxygen for respiration they will stretch out into a long relaxed state where their metabolic rate is reduced but their muscles will be relaxed enough to let in as much water and oxygen into their cells as possible. In addition, if the temperature in a tardigrade's environment drops abruptly to below freezing, it would form a special cold-resistant tun, with molecules that help prevent the formation of large ice crystals that could potentially cell membranes.
Tardigrades surprisingly have the most foreign DNA of any animal known to man. Tardigrades do not belong to any known Phylum. Most of you probably thought they belonged with the Arthropods. The tardigrade has it's own special phylum made just for them called Tardigrada. But, doesn't it have the anatomy of an arthropod? Well that is not the case, the anatomy of the tardigade is not like a typical Arthropod although it does have eight legs and might put it into the Arachnids. On the contrary, the tardigrade has a head region of an arthropod put a short body with four fuse segments unlike an arthropod. Extending from the body are 8 unjointed limbs with several sharp claws on the ends. They have no specialized organs of circulation or respiration, and the alimentary canal goes from one end of the body and out the other. The tardigrade has stylets near the mouth that helps pierce individual plant cells and suck out the cell contents. However, some tardigrades are carnivores.
Watch out for these fearsome creatures, they could be lurking in the infinite depths of outer space or just feasting on your grass in the backyard. I hope you enjoyed today's blog post!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
Black Holes
Did you know that from the perspective of a person A watching person B travel into a black hole it seems that the person B is getting slower and slower? That is because according to Einstein's general relativity the faster you go towards the speed of light it seems time slows down. Thus, when person B travels into the black hole, the black hole warps time and space creating the perception that person B seems to be getting slower.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Dogs
Did you know dogs have a special membrane called the tapetum lucidum that allows them to see in the dark?
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Twins
Did you know that a particle here can affect another on the other side of the universe instantaneously?
I am going to explain this one for you, well basically when an electron meets its opposite a positron they clash into a tiny flash of energy, the result is two photons flying away from the blast area. Subatomic particles like photons have a quality called "spin". This is not spinning, but these particles act as if they are. When two of these subatomic particles are created simultaneously, they have to cancel each other out via their spin. You cannot tell which one is spinning clockwise or counterclockwise until you observe one of them. Thus, they are doing both until you observe one of them. When you do observe one of them, the particle will suddenly spin counterclockwise or clockwise and the twin will do the opposite even if it is on the other side of the universe! This has been proven in an experiment with two particles on different ends of a laboratory.
I am going to explain this one for you, well basically when an electron meets its opposite a positron they clash into a tiny flash of energy, the result is two photons flying away from the blast area. Subatomic particles like photons have a quality called "spin". This is not spinning, but these particles act as if they are. When two of these subatomic particles are created simultaneously, they have to cancel each other out via their spin. You cannot tell which one is spinning clockwise or counterclockwise until you observe one of them. Thus, they are doing both until you observe one of them. When you do observe one of them, the particle will suddenly spin counterclockwise or clockwise and the twin will do the opposite even if it is on the other side of the universe! This has been proven in an experiment with two particles on different ends of a laboratory.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
HOT
Did you know that a piece of the Sun's core the size of a pinhead could kill someone 90 miles away? That is if the piece maintained it's current temperature. 
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Valentine's Day
Did you know every Valentine's Day Verona, Italy, where the lovers from Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet?
The Origin of Valentine's Day.
The popular theory about the origin of Valentine's Day was that there was this man who was called Emperor Claudius the Second that didn't want Roman men to marry during wartime. However, Bishop Valentine was against this and disobeyed the Emperor by performing secret weddings. After, Valentine was placed in jail and later executed. But, during the time he spent in jail, he wrote a note to the jailer's daughter signing it "from your Valentine".
The Origin of Valentine's Day.
The popular theory about the origin of Valentine's Day was that there was this man who was called Emperor Claudius the Second that didn't want Roman men to marry during wartime. However, Bishop Valentine was against this and disobeyed the Emperor by performing secret weddings. After, Valentine was placed in jail and later executed. But, during the time he spent in jail, he wrote a note to the jailer's daughter signing it "from your Valentine".
Asteroids
Asteroids
Enormous, hulking bodies of rock that float in space. The thought that the next astronomic catastrophe could occur while you are reading this right now. However, before you start jumping out of your seat and start to cross off things from your bucket list, the chances of an asteroid impact occurring this instant are very slim. Most asteroids belong in a ring that is between Mars and Jupiter. This main belt hold more than 200 asteroids that are bigger than 60 miles long in diameter. A millions of smaller asteroids. Asteroids are not the only thing inside the belt. Comets and even dwarf planets like Ceres can be found in the asteroid belt. Almost all asteroids are irregularly shaped, but some like Ceres can be spherical. The surfaces of most asteroids are thought be covered with a layer of dust. Since, asteroids are far away from the Sun, the average temperature is minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 73 degrees Celsius. Asteroids have stayed unchanged for the most part ever since the formation of our solar system, thus studying them could give scientists lots of information about the early stages of the solar system. Unlike planets, asteroids have a very weird rotation. As they orbit elliptically around the sun they sometimes tumble erratically. Sometimes, asteroids are so big they can have a small moon orbiting them! more than 150 asteroids have a companion moon or two. Two asteroids of the same size could have a binary asteroid system where these two asteroids orbit each other, even triple asteroid systems can be found!
The Origin of Asteroids and Naming Process
The very first asteroid was found in 1801, where Italian priest and astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi accidentally discovered the first and largest asteroid Ceres while making a star map. Today, Ceres is known as a dwarf planet but it accounts for one fourth of the entire mass of all the known asteroids in the main asteroid belt. The International Astronomical Union is not that strict when it comes to the naming of asteroids. There are some asteroids floating out there that are named after the famous Mr. Spock from "Star Trek" and Frank Zappa a rock musician. However, you cannot name an asteroid after a pet now. Asteroids can also be given numbers for names as well.
The Formation of Asteroids
So where did all of these asteroids come from? Well, asteroids are basically the leftovers of the formation of our solar system approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The formation of Jupiter prevented any large celestial bodies to form in between Mars and Jupiter thus causing the objects that were in between Mars and Jupiter to collide with each other. This is what we call the asteroids there today.
How are Asteroids classified?
Asteroids are classified by there composition. There are 3 different classifications.
The first is the C-type or the carbonaceous type. These asteroids are grayish in appearance and are the most common type of asteroid. They make up 75% of the known asteroids! These asteroids are located on the outer regions of the main asteroid belt. They also are composed of clay and stony silicate rocks.
The second type of asteroid is the S-type, also known as silicaceous asteroids. These asteroids appear greenish and reddish in color. They make up approximately 17% of the known asteroids. They can be found in the inner asteroid belt. You can probably guess by the name what they are made of. They are composed of silicate materials, nickel, and iron.
The last type of asteroid is the M-type or metallic asteroids. These appear only reddish in color and are in the middle of the main asteroid belt. They are mostly composed of nickle and iron. These asteroids make up most of the rest of the known asteroids out there.
Although, these are the official types of asteroids out there, there are a few rare asteroids tat can be found. An example, would be a V-type asteroid that has a basaltic, volcanic crust.
The Consequences
What exactly would happen if one of these things collided with our home that we call Earth? Well, to give you an idea, all it takes is an asteroid to be a quarter mile wide to have a major impact on the world. You might not know this but, asteroids have struck Earth more frequently in the past. Smaller asteroids are predicted to strike Earth every 1,000 to 10,000 years, even these could destroy a city or cause a major tsunami. On Feb. 15, 2003 an asteroid struck Earth's atmosphere over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, and created a shock wave that injured 1,200 people. The asteroid was thought to be only 65 feet or 20 meters wide! Many asteroids have been classified as potentially dangerous and NASA keeps track of some asteroids that they think are traveling a little to close to Earth for their taste. In fact, in 2005 Congress ordered NASA to locate all near-Earth objects 140 meters or larger that are less than 1.3 astronomical units from the sun (around the orbit of Mars). However, NASA said that a search like that would cost about 1 billion dollars, and NASA had its hands full with other projects. If you are probably wondering, if asteroids supposedly hit the Earth so frequently why are there so little craters. That is because 71% of the Earth's surface is covered in water my dear friend. A geophysicist named Dallas Abbott found several enormous asteroid craters underwater that, if it were to hit land, I would not be writing this, if you catch my drift.
Rumors
It is believed by scientists that there is existence of the Oort Cloud. A large area that is thought to contain trillions of comets and asteroids. This Oort Cloud is somewhere out there orbiting the sun as well. But, because the solar system moves within the Milky Way, the suns gravitational pull varies from time to time. This could cause asteroids and comets alike to shake out of their regular orbit and travel towards the inner planets. At the beginning of the 1980s scientist start to regularly check and search for nearby asteroids. The numbers that they find are continually increasing over the years.
In 1980, 86 asteroids and comets were known.. In 1990, there were 170. By 2000, there was 921. Right now it is hard to tell, but there are 13,799 that are known.
Enormous, hulking bodies of rock that float in space. The thought that the next astronomic catastrophe could occur while you are reading this right now. However, before you start jumping out of your seat and start to cross off things from your bucket list, the chances of an asteroid impact occurring this instant are very slim. Most asteroids belong in a ring that is between Mars and Jupiter. This main belt hold more than 200 asteroids that are bigger than 60 miles long in diameter. A millions of smaller asteroids. Asteroids are not the only thing inside the belt. Comets and even dwarf planets like Ceres can be found in the asteroid belt. Almost all asteroids are irregularly shaped, but some like Ceres can be spherical. The surfaces of most asteroids are thought be covered with a layer of dust. Since, asteroids are far away from the Sun, the average temperature is minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 73 degrees Celsius. Asteroids have stayed unchanged for the most part ever since the formation of our solar system, thus studying them could give scientists lots of information about the early stages of the solar system. Unlike planets, asteroids have a very weird rotation. As they orbit elliptically around the sun they sometimes tumble erratically. Sometimes, asteroids are so big they can have a small moon orbiting them! more than 150 asteroids have a companion moon or two. Two asteroids of the same size could have a binary asteroid system where these two asteroids orbit each other, even triple asteroid systems can be found!
The Origin of Asteroids and Naming Process
The very first asteroid was found in 1801, where Italian priest and astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi accidentally discovered the first and largest asteroid Ceres while making a star map. Today, Ceres is known as a dwarf planet but it accounts for one fourth of the entire mass of all the known asteroids in the main asteroid belt. The International Astronomical Union is not that strict when it comes to the naming of asteroids. There are some asteroids floating out there that are named after the famous Mr. Spock from "Star Trek" and Frank Zappa a rock musician. However, you cannot name an asteroid after a pet now. Asteroids can also be given numbers for names as well.
The Formation of Asteroids
So where did all of these asteroids come from? Well, asteroids are basically the leftovers of the formation of our solar system approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The formation of Jupiter prevented any large celestial bodies to form in between Mars and Jupiter thus causing the objects that were in between Mars and Jupiter to collide with each other. This is what we call the asteroids there today.
How are Asteroids classified?
Asteroids are classified by there composition. There are 3 different classifications.
The first is the C-type or the carbonaceous type. These asteroids are grayish in appearance and are the most common type of asteroid. They make up 75% of the known asteroids! These asteroids are located on the outer regions of the main asteroid belt. They also are composed of clay and stony silicate rocks.
The second type of asteroid is the S-type, also known as silicaceous asteroids. These asteroids appear greenish and reddish in color. They make up approximately 17% of the known asteroids. They can be found in the inner asteroid belt. You can probably guess by the name what they are made of. They are composed of silicate materials, nickel, and iron.
The last type of asteroid is the M-type or metallic asteroids. These appear only reddish in color and are in the middle of the main asteroid belt. They are mostly composed of nickle and iron. These asteroids make up most of the rest of the known asteroids out there.
Although, these are the official types of asteroids out there, there are a few rare asteroids tat can be found. An example, would be a V-type asteroid that has a basaltic, volcanic crust.
The Consequences
What exactly would happen if one of these things collided with our home that we call Earth? Well, to give you an idea, all it takes is an asteroid to be a quarter mile wide to have a major impact on the world. You might not know this but, asteroids have struck Earth more frequently in the past. Smaller asteroids are predicted to strike Earth every 1,000 to 10,000 years, even these could destroy a city or cause a major tsunami. On Feb. 15, 2003 an asteroid struck Earth's atmosphere over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, and created a shock wave that injured 1,200 people. The asteroid was thought to be only 65 feet or 20 meters wide! Many asteroids have been classified as potentially dangerous and NASA keeps track of some asteroids that they think are traveling a little to close to Earth for their taste. In fact, in 2005 Congress ordered NASA to locate all near-Earth objects 140 meters or larger that are less than 1.3 astronomical units from the sun (around the orbit of Mars). However, NASA said that a search like that would cost about 1 billion dollars, and NASA had its hands full with other projects. If you are probably wondering, if asteroids supposedly hit the Earth so frequently why are there so little craters. That is because 71% of the Earth's surface is covered in water my dear friend. A geophysicist named Dallas Abbott found several enormous asteroid craters underwater that, if it were to hit land, I would not be writing this, if you catch my drift.
Rumors
It is believed by scientists that there is existence of the Oort Cloud. A large area that is thought to contain trillions of comets and asteroids. This Oort Cloud is somewhere out there orbiting the sun as well. But, because the solar system moves within the Milky Way, the suns gravitational pull varies from time to time. This could cause asteroids and comets alike to shake out of their regular orbit and travel towards the inner planets. At the beginning of the 1980s scientist start to regularly check and search for nearby asteroids. The numbers that they find are continually increasing over the years.
In 1980, 86 asteroids and comets were known.. In 1990, there were 170. By 2000, there was 921. Right now it is hard to tell, but there are 13,799 that are known.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Thursday, January 28, 2016
DNA
Did you know if you unwrap all the DNA that you have in your cells, you could reach the Moon 6000 TIMES?
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Nebula
Did you know a nebula is usually formed by the gravitational collapse of gases in an interstellar medium? This causes the particles to have their own gravitational pull and form clumps which are the clouds.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Oxygen
Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci proposed that air was made up of two gases? One for breathing and another for fueling fire.
Neurons
Neurons
Neurons, an essential part of the body, without neurons we wouldn't be able to feel or react to anything around us. Besides going through the boring 7th grade science class material, let's really get deep into the science behind neurons.
The Art of the Neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitters are like the messengers in our body. They allow messages from the brain to be relayed to the rest of the body. These messages are sent as electrical impulses through a network of neurons. How do you think you know how to behave or how to flinch when something is coming flying at your face? Yes, the brain automatically responds, but what if the message was never received? That would be a problem. These neurotransmitters also carry different chemicals throughout your body to change your behavior. These are some of the chemicals that are sent throughout your body.
Serotonin- Serotonin is a chemical that is sent from the brain to control mood, appetite, and sleep. Depression can be cause by low serotonin levels. Medication prescribed to patients with low serotonin levels act by blocking the serotonin from the sending neuron and thus, more serotonin stays in the synapse of the receiving neuron.
Dopamine- Dopamine helps control movement and adding the flow information to the front of the brain and is linked to thought processes and emotion. Too much or too little dopamine in the brain might be associated with ADHD or schizophrenia.
Glutamate- Glutamate is one of the most common neurotransmitters. Glutamate plays an important role in early brain development and helps with learning and memory.
What may cause a dysfunction in the neurotransmitter pathways?
Many factors are in place when it comes to relaying messages from the brain to the rest of the body. The speed has to be just right, the tiny gap between the neurons have to be just right, and the neuron has to be in perfect functioning condition. if any of these things are a tiny bit off then something could go terribly wrong. You might be asking yourself at this point, then why aren't I twitching like a defective toy on my floor? That is because neurons continue to grow and make more connections with other neurons. These connections are the reason the the neurons in our body haven't died yet. As we grow older, many of our neurons start to die off, and the age of 75 you will have approximately, one tenth the number of neurons you had as a kid. Don't freak, but when you are born you have more neurons that you can possibly need. plus, the neurons you already have grow and form new connections. These connections make up for the neurons you lost. An additional bonus is the glial cell. This is a type of brain cell that divides to form new cells in order to increase the efficiency of your living neurons and provide a framework to help support them. Feel better now? Although your body is doing a lot to help make sure these neurons are kept safe, there are diseases that specifically target the neurons.
Have you ever heard of Motor Neuron Disease or ALS? If you haven't heard of that you must have heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge. If you haven't heard about either one of these things then you are about to! Motor Neuron Disease or ALS is a disease that specifically targets the nervous system. Guess what it does. If you know that motor neurons are what control your movements then you would know that ALS effects your movement and weakens your muscles. This is actually a really rare disease, less than 20,000 U.S. cases per year. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, this means that it cause your motor neurons to die off. You have to remember that a neuron can't grow back like a regular cell, once it is gone, it is gone forever. However, there are some neurons that have the ability to grow back, but if you have ALS that is not the case. ALS causes you to struggle with many voluntary daily actions. Like reaching for the phone or shaking somebody's hand. ALS was discovered in 1869 by a French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. However, it officially brought national and international attention about the disease by Lou Gehrig in 1939. Many possible causes of ALS could accumulate from Genetic mutation, a chemical imbalance in glutamate, or a disorganized immune system. The immune system can begin to start attacking the body's neurons or the chemical imbalance of glutamate can kill off neurons. If you have a loved one that has ALS, I am really feeling for you! ALS is serious and I hope all of you readers out there learn and spread the word about ALS.
Neurons, an essential part of the body, without neurons we wouldn't be able to feel or react to anything around us. Besides going through the boring 7th grade science class material, let's really get deep into the science behind neurons.The Art of the Neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitters are like the messengers in our body. They allow messages from the brain to be relayed to the rest of the body. These messages are sent as electrical impulses through a network of neurons. How do you think you know how to behave or how to flinch when something is coming flying at your face? Yes, the brain automatically responds, but what if the message was never received? That would be a problem. These neurotransmitters also carry different chemicals throughout your body to change your behavior. These are some of the chemicals that are sent throughout your body.
Serotonin- Serotonin is a chemical that is sent from the brain to control mood, appetite, and sleep. Depression can be cause by low serotonin levels. Medication prescribed to patients with low serotonin levels act by blocking the serotonin from the sending neuron and thus, more serotonin stays in the synapse of the receiving neuron.Dopamine- Dopamine helps control movement and adding the flow information to the front of the brain and is linked to thought processes and emotion. Too much or too little dopamine in the brain might be associated with ADHD or schizophrenia.
Glutamate- Glutamate is one of the most common neurotransmitters. Glutamate plays an important role in early brain development and helps with learning and memory.
What may cause a dysfunction in the neurotransmitter pathways?
Many factors are in place when it comes to relaying messages from the brain to the rest of the body. The speed has to be just right, the tiny gap between the neurons have to be just right, and the neuron has to be in perfect functioning condition. if any of these things are a tiny bit off then something could go terribly wrong. You might be asking yourself at this point, then why aren't I twitching like a defective toy on my floor? That is because neurons continue to grow and make more connections with other neurons. These connections are the reason the the neurons in our body haven't died yet. As we grow older, many of our neurons start to die off, and the age of 75 you will have approximately, one tenth the number of neurons you had as a kid. Don't freak, but when you are born you have more neurons that you can possibly need. plus, the neurons you already have grow and form new connections. These connections make up for the neurons you lost. An additional bonus is the glial cell. This is a type of brain cell that divides to form new cells in order to increase the efficiency of your living neurons and provide a framework to help support them. Feel better now? Although your body is doing a lot to help make sure these neurons are kept safe, there are diseases that specifically target the neurons.
Have you ever heard of Motor Neuron Disease or ALS? If you haven't heard of that you must have heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge. If you haven't heard about either one of these things then you are about to! Motor Neuron Disease or ALS is a disease that specifically targets the nervous system. Guess what it does. If you know that motor neurons are what control your movements then you would know that ALS effects your movement and weakens your muscles. This is actually a really rare disease, less than 20,000 U.S. cases per year. It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, this means that it cause your motor neurons to die off. You have to remember that a neuron can't grow back like a regular cell, once it is gone, it is gone forever. However, there are some neurons that have the ability to grow back, but if you have ALS that is not the case. ALS causes you to struggle with many voluntary daily actions. Like reaching for the phone or shaking somebody's hand. ALS was discovered in 1869 by a French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. However, it officially brought national and international attention about the disease by Lou Gehrig in 1939. Many possible causes of ALS could accumulate from Genetic mutation, a chemical imbalance in glutamate, or a disorganized immune system. The immune system can begin to start attacking the body's neurons or the chemical imbalance of glutamate can kill off neurons. If you have a loved one that has ALS, I am really feeling for you! ALS is serious and I hope all of you readers out there learn and spread the word about ALS.
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