Science and Glee

Glee is a show about a high school glee club, a grouping of students who sing an dance together, in Ohio. When watching this show you would not think it relates to science but it does. In the glee club, the students sing and when singing, you use the voice box or larynx, which houses the vocal cords which connect the base of the neck to the trachea and the air from your lungs then strikes the vocal cords and produce song. That right there is science. Singing is actually physics as well because the vibrations of the vocal cords which convert air movement into sound energy. On the show they also choreograph and dancing is both biology and physics because it requires muscle fibers and is movement. There are also laws of gravity involved and that is science too. Though this show and many other shows are not thought of as science, they are and everything is science. How do you think you watch shows on your TV?

Roof Tiles That Change Color

I recently read and article on these roof tiles that change color to make heaters and air conditioners less strained. I chose it because the idea caught my eye and I was not sure what the title meant by " Roof Tiles Changing Color" .These tiles would turn white in sunny, hot weather to reflect the sun and in cold weather, the tiles would turn black to attract the sun. These panels will then either cool or warm up the house and will make the heaters and air conditioners less strained. The tiles are made up of layers of thin, clear plastic and a substance similar to the common hair gel. I personally believe that this was a great idea and am surprised that it was not thought of before. It is commonly know that the color black attracts heat and that white reflects the sun and this idea was simple and I really am surprised it was not mentioned sooner. I personally could have came up with the idea but would not have known how to make the product work. This idea actually interests me and I actually want to be an architect of environmentally friendly buildings and this is something someone in that career would use.

http://www.livescience.com/technology/091015-heat-tiles.html

Global Warming And It's Drastic Effects

I recently read an article about global warming and how drastically it is effecting not only the arctic but places everywhere around us. This personally scares me and I feel that action needs to be taken. I have always had a belief that global warming was not good and that it needs to stop but this article has made me realize how serious this matter is. For some animals such as some reindeer, global warming is actually good for them because the moisture from the heat is making the plants that they eat grow so finding food is easy for them. Other animals on the other hand, such as the caribou have not been able to adjust there calving season so there population is decreasing. Though the growth of these plants is good for the reindeer, it is not good for the environment because there is an over population of plants in those areas. The reindeer would have been fine with the plants that the environment has provided them with. All of this is happening now and will continue to get worse if we do not do something about it. Making a change is really not very difficult at all. What we can do is simple if everyone would just carpool more often and save gas in anyway possible and use less electricity. By doing this, we could create a huge difference.

http://www.livescience.com/environment/090910-arctic-biology.html

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Structure of Earth

I recently did an experiment on the structure of the Earth and the texture of the Earth's mantle. We had to add water to cornstarch and mix it together.The mixture created was floury and solid when pressure was applied. When not, it was liquid. The mixture was both liquid and solid depending on the pressure. When handled, the mixture becomes solid and more dense. When I pushed my finger into the mixture quickly, the mixture becomes solid beneath my finger. When I push my finger in slowly, my finger goes deep into the mixture and the mixture stays a liquid. When slowly poured into the other hand, the mixture stays a liquid and does not solidify. After a while of handling the mixture, it began to remain solid and would not become a liquid as often as before.The mixture is similar to the earth's mantle because the mantle moves slowly just like the mixture and the density is similar as well. They are also both very thick. In conclusion, the experiment was successful in proving that water mixed with cornstarch is similar to the earth's mantle and I have learned the similarities.
Bill Nye the Science Guy: What In the World?

"October Sky"

I recently watched the movie "October Sky". The movie was about a young man who had a dream to build rockets. This young man went through many challenges to pursue this dream and although he came close to giving up, he did successfully fulfill his dream of building rockets. In the movie, the young man, Homer Hickam, lives in a coal mining town and all the young men in that town are expected to work in the mine when they get older. Mining is very dangerous because it is underground and the coal and such can fall and severely injure the miners. When Homer's father is injured in a mine, Homer feels the need to take over his father's place. By doing this, Homer is letting go of his dreams and it doesn't help that Homer and his friends are being blamed for a local forest fire . Homer's father later recovers and Homer realizes he did not cause the fire. This leads Homer to go back to creating rockets and he later wins a science fair and gets into college. The mines that Homer's father worked in and that are world wide are very dangerous and I personally feel that there should be more options for people living in mining towns. In this movie, all five Character Education traits are shown. Cooperation is shown when the four boys work together to create rockets. Assertion is shown when Homer shows that the people of the mining towns can pursue their dreams and grow up to be something different than a miner. Respect is shown when Homer's teacher really respects his idea of building rockets and even helps him. Empathy is shown by Homer's mother when she understands how badly Homer wants to build rockets and lets him do so and she supports him and doesn't let him give up. Self control is shown when Homer finds out that he may have caused a fire and can no longer build rockets. Although he was let down, Homer did not get out of control. In conclusion, this movie was very encouraging and had a strong message telling me to follow my dreams.
This blog is based on the movie "October Sky"

Blog Response: Celiac Disease

I have recently read an article about Celiac Disease on tinkywinkyx123 's blog. I learned many new thing about the disease that I did not know. It is an autoimmune disorder. It occurs to people of all ages that are genetically predisposed. It was founded in London in 1887. The disease can lead to abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, weight loss, and pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool. The cause of Celiac Disease is not yet known but it seems though the genes within the cell that causes Celiac Disease include first-degree relative genes with the condition. The only treatment for the disease is a gluten-free diet because the cause is unknown so there is no specific treatment yet. When someone has this disease, they need to take all wheat out of their diet. If they have wheat, it would be toxic to the person consuming it. The symptoms of the disease cannot cause death but are still very unfortunate and not fun to go through. I think it is very sad that some people have to go through this and that I am very lucky not to have a disease like this. The article has helped to give me a better understanding about the disease and has taught me a lot.
http://tinkywinkyx123.blogspot.com/2009/05/genetic-disorder-celiac-disease.html

Down Syndrome

Recently I have researched Down Syndrome. I discovered many things about the disease that I did not know. Down Syndrome was discovered in 1959. The symptoms are slow growth, weak muscles, short wide neck with excess fat and skin, stocky short arms and legs, a single crease across the center of the palm, a nasal bridge that looks pushed up, mental retardation and heart defects. There are no specific treatments for the disease but there is treatment for the health problems. In some communities,there are special education classes and training for children with Down Syndrome which I personally believe is very nice. About eighty-five percent of infants with Down Syndrome survive to age one and fifty percent can be expected to live longer than fifty. One in seven-hundred-forty newborns would have this disease which means it is not very common. There is no certain race that is more prone to this disease. The male to female ratio is (1.15:1). The DNA for someone with Down Syndrome is three copies of Trisomy 21. To develop a treatment for Down Syndrome, we would need to know what really causes it and can than come up with a treatment from there. I think it is very unfortunate that some children have this disease and it is very sad. Some cases can be very severe which is even more sad. There are many problems that come along with the disease which make the child or adult struggle even more. I hope that someone soon comes up with a cure for this disease or at least something to prevent it.
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/birthdefects/f/down_syn_causes.htm
http://www.ndss.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=77