Class Response: Frog Dissection

Recently in science class, we dissected frogs. I went into this completely disgusted by the idea and when I saw how big the frogs were, that didn't help. To make it even better, my table mate chose the largest frog with the most eggs. As the skin of the frog was opened up and the eggs were removed, my opinion on the dissection changed. The organs were so clear and it was so easy to tell what they were. I then realized why dissecting is so educational and why it is necessary; because the frog's systems are much more like a humans and by dissecting a frog, I received a better education on how frogs work and even how my body works as a human. I was really surprised by how much my take on the dissection changed. I would even recommend the dissection of frogs in future years but one thing I would change about the dissection is I would have less frogs used per class because it is sad that so many frogs are being killed. The one other problem with the dissection though was something that could not have really been changed and that was the smell of the frogs. All in all, the dissection was successful and a lot was learned from it.

Snowacane

Recently the northeast has experienced a "snowacane". The storm was called a "snowacane" because is was similar to a hurricane but was with snow. Both hurricanes and this snow storm started because of the low pressure system in the atmosphere. The storm was formed around Texas on Tuesday and began with light snow flurries. As it progressed, is became much more violent, and intense winds became part of the storm. A hurricane begins lightly and as it progresses it becomes much more violent and ferocious winds are added, just as they did to the "snowacane". The "snowacane" also included huge waves and flooding just as a hurricane does. The damaging flooding is the outcome of the snow melting and the torrential rains that were added to the storm. Flooding and rain is also a part of a hurricane. Just as after a hurricane is over, the "snowacane" left some places severely damaged. Some of these damages included flooding, dangerous ice, and damages on buildings and such, from winds. Some believe the cause of the storm was global climate change just as some blame global change for the higher number of hurricanes. Will the snow ever stop coming?

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/02/24/news/doc4b8556d1e0a63495739464.txt

Global Warming and Math

When most think of global warming, they think of science but, global warming relates to math too. With global warming comes many statistics which include ratio, time, percentage, graphs, amounts, and probability. Some examples are graphs (such as the one above) that show the impact of global warming and how it is becoming greater throughout the years. Also, there were many percentages such as those saying how much of an increase of decrease there was in elements such as water and ice. Ratio is involved to provide a comparison between the amounts of certain elements in time and time was involved to show how over time, the effects of global warming have become greater. Probability was used to give an idea of how bad global warming can become if not stopped. Lastly, amounts were used to represent how much of certain elements are being effected by global warming and how much may be left in time. To conclude, math is a very big part of global warming.

Global Warming

In school, we were assigned a research task and we had the choice of our topic. For my paper, I chose Global Warming. The reason I chose this category was because I am very interested in the environment and I knew that there was a lot about Global Warming I do not yet know. I was really only aware of how Global Warming was effecting the arctic and I wanted to know how it effects other places. Something very interesting I learned was that Global Warming is actually beneficial to some. It is beneficial to some reindeer because the moisture in the air, from the heat, is making plants grow more rapidly which makes finding food easier for these reindeer. During this process, I have learned how Global Warming is changing places other than the arctic. I have learned how it impacts places such as bodies of water (and the marine life in them), tropical rain forests and normal forests, and more on the arctic . I have learned a lot from my research and really enjoyed learning about my environment and how I can help.

Food Science

This is a podcast of a radio show interview with a food scientist.

mooselover1892

Social Networking and Kids

I recently read an article on the concerns of children on social networking sights such as Facebook and MySpace. The sites have an age limit but there is no telling that the child may be lying about their age. Some scientists worry that the use of these sight by children may lead to internet addiction and can damage the brain and the child's relationships. I never thought that kids were on these sights and to think of it, it does make sense because the children go onto the sights to play games. I knew that preteens have been using these sights but I never knew that children were. This worries me and I think it it ridiculous that the parents of these children allow them to have a social networking profile becuase not only can it cause an addiction but it can also put the children in danger. This will hopefully stop and hopefully there will be a way to make sure that the age of the user is not a lie.
Click here for further information.

Peshawar Bombing (Extra Credit)

I recently read an article on a bombing in Peshawar in Pakistan. The bombing tragically killed eleven people, three being children, and injured at least twenty, two of which were police. There were also several cars destroyed because this was a suicidal car bombing. This article relates to science because the explosions were science and because the mental issue of the bomber that caused him to bomb the car line were psychological issues. Psychology is a study in science of the mind or of mental states and processes. The explosion of the bomb was science because it was a chemical reaction that made it explode.
The article's URL is: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-11-14-voa14.cfm