Class Response: Wikis and Earthquakes

In class, we've been learning about earthquakes, and why and how they occur. I find this subject very interesting. Earthquakes occur when the tectonic plates rub together, and the movement forces waves of energy to come to the earth's surface, causing the earthquake. Long ago, earthquakes were undefined, and unexpected. No one could tell the difference between 2 earthquakes, because they did the same exact thing. But the the seismograph was invented, still making earthquakes unexpected, but it created a seismogram, which is a picture of the motion of the earthquake, for future records. This helps scientists figure out the where the earthquake began, and what direction its moving in. Earthquakes are tragic happenings, and can cause serious injuries, and even death. They can cause building to fall and freeways and roads to fall or cave in. In addition, in class we are also learning how to post up wikis, and I find it fascinating. For future partner projects, a wiki is something I definitely plan on using. All in all, what I've been learning in class is really interesting.

I got my information and facts in school, in class.

Wikis and

Scientists unearth Superman's 'kryptonite'

Apparently, 'Kryptonite' which in the movie Superman Returns kills or takes away Superman's powers, has actually been discovered as a real mineral, that actually exists. On April 24th, 2007, this mineral was found by geologists in Serbia, and shares same chemical composition as the fictional kryptonite from outer space, used by Lex Luthor in the movie to weaken Superman. Chris Stanley, a mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum, was the one to discover the true identity of the mineral after searching online for its chemical formula, sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide.

"I was amazed to discover that same scientific name written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luther from a museum in the film 'Superman Returns,'" Chris Stanley says.

After many tests, this substance has been confirmed as a new mineral by scientists at the Natural History Museum in London and the National Research Council in Canada. But instead of the large green crystals in Superman comics and movies, the real thing is actually a white, powdery substance which contains no fluorine and isn't radioactive. This mineral, to be named Jadarite, will go on show at the London's Natural History Museum.

I found my article at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18289647/

Class Response: Waves

In class, we are learning about waves. The waves we learned about are Longitudinal waves and Transverse waves. Longitudinal waves are waves that move the medium parallel to the direction in which the wave is travelling. Transverse waves are waves that move the medium at right angles to the direction in which the waves travel. Did you know that the highest point of a transverse wave is called the crest, and the lowest point is called the trough? We also learned a little bit about Electromagnetic waves, but these aren't visible. Most waves need a medium to travel through. A medium is the material through which a wave travels. The different types of mediums that waves can travel through are liquid, gas, and solid. But Electromagnetic waves don't need a medium to travel through. In longitudinal waves, there are compressions and rarefactions that occur. A compression is the part where the coils are close together, and a rarefaction is just the opposite, when the coils are spread out. Energy moves in waves.

The basic properties of waves are amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and speed. Amplitude is the maximum distance that the particles of the medium carrying the wave move away from their rest positions. Wavelength is the distance between corresponding parts of a wave. Frequency is the number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time. Lastly, speed is the rate at which an object moves. This is one of the many things I learned in Science class, and waves are definitely fun to learn about.

Turtles swim Pacific in 'race' for survival

In this article, I read about turtles, Leatherback turtles to be specific, and how they are 'racing' to get to the Galapagos Islands from San Jose, Costa Rica, which have a distance of about 950 miles.

The turtles need to get to the Galapagos Islands, because that is where their feeding ground is. These turtles are on the endangered species list as well, and they have inhabited the oceans for about 100 million years. These Leatherback turtles have been tagged with satellite communication devices so that way their progress is being monitored, as well as their position. Now people are actually allowed to log on to this website [www.greatturtlerace.com] choose a turtle, and track the race. Some company sponsors have adopted turtles, and all the participants are asked to donate as well. The winner will be the turtle that travels farthest by April 29. And as for the satellite devices that are tracking each turtle, scientists consider it a huge breakthrough in science. Watching the world through the eyes of a turtle is truly fascinating.

I found my article at [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18038071/]

S. Korean team claims first cloned wolves:

Wow, after I read this article, I was shocked. I still believe that cloning should be banned everywhere, even though some types of cloning are beneficial, like therapeutic cloning. But full body cloning is absolutely wrong in my perspective. As this article stated, some South Korean scientists cloned the first wolf. They claim it was for saving these endangered species. It also turns out, that this team of scientists also produced the world's first cloned dog in 2005, an Afghan hound named Snuppy . Now, they have cloned 2 wolves, and the clones were named Snuwolf and Snuwolffy, that were born a year and a half ago.
This aricle really had me interested. I used to think it was a bad thing, but now, it seems that maybe, just maybe, it can help. While reading this, I found out that dogs/wolves are actually the hardest animal to clone, because of their reproductive cycle. But some how, this group of scientists managed to clone them anyways, and this is an amazing accomplishment.
[picture above: one of the clones of the wolves]

I found my article at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17796859/

Class Response: Genetics Assessment

For Genetics Assessment, my project is on Therapeutic Cloning, and I have to oppose this operation. I have researched, and found enough information to answer my questions. It was a little difficult finding some information opposing Therapeutic Cloning, because most people are all for it, as it saves lives. But what people don't know, is that the term, "Therapeutic Cloning" was created to confuse the public and present this technology as something beneficial, when in reality, it kill people. How you ask? Well, Stem Cells are needed for this type of cloning. Embryonic Stem Cells. And these come from embryos, which are basically babies, not yet fully developed. Although my position was assigned to me, I very much agree, and oppose any type of cloning.

So far, Genetics Assessment has been pretty easy, and I have been managing my time wisely. For my presentation, I am planning to do a slide show, which I have already begun working on. Genetics Assessment is for showing how much you understand the subject, Genetics. I understand it well, after all those projects and worksheets. Genetics is a very extraordinary part of science.

I found some of my facts at [http://www.religioustolerance.org/clo_ther.htm]