Owl Pellets

In science class, we are going to take apart owl pellets! No, owl pellets are not what comes out when you use the bathroom. Owls cannot chew their food, just like other birds, so they swallow their prey whole (in case you didn't know, owls are carnivores). Their digestive system separates the meat from the bones and fur or feathers. The owl then coughs up the remains in a pellet, kind of like a cat's hairball. Now that you know what an owl pellet is, I'm going to tell you what we have to do. We work with a partner for this assignment. We basically have to take the pellet apart and take out the bones. Then we have to figure out what bones they are and figure out what the owl ate for breakfast (or lunch or dinner).

For a virtual pellet disection, go to the following link:
http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/index.htm

Symbiosis in Science Class

In science class, we are learning about symbiosis. The three types of symbiosis are mutualism, which is when two organisms interact and both benefit, commensalism, which is when two organisms interact and one organism benefits while the other is neutral, and parasitism, which is when two organisms interact and one organism benefits while the other is harmed. We also recieved an assignment. Each of us had to choose any symbiotic relationship taking place in our area, take a picture of it, and write a paragraph on how that specific relationship is important and what is happening to the two organisms involved. The symbiotic relationship I chose was between a horse and its intestinal bacteria. I did some research and I found out that this relationship could either be commensalism or parasitism, so I typed two paragraphs. It can be commensalism because the intestinal bacteria perform a number of functions useful for the horse. It can be parasitism because if the intestinal bacteria leave the gut, it can cause a fatal infection that might lead to death. I also found out that all animals (including humans) have them, but don't worry, you're not going to die anytime soon. At least, I don't think so.

For more information on symbiosis, check out this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiosis

For more information on intestinal bacteria, check out this link (the website will call it "gut flora"):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_flora

In First Place

I'm not sure you heard, but the Jets are in first place now, since the Patriots lost to the Colts. I was watching the game at my friend's house. Go Jets!

Climate Change Killing Walden Pond Plants

Believe it or not, the climate change is killing plants all around us. One place in particular, Walden Pond in Washington, has already lost 27 percent of the surrounding plants since the mid-eighteen hundreds. Another 36 percent of the plants are close to disappearing from the area. Researchers have found that warming temperatures have led to changes in the timing of seasonal activities in some plant species, but not others. They also found that plants that move to an earlier flowering time in warmer weather do well. Unfortunately, species that did not respond to temperature changes have decreased greatly. These species include anemones, buttercups, asters, lilies, roses, and many more.
For more information, visit this link:

Yahoo! News
Click on the tab that says science. Then click on the story titled "Climate Change Affecting Walden Pond Plants."

Contaminated Bottled Water

Guess what! Bottled water has contaminants too! I guess that puts the impression that bottled water is purer than tap water down the drain. For some reason, all the brands met the federal health standards, but two brands violated a California state standard. Tests were done on 10 different brands and 38 chemicals were found. This included bacteria, caffeine, acitaminophen (a pain releiver), fertilizer (trust me, it's like poison for your body), solvents, some plastic-making chemicals, and a radioactive element called strontium. Some of these contaminants came from tap water that some of the brands use. The other contaminants probably came from the plastic bottles that contain the water, (That's what researchers say. I had no idea.) The two brands that violated the California state regulation were Sam's Choice and Acadia, because they carried chlorine byproducts. Even after all this, it seems that bottled water is no less contaminated than tap water.
For more information, check out this link:
Yahoo! News

Out of the Playoffs

I know this is old news for anybody out there who follows the Mets, but I just realized that they are out of the Playoffs. I guess I'll just root for Tampa Bay for now . . . But next season the Mets will be back!
Click on this link to go to their website:

mets.com

Canada

I went to Canada! I saw the Niagara Falls for about the millionth time and got a hat. You should go there if you haven't already.

Back With a Bang

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately, but I'm back now

Drilling For Oil

Yesterday and today we drilled for oil. Of course, not real oil with real drilling rigs. We stayed in class in a perfectly safe envronment. We got fake maps with a grid and a foil pan with the same grid, just bigger. The top was covered with aluminum foil. Under the foil was sand and in certain spots, cups filled with black liquid. Our drill rig was a piece of wood marked with centimeters and a needle attached to it. We got a budget of 2.5 million dollars. We used real costs to figure out how much we spent drilling for oil. Each group got 5 attempts for finding oil. Unfortunately, my group was unsuccessful every single time. On top of that, we went bankrupt because we dug too deep. What makes our loss even more dissapionting is that we were off by only half an inch each time. Some people blamed the grid, some people blamed he drillers and some people didn't really care. This was fun only for the groups that struck oil.

Paper Kites

In science class this month, our unit was weather. In order to test our knowledge with winds and so that understand them better, we were given an asignment. We had to make a kite out of construction paper. It had to be aerodynamically designed so that it would fly in the wind. When it was testing time, it turned out my kite, F-6, was a failure. It caught a draft of wind, stayed up for about a second and then dropped to the ground again. This went on for about five minutes, and then I gave up trying to fly my kite and got to the questions. These questions were about how wind is formed and how under standing wind can help us understand weather better. In the end, it turned out to be pretty fun.

Science Class Podcast

Last month in science, we received an assignment. It was to make podcast on a famous scientist. First, we chose a partner to work with. Then, we chose the name of a scientist from a bucket of names. I got George Washington Carver. You know, the peanut guy. Me and my partner did some research on this guy, and once we felt we had enough, we started writing our script. We couldn't use our real names, so we used our blog names. We added a little music, sound effects and some comedy here and there, and it turned out to be great. Then, we had to record it on Garage Band. It's a computer program in which you could make your own songs. Finally, we uploaded it on to a website with the help of our teacher. In the end, we thought it was pretty cool and fun. If you want to listen to the podcast and more podcasts, go to the following site:

www.omegascience.podomatic.com

California Wildfires

At least 14 wildfires occured in Southern California in October, 2007, burning about 240,000 acres, or 374 square miles. In all, over 655 homes and 168 commercial properties ended up in ashes. One hundred-thirty of those homes were in the mountain areas. Around 265,000 people had to flee from their homes. AN estimated 10,000 people took refuge from the fires in Qualcomm Stadium. One out-of-control fire in San Diego County burned down an astonishing 500 homes and 100 commercial properties and covered 145,000 acres of land. Another fire in the San Bernardino National Forest burned 133 homes down to the ground. The smoke from the fires are making more and more Californians concerned about the air they breathe. If they aren't careful, they could end up sick. A tragedy has occcured with the civilians of California and I hope that something like this will never happen again.

Regard the link below if you have any doubts.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21405632/

Tiger Attack in San-Fransisco Zoo

On December 25, 2007, a terrible event took place.Tatiana, a 300-pound, 5-year-old tiger, was provoked by a couple of taunting visitors. It is believed that she climbed out of her cage. It is also believed that the taunting visitors "helped" her escape by somehow putting a board in the moat that surrounded her. Tatiana, after climbing out of her cage, killed a teenager and severely injured two brothers. When the police arrived, they found her sitting next to the body of the dead teenager. The police yelled at the tiger, and out of instinct, she advanced on the officers. The police misinterpreted this movement and shot and killed Tatiana. After this, the police took the dead teenager and the injured men to the hospital and conducted four searches. Fortunately, they found no other victims.
Click the link below for further information.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/us/27tiger.html