Current event 5

FUTURE FORESTS MAY SOAK UP MORE CARBON DIOXIDE THAN PREVIOSLY BELIEVED

Source: Science daily

URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013153955.htm

Date published:Oct 13, 2011

Ecologists from the Michigan University recently showed results of their  12 year research.  Because the rising level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the main reason of global heating and climate changes on the Earth, scientists made an experimental forest on 18 acre field in Wisconsin and continuously exposed different kind of trees with elevated concentration of carbondioxide and ozone gas.  The research demonstrated accelerated growth of trees on experimental field compared with the growth of the same trees faced with a normal concentration of carbondioxide and ozone. The difference was 26 %.  In the past there was strong belief that high concentration of ozone gas has negative effect on photosynthesis, but this study shows that it is not the case. It seems that plants have some way of adaptation to new atmospheric conditions.

                I think we should have more forests. Trees will absorb all of thecarbondioxide they get, so they are the only way to stop global warming. It’s amazing that they can increase the quantaty of Co2 they soak up. Every house should have at least one tree in the yard in order to stop global heating

Current event 4

Oldest Tiger-like Skull Yet—Hints Evolution Got It Right From Start

Author: Dave Mosher

Source: National Geographic News

URL: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/10/111018-fossil-tiger-skull-panthera-science-oldest-china-evolution/

Published: Oct. 18, 2011

Summary

   The 2.5-million-year-old skull of a tiger-like prehistoric being, Panthera zdanskyi, was unearthed in China. This is the oldest known specimen related to modern big cats. The big cat that owned the skull lived in China between 2.16 and 2.55 million years ago. The skull is very similar to a modern tiger's skull, but it’s size is like the one of a jaguar. 

   Julie Meachen, a carnivore paleontologist at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, North Carolina, who wasn't involved in the study, said: “The skull is smashed a bit, but it's still really beautiful. I'd love to see it in person".

   

   I think it's very interesting that the tiger evolved so fast, before 2.55 million years ago! Those tigers haven't yet changed their location, because tigers still roam China (South China tiger). They almost haven't changed, till now! I thought that only saber tooth tigers existed in that period (2.55 million years ago).                      

   

Current event 3

What Created Earth's Oceans? Comet Offers New Clue

Kuiper belt comet has water that matches ours, study says.

Author: Ker Than

Source: National Geographic News

Published: October 5, 2011

It was a scientific mystery for a long time what is the origin of water in the Earth`s oceans. In the early beginning our planet was too hot to keep the water on its surface.   In the second half of 20<sup>th</sup> century there were speculations that water from comets was the main resource of ancient ocean water.  But, in 1980`s researches showed the differences in the chemical structure of Earth ocean water and water from many solar system comets.  Recently, scientists finished the investigations of the Hartley 2 comet that originated from the region beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune. Surprisingly, water from Hartley 2 has the same chemical structure as Earth’s ocean water. It seems that the previous hypothesis would appear to be true:  the ancient oceans were filled with water from comets and asteroids. 

When I read this article, I was shocked! The water we drink and wash in every day is from comets and asteroids! If it wasn’t for those asteroids, there wouldn’t be life on Earth! Maybe there’s life just like Earth’s on other planets those comets hit. Who knows? Live and learn!

Bibliography: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/10/111005-comets-earth-water-oceans-kuiper-belt-nature-science/

Current event 2

Wet-dog physics

By Stephen Ornes

Source: Science news for kids

Written on November the 8^th 2010

Url: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2010/11/wet-dog-physics/

            When hairy animals are wet, they shake to dry themselves. Scientists at the Georgia institute of technology in Atlanta made videos of 40 animals shaking water off. They came to the conclusion that the smaller the animal, the faster it has to shake to dry and the bigger the animal, the slower it shakes to dry. While mice shake at the frequency of 25Hz, it takes grizzly bears to shake off the water at the frequency of just 4Hz. They think that if an animal couldn’t dry itself that way, it would take 25% of their daily calories to dry and every time it stays wet, it would get hypothermia and die.

            I think this is the most efficient way for furry animals to dry themselves. I chose this article because it’s very interesting how a mouse shakes that fast! Scientists where using laws of physics to calculate the frequency of their movement. I couldn’t imagine a world where animals don’t know how to shake water off of them. In a world like that so many animals would die of hypothermia!