Current Event 7

Did Columbus contribute to a Little Ice Age?

Source: Science News for Kids

URL: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/11/did-columbus-contribute-to-a-little-ice-age/

Author: Stephen Ornes

Date Published: Nov. 2, 2011

The Earth’s climate between the 16^th and 19^th century  was changed in quite the opposite direction comparing to the present climate state. That period of time is called Little Ice Age because there was a certain drop of the average  atmosphere temperature which enabled formation of glaciers  in the region of North Europe and  also increased thickness and amount of ice of the Arctic and the Antarctic. The group of  scientists ( geologists and geochemists ) finished their research in which they measured  the carbon dioxide concentration in bubbles trapped in ice frozen in different periods on Antarctica. They noticed that carbon dioxide concentration in the  ice, formed in the  Little Ice Age is much lower than in the older and newer era. They think that the human factor again was dominant for such a difference.  That historic period is famous by the great migration of European people to America since Christopher Columbus discovered “ the new continent “ . Europeans brought quite new diseases like Small pox which significantly reduced the number of native Americans and left deserted  plenty of their agricultural fields. Year after year new forests were growing  instead of fields on territory bigger then present California  . As trees absorbs carbon dioxide to make oxygen, it could be the main reason for less CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere for  long period of time.  Reforestation of America had great impact on  cooling of the Earth in the Little Ice Age and it was probably man made. 

 It seems that remodeling of nature by humans has great impact to the climate changes. The abundance of forests in America which reduced the CO2 atmosphere concentration is possible explanation for Little Ice Age, but present reduction of forests with high emission of CO2 by industry and motor vehicles is the reason of global heating. It’s very interesting that the humans were responsible for the climate changes even in the 14^th century !    

Current event 6

Periodic Table Swells as Three New Elements Named

Author: Richard Gray

Source: The Telegraph

URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8871840/Periodic-Table-swells-as-three-new-elements-named.html

Date published: 05 Nov 2011

            Three new super heavy, unstable elements were added to the Periodic Table of Elements after The General Assembly of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) gave them approval. Physicists from 60 countries are part of this organization. Those elements are called darmstadtium (Ds), roentgenium (Rg) and copernicium (Cn). They can only be made in laboratories and they remain in a stable form only for a few hundredths of a second. Scientists know about these elements for more than 15 years. Element 112, copernicium (Cn­­­), was named in honor of the famous Polish astronomer Nikola Kopernik who was the first to come to the conclusion that the Earth is round, and not flat as the Catholic church was teaching for ages. Element 111, roentgenium (Rg) was named in honor of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a German scientist and Nobel prize winner, who discovered X rays  in 1895. Element 110, Darmstadtium (Ds) was named after the city of Darmstadt in Germany where it was produced.

            This article connects with the unit we are studying because it is about the Periodic Table of Elements. This is probably good for human society, but bad for student society, because we will now have to study 112 elements instead of 109. I chose this article because it was very interesting. It shows that in science there is no final things, because science is an always changing category. We could expect even more new elements to be discovered in the future and become a part of the Periodic Table.

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! 

Current event 1

Evidence of faster-than-light neutrinos puzzles scientists

Author New York Times editors

Source:New York Times

Date: 25 Sep.2011

There is a big confusion in the world of science  after the end of experiment performed in  CERN        ( The European center for nuclear researches ).  The subatomic particles neutrinos are accelerated  in accelerator outside Geneva, and directed  to a cavern underneath Grand Sasso in Italy.  First results showed that the speed of neutrinos is faster than a light beam.  As it was established by Einstein theory of relativity that speed of light is ultimate limit, there is a suspicion that Mr. Albert Einstein was wrong. 

Theory of relativity is the ground stone of modern  physics and scientific understanding of the universe.

Anyway, it would be necessary to prove the neutrino speed in the future experiments before preliminary results become official.

               This article is  in strong connection with physics, very important part of unit Science.  If the future experiments give confirmation that neutrino speed is faster of the fastest, that could bring quite new understanding  of cosmic phenomenons ( good for society ). This article was one of the last week headlines. I noticed it in newspapers and then do internet research. It came from New York Times , reliable resource.

I learned  not to take everything for granted.  As many other things in life, the science is changeable category.  I was very excited when I read this article.

Recource: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/evidence-of-faster-than-light-neutrinos-puzzles-scientists/articleshow/10112793.cms