This is a podcast where a television show was interviewing a forensic scientist by the name of Sara Bisel.
jazzdncr
Meme Creator
11 years ago
Friday, December 11, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Doctors Find Atherosclerosis in Scans of Egyptian Mummies
Who: The Journal of the American Medical Association and a team of cardiologists and other doctors.
What: Doctors used CT scanning on mummies from the Egyptian National Museum of Antiquities in Cairo to identify atherosclerosis,which can lead to heart attack or stroke. The article says that The cardiologists were able to identify the disease in some mummies because atherosclerotic tissue often develops calcification, which is visible as bright spots on a CT image.
When: Based on context in the article I would presume that these tests occurred recently, however the mummies lived between 1981 B.C. and A.D. 334.
Where: These mummies were taken to be tested from museums all around the world, 2o of them in fact. I am not sure as to where the testing took place.
Why it is important/My opinion: In my opinion, it is very important to have this new found knowledge because it can give us a better understanding of the disease and helps us in the future with mummies. We now know to test mummies for this disease instead of just assuming their death was a result to environment/lifestyle surroundings.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Extra Credit.
One show that i really enjoy watching is called House. It is about a doctor who is given the cases that others think are unsolvable. His patients usually have very rare diseases that other doctors would not be able to diagnose. This show relates to science in a big way. In order to be a doctor you have to be able to understand science and how the human body works. You need to obtain knowledge about cells and DNA. You must be able to explain the unexplainable. Also, on House the doctors write down the symptoms a given patient has and then they think of what disease they might be suffering from. Then they test these different diseases in order to eliminate some of them. The patient usually tests positive for something and then given treatment. Their process is much like the scientific method. With the scientific method you gather your information, form a hypothesis, test your hypothesis many times, and then draw your conclusions. This is much like what the doctors on House do. As you can see, the show House greatly relates to science.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
2-Pound Dinosaur Holds a North American Record
Who: The newly discovered animal Fruitadens haagarorum, Richard J. Butler, and Dr. Chiappe.
What: A new dinosaur was discovered and named the smallest dinosaur ever found in North America. It had a body length of around 30 inches and weighed an estimated 2 pounds.
When: I would presume this animal lived around 160 million years ago based on information from this article.
Where: North America. Possibly Colorado (the article did not mention a specific location however it did mention Colorado.)
Why: This is very important because now we have more knowledge about dinosaurs and there is another species of them in our world that we've discovered.
My opinion: I think that it is very cool because dinosaurs lived millions and millions of years ago however, today we are still finding dinosaur bones all over the earth.
For more information click here
Thursday, September 24, 2009
In Suprise, Moon Shows Sighns of Water
Current Event Blog 2009-2010
Who: Scientists such as, Lori M. Feaga of the University of Maryland, Roger M. Clark of the United States geographical survey, Lawrence A. Taylor of the University of Tennessee and NASA.
What: Scientists have discovered traces of water in the moon's surface.
When: Does not state the date but i presume this occurred recently.
Where: The moon.
Why: For years the moon has been thought to be a completely dry place however, now scientists believe that there might be a possibility of water being able to form on the moon.
My Opinion: I think this is very important ! I feel this way because this gets us one step closer to being able to survive on the moon. If we are able to get water from the moon it will be a huge breakthrough for mankind.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Structure of the Earth: Plasticity Lab
Response Blog
In class we did a lab. The materials we needed in this lab were cornstarch, water, 2 small beakers, stirring rod or spoon, eyedropper, food coloring, and newspaper. The procedure was to add about 5 teaspoons of cornstarch to one beaker and put 20 milliliters of water in another beaker. Then stir the two together and add food coloring. After playing with the outcome for a little while, we were given questions to answer. The mixture was really watery but when pressure was applied on both sides, it turned to a solid. When handled, the mixture would slide around and at the occurrence of force being applied to it, it turned to a solid. This is similar to mantle because when pressure from two sides, in this case hands, it would stay in place. But, when that pressure ceased, the mixture began to liquidate and move around. This is just like what happens with the mantle. Pressure from the crust and the core force the mantle to stay in place but when one of the forces move, so does the mantle.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Response blog to October Sky
In class we watched a movie called October Sky. After watching carefully and taking notes on the general ideas of this movie, we were asked to write a response blog. Well, I will start off with a basic summary of the movie. The time period of October Sky is during the "cold war" in a little town where mining was pretty much your only job choice if you were a man. After the first successful rocket launch of Sputnik, a teenager was inspired. He saw the rocket shoot across the sky and felt liberated. He wanted to go to outer space and create a rocket that people in his home town and China would be able to see. Throughout the movie, Homer struggled a lot. Everyone went against him, they called him rocket boy and told him he would fail. Even his own father didn't believe in him. After his father was hurt while mining, which happened frequently, he could not work. Homer knew what he had to do. He stopped with the rockets and worked in the mines. Mining was very dangerous. One of the boys fathers was killed in a mining tragedy, his head was cut right off. Also, coal mining is very bad for your lungs and body. Homer tried to cooperate with his family but after discovering that his rocket didn't start the fire that had been blamed on it he was back to building and testing rockets. The way he proved his rocket was not what started the fire was by using his new math skills that he acquired from science. His father told him he respected him for what he was doing in the coal mines, but when he found out Homer quit, he told him he was ashamed of his own son. I think Homer had great self control because there were many times where if that was me i would have lost it. In the end, Homer and his friends were able to successfully launch many rockets. They went to the National Science Fair and won first place. This opened up many doors for them, including pretty much their choice of any college they wanted with a full scholarship. This movie taught me so much. Over all science is really important and helpful but in order to succeed in science you have to experiment, persevere and believe in yourself, even when no one else does.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Response to Flowersx3's blog
In class we were asked to read someone else's blog and the blog i selected was about a genetic disease called Phenylketonuria. From this blog I learned a lot about the disease. For instance, in order to inherit this genetic disorder both parents have to be carriers and sadly, there is no cure. The symptoms of Phenylketonuria are skin rash, excessive restlessness, irritable behavior, body oder, and more. What happens on a molecular level is an enzyme doesn't function properly and can't separate amino acids. Due to a large amount of "Phe" building up in the blood, the body is not able to convert "Phe" into tyrosine. The information i learned from this blog is surely information that will stay with me the rest of my life. I am extremly greatful that i am not one of the 1 in 70 people that are diagnossed with Phenylketonuria. This article makes me really think about how lucky I am because this genetic disorder is very common. I am sad that there are so many children who have to deal with this disease on a daily bases where I hardly have any complications in my health besides seasonal allergies and the occasional virus. I thank Flowersx3 for posting this blog.
To learn more about Phenylketonuria click here.
To learn more about Phenylketonuria click here.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Canavan Disease
In 1931 a genetic disorder was discovered; commonly known as Canavan Disease. This is an extremely rare disease and there have only been 30 reported cases in the United States. However, one in five thousand Ashkenazi Jews are diagnosed. Infants who are affected with Canavan Disease are most likely born with it. This disease is most common in children of the Jewish decent. A child who has Canavan Disease may experience a variety of symptoms including lack of head control, rapidly increasing head circumference, reduced visual responsiveness, abnormal muscle tone; such as stiffness or floppiness, and may suffer from mental retardation. At the molecular level, whats going on in is a genetic mutation on chromosome 17 that causes a deficiency of an enzyme called aspartoacylase. The chemical imbalance causes healthy tissue to degenerate. In order for a child to be affected they have to inherit one copy of the mutated gene from each parent. Basically, both parents need to be carriers of Canavan Disease for a child to be infected. Sadly, there is no cure for Canavan disease and the life span of infants infected with Canavan Disease does not generally last long. Most children diagnosed with the disorder will face death before the age of four. However, gene therapy is an option for children with Canavan Disease. In this procedure functional ASPA genes are introduced into a child's brain. Another procedure would be putting functional neuronal stem cells into an affected child's brain. The goal is to increase the levels of aspartoacylase. Doctors are still searching for treatment. Personally, I feel that this disease is very serious and we need to find a treatment to save many infants lives. This information is important to know because people need to be aware of different types of genetic disorders and get tested to see what they should look for when they have children.
I got my information from:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders.canavan/canavan.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/canavan_disease/article.htm
I got my information from:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders.canavan/canavan.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/canavan_disease/article.htm
Monday, March 9, 2009
DNA extraction paragraph
In simple terms, DNA extraction is the process of removing DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, from viruses or cells in which it normally resides. DNA extraction is often used to find viruses and bacteria in the environment as well as genetic disorders or diseases such as, FISH and T-RFLP. Basically, the way to extract cells is to break open the cell or virus containing the DNA needed. Then a sort of detergent is added and the cellular proteins may be degraded so the addition of salt is important and will allow it to be drawn carefully. You then wash the resulted DNA and are able to put it back in the body it belongs to. Over all, DNA extraction is a very important part of curing diseases and viruses that could exist in your cells.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Newton's Laws of Motion
Class Response- Science
3 interesting facts:
1.) There are three laws of motion
2.) The first law of motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
The second law of motion states that force is mass times acceleration.
The third law of motion states that for every action there an equal and an opposite reaction.
3.) Friction brings an object to rest
2 facts learned from another source:
1.) Newtons second law is the most important of the three because it explains how velocities change when force is applied.
2.) The First law of motion was recognized as Galileo's concept of inertia.
My Opinion:
I think that Newton's laws are extremely important because they help us understand the concept of what happens when motion and force and friction are all applied. We need to know this because if we become engineers we need to know about friction and force. Also, this information was very helpful and the basis of being able to build our roller coasters.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Zimbabwean Opposition Figure to BE Tried for Terrorism
Social Studies Current Events
international news
In this article a man named Roy Bennett was put in jail because he was suspected to have illegal firearms and he was planning to use them to harm the country. In the article it says "he should be tried on terrorism charges and remain in prison for at least the next three weeks." He was supposed to be sworn in wednesday as deputy agricultural minister in the new power sharing government of the opposition. He is having a very high-profile case and his charges are very serious. This is all going on in Zimbabwe and Johannesburg. My opinion is that this is very serious and anything having to do with terrorism is as well.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
radio waves
3 interesting facts:
1.) radio waves are electromagnetic waves propagated by an antenna
2.) when you listen to the radio the stations like 94.5 it really means that you're listening on an fm signal of 94.5 megahertz
3.) radio waves are used for the radio, television, and telephones
2 things that i have learned from another source:
1.) Megahertz means millions of cycles per second, so if the station is at 91.5 megahertz that means the frequency is 91,500,000 cycles per second
2.) When your listening to the radio and the station is Fm it's measured in megahertz, and when you're listening to Am it's measured in kilohertz.
My opinion: I think that this information is pretty interesting because radio waves are the reason we can watch television or listen to music on the radio. Also, radio waves are the reason we can talk on the telephone. Life would be really different if we couldn't go home after school and watch t.v. or call our friends on the phone whenever we want.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
N.J. School Report Card results show high failure rates for middle schoolers
Social Studies blog 2- State News
This article discusses a new test that most middle schoolers are failing. In the article, it is stated that, ".. huge numbers of middle school students are failing rigorous new tests designed to prepare them for the next level. Fifth and six graders are taking the test and around forty percent of sixth graders and over seventy percent of fifth graders are failing in language arts. It is stated that all this started when "Corzine announced an ambitious agenda last year for making the state's high schools more rigorous.." It is also stated that New Jersey changed the rules in the middle and got lower scores, while, there was progress in the classrooms. My opinion on this is that if the test is not preparing the students for high school any more than previous tests they should not continue using it.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Environmental Blamed in Western Tree Deaths
Who: Scientists like Nathan L. Stephenson of the United States Geological survey and western trees.
What: Scientists find that trees in the west are dying at twice the pace they did a few decades ago.
When: Now
Where: The west
Why: Rising temperatures and drought from the summer time increasing due to global warming.
My Opinion: My opinion on this article is that this is a very important issue and global warming is really taking affect. I think that the people of the United States need to do somthing about this now, because if we don't the trees will keep on dying at a faster pace.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Barack Obama's Inauguration
Social Studies National News
Article one:
Barack Obama's Inauguration Is One for the History Books
In this article the inauguration of Barack Obama was discussed. Barack Obama's theme for his inauguration is mainly the topic of this article. In the articles it says "A new birth of freedom, was the theme for Barack Obama's inauguration today." Also, in the article it says that Obama was trying to stick with Abraham Lincoln's idea. Obama went to all the same countries that Lincoln went to on his inauguration parade as well. My analysis on this article is that the information in it was very informative and the writer showed all the ways Obama tried to be true to the way Licoln was inaugurated. I think he did his inauguration that way because he felt like he was in a similar position as lincoln was coming into his presidency.
Article 2:
World Reaction to Barack Obama's Inauguration
This article about Barack Obama's inauguration mainly focused on how it was a Wold Wide event. The article shows how Obama being elected will effect the whole entire world. In this article it says towards the beginning that ".. partygoers romped along the Champs-Elysees in Paris, and there were celebrations in the Kenyan village where Obama's father was born.." This article not only shows how Barack Obama being the next president of the United States is a World Wide affair, but how he will make his presidency different than the Bush's. My analysis and opinion on the information given in this article is that I now realize how big of a deal having Barack Obama as our president is. His family went from slavery to becoming the president of a country and I think that is a great accomplishment.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
On Whale Wars and Bison Burgers
Who: Japan and the Sea Shepherd Society Vessel Steve Irwin (animal planet celebrities)
What: Japans government has been supporting whaling fleet killing hundreds of minke whales and other species. The animal-rights crusaders and animal planet stars aboard the Sea Shepherd have been harassing them. The founder of the Sea Shepherd Paul Watson insists that only terrorists are using "explosive-tipped harpoons."
When: The article does not state.
Where: The Southern Ocean.
Why: The japanese kill the whales and other species for their meat.
My Opinion: My opinion about this article is that the japanese are doing a very wrong thing. I think that they should be stopped and that the Steve Irwin Sea Shepherd is trying to do the right thing by stopping them. I think that they are not only polluting the ocean, but killing hundreds of whales and what they are doing should not be allowed.
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