OWLS!! :)

In class we are learning about owls, and we are dissecting owl pellets. Owls are the type of bird that swallows their prey whole. After they swallow their prey, the owl digests the softer parts of the body, and then it regurgitates the bones into pellets. During class, every pair of students got an owl pellet to dissect. My partner and I had a hard owl pellet. The dissecting takes over an hour, and you find plenty of bones. Our particular owl had two types of animals the time it regurgitated our pellet. My partner and I suggested that the two animals were either a mole or a rodent. At first, the dissecting is a little gross, but once you get over the fact that it is regurgitated food, you come to find that the remains of the animals an owl eats is very intriguing.

Symbiosis.

Recently in class we have been studying symbiosis. There are three types of symbiotic relationships. The three types are commensalism, parasitism and mutualism. Commensalism is when only one species benefits while the other is not harmed. Parasitism is when one organism benefits, while the other is harmed. Mutualism is where both of the organisms benefit. An example of commensalism is regular ivy grown on a tree. An example of parasitism is poison ivy growing on a tree. An example of mutualism is when a bee takes pollen from a flower. This study is important to society because without things like parasitism the world might be overflowed with plants. Without mutualism we might have enough. Without symbiosis, there would be no cooperation, or or cooperation with any organisms on Earth.

Diabetes

Have your eyes ever hurt while you were reading? Wonder why? Studies have shown people with headaches, eye aches, double vision (etc. etc.) have some sort of eye disability which is referred to as convergence insufficiency. Doctors say this is not a very hard diagnosis to treat, but takes roughly 12 weeks. Many students who go untreated may have an extremely hard time in school because of these head aches, eye aches, double vision (etc. etc.). Doctors also so these treatments can make a huge difference in children who do not like to read. After these treatments studies have shown that many more kids are reading for fun. Without the treatments kids start to become frustrated, and this could affect how they do their homework, if they do it. If kids get the help they need with this, it can make life a whole lot easier.

For more information go to:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27404581/

The Wonders of Monkeys

Recently, scientists have discovered that monkeys can physically be able to use a paralyzed muscle just by using a single brain cell. These monkeys were taught how to play a computer game, and it helped with paralyzed wrists. Scientist say that these certain findings may also be a help to human patients who have had a stroke or a spinal chord injury. This can also mean that many paralyzed people may be able to do things such as grip a hair brush or or a tooth brush and be able to live a somewhat normal life again, says some scientists. This research is led to believe that people who can no longer walk, use their hands or arms (etc. etc.) may shortly be able to by just one brain cell. Studies even say that this research can enable people to posses certain talents that they didn't have before like wiggling ears, or noses. Imagine what it would be like to no longer have some of the senses you have this very minute. If you could suddenly get those back, it would mean the world to you! The human mind can do incredible things, and this is just the start of great, new findings.



For more information, go to: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/10/15/bypassing.paralysis.ap/index.html

Extra Credit -- Poem

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you;
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I;
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.

Christina Rossetti

Weather is used throughout this poem by talking all about wind. To enhance this poem the poet uses words like "leaves, trembling, wind etc. etc." and this tells us that this also has to do with weather. With using knowledge about weather for this poem it helps you understand better about what she's talking about by creating a picture in the reader's mind. The type of weather discussed is the wind.

The poem would not be the same without the mention of weather because then this poem would not exist without the element of wind. Figurative language is used in this poem when she says "the trees bow down their heads" because trees cannot literally bow down their heads. This specific poem does not further my knowledge about weather because it only talks about the wind passing by.

In-Class Response 2

Another thing we've been studying in class is evaporation. We did an experiment where we took water from natural resources and moved them around, which acted as the normal way the evaporation cycle should work. Then we added recources where humans existed to use the water. At the end of the experiment we learned that humans consume a lot of water and we are losing the water in the other resources that we depend on. Personally I feel that humans use too much of the water for things we don't need. Together we need to find a way to conserve the water so we can have some for later in life. This experiment really opened my eyes about how selfish humans really are.

In-Class Response

In class lately we have been studying wind. We did an experiment with kites and how they flew. The kites didn't fly in the area we were at. I wondered why the kites didn't fly in the open field where as they flew at the beach. I came to a conclusion that there wasn't enough hot and cold air mixed together to create the wind our kites needed to fly. It also didn't help that our kites were heavier than the wind. When the cool air from the ocean and the warm air from the beach collide they create the wind that our kites need to be able to fly. This information can help me in the future if i want to plan a trip to the beach and i would like to fly kites, or do some other activity that involves the wind. If i know where is the best place, it could help save a lot of time.