VDA #9: Potential

   1.      An object I would print that would help the world be houses. As I am growing, I'm noticing that many people in undeveloped countries are homeless and don't have half as many privileges as most people I know. Learning about countries such as Africa and South Asia I have learned that most of these countries' population suffer from poverty because they don't have a place to stay and most of them end up living on the streets. Printing a house could change many of these people's lives and give them a higher standard of living. Furthermore, it is very expensive and time-consuming to build a house in these countries; but with the 3-D printer you could possibly print a whole town in a matter of days. I think that these printers would have an especially strong impact in this way. Another reason why printing houses could help the world would be from natural disasters. For example, during Hurricane Sandy many people had their houses destroyed and flooded, but with the printer you could print a new house or exact replica of what your old house used to be. Printing house could also help countries that are in war. After a battle or dispute with another country many people often loose their houses and it often takes many years for the population to get back on its feet and for the government to help its citizens if it can. Printing houses would be very reliable, beneficial, and effective in these situations and this is an object that could truly help the world.

 2.       An item I would print for myself would be a private airplane or jet. I travel often and it can be very tiring. I personally despise driving an hour to the airport, getting your boarding pass, and waiting in security lines. I especially don't like sitting with a bunch of strangers in a crowded plane. Having an airplane would be very reliable for me and my family. We wouldn't have to worry about being late for our flight, or our baggage's being overweight. In addition, we wouldn't have to worry about working around any specific times and airlines. I also love learning about different cultures and countries, so having an airplane could give me an opportunity to see different countries around the world more often. Having an exclusive airplane could make a trip a bit more relaxing!

VDA #8

Economies in developed countries have an effective impact on CO2 emissions. This is because emissions are mostly let out in factories and manufacturing businesses which let out fuels and gases. When the economy drops many of these businesses loose money to pay for their manufacturing businesses and the CO2 emissions drops. In addition, the  increase in natural gas has lead to the decrease of lower emissions. Furthermore, developed countries with good economies have an abundance of cars, trucks, and motor bikes that let out  CO2 emissions; however, when economies drop not only do many of these advantages decrease, but the costly oil prices have caused a decline in these vehicles which also release CO2 emissions. On the other hand, in developing countries such as China and India, the growth of coal and fossil fuels in newly developed factories and businesses is causing the growth of CO2 emissions.

References:
http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/CO2REPORT2012.pdf

http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/3607/MITJPSPGC_Rpt41.pdf?sequence=1

VDA #7

1. What is the benefit of checking feces (poop, scat, dung, droppings) for hormones versus checking the blood of the animal?

The benefit is that checking the animal's feces helps you learn about its travels, diets, and health. While checking the blood of an animal just tells you about the animal's ancestry or body. Checking the animals feces helps you learn more about the animal physically.

2. What four things can you learn from an organism's droppings?

You can learn about the animal's travels, diets, and health. You can also learn about the species that exerted the droppings.

3. What hormone is produced when some animals are stressed or starving?

The hormone is called GC, or glucocorticoid. 

4. What did the researchers conclude contributed to the higher stress in orcas and how did the scientists come to that conclusion?

The higher stress in orcas happens when the number of the orcas' favorite food, the Chinook salmon drops. They concluded this because in August, when there was an abundant amount of fish in the ocean the levels of the oracs' GC dropped. 

5. Give two reason why dung beetles climb atop the balls of dung.

The first reason is that they climb on top of the animal's dung to eat in a quiet peaceful place  The second reason is that they climb on the balls of dung to keep their feet cool when they are hot, this is because the animal's dung is moist and the want to avoid hot feet.

6. What is the relationship between the Kakapo and the Hades flower?

The relationship was that the Hades flower fed the Kakapo, and the Kakapoo benefited the Hades flower because the Kakapo has whisker-like feathers that pick up pollen when they feed on the Hades flower. When the parrots transfer that pollen from fewer to flower it would pollinate the plant. The Kakapo could help the Hades flower thrive again.

7. Why is the Hades flower called "Hades" flower?

This flower is named after the Greek god, Hades, god of the Underworld. Since this flower grows underground it is named after him.

VDA #6

1. Scientists predict that prune fingers may serve a purpose. What purpose do they suggest prune fingers serve?

The purpose scientists predict prune fingers serve are that prune fingers improve our fingers' ability to grasp wet, slippery objects.

2. Do you think that the study performed in England was a valid study? Why or why not?

I think the study in England was valid because it showed that every participant moved the wet objects faster with wrinkled fingers. However, the study also showed that wrinkled skin didn't help any of the participants move the dry objects any faster.

3. How would you design an experiment to gather more data to support the suggestion that prune fingers serve a purpose? (Be sure to include the number of people sampled, the independent and dependent variables and the duration of time for your experiment.)

I could design an experiment in several ways. One way I could do the experiment is, I could have 40 people. I would ask them to soak their fingers in warm water for five different periods of time. One period for 1 minute, one period for 5 minutes, one period for 10 minutes and one period for 15 minutes. I would then ask and time the participants to move a few wet objects from one box to another and see if the time difference or the more wrinkly your fingers are the easier and faster it is to hold and move objects. My independent variable would be the different times and my dependent variables would be the water, participants, and objects. The time for my experiment would be about 35-40 minutes long. Another experiment I could do would be similar to the first, except I could use salt water and fresh water and test the differences between the two different waters. I would have 40 participants that would test both waters for different amounts of time and see which water and time difference helps in grasping wet slippery objects. My independent variables is the salt water, fresh water, and time; my dependent variables would be the participants and objects. My time would be about the same 35-55 minutes.

4. What biological process allows for the skin on our hands and feet to turn wrinkly in the first place?
The process that allows the skin on our hand and feet to get wrinkly is because of sebum. Sebum is an oil that covers our skin. Sebum is found on the most outer most layer of skin. Sebum moistens and protects your skin. It makes your skin more waterproof. When you are in the water for a long period of time the water washes away the sebum, this causes the skin to become waterlogged and trap in water which makes our hands wrinkly. (Downshen, MD, 2010)

REDO:
2.Do you think that the study performed in England was a valid study? Why or why not?
I think the study in England was valid andbecause it had before and after data. The study also had experimental and control groups. the partcipants did the experimant twice, once with dry hand, and once with wet, wrinkly hands. The experiment also has independent and dependent variables.

3. How would you design an experiment to gather more data to support the suggestion that prune fingers serve a purpose? (Be sure to include the number of people sampled, the independent and dependent variables and the duration of time for your experiment.)
My experiment would be that I would have 40 participants. I would have the participants test two different types of water; saltwater and freshwater. I would have two groups. Twenty people would soak their hands for 30 minutes in saltwater; this is my experimental group. Twenty people would soak their hands for 30 minutes in freshwater, this is my control group. After this step, I would ask the participants to move several objects from one box to another and time which group moves the objects fastest. It would either be the fresh water or saltwater group.The time for my experiment would be about 35-40 minutes. My independent variables would be the saltwater and fresh water. My dependent variable would be the task or how fast my participants would take to move the objects from one box to the other box. 

4. What biological process allows for the skin on our hands and feet to turn wrinkly in the first place?
The biological process is called osmosis.

VDA #5

Mercury is the 80th element in the periodic table (GreenFacts, 2002). It is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in the environment in different chemical forms (GreenFacts, 2002). It is also a potent neurotoxin pollutant that leads to many health problems when it is in our food (EPA, 2012).  An organism that contains mercury is fish. When pregnant women have fish in their diet it can affect their unborn child's development by letting the child possibly have deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD (EPA, 2012). The child can also have severe disabilities and problems in their nervous system (EPA, 2012). Pregnant women or any kinds of people are exposed to mercury by touching it, breathing it through the air, or by eating of drinking food or water contaminated with mercury in it. Ways pregnant women can stay away from mercury during pregnancy are by not eating high amounts of mercury, especially fish and seafood. Studies show that people should have about 1 to 2 servings of seafood a week (EPA, 2012). Pregnant women should also throw away any broken thermometers or florescent light bulbs, which may contain mercury (EPA, 2012). Pregnant women should also avoid changing cat litter, lead exposure from old pipes and faucets, and pesticides or other certain chemicals, which also may contain mercury (EPA, 2012).

VDA #4

VDA #4

1. An embolism as it pertains to humans is a blockage that plugs up an artery in the body and slows or even stops blood flow to the area of body supplied by the artery. People might not be able to get the sufficient oxygen in their blood. It can cause blockages in blood vessels which disables blood to pass freely. They also may cause tissue to die if they prevent blood flow in a certain area. If it continues it leads to thirst, starvation, and eventually death. 
http://www.humanillnesses.com/original/E-Ga/Embolism.html#b

2. An embolism as it pertains to plant/trees is when they have more and more gas accumulating in their bodies and they can't get enough water to their leaves when they pump or suck for it in their roots. It results in reducing photosynthesis and eventually leads to death. Also, when there is dry soil, the tree has to suck harder for water which increases the risk of drawing air bubbles into the tree's plumbing.

3. The implication this discovery has on global concern is that droughts temperatures are rising around the globe, which is making droughts more likely and intense. This can harm and effect plants by lack of water, too many air bubbles in their plumbing or embolism.

Extra Credit

1. DNA is an acronym. What is DNA's "real" name?

DNA's "real" name is Deoxyribonucleic Acid. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_full_form_of_DNA

 

2. What function does DNA serve?

DNA contains information about the characteristics of an organism and directs its cell's activities. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_function_does_DNA_serve

 

3. How was DNA's shape discovered? Give me the name of three scientists who played a role in this discovery? (Hint: I'm looking for the names of two men and one woman).

Francis Crick and James Watson found out DNA's shape, Rosalind Franklin had a large part in their discovery with her  x-ray crystallography images. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_scientist_discovered_the_shape_of_the_DNA_molecule

 

4. DNA has nucleotide bases, what are the four bases? (Hint: C, G, T, A... what does each letter represent?)

The four nucleotide bases of DNA are Thymine, Guanine, Cytosine, Adenine.

Science Notebook

5. In DNA, the four base nucleotides always pair up in a certain way; which letters bond with which?

Cytosine always pairs up with Guanine. Adenine always pairs up with Thymine.

Science Notebook