John R.

My element was boron.

Symbol:B

Atomic Number: 5

Mass Number: 10.811

Melting Point: 3769 degrees F

Boiling point: 7101 degrees F

Normal Phase: Solid

Element Category: Metalloid

Name of dicoveror: Jons Jakob Berzelius in 1824

Assignment #2-New Information

Hello Everyone!




I think I have solved the "can't log into Glogster" problem. You must
LOG OUT after you finish making and saving your poster. If you don't log out, no one else can log in. It is now working for me--I hope someone will try this week end and see if it works.

As an alternative to using the school account, you may wish to set up your own glog account--you'll need an e-mail but you don't have to give any personal information (you can leave the birthdate and full name spaces blank if you wish to be anonymous). I think some of you will enjoy using the glog for fun--you can e-mail posters to your friends!

Remember that these posters will be seen by everyone in your class--check your spelling and be smart in making choices about what to put on it.

Alex S.

THE SCIENCE OF STARS

the article is from: BBC News

No Author stated

Star light is absorbed in the atmosphere which makes them "twinkle", unlike the planets. Scientists can actually weigh stars by measuring its luminosity, or how much light energy it gives off. Astronomers can ever tell what a star is made of by looking at their spectrum, or rays. Some starlight is over 20 billion years old, which means when looking at certain stars, you are seeing the light from just after the big bang.

This article was very informative and easy to read. I liked it because it article was very interesting. I did not know scientists could weigh stars and tell what element their are made of. I would like to have known if the sun blew up, would we see the explosion eight minutes later? And if you could see far out enough, could you see the aftermath of the big bang.

Aaron N.

Article: When Laws Save Lives: Cleaner Air Increased Life Expectancy by 5 Months.

Author: Eliza Strickland.

Source: Discover Magazine Online.

URL: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/22/when-laws-save-lives-cleaner-air-increased-life-expectancy-by-5-months/

This article summarizes the impact of the cleanliness of the air over the last three decades (as recorded by scientists) with human life span. Scientists confirmed that the laws that we have made to help clean up the atmosphere have successfully added nearly 5 months to the average person's life.

This article is very interesting to me because when I read it, I start to see how much humans rely on the air we breath to live. It also restore my faith in people's ability to change their actions for a better tomorrow. The article also states that there is more work to do. We all have to do our part to keep the air safe from pollutants.

Assignment #2

Element Project


1. You will be assigned an element to research. You will create a poster about your element using Glogster. Go to the "Science Resources" page on the wiki and scroll down to Chapters 5-6 section for lots of on-line periodic tables with the information you will need.

2. Information to put in your post:
1. Name and Symbol of Element
2. Atomic Number:
3. Mass Number:
4. Melting Point:
5. Boiling Point:
6. Normal Phase:
7. Element Family:
8. Name of Discoverer and date of discovery:

3 . Information to include in poster:
1. Name and symbol
2. Atomic Number and Mass Number
3. Interesting Facts--uses, compounds it is found in, little known facts, etc.
4. Picture of atomic structure and/or picture of element

4. Create Poster
1. Go to www.glogster.com
2. Log in using the nickname/password that you use for your class blog:
sciencestudentabell password: ge0rgesciencea
sciencestudentdbell password: ge0rgescienced
sciencestudentebell password: ge0rgesciencee
3. Follow the instructions to create your poster. You can use their templates and upload your own pictures. Have fun!! Be sure to include the information indicated in step 3 above.
4. Place the information you collected onto your glog.
5. When complete save and publish.
Click:classic glog
Name of glog: your first name + initial of last name
Category: school
Click: "Private" on right side of screen:
SAVE AND PUBLISH

"What's next?" screen: click link code to copy
Click: Back to profile and then LOG OUT of glogster.

5. Go to your class blog and make a new post. (www.blogger.com--log in)
1. Put your name (first name/last initial) in the title. Put the information indicated in step 1 above. Be sure to type everything I have typed in step 1 and then add your information after the headings.
2. Type the word poster after the information and press the link button. Paste the glog code into the pop up box which will hyperlink the word “poster” to your poster.
3. Publish post.

6. If you'd like to see the format I want you to use, check out Bernie's Post.

Bernie

Name of Element and Symbol
Atomic Number:
Mass Number:
Melting Point:
Boiling Point:
Normal Phase:
Element Family:
Name of Discover/Date of Discovery:

Poster

Renee L.

Mood-boosting Drugs Make Unhappy Fish

From http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/

Author not mentioned

Antidepressants, drugs usually used to help people feel better, are excreted in urine. When the water is cleaned to be put back into the natural bodies of water, the drugs are not cleaned out. These drugs are being unintentionally put into the streams near the cleaning facilities that fish live in, giving them unnatural and sluggish results. Some of these results are slower reaction time to catch prey and run from predators. It's even causing some fish to make an egg protein normally made only by females. The drugs that make you happier do not seem to work for the fish.

Effects of Antidepressants on Certain Fish (hanging vertical in the water)

I thought it was a good article because it explained everything well. It was a topic I understood and enjoyed reading about. I didn't feel confused when I was going through it. It's writing was also well-organized. When I found out that the drugs that could turn people that suffer from depression happier again also make the fish less responsive, I was surprised to hear that it was switched. I was also very surprised when I found out that when they cleaned the water, they did not clean the drugs out. I would really like to know what they are planning on doing about the problem. Also, they only tested certain drugs on certain fish. I want to know about more drugs effects on different fish, or if it's the same for all species. Overall, I enjoyed my article.

Margaret P

"Methane discovery could mean life on Mars"
By Azadeh Ansari
CNN News

The possibility that there is life on Mars has reached a higher level. There is methane that scientists have come across in Mars's atmosphere.

I liked this article because it was very informing and interesting to read. I was surprised to hear that there is even a possibility of life on any other planet than Earth! I learned that methane is a carbon atom with four atoms of hydrogen attached to it. I would like to know if there are any other discoveries that scientists have made about Mars. And I would like to know if methane has been found on any other planets.

Jacob H

Even Monkeys Know Which Rock Will Break The Toughest Nut

Discover Magazine

In previous studies scientist have seen that the Kapuchin monkey has the ability to use the tools it can find around it. In a recent study it has been confirmed that the Kapuchin monkey also has the ability to choose its tool to fit the scenario and the monkey will pick the heaviest rock it can find to break nutshells.

I liked this article because I thought it was well written and provided good information. This article surprised me because I had no clue that any other animal had the ability to use tools and these monkeys must be very smart to be able do that. I would like to know what other kinds of tools this animal might be able to use and whether or not any other animals can do this.

Tripp K

Global Warming

Scientist have descovered that antarticas temperature has rose dromatitcal in the recent decades do to global warming. The costels were predicated to warm but not at this rate and an area of the contiguous untied states in the interior has warmed drastically. Scientist did not expect this so soon “the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is more vulnerable [to warming] than we had previously thought,” says Drew Shindell. They are not sure the interior continent has warmed this much they have the latest satellites and some of the top scientist in the world trying to explain this. They have found that the eastern side of the island that covers about three quarters of the continent has only had an increase of .1 degree C. it might be because that it has a higher elevation. If everyone can work together we can maybe slow down global warming


Reflection: I really like this article because I think it is really important to stop global warming so that our future generations have a nice planet to call home. I believe that everyone can change the world a little bit at a time and by recycling and conserving energy we can all do our part.

Parys Z.

Study Finds New Evidence of Warming in Antarctica.
By: Kenneth Chang
The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/science/earth/22climate.html?_r=1&ref=science

Antarctica is warming up, especially in the peninsula that goes toward South America. The break up of ice shelves is one aspect contributing to the warming of Antarctica. "We now see warming in all 7 continents" said Eric J. Steig. Scientist think that increased green house gases are also affecting the warming of the continents. From 1957 to 2006, it has been shown that, every decade Antarctica's temperture has rose by 0.2 degrees fahrenheit. Mny scientist are noticing the increase in temperature in Antarctica and in other continents.

Katie P.

"Scientists Map DNA of Prehistoric Animal." by Azadeh Ansari. CNN News 

Scientists at Penn State University have discovered the genetic code of the wooly mammoth and say the might be able to re-create it. This discovery will help scientists find a way to protect animals from extinction.

I think this article is interesting because it is amazing how far  scientist have come if they are able to re-create an extinct animal. I think it's important that have found away to maybe prevent a certain species from extinction.  It was surprising that one strand of  DNA could hold so much information. I would like to know how the mammoths became extinct and what would happen if scientists actually re-created a wooly mammoth. Would they be able to survive in the hotter climates? What if global warming makes it impossible for them to live on earth and  would it be worth it if they weren't able to live?

Shaun L.

"Coloring the Mice to Trace a Potential Virus"

By: Henry Fountain

The New York Times

This article was about mice that carry a disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and how they transmit it. Havtavirus pulmonary syndrome is a virus that humans get and is a potentially lethal throat infection, and can only be spread by mice to humans. The mice were dusted with Day-Glo talcum powder and then released into the wild. Researchers would capture other mice and by shinning a light on them could tell if they've come in contact with the powdered mice.

I found this article really interesting because I'd never heard of this disease nor had I heard about the mice. It surprised me that by just being around the mice you can possibly get hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. I'd like to know how many mice they found were in contact with the powdered ones, and if the study was effective.

turtles

Breanna B.

Saving Seeds

(click the title for link)

In New York City, scientists on a farm are saving seeds for the future. By putting these seeds in a dormant state called suspended animation, scientists can put the seeds in a safe place and use them in the future when they are needed. This farm, Greenbelt Native Plant Center, strives to save species that may one day be near extinct. How long the seeds stay in this dormant state depends totally on the species. While some only last to 30 years, others can remain in suspended animation for 10,000 years. Seeds of Success, the organization behind this plan. So far, the efforts have paid off because they have collected over 3,000 species of plant seeds. I suppose scientists of the future will find out if saving seeds really works.

Reflection:
I believe this plan will work effectively. This article gave me a great idea of what their plan is and how they are making it happen. I thought it was interesting that you can save plant seeds for so long. I would like to know in approximately what time period they plan on using the seeds.

Morgan H.

Article-"Body Clocks"
Author-Emily Sohn
Site-Science News for Kids

Scientists have done recent studies on when the human body knows to eat and sleep. Scientists have done an experiment on humans by monitering their eating and sleeping habits to see when they ate and slept and what caused this. They have found that the body has a main "clock" in the brain and also has many other "clocks" for things like eating and sleeping. They also found that when these internal "clocks" were changed, by changing a persons daily rutine, that some slept during the day and ate at night. When this happened the level of a molocule called "leptin" (which makes you feel full) went down and people ate more. This may be a leading cause in childhood obesity because children in america on average either stay up late whatching T.V or they are students studying for a test. This can also happen happen to adults is they work a night shift or have a young child and have a different rutine then normal. Scientists have just scratched the surface on these patterens that are vital to a healthy life.

Reflection:
A.) I liked this article very much because it gives a brief summary on why everyones sleeping and eating patterens are different and I have always wondered why that is. I also liked it because it was not hard to understand so I did not have to wonder what things ment or why these things happened.
B.) What surprised me in this article was that the body has more then one "clock". I thought that the body just had one main "clock" in the brain and really it has one for eating, sleeping, and other body functions.
C.) My question for the article is how many "clocks" specificly does the body have? I would also like to know more about these "clocks" and the details on how they work.

Ashley L

Growing Taste for Reef Fish Sends Their Numbers Sinking

"The Coral Triangle"

The high demand for fish in Asia is causing a decrease in many reef populations. Fishing is the main concern for the decrease in population, because there is uncontrolled fishing and high demand for live groupers for the international live fish trade. For many years Hong Kong has been the epicenter of the live fish trade, and the trade has been expanding over the past few years, because the the coral triangle has many species of exotic fish.

Tripp J

Global Warming
Wensday, 21 April. The New York Times.

The United Nations claimed as of Feb. 2, 2007, that human activity has "very likely' been adding to the temperature chang that has been occuring over the last 50 years. Scientific evidence proves that the release of green house gases from cars and burning forests are the main cause in Earths rising temperatures. The Supreme Court made its first global warming related desision when former Vice President Al Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth", won an Oscar.
Former Vice President Al Gore

Refection:
I thought that this article was informative and easy to read.
I did not know that global warming has been occuring for over 50 years.

I would also like to know what the Supreme Courts decision was.

Tucker F

"A clean getaway." Dina Fine Maron. December 3, 2008. Science News For Kids.

Recent studies show that the use of "Oxy" cleaners might cause forensic tests for blood stains to be useless. These Oxy cleaners use tons of oxygen to clean the stains. This causes the hemoglobin in the blood to get all the oxygen it needs, making it impossible for detectives to detect blood at a crime scene.

I thought this article was very interesting. I was surprised to find out that these over-the-counter oxy cleaners could actually help a criminal cover up a crime. I would like to know if forensic investigators have ever seen this be done before and if so, how many times.

Lindsay E

My article is Ear Pain, Weight Gain. I found it on Science News for Kids. It was put up on September 17, 2008. My article tells about how kids with more frequent ear infections are more likely to gain weight. The ear infection messes up a nerve in your ear wich is connected to your tounge and that makes the people want more fatty foods.

I thought this article was VERY interesting becuase who would ever think something like an ear infection would effect your weight! It surprised me becuase there is a nerve in your tounge connected all the way to your ear!! It's also hard to believe that something you get so younge (by three years of age) will affect your weight your whole life! I would like to know really how BIG of an impact the ear infections will have on your weight. Will it make you weigh a lot more then you should, or just a little? All of that I can find out by just looking it up.

Katelyn M.

"Scientists to solve astronomicle riddle using Galileo DNA" Yahoo News.

Italian scienctists are looking into examining Galileo's DNA to explain some history of science. They believe they could also explain some of Galileo's mistakes, due to his genetic blindness, that he began to experience while he was studying the skies. Also, in order to better get a grasp on Galileo's descriptions, they have built a telescope identicle to the one that he used.

Reflection:
I liked this article because it is about scientists looking into the past to make new discoveries, instead of always looking into the future. In this article it surprised me that the scientists are actually aloud to take some of Galileo's DNA. I would like to learn more about why scientists have just begun this now, and not thought to do this earlier.

Bernie

"Penguin Population Plummets." National Geographic World.
November 2001. Science Resource Center.

Penguin populations have declined dramatically in the last ten
years; at this rate, there is a danger that penguins will become
extinct in the next several decades. This article discusses
penguin facts, how climate has played a role, and what scientists
and conservationists are trying to do to help reverse the trend.

John R.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/09/08/Futureofgaming/index.html

"The Future of Gaming Is All In Our Minds" Mike Steerne CNN news.
Have you ever wanted to be inserted in a video game. To experience first hand what it's like to kill a dragon, to drive a Mario Kart, to fight and fly like Iron Man, or to be a super acrobat like a Mirror's Edge game? Well soon you might be able to. With current technological knowledge and a little time, technology seen in movies like The Matrix are all to possible. Gamers will be able to control video games with the tiny spurts of energy sent by our brain. These energy spurts will signal the game to do whatever we want. This article can give you all the information if you want to learn more. I'm very happy Mrs. George assigned this fun and exciting assignment to brighten up our lives.
Reflection:
I liked this article because it provided a lot of information, was enjoyable and enlightening, and I couldn't help but follow along. It reminded me of a science class. I also liked how it was about a topic I could relate to. I would, however, like to know more about the science of how the brain waves make the game do something. The science, that's what I care about.

I like Tacos.

Japanese person holding an EPOC headset, the first brain activated controller.

Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to develop your ability to read and write about science.


The assignment:

You will find an science related article that is interesting to you. It can be about any topic, not just whatever we are studying in class. Then you will write a report which has these three parts:

1) Citation: Here you will put the name of the article, the author, and where you found it (for example, the New York Times or Science News for Kids).

2) A brief summary: Here you will summarize the article in one or two sentences. This is to give your readers (including me) a sense of what you have read.

3) Reflection: This is the biggest part of your report. I am interested in your response to the article. Please address the following questions in your reflection:

a) What did you think about the article? Did you like it or not? Why?
b) What interested you or surprised you about the article?
c) What questions do you have about what you read? What would you like to know more about what you’ve read?