Remember prezi due Friday!

Some important names to consider:  Aristotle, Plato, Galileo, Kepler, Copernicus, Einstein, Hubble.  You should definitely reference them and there contributions.  This article might also be of assistance.

Biocentrism

Interesting post about biocentrism.  A discussion of this cosmology would be a good place to conclude your current prezi assignment.  The discussion should address the human ways of interpreting the natural world from prehistory to present.

All that hype won't sell electric cars

From the article:

Moving more drivers to battery-powered or hybrid cars would require one or more of the following to take place, J.D. Power's report says:

• A big increase in global petroleum prices.
• Major technological breakthroughs that would reduce the costs of hybrid and electric cars
• Government policies to encourage consumers to buy electric.

So as usual, the media seizes upon a story, the overhypes but undersells.  

Sign me up!

Amazing article on the future of manned space travel.  Actually, I'd hold out for the trip to Europa!

New assignment

During the second quarter, we will be looking more closely at the interaction between science and religion (I do still expect a science blog for each day we are in class).   We will look at how society defines science and religion, how these concepts can conflict, and where they overlap.

For today, first you need to blog.  Then visit this site, sign up, and view the tutorials.  I would also like for you hit the "explore" tab and look at some examples of the work of others.

You will creating a prezi comparing historic and prevailing views of science and religion on each of the following subjects:

1. Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design:  Due Nov. 5
2. Physics and Cosmology:  Due Nov. 19
3. Theology and Philosophy:  Due Dec. 10

Week of October 11, 2010

This week was eventful as we ended our first quarter of the school year.  Eighth graders took their second exam while 6th graders took their first astronomy exam.  The eighth graders are also starting to talk about science fair and the scientific method, and have a worksheet pack on observation, inference, and predicting to finish over the long weekend.  Sixth graders have no homework.

Seventh grade is studying protists and fungi and were assigned a project modeling protists that is due on Monday.

Enjoy your long weekend!

Weekend assignment

Today I found this interesting article on  the resurgence (sort of) of GIFs - graphics interchange format.  Your assignment for the weekend is to make a science related animation in GIF.  You can do so for free at this website.  If you can, post your GIF on your blog by Monday, October 18.

The Science of Homosexuality

On Friday we will be discussing what science and Judaism have to say regarding homosexuality.  In preparation, please read this series of articles.

http://www.livescience.com/health/070320_bad_homosexuality.html

http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/index.php?url=&cat=gayanimals

http://www.livescience.com/health/060224_gay_genes.html

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1925

http://www.godandscience.org/evolution/genetics_of_homosexuality.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/01/homosexuality-genetics-usa

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111843.php

http://www.dowling.edu/faculty/perring/wheelan.htm

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/courses/genomics/2002/pierce/gaygene.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080628205430.htm

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/assault/genetics/nyreview.html

Gaming links

What makes a video game "good?"  Here are some opinions.

Role of key genetic catalyst for human diversity discovered

Role of key genetic catalyst for human diversity discovered

The evolution of evolution. It seems likely that some highly successful mammals (humans, mice, rats, canines) have evolved higher rates of diversification in order to evolve more quickly (successfully).

Game-building links

Your classwork/homework is to research game design at the following links:

http://www.stormthecastle.com/mainpages/videogametutorial/how_to_make_a_video_game.htm

http://freeartsoftware.com/game-making-software.htm

http://www.make-video-games.com/

http://www.yoyogames.com/make

GCC News

As is often the case nowadays, there's lots of global climate change news coming out and none of it is encouraging.  From acidification of the Mediterranean to the decline of horseshoe crabs, the worlds oceans seem to be poised to take it on the chin.  At least former global warming skeptics are starting to pay attention.

Bug with bifocals baffles biologists

Bug with bifocals baffles biologists

Just about everything we can "invented" has already been done, usually better, somewhere amongst living things. In fact bacteria invented the wheel millions of years before we did. Arthropods invented communal living and division of labor millions of years before we did. Birds, bats, and insects all invented flight millions of years before we did.

It's a new school year!

Time to crank up the blog and welcome students from my Contemporary Issues in Science class.

Over the summer I read (most of) An Ancestor's Tale.  What an amazing book.  Although Dawkin's outspoken atheism can be off-putting, his command of zoology, genetics, and evolutionary theory deserve acclaim.

In other news, new fossils push back the origin of animal life even further - 650 million years.  As I've said before, advances in technology always seem to push the dates further back into our planet's history.  The dates rarely come forward.  The antiquity of "life" continues to astound.

Experimental explanation of supercooling: Why water does not freeze in the clouds

Experimental explanation of supercooling: Why water does not freeze in the clouds

The fact that we still don't know everything about water (or gravity or light for that matter) never ceases to amaze me.

Researchers create 'sound bullets': Highly focused acoustic pulses could be used as sonic scalpels and more

Researchers create 'sound bullets': Highly focused acoustic pulses could be used as sonic scalpels and more

Very cool research. We are starting a unit on sound in 8th grade now. Students will be making their own instruments and describing the physics of how sound is created. I'll have them read and write a response to this article.

"Betting on Change"

Capitalism in its purest form is politically deaf.  Good capitalists will make money regardless of what happens.  I think many parallels can be drawn between the competition that drives evolution and the competition that drives capitalism.

Global temperatures push March 2010 to hottest March on record

Global temperatures push March 2010 to hottest March on record

Been awhile since blog update. Lots going on with climate debate. Here's the latest. Climategate aside, there's definitely legitimate reason for concern.

Dogs likely originated in the Middle East, new genetic data indicate

Dogs likely originated in the Middle East, new genetic data indicate

More dog genetics. Fascinating.

"In dogs, however, one gene that is responsible for differences in size accounts for more than 50 percent of the variation in body size, Wayne said. A small number of genes, he said, have been moved around in dogs to create the appearance of amazing diversity."

Lizard moms choose the right genes for the right gender offspring

Lizard moms choose the right genes for the right gender offspring

To me this strengthens the idea introduce by Dawkins that organisms are essentially vessels for genes. Gene perpetuation is the driving force, the "purpose," of life.

Chilean earthquake moved entire city 10 feet west, shifted other parts of South America

Chilean earthquake moved entire city 10 feet west, shifted other parts of South America

The power of the earth is an amazing thing!

Unselfish molecules may have helped give birth to the genetic material of life

Unselfish molecules may have helped give birth to the genetic material of life

Long time since last entry - lots going on with end of quarter! Just rented and watched Ben Stein's Expelled. What a disaster! However, he does bring up the perplexing problem of biogenesis. Perhaps is happened as a result of these kinds of "midwife molecules." Perhaps not.

The comforting thing about science is its fluidity. It is always moving towards resolutions and answers to our fundamental questions.

Waking the dead: Scientists reconstruct nuclear genome of extinct human being

Waking the dead: Scientists reconstruct nuclear genome of extinct human being

The reconstruction serves as blueprint that scientists can use to give a description of how the pre-historic Greenlander, Inuk, looked -- including his tendency to baldness, dry earwax, brown eyes, dark skin, the blood type A+, shovel-shaped front teeth, and that he was genetically adapted to cold temperatures, and to what extend he was predisposed to certain illnesses.

Five years ago this kind of genetic blue-printing was science fiction. Where will it lead?

Climate 'tipping points' may arrive without warning, says top forecaster

Climate 'tipping points' may arrive without warning, says top forecaster

More great news on the climate front. We may never have known what hit us. The worry is that things that we know are happening like

"the complete disappearance of Arctic sea ice in summer, leading to drastic changes in ocean circulation and climate patterns across the whole Northern Hemisphere; acceleration of ice loss from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, .........and ocean acidification from carbon dioxide absorption"

could possibly serve as tipping points that would lead to the disruption of current climate and the world that we know and depend upon. I happen to be one of those who believe that the process has already been set in motion and likely has too much inertia to stop. Only time will tell.

Cool Sperm pictures!

Sperm swim with the help of a proton channel recently identified by scientists. The proton channel Hv1 (shown here in green) is abundant on the tails, or flagella, of human sperm. DNA (blue) and power-producing mitochondria (red) are also shown.

Like escape artists, rotifers elude enemies by drying up and -- poof! -- they are gone with the wind

Like escape artists, rotifers elude enemies by drying up and -- poof! -- they are gone with the wind

"These animals are essentially playing an evolutionary game of hide and seek," said Sherman. "They can drift on the wind to colonize parasite-free habitat patches where they reproduce rapidly and depart again before their enemies catch up. This effectively enables them to evade biotic enemies without sex, using mechanisms that no other known animals can duplicate."

No need for sex. They have an adaptation that has worked exceedingly well for 30 million years. The point is genetic perseverance and nature is conservative.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Evolution impacts environment: Fundamental shift in how biologists perceive relationship between evolution and ecology

Evolution impacts environment: Fundamental shift in how biologists perceive relationship between evolution and ecology

More strands added to web of life. Organisms and their local ecosystems are intricately enmeshed, one influencing the other. No real surprise here!

Last ancestor humans shared with worms had sophisticated brain, microRNAs show

Last ancestor humans shared with worms had sophisticated brain, microRNAs show

"By looking at where in the body different microRNAs evolved, we can build a picture of ancestors for which we have no fossils, and uncover traits that fossils simply cannot show us."

Fascinating research. The mutations that gave these ancestral worms sophisticated brains helped them flourish and pass those genes down the line to every vertebrate. If I were going to choose a different career in science, molecular paleontology would be awfully tempting. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

'Broad spectrum' antiviral fights multitude of viruses

'Broad spectrum' antiviral fights multitude of viruses

This has the potential to be a REALLY big deal. Imagine a single drug that could kill ebola, HIV, hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever virus and yellow fever viruses. This would be as important to society as the development of penicillin or the polio vaccine. And think of the implications for places like sub-Saharan Africa!

Atoms and Molecules: Using magnetic toys as inspiration, researchers tease out structures of self-assembled clusters

Atoms and Molecules: Using magnetic toys as inspiration, researchers tease out structures of self-assembled clusters

"Most people are familiar with entropy as a measure of 'disorder', but the most useful definition of entropy is simply the number of different ways a bunch of particles can arrange themselves."

My understanding of molecular physics is not very sophisticated. I find this fascinating nonetheless. We're always working towards a fundamental understanding of how the world works.

Running barefoot blunts foot's force

“From an evolutionary perspective, it’s normal and, if done properly, it is very fun and comfortable. We evolved to run barefoot.”

Duh!

Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense Earth's magnetic field

Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense Earth's magnetic field

"Because the butterfly Cry2 protein is closely related to the one in vertebrates, like that found in birds which use the Earth's magnetic field to aid migration," states Dr. Reppert, "the finding provides the first genetic evidence that a vertebrate-like Cry can function as a magnetoreceptor."

So it's possible that the ability of monarchs and birds to orient themselves during migration are a result of convergent evolution and that the adaptations allowing them to do so originate from the same gene or group of genes. Amazing.

RIP Roving Rover :0(

In bats and whales, convergence in echolocation ability runs deep

In bats and whales, convergence in echolocation ability runs deep

"The natural world is full of examples of species that have evolved similar characteristics independently, such as the tusks of elephants and walruses," said Stephen Rossiter of the University of London, an author on one of the studies. "However, it is generally assumed that most of these so-called convergent traits have arisen by different genes or different mutations. Our study shows that a complex trait -- echolocation -- has in fact evolved by identical genetic changes in bats and dolphins."

Another example of what I like to call the "singularity of life." Amazingly, the incredible diversity of life on this planet is all based upon the same genetic underpinnings. Every single organism that we know of, from bacteria to bonobos, uses DNA as the blueprint for function and development. The DNA of every organism is composed of two sugar-phosphate "backbones" joined by four chemical bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine) to form a double helix. It's as if the music of life were composed using jjust four notes. The same four notes yield algae, alligators, and arthropods. Amazing.

Nature is conservative. Energy is precious and not wasted. Adaptations that work are not lightly discarded. So strategies that work pop up again and again, in organisms that are related really only in the respect that they both have DNA. Cephalopods and vertebrates evolved spectacular optical organs (there is still much debate as to whether the eye evolved just once or on many different occasions - my bet is on multiple occasions). Bats and birds both fly. Bats and dolphins both echolocate. It remains to be seen whether all instances of convergence share specific groups of genes in similar fashion to the echolocation described in this article, but we can be assured we haven't heard the last of this subject.

Apple vs. Obama

Which is more important: politics or technology? An excellent article spanning all the ways that cutting-edge technologies are affecting our lives both as Americans and as global citizens. Saletan is one one of my favorite science journalists.

Frozen light stays fresh longer

Light, water, and gravity are the three of the most fascinating (and confounding) physical science topics. As long as we've been studying them and as important as they are to life as we know it, it always surprises me how little we know about them and how much mystery surrounds them.

Bat echolocation: 3-D imaging differentiates how various bats generate biosonar signals

Bat echolocation: 3-D imaging differentiates how various bats generate biosonar signals

It's surprising to learn that bats can echolocate in different ways. First of all, not all bats echolocate, some are frugivorous, some are nectarivores. This article focuses on the use of micro-CT 3d imaging do differentiate physiological different between bats that use tongue clicks to echolocate and those that are physiologically adapted to practice laryngeal echolocation. Amazingly, it is now suspected that the use of echolocation has evolved more than once in bats. Bats that echolocate are not necessarily closely related to one another. Just another example of the singularity of life.

The Next Big Quake? | Foreign Policy

The Next Big Quake? | Foreign Policy



The effects of a 6.5 earthquake at the New Madrid fault are seen above. Numerals are based on the Mercalli scale. The effects in KC would be as follows:

Felt indoors by many people, outdoors by few people during the day. At night, some awakened. Dishes, windows, doors disturbed; walls make cracking sound. Sensation like heavy truck striking building. Standing motor cars rock noticeably. Dishes and windows rattle alarmingly.

However, the fault is capable of producing much larger earthquakes, and has done so in the past. One can just imagine the effects that a large (>7.5 on Richter scale) earthquake would have on Memphis and St. Louis. There are close to 4 million people in the greater metropolitan areas of those two cities combined.

Some mouse sperm can identify, and even cooperate with, its brethren

Some mouse sperm can identify, and even cooperate with, its brethren

This is crazy! Apparently in some promiscuous species of deer mice, sperm from the same male can recognize and cluster together. Theoretically this increases the chance of that male's sperm fertilizing the egg. Since only one sperm cell fertilizes the eggs, the rest are exhibiting altruistic behavior, you know "taking one for the team."

Promiscuity can be a selective force in evolution, as evidenced by this study on the evolutionary origin human penis morphology. Interesting stuff.

FOXNews.com - EyePoppers: The Best Science Photos of the Week - Slide 1 of 60

FOXNews.com - EyePoppers: The Best Science Photos of the Week - Slide 1 of 60

Posted using ShareThis

Arches National Park in 3d

A fantastic 360 degree look beneath Double Arch!

Last Decade Was Warmest on Record, 2009 One of Warmest Years, NASA Research Finds

"The contiguous 48 states cover only 1.5 percent of the world area, so the United States' temperature does not affect the global temperature much," Hansen said."

Global warming skeptics (especially those with political bias) are quick to remark on how cool the past year was in the United States. As indicated by the quote, though, the US represents a small fraction of the temperature values in the world. Here is what the article says about the cooler than normal temps in the US:

"High air pressures from the Arctic decreased the east-west flow of the jet stream, while increasing its tendency to blow from north to south. The result was an unusual effect that caused frigid air from the Arctic to rush into North America and warmer mid-latitude air to shift toward the north. This left North America cooler than normal, while the Arctic was warmer than normal."

At the risk of oversimplifying, I suppose it's possible that warming in the arctic is responsible for cooler temps in the US given that high air pressures can result from fair weather. I find climate science fascinating in the same way that all science fascinates me: the more we know, it seems the less we know. Each answer to a question poses a multitude of other questions. It can be mind numbing to the general public, especially when politicians attempt to make policy using science (I find politicians as a group to be some of the most scientifically illiterate and ignorant).

When I talk to my students about climate change, I advice them that the scientific consensus is clear: global warming is a real phenomena. However, the long-term effects of global warming are essentially unknown. Science can make predictions. It can't tell the future. Most of our climate predictions are based upon computer modeling and right now computer models don't deal with clouds very well. If we can't model clouds, we can't reliably model climate.

Canine evolution

More research into canine evolution:

"a Collie has a skull shape that is more different from that of a Pekingese than the skull shape of the cat is from that of a walrus."

Essentially, human selection has created a higher diversity in skull morphology within canine than millions of years of natural selection created in the order Carnivora. Genes are amazing in their plasticity and in their perseverance.

New theory on the origin of primates

New theory on the origin of primates

This theory proposes plate tectonics as a major factor in the divergence of primate species.

"Divergence between strepsirrhines (lemurs and lorises) and haplorhines (tarsiers and anthropoids) is correlated with intense volcanic activity on the Lebombo Monocline in Africa about 180 million years ago. The lemurs of Madagascar diverged from their African relatives with the opening of the Mozambique Channel (160 million years ago), while New and Old World monkeys diverged with the opening of the Atlantic about 120 million years ago."

This study would seem to support the theory of punctuated equilibrium. Adaptation acquisition (genetic or behavioral) requires a forcing mechanism. That is, adaptation doesn't occur in the absence of some stressing factor (competition, climate change, geographic separation, etc.) It seems likely to me that competition and predation, for instance, provides for a constant stressor as a mechanism for a more gradual evolutio (think elk and wolves or trees competing for sunlight in a rain forest). In addition, there are catastrophic evolutionary events (continents colliding or separating) that give rise to an evolutionary history that is more punctuated in nature.

It's tempting to think that evolution is analogous to technological advancement, the improvement of a design through constant trial and error, becoming more sophisticated through time. I try to teach my students otherwise, though. We tend to think of the most sophisticated animals as the most "highly evolved." Primates, marine mammals, and orchids are highly sophisticated. I teach that biological sophistication is not the goal of evolution. The goal of evolution is the persistence of genes through time, and success is measured by the ability of genes to perpetuate.

One of my favorite examples of the is the tapeworm. Its hard to argue that tapeworms are physiologically sophisticated and yet they are very highly evolved. Especially when you consider their evolutionary history with humans.

Science in Avatar

I saw Avatar on Christmas Eve. I now know that I was probably feverish and in the midst of contracting walking pneumonia when I saw it so my recollections are a bit hazy. I did geek out on the science aspects of the movie though. The creation of an entirely novel world must be exhilarating given today's CGI technology.

In many ways, the organisms of Pandora exhibit the kind of shared genetic ancestry that I have been thinking a lot about while working my way through Dawkins' The Ancestor's Tale. Lots of blue organisms, organisms that light up, flighted reptilian thingys, animals breathing through their chests, predator/prey relationships, etc. Most of this fictitious biology seems well thought out. Somehow the Na'vi are bipedal humanoids that breath through their flattened noses, though. Somehow, a hexapedal blue cat woman that breathes through her chest would not be as cool, I guess

The physics of the movie seem a little less believable, however. What's up with the floating rock islands?

Dog genome researchers track paw prints of selective breeding

Dog genome researchers track paw prints of selective breeding

More evidence of shared genetic history. Genes in the same location on mouse, human, and dog genomes have similar functions. Mutations in these genes yield similar phenotypic results. A mutation of a gene involved in skin appearance gives the shar-pei wrinkly skin. A mutation in that same gene in humans yields excessively wrinkly skin. Fascinating.

The "evolution" of dog breeds provides an interesting study of evolutionary concepts. It's amazing to think how much breeds have diverged in 10,000 years, while maintaining their cohesion as a single species. A Great Dane and a chihuahua are the same species! That means they can reproduce and yield viable offspring.

Different breeds come from selective breeding of dogs by humans for certain traits. These traits allowed dog to specific jobs. Having worked in a pet store, I can say that more people need to pay attention to the history of their favorite breed before purchasing a puppy. Australian cattle dogs are cute, but make poor pets for city-dwellers because they were bred to be on the move herding every day. When I was in middle school, my family helped round up and brand calves on a ranch in norther New Mexico. The ranch had a pair of ACD's named Ding and Dong that helped herd. Watching those dogs do their job was a pleasure - they were all business. I think the same can be said for watching for watching any herding, working or hunting breed do its job.

However, to achieve consistent breed characteristics (coat length, coat thickness, pointing, tracking, size, temperament, etc., etc.) dogs have to be inbred. This means fathers bred to daughters, mothers to sons, brothers to sisters, etc. This process emphasizes and accentuates both positive and negative genetic characteristics. This is why purebred dogs have higher incidences of genetic disorders and predispositions toward certain health problems (hip displasia, eye problems, etc.)

That's all for now. I love thinking about domestic animals and evolution (as did Darwin, by the way) so I'll talk more about this in the future, I'm sure.

Heart animations

Today we dissected sheep hearts in my 6th grade science class. I promised the students I would post links to some of the heart animations that I showed them. Here is a good narrated animation that moves slowly and identifies all the basic chambers, valves, veins and arteries. This is simplifies two dimensional animation depicting blood movement through the heart. And finally this is a fantastic 3d animation that allows you to choose the level of transparency while providing views from multiple perspectives. Some really fantastic animations that demonstrate what an amazing organ the heart really is!

The future of food

This article reminds of the science fiction series Chung Kuo by author David Wingrove. I wonder what PETA thinks about growing meat in a dish. You are what you eat? Garbage in, garbage out?

LOL

Earthquake in Haiti