The purpose of this assignment is to develop your ability to read and write about science.
The assignment:
Each week 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?
Click here to find tons of science articles.
Your report is due Friday here on the blog.
The Orange Shagamuffins
15 years ago
Posts
19 comments:
Autism and Vaccines: Why Bad Logic Trumps Science
By Benjamin Radford
http://www.livescience.com/health/080905-bad-autism.html
This article is about how many people, think that childhood autism can and has been caused by vaccines like ones to prevent measles, mumps and rubella EST. Its explains that from a study by Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health Center for Infection and Immunity shows the theory of getting childhood autism from a vaccine is not true, the reason being that children getting autism AFTER getting a vaccine is not the same as them getting autism because they got a vaccine.
I thought the article was very interesting in the sense of that there is a big difference between what you assume happened and what really happened. That also reminds me how imaginary the human brain can be.
I still wonder exactly how they tested this theory. I would think they would do something seeing how the brain is processing how a kid could get autism but that is just a guess. I also wonder if they tested this theory naturally over time or did many other experiments to get the same results as if they tested it naturally.
In conclusion, I don’t think you will be seeing, Warning: may cause autism on any vaccine labels any time soon.
Screaming for Ice Cream
Emily Sohn, Science News for Kids Aug. 10, 2005
Reviewed by Milky Milk
This article was about how to make delicious ice cream, the process involved and how billions of dollars are spent by consumers to buy it.
I thought the article was interesting because it explained what manufacturers have to go through to make the best ice cream possible. I was also surprised to read that it’s almost impossible to make a tasty low fat ice cream because the fat in the ice cream is what makes a smooth texture, which adds to the good flavor.
I wasn’t that surprised that so much money is spent on ice cream each year because I know a lot of people love eating it. What I found interesting was that 15-20 percent of air is put into ice cream to give it the right texture and taste. This is a chemical balance, so manufacturers have to use scientist to make their product tasty and flavorful.
What surprised me the most was the poll taken and discussed in their chart:
Ice Cream Facts: The 15 Most Popular Flavors
16. Vanilla, 29%
17. Chocolate, 8.9%
18. Butter pecan, 5.3%
19. Strawberry, 5.3%
20. Neapolitan, 4.2%
21. Chocolate chip, 3.9%
22. French vanilla, 3.8%
23. Cookies and cream, 3.6%
24. Vanilla fudge ripple, 2.6%
25. Praline pecan, 1.7%
26. Cherry, 1.6%
27. Chocolate almond, 1.6%
28. Coffee, 1.6%
29. Rocky road, 1.5%
30. Chocolate marshmallow, 1.3%
All others, 23.7%
Source: International Ice Cream Association
I thought chocolate would have been the favorite flavor since so many people like it and it’s so sweet. But instead vanilla came in first, for some odd reason. Not what I expected! Especially since so many kids eat ice cream and we eat sweeter things, like chocolate all the time.
I would like to know how they came up with ice cream to begin with. I’m not sure how they got the name “ice cream” either for this product. Was it one person or a group of people that got together to name this treat? Was it created by accident or did somebody make it on purpose?
Screaming for Ice Cream
Emily Sohn, Science News for Kids Aug. 10, 2005
Reviewed by Milky Milk
This article was about how to make delicious ice cream, the process involved and how billions of dollars are spent by consumers to buy it.
I thought the article was interesting because it explained what manufacturers have to go through to make the best ice cream possible. I was also surprised to read that it’s almost impossible to make a tasty low fat ice cream because the fat in the ice cream is what makes a smooth texture, which adds to the good flavor.
I wasn’t that surprised that so much money is spent on ice cream each year because I know a lot of people love eating it. What I found interesting was that 15-20 percent of air is put into ice cream to give it the right texture and taste. This is a chemical balance, so manufacturers have to use scientist to make their product tasty and flavorful.
What surprised me the most was the poll taken and discussed in their chart:
Ice Cream Facts: The 15 Most Popular Flavors
16. Vanilla, 29%
17. Chocolate, 8.9%
18. Butter pecan, 5.3%
19. Strawberry, 5.3%
20. Neapolitan, 4.2%
21. Chocolate chip, 3.9%
22. French vanilla, 3.8%
23. Cookies and cream, 3.6%
24. Vanilla fudge ripple, 2.6%
25. Praline pecan, 1.7%
26. Cherry, 1.6%
27. Chocolate almond, 1.6%
28. Coffee, 1.6%
29. Rocky road, 1.5%
30. Chocolate marshmallow, 1.3%
All others, 23.7%
Source: International Ice Cream Association
I thought chocolate would have been the favorite flavor since so many people like it and it’s so sweet. But instead vanilla came in first, for some odd reason. Not what I expected! Especially since so many kids eat ice cream and we eat sweeter things, like chocolate all the time.
I would like to know how they came up with ice cream to begin with. I’m not sure how they got the name “ice cream” either for this product. Was it one person or a group of people that got together to name this treat? Was it created by accident or did somebody make it on purpose?
Ear Pain, Weight Gain (science news for kids) September 17, 2008 Author:?
This article was about how people who frequently have ear infections in there child-hood, and need medication for them, could be at risk for obesity as an adult. This is because, for some reason, kids who have this medicine end up craving fatty and sugary foods once they get older. Also, scientists have found that kids who have serious ear infections have a different sense of taste, resulting in major cravings of foods that are not good for you, and after a while of eating bad food, you will eventually become obese.
I really liked this article, because it was interesting that ear infections, or health problems as a child could result in more health problems as an adult. I wonder if there are anymore things that are related to each other that we don’t know about yet… It surprised me that kids who have ear infections might have a slight different sense of taste compared to kids with out, I wonder why that is? I also want to know how scientists find things like this out… ? My theory is that when adults go to the doctor, and they are overweight, the doctor use the evidence of the patients past visits to find out that they got ear infections as a child.
Ear pain, weight gain
Found on:Sceince News For Kids.
Author: Unkown
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20080917/Note1.asp
The article is about how kids who get frequant severe ear infections usally get obease when they are older. I thought it was a very odd thing to research about but I liked. I thought they presented the imformation very well, and they told us their hypothseis. Then they did many experiments to test their hypothesis. Finally they made a good conclusion. That is one of the only reasons why I liked the article, bt it was also very intresting and I think they put alot of work into that article. Which makes me think, they understood it, wrote about and that is was very easy to understand.
The only question I have for this article is: Are they trying to figure out a way to prevent this? If so, How? I would like to know how they came to this cocllusion and I would like to know more about the nerves they talked about.
9/17/08
Citation:
Independent Review set on F.B.I. Anthrax Inquiry
By Eric Lichtblau
NY Times: Science
Summary:
F.B.I. defends their investigation into the anthrax attacks in 2001. The F.B.I. will undertake an independent review of the investigation.
Reflection:
I did not like this article because I thought it was boring and I did not understand this article. I was surprised that there was an anthrax attack through the mail. My questions after reading this article are, how many people were killed, what is anthrax and how did the F.B.I. prevent the anthrax from spreading and killing a lot more people. I would like to know more on why did they send the anthrax in the mail and did the F.B.I. catch all the people who sent the anthrax.
Would you open your mail?????
Rensselaer Researchers Experiment With Solar Underwater Robots
by Rensselaer's Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041212081548.htm
THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT A RIVER NET PROJECT AT LAKE GEORGE, NY. IT IS ABOUT SENSING DEVICES, WATER MOTORING ROBOTS, ALSO SOLAR POWERAD AUTO UNDERWATER VEHICLES. TO FIND DETECTIONS OF CHEMICALS AND BIOLOGICALS TRENDS THAT MAY GUIDE MANAGENT AND IMPROVMENT OF WATER QUALITYS.
THE PART THAT I LIKE THE MOST IS WHEN I SAW THIS PICTURE OF A SOLAR BOAT THAT CAN FLOAT AROUND. WHEN I READ THAT THEY WERE DOING THIS TO FIND CHEMICALS THAT SOUNDED COOL TO ME.
THE QUESTIONS I WOULD ASK IS HOW FUN IT MUST BE TO KNOW THAT YOU MAYBE CREATING SOMETHUING EVERYONE MAY HAVE SOON.
BY STEWIE213!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tony stewart newyork times "a maybe planet orbiting its maybe sun"
astronimers from the universidy of tronto say it is the first sunlike planet. the picture on the website was taken last spring by the 270-inch diamiter gemini north teliscpoe on hawaii's mauna kea.
*i thought that the artical was really goog and its cool that its 7 to 12times as massive as jupiter
*that there is a star that looks the same as the sunand is simular to the sun. there was so much detail of what they found and where they found it.
*i would like to know if this star could be a chunk that came off the sun when a meteor hit the sun.
To me, it’s amazing,” Dr. Clark said. People wouldn’t think of going out of New York harbor to see whales.
Of course, scientists knew that whales were passing by somewhere off New York. The endangered northern right whales migrate between New England and Florida each year, but scientists did not know if the migration route hugged the coastline or if the whales took the straight-line route from Rhode Island to Cape Hattaras via the deep ocean. There has been a real gap in our knowledge, Dr. Clark said.
The Cornell researchers and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation collaborated on a project that placed three recorders 13 miles from the harbor and seven more off Fire Island from March to June.
Dr. Clark put the data on the computer and started listening.
It was like, bingo, we’ve got whales Dr. Clark said.
Not just a few, either. Right whales were migrating past the microphones during all three months. Not just right whales, either. Humpbacks were also passing by, and fin whales appear to be residing in the area. “We basically have fin whale singers basically 24/7 off New York Harbor. Dr. Clark said. “That was a surprise.
The researchers also heard blue whales, minke whales and sei whales.
Dr. Clark said he hoped that decisions about shipping traffic would take the whales into account. Late last month, the microphones went back into the water for another batch of recordings that will continue through February.
hi me again sorry i dident tell you the name or who doctor clark was....
Not too far out from New York Harbor, whales sing.
Christopher W. Clark, director of the bioacoustics research program at Cornell.
The article that I am doing is another myth busters one. And it was called cars can fly. First they thought it was not going to work that they could put a car in the air using water presure. But they thought it was to dangerous. so they made a small version of the of a car using 6 small hose. And they put the water on and the car went up in the air. So they decided to do the real thing using a small compact car with firehose attach. It did not work because they realize the car was to heavy. So they remove the engine in the car. They were ready they had 6fire truck with all the hose attach to the car. They attach the firehose with pipes and then attack the firehose on the pipe that they place around the car. They were all set the more presure they use the car went a little high. They realize how much water they were losing so they remove three pipe from the car. And just add more presure on the other pipe and the car went up in the air. It was so cool to watch. So the men decide that U2 videos work.
The chemistry of sleeplessness
Unknown author
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20080917/Note2.asp
This article is about sleep deprivation. It talks about a chemical of your brain called dopamine that keeps you awake when you’re tired.
I thought the article was interesting because I like to stay up late, and I wanted to know how the brain functions in response to staying up all night. I did enjoy reading it because know I know more about how the brain operates when you don’t get enough sleep. I was surprised when I read about the different reactions people have to sleep deprivation. In the article it says that some people can react normally even when they haven’t had enough sleep, while others’ reflexes slow down a lot making it almost impossible to concentrate. I had no idea that dopamine could be such an important component to staying awake. In the article it mentions that they tested out how a bunch of different people reacted to sleep deprivation. I would like to know more about each person that was tested and the reactions each person had. I’d also like to learn more about the dopamine levels of different people, and I’d even like to see how I react to, sleep deprivation.
What is Turf Toe?
By Russell Warren, Scientific American
www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-turf-toe
This article is about how football players get turf toe, a injury in the big toe that ails many big name football players.
I really liked this article. I liked it because I am playing modofied football, and concernd that if I get turf toe, I will be sidlined for a week or two and unable to play. What surprised me about the article, is that there are many ways to get turf toe. I thought there was only one, when you peel your big toe nail back a little and it inflames the tissue. There are actually four ways you can get turf toe. The only questions I have now are how can you prevent turf toe, if possible, and why, if its bad enough, must a player get surgery? Otherwise the article was quite satisfying.
“Near New York Harbor, the Song of Whales” by Kenneth Chang New York Times September 17, 2008
This article is about whales communicating to each other a short distance outside of New York Harbor. Scientists placed recorders underwater near the New York Harbor and Fire Island. The recorders detected a lot of whale sounds.
One reason I liked the article is because I like sea life and whales are one of the most fascinating creatures in the sea. I also liked the article because it talks about an area close by where I’ve been. I also liked listening to the recordings of the whale songs that
came with the article.
One of the things that surprised me in this article was that the whales traveled so close to New York City. I thought the water near the city would be too polluted for whales to swim in. I was also surprised to hear how different the sounds of the Fin Whales
and the Northern Right Whales were. They sounded completely different.
I would like to learn more about how whales communicate with
each other and what the different sounds mean.
I think Melky had to go back to the minors to improve. I myself love Melky Cabrera. I think he’s an amazing out fielder but when someone starts to crash like that, well, you got to do what you got to do. I personally don’t like Joe Gerardi as the manager but I think he made a good call. I think this situation has made Melky a better player.
Water Bears Triumph Over Outer Space; NYTimes.com
Tardigrades, nicknamed water bears, are a roly-poly type microscopic organism that have been proven to be able to stay alive in the vacuum of space and stand the ultra-violet rays from the sun in outer space.
I liked this article a lot because I’m interested in space and science and it is very cool that they found an animal that can live in space, if they have nutrients. Water bears can survive along time with out water, but they need nutrients more often then water. Luckily they eat mostly microscopic stuff so NASA won’t have a hard time supporting these bugs
Well it surprised me that any animal can survive in space. I also learned that some lichen and bacteria can survive in space. Another thing I found interesting is that the ultra violet rays from the sun are 1000 times more intense in space.
Questions
1. What if humans found how the water bears can survive in space and can find a way to make humans that way?
2. How do space suits protect humans in outer space from the ultra violet light and the vacuum in space?
3. What will they do with these organisms now that they figured they can live in space?
Fast-Food Could Betray Criminals.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7617142.stm
This article is about police now being able to detect corrosion on metal by fingertip sweat. The saltier your diet is the clearer your fingerprint is. (This can only work with/on metal). They were able to solve four cases with this technique. A Northampton shire police man is the one who developed the myth. His name is Dr. John Bond. He told a reporter, "On the basis that processed foods tend to be high in salt as a preservative, the body needs to excrete excess salt which comes out as sweat through the pores in our fingers.” The fingerprints could be wiped away by high temperatures.
I thought this article was really cool to read about because I probably wouldn’t have known about this if I didn’t read the article.
I liked this article because it was interesting to read and wasn’t boring. Also I learned cool thing about science and everyone has probably left their sweaty fingerprints on metal before.
This article surprised and interested me when I read the first line because I never heard of it before. The first sentence was, “Police can now detect corrosion left on metal by finger-tip sweat -the saltier the diet, the more the metal corrodes.”
Some questions I have about this article are how they figured this out. Wouldn’t they get mixed up with all the fingerprints when solving a case? (They might pick the wrong persons fingerprint or the some fingerprints might be on top of each other and get mixed up.) How do they see the fingerprints? I would like to know more about how they saw the fingerprints and how they can identify each one.
I read an article from the New York Times written febuary 15 this year. It was about a women named Bernann McKunney who's loved pit bull named Booger. Booger saved Bernann's life from another dog that attack her and she couldnt live without Booger. Therefore she offered 150,000 dollars to South Korean scientists to clone her dog.
I disagree that cloning is the right answer is to clone an animal. I understand that pets can be the most important thing in the world to some people but it isn't fair to other dogs. There are thousands of dogs dogs in the U.S. alone that are either homeless or are in a shelter. Even though McKunney's dog may have saved her life, any dog would if given the oppertunity risk there own lives for there master (Even a Chihuahua).
Some people may think that they would spend 150,000 to bring back their dog with a shorter life span. I just think it is an extreme waste of money and that their pet died because its life was overand it was to rest in peace.
A Maybe Planet, Orbiting Its Maybe Sun
By Dennis Overbye.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/science/space/18planet.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
This article was about a possible new planet orbiting a star like the sun. I thought this article was interesting because there might be other species living on that planet that we don’t yet know about. It would be really amazing to discover them and learn about them.
I would like to investigate this planet as soon as we can. I would like to see what might be on that planet. I liked this article because it’s about something new, something that we could discover. Maybe some of their people could come here and some of us could go there!
This article got me interested. It got me interested because I want to know if that other planet is like ours. Is it more developed than ours, or more underdeveloped than ours? Are there people on that planet? Any new species or plants? Are there any living things on that planet? What would we name it? Do they already have a name?
This really surprised me that there might be another planet that might have living creatures on it. I am really curious to know the answer!
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