Science in the News 1.5

Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Nature can, selectively, buffer human-caused global warming, say scientists.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 February 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140202111055.htm>.

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Johns Hopkins University in the US and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center find that Nature can effectively counter the warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Their research yielded that as greenhouse gases trap sunlight, the temperatures on Earth increase, which leads to increased water vapor in the atmosphere. This water vapor, in turn, causes precipitation, which actually helps cool the Earth, slightly decreasing the impact of Global Warming.

What does this mean for us? It means that global warming isn’t as horrible as we previously thought. Since the warming effects of the Greenhouse Gases is partially reversed by water vapor from the Oceans, then the forecasted end of the world may actually be much further away than previously thought. This means that there is more than enough time for people to find alternate energy sources that emit less greenhouse gases, which means a brighter future for mankind.

I think that this a good piece of news. This means that there will actually be a future for humanity, and that pollution and global warming probably won’t cause the end of the world.

Popplet on Chemical Bonding

Click Here to see the Popplet

Science in the News 1.4

Scoles, Sarah. “Exoplanets Underestimated?.” Astronomy 41.10 (2013): 10.MAS Ultra – School Edition. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.

Recent studies have revealed that exoplanets, or extrasolar planets – that is, planets that lie out of the solar system – are much larger than previously anticipated. According to a presentation at the 222nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Indianapolis on June 4th, planets outside of the solar system have had their sizes greatly miscalculated. More than a quarter of these exoplanets by a margin of up to 35%, which means that more than 250 of all 1000 exoplanets currently known to man are 35% larger (and much hotter) than previously known.

What does this mean to the rest of us? This means that the possibility of there being an earth-like exoplanet, and by extension a life-harboring planet, has been greatly decreased. This ‘fattening up’ of stars, though not denying the existence of life-sustaining planets in the observable universe, means that scientists and astronomers will have to search harder and much longer if they wish to find life in the universe.

Although leaving me slightly disappointed, this piece of news has educated me and the whole scientific community on the real value of life. The fact that no intelligent life has yet been found anywhere in the observable universe other than in Earth is a message to humans. Although this implies that we are alone in the observable universe, or at least in the solar system, this means that life (and, by definition, us) is much more special and valuable than previously thought. Although this means that it is now much less probable for life-sustaining planets to exist, we are now that much more valuable, special, and unique.

Link

JJ Thomson

Science In the News 1.3

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130905142817.htm

Scientists Confirm Existence of Largest Single Volcano On Earth

On September 5, 2013, A University of Houston professor led a team of scientists to uncover the largest individual volcano on Earth. Covering an area equivalent to the state of New Mexico,  Tamu Massif is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes of Mars, which places it among the largest in the Solar System.

William Sager, the professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston, first began studying the volcano about 20 years ago at Texas A&M’s College of Geosciences. Located nearly 1,000 miles east of Japan, Tamu Massif is the largest feature of an underwater mountain range named Shatsky Rise. Formed 130-145 million years ago, this mountain range that holds the largest shield volcano on Earth, which stands today as one of the largest volcanoes in the solar system.

Science in the News 1.2

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130822122759.htm

An article in sciencedaily.com titled Mending a Broken Heart? Scientists Transform Non-Beating Human Cells Into Heart-Muscle Cells narrates the recent discovery of an algorithm to revert the transformation of heart cells into scar tissue cells that occurs during a heart attack. The article is a manifestation that has resulted from the extremely arduous, yet fruitful stem cell research conducted during the recent years.

This discovery is a breakthrough in stem cell research, which could eventually lead to widespread usage of stem cells in medicine to cure patients that have suffered from a stroke, saving countless patients’ lives. This could cause human lives to last longer, which could eventually lead to an indefinite extension of human life. Eternal human lives would mean no need for further reproduction, and allow the brightest to live forever and be ever more productive.

Link

Measurement Prezi

Chemistry

Science in the News 1.1

“How Sleep Helps Brain Learn Motor Skills”

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130820185657.htm

Scientists have known for some time that sleep (REM sleep, to be specific) helps the brain consolidate what it has learned. However, recent studies have revealed to scientists the possibility that sleep may not only help the brain consolidate what it learned during the course of the day, but also aids the brain in the attaining of motor skills, such as playing the piano and typing.

It appears that brain scans provide the brain with the ability to play the piano beautifully if the player decides to sleep directly after taking a piano lessons. Those that took tests that involved finger tapping abilities directly after sleeping, even if it was only a few hours, showed incredible speed and accuracy. After much testing, this characteristic of sleep has been attributed to fast sigma and delta brainwave oscillations in the Supplementary Motor Area in the middle top portion of the brain.

Despite being a tiny piece of the puzzle that is our brains, this is yet another step towards human understanding of the brain, and of the seemingly endless benefits of sleep.

If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn’t.