8th Grade LE - Period 8 Weekly Science Article Report #10

December 2006
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December 11th, 2006 · 66 Comments
LE - Period 8

Here we are, back doing weekly science article reports.

This week, be sure to include what you said you would work on in last week’s assignment. Please continue to pay attention to your spelling and grammar.

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66 responses so far ↓

1 FuNkYy MoNkEy // Dec 12, 2006 at 2:24 pm

The article that I picked is called “Eating Troubles” written by Emily Sohn. I found this article at http://sciencenewsforkids.com/articles/20060208/Feature1.asp

This ariticle is mainly about the different kinds of troubles people have because of how much they eat, whether it is to much or not enough. Scientists mentioned how obesity, anerexia, and bulimia both have very servere health consequences. One of the things scientists have discovered is that eating disorders such as anerexia and bulimia can be genetic. Also scientists said that media has a huge impact on how people feel about themselves. Eating disorders are a lot more common in women then they are in men. Eating disorders affect 10 million girls and women and only 1 million men in the United States.

I really really liked this article. I thought that it was really interesting especially since it was mostly about teenagers, so I could really connect with the article. I really liked how Emily Sohn wrote this article. I thought that all the information was really interesting and I liked the topics that she picked to write about. I thought a really interesting fact was that when televison was intoduced in the Fiji islands that the percent of people with eating disorders went up because of the images that are shown on t.v. I wonder if eating disorders really are genetic?
2 I've been caught LEFT handed! // Dec 12, 2006 at 7:23 pm

Weekly Science Article #10
Title: Opening a Channel for Tasting Salt
Author: Emily Sohn ☺
Web Site: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20030709
/Note2.asp
Summery:
This article is about how scientists experimented with fruit flies to see why humans like salt so much. They took the fruit flies because they found new genes in the insect that makes them like salt. They planned to study why fruit flies like salt so much so they could figure out why we like it so much.
Reflection:
This article was really weird. It’s like they were comparing us to fruit flies. I chose this article because I myself am really obsessed with salt!! ALL of my friends try to get me to stop eating it. But in this article it said all cells need salt to survive. I also know from my own knowledge that too much of something can be bad for you.
This article confused me in some ways and in others made me think. What confused me was I didn’t really know if are genes were like fruit flies or not. It didn’t explain much, the article also never proved it’s point, all it said at the end was: “Even if scientists don’t yet know exactly how people detect salt, it’s pretty clear that French fries, potato chips, popcorn, and other salty snacks have a natural appeal.”
All it says is we are one step closer to finding a solution to our salt addictions.
Why aren’t they using a mammal like a monkey instead of an insect? Don’t we evolve from monkeys?
3 Vote Jon // Dec 13, 2006 at 4:07 pm

Citation: This article is called A Classroom of the mind and it’s written by Emily Sohn. I found my article at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.com.

Summary: This article is about how kids with ADHD which a common disorder where kids have very short attention spans. ADHD is a more servere case of it but most of the time kids show symptoms of it. Scientists created a virtual reality helmet that when you put it on it stimulates a real classroom. The scientists use this for testing kids who have ADHD and kids who don’t and compare the results. Some scientists think that the helmet might help kids focus more in class.

Reflection: I really liked this article because it was something that many people can relate to. It was interesting because Emily Sohn describes how the scientists test kids with an experiment they do. The kids sit in front of a computer and every time an “A” shows up and then a “X” follows it, the kid has to press the space bar. The scientists were shocked how low the scores were for the kids with ADHD compared to the scores of the kids without it. I think the helmet would be really useful if they put it in classrooms or in homes. I think its really cool that a virtual reality helmet can actually feel like you’re in school and that you can actually learn from it. I really wish that Emily Sohn would put in some information about what the helmet is like when you put it on and what you learn from it. That would be cool if instead of getting out of bed every morning that you could just stay in bed and all you have to do is put the helmet on and you are at school!
4 Vote Jon // Dec 13, 2006 at 4:14 pm

Funky Monkey–
I really liked your article. I have always heard that anerexia and bulimia have been impacted by the media but I never knew it was hereitary. And I knew that eating disorders have been more common with women than woth men but I didn’t know that so many girls have an eating disorder. Good job.
5 Vote Jon // Dec 13, 2006 at 4:17 pm

I’ve Been Cought Left Handed–
I agree with you that it’s weird how scientists are comparing us with fruit flies. I wonder why? What do fruit flies have to do with our atration to salt? That must be a really weird article. Good job.
6 Silverwolf // Dec 13, 2006 at 4:45 pm

Knowing the Ingredients Can Change the Taste
By Benedict Carey
NY Times December 12, 2006

Summary: This article was about how people taste different things when they know what’s in it and what’s not. Leonard Lee conducted an experiment on this subject. He got 388 people to do a blind test and a test in which they new what was in their beers. In the tests Lee put Balsamic vinegar in one of the two drinks of each person. In the blind test almost all of the testers liked the one with the ‘secret ingredient’ more than the one that was not changed; but when they knew what was in their beer, 1/3 of the testers preferred regular beer. Lee did yet another test to see if some people’s opinions changed if they tasted the beer then found out what was in the two beers. They had the same results as the blind test.

Reflection: I thought that this article was very interesting and informative and I think that it needs no changing. I never would have guessed that knowing the ingredients to drinks could alter your opinion of the drink. This article was neither too long nor too short. It was fun to read because it wasn’t pointed necessarily toward adults but not too much like a 2nd grade teacher talking to a 7 year old either.
7 Jamie // Dec 13, 2006 at 4:54 pm

Bright Blooms that Glow
written by Emily Sohn
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20050921/Note2.asp
This article is about how Flowers are affected by light. Flowers get their color according to how they absorb light. But some plants absorb ultra violet light, which at night, gives off a green glow. A special kind of flower that gives of the ultra violet light is the four-o-clocks. This flower, and a few others, owe their glowing to a unique color pigment called bettaxanthins, which emit yellowish-green light. Some scientist believe that the glow could help the flowers attract bees.
I think this is an unsolved mystery. Because for everything nature does, there has to be a purpose. I’ve always wondered how bees could tell when a flower needed pollen. This would be a good explanation.
8 Jamie // Dec 13, 2006 at 4:55 pm

I think its really cool that so far all the articles are by emily sohn. because she writes such good articles.
9 lizardboy93 // Dec 13, 2006 at 6:02 pm

The Website for this article is,
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061213/Note3.asp
A Tongue and a Half
By, E.Sohn
Reflection
This is an article about a small South American bat. No, it’s not one of those bats you play baseball with; it’s a bat, the animal, with a lot ff tongue in its mouth!
This small South American bat has a tongue that is 1.5 times the size of its body length. The bat’s tongue sets a record for the longest mammal tongue in relation to body size. Nathan Muchhala of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., discovered this interesting bat in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador. He named it Anoura fistulata. This particular bat feasts on pollen grains of a pale-green, trumpet-shaped flower called Centropogon nigricans. These flowers are about as deep as A. fistulata’s tongue is long, and nectar collects at the bottom of each flower’s tube.
Summary
I would like to learn more about this fascinating bat. The article was sooooo good I wanted to keep reading it when the article was finished! The article left me with so many questions. Do they act like regular bats? Is that all they eat? Do they live in caves, trees, and holes in the ground? And many more. I thought the article was great, but it could have been a little bit longer.
10 FuNkYy MoNkEy // Dec 13, 2006 at 7:45 pm

Jamie:
I always knew that flowers were affected by light since that is where they get their food and energy, but I never knew about flowers that actually glow. What is the big difference between regular sunlight and ultra-violet light that would make the flowers that use ultra-violet light glow? I want to see a flower that glows.
11 FuNkYy MoNkEy // Dec 13, 2006 at 7:49 pm

Lizardboy934:
I really liked your article and response to it. I think that it is so cool and interesting how a bat or any animal can have such a long tongue since humans tongues are not even a quarter of the length of our face. Isn’t the article that you picked one of the ones Emily Sohn talked about?
12 FuNkYy MoNkEy // Dec 13, 2006 at 7:54 pm

Vote John:
I really liked your article because I have always wanted to learn more about ADHD since I know people who have it. I liked the idea of having a helmet that can help kids and I think it is a great idea, but think about it who is going to wear a helmet during class? I think it would be a big distraction. That might even be worse then having a bad hair day. =)
13 FuNkYy MoNkEy // Dec 13, 2006 at 7:55 pm

I agree with Jamie, it is cool that all of the articles are written by Emily Sohn.
14 Vote Jon // Dec 14, 2006 at 3:44 pm

Lizardboy–
I really liked your article because I have always wanted to know more about bats. I think that they are really cool so I found your article really interesting. I also wanted to read it since Emily Sohn came in and talked about and I think it’s really weird how that bat can have such a long tounge!
15 Buddy // Dec 14, 2006 at 4:20 pm

Back to the Moon
By: Emily Sohn
From: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061213/Note2.asp

This article was about how NASA is going to build a base on the moon in 2020. The project should be completed in 2024. NASA talked with more than 1,000 engineers and scientist to come up with a plan for the new base on the moon. They decide to build one base instead of a few different ones. The article also tells how long one astronaut will stay on the moon, starting at one week and eventually six months. A really interesting fact was that the area that they are planning on building the base gets 75 to 80 percent of sunlight. Therefore they could possibly use this sunlight to run the base with solar power. There is also a dark region nearby with water ice and other natural resources that could fuel the operations. At the base they could also set up radio telescopes and huge, specially constructed visible-light telescopes with liquid mirrors. The article also says that this base could be use as a training center and launching base for missions to Mars.
I really liked this article. I thought it was really amazing that they could possibly use sunlight to run the base with solar power. Two years ago I went to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. What I learned there really helped me to understand this article. When the article explained about solar power and other space concepts I understood what it meant. Emily Sohn really explained everything well and this article it was easy to understand.
16 iamnotjosh // Dec 14, 2006 at 7:46 pm

Red Apes In Danger

By Emily Sohn

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.com

This article is about how Red Apes are in dangerd and how we could help them.

I think it is bad what is happening to the apes. In twenty years the population went down from 20,000 to 5,000! There population lost 15,000 apes. Also scientists said that over 200 years the Apes population has gone down 90%! Scientists say this is the first time they had a endangerd problem with apes. Also they say that extinction is a real possibility right now. Survays say that these animals will wipe out in the next 50 years if we dont help them.
17 chattychicka // Dec 14, 2006 at 8:19 pm

Earliest Flying Mammal Discovered
No Author Listed
Published 12/13/06

Summary: This article is about how a new discovery shows that flying mammals existed at least 70 million years earlier than scientists had thought. This discovery occurred due to the uncovering of a fossil in China. This fossil showed the bones of Volaticotherium Antiquus, an animal that is said to have “belonged to a now extinct ancestral line not related to modern day flying mammals.” The rock beds the fossil was found in “date to at least 125 million years ago in the Mesozoic Era, a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.” Volaticotherium Antiquus is believed to have been “tree-dwelling, nocturnal and, because of its sharp teeth, most likely feasted on a diet of insects.” The new discovery makes Volaticotherium Antiquus believed to be the earliest known flying mammal. Dr. Jin Meng said that he believed Volaticotherium Antiquus could have lived between 130 and 165 million years ago. The earliest known flying bird, Archaeopteryx, is dated to have lived about 150 million years ago. This could mean that mammals were the first animals to flirt with “air travel” rather then birds.

Reflection: This discovery is really amazing. I hope this discovery can lead to many more discoveries about that time period. I hope they pay close attention to the mammal and really consider all aspects of the discovery. I believe that it is very cool that these scientists could try and challenge a previous hypothesis and try and go deeper. This also proves that all results scientific discoveries are not set in stone, and that the scientific community has to be open to change. I also love how the article describes how they found out how old Volaticotherium Antiquus was. The way they found out kind of reminds me of a detective: how they have to find all of the clues to prove their hypothesis or idea. Overall, this article was well written and informative. It was a little bit more challenging then the Science News For Kids articles, and was a little longer too.
18 chattychicka // Dec 14, 2006 at 8:22 pm

Sorry! I forgot a part of my report:

found at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6176061.stm
19 chattychicka // Dec 14, 2006 at 8:36 pm

Comment for Silverwolf: I think that article was really interesting! It shows that people shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. It is also sad that people aren’t more outgoing and they should feel free to experiment. I wonder what would happen if they did this with a food rather than a drink. I also wonder why Leonard Lee surveyed 388 people rather then rounding it up to 400. I am also puzzled at how he came up with the experiment.
20 chattychicka // Dec 14, 2006 at 8:43 pm

Comment for Jamie: Wow! That is really cool! Maybe, we could produce a lot of plants around particular buildings that need light at night, and then actually use them for lights! Maybe, somehow, we could use this information to help create better light bulbs. We should really use this information to our benefit to help society. Then maybe we can try polluting the earth less by creating less power in harmful ways.
21 clark // Dec 14, 2006 at 8:58 pm

Weekly Science Article Report #10

The article I used is called “Back to the Moon” by Emily Sohn on December 13, 2006 (which was yesterday). I found the article at sciencenewsforkids.com

Back to the Moon is a very cool article explaining how NASA has been planning to make a base on the moon. According to their plans, they should be done by 2024 in 18 years! NASA seems to already have it all planned out neatly. It is going to be built on a part of the moon where the sun hits it 75 to 80 percent of the time, so solar power could be used to run the base.

I thought that the article was AWSOME!!!!!! Having a base on the moon would be so cool, and it would be really useful for research. The only problem is that by 2024, a moon base might not be a big deal. What I am trying to say by that is that greater technology will be out by 2024, and their might be easier ways to find the research by then. The article could have been a bit longer, but other than that, the article was excellent. I rate the article with a 9 out of 10!
22 clark // Dec 14, 2006 at 9:15 pm

Here’s a comment for lizardboy93,
I was going to read that article! It seemed really interesting, and from the way you described it I am guessing that it was. Now I am wishing I had used that article, well theres always next week. Great Article!!!!!
23 clark // Dec 14, 2006 at 9:22 pm

This is a comment for chattychicka,
That is an amazing discovery. I am not even going to attempt to type it or say it though. You wrote a great big article, and you used alot of detail. Great work!
24 clark // Dec 14, 2006 at 9:28 pm

This comment is for Vote Jon,
I really do not mean to hurt anyone, but you could have edited your report a little better (mostly the 1st paragraph). I am sorry! I really liked how you described the article and it was long which is good! Good job!
25 Track // Dec 14, 2006 at 9:34 pm

Schwartz, John. “Spacewalk to Rewire the Space Station Begins.” The New York
Times [New York] 14 Dec. 2006. The New York Times. 14 Dec. 2006. 14
Dec. 2006 . Path:
Science; Article.

This article is about the latest mission to the I.S.S. First, two Astronauts performed a space walk to try and push an old solar array into its container to let a new array open up. The old array jammed, but was closed enough to let the new array work. They then performed a second walk to rewire part of the station. Soon they will make a third walk to finish rewiring the station.

I really like this article because I really like space. I think that space is cool because of how big it is, and how small we are compared to it. I like the times because of the vast amount of article they have, and all the subjects the articles are about. This is my first article that is not from Science News for Kids, thanks to Page Flakes.
26 The music man...Woman!! // Dec 14, 2006 at 10:10 pm

Weekly Science Article #10
This article was called To Catch a Dragonfly written by Emily Sohn. I found this article at Science News for Kids (www.sciencenewsforkids.org ). And the actual site was called http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061213/Feature1.asp .
Summary
This article was about how we are learning so much more about dragon flies than we have ever known. The article said how dragonflies can cover 37 miles in 2 weeks even though they are very small creatures. They fly around really fast, it’s really hard to catch one, and they are quite skinny. The dragonfly population is decreasing, and conversationalists thought that if we killed their predator like the crayfish, we would help them start to become more common. They were wrong. A study was shown that in the spring, at a certain stream, the population of dragonflies (specifically the Hine’s Emeralds) was booming, but when the winter came around, they would all disappear, then suddenly again in the spring, BOOM! Loads of dragonflies. The scientists looked to see if they could find where the dragonflies were hiding, because they could find that they weren’t migrating and found up to 74 dragonflies in several crayfish burrows! The scientists were wrong about killing the crayfishes because then the dragonflies wouldn’t be able to hide.

Reflection
I think that this is actually a really amazing thing. You don’t want to be killed by the cold, so instead you hid yourself in your enemies’ house. It’s a really smart tactic for the dragonflies to use. I’ve also always thought when you see a dragonfly that they were pretty common because we see them all the time over here by the point, but they are actually lessening in numbers. I also didn’t know how fast their reactions are. If the temperatures at night keep decreasing for two days, they start to migrate south. I didn’t know that dragonflies migrated. I didn’t actually know where they went during the winter but I never really considered the option of migrating. Dragonflies seem to be harmless little creatures, yet they cover large amounts of space in a small amount of time (well for a dragonfly). I am curious though how long the lifespan of a dragonfly is. In the article it mentioned that when I dragonfly migrates south, it usually doesn’t return, but its next generation will. Is it because of predator or natural death? Also, I wondered what would happen to the Hine’s Emeralds if they had been forced to migrate because of not enough crayfish burrows. Would they survive? Or might they become a whole different race of dragonflies because they don’t migrate? By reading this article I’ve found out some very interesting things about dragonflies that I wouldn’t have been bothered to ask before but I might now because I’ve learned enough to want to learn more. One small criticism is that in this particular article, I wished there would’ve been some of Emily Sohn’s own opinions on the article. I would’ve liked some ‘feedback’ from her. It was a good article though and I liked it a lot.
27 progress report // Dec 15, 2006 at 8:50 am

Weekly Science Article Report #10
By progress report Week of 12.11.06 Pd.8, Lab day E

Citation:
Title: Earliest flying mammal discovered
Author: BBC (no individual name found)
Published: 2006/12/13 18:14:29 GMT
Found at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6176061.stm

Summary:
A US-Chinese team of paleontologists working in China has clamed to have possibly found a fossil of the earliest flying mammal, which lived at least 125 million years ago – before birds and bats. The mammal is called Volaticotherium antiques (which means “ancient gliding beast”). Paleontologist Dr. Jin Meng says that this creature probably lived from about 130 million to 165 million years ago and belonged to an extinct ancestral line not related to any of today’s current flying groups. The Volaticotherium antiques have a squirrel-sized body and fur. The scientists believe the creatures lived in trees, were nocturnal and, because of their sharp teeth, most likely feasted on insects. The earliest known flying bird, the Archaeopteryx, began existence about 150 million years ago. “This new evidence of gliding flight in early mammals is giving us a dramatically new picture of many of the animals that lived in the age of dinosaurs.”
Reflection:
I thought this is really cool. It opens a new door into this area of study. We seem to find some new organism every week. I know it’s not a bat, but it reminds me more then anything of one. I think the author did an O.K. job but it wasn’t anything special. I wonder what other animals were included in the ancestral line that the Volaticotherium antiques came from. Were there other flying mammals in that family? If there were it would further help us understand more about life before dinosaurs became extinct. I wonder it may also lead to other findings of other extinct species.
28 GuMmi PiGzZ // Dec 15, 2006 at 1:01 pm

Weekly science article # 10
My article: Back to the Moon
Written by Emily Sohn
This Article was about how in 2020 they want to build a base on the moon. Their hoping the base will be up and running by 2024. Since Neil Armstrong no one has set foot on the moon since 1972. NASA has talked with more than 1000 scientist and engineers to figure out a plan for the moon. They have not yet decided where they are putting the moon base but once they do the astronauts will spend a week on the moon at a time. They are thinking of putting the moon base near Shackleton, (the moons south pole.) They like Shackleton because the area gets sunlight 75-80% of the day so the moon base can run on solar power.
I really liked this article because I’ve always been interested in what’s going on in outer space. I think it’s amazing how far we’ve gotten, that we’re building a base on the moon! I’ve always wondered if there’s life beyond the earth, maybe this step will help us figure that out. It’s too bad that their not starting until 2020 but at least their doing it.
GuMmi PiGzZ
29 Track // Dec 17, 2006 at 4:42 pm

Dear Silverwolf,
Your article was verycool. I know people that have not eaten somthing because of what it was, then they went somewhere else and ate the same thing.
30 Track // Dec 17, 2006 at 4:45 pm

Dear Music Man…Woman,
That is so interesting that dragonflies can cover 32 miles in two weeks.
31 Track // Dec 17, 2006 at 4:49 pm

Dear Buddy,
Your article was well written. I think the idea of a base on the moon is really cool.
32 Silverwolf // Dec 17, 2006 at 5:46 pm

Comment to chattychicka,
I think that descovering a new animal could lead to very interesting descoveries. I never new that there were mammals that could fly that lived so long ago. I also think that it is amazing that things that were around so long ago could still have parts of them still around and that we can tell when they lived. I was wondering why the author didn’t sign his name on the article because I have hardly ever seen an unsigned article these days. Good report!
33 Silverwolf // Dec 17, 2006 at 6:00 pm

Comment to clark,
I read that article also but I did not respond to that one. I thought that it would be so much fun to live (for a short while) on the moon! It would be so much fun, even if I had to do some research while I was there. Good work.
34 GuMmi PiGzZ // Dec 17, 2006 at 6:00 pm

This comment is for Funkyy Monkey:
I think so too. That’s a lot of people who suffer from eating disorders. It’s also sad to know alot of people die from it. I recently read a article about a model who died from anorexia/bulimia in a country and now that country has banned models under 16 to help lower the age of eating disorders. There’s also another eating disorder beside’s the ones you’ve listed i think its binge-eating. Good job i really liked it
35 GuMmi PiGzZ // Dec 17, 2006 at 6:03 pm

Comment for i’ve been caught LEFT handed:
I agree that is a really weird article. I myself like salt to, i didn’t know cells needed salt to survive. They talked about how humans like salt so much which is true but i have some friends that hate salt.
36 Silverwolf // Dec 17, 2006 at 6:03 pm

Comment to Jamie,
I think that having glowing plants would be kind of weird. It is interesting that some plants take in ultra violet rays instead of regular light. I had no idea that ultra violet rays could make a flower glow! Cool report!
37 GuMmi PiGzZ // Dec 17, 2006 at 6:05 pm

Comment for Vote Jon:
That’s really cool. I want to try the helmet now! What does ADHD stand for? That would be cool to try one and see what your score is, they should put them in class’s.
38 Buddy // Dec 17, 2006 at 8:17 pm

comment for Clark,
I reported on the same article as you. You wrote yours really well and explained everything. I never thought that by 2024 technology would be so advanced that a base on the moon would not be very affective. maybe it will, maybe it will not. That was a really intresting thought.
39 Buddy // Dec 17, 2006 at 8:25 pm

comment for lizard boy 93,
When I read your article I had a lot of guestions also. That bat sounds really interesting. It is amazing that those bats have such a long toung. I really liked your article.
40 The music man...Woman!! // Dec 17, 2006 at 8:27 pm

This is a comment for clark:
Wow, i would love to live on the moon! it would be awesome, though it might be aggrivating being ‘inside’ all the time seeing as you couldnt just walk out of the station without all the gear. It would still be awsome. Nice report!
41 Buddy // Dec 17, 2006 at 8:33 pm

comment for I’ve been caught LEFT handed,
I thought the same thing when I read your report. Why did they just use a monkey? I liked how you explained everything in the reflction so well.
42 color_coated // Dec 17, 2006 at 8:54 pm

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20030723/Feature1.asp

In the article, “in search of the perfect French fry”, by Emily Sohn, the article talks about how everybody likes their French fries a different way. Also it talks about how scientists are trying to find a way to make French fries healthy.

I’ve always known that French fries are bad for you and I like them a lot. I’m one of the people that like the spicy curly French fries. I never knew how much chemistry is involved on making French fries. I never eat French fries that much and when I do, I deep fry them in oil, otherwise if you cook them in the oven they get soggy and mushy, instead if the crispy fluffy goodness. I never knew that French fries are such a popular veggie, is you could call them that seeing as they lack in nutrients that pre-teens and teenagers need to grow. I think that it is a good idea that scientist are trying to find a healthier way to make French fries.
43 GR1MR34P3R // Dec 17, 2006 at 11:17 pm

This comments for funkey munkey-
I really liked your article because I think its really stange why people eat to feel better or don’t eat at all so tyhery look good. Theirs something called a work out for the over wieght people and theirs certain foods you can eat without getting fatter from eating it for the ones who are anerexic.
44 GR1MR34P3R // Dec 17, 2006 at 11:23 pm

comment for iamnotjosh-
I really liked your article because I really like apes. When I heard that the population of them were going down by thousands I was like oh my god. I think it was interesting and I would like to know a little more about how the population decreased so fast.
45 GR1MR34P3R // Dec 18, 2006 at 12:42 am

comment for color_coated-
I also really like french fries alot I eat them like four times a week so I was really interested in your article. I also know how bad it is for me but until I’m older I don’t really care.
46 progress report // Dec 18, 2006 at 12:46 am

This comment is for Silverwolf,

I can imagine that by knowing something it would change the way your opinion is towards something. I can remember giving my sibling a food with an ingredient she ‘detested’. Apparently not: it was my sister’s favorite thing about it. After I told my sibling what that was, she decided she didn’t like it anymore. “Right, yep, uhuh. Sure, we’ll go with that.”

Also, it’s helpful when the person talking isn’t reaching out to a certain group of people. When I read articles aimed toward adults I feel like I’ve accomplished something, but when it’s an article aimed towards those younger than me. I think it’s just another day in the life of anyone who didn’t really want to think about something (not to say that articles aimed towards younger kids are boring and fact-by-fact). I also wondered what is like for those who haven’t seen or heard what I have (or visa-versa). Here, I’m supposing everyone is at an equal in reading.
47 progress report // Dec 18, 2006 at 12:49 am

This comment is for Vote Jon:

That’s really cool! I don’t know about wearing helmets in school, but I think it would be a lot more interesting if we could take tests like that instead of on papper. Or have a helment (or even eyeglasses) to be our computers. Technology like this can lead to so much.
48 progress report // Dec 18, 2006 at 12:51 am

This comment is for chattychicka:

I read the same article as you did. You got your article from the BBC, right? I recognize the quotes you used.

The earth’s strata layers have different clays that can give you a pretty clear idea of when something happened considering what type of earth it is found in. I always made a footnote that for myself that archeologists were like detectives. That’s what they do. They find out all this information from what’s given to them – like on the TV show, “Cold Case”. All these tiny clues seem to make so huge a difference. From reading what you said, I realized what I found the fact that the HADN’T found evidence of this creature before surprising.

I remember when I stopped reading Science News For Kids articles it seemed like a big step up but I think I was much more fulfilled with articles from The New York Times. I thought it was a change for the better.
49 GR1MR34P3R // Dec 18, 2006 at 12:58 am

comment for lizard boy93-
I really liked your article becuase it is almost like you wrote the article.
I also think that it is fasinating the bat has a tongue that big, thats pretty impessive. i think that the scientists should hed on over to where the bat is and study it better because i would love to hear more about it.
50 GR1MR34P3R // Dec 18, 2006 at 1:05 am

This comment is for I’ve been caught LEFT handed!-
I really liked your article because it was about salt and i LOVE salt!!!
I think it was also interesting how they used those flys to taste the salt then study the flys it was wierd but smart. Why are they called fruit flies id they like salt not fruit?!?!
51 GR1MR34P3R // Dec 18, 2006 at 1:12 am

comment for silverwolf-
I really liked your article because I think it was really clever what that man did to make histheory true. I wouldn’t want to g up to 388 random people and ask them to try something that they have no clue what’s in it. I also am wondering what were some of the people’s reactions to what he was doing.
52 The music man...Woman!! // Dec 18, 2006 at 7:15 am

This comment is for iamnotjosh:
I liked your article. It was bit short but still it was good. wow, 90% of apes went down?? thats crazy! it would be really sad for the apes to leave this earth becasue they aer such amazing creatures.
53 The music man...Woman!! // Dec 18, 2006 at 7:18 am

This comment is for Funky Monkey:
I really like the article you picked and you displayed the information well. i find it kind of crazy that aneorexia can be genetic when it’s a psycological disease. Thats really weird to think about. Nice job!
54 GR1MR34P3R // Dec 18, 2006 at 11:21 am

Snow Traps
Author: Emily Sohn
Founded: Science news for kids
date written: June 7, 2006

Summary

Erica David was 11 years old when she discovered the scientific wonders of snow. Now, when even the biggest blizzards strike her area, she’d rather be out measuring wind gusts than sipping cocoa by a fire. Erica’s projects have dealt with the use of fences and shrubs to control blowing and drifting snow, particularly to deposit snow in suitable locations and to increase water supplies. Erica has always liked playing in the snow, but an encounter with a snow scientist when she was in the sixth grade taught her that snow is more than just fun. Erica’s first challenge was to find a household product that she could use to imitate drifting snow. Last year, Erica scaled up her fence models to test how they would do outdoors in real snow. With her father’s help, she built three 3-foot-tall snow fences, each one with boards of a different thickness. When the weather grew snowy and blustery, she measured wind speeds behind each structure.

Reflection

I think these snow traps are fascinating and very useful and handy. I wish we has them in croton especially where I live because when it snows it’s impossible to go anywhere and that’s a big problem because I hate staying home.
55 wise-weasel // Dec 20, 2006 at 8:16 pm

“RNA Flouts Rules of Heredity” from Discover magazine (January 2007) by Jessica Ruvinsky

This article explains how traits are not only inherited through DNA, but can also be passed down through RNA. This was discovered when a scientist altered a gene in grey mice to give them white spots on the tips of their tails and feet. The mouse’s offspring did not actually inherit this trait in their DNA, but somehow also showed it. The scientist, while trying to figure out how the mouse was able to show the trait, then found unusual amounts of RNA in the mutant parent’s sperm. The scientist then extracted some of this RNA, and injected it into the fetus of an entirely different mouse. Even thought the mouse did not carry the gene for white spots, it still showed the trait. Apparently, this discvery could have many uses in medicine.

I find it extremely interesting that RNA can be partially responsible for the inheritance of traits. I can imagine that with this new discovery, RNA could be used in genetic-engineering and medicine to control the inheritance of traits. I thought that the article was well written but might be difficult to understand if you had no knowledge of genetics. The author made me understand a concept that I would expect to be extremely difficult to explain.
56 wise-weasel // Dec 20, 2006 at 8:21 pm

comment to “progress report”
That fury prehistoric animal sure sounds like a bat to me. It is amazing what scientists are able to discover from so long ago. You wrote a very nice report, and it interested me much.
57 wise-weasel // Dec 20, 2006 at 8:25 pm

comment to “FuNkYy MoNkEy”
It is amazing how many different kinds of eating disorders there are and how many people have problems involving them. I wonder how long ago these eating disorders developed. I would imagine that many of them have to do with media (like your article mentioned).
58 wise-weasel // Dec 20, 2006 at 8:31 pm

comment to “GR1MR34P3R”
I never thought that you could do science when it snowed! Now I am more excited than ever for it to snow! I enjoyed reading your report, but I think that your reflection could use some more information involving how Emily Sohn did in writing the article. I often include in my reflections what I thought about the topic itself, and how I thought the article was written.
59 GR1MR34P3R // Jan 2, 2007 at 11:08 am

Alot of people commented mostly on my summary becaus e my summary was way longer then my reflection. People also really liked the way i wrote it meaning very detailed. When people commented on mine I also noticed that they focused what they were writing on mainly the middle part of my article.
60 sTrAwBeRrYmEnToSz // Jan 2, 2007 at 11:17 am

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.com/articles/20070103/Feature1.asp

January 2, 2007
Emily Sohn
“The Littlest Lemurs”

This article was about the littlest lemurs that are known of the species so far. The primate weighing only 52 grams the little lemur names “Ziggy” was found in Madagascar. To further the experiment the scientists put out traps with banana slices that night (since mouse lemurs are nocturnal). They captured 14 lemurs. To conduct the experiment the scientist Anja Deppe records each lemur’s weight, sex, and eye color. She then places the animal into a clear plastic cage with snakeskin, feathers, or other objects. She uses these particular objects because she’s studying how each lemur reacts to the sights, smells, and sounds of three of its major predators: snakes, owls, and mongooses. Because of the tagging system, she can see whether a certain lemur’s behavior changes over months or years.
I really enjoyed this article. It was really interesting because I love little animals and it’s cool to figure out new things about things that I love. In a way I would love to be a scientist because of the way that they figure new things out. But I’m wayyyyy to lazy =]. I really liked the way Emily Sohn wrote this because she was actually there in the process of the little lemur trapping and I guess in a way it caused her to write a really good article. I liked this article and the way that she wrote it because what girl doesn’t love cute fury animals.
61 sTrAwBeRrYmEnToSz // Jan 2, 2007 at 11:20 am

This comment is to GR1MR34P3R. I really liked this ritcle because it was well written and it helped me learn about snowtraps. I wonder, if Erica David never would’ve thought about the snowtraps would the roads be as safe as they are now?
62 sTrAwBeRrYmEnToSz // Jan 2, 2007 at 11:20 am

This comment is to GR1MR34P3R. I really liked this article because it was well written and it helped me learn about snowtraps. I wonder, if Erica David never would’ve thought about the snowtraps would the roads be as safe as they are now?
63 sTrAwBeRrYmEnToSz // Jan 2, 2007 at 11:24 am

This comment is GuMmi PiGzZ. This is really interesting because I was watching it on the news and in a way it was weird because, wh owants to live on the moon? But then again it’s cool because, WHO WANTS TO LIVE ON THE MOON!! yehahh ..very cool .. whoopty doo(no sarcasm added). I guess I will have to really get the reaction when someone goes out and actually lives there. In a way its a waste of money to me but then again its a way to further the scientific wonders of life on the moon.
64 sTrAwBeRrYmEnToSz // Jan 2, 2007 at 11:27 am

This comment is to FunkYy MonkeYy. I totally understand this article because we talked about it in health. It’s really strange with the whole eating disorder thing because I’m totally against it but you can’t judge a person until your in their shoes. Its just amazing how many people have eating disorders and why they have them.
65 airsoft slinger // Jan 20, 2007 at 10:44 pm

Article: Morphing a wing to save fuel
Date of article: 1/3/07
Author: Emily Sohn
Internet article: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20070103/Note3.asp
When you are flying you love to get the window seat right? Well if you do then you are about to get another magnificent sight to see. The planes nowadays their wings only move to put up wind brakes but at a Michigan-based company called FlexSys they are working on a design of plane that’s wing is flexible and almost all parts of the wing does move. The new kind of wing when it is installed into all of the planes will save fuel and make planes be able to fly longer.
They had had this technology for military jets such a the F-111 but the wings on that plane were not as big so it could have heavier wings but the planes that we fly in as a kind of transportation needs lighter wings because the wings on the planes are to big and the plane cannot hold up the weight. When the wing was being tested in the wind tunnel it withstand 3 times the amount that a normal plane wings needs to take. The wing is light weight because the metal inside the wing is aluminum. The wing works because its metal network responds to forces exerted by a simple system of motors and rods which causes the wing’s edge to curve smoothly either up and down.
I think this is an important invention for are airplanes because we can fly to places without needing as much gas so it saves money and also it is better for are atmisfier.
66 lizardboy93 // Feb 7, 2007 at 6:02 pm

Smiles Turn Away Colds By E.Sohn
SUMMARY
Smile, because there might finally be a cure to the common cold! People who are cheerful and relaxed are less likely to suffer from colds than people with bad attitudes, according to a new study. In a previous study, Cohen and his colleagues put cold-causing viruses into the noses of 334 healthy adults. People who tended to be cheerful and lively were least likely to develop sniffles, coughs, and other cold symptoms. The results they got were interesting, but they didn’t prove that a person’s attitude affects whether he or she gets sick. Instead, it was still possible that a person’s underlying personality is what matters. The CMU team interviewed 193 healthy adults to try to prove this study. The researchers talked to each person over the phone every evening for 2 weeks. During the interviews, participants told the researchers about the positive and negative feelings they had experienced that day. At the end of the interviewing period, people got nose drops that contained either cold or flu viruses. Then, each person stayed in an isolated room for 5 or 6 days. The results showed that everyone in the study was equally likely to get infected. Their symptoms, however, differed depending on the types of emotions that they had reported over the previous 2 weeks.
REFLECTION
I think that it’s great that there might finally be a cure to the common cold. It is one step closer to being a miracle, I mean it would be a miracle, but a little one compared to all of the really bad disease that are still out there. I also think that it could also be very dangerous. I mean, injecting the common cold into someone, that can’t be good!