Scientific Literacy with Ms. Ghazarian 2012-2013: December 2012

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Edheads Interactive - The Compound Machine

http://www.edheads.org/activities/odd_machine/index.shtml

When the Nose No Longer Knows

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/12/pollution-can-endanger-aquatic-animals-by-damaging-their-sense-of-smell/

Clown fish raised in acidified waters don’t respond properly to smells.

For example, they swim toward the scent of a predator instead of away from it.

Credit: Simon Foale, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

An Unbreakable Touch Screen for Your Phone

Brought to you by: Izzy

http://news.discovery.com/tech/an-unbreakable-touch-screen-for-your-phone.html

Photo: Nature Nanotechnology/Sukang Bae

Threatened Coral Get Fishy Rescue

Brought to you by: Emilynne

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/12/threatened-coral-get-fishy-rescue/

When toxic seaweed (green at right) gets too close to a type of coral (yellow structure), this fish, a broad-barred goby (Gobiodon histrio), responds to a distress signal sent by the coral and nibbles the seaweed away.

Credit: Danielle Dixson

Forget Mars, NASA Probe Finds Ice and Organics on Mercury!

Brought to you by: Sophia

http://blogs.discovery.com/inscider/2012/11/nasa-mercury-announcement.html

Parasites Use Sophisticated Biochemistry to Take Over Their Hosts

Brought to you by: Mr. Brennan

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/11/science/parasites-use-sophisticated-biochemistry-to-take-over-their-hosts.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

Biogeoscience

When infected by thorny-headed worms (the orange spot), gammarids swim toward light. At the water's surface they become easy prey for birds, the next creature the worm needs to infect to complete its life cycle.

DNA Mutation Diseases

Brought to you by: Jahan

http://www.exploredna.co.uk/dna-mutation-diseases.html

The Claim: Vinegar Can Remedy Jellyfish Stings

Brought to you by: Bianca

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/health/14real.html?_r=1&

Leif Parsons

Monday, December 3, 2012

The Blood Typing Game -Interactive

http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/bloodtypinggame/

What happens if you get a blood transfusion with the wrong blood type? Even though a patient's own blood type is the first choice for blood transfusions, it's not always available at the blood bank. Try to save some patients' lives and learn about human blood types!

NASA- Beyond 2012: Why the World Won't End

Brought to you by: Mr. Brennan

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html

A 'Blue Marble' image of the Earth taken from the Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Suomi NPP satellite. This composite image uses a number of swaths of the Earth's surface taken on January 4, 2012.

Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring

By A Whisker

Brought to you by: Grace C.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/09/by-a-whisker/

Ten times more nerve endings surround a seal whisker than a rat whisker. Scientists believe whiskers help seals make smart choices when hunting in the wild.

Credit: Fastily/Wikimedia Commons

Cancer Cells Self-Destruct in Blind Mole Rats

Brought to you by: Emilynne

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/346267/description/Cancer_cells_self-destruct_in_blind_mole_rats

Blind mole rats fight cancer by killing off cells in a messy type of cellular suicide known as necrosis.

Credit: Courtesy of Andrei Seluanov

Trunk In Cheek, Elephant Mimics Korean

Brought to by: Emilynne

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/346259/description/Trunk_in_cheek,_elephant_mimics_Korean

An Asian elephant named Koshik in a South Korean zoo has managed to mimic the sounds of human words, though there is no evidence he uses the sounds with any grasp of what they mean.

Credit: KIM JAE-HWAN/AFP/Getty Images