Response Blog

Recently I read a post from a blogger named Eagles121395 about a disease called Klinefelter Syndrome. This particular disease makes males infertile. Klinefelter Syndrome is caused by an extra sex chromosome. Some of the severe symptoms are pulmonary diseases, germ cell tumors, breast cancer, varicose veins, osteoporosis, diabetes, and arthritis. Sadly, 40% of men die from Klinefelter Syndrome. Luckily, there is Testosterone treatment for those with the disease who want to look more manly. After reading this post I was very sad. Mostly because a lot of the men who have increased breast tissue from this disease have severe depression. Also, because they are infertile so they cannot have children of their own.

phenylketonuria

Phenylketonuria or PKU is autosomal recessive disorder that is caused by mutations in the PAH gene.PKU was dicovered by a Norwegian physician in 1934. Today about one in every 10,000-15,000 newborns have this disease. This condition causes someones body to not handle normal levels of phenyladine which is found in meat, dairy nuts etc.The symptoms of this disease are fair skin and hair, light sensitivity, must oder and eczema. If PKU is left untreated a child will have severe mental retardation. When a child is diagnosed with PKU he/she needs to eat low levels if phenyladine. This means that for the rest of his or her life they would need to not eat meat, chicken, fish, nuts or dairy products. Also, because of lack of phenyladine the patient would need to take supplements and pills daily to live a normal healthy life.

DNA conclusion

Last week we did a lab were we extracted animal and plant DNA. I chose to do animal DNA. First, I swirled blue Gatorade into my mouth for one full minute. Secondly, I spit the drink into a cup and poured the contents into a test tube. Next, I poured liquid soap into the same test tube. After that, I Sealed the test tube and mixed the contents by turning the test tube upside down and right side up six to eight times. Then, I gently poured cooled rubbing alcohol into the mixture by letting it run down the inside of the test tube. At first, I thaught I did something wrong because there were bubbles but the alcohol cleared it right up. After I waited about five minutes I saw white clumps float to the surface were the alcohol was. I learned that these white clumps were my DNA. Ms A. explained to the class that this process happens because The enzymes in the soap break down the fast that connect the DNA to the cells. Also, the cold alcohol releases the DNA and pulls them out of the solution which is why the DNA safley and slowly floats to the top. When the DNA floats up they look like little white clumps.

Robocop

A Japanese crime fighting robot called T-34 has me stunned. This twenty five pound battery operated robot detects suspicious activity using a camera installed in it. If it sees anything it will send a video message to a guard via mobile phone. If the activity is indeed suspicious the robot will call out a warning. When the criminal does not stop, T-34 will shoot a net that can shoot up to ten feet at the person. This will demobilize the person allowing the guard controlling the robot to arrest the criminal. Although it does have flaws i think it is way better then Wall-E and Spiderman should be jealous.

http://www.digitpedia.com/burglars-beware-t34-robot-patrol/2899/

SS state blog

Just yesterday, a thirty one year old man was killed by a wood chipper at the Edison recycling center. His name was Henry A. Aguilar and he was chipping wood to turn into mulch at the General Materials company on Meadow Road. He was on a conveyor belt carrying wood to a wood chipper when something went horribly wrong. Police say it was an accident but the investigation is still going on. The New Brunswick resident was found dead around noon yesterday.


http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/investigation_continues_in_fat.html

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/edison_wood_chipper_accident_v.html

My Roller Coaster Website

Free Fallin'

roller coaster

This week in science class, we started a project where we have to construct a roller coaster or skate park. My group chose to do a roller coaster. Unfortunately, we have to construct it out of cardboard tubes, boxes and bottles. While we build we need to show how Newtons laws apply to it. Also, we need three hills and a roller coaster aspect. This seems easy but when all you can use is recyclables it gets pretty tough. To make it even worse, we have to buy everything we use for our roller coaster. Don't worry we are not using real money, just omega dollars that we had to earn. Our roller coaster starts out high so it has a lot of momentum but, the friction causes the marble to slow down.

international SS blog

Last Friday, in southeast Australia, at least 14 people have died from wildfires caused by strong winds and a heat wave. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, an estimated 30,000 acres were ablaze. Since Friday firefighters have have tried to put out over 35 fires in the region. The fires were caused by the 11f degree temperatures. The bodies were all pulled out in four different regions and have yet to be identified. The winds continue to push smoke into Sydney.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/07/australia.wildfires/index.html

In science class we are doing projects on the Electromagnetic spectrum. My topic is on X-rays. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen found x-rays. The funny thing is that he found x-rays by accident when he was experimenting with vacuum tubes. The reason they are called X-rays is because it is unknown radiation. We use x-rays to get a clear look at the human body and look for any problems. If you have too much exposure to x-rays it may cause cancer because of the radiation. That's why Doctors and Dentists cover you with a lead sheet when they take x-rays of you. The sheet absorbs the x-rays and stops them from reaching other parts of your body. Thank you, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, because without x-rays it would be much harder to examine the human body.

http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/xrays.html

Toxic Coal Ash Spill

A giant toxic coal ash spill that happened a month ago is still threatening the lives of wildlife. On December 22, 2008 a billion gallons of sludge mostly made up of coal ash broke through an earthen dike at the Kingston Fossil Plant. Experts say that wildlife may be threatened by the amount of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, thallium, and other toxins in the sludge. Not only is wildlife threatened but there are also human health threats. local animals that could be affected are river otters, mink, muskrat, ospreys, and black-crowned night herons. This (as we have learned in science class) can have a great effect on the food web of that area. The animals that they have rescued so far were either buried by mud or stranded when the water surge pushed them into forests and fields. Luckily, there are no endangered animals inhabiting the spill region.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090123-coal-ash.html

social studies blog

On January 20th 2009, before a crowd of more then one million, Barack Hussein Obama claimed his place in history as the 44th president of the united states. This is extraordinary because Barack is officially the first African American president. People from all over the world watched as Barack Obama and Joe Biden stepped into the white house to change the world. Obama has made a series of promises such as to end the war in Iraq, stabilize Afghanistan, create jobs, boost the use of alternative energy and address climate change. Some are sceptical but I truly believe he can pull it off.
Obama has very high expectations and has people watching his every move. With his landslide win in November and millions if not billions watching his inauguration one false move can disappoint many people.Because of this it amazes me that he is not the least bit worried. My favorite part was when he said that "The effort will require all citizens, no matter party, age, skin color, or status, to get to work!" Hopefully this inspired Americans to take action in the many problems of America.
The United States of America was eager for Obama to take over our struggling country. Out of the hands of George Bush our economy will hopefully grow stronger. Barack has a lot of problems in his hands at the moment but he will not back down and he will face those problems head on. I believe that in Obama's hands America will not be looked down upon but will embrace the title "the center of the world."
America is saying goodbye to the man who was behind two unfinished wars and saying hello to a man who promises to change this country for the better. No one can blame President Bush for all of the problems America is facing. Bush didn't plan on having the Twin Towers destroyed or having the economy worsen. In Barack's speech he thanks Bush for his service to our nation as well as his generosity throughout his transition. His speech brought tears to both men and women and brought hope and comfort to all that watched president Barack Obama get sworn in as the 44th president of The United States of America.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_rdp