Riccardo's Science Blog

Presentation: Summary : Ever wonder about all the animals that were alive, even ten years ago. Well it may not seem like a lot has changed since then. But trust me, it has. About 10,000 species of animals go extinct every year, and who's fault is it? Ours. Most of these extinctions are our fault, from destroying they're habitat to killing them for some thing they have. An example is the west African black rhino, (Slide 3) humans killed them for their ivory and sold it. However there is a charity that can help with the issue of endangered animals. That charity is the World Wildlife Fund, or the WWF for short. The way they help america's crisis of endangered animals is by making sure that public land owners use their areas as a vital habitat for some species. They also work with ranches and farms throughout the great plains to make sustainable livestock for the animals. Now lets talk about money. WWF gives 85% of the money they receive to helping animals. So if y...

Summary : The mantis shrimp is one of the most fascinating animals on the earth. Mantis shrimp are only about four inches long but are one of the strongest animals in the world. With the force of a bullet shot from a 22 caliber gun. The way it does this is, o nce the arm is cocked, a ratchet locks it firmly in place. The large muscles in the upper arm then contract and build up energy. When the latch is released, all this energy is released at once and the lower arm is launched forwards.When the arm is cocked, this structure is compressed and acts like a spring, storing up even more energy. When the latch is released, the spring expands and provides extra push for the club, helping to accelerate it at up to 10,000 times the force of gravity. The way my character uses this is throughout the time he is not punching the energy he is using for the day is stored. So when he does punch all the energy stored is released. He can continuously punch however. It is not just one pu...

Summary:  Your immune system is the defense against bacteria. It fights bacteria before medicine does. Your immune system performs many different actions to destroy bacteria to keep you healthy. However, there are also some serious flaws in the immune system. The problem is that the white blood cells in the immune system sometimes attack red blood cells and other “good” cells thinking that they are pathogens and bacteria. Another problem is the skin is too easy penetrate. We want to reprogram the white blood cells so that they are smarter to know the difference between good and bad because sometimes your white blood cells will attack your red blood cells. We can also make it so that there are more white blood cells so that when viruses get into your body it is easier to kill the virus and so that you don’t get sick as easily or much at all. Your skin should also be thicker so that when something tries to puncture your body it is much harder. Now you make ask, what would be neede...

Summary : Skin is our largest organ. It serves as a protective barrier that prevents internal tissues from exposure to trauma, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, temperature extremes, toxins, and bacteria. Skin can be easily broken. Just falling on the ground can make you start to bleed. you've probably heard people tell you to clean a cut and but a bandage on this. This is so your insides don't get bacteria inside of them, rendering you sick in some cases. Well with our re-design, we would modify the skin so that the problem of opening a wound doesn't happen. The skin could be thicker making it harder to get a cut, as well as fighting bacteria on the skin, before it enters the body. SP1 - Asking Questions & Defining Problems: My group and I where able to find an issue with the immune system (As that was the system we wanted to redesign) by looking at which organs have the biggest effect and the problems associated with that organ. My group chose skin as our organ of ...

       The debate has been going on for decades, is it healthier to be an omnivore or a vegetarian? Well here's the answer, being an omnivore is healthier than being a vegetarian.  Throughout evolution, humans have been eating meat. Our digestive systems are well equipped to make full use of the fats, proteins and nutrients found in animal foods. Another is that you need protein. Protein is important for bone health. C onsumption of protein is associated with increased bone density in old age and a lower risk of fractures. As well as when you get rid of meat you lose key nutrients which enhance the function of the immune and nervous systems. From reading the article 7 Reasons Not to Avoid Meat by Kris Gunnars I know that throughout evolution, humans and pre-humans have been eating meat. Our digestive systems are well equipped to make full use of the fats, proteins and nutrients found in animal foods.The truth is that humans are omnivores. We function...

Function : The function of the immune system is to keep you alive and healthy, it attacks unknown cells in your body that could harm you, cancer cells for example. Organs : The immune system has two different types of organs, the primary organs which are the thymus and bone marrow. As well as the secondary organs which include lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils and adenoids, peyer's patches,skin and the appendix. The function of the thymus is to receive immature T cells that are produced in the red bone marrow and train them into functional, mature T cells that attack foreign cells. The function of the bone marrow is to produce all of the cells in the immune system. The lymph nodes separate out the lymphatic fluid , which is the store specific cellular material that will capture most cancers cells or bacterias which are travelling throughout the human body within the lymph fluid. The spleen acts as a filter for blood. Old red blood cells are recycled in the spleen, and platelets and whit...

Britannica.com Summary: Cells growing and dividing is known as cell division or mitosis. There are few steps to this process, the steps are  interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase and cytokinesis. Interphase is the processes were  cells grow, copy their DNA, and prepare for division. Prophase is were the cell's  chromatin condenses and turns into chromosomes. Metaphase is the step were t he chromosomes line up across the center of the cell.  When a naphase occurs, the centromeres split and the chromatids separate. During telophase a  nuclear cover forms around the chromosomes. At the final step, cytokenisis, t he cytoplasm splits moving organelles into the new cell. The DNA is copied before mitosis occurs to insure the new cell has the correct genetic information. S&EP 4: I used a flip book to  to display and analyze data. We drew the steps of mitosis slowly changing. This helped with the understanding of mitosis as you can see th...

www.pinterest.com Summary : A cell that is isotonic has it's water molecule and solute molecule at the same concentration level. In an isotonic solution, water molecules move into and out of the cell at the same rate, and the cell keeps it's normal shape. As well as there not being any net movement of water across the plasma membrane. A solution which contains a higher concentration of water and a lower concentration of solutes is called a hypotonic solution. Because the concentration of water is higher outside the cell, there is a net movement of water from outside into the cell. Since the cell gains water, it swells and the internal pressure increases and eventually the cell bursts. A cell that is hypertonic has a concentration with higher solute concentration and less water concentration. Since the concentration of water is higher within the cell, there is a net movement of water from inside to outside of the cell. (water leaves the cell through osmosis) Causing the...

Taken from the cell energy cycle gizmo Summary:   Cellular respiration is when your body converts oxygen and glucose into energy.  The oxygen humans and animals breathe breaks down, making glucose into tinier pieces so the body can use it.    Glucose, a sugar that your body needs to make energy, is very important to the processes of this cycle.  The formula for this process is C6H12O6 + O2 -----> CO2 + H2O + Energy. The o xygen that is in the equation is found in the mitochondrion and the glucose found is in the cytoplasm. During this processes, t he glucose molecule is split into two pyruvic acids which ends up producing a small amount of energy.    When the pyruvic acids move into the mitochondrion a huge amount energy is produced, along with carbon dioxide and water. F or photosynthesis however, the formula is H20 + CO2 ---(light energy)--> O2+ C6H12O6.  The carbon dioxide and water are found in the chloroplast ...

Summary:  Macromolecules are organic compounds that contain carbon.  The elements found in these compounds are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus.  There are four macromolecules, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins.  Lipids store energy and they make up most of the cell, some examples are things like fats, oils, and waxes. They are made carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Carbohydrates are the ones that give you energy. They are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Proteins regulate growth, development, and transport oxygen and other substances. There made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.  Nucleic acids are the instructions for the cell. They are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The two examples of them are RNA and DNA. SP2: I used the photosithesis lab to test different variables to see what would produce the most oxygen.   T he light intensit...

Video: Summary:  The Golgi Apparatus is a very important organelle in the cell. The Golgi Apparatus is is a “packaging organelle”. It is also known as the post office for the cell.The Golgi Apparatus gathers simple molecules and combines them to create complex molecules. Then packages the complex molecules in vesicles and either stores them or sends them out of the cell. It works with the Endoplasmic Reticulum as it modifies, packages, and ships lipids and proteins synthesized by the ER. The Golgi Apparatus also works with the ribosomes as the ribosomes make the proteins and it ships the proteins to the ER and so on and so forth. The structure of the Golgi apparatus is kind of like a pancake is you think about the material. The Golgi Apparatus is made several flattened membranes sacs, but can be ultimately divided into two sections: the Cis Golgi and the Trans Golgi Network (TGN). The Cis Golgi functions as the receiving end for newly synthesized proteins from the Endoplasmic...

Summary : Most organelles have nuclear DNA and don't cause any problems. The mitochondria however may cause conflict in the cell. The  mitochondria has it's own DNA which they had gotten from their mother. Their DNA causes them to be able to slightly influence what they do. As a group the cell will want the mitochondria to produce a lot of energy while the Mitochondria would instead want to reproduce as much as they could therefore causing conflict in the cell. The mitochondria is greedy! Therefore they are not fit to be president of the cell. SP7 - Engaging in argument from evidence: I was able to engage in arguments against other campaigns by defending the Golgi Apparatus ans smearing other organelles that I (and teammates) found incapable of the job as "president". One issue that came up a lot is that the Golgi leads to Achondrogenesis an d  Alzheimer's. A lthough this is true, these are only Golgi bodies that have malfunctioned that caus...

www.glogster.com Summary:  Also known as the Golgi Body, the Golgi Apparatus is i s a “packaging organelle”. In fact it is known as the post office of the cell. The Golgi Apparatus g athers simple molecules and combines them to create complex molecules. Then packages the complex molecules in vesicles and either stores them or sends them out of the cell. It works with the Endoplasmic Reticulum as it m odifies, packages, and ships lipids and proteins synthesized by the ER. The Golgi Apparatus was actually one of the first organelles to be observed. A Italian physician named Camillo Golgi discovered it when he was investigating the nervous system. SP7: Engaging in argument from evidence:   I examined my own understanding in light of the evidence. I used to think that the Golgi Apparatus was the only packaging cell and it worked alone, but because of further research on the Golgi Apparatus now I know that the Golgi Apparatus works with the ER and the ribosomes. The r...

en.wikipedia.org Summary :  The cell is the basic unit in life. All living things are composed of cells.  The way you know things are alive are if they reproduce, grow, need nourishment and the respire. Most organisms are made of multiple cells, but there are single celled organisms such as bacteria.  Cells are made up of pre-existing  cells which is how you know they reproduce.  The cell is made up of many parts called organelles which helps the cell function properly.  There are many organelles, such as lysosomes, peroxisome, cell membrane, mitochondria, vacuole, ribosome, and Golgi body and more. S&EP 6: I explained how atoms and cells are different in a worksheet in class. I explained how cells are the 'building block' for life while atoms are the 'building block' for everything. I used evidence that I learned in fifth grade to answer my questions. I also had to decipher which one ou...

theodysseyonline.com Summary : This week we did activities on food waste. We also learned about the process that apples and another food of our choice go through to get to consumers. Some of the levels in a food path are farmers or farms, supermarkets, or consumers.    Food gets wasted on every level of the food system. Farms are the beginning of this big waste. Almost every type of farm is able to waste.  While growing on trees, apples can be wasted due to other animals and insects only eating half or a small portion of the fruit and throwing the rest away (though it composts). Another way is for good apples to fall or the tree to fall, wasting the apples.     Once the apples ready, they are harvested. During harvestation, apples can be wasted due to their looks and size. Many perfectly good apples are thrown away due to these reasons. You can help this problem in a few different ways. One simple way is to cook with foods that are in-sea...

http://grasslands2026,weebly.com Summary Grasslands are large landmasses that are full of grass but surprisingly no trees. This is like a paradise for cattle rearing and in places with cattle rearing being one of subsistence activities; grasslands are no less than perfect. The reason of no trees lies in the fact that temperate grasslands receive lesser rainfall and are drier.  Location: The major temperate grasslands include:The velds of Africa,The pampas of South America,The steppes of Eurasia, and The plains of North America.Grasslands are considered the transitional biome. This means that they are usually found between deserts and forests. Climate :   Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. Summer temperatures can be well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while winter temperatures can be as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. They typically have between 10 and 35 inches of precipitation (rain) a year, much of it occurring...

Summary Ocean currents can bring bottles almost all around the world. We were given two locations and had to figure out how currents could bring the bottle from one area to the other. This familiarization included the temperature and salinity of specific currents. In my set of currents, there were two neutral currents and 1 cold current. I  also learned how the different currents interact with each other. This is a way that this bottle can get from Tasmania to Namibia if it takes the right currents.  Backward-Looking: How much did you know about the subject before we started? I actually new a lot about currents before we started this project. I was already very familiar with density which plays a key role in how the currents form/work. There were things that I never thought about before this such as how land masses affect how the currents move. Inward-Looking: How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you parti...

en.wikipedia.org Summary:  Oceans currents are a crucial part of the ocean environment. They are powered by wind circulation across the surface of the ocean. Ocean currents are created by density, salinity, temperature changes, and wind. Because of this, wind currents and ocean currents travel in the same general direction.   When two winds clash, they bounce back and then turn causing gyres. Ocean currents also create gyres (from the wind). This occurs along with the wind. The water hits land masses causing it to bounce back and form and travel in a circular shape. This means that if there were garbage it would just stay there for a long time. (GPGP)  Currents flow clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere.  SP2: Developing and Using Models: We used models to explain how different things contribute and affect the forming of currents, mainly ocean currents. We put two rocks in a small tub of water along with some ...

Have you heard about the problem of the grey bay? No, well I’m here to talk to you about it. All over the grey bay there have been fish found dead and the people are eager to find the culprit. Autopsies on the fish have been done but we’ll talk about that later. There are many factors in this conversation, such as chlorine, oil spills, sediment in the water, phosphates in the water,etc. I think that based on the results of the autopsies (which were 14 killed by oil, 21 insufficient oxygen, 8 by chlorine and 7 others, out of fifty fish.) that the people from the golf course who have been putting phosphates in the water are killing most of them. Phosphates are a problem but the people at the golf course are also releasing sediment when there is erosion. If the river is murky, fish will be unable to see. This can cause them to starve because they will be unable to find their prey, and it will also cause them to breathe in the sediment. Another thing is that the sediment settles t...