Canadian Meteor Found (Sorry T.L.)

Here is the graduate student who got to Saskatchewan ahead of our own ambitious and intrepid explorer, T.L.


Read the full story including the original pictures or the Associated Press story about a University of Calgary graduate student, Ellen Milley and her teacher, Alan Hildebrand who found several meteor fragments near the Battle River along Alberta-Saskatchewan border, near the city of Lloydminster late Thursday.




View Larger Map
Well, it would have been a long drive for T.L. anyway.
Zoom the map to see that the largest American city is Great Falls, MT.

So should we be afraid of meteors? Cornell University's Astronomy department says not to worry.
In the 4th paragraph they refer to the K-T event . Can you tell me what that is?

Canada Meteor Strikes

The video of the meteor flashing across the Canadian sky really sparked a lot of interest.

(Get it SPARKED!!)

Check out this CTV (Canada TV) website with about 5 videos to watch and a map of the HUGE area where it might have landed. Then check out the $10,000 REWARD for finding a one Kilogram chunk.

OK can't get away for a trip to Saskatchewan. (Thanksgiving with relatives, huh!) then check out these craters or get curious and find out the difference between meteors, meteorites and meteoroids. ...and when is the next meteor shower anyway? Will the moon be full that night making it too bright to see the meteors?

So what do you think?

Oh I had to hide the comments, so just email me if you have a comment.

Reading Books Linked to Weight Loss

Recently in society many girls are concentrated on being popular, looking thin, wearing the newest clothes, and their social status. In addition to this, many books and television shows such as "Clique" and "Gossip Girl are advertising towards girls and pretty much saying that in order to be "cool or popular" you need obtain those qualities. This is resulting in a loss of self-esteem with many girls, eating disorders, and girls doing anything to obtain the unrealistic image presented in magazines, books, and TV.
Studies are proving that a series of books for teenage girls that center their attention on real-life situations, weight problems, alcohol, and divorce actually can improve the mental state for many girls and also lead to healthy weight loss and self-esteem boosts. The series, Beacon Street Girls, helped many over weight girls lose weight by exercising and promoting healthy eating habits. Researchers realized that reading can make a difference in a girl's health. Even though by reading a book you don't actually lose weight, it can prevent you from snacking and sitting in front of the TV.
Reading books that send the right messages to girls and discuss many issues that they might be facing more positively affects them and leads them towards making right decisions and a healthy life. Girls can more easily cope when reading books filled with advice and positive messages. Not only do book series like Beacon Street Girls present positive messages, but also provides something for girls to do other than making unhealthy choices like constantly snacking and sitting around.

A.M.

Sick Bats

White-Nose Syndrome

New England bats are in very bad danger right now because of the white-nose syndrome. The white-nose syndrome is a syndrome that turns a bat's nose a white fuzzy color. This is a fungus and it is deadly to the bat population. This syndrome occurs when the bat is hibernating in the winter, and the bat's core temperature goes above a few degrees of the temperature of the cave they hibernate in. This fungus is attacking 6 of the different species of bats in New England including the rare Indiana bat and the common brown bat. It occurs to the bats that hibernate deep in caves where it is very dark, damp, and cold. On average, Caves that are struck by this syndrome lose 80 – 100% of the bat population.

"The bat community is alarmed," says Marianne Moore of Boston University, who studies bat immunology. The bat population is dropping fast and the scientists don't know what to do. Identifying the fungus wasn't easy because they didn't have the right conditions for the fungus to live in. Finally, after many tries they found the right combination of temperature and living conditions. The bats that are affected have a heart beat of 4 beats per minutes and are very cold inside.

This fungus doesn't affect humans because our noses are too warm and move too much that the fungus can't live. Human noses breath air into and out of the body to keep people alive. If our noses didn't move and were extremely cold then maybe we could catch this fungus. The question is will this fungus go away or will the bat population die off?

By: M.B.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/38207/title/Bat_syndromes_telltale_white_nose-mold_new_to_science

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/access/id/38206/name/sm_singlebat.jpg

Algae on Lake Erie

The point of this article is to inform the reader that, all of a sudden, algae has been forming everywhere in Lake Erie. Scientist and researchers think that algae are suddenly showing up because it is fed by rich and plentiful phosphorus, which means water loving. The phosphorus comes into the lakes by neighboring towns. Algae really has not been a concern to the shores since the 1960’s and 70’s when it was really bad.
The algae are toxic to both swimmers and the fish in the water. One fish already has shone up dead. On September 3rd around West Sister Island eleven samples were taken of the algae, and nine of them showed that they were more toxic than the guidelines set by the World Health Organization. The algae will give people a bad rash, but it is not fatal. The algae are also “poisonous” to the environment as well. When the algae dies it takes up oxygen to decompose, and that creates oxygen free zones in the water.
The algae will never go away! Thousands of dollars are spent to exterminate the algae, but it does not do any good. Officials are working hard to get rid of it.
As one can see algae is a serious problem to bodies of water, it is hazardous, and it doest go away too quickly. It puts up on heck of a fight!

Opinion
I never really understood the dangers of algae until I read this article. I know now more than I ever did about the subject, and I know the dangers of algae. Me, a water loving person now knows more about algae, and why I should not go in it. It was highly educational.


By: T.L.


Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080921/ap_on_sc/booming_algae_bloom;_ylt=AmHSD0pQgz19XDUhyrG272sPLBIF

Waves Made by Ships Threaten the Survival of Marine Life

When you go to a river or a beach, and get in the water, you normally see a beautiful array of marine life. You may see crabs scuttling along, or little snails going at their own pace, or maybe even insect larva. Did you know that these animals, or macrozoobenthos as scientists call them, are in danger? There are as many as 10,000 organisms living in only one sq feet of water, and most of them are insect larva. They help clean the water by eating the leaves and other things that fall in the water. These are the macrozoobenthos, and they are all invertebrates that are visible without the use of a microscope. Researchers have been conducting many experiments to prove this hypothesis. For example they monitored the larva of Calopteryx splendens, a dragonfly, and then they drove a small speedboat along the shore. The waves caused by the speedboat cause the larva to lose its grip on the rock, and it got detached. It had to paddle around helplessly, before it found solid ground. If they stay suspended in the water for a long time they have a risk of being eaten. Also since they spend a lot of energy to fix this, it may result in damaging their growth process. The researchers found that the more complex the habitat was, the less damage would occur. For example, if the shore has many trees, they hold it together so they waves cannot detach the macrozoobenthos. Dense reed belts which can help these animals by breaking the waves, and they are posing as one solution. Research still goes on as scientists collect specimens to see long term effects on the survival of these animals. To protect these animals simple measures can be taken, such as boats going farther away from the shore, or slowing down as they get nearer.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915083723.htm

By: A.S.

Osteoporosis

What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bone mass and density decrease and bone tissue get a lot thinner. Those that have osteoporosis, are very prone to fracturing bones. Any bone may be affected, but the most commonly fractured bones are the wrist, spine, and hip. Fractures in the hip and spine are the most dangerous out of all fractures for many reasons. Hip fractures can impair one's walking and may require assistance for the rest of their life. Not to mention, it may cause a permanent disability and can be fatal. Fractures on the spine can create loss of height, terrible back pain, and deformity.



How common is osteoporosis?
Women are four times more likely to get osteoporosis than men and 80% of those with the disease are women. Scientists have proven that age increases the probability of getting osteoporosis. There was a study done on Caucasian women in the United States. The results showed that 14% of those that were 50-59 years old had osteoporosis, 22% that were 60 to 69 had the disease, 39% of those aged 70-79 years had it, and 70% of the women who were 80 years and older had it. This shows that with osteoporosis, age really does make a huge difference.



How can I prevent getting this disease?
Loss of calcium results in bone mass and density decrease, which makes bones weak and frail. This is the most common symptom of osteoporosis. One way to prevent getting this disease is by having a diet rich in calcium. Not only is calcium essential for having strong bones, but also strong teeth and proper body functions on the heart and brain. Another leading cause for osteoporosis is loss of Vitamin D. Some products rich in Vitamin D are dairy products, many types of fish, and green leafy vegetables. Dairy products and orange juice, are actually rich in both Vitamin D and calcium. Vitamin D isn't always consumed; sunlight is also a great source of this vitamin. Another main cause of osteoporosis is lack of certain hormones. For men this hormone is called is androgen and for females it is estrogen. For women, estrogen levels decrease after menopause causing an increase in risk for osteoporosis. This is one of the main reasons why women's age increases the risk for this disease.



Diagnosis and treatment for osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is diagnosed by measuring the bone mineral density, otherwise known as the BMD. X-ray absorptiometry (DXA or DEXA) is the most common way to measure a person's BMD. Whether or not one has the disease, is determined by the following. If a person's BMD is between -1.0 and -2.5, they are diagnosed with osteopenia. Osteopenia is when bone mineral density is lower than normal and is said to be a precursor to osteoporosis. If a person's BMD is under -2.5, they are diagnosed with osteoporosis. One treatment for osteoporosis is exercise, for healthier bones. Another is nutrition supplementation, calcium in particular, which strengthen your bones. The last type of treatment for osteoporosis is medication. The four most common medications for this disease are Fosamax, Miacalcin, Raloxifene, and Estrogen.



References:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/osteoporosis/article_em.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoporosis
http://www.mise.org/mise/index.jsp?p=glossary
http://www.nof.org/osteoporosis/index.htm
http://www.online-vitamins-guide.com/vitamins/vitamin-d.htm
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/osteoporosis/a/osteoporosis_2.htm


By A.