May 8

Invasive Species Take Over

Turtle

A red eared slider are invading rivers and lakes.

Creative Commons License Nicholas LabyrinthX via Compfight

Imagine having a new roommate move in with you, that you knew nothing about and just starts invading your home. How would that make you feel? Would that make you feel uncomfortable? Well, that is what an invasive species can be like. Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world, that don’t belong in their new environment. They can be introduced to an area by ship ballast water, accidental release, and most often by people. Invasive species can lead to the extinction of native plants and animals; destroy ecosystems and permanently change habitats. Three invasive species that have invaded other habitats are known to be the European Starling, Red-Eared Slider, and the Feral Pig.

Starling on the lough shore. Caroline Johnston via Compfight

The European Starling, invited or not? The European Starling is a bird that invaded North America in the late 1800s. A man known as Eugene Scheiffelin released sixty European starlings into New York’s Central Park because he hoped to beautify the city. Also, many European settlers freed starlings from birdcages to fill their new gardens with birdsong from home. The Starlings homeland is Eurasia, North Africa. Starlings are known as alien invaders because they come from another region, and invaders because they are taking over. In cities, starlings spread diseases by fouling on cars, balconies, handrails, and playground equipment with their droppings. In spring, they chase away shyer birds like; bluebirds and swallows out of their nesting holes. They eat the eggs and then lay their own.  In Autumn, starlings fly in huge flocks and swarm farmlands, eating up all the grains, corn, and ripe fruits. Today starlings are called dirty, noisy, and disease-spreading pests.

young wild boar

A wild pig.

Cloudtail the Snow Leopard via Compfight

The Red-Eared slider is a cute little water turtle but is also known to be a bully. Their home waters are in the Mississippi River in the United States.  In the 1970s, turtle farmers have raised red-eared sliders for international pet sales. These turtles have invaded areas like Southeast Asia, Islands in the Caribbean Sea, France, and Israel. Softhearted owners release their sliders into the wild when they outgrow their tanks. When released into nature, these turtles gobble up water plants, dragonfly larvae, crayfish, frogs, toads, salamanders, and small fish.  They bully water-birds off egg-filled nests and then spread out their reptile legs, neck, and tail to absorb the warm rays of the sun. Sliders weigh more than adult waterbirds, so they press the bird eggs underwater and drown them. In France and California, red-eared sliders threaten endangered native turtles by outcompeting them for food and by staking out the best basking spots.  

Hawaii, can it be the paradise lost land for the Feral pig? The first pigs trotted off Polynesian ships onto the Hawaiian Islands in about 400 A.D. In 1778, Captain James Cook released a pair of European pigs onto the Islands. Now large hybrid wild pigs are the most serious invasive species on the Hawaiian Islands. The homeland for the feral pigs is Eurasia, North Africa. Invading feral pigs, along with other mosquitoes, and parasites show no respect for glorious Hawaii. Feral pigs scarf down anything from snails, grain, nesting seabirds and their eggs. They eat fruiting or flowering plants and spread seeds in their poop. The pigs make a hole by digging entire trees but eat only the roots. These pigs have definitely made themselves at home in the Hawaiian Islands.

In conclusion, are all invasive species bad? No one can really confirm that invasive species are all good or all bad. Some species are clearly harmful, while others may have benefits. For example, the feral pig might eat anything and everything in sight but can also spread seeds in their poop. By the feral pig doing this, it can help the habitat with growing more vegetation. Another example is the European starling which can be a little harmful to its habitat because it can easily spread diseases. So the next time, you see an animal nearby;  you should ask yourself where did it really come from.

                 

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May 8

The Last Show at SeaWorld

Killer Whales Jumping 09

The Shamu Show at Seaworld. Amaury Laporte via Compfight

You are sitting in the splash zone waiting to get wet, he is over there not too far away. He finally comes over and… SPLASH! In an instant you’re soaked! Watching the Shamu show at SeaWorld is always really exciting! There are only 3 SeaWorlds in America, and San Diego is one of them. What if i told you that the show at SeaWorld San Diego is coming to an end? Sadly it’s true, the last show was on a Sunday in April 2017.

7 years ago there was an incident where killer whale, Tilikum killed trainer, Dawn Brancheau. Since then there has been less comfort and more worry. The whale Tilikum died very soon before the show ended and it shouldn’t be her fault the trainer died. It was mainly under the stress the whale has been through and being forced to perform.The whales are killer and that’s probably how it got its name. No animal can ever kill these underwater mammals. The animals get stressed out and put under pressure from not being able to do their thing and roam with no worries.

There is no need to worry about shamus completely vanishing from SeaWorld, because they will still be in the exhibits and the only thing ending is the show. There will still likely be a Shamu Store. There will still be a place where you can get Shamu souvenirs and take them home. It wouldn’t make sense to get rid of everything Shamu related since SeaWorld is mostly known for Shamus. It just wouldn’t be right!  

The main reason this show is ending is because of the incident and the stress over the Shamus. I think we all learned that we should let animals do what they want to do, especially when the word “killer” is a part of their name. Another reason is also that the show was teaching children all animals were friendly when they really aren’t.

I think all of us are sad about the show ending but it was for the best. If it didn’t end quickly enough more trainers could have been killed or Shamus could have gotten an illness from all the pressure and stress they are put under every day from training too hard and performing too hard.  I’m upset too but we should all learn to accept it. You could still catch the dolphin show, but sadly, it will end soon too.

 

Category: Animals, Current Events & News, Student Posts | 1 Comment on The Last Show at SeaWorld
May 8

Child Labor

Selling popcorn, children's lives in Bangladesh jankie via Compfight

Can you imagine a kid that is only 6 years old and that is forced to do work like mining gold in a deep cave?  Some kids are unlucky and are forced to do child labor. Child labor means that children have to be put to work in order to help support their families.

There are many different jobs that children do.  The majority of them are harvesting crops like tobacco, cotton, bananas, sugar cane and much more.  One of the most difficult and dangerous jobs is mining gold. Almost all of these jobs are very dangerous and many times result in accidents and even death.  For an example mining gold is super dangerous because kids can die from explosions or even from the air. Also, tobacco can poison them or be cutting sugar cane with a machete can hurt someone seriously.

There are different regions of the world where child labor exists. The jobs children do depend on the local economy. For example, Peru has gold so many kids work in gold mines.  In Mexico, they have a lot of farms so children will often work in fields. Many times in large cities children work in large, dirty and unsafe factories.

There is a big population of child labor. The total number of estimated participating in child labor is 148 million, 100 million of them are boys and 48 million of them are girls. The region that has the most child workers is South America. The two countries in South America with the most child workers are Peru and Brazil. The second largest is Mexico followed by Africa, India and last but not least the Philippines.

Most people agree that “Child labor can be dangerous and harmful.” Also, it keeps kids away from school because kids are working during the years they should be learning in school.  As they become adults they are left with no education.  This makes being successful in life much harder and many times leaves little hope of escaping poverty.   Child labor is still happening right now.  People are fighting to stop child labor because it is dangerous and affects their chance of success in life.

 

 

Category: Current Events & News, Student Posts | 1 Comment on Child Labor
May 8

Precious Pandas

Good Morning! ./tg11.png

heights.18145 via Compfight 

They are about 2,000 pandas left in the world which is not many.Pandas are mostly found in China on high mounts like black bears they are apart of the bear family. Panda can be black and white and brown and white. The brown and white pandas are rare to find in china.In 1972 the United States president Richard Nixon visited China’s president to ask if they can send 2 pandas to the US and they did. In the next 10 years, an estimated number of 75 million people came to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park to see the pandas because they were the first 2 pandas in the US   

The pandas have to live in a habitat with grass, bamboo, trees and water to life. The pandas eat bamboo and leave from trees all day besides having fun. The panda spends up to 10 to 16 hours eating bamboo and leaves to stay strong. Have you ever wondered how many pounds a panda a panda gains a day well the panda eats about 27 pounds each day? The panda grabs the bamboo by its claw and puts its thumb on top to grip it.They can be 5 to 6 foot long which is about 1.5 meters long.

The giant pandas are endangered because the people in China people are taking their habitat away and they have been being killed by the people in china or getting sick. Also, they have predators which are weasels, leopards, and wild dogs. Poachers also illegally hunt the pandas. Humans also cut down the bamboo so they will starve.

If pandas were not endangered how many do you think there would be? Also, about 18,000 pandas died.Know you learned the habitat of pandas what they eat how they are becoming an endangered species. Hopefully, you learned a lot about pandas.If you think that pandas try to bite you when you try to pet them because they are apart of the bear family well you are wrong they are calm. Here is a panda quote ”Keep Calm and Love Pandas”             

Watch the pandas live at the San Diego Zoo: >Panda Cam | San Diego Zoo.

  

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May 8

Inventions and Technology

You are working hard to create a machine that could bring messages across the world using electricity. You take a metal wire and insert it into a rumbling machine that is connected through the wall into another room. All of a sudden you realize that you can hear things from when your helper clicks into the machine! You just invented the telephone! Who invented the typewriter? Who invented the iPad? I am going to address inventions, jobs, pollution, and more detail about history’s greatest inventions.

Inventions

Remington Rand Molly Sauter via Compfight

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, with the help of Antonio Meucci, Charles Bourseul, and Elisha Grey. it was designed by using a straight string to carry messages long distances. You’re probably wondering, who invented the tablet? Bill Gates, the leader of Microsoft, developed the tablet a decade before Steve Jobs developed it. Last, the typewriter was invented by Christopher Latham Soles, in 1819. He had the help of John Pratt, Samuel Soule, and Carlos Gladden. It worked by stamping ink onto the keys, and then when you pressed a letter, it pushed down on the paper.

JobsABB IRB RobotCreative Commons License Kitmondo Marketplace via Compfight

Now, as technology evolves machines get more and more sophisticated. Now machines are taking over labor and jobs. Here are a few examples of what they do. If there are many people doing similar jobs, the owner can produce a programmed production line, (PPL) to automate their jobs. That way, the company pays less money to workers. Also, if someone got a letter saying “Urgent. What character do I do for my biography report?” Instead of making another letter that might take weeks to reach them, you could just e-mail them the answer. And, sometimes people have to get together in one location. Instead of doing that, you could just turn on your computer and video conference whoever you need to talk with. Then, if you feel like you don’t have enough friends, or aren’t social enough, you could go online and visit a website like Facebook or Twitter. Last but not least, teachers are using technology to educate students. A Promethean board in your classroom is a good example. Now, technology is looking for more ways to stop pollution.

Pollution

Respire Paul Cherblanc via Compfight

Now technology has its good side, but it also has its bad side. As we create electricity, the power plants let out all the exhaust that was created. This is creating too much pollution. If you look at the big picture, of how many power plants and other pollution makers there are in the world, you MIGHT start to see the bad side. Also, when companies dump their waste into the river, it not only causes water pollution, it wastes drinking water. Just imagine what you swim in when you go to the beach! A few example of smog disasters is the Great Stink, in London, and the Great Smog. Did you know the most polluted place in the world is Chelyabinsk, Russia?

Now you see, technology is making people lose jobs. We have to teach the people whose job was eliminated to do other jobs.

Category: Science & Tech, Student Posts | 1 Comment on Inventions and Technology
May 8

The Last Great Race

Iditarod 2017 frostnip907 via Compfight

There are few things harder than scaling Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain1. One of these things is completing the Iditarod. Read on to find out more about this daring sport.

You’re probably asking, “What is Iditarod?” It’s known as the Last Great Race on Earth2 and unlike other sports, it goes on for several days instead of a few hours. The team is made up of a driver called musher who gives commands to a group of 10-18 sled dogs.  Teams must travel 1,049 miles with checkpoints along the way from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. In addition to the length of the race, the weather is rough over the challenging terrain which includes snow, mountains and narrow gorges. Even with all these obstacles, people still want to win the race for the top prize: up to $70,000 and a new pickup truck.

Next, let’s go into how the sport originated. Joe Redington founded the Iditarod race in 1973. Because of this, he was nicknamed The Founding Father of Iditarod. Joe Redington founded the race to remind people about the importance of sled dogs in Alaska3. Sled dogs were used for transportation, daily work, and they helped Eskimo Scouts patrol the state. When snowmachines and snowmobiles were invented, people used sled dogs less and less.  Joe Redington hoped the race would bring attention to the sled dogs and reminds people that they are strong, intelligent and can hold many occupations.

Now, let’s go through some fun facts about Iditarod. Iditarod comes from an Ingalik word for a local river, Haiditarod, which means distant place. In the history of the race, the longest one took more than 32 straight days by John Shultz. If the snow melts, the race can have a different starting line or trails. The only dogs allowed to participate are Huskies and malamutes. This rule was created after John Suter allowed his poodles to participate in the competition. Not all dogs are allowed to race because their fur or hair may not be able to handle the cold weather.  Besides the cold weather, another danger for the teams is moose. They have attacked some of the teams in previous races.4

Now that you know more about Iditarod, are you ready to give it a try? Over 1,000 miles, extremely cold weather and long days are not good enough? I bet $70,000, a new pickup truck and twelve super cute huskies as part of your team will change your mind.

References

1The Great Alone. Greg Kohs, Alkemy-X, 2015, documentary.

2 Iditarod Trail Committee, www.Iditarod.com, 2017.

3 Freedman, Lew, www.alaskasportshall.org/inductee/joe-redington-sr/ 2017.

4 Mcpherson, Angie, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140308-iditarod-dogs-sled-race-alaska-willow-science/ , 2014.

Category: Games, Special Events, Sports, Student Posts | 1 Comment on The Last Great Race
May 8

Tips On How To Save Water

Thirst for water

ruimc77 via Compfight


Drought Preparedness is about being prepared for when another drought comes. If  you don’t know what drought means this is the definition. The definition for drought is a period of dry weather.period of dry weather. I am also going to tell you about how to save water. Water saving is about  some weird ways you can save water.

First, we are going to talk about drought preparedness. To be drought prepared, you need to not waste water. If you waste water southern California will become a drought again. Here are some tips: You can install a rain catch system. This system can help you catch rainfall in a can from your downspout. Another is that you can have stored water. This helps you so you don’t have to use water from the spigot. You can water your lawn and flowers with the water stored from rainfall.

Next is on how to save water. Here are some ways to save water: you can use your watering can instead of the hose. You can also put in the biggest load of clothes into your washing machine so you can save time and water. You should not run water when brushing your teeth. You should take shorter showers.

Now you know how to be prepared for when another drought comes.  You also know how to save water from the above-mentioned tips. These tips should be used at all times, not just to be prepared for a drought, but also as a concerned citizen to be sure we have the water we need to survive. 

Category: Environment, Student Posts | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 8

Man’s Best Friend

Winning combination Vitto Dema via Compfight

One Hundred Ninety. Why is that number important? That is the estimated amount of the different breeds of dogs in the world. Dogs are also known as “Man’s Best Friend” because dogs are the most energetic, loving, and interactive animals. Dogs come in many different shapes and sizes. Chihuahuas can fit in a small bag. The Great Dane is the tallest dog breed in the world, with a height up to forty-four inches when they are standing up.

The Origin Of Dogs

A long time ago, dogs hunted for their own food, made their own houses, and fought for territory. They didn’t they know that in the next 32,000 years they would evolve to a domestic creature and live with humans. They would get fed, and live with a family that loved them. That is because, over many centuries, some wolves evolved and became domestic animals. Domestic describes any animal that is not hunting and is living with humans. Dogs evolved from a wolf that is now extinct. The wolves that dogs evolved from are called European Wolves. Dogs have gone hunting in the wild to being fed by humans over thousands of years. Dogs were supposedly domesticated in England, around 18,800 – 32,500 years ago. They were domesticated from people in hunter-gatherer cultures, to hunt for food, and guard homes. Now dogs are mostly everyone’s favorite animal. They play, they sleep, and you can teach them almost anything.

Dog Jobs

You wouldn’t think of a dog going to work and helping people right? Well, some specially trained dogs do. Dogs go to sick people in hospitals and give some joy by licking them and letting people pet them. Dogs can also help firefighters and police officers. They help the firefighters by sniffing and leading them to a victim in the fire. Other dogs are used for the police. They help them by sniffing out drugs and lost items. Imagine you lost your phone, they sent a dog out to find it and found it! You would be pretty satisfied when the dog did. Another thing dogs do is guide people with blindness around the house or city. The dog will know when to cross the street and when to not, this can really save somebody’s life. Lastly, dogs can sniff out low blood sugar, they can help anyone in the condition and alert his or her parents. This saves a lot of time because you don’t have to watch your child every second of every day. Overall, dogs are a very important part of this world and making humans happy.

Keeping Your Dog Healthy

Dogs need people to help them stay healthy and live happily. The disease rabies is deadly, and lots of other diseases are too. Even colds and fevers can be serious when talking about dogs. That is why all house dogs are treated with a number of different shots to prevent disease before exploring the world. There are 7 different vaccinations that dogs have to take and are spread out through the age of 5-15 weeks old. The list of vaccinations is, 5 weeks Parvovirus, 6-9 weeks combination vaccine and Coronavirus, 12 weeks Rabies, 12-15 weeks Leptospirosis another Coronavirus, and Lyme. Once your dog has had all of the listed shots, they are ready to explore the outdoors. Your dog also needs to be feed on a daily basis. You should also walk your dog at least once a day, and not put your dog in a cage for more than 4 hours a day. Puppies would be more energetic that adult dogs.

Conclusion

Dogs are very intelligent, and energetic animals that can run, swim and be taught almost anything. You need to know how to take care of your dog, what breed to get, and where dogs originally came from. You can help your dog by following feeding schedules and playing with your dog for most of your day. If your dog gets sick you can call a veterinarian to see what’s wrong. Look at the links down below to find out more about dogs, their origin, how to take care of them, and what breed to pick. There are many choices, start looking today at your local animal shelters if you want one, remember, dogs come in different shapes and sizes. Find the one that is right for you.

Links for More Information

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/14/health/dogs-domesticated-europe/

http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_domestic_dog

http://discovermagazine.com/2016/dec/the-origins-of-dogs

http://www.neshaminy.org/cms/lib6/PA01000466/Centricity/Domain/439/Cp6%20-%20HANDOUT%20CNN%20Types%20of%20lead-ins.pdf

 

Category: Animals, Student Posts | 1 Comment on Man’s Best Friend
May 8

All About Math!

Malaysian Chinese abacus

An abacus is an ancient counting tool.

Creative Commons License Thomas Quine via Compfight

Did you know that people have been using mathematics for over 4,500 years? Mathematics is a subject at our schools online and in the outside world. Mathematics was made from a board and a stick, because that is all they had back in 300 to 600 BC. Mathematics was made to help people with everyday things and to make us smarter. So, with that being said I am here to tell you everything you need to know about math.

Mathematics started from 600 to 300 BC (before Christ). The Ancient Greek people invented it by using a system of Mathematics that they used from their own Mathematics. This so they could grow a larger amount of people to use to do everyday things. Like counting money or whatever currency you have. Maybe to count animals, but most importantly what were we going to count the with? Roman Numerals! they were lines and letters. I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100, D=500, and finally, M=1,000.

 

From 4,500 years ago we still have a tool that Romans used. This tool is called an abacus, it was used to count everyday things. The abacus is also called a counting frame, it is a collector’s item it would be worth definitely over $1 million, obviously because it was made 4,500 years ago.

The Ancient Egyptians from about 3,000 BC used algebra, arithmetic, and geometry to find the approximate the area of a circle. There was a number system that Hindu-Arabic started developing in the 1st century and then came to be in the 9th century. A welsh mathematician named Robert Recorde invented the equal sign (=). The symbols + and – addition and subtraction have been around for thousands of years but it wasn’t until the 16th century that most mathematical symbols were invented.

I hope I have informed you all you need to know about math it really informed me. Well, that is Brandon signing off for now. Thank you for listening to my informational text on Mathematics. Here are some helpful Links:

http://www.kidsmathgamesonline.com/facts/history.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_mathematics

Category: History, Science & Tech, Student Posts | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 8

The History of The Olympics

 The Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius”—“Faster, Higher, Stronger.” The Olympics is the biggest sporting competition in the world and its history is rich with many great details.  The Olympic ‘Torch Relay’ has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles by countless people on different modes of transportation and continues to be the opening act for the Olympics.  The Olympics also has a fun side with its silly categories which most people have never heard about.

The first recorded Olympic Games was in 776 B.C. and had a great foot race of about 200 yards held on a plain by the River Alpheus (now the Ruphia) just outside the little town of Olympia in Greece. It was from that day the Greeks began to keep their calendar by “Olympiads,” four-years between the celebrations of the famous games. The modern Olympic Games, which started in Athens in 1896, are the result of a French educator, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, “Because young people and athletics have gone together through the ages, education and athletics might go hand-in-hand toward a better international understanding.”  The Olympic symbol is five interlocking circles colored blue, yellow, black, green, and red, on a white background, representing the five continents. At least one of those colors appears in the national flag of every country.  The US flag is represented by two colors on the Olympic flag, red and blue.

Olympic torch "Kiss"

Kieran Clarke via Compfight

 The Olympic flame is a symbol of the Olympic Games. The fire was introduced at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, and it has been part of the modern Olympic Games ever since.  In the ancient story, the Greek God Zeus, also known as ‘the thief of fire’, kept the fire burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics.  This symbol has turned into the ‘Torch Relay’ of modern times, which transports the flame from Greece to the place of the games.  Over the last 80 years, the Olympic torch has been carried by hundreds of thousands of people and traveled on every imaginable form of transport.  Continuing the historic tradition, the flame is still lit in Olympia, Greece, in the same way as it was in ancient times – with the aid of a parabolic mirror reflecting the sun’s rays.  The flame went airborne for the first time on the Helsinki 1952 Torch Relay.  What made the Sydney 2000 Torch Relay unique was the fact that it took place mostly at sea, with the torch being transported on water from one Pacific island or nation to the next on its way to Australia.  The Olympic torch has even been underwater!

The Olympics is not always as its motto suggests of ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’.  There are some fun, more relaxed categories of sports.  Some funny “sports ” in the Olympics are 1. Club Swinging; athlete stands holding clubs that are like bowling pins in each hand. He then twirls and whirls them around. The more complicated the routine, the more points he wins. 2. Pigeon Shooting; athletes aim to bring down as many pigeons as possible. 3. Tug Of War; teams that struggle and strain to pull a rope past a certain point. Great Britain has won the most medals in this event. 4. Roller Hockey; the game follows the rules of ice hockey, but with roller skates. 5.  La Canne; ok, think fencing. Now take away the saber and replace it with a cane. You know, the walking stick type of thing? Then it’s La Canne. 6. Rope Climbing; just like in PE, climbers are timed to see how quickly they can shimmy up a braided rope. 7. Trampolining; which seems like an activity you do in your backyard, trampoline was an Olympic sport that started in 2000. Gymnasts performed on trampolines, somersaulting and flipping as stern-faced judges keep score. 8. Race Walking; competitors try to outrace one another without actually running. Even though it seems a little goofy, race walking has actually been an Olympic sport since 1904. To ensure that athletes do not run, race walkers must have one foot on the ground at all times or could be disqualification.  Which is your favorite, funny sport?

The Olympics is a world wide tradition that has as long, rich history filled with traditions still carried on.  One of these traditions is the Torch Relay, with the torch still being lit in Greece and then carried – by whatever means necessary – to its ultimate location. Don’t be fooled by the serious motto of “Citius, Altius, Fortius”, as the Olympics also has a lighter side. The silly categories may not be as well known as some of the other categories but are just as important. Next time it’s the year of the Olympics pick a silly sport to watch, enjoy and yell a new motto “Funny, Funnier, Funniest!”

https://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games/history

https://www.infoplease.com/history-olympic-torch-flame-and-relay

http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/weird-olympic-sports-rio-2016

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_symbols

Category: History, Student Posts | LEAVE A COMMENT
May 8

3D Printed Prosthetic Hands

3D printers can make prosthetic hands.

What if you were born without a hand? Would you like one made by a 3D printer, maybe even one made out of plastic in the colors and  design you pick!!! Did you know that amazing prosthetics are being made from a 3D printers? 3D printed hands may seem very different from real hands, but in several ways they are alike.  They can make a kid feel almost normal like Kieran.

3D printed prosthetics are more advanced than they ever have been before. Did you know the original first printed hand was only a pair of hooks held together by a rubber band on a prosthetic with only zip ties holding it together? The 3D prosthetic hand is made up of a polymer called Nylon 12 [plastic melted]. They can be made in fun color combinations and designs that look out of a Superhero movie, like in this video.

3D Prosthetics are held together with nails and wire, they are also held together by elastics, pins, and  hinge caps. A design that anyone can put together, even YOU!

It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to print a 3D prosthetic hand although about 4 hours to assemble. About 4 hours per hand with the cost of only about $35 to $45. Materials cost about $45 altogether. Much more affordable than the electrical prosthetics.

Here are a few ways you can get involved: You can collaborate with others by sharing your tools (software) and knowledge. You can also purchase a 3D Printed Hand Pro and 20% of the net proceeds will be used to help different schools print and create 3D hands to be donated. In addition, you can download the file and find an e-NABLE a global community of volunteers and start 3D printing now.

Category: Science & Tech, Student Posts | 3 Comments on 3D Printed Prosthetic Hands
May 8

Killer Plants

Some carnivorous plants are like mazes that lead to a dead end. Some are like ticking time bombs. Others, just swallow creatures whole. When I first started researching about carnivorous plants, I thought I already knew a lot about them. It turns out that while I am learning about these plants, I can’t stop thinking about them because there is a lot more to be discovered. Imagine a fascinating, beautiful plant living in a boggy swamp and getting its nutrients not only from soil, but mostly… from meat! Dun, dun, dun!

There are 630 different kinds of carnivorous plants around the world. Some carnivorous plants are aquatic and others live in the soil like most other plants do. They live in poor, wet soil that doesn’t have a lot of nutrients. Because the soil doesn’t give them the nutrients they need, they’ve adapted by eating bugs or small animals. Carnivorous plants are divided in five types, according to how they can catch their prey (food): Pitfall Trap, Flypaper Trap, Snap Trap, Bladder Trap and Lobster Trap.

This carnivorous plant is called Monkey Cup because monkeys drink the water in it.

The Pitfall Trap plants have slippery leaves that are shaped like a funnel and slant down toward their bottom. When bugs land on the leaves of these plants, they slide down the leaf into a “pool” of digestive enzymes found in the bottom of the leaf. Monkey Cup and some bromeliads are examples of Pitcher plants and some are so large that they can catch and consume rats or frogs.

Pitcher Plants have a mechanism that they can turn on and off throughout the day. Part of the day, the Pitcher Plant’s edges are dry so when a scout ant comes and smells the nectar, it goes back to its colony and brings some of its friends. But by that time, the plant is wet and the ants fall into it. The Pitcher Plant gets an ant feast! If the Pitcher Plant was wet all the time, the one scout ant would slide down and not go back to the colony to bring the other ants, which means that it wouldn’t bring back all the food. Insects cannot escape Pitcher Plants, with their pitfall hunting mechanism.

The Sundew plant uses a sticky substance to hunt. It is a “flypaper trap” plant.

When bugs land on a Flypaper Trap carnivorous plant, the sticky substance that appears to be dew when it sparkles on the sun keeps bugs from being able to get away. When the bug struggles to escape, it gets even more stuck and the enzymes on the plant’s leaf digest it faster. Flypaper Trap plants are impossible to escape. Sundew and Butterwort are a couple of carnivorous plants in this category. 

Carnivorous plants with Snap Traps catch their food by trapping bugs or small animals inside their leaves so they cannot escape. All of you might have heard of the Venus Flytrap, but did you know that if the prey touches one of the hairs on the leaf it will set a timer? If it touches another hair within 20 seconds, then the plant will shut; otherwise, the prey will be safe. You can probably make a Venus Flytrap close its jaws with a stick, but it has to feel the prey struggling to start its digestive process. If the object isn’t food, the trap will reopen in about 12 hours and “spit” it out. The Venus Flytrap can only close its mouth six times in its lifetime.

A Venus Flytrap catches a lizard.

After capturing an insect or animal, The Venus Flytrap shuts in less than a second. “All of this takes about 1/2 second,” says Julia Cooke, a plant ecologist from the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at the University of Western Sydney, in Australia. But other carnivorous plants can move even faster: “The related Waterwheel Plant uses snap-traps, but underwater. This plant closes its traps in 20 milliseconds, making it one of the fastest movements recorded in plants.”

The Bladderwort is a type of aquatic carnivorous plant.

Carnivorous plants with Bladder Traps, like the Bladderworts and the Pinguicula, live in the water. They suck bugs and other small animals out of the water (like a vacuum cleaner)and into the bladder so they can be digested. There is no escape. 

The Cobra Lily uses the “lobster trap” mechanism to catch prey.

Carnivorous plants with Lobster Traps use tiny hairs which are all going the same direction to force bugs to walk toward the bottom of the plant’s leaves. The Cobra Lily and the Corkscrew are types of Lobster Trap plants. There are mazes inside them that are easy to enter but hard to leave that they use to catch prey. When the bugs hit a “dead end” with a pool full of digestive enzymes, they can’t escape.

I never knew that carnivorous plants were so interesting and that they were divided in five categories based on how they eat bugs and animals. They are beautiful but dangerous, inviting but deadly. Not to humans though, so don’t be scared if you see one in action. I hope you do.

Category: Science & Tech, Student Posts | 5 Comments on Killer Plants
May 8

April the Giraffe

April and her baby.

April, the giraffe, and her new baby.

On February 22, 2017, Animal Adventure Park in New York, put up a live feed of a giraffe who was expected to give birth at any time.  The giraffe was known to the World as April the Giraffe.  The World quickly became obsessed with watching and watching and watching the feed and waiting and waiting and waiting for the arrival of the baby giraffe. 

With over one million eyes watching, April’s baby boy was born on April 15, 2017,  He was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 129 pounds.  April gave birth while standing up which is normal and when the calf falls to the ground the umbilical cord severs.  About 45 minutes after the calf was born he stood up on wobbly legs with his mom’s help.  The zoo is currently having a contest to name the calf. 

As I said earlier the world became obsessed with April the Giraffe.  As a matter of fact a group of second and third-grade students wrote a book to document the internet sensation April had become.  The book is being sold here on Amazon.  Being able to watch April have her calf was amazing and really cool to see. You also watch the giraffes live here.

Category: Animals, Health, Student Posts | 1 Comment on April the Giraffe
May 8

Weird creatures

You look around you. Suddenly you see a weird looking lumpy blob. What could it be? It’s a blob fish! These are nasty looking creatures who live in water up to 1,200 meters deep ( 3,900 feet )! They live off the coast of: Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Blob fish tend to be 30 centimeters or a foot long.

Aye-Aye 1

The weird aye-aye!

Have you ever heard of the aye – aye? These are strange creatures that don’t look like they are related to chimpanzees, apes, and humans but are related to them. Aye-ayes use echolocation to find their prey. They are the only primates that do this. They live on the island of Madagascar. They have an average lifespan of 20 years and their head and body length is 14 to 17 inches and their tail length is 22 to 24 inches.

This weird creature is most likely the biggest crab you will ever hear about. This is the Japanese spider crab. These crabs obviously live in Japan as stated in their name. The spider crab can reach a length as long as 18 feet. They can also be up to 42 pounds in weight. They can be found in water as deep as 1,970 feet!
In my opinion, this is the craziest shrimp ever. These are the mantis shrimp. There are more than 450 kinds of mantis shrimp. The largest mantis shrimp ever caught was 18 inches long most are 15 inches. These shrimp are extremely aggressive. They can be known as thumb splinters. In captivity, some of the larger species of mantis shrimp can break through aquarium glass in a single strike!   

These next animals look like bats and flying squirrels. This animal is the sunda colugo. They are lemurs that can glide. These are one of only two species of lemurs that can glide. These creatures can glide up to 100 meters in 10-meter elevation. These animals can be up to 27 inches long. These lemurs weigh up to 2.9 pounds. These animals are located in these places: Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia.

In Conclusion, these animals are small and large, weird and weirdest. These animals are all around us most of the time you just don’t notice. You see animals every day but these animals everyday. These animals can be weird and freaky or they can be beautiful and cool. What do you think would you like to be a creepy weird animal?

Category: Animals, Student Posts | 2 Comments on Weird creatures