Get Out The Winter Coats; Its Gonna Get Cold Soon

The article this week is entitled, "Major US Winter Storm Spotted From Space." It was written by Andrea Thompson for Fox News Online. The article discusses the upcoming winter storm that the US will be facing in the next few weeks.

Apparently, while we have been having a warm December, the Midwest United States has been under a blanket of snow. This weather is supposed to continue and even spread into "Texas and parts of the southern United States." This storm is dangerous because of the transportation hazards and travel issues that come up with snow and ice.

Snow Storm in Cleveland

The reason I wanted to report on this article is due to the unusual warm weather here in South Carolina. It has perplexed me why I can wear shorts and t-shirts to class, while the Midwest is bundled in their huge winter coats. I went into researching this strange weather and found this article. I thought the writer did a great job of explaining the weather more in depth then the pure statement of what the temperature outside is. I think this article relates to our class discussions because we study nature and the effects nature can have on our daily lives. All I can say, is I hope the kids in the Midwest have their shovels and sleighs ready!

Snow in New York City

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/12/06/major-us-winter-storm-spotted-from-space/

A Fish Tale

The article I really enjoyed reading this week is entitled, "Cooking Light With Seafood." The article was written by Martha Rose Shulman for the New York Times Online Website. I love to research healthy alternatives for food, and this article was right up my ally. I wanted to share it with you all.

Seafood is historically considered to be a very healthy food option, especially when compared to sugary sweets and fats. There are many different types of fish and seafood, that can be prepared in a variety of ways. The article focuses in on using cod during this Christmas season. The holidays are a time of food and family, but you can always notice the few extra pounds that still linger once the new year rings in. How can we avoid that? This author did a great job of explaining some healthy alternatives to that big Christmas time starchy dinner.

A Healthy Meal

The author describes cod as a "mild tasting fish" with a "firm texture." It is a healthy fish that is easily prepared in your kitchen. There are multiple ways to cook cod, but she recommends baking in the oven to avoid the "smell and fattiness" of frying. She lists several recipes to help readers discover what kind of seafood they wish to try this holiday season!

Seafood Platter

I wanted to write on this article because I love seafood and I love eating healthy. This is an article that is important to our class because we studied the effects of junk food on our bodies. This is a healthy alternative that is easily prepared and tastes delicious! I know that I will be asking my mom to prepare more fish this Christmas while I am home for break!

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/cooking-light-with-seafood/?ref=health&_r=0

Animals Getting Jiggy With It

The article for this week is entitled, "Dancing Animals With Some Serious Moves." It was written for National Geographic Online by Liz Langley, and it describes some pretty interesting dance moves that five species of animals apparently can dish out.

The first animal is the Red Capped Manakin Bird. The bird is very tiny, and it lives in "Central and South America". Only the males perform the "Michael Jackson Moonwalk" similar dance in order to find a mate. It is an awe inspiring show!

Red Capped Manakin Bird

The second animal is the Peacock Spider. The spider is also very small, yet it has a very colorful body that is used to find a mate. The "body vibrates" and puffs up to be impressive. It is definitely one of the prettiest spiders I have ever seen. 

Peacock Spider

The third animal is the common parrot. Apparently, scientists have found that parrots have the ability to distinguish "rhythm." It is used for a variety of reasons, and it can be trained to a pet parrot. I think it probably has something to do with their beautiful singing voices!

Parrot

The fourth animal is the Honey Bee. The Honey Bee does not use its dance moves to mate; instead the honey bee has a "waggle dance," which is used to indicate when they find pollen. It is important for honey bees to have this dance, so that they can continue to communicate where to find pollen. 

Honey Bee

The last animal is the Bird of Paradise. There are "39 different species" of the Birds of Paradise, and they all perform the mating dance of "hopping." The hopping dance illustrates these birds agile ability and smooth moves!

Bird of Paradise

All of these animals have one thing in common: they love to dance! They dance for different reasons; mating, communication, and even just for the day to day entertainment. It is important to study animals and their behaviors because it sheds light on our own human characteristics. At events, men and women dance to impress each other and sometimes even to attract a possible mate. Just like these animals humans use dance as a means to communicate what they want someone to know about them. I very much enjoyed this article because the study of animals and their behaviors interests me. Dancing is apparently a multiple species form of fun. 

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/06/dancing-animals-with-some-serious-moves/

Vaccinations Save Lives

The article I read this week from the NY Times was entitled, "20 million in Mideast to Get Polio Vaccine." It was written by Donald G. McNeil Jr, and the article discusses a potential outbreak of polio in the Middle East. I feel very strongly about vaccinations and their importance, so I chose to discuss it this week.

Vaccinations Range For Different Diseases/Illnesses

The article explains how the World Health Organization and UNICEF are attempting to have 20 million children vaccinated against polio in certain Middle East countries. The push for the vaccination of these 20 million children comes from the diagnosis of 10 children in Syria with polio. Apparently, the polio virus has been found in the sewers of these Middle Eastern countries. 

Sewer in Israel

The reason that scientists and doctors are pushing for these vaccines is that polio offers a risk to tourists and can be spread when people move away from the Middle East. In order to keep polio non-existent, we should vaccinate anyone who is at risk for contracting it. 

Advertisements for the Polio Vaccination in Previous Years

I chose this article because it is important for the world to understand the importance of vaccinations. Vaccinations not only protect you, but they also protect the people around you. We discussed this in class regarding the influenza vaccination. This year, the government and health officials are doing a big push for people, especially children and the elderly, to get the flu vaccine. We also want those who are around these groups of people to get the vaccine as well. When people are vaccinated against illness they no longer pose a danger to their own or others' health and well-being. So, even though people may say what happens in the Middle East (disease wise) can not affect them all the way over here in the United States, they are very wrong. 

Children Showing Support For Polio Vaccines

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/science/vaccine-drive-to-curb-spread-in-middle-east.html?ref=science

Catch More Zzzz's

Tonight, as I sat in the dungeon of the library at 3 AM, an article caught my attention on the-scientist.com. The article was written by Ruth Williams on November 7th, and it addressed the positive effects of sleep and awake cycles on the body's production of T cells. Well, since I was clearly breaking the 8-hour sleep rule, I thought I would continue reading.

3 AM Study Sessions...productive?

The article goes into scientific detail of how T cells are created, but their primary purpose is to help with the immune system. AKA: The cells help keep students healthy. The surprising finding of scientists is that these T cells are in fact created during the day as well as at night; however, they also found that during long awake cycles (example used: "jet lag"), there is an overproduction of T cells. This over production leads to inflammation of the digestive system.

An Inflamed Digestive System

The article addresses some of the possible side effects of over active T cells as well. The main one is an inflamed digestive system, but more serious complications include "hormonal and metabolic problems." This is why we are told to get sleep to keep us healthy and happy: the T cells affect our immune system.

Not Sleeping Can Lead to "Hormonal and Metabolic Problems" 

I chose this article because it frightens me. It directly relates to college culture and the art of perfecting the "all nighter." The library on campus is open 24 hours a day during the week, and there are always students on every level. In fact, I am typing this, it is 3 AM, and I still have 5-6 neighbors around me. I was never sick in high school, but in college I am perpetually sick, exhausted, and I rarely remember to eat three meals a day (today I managed a snack and dinner). I wish that I could say that this article will change mine and other students' study schedules, but it can not work miracles. As long as there is class, work, and extracurriculars, there will be all nighters and immense amounts of coffee drinking.

May have possibly done this before in the library...NO SHAME

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/38207/title/Time-for-T-cells/

The King Tut Mystery

The article I read this week was entitled, "Mystery of King Tut's Death Solved? Maybe Not." It was written by A.R. Williams for National Geographic. The article explores new scientific findings and possible theories surrounding the Egyptian pharaoh's famously mysterious death.

King Tutankhamun

The article discusses the previous possible causes of death for the young pharaoh, and presents new theories. One of the theories was that King Tut was hit by a chariot, while another was that a horse kicked him. The final theory is that King Tut was attacked by a hippopotamus. The evidence that these theories are even possibilities includes tests that have shown King Tut incurred a crushed chest and a broken leg.

Scan of King Tut's Body

There were also reports of a possible fire that damaged the mummy; however, this seems very unlikely. The article explains this reasoning based on the lack of damage to the other objects in the sarcophagus, the fabric on the body, and the other layers of the coffin.

Possible Burned Face of King Tut

This article related to our class discussion of King Tut and the process of mummification. Scientists continue to do research on Egyptian mummies and pyramids, so the information is always changing and getting closer to the truth. I chose this article because it directly related to class discussion, and it gives us an update on the information we have been studying.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/11/131106-king-tut-mummy-death-mystery-solved-archaeology-science/

Dry Ice Explosives Found at LAX

The article I read this week was "The Science of Dry Ice Bombs, Like LAX's." The article was written by Brian Clark Howard. It is an interesting article because of recent events at the LAX airport in Los Angeles. On October 14, 2013 a dry ice bomb exploded in the airport, which was discussed by the national news. I had only ever heard of dry ice as a coolant, but there is much more to the chemical than that.

Dry Ice Transport Truck

Dry ice is "frozen carbon dioxide that is -109.3 degrees fahrenheit," therefore; it is very, very cold. Bombs are created when the dry ice is placed in a sealed container and allowed to build pressure. when added with water, it pressurizes faster. The carbon dioxide transforms into a gas and that is when the bomb explodes. In the case of the airport, three water bottles sealed with dry ice were found. The science is common, but it can be hurtful.

Dry Ice

The article is very informative, and it should be read by most people. Dry ice can be dangerous and should only be handled by professionals. I chose this article because it relates to current events, and it was a science that I did not know much about before.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131015-how-dry-ice-bombs-work/