Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Adaptations of the Gray Wolf

I think an animal that interests me is the gray wolf. One huge reason it interests me is becaue it was around a lot longer than dogs were domesticated. One adaption wolfs have is their bodies adapting to the cold. Over long periods of time the gray wolf has gained a few adaptions. One adaption is that their skin cannot get wet which keeps them dry from the freezing cold weather. Another adaption the ray wolf has is their sensory organs. They gained the ability to see 100 times better than humans and smell 20 times better than human. This gives them the edge when hunting, especially with a jaw pressure of 500lbs this makes the gray wolf an animal not to mess with. Lastly, and probably the most important adaption they have made is food storage. The gray wolf's stomach has adapted to hold 20lbs of food and can take 14 days to digest so they have time to move from one area to another and hunt without dying of starvation.

If the gray wolf was not able to adapt then the wolf would most likely die. If their stomachs never adapted they would die of starvation, if their fur never adapted to not getting wet then they would die of the freezing cold weathers. Lastly, if they never had sensory adaptions and could never see or hear better than us then they would probably not be able to hunt food or they would be killed by poachers.

I think most people these days do not think about their lives and the adaptions we've made because of todays technology. People are just complacent and go along with everything because there is no need to adapt to something anymore. Although if you think about it we still need to adapt at times. I think one huge example that is almost impossible to miss is the transition from grammar school to high school. Most people do not think about it but you do have to adapt to the situations. For example, with me high school was a lot more different than grammar school. Although high school is not the only thing people have to adapt to. People have to adapt to a lot more situations like jobs, relationships, and even conversations. In a way we adapt in different ways just not physically anymore.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Blog Post #3

A researcher is someone who researches a topic or subject to uncover a new idea or to prove something about a certain subject. This person usually has to do experiments to conduct his/her research. They can virtually use anything depending on their current ocupation. For example, a scientist might use a microscope or other materials while an actor might use his script for research.

I think that Barrack Obama is a good researcher because think about all the things he had to do before he ran for President. He had to research local laws, read books, study the Constitution and Amendments, and make a successful campaign. Now that he is in office, he still is doing a lot of research and planning his next campaign. Although being the President is a great example of a job involving research, almost all Government jobs are.

Although being a researcher is a difficult job, I believe that I research almost everday in school. One example is studying for tests, I have to research the subject and become familiar with the subject to get good grades. Another example would be in sports. Since I play soccer, swimming, and water polo I have to research the equipment before I buy it to make sure it will do its purpose well and last longer than other equipment and gear. Lastly, I research at school everyday by making sure what foods I buy at lunch, I have to eat healthy food to stay in shape for sports and other activities.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Bacteria Lab Summary and Reflection

Where is the most bacterica found in St. Rita H.S.? I think that the most bacteria in St. Rita is found in the bathroom and on the handrails. I plan to gather my material and go to the bacteria covered surface with a Q-tip. After that, I plan to swab the bacteria covered surface with a Q-tip. Next, I will place the Q-tip in an agar plate and tape the plate shut and label it. Lastly, I will throw the Q-tip away and keep the plates for 1 week (7 days) and check it everyday.

Yes, our group was incorrect because by the 2nd day the bathroom had already passed the handrail bacteria. Although the bathroom colonies were small, there were a lot of colonies compared to the handrails that had big colonies but only a few. The bathroom colonies had a color difference with the handrails colonies. The bathroom colonies were white and the handrail colonies were yellow.

There were different bacteria in the agar plates. In the handrails there was coliform and in the bathroom one we had mold and yeast. The coliform could be harmful because it is found in aquatic systems (sinks, water fountains, etc.). Coliform itself is not harmful but it can lead to other diseases such as ear infections, typhus, etc. These diseases can be harmful when linked to coliform and other links of coliform.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Soccer and Science

I use science after school in soccer.  Since I have soccer practice every day, I am using science after school in many different ways.  One way I use science is when I am running and my cleats are rubbing against the grass causing friction and heat, which can be classified as qualitative data.  Another way I use science is by running and sweating.  I use it by running because it is excerising my leg muscles and causing them to move faster and faster.  Sweating counts as science because when your body gets too hot, your body sweats to cool down and this is known as an important bodily function.  Thirdly, the force of two people crashing into each other because when I play defense and crash into another person to prevent them from scoring there is a force of both of us colliding.

I picked soccer because I do it everyday of the week and it seemed like it was full of science.  Soccer is a scientific activity to me because it is mixing sports with science which is more fun than regular science.  Science in school is a little different than science outside of school .  One reason is that I did not even realize I was doing science until I really thought about it compared to when you walk into biology class and know you are doing science.  Lastly, science outside of school is usually involved with moving or sports, which most people do not realize or think about too often as being science.