CHEMISTRY !
Sunday, March 22, 2009
  Vitamin E shields lungs from smog effects
Does Vitamin E shields lungs from smog effects?

Nowadays, due to the rise of the concentrations of ozone, many people develop a shortness of breath, wheezing or other forms of respiratory discomfort. Due to this, Researchers at the New England Journal of Medicine show that due to chronic exposure to ozone increases the risks of dying due to lung diseases. However, Diet can affect how your lungs respond to the environment and we could prevent this by consuming more of foods rich in Vitamin E . Thus, people has to consume between 0.7 and 2 grams gamma-tocopherol per day but drinks and food that are rich in Vitamin E like soybean oil, contains 80 milligrams per 100 grams of oil. So, if people were to consume a gram of gamma-tocopherol a day, they would probably need to consume dietary supplements.

After reading this article, i found out that we could prevent the risks of us getting lung diseases by consuming more of this 'gamma-tocopherol' contained in Vitamin E. However, there are after effects of this 'gamma-tocopherol' which might make you grow fat if u do not work out regularly. So, if u want to prevent yourself from having lung diseases in the future, consume more of foods rich in Vitamin E ! But most importantly, remember to watch your diet !

Samuel Goh ( 32 )
http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41877/title/Vitamin_E_shields_lungs_from_smog_effects


 
Saturday, March 21, 2009
  talk and die??

What on earth is “talk and die syndrome”?? Is it a syndrome where after suffering from it after a while, you die if you talk?! That will be like so horrifying? But luckily (or not so luckily) the “talk and die” syndrome is referring to the fact that we are always worrying about people who suffered head injuries that does not show up i9mmediately. So when doctors say “talk and die” syndrome they are actually referring to a delayed bleed like an epidural haematoma.

British-born actress Natasha Richardson won a Tony for her role in the Broadway play ‘Cabaret’ and has also starred in a string of films including The Parent Trap and Maid in Manhattan, is the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and is the wife of actor Liam Neeson, 56, with whom she has two sons, ages 12 and 13. Rather unfortunately, she took a fall while taking a skiing lesson in Mount Tremblant resort. When her instructor summoned a ski patrol to transport her to the bottom of the hill for medical attention, she reportedly refused it. But after suffering from an acute head ache, she flew to the Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. People Close to her had said that she was “brain-dead”.

Neurosurgeon Keith Black, chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles tells us that of course treatment will be better when treated at an earlier stage. But since Richardson was examined by a medic, her postponing treatment would not put her at any huge risk, especially for younger patients. Black thinks that for Richardson to be brain dead, is a tad too catastrophic but is a possibility that is extremely rare.

We have always heard about to not to treat a head injury seriously. But, after reading this article, I realised that really how 1 minor injury to that head could be fatal to us. Brain dead = nearly dead. And, that seeking medical help immediately is very important. We must not assume that since we cannot see the injury we will just think that it’s fine. Maybe that fee you pay the doctor for the bruise (au-chee) can save your life! One thing I’m glad of? My neighbourhood has tons of clinics! I would not have to fear long queues if I suffered an injury (touch wood!) because I just have to move on the next one. :D


Done By: Lim Li Jun (8)
3 Sincerity!




Credits to: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=talk-and-die-richardson






 
Friday, March 20, 2009
 
Can probes actually ride to the Earth's core in a mass of molten iron?


This particular idea came from geophysicist David J. Stevenson of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Imagine this, we can blast a crack in the Earth's crust, pour in a few thousand tons of rock-busting molten iron, and then toss in a grapefruit-size instrument designed to ride the plunging elevator of liquid metal to the planet's core. He contends that such a mission to explore the Earth's interior is technically feasible.
People have drilled into our planet's crust to investigate conditions there, but even the deepest borehole penentrates only about 9 miles. Stevenson also mentions that Seismic analyses suggest that the continents, the thickest portions of Earths's outer layer, are between 200 and 250 km thick. Below that hardened crust lies the viscous mantle, which surronds a liquid outer core and a solid inner core that are both made predominantly of iron.
Stevenson's plan would be to exploit that property. If scientists pour molten iron into a narrow crack at least 300 meters deep, the pressure at the bottom of the fissure would be enough to fracture the rock there. As the crack grows deeper, the molten iron would flow downward and maintain pressure at the crack tip. The crack will seal after the iron passed by and the probe would travel about sixteen inches per second to the Earth's outer core and the probe will take a week to reach the Earth's outer core.
There would be several problems with this theory as a suitable probe would be needed due to the fact that temperatures deep within the Earth rise to 1800 degrees celsius and pressures there are thousand times more than that of the the deepest ocean dept. Under those conditions most metals might corrode in the presence of liquid iron or dissolve with it.
I have learnt a lot from this article as this could mean we can actually know more about mother nature and this theory from Stevenson is also environmentally-friendly. Who knows what what we can find beneath the Earth's surface when metals can be served as suitable probes to be sent down. Some fairy habitat, dwarfs or maybe aliens. Perphaps, the energy below can be harnessed to fuel our vehicles that does not cause pollution. http://www.sciencenews.org/20030503/note11.asp
(Done by Nicholas Ng) index number 31
 
  Chenhan
Do superhumans exist?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080723164859AAHLpjX

I have learnt from this article that we usually only use about 10% of our brain power to do things
and usually one cannot use 100% of their brain power to do things, as the brain might shut down if used too much. This has also help me know that people can do things beyond their ability, like when a child is being under a car and an average sized person is able to lift the car just long enough for the child to escape before putting the car down. This is not impossible, and not superpower, its just that the body is being over drive, focusing everything on the car, allowing him to use 100% of his power to lift the car.
It has help me to be more confident of myself and i think one could do anything when focused and put his heart into it
 
 
Website:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/science/earth/20bears.html?_r=1&ref=science Authour: Andrew C.Revkin Date of publication: March 19, 2009 This article tell us about the need to protect polar bears in the Arctic due to climate change, which is identifed as “the most important long-term threat” to the bears. Nations that are near the Arctic have already created a treaty nearly four decades ago to protect polar bears. Some of this kind of protection are aimed at limiting direct threats to bear populations from increasing tourism, shipping and oil and gas drilling in the warming region. However it is mentioned in the article that without worldwide cooperation, it would be unable to tackle the problem of saving the polar bears. I find out that the artcile hold some very important lessons. First, the mention of climate change. Climate change, which was identifed as the main threat to the polar bears, is a very serious problem as the change in climate cause bring about a decrease in the number of polar bears as the change in climate can and will melt the ice which is need for the polar bears to move around on. Secondly, the increasing tourism, shipping and oil and gas drilling is also one of the problems that is identifed as a threat to the polar bears. To make matter worse, those threat are cause by humans. This certainly proves that we are partly to blame for what the polar bears are experiencing now. To sum up, protecting the polar bears in the Arctic are very important as if polar bears were to be extinct, it would be like a human body missing out one important organ. I am sure u do not want your polar bear soft toy to be the only polar bear that u see, right?(------Done by: Eric Tan------Index number: 23------Science Article for week 10-----)
 
Thursday, March 19, 2009
 
Why You Can't Stop Eating CHOCOLATES?!





Yes, Chocolates. From the previous post, I have mentioned that chocolates make people feel more happy. In this article, it says that Chocolates stimulates our taste buds, therefore making us having the tempation to have more of it. Also, i've learnt that chocolates can actually fight against viruses and prevent us from falling sick. Of course, having too much amount of chocolates causes negative effects, for example, gaining more calories and fats as chocolate contains sugar and it can result to obesity. 

Adding on, I have learnt a tip from this article. Usually, when we're are all frustrated on what to buy for someone's present or something, chocolate is also a good choice. Relieving stress and other unhappy memories, making them relax. For students, like many of us, we have to overcome many types of stress either from dozens of homeworks or tests and projects. Then, that's when chocolates come in and help us. Have a bite, stress will go away! 


http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-You-Cant-Stop-Eating-Chocolate!&id=235611


 
 
Researchers Seeking Next Generation Electric Vehicle Battery

This article tells us that scientists are making rechargeable batteries for newer electronic vehicles, which uses clean energy to power. The energy is inexpensive and easy to get. Despite the energy used may be inexpensive, it is better than using gas and fuels as it can be used for a longer period of time and provide more power for the vehicle. The battery can also be repeatedly recharged so new batteries do not need to be bought often. The final product is a paper-thin cell with a shiny side of lithium, a side covered in black carbon, and a thin polymer electrolyte in between, so, it will be lighter and the vehicle can move faster due to less air resistance and weight. Despite the new electronic vehicles may be more expensive, the fuel cost is much cheaper, so in the long run, more money can be saved. Also, electric vehicles do not produce combustion when travelling, which can help a lot in air pollution.

From this article, I think that the invention of the battery and vehicle is very important, as the fossil fuels on Earth will be depleted sooner or later. By inventing these things, we are preparing ourselves for the future. Earth is also experiencing global warming, so, by inventing vehicles that do not produce smoke, this is also helping to prevent air pollution, making the world a better place for all.
I also learn that we need to plan for the future even though there is still a long way before it arrives. As we know that in the not so near future, fossil fuels may be depleted, scientists have already started making things that may be of use in the future. I also learnt that we should not wait till the last minute before we plan for something. We need to anticipate the future and make certain changes to adapt in the future. If we waited till the last minute, we may not have enough time or certain things may occur to slow us down, leading to problems in the future.

LIEW HONG XIANG (29)

http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/cairns-batteries.html
 
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
 
WHY ARE BOYS AND GIRLS SO DIFFERENT?
WHY ARE BOYS AND GIRLS SO DIFFERENT?

We are going to tell you some of the major differences between guys and girls which will help you to understand why we react so differently to situations.

According to scientists, guys have bigger hearts than girls, but girls are more emotional and expressive with their emotions.

Have you ever wondered why girls can do lots of things at once and guys can't? The answer is that women's brains are more capable of processing information quickly.

Do you know why girls have to repeat things many times so that they understand us? Because girls can hear soft sounds better than guys, and so we are better and hearing and understanding quickly in communication.

Women are ruled by the left side of the brain, which controls language, which is why it's easy for us to communicate and hard for them to express their feelings.

Why are they so open and obvious when they are checking out a girl? Because why women have better corner vision, they have better perspective.




----


YEA ! girls power !

:F

It is normal when there is a comparison between girls and boys ability. Who is much smarter ?
Who is much emotional ? And so on. Boys tend to complain, why is it so difficult to understand how girls feel and what are they thinking ? And girls would talk back , " Why do you complain so much , IT IS JUST SO SIMPLE !?! " .

As we tend to see differently in our point of views.
As the article said , " According to scientists, guys have bigger hearts than girls, but girls are more emotional and expressive with their emotions. " .
Which infects in the way how we inference in matters. Thus , there is a huge difference in our thinkings.

However, this article is not entirely reliable as it is written by a lady.



http://www.wambie.com/tuttifrutti_us/news/WHY_ARE_BOYS_AND_GIRLS_SO_DIFFERENT_-new_en-1185.html





Written by : Madeline (7).
 
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
  What do plants need to make food?
This article is about the compulsory things a plant needs to make food. As we all know, only plants can make food. This is because the structures inside our cells are different from those of the plants. From this article, we can learn more about what are the things a plant need to make food.

Chlorophyll, light, water, carbon dioxide, nutrients and minerals are the compulsory things a plant needs in order to make food [photosynthesis]. Plants make food in their leaves, which contains chlorophyll. To make its food, the compulsory things mentioned are important.

Through this article, I understand how the plants make their food better. Furthermore, there are fascinating animations to let us visualize how the process take place. Also, after reading this article, I wonder if the researchers have a way to inject plant cells into human body so that we would not waste our time eating 3meals a day. Through this, we would also not starve to death if we are lost in the jungle. Therefore, I could not wait for the researchers to further research a way to let human make their own food.

Done by: Quek Jian Ler [32]
http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/food.html
 
  Seeing the future hot spells
This article talks about how scientist uses new ways of predicting when heat waves will strike. Climate models can often predict that whether a heat wave is coming by checking the soil moisture, but a number of factors like how they interact affect the strength and extent of a hot spell in unpredictable ways. Like the heat wave that hit Europe in 2003 which trigger forest fires and crop losses.

Studies show that regional climate models provide better results if they include accurate data about soil moisture and satellites are a good way to gather such information as soil moisture may vary even in small distances. When scientists can get a faster heads-up about conditions that might aggravate heat waves, preventions could be done.

After reading this article, I realised that satellites have more abilities than I expected, not just use for broadcasting live shows. Scientists had done alot of researches to improve our life, and in this case, to prevent us from any type of harm. After they found these new way of predicting more accurate results, prevention can be done to stop disaster like forest fires.

Done by: Sng Wei Long (36)

Source: http://sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41736/title/Seeing_the_future_hot_spells
Date: Friday, March 13th, 2009 by Sid Perkins
 
  Light could heal materials.
URL: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41696/title/Light_could_heal_materials

LIGHT COULD HEAL MATERIALS
New material repairs itself when exposed to ultraviolet light

Scientist found out that ultraviolet light can heal scratches on cars or any other scratches. When the scratches is expose to sunshine for a long period, the scratches will heal, meaning, the scratched part will be gone. But it will take a longer time to heal, whereas, if you want it to recover fast, just shine ultraviolet light over it, it will heal faster. Scientists have used a substance from the shells of shrimp to create a new material that repairs itself when exposed to ultraviolet light. Scientist are still investigating other things that can be heal like all kinds of coatings, such as paints, and surfaces on everything from surgical instruments to countertops. Materials is acting just like out body. When we fall and hurt ourselves, our cells and with the help of medical oil, our wound will heal. For materials, when they get scratched, it will "bleed", but it will remake bonds through an interaction with an external stimulus such as heat, water or, in this case, UV light.

regards
immjooTAN. x3333333
 
Sunday, March 15, 2009
 
[CREDIT: Jillian Balfour]

Why Do People Cry?


People could cry for a few reasons, to reduce the stress and tension level, to keep their eyes clean and lubricant and lastly, it could also be a form of communication. (eg. for babies or animals)

Humans eyes produces 3 types of tears. Basal tear, which are released regularly are the primary tear which keeps the surface of our eyes clean and moist. Reflex tear, also help "wash" the surface of our eyes, but they could get rid of the irritants more quickly than to the basal tears due to the different chemical composition they contain. Lastly, the Emotional tear, is released when a person is in the extreme grip of a particular emotion like sadness, anger or sometimes happiness too. It contains manganese which highly affects our temperament, thus it could help drop the level of stress and tension when they are released together with the tear.

In short, tears are produced because of irritants that bothers our eyes, the high level of stress and tension one is feeling, and also not forgetting, it is also a way for babies or animals to express their discomforts or get attention from the adults.

There is no harmful effects for crying. In fact, some researchers say that the people who cry more frequently would enjoy good health, it is also proved by scientists that humans cannot control their tears when they are in the extreme of a particular emotion, therefore i see no reason for people to try and hold back their tears. I think that if one tries to hold back their tears, they are at the same time, suppressing their feelings. Wouldn't that make them feel even worst? Come to this, it might even affect their health in the long run. So since it is holding back, that make the person feel worst, one should relax and just let what should go, go. Only then, they will feel better. After reading this article, I realised the great role tears carries.

http://scienceline.org/2006/10/23/ask-driscoll-tears/

Charmaine (19)

15/03/09

 

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