20 Things You Didn't Know About Hibernation (Article)

"20 Things You Didn't Know About Hibernation" - Discover Magazine 

Did you know an American Black Bear can give birth to cubs without even waking up from hibernation? Click on the article below to read more amazing facts about hibernation.

http://discovermagazine.com/2013/march/21-20-things-hibernation

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Blobfish

Blobfish live at depths between 600–1,200 m (2,000–3,900 ft) where the pressure is several dozen times higher than at sea level, which would likely make gas bladders inefficient for maintaining buoyancy. Instead, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on swimming. Its relative lack of muscle is not a disadvantage as it primarily swallows edible matter that floats in front of it. Blobfish eat invertebrates like crabs and sea pens.

Could we live on Mars?

This video talks about the possiblities of us being able to live on Mars. It talks about how it lacks things like oxygen and sunlight, but it also mentions some of the things scientists have experimented to see what can live on Mars and some of the things that could be invented to make life on there possible.

Slicing ice with fingers- science experiement

This is a "cool" video.  It uses something called graphite which is a form of Carbon (an element). Carbon is also found in pencils.  This experiment uses a single layer of graphite called a Graphene. Graphene is good at conducting heat.  The heat from someones hand is transferred to the Graphene and is able to cute the ice.

http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/outrageous-acts-of-science/videos/slicing-ice-with-your-fingers/

Panda

Pandas live 20-30 years. They eat 20-40 pounds of bamboo each day. It takes them 10-16 hours to eat. The rest of the time the spend is sleeping. Pandas are good tree climbers. They also can swim to escape predators.

The Cartwheeling Spider (Arachnophobia warning)

This is the Cartwheeling Spider these little guys look like a tumbleweed when "Cartwheeling". They have an cool power of spinning itself to get to cool themselves in the hot desert sand and to scare away predators. Check out the link to go to an article and watch the video of them in action below. photocredit

The Amazing Human Brain!

• The human brain contains about 86 BILLION neurons (nerve cells)!

• Our brain is the largest brain out of all vertebrates (relative to body size).

• The human brain has more neurons per volume than any animal.  The folds in the outer cortex make this possible.

• Our brains have the largest frontal lobes of any animal.  The frontal lobes are associated with higher level thinking such as logic, planning, and self-control.

• The brain is divided into sections such as the cerebrum; brainstem; cerebellum; and the cerebral cortex, which consists of 4 lobes.  Read more about what each section does here..

• What's my point? Your brain is amazing.  God designed and created it.  It is more advanced than any computer or iphone.  It is unique among living things

• Photo Credits:  first image, second image

Peregrine Falcon - The fastest bird in the world

Photo credit

The peregrine falcon is a bird that hunts on other birds mid-flight.

This bird is common to all continents of the world except antarctica and is also

 the worlds most common bird of prey. The bird is the fastest in the world 

             and will fly above its prey and will swoop down at a speed of up to 200 miles per hour! The falcon will impale its prey with its beak and take its body to a clear place to land to eat it.

The Orion Nebula

This is the Orion Nebula. A nebula is a cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter. The brightest star in the picture is called LL Orionis. You can read more about the Orion Nebula here.







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Lava

Lava is made of the elements silicon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and titanium (plus other elements in very small concentrations. A lava flow can move as far as 4 km from their source and have a thickness of 10 m if it has low silica content and low viscosities. These flows can move at rates of several km per hour. Lava flows that have more silica can move as far as 1.3 km from their source and have a thickness of 100 m and it travels at rates of a few hundred m per hour. If lava is traveling underground in lava tubes it can travel much farther.
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Perfluorocarbon: An Amazing Substance

Perfluorocarbon is a relatively new chemical and liquid that allows liquid ventilation. Liquid ventilation is achieved through the liquid Perfluorocarbon. In 1966 Leland Clark Jr and Frank Gollan discovered that oxygen and carbon dioxide are very soluble in specific silicone oils and fluorocarbon liquids. During experiments with cats and mice, they discovered that these liquids could support the animal's respiration. Strangely, the animals that were removed from the silicone oils died within a few days, while those in the fluorocarbon stayed sober for weeks. The animals showed good arterial oxygenation, but there were problems with the elimination of carbon dioxide.
Studies of liquid ventilation were first performed on premature infants in 1989. The studies showed improvement in the infant's lung compliance and gas exchange, but could not be  persued as there was a lack of technology to make an applicable liquid ventilator system.

• Partial liquid ventilation would not be possible without the amazing chemical known as Perfluorocarbon. These liquids are clear, colorless, odorless, nonconducting, and nonflammable. They are about twice as dense as water and are capable of dissolving mostly carbon dioxide and oxygen.
• Basically this substance can hold enough oxygen for someone to be able to breathe while inside it. You can breath safely underwater but sometimes the transition from breathing Perfluorocarbon to air can be painful or uncomfortable as your lungs try to push the liquid or if them.
• In addition to its medical use, it's also sometimes used as a form of modern torture that is similar to water boarding. The victim is placed in a small completely dark box which is filled with the liquid. The victim thinks they are drowning as they breath in the liquid. Most victims pass out from fear at that point or just sit there in the dark, apparently breathing in "water." This often leads to them concluding that they are, in fact, dead. Then the victim would be pulled from box, said to have be resuscitated or something along those lines and are threatened to be "drowned" again if they don't give up information. This substance provides a way to "drown" someone and be sure they won't be harmed.

Science - re lighting a candle using it's wax vapor

This is a fun video.  When you blow out a candle, there is a little bit of smoke that is released.  This is what you see coming off the wick after it's been blown out.  Since there is a little bit of wax remaining in this "smoke", they call it a wax vapor.  By using fire, you can re light the candle from this wax vapor.  It travels down the vapor and re lights the candle.  Pretty cool and it works...I tried this with my mom.

Ermines

 


They are the cousin s of the weasel. They like to play a lot they are really high jumpers. They have a really long body they a rounded noses there calls sound like a cry .

 www.worriorrpg.com

African Elephant

African Elephants are the largest mammals. They can be 10 feet or taller. Their tusk are considered their teeth, They can weight up to 6000 pounds.

Honey Badger - The most fearless creature in the world.

 Photo Credit

The Honey badger 

The most fascinating thing about the Honey badger is that is most fearless creature in the world, and it has reasons to be fearless.The honey bagder has thick, rubbery skin about 1/4 inches thick. The skin is so tough that arrows and spears are impervious to it. The honey badger can even take a strike from a machete without cutting the skin all the way through. The honey badger has been none to attack cobras and venomous snakes and known to live after being bit, they only pass out after being bit. No one really knows why the honey badger is able to resist venom. but scientist believe that the honey badger has some sort of chemical in their body that helps them be immune to the snakes venom. The honey badger has been known to crawl into bee hives and steal their honey while getting stung. In conclusion the honey badger has really no fear, and will do what it must to survive.

How do Chameleons Change Color?

Chameleons change color because of cells called chromatophores. These cells contain color pigments and they change rapidly depending on the mood and temperature of the chameleon. The chameleons can manipulate these cells to change specific colors: if the chameleon is cold, it will change to a dark blue, gray, or black. If a male chameleon spots another male chameleon, he will change to a dark orange or red.

Info Credit

Getting Down to Bismuth

Here is a picture of a Bismuth crystal. Isn't it beautiful?  Bismuth is element number 83 on the Periodic Table.  It is a post-transition metal. Fun fact: A bismuth compound is the main ingredient in Pepto Bismol (hence the name).  Bismuth compounds are also used in cosmetics and pigments.











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The Amazing Mimic Birds

The Lyre Bird is a really cool bird that posses the ability to mimic stuff. These birds are very curios creatures that God have created. They basically will eat anything think that's small and that's an invertebrate (bugs or animals the have exoskeletons). When surprised or threatened the spread their tails that kinda look like a miniature brown peacock. (the first video will be about lyre birds them self the second one will be one mimicking a childrens toy gun mimics other bird noices)

Ligers and Tigons

A liger is the  result of a cross between a male lion and female tigress but a tigon is the  result of a cross between a male tiger and a female lioness. These creatures look awesome but live miserable lives.
This is a video that talks about them. One thing that isn't mentioned is that some times it occurs in nature, but that is very rare.

The Northern Glass Frog

Photo Credit: http://images.mudfooted.com/glass_frog.jpg

• The Northern Glass Frog's name comes from the white translucent skin on it's belly where you can see it's heart and other organs
• It averages from three-quarters to one and half inches
• It mainly lives in trees
• They live Central and South America
• They are nocturnal
• Their average 10-14 years in the wild

Science Experiment with Iodine, Bleach, and water....Illustration about sin and forgiveness

This is a science experiment using iodine, bleach, and water.  It's a chemistry experiment using acids and bases to change the color in the glass.  It's interesting because it shows how Jesus (clear glass) can take away our sins (dark glass)

Awesome Fruit: Rambutan

The rambutan is native to southeast Asia. The

 skin is read and covered with hairy spines.

 The name comes from the word "rambut

" which, in Malaysian means "hairs".

 The flesh is semitransparent and is mainly sweet.

 It has one seed per fruit . The seed is brown and

 not edible. The rambutan trees bear fruit twice a year,

 and it grows in clusters of 10-20 pieces.
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Strange Planets

To the right is a planet that is the DARKEST planet ever found.  It's called TrES-2b.  It's blacker than coal and blacker than any black paint we have here on Earth, reflecting only about 1% of the light that strikes it.  Read more about it here (photo credit).







Did you know there is a PINK PLANET? It's name is GJ 504b.  You can see it on the left.  It orbits its parent star at 9 times the distance that Jupiter orbits our Sun!  You can read more about this planet here (photo credit).

Golden Snub Nosed Monkeys

There are about 20,000 Golden Snub Nosed Monkeys today. When they climb in the forest they go less or more than 3,000 meters. They always go lower during the winter.When they are in danger they can climb really fast. They go into groups of 20 to 30

pacific viperfish

pacific viperfish live 4,500 meters below
the surface. They hunt by attracting prey

with their glowing belies. www.pintererst.com

Malaria

Malaria is a parasitic disease. A parasitic disease is an infection caused by parasites.  A mosquito will bite a person and the parasite will enter its new human host. It then enters the blood stream of that human and infects the blood cells, causing them to burst. There are five known species that infect humans through malaria.

• P. falciparum is found worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas.
• P. vivax is found mostly in Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa. 
• P. ovale is found mostly in Africa (especially West Africa) and the islands of the Pacific.
• P. malariae is found worldwide and is the only human malaria species that has a three-day cycle. 



Here is a microscopic image of malaria-infected blood cells. The darker purple
areas are the infected parts. They are darker because those cells have burst open
from the parasites. These cells in particular are infected by P. vivax, meaning
the affected person was probably either in Asia, Latin America, or Africa when
the parasites entered their body.

• The last species is P. knowlesi, which is found in Southeast Asia, and has a one day cycle instead of a two or three day cycle. 

This picture is fascinating to me
because when I'm older I want to be a parasitologist, meaning I want to be the type of doctor who works with people who have parasitic diseases. I would help people with malaria most likely, too, so that makes it even more amazing.  


 Credit: Photo-Malaria   
Info-Malaria info                  

Ant Beetle & ICR Link

Check out the new link to the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) in the pages bar above.
This is a great website with lots of scientific information from a Biblical perspective.

Here is a link to an ICR article about an Ant Beetle that has remain virtually unchanged throughout the fossil record! Students, this will make more sense as we go through the chapter about evolution. :)

Click here to read about these insects:  Amazing Ant Beetle Same Today as Yesterday

Tardigrades (Water Bears!)

This is a tardigrade (also known as a water bear or a moss piglet!), a REALLY cool aquatic invertebrate.  It's one of my favorite organisms.  Yes, this is a real image of one.  Here are some facts about them:

• They are about the size of a poppy seed (1.5 mm).

• They were first described by a German pastor named J.A.E. Goeze in 1773.

• They can be found in just about every habitat on Earth. 

• They are extremophiles.  They can survive in boiling water, solid ice, and in outer space (without oxygen)!  Find out how here.

Photo Credit