Deepest Volcanic Sea Vents Found, "Like Another World"

Three miles below the surface in the Caribbean Sea volcanic vents shoot out water hot enough to melt lead. These hydrothermal vents where found on April 6th. They are 2 stories tall. These hydrothermal vents are connected to the Caymen Trench. The Caymen Trench isnt connected to other mid-ocean ridges. With that in mind scientist consider that maybe there are a different species of animals there that have adapted to that climate.

First of all that is really tall for vents. That is really hot water if it can melt lead. There is a big possiblity that there are other species of animals, but then again if it is as far down as they say it is then animals may not be able to survive under there.

China Quake Death Toll Rises to Nearly 2,000

Since the earthquake that happened a week ago the death toll has risen to almost 2,000. About 12,315 are injured and 1,124 of those are in serious condition. Chinese soldiers and other rescuers are continuing to find people in the rubble. The earthquake caused over 15,000 homes to be destroyed. The quake also caused more than 100,000 people people to flee the area. The 6.9 magnitude earthquake caused harm to many areas in China.

I think that we need to continue to help countries that are affected by earthquakes. If the U.S had an earthquake we would want other countries to help us. Since there has been alot of earthquakes have happened alot lately we need to be prepared in case one happens in the United States. Our country needs to do our best to help China and other countries who are having trouble with earthquakes. We could help raise money and some people can even go to these countries and help rebuild houses.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/19/china-quake-toll-rises-to-nearly-2000/

400 year old ship! LOL!

The wooden ribs of a ship, perhaps 400 years old, were moved off the waterfront at Corolla. Workers with the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission and the underwater archaeologist branch believe the planks are from HMS Swift, which sank off North Carolina in 1698. 50 people volunteered to help dig out the planks so front loaders and other equipment could move the pieces over the dune to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. The wood will be documented and put on display next to the lighthouse.

I think this is pretty cool. I think it's crazy how a ship that's over 400 years old can still be intact at the bottom of the ocean and can be salvaged as a piece of North Carolina history. No telling what else lurks at the bottom of North Carolina's oceans. Maybe buried treasure is even down there. Someday, I would hope to explore the deep ocean sea and make a profit off of buried treasure.

The Benefits of Wildfires

With a changing climate there’s a good chance that forest fires in the Pacific Northwest will become larger and more frequent – and according to one expert speaking today at a professional conference, that’s just fine. The future of fire in this region is difficult to predict, will always be variable, and undoubtedly a part of the future landscape. People should understand, however, that fire is not only inevitable but also a valuable part of forest ecosystems and their management, says John Bailey, an associate professor in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management at Oregon State University.


Forest fires can be bad and can be good. They're good because they can help fertilize the soil so trees can grow better. They also help to keep trees in line so they don't get out of control. Burning grass helps it grow back a lot greener than when it started as well. Maybe someday, people will use this method a lot more than they do now.

Meteor in the Midwest

People over a wide area of the Midwest got a brief but spectacular light show as a fireball streaked across the sky Wednesday night. Reports about the fireball began flooding law enforcement agencies as well as National Weather Service offices from Milwaukee to St. Louis . Sightings were reported in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.In Iowa, officials reported a prolonged sonic boom related to the display. Maybe aliens have landed on Earth!


I think this is pretty cool. I wish it would have happened her in Walkertown so I could have seen it. Iv' e only seen one meteor shower in my life and there was no boom at the end. I hope it happens again soon so I can see it. Aliens would be another cool thing to happen.

Evacuations at Iceland Volcano

Early Wednesday, a volcano underneath a glacier erupted. When this happened, the ice melted causing major flooding. 800 Icelandic residents had to be evacuated due to the flooding. The Red Cross has helped evacuate the residents. Large holes have been melted away from the glacier due to the eruption. Thankfully, nobody was injured in this event.


I had no idea volcano's could even be underneath glaciers. I thought it would be to cold for a volcano to thrive underneath a glacier. A 200 foot thick glacier at that. I find this pretty cool and pretty scary. What if you were out ice skating on this ice (because it's not surrounded by water) and suddenly, a volcano blew up right before your eyes. Id be runnin' so fast! I also think it's cool that a volcano is underneath this glacier. I would've never thought!

Iceland 's Volcano

A volcano underneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland began erupting April 13th, causing nearly 700 people to leave their places. The ash plume released by the eruption, thousands of flights were cancelled all across Europe because of what happend. Officials say that it was the largest flight disruption since the September 11th attacks. The melting of the glacier caused rivers to rise 10 feet in hours. Iceland rests on a volcanic hot spot every since Wensday.

I think that they still should of let people leave because all there homes and other property was destroyed. It would of been more safer for people to leave their homes so they would't get caught up in it.They also had to pay a lot of money because they cancelled the flights but that's putting us more in dept.They might go bankrupt.Most people areworried about when can they come home.




http://www.theticker.org/about/2.8220/iceland-s-dormant-volcano-blows-1.2241851

Clever Crows Surprise

Researchers from the University of Auckland conducted an experiment that involved crows solving complex puzzles using tools to obtain food. All of the crows involved were able to successfully solve the three-stage, complex tasks. In fact, two of the birds were able to solve them on the first attempt without error. The tasks involved the birds using new behaviors rather than trial and error. This leads researchers to believe that crows are in fact intelligent, and contain thought processes.

I found it to be quite shocking that crows are so intelligent. I knew that they were smart, but I had no idea they had such developed cognitive processes. I found it to be astounding that the crows were able to solve complex puzzles despite no prior knowledge of them. This makes me curious to find out more about the intelligence levels of other birds and animals. I hope that more research is conducted on this subject matter in the future.

New Deadly Fungus Found In U.S.

A new strain of the deadly Cryptococcus gattii fungus has recently been found in the U.S. It has already killed six people in Oregon and is likely to spread to California. It is unknown how the fungus entered the United States. People become infected by breathing in the organisms, and there is nothing that can be done to prevent from obtaining it. The fungus can kill healthy people with strong immune systems, which is extremely rare, as fungi normally only attack people with weak immune systems.

I am concerned with the outbreak of this fungal disease. I believe that this fungus should be looked into, and that word should spread about it. I had not heard anything about this disease killing people until I read this article. It is fortunate that this disease is not contagious, but it is still very dangerous. It is important that specialists find a way to keep this fungus from spreading.

Volcano

In Iceland today there is a erupting volcano causing a lot of havoc. One of the major ecological problems is that ashes are getting into atmosphere and polluting the air. The last time this volcano erupted it was erupting for two years straight. Due to the intensity of smoke and ash many airplanes have been grounded till air clears. Although no one knows when this eruption will end it is almost certain it will not be two years.

I thhink that if scientists could find a way to determine when natural disastters will occur it would be a major advancement in technology. If this sort of instrument could be made it would help save the lives of many. Also if we could find away to use the ash for a good use it could fertilize the ground. Although we do not have this technology yet it may not be out of our grasp in the future.

A planet without methane

Recently, scientists found a planet that had no methane. This is very unusual for planets in our atmosphere. The NASA Spitzer Space Telescope discovered the planet. The planet is about the size of Neptune, so it's pretty small. Many other planets are still yet to be discovered. Hopefully, we will discover them someday.


I think this is pretty cool. Maybe if there's one planet like this, there could be more. If we keep searching, I bet we could find some other weird planets and moons like this one. This is a pretty cool find in my opinion. There might be different life forms on planets like this as well.

Whale full of garbage

A whale recently washed ashore on a beach in Washington. The whale was dead and had been dead for awhile. When scientists did an autopsy to see how the whale died, they found a large amount of trash in the whales stomach. This is what presumably killed the whale, a bunch of trash. Plastic bags, sweat pants, golf balls, towels and other plastic objects were found in the whale. Hopefully, people will stop throwing so much trash into the ocean so this doesn't happen anymore.



I find this disgusting. This is why I really don't like people very much. What is so hard about throwing your trash into a garbage can and not the ocean!? The ocean is a lot bigger but still. I would have never thought a whale could die from trash. Whales are huge and they don't deserve this. Whales are cool and they don't deserve to eat trash. I think the people that throw trash into the ocean deserve to eat trash!

Higher Amounts of Added Sugars Increase Heart Disease Risk Factors, Study Finds

In the United States and all over the world there has been large consumptions about sugar and that it has increased more than it has in a past decades.They think that most sugar comes from people that adds more sugar to what they drink and cakes.They also say that if you eat too much sugar you could end up having Sugar ( the diease ) or you could have another diease called HDL-C that is triglycerdes and low density lipopratein cholesterol.You should be very careful about what you eat because if you don't you could gain a but load full of weight.There is a greater risk of having a cardiovascular disease.



I think that they should cut the risk of sugar because it is messing up people lifes and also you can get addictd to sugar. I know that they have low sugar like sweet and low but half of Americans don't like the taste of it. We you go to resturants they have almost 4 different types of sugar . I really think that they should have on ONE sugar and it is sweetand low. Sugar is in everythng that we eat like, sodas, cakes, cookies and more.










http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100420161748.htm

Iceland Volcano

A volcano underneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland began erupting April 13th, causing nearly 700 people to be evacuated. Due to the ash plume released by the eruption, thousands of flights were cancelled all across Europe. Officials claim that it was the largest flight disruption since the September 11th attacks. The melting of the glacier caused rivers to rise 10 feet in hours. Because Iceland rests on a volcanic hot spot, it possesses a history of devastating eruptions such as the one that occurred Wednesday.

I was unaware that Iceland had such a long history of volcanic eruptions. I also learned that the reason for this is because Iceland is located on a volcanic hot spot. It is fortunate that the people were evacuated in time before any major destruction took place. I am now curious to find out where other volcanic hot spots are located. I hope that the damage caused by the volcano was minimal, and that residents will be able to recover whatever they lost.

Genetic Test for 'Speed Gene' in Thoroughbred Horses

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202144204.htm

The 'Speed Gene' is'the first known characterization of a gene contributing to a specific athletic trait in thoroughbred horses. Thoroughbred horses run in races such as the Kentucky Derby. This research was founded by Science Foundation Ireland. Its the first academic program to apply novel genomics technologies to i.d. genetic contributions to racing performance in horse. During the research Dr Hill was accompanied by Mr Jim Bolger, a renowned Irish racehorse trainer and breeder. Using the Equinome Speed Gene test racehorse owners and trainers around the world will be able to identify which distance a horse is ideally suited to run. If a trainer knows what the horse is best suited for then they can come up with a training plan for the horse in hopes of it reaching its full potential.

I think this is a great thing! Horse racing is already extremely successful. With this testing breeders can make better breeding selections to have faster horses. This means closer competion between other horses and other jockeys. The race world will be changed forever once every breeder and trainer start using these tests.

Endangered Quolls Taught to Turn Their Noses Up at Toxic Toad

This article is about a group of ecologists that have successfully trained the Northern Quoll to turn its nose up at the toxic cane toads. The Northern Quoll are critically endangered and the ecologists in Australia created a study to try to bring them out of endangerment. This animal likes to eat large toads like the Cane toad. Unfortunately the Cane Toad is very toxic when eaten. So Dr Jonathan Webb and others, from the University of Sydney, construct a study to teach northern quolls to associate sickness with cane toads. if this is possible, this might be one way of conserving them. They used 62 Quoll from the Territory Wildlife Park. Half of the 62 are taught to refuse the toad. A couple of days before the 31 trained Quolls are released into to the wild, they are given toads that weigh 2 grams laced with a nausea-inducing thiabendazole. This is not enough to kill them just make them sick. To test if this really worked both groups were given a live Cane Toad in a plastic container; they wanted to see if they would attack it. Then the Quoll were fitted with radio collars and released into the wild.

I think it's great that scientists are trying to save animal species! I believe that there are ways to keep animals save and healthy in their environment but we have to do our part. If training them to be picky eatters saves them then I have no problem with it.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100413095853.htm

Every Black Hole Contains Another Universe?

Its talks about how our Earth maybe nestled inside of a balck hole and maybe part of a larger universe. The article says that it is a black hole is a passage way from different universes to others. According to Poplawski the things that black holes absorb don't disapear but are building blocks to galaxies and stars. He also says that the black hole tunnels may explain some mysteries. He says that it could solve the big bang theroy, that maye it came from a black hole.

I believe that if this is true that it would be very interesting to see. It is also a very interesting subject, black holes.

Comet Shower Killed Ice Age Mammals?

For more than 15 years, scientists Bill Napier and Victor Klube have hypothesized that the Ice Age period was caused by the same comet that resulted in the annual Taurid meteor shower. They derive evidence from the fact that fiery comet fragments could have caused the ancient wildfires that were found during that period. Many astronomers remain unconvinced, however. Those who oppose the theory argue that large space rocks needed to have caused an Ice Age do not orbit close to the sun. Astronomers who are against the theory also claim that there should still be threatening chunks of the comet shower in the inner solar system if it had caused the Ice Age.

I am not convinced that a comet shower caused the Ice Age. Though it is an interesting theory, there is not enough evidence to support it. It seems unlikely, due to the arguments made against it. Though I am curious to know what caused the Ice Age, I am doubtful that it was a comet shower. This hypothesis makes me wonder if scientists will ever really know for sure what caused this catastrophe.

Mexico Earthquake Zone Linked to California Faults

This article talks about a 7.2 earthquake that jolted northern Mexico and Southern Califorinia April 4, 2010. Scientist say it was the first big earthquake on the particular fault since 1892. Mark Benthein says that its all basicly one fault zone, the plate boundary between the Pacific plate and the North American plate. It says that Southern California and northern Mexico are a whole series of blocks sliding past each other.

This is an interesting article. I find it amazing that a fault in California can cause the same fault line in Mexico to do the same thing. It has been a long time since the last earthquake.