Evolution

You may have heard the theory of evolution, where humans evolved from apes. Well scientists are saying that we may not be done evolving yet. In fact, studies show that over the past 1,000 or 2,000 years evolution is accelerating. Scientists say that they can see changes in DNA studies. One hypothesis of why this might be happening is because of the worlds large population. The more people, the more likely a genetic mutation will arise.
For more information go to:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/12/13/evolution.speedup/index.html#cnnSTCText

Omega meme

I’ve tagged students for the Omega Meme!

The rules are as follows:

Each player answers the six questions posted on this blog.

The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those answers are listed.

At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their blog names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


Then follow the instructions about adding a page element at omegascience.blogspot.com.


1. My favorite TV show is Gossip Girl because this show is easy to relate to and I have read the series.

2. My favorite meal is pizza because I love the taste of the melty cheese.

3. My favorite nonschool activity is dance because I have danced since I was three years old and I really enjoy it.

4. Someone I look up to is my mom because she has taught me so much.

5. My goal for the future is to enjoy life and live every day to its fullest.

6. In the first hour after school I usually hang out with friends, do homework, or go on my computer.

I have tagged lavalamp29, spazztastic101, and pepi5.

Waves

There are two different types of mechanical waves, transverse and longitudinal waves. Transverse waves consist of crests and troughs because the particles in the medium are up and down. A crest is the highest point in a wave, whereas a trough is the lowest point in a wave. Longitudinal waves have compressions and rarefactions because the particles in the medium are horizontal. A compression is when the coils are close together. A rarefaction is when the coils are spread out. The amplitude of a wave is the maximum distance that the particles of the medium carrying the wave move away from their rest positions. The wavelength is the distance between two corresponding parts of a wave. The frequency (measured in hertz) is the number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time.

Newton's Laws

All three of Newton's laws apply to everyday life. Newton's first law of motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. To illustrate this, when a car is moving forward and is then suddenly hit by a car from behind, your body is thrown forward. This is because it was acted upon by an unbalanced force. Newton's second law shows how force, mass, and acceleration are related. Force= Mass x Acceleration. For example, most of the time when you go to the grocery store you are pushing a cart. When you first get the cart it is very light and does not take much strength to push it. This is because it has no mass. As you start to fill it up with groceries, the mass gets heavier and the cart needs more acceleration to make it go the same speed as when the cart was empty. Lastly, Newton's third law of motion demonstrates that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When a bird is flying it exerts force into the air. The air pushing back on the birds wings propels the bird forward.

Greatest Supernova Explosion Ever!

Recently, scientists observed the biggest supernova explosion ever recorded. This violent explosion was watched from ground-based telescopes and N.A.S.A.'s orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory in a galaxy no where near ours. A star called Era Carinae in The Milky Way could possibly explode similar to this supernova. This explosion was powerful that it is requiring a new explosion mechanism. This was discussed as a theory but never actually observed until now so scientists are very excited about it. Even though this explosion was so big and bright it wasn't too noticeable form Earth with the naked eye because it was 240 million light years away.
This article took a big interest in me. One of the details that caught my attention most was how there is a star in our own galaxy that could explode in a similar, violent way.
For more information Click Here.

A New Habitable Planet Beyond our Solar System?

Outside of our solar system a planet about 50% larger than Earth was discovered. This planet is within the constellation Libra and orbits around a red dwarf star. It is about 14 times closer to its star than Earth is so a year would last 13 days rather than 365. It has temperatures between 32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The gravity on this planet is heavier than on Earth, therefore, if you weigh about 150 lbs. on Earth than you might weigh about 240 lbs. on this planet. Most importantly, scientists are saying that there is a possibility for water on this planet which could be a sign for life. Theres only one problem, that is that it would take 20 light years to get there and 20 to get back.
I think its amazing that scientists are now discovering planets out of our solar system and I think it would be even more amazing if scientists discovered a way to get to this planet within 20 light years.
To learn more about this fascinating article Click Here

Spacecraft Tracking Earth's Highest Clouds

Since 1885 scientists have noticed certain clouds that remain about 50 feet above Earth. These clouds are only noticeable at night because once the sun sets below the horizon, the light reflects on the clouds causing them to glow. Within the past few years these clouds seem to be shining brighter, occurring more frequently, and they are appearing at lower latitudes. Some scientists are saying that this is happening because of global warming. Above Mars, similar clouds are hovering. Therefore, after scientists send out a spacecraft to study these clouds, they hope to not only find answers for Earth, but also for Mars.
I chose this article because it is interesting to me that in the past few years the clouds have been changing. Also, if these clouds are also above Mars it might be a clue to whether or not there is life on Mars.
Click here to find more information