Mother Nature Crying

I just thought I'd share this photo that Marine photographer and environmental lecturer Michael Nola took of an Ice shelf in Norway. Mother Nature must want to scold us too.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe Chapters 2-3

The next two chapters in this book were even more informative than the first. I learned even more information about what Global Warming is doing to the ice and how it's affecting people in Iceland. I thought the most interesting part for me was the fact that Iceland could lose all of their ice at the end of the next century. I also thought it was crazy how the people there have such a limited amount of time left there because of the speed of the melting ice.

I barely have any doubts after reading this, but I do still have some. There does seem to be a lot of scientific data to back up the idea of global warming. Yet, I question how they would explain this evidence to scientists who say the world is cooling. It seems the world has cooled years ago. The reading stated how farms were being buried under ice around 500 years ago. How do we know "global warming" isn't just a repeat of the past? Plus, I'm not sure I read enough information about what we're doing wrong to cause all these problems. I know about all the effects now, but really what are we doing that are causing them? What's different now than before? Kolbert touched on this, but I think she needs more information about what's so different about the world today to cause all this.

The writing was still good though. It was very informational and had good sources. It feels more like an interesting textbook than a journalistic piece. Yet, I like the writing style. I think science writing needs to be more scientific with the topic chosen rather than just straight facts. The information needs to delve in more into what we're reading about and that is exactly what the writer is doing.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe 1-34

The first chapter of this book was great. It was like reading a travel story almost, but there was a lot of science involved. I noticed that there was a lot of information about permafrost and carbon dioxide level increase in the Arctic. There's so much I didn't know about how global warming is affecting the Arctic. It seems whenever we hear about Global Warming, it's always about how it's going to affect the world as a whole. Yet, I never hear enough information about how it is affecting the Arctic.

There was so much science involved in the reading. I learned a lot about Alaska and about how global warming  is affecting the people that live there. Kolbert spoke to her readers in a very interesting and captivating way. It was easy to read along and understand the science behind what she was talking about. I really enjoyed reading it and it was hard to put down. It was very journalistic because she had some good reliable sources. I learned a lot reading this.

Why do we talk in our sleep?

 My roommate told me the other night that I was talking in my sleep. I immediately panicked. Oh no, what did I say? I hope I didn't say anything too crazy? I hope she doesn't know about the weird dream I had last night. I barely understood it. She then told me she couldn't understand me. I breathed a sigh of relief. My dream secrets are still in my head. She was actually talking in her sleep the other night too. Lucky for her, I couldn't understand her either. But, why was I talking in my sleep? I don't even remember doing it.

Sleep talking, also known as somniloquy, normally occurs in children. Their young minds are still developing, so their sleep cycles are not quite complete yet. Five percent of adults - both men and women - talk in their sleep. Sleep talking can usually occur in families. This talking can range from small utterances to yelling and screaming.

Both my roommate and I only mumbled in our sleep so we didn't keep each other up with loud curses about our evil homework assignments. But why did it happen at all?

Some say that sleep talking occurs during the REM( Rapid Eye Movement) cycle of sleep. Others say it can happen in any cycle of sleep. This occurrence in most cases is harmless. But in some is the result of something more serious. Some people who sleep talk might have RBD (REM Sleep Behavior Disorder). This causes people to grunt, shout, yell and act out their dreams at most times violently. Night Terrors or Sleep Terrors can also result in sleep talking. People with this disorder usually have frightening screams and they trash and kick. They normally can't be woken up in this state. Children with it usually sleep talk and sleepwalk. NS-RED (Nocturnal Sleep-related Eating Disorder) can also cause sleep talking which induces eating while asleep.

Sleep talking can happen because of emotional stress, substance abuse, fever, certain medications, or a mental health disorder. Yet, lack of sleep, heavy meals, and stress could cause sleep talking. I guess my roommate and I need to skip the books at night and get some sleep.

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

An assortment of fruity colors litter the Adirondack Mountains. Random arrangements of yellow, red and orange leaved trees sparaticly color the forest with a few green leaved trees. I look out my window of the Greyhound bus and I'm in love with the beautiful creation of what nature has made. Yet, as I make my journey back to New York City, I wonder how could nature create such a vivid, lively color to such a boring, dull season.

Trees have to prepare themselves for the winter just like humans do. As the temperatures get colder, the days become shorter. The leaves in trees produce a pigment called chlorophyll. This pigment produces a green color which is absorbed from blue and red light. Chlorophyll is in the cloroplasts part of the cell. This section is where photosynthesis occurs and light energy is converted into chemical energy. It is produced during the summer when there's more light to brighten up a leaf's day.

During the fall, chlorophyll is less present because of less light. In some trees, a pigment called carotene is also produced. This pigment absorbs blue-green and blue light. It combines with chlorophyll when they are in the same leaf. They remove red, blue-green and blue light from sunlight after it hits the leaf. Carotene transfers energy to chlorphyll in photosynthesis. When chlorphyll disappears, carotene is usually still there and it produces a yellow color on its own.

Another pigment that can also appear in leaves is anthocyanin. This pigment is not in the cloroplasts of the cells. A reaction between proteins and sugars in the cell sap form anthocyanins. It doens't occur unless there is a high concentration of sap and it also needs light. It absorb blue, blue-green and green light. It is very sensitive to pH in the cell sap. If the sap is more acidic, the leaf will have a bright red color. If it's not as acidic, the leaf will have a more purplish color.

Trees have so many amazing characteristics about them that make up what they are. They truly change with the seasons and continue to survive through the bitter winter. They liven up the dreary fall mornings with their splash of color even with a lack of light. Who knew that less sunlight could produce something so beautiful.

Stephen Hawking Is Making His Comeback

The article called "Stephen Hawking is Making His Comeback," by Tim Folger was very interesting. I learned a lot of information about Stephen Hawking that I've never known before. He had a lot of scientific information and a lot of biographical information that made it a very educating read. Overall, it was a very extensively researched article that was still interesting to read. Yet, I must grade the overall structure of the article.

The lede was very entertaining. It was like Folger was comparing Hawking to a rock star. I almost thought I was reading about a rock star. Yet, it wasn't punchy at all. It moved slowly and was more like reading a book than an article. So I give the lede a 16/20.

The content was perfect. He had so much information about Stephen Hawking. The reader learned about his disease, his early days, his studies, even his personality. The writer interviewed people, so we got a bit more of a background of who Stephen Hawking is. I noticed he didn't interview Mr. Hawking himself. Yet, I think that actually works out for what the writer was trying to say. He gets a 20/20 for this one.

The writing was quite good. It was very interesting to read and it kept me in the entire time. However, I thought a large part of the article was subjective. I could easily see the writer's opinion when he was writing about Hawking's life. I was thinking that Folger was definitely a fan of Hawking as I read through the article. Folger receives a 15/20 for this.

Folger explained the science of the article very well. I wasn't at all confused. I didn't see any jargon throughout the piece. I learned a lot from what he wrote, so he must have explained it very well since I wasn't confused. The science was put together very well. I could understand what he was trying to say about black holes and the universe. Folger receives a 20/20 for this.

The final grade for this writer is a 71/80. Very good job Mr. Folger.

Why does water expand when it freezes?

When I was little, I always wondered about the little bubbles that sometimes formed in a cube of ice. I could never understand why it was there and why it wouldn't just freeze like the rest of water. I later discovered that the bubble is just water that didn't freeze yet. But one think I never noticed is the uniqueness of water from other liquids. It's supposedly very healthy for us and it serves us so much value since it doesn't do what other liquids do - contract when it freezes.

Why is it that water doesn't contract? Water does contract, but as not much as most liquids do. Water stops contracting at four degrees Celsius and then starts to expand.

This expansion is due to the body of the water molecule. Hydrogen bonds are created where each hydrogen atom forms a line between two oxygen atoms. The bonds become stronger the more lower the temperature gets which creates more space in the crystalline structure. This is why ice is more dense than its liquid form and floats on water.

Imagine a world where water doesn't expand when it freezes. There'll be a lot less water in our oceans, so the earth wouldn't be the same as it is now. Underwater creatures would freeze during the winter and they would die. Plus, it would be a lot more difficult for humans to navigate the worlds oceans. Water's unique trait is quite strange, yet quite helpful in its own cool way.