Sunday, October 30, 2011

One Man's Quest To Restore Florida's Coral Reef.


Ken Nedimyer is a man who's goal is to restore and save Florida's Coral Reef(s). When he was thirteen his whole family went on vacation to Florida and then he went back to   Florida for collage and stayed to live there. In 1977 some cold fronts hit Florida and the Staghorn and Elkhorn coral that wasn't killed was terribly wekend and later got infected with White Band Disease. And just as the coral started to get better in 1985 two hurricanes hit Florida and killed a lot of the coral, this put them on the endangered list. Ken and his Daughter decided to grow back, artificially, 
this coral and then place it back in the ocean. They got her high school to do it as a project and it was incredibly successful and after that they decided they waned to continue on with this project. Finally in 2004 they got their first 
granted permission from Florida Keys National Marine to start a project. Now in 2011 there is much improvement, however it may not be back to normal yet, but we have re grown and re planted coral over the entire Florida Reef Tract all the way to the US Virgin Islands 

Dolasia, Meera. "One Man's Quest To Restore Florida's Coral Reef." Dogo New's 
23 Oct. 2011: 1.
     Dogo New's. Thursday. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.dogonews.com/2011/10/24/
     one-mans-quest-helps-restore-floridas-coral-reef>.


Dirt: the Movie

The movie that we watched in Science class about dirt was a very interesting video. There were many valid points in it such as how we need so save the dirt and make it as it once was; fertile, moist, healthy, and a good source for growing our food. Due to modern technology and chemicals used to preserve the food and kill the pests with pesticides it has caused harm to the soil, filled the food with toxins, and harmed the hydrological cycle, also harmed humans health, because they toxins get into the air and we breath the air and that can harm our bodies and possibly give us future cancer. Birth defects sometimes also occur here is an example:
This baby was born with no arms or legs because of what pesticides did to her mother while she was carrying. No one should suffer from birth defects or health problems because the industry wants to make some more money. However, they do benefit us as well, they allow us to grow more crops, faster, and makes them cheaper as well for less fortunate families and individuals.






Also look at the people who spray the pesticides on crops. Depending on the part of the world you live in, some are better equipped than other, for example, in India and China those workers are not at all protected and there is a high chance that they may get a fatal disease later in their life and may weaken their organs, such as their lungs and heart, and lower their immune system, who also work for very little amounts of money. While someone in America may be equipped with gloves, masks, and protection from the toxins sprayed. They may not get sick due to toxins, because they have the proper tool and equipment. So compare these two men and how their lives may be differ. Think of the man with all the proper tool and equipment, and how his future health may be, and how the man with no proper tools or equipments future health may be. This video about dirt was very informative, however to biased I think. It favored one side over the other, which is ok, as long as you give the positives and negative's of BOTH side. This video only focused on the positives of their opinion and the negatives of what they are against. They did not stat any of their negative's or positives of their opposing side. For me to form an opinion I would need to hear something more only stating the facts, not opinions,

Sunday, October 9, 2011

San Diego Ocean Glows in the Dark!!!


 Click here for original article
Along California's coast in San Diego there is a phenomenon going on. It happens periodically and it is called Red Tides Usually it lasts only a short while, but this year it has been already three weeks!!!!! What causes the water to light up is these tiny little organisms called Phytoplankton. The reason it is not constantly light up is because it only happens when they dominate the ocean. It is still unknown to scientists why they light up in the dark, but then not the day. During the day the waters are a murky red, brown, or purple color. However, we do know how they light up. It is a chemical reaction caused when the cells hit against something. Right now what is happening in San Diego is that they are all being pushed upon each other and that is what is causing them to light up. The reason they are being pushed upon each other is because the ocean waves are banging them against each other and at this time they are dominating the ocean so the result is a lot of them get pushed and clumped together causing the beautiful sight. What I find the best, most interesting, and defiantly the coolest part about these phytoplankton organisms is that they are not at all that toxic so you are able to swim in these amazing waters! Simply just imagine splashing your friends with glow in the dark ocean water? Or the beautiful photos you can take and what makes the already legendary golden cost even more stunning and beautiful. What you can also do with these phytoplankton organisms, if you live close to the San Diego beaches, you can fill up a jar with the ocean water and share it with your class or just use it as a very cool detail added to your room. These organisms themselves are not that beautiful, but what they produce is stunning.


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Amazing Tale Behind Winter's Bionic Tail By Kavi Dolasia on 10/03/2011

Have you heard of the movie Dolphin Tale? Well that movie was based on a true story about a real live dolphin called Winter. In the movie they added a few aspects to make it more interesting. However there is a true and real story behind it. One day a man went to work and threw his crab catcher into his favorite sport and he heard a squealing. He went to go see what it was because it kept getting louder and louder. He saw that it was a baby dolphin stuck in the crab catcher and he immediately got his knife and cut it up. However, when the dolphin was let go the blood circulation to her tail got cut off so he called the Hubb-sea World Research Institution. They treated the dolphin and had to amputate its tail, otherwise it would die. They were worried because she still might have died. The amputated it and she started swimming again. However they were worried because she couldn't swim up and down so she started swimming side to side. They were worried that she would mess up her spine that way. One day they got a call from the vet and said they could make a fake tail extension for her. When they made it it was a complete success and now Winter serves as an inspiration to the rest of the world.