7 & 8

"Here in the United States, most of us begin generating CO2 as soon as we get out of bed."

This statement from chapter 7 stood out to me because it is something we all know, but we never think about. Everyone wakes up and starts their days different ways, but all contain CO2. Kolbert discussed how we wake up, make coffee, watch the news, and drive to work. All of those things I do every morning, and more that I've never realized how harmful it can be to the Earth.

Kolbert explains everything very well in these two chapters and makes it easier for me to read and understand. She discusses wedges, which could have been mind-boggling, but she used examples and language that made the science understandable.

I thought Kolbert's interview with Paula Dobriansky in chapter 8 was very amusing. I think it is important for a journalist to describe to the readers how an interviewee acted and exactly what they said, especially if they repeated the same cookie-cutter phrase over and over.

I enjoyed chapter 7 and 8. Questions that I have and questions that I didn't even have are being answered in every chapter of her book.

Chapters 5 & 6

I have to admit, chapter 5 was not my cup of tea. She lost me when she began the chapter discussing Sargon of Akkad and Babylonian cities, I wondered the whole time I was reading, where's global warming? I guess I understand how she is trying to relate the empire to now, but I just didn't like the comparison. This chapter had fewer flowery words and descriptions than the others, which made it a little boring for me.

Kolbert got very "sciency" in this chapter, some of which went over my head, but some details were interesting. "If greenhouse gases were held constant at today's levels, it is estimated that it would take several decades for the full impact of the forcing that is already in place to be felt," Kolbert said. I think it's interesting that our CO2 levels are so high that if we stopped them from rising, the effects of global warming would eventually still happen.

I liked chapter 6 because Kolbert went back to her fun, matter-of-fact writing and I'm interested in the subject of the rising sea level and flooding. I've always understood the basics: Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, towns are flooding. Kolbert described how water expands when it is warm. "In a small body of water, the effect is small; in a big body, it's commensurately larger." Also, the warmer Earth changes precipitation patterns, which could lead to more downpours and more flooding.

I think flooding and the rising sea level are effects of global warming that many people are able to see happening already. Beaches are losing their beach, the water is getting closer to their homes every day and more storms and rain are flooding people's houses.

Chapter 4

In Chapter 4 Kolbert discusses the risk of extinction. "Any species that is around today, including our own, has already survived catastrophic climate change." That quote is interesting because I've never thought of it that way. When I think of global warming, I'm nervous about what the consequences will be for thousands of species, including our own, but I never put into perspective that these same species have survived other changes before. Could they handle another change? That's still the unknown question that we're faced with because of global warming.

I thought the most interesting part of the chapter was about the number of species that have been wiped out. Even before the full effect of global warming has set in, humans have still managed to kill many species because as Kolbert describes, "of farms and cities and subdivisions and mines and logging operations and parking lots..." We are all worried about our future and paying little attention to the present and ignoring the problems we are causing for the world at this moment.

I continue to enjoy Kolbert's writing and love her descriptive words. She makes the difficult subject easy, interesting and enjoyable to read about.

Global Warming

After reading chapters 2 and 3 of Field Notes from a Catastrophe I learned a lot more about global warming. The most startling information that I found was when Kolbert discussed the prediction by Swedish chemist Svante arrhenius. CO2 levels have been recorded since 1959 when they were at 316 parts per million and by 2005 it had risen to 378 parts per million. Kolbert says that at this rate, the levels will reach 500 parts per million by the middle of this century, which is 2,850 years ahead of Arrhenius' prediction "to live under a warmer sky."

This information is compelling and I'm a true believer of global warming and this book is reinforcing my beliefs. My only question is what will happen? What is going to happen to the world? What will happen to us? There are too many unanswered questions and consequences of global warming.

I enjoy Kolbert's writing style and it keeps me interested in her story. She personalizes scientists like Arrhenius and Tyndall to keep the story interesting instead of dull.

Field Notes

I like how the author, Elizabeth Kolbert, describes Alaska in the beginning of the book. Her language and descriptive words put me right there with her and it's a very refreshing way to begin a book.

I think global warming is a huge concern in our world and it should be, but not everyone sees it. Maybe in Plattsburgh, NY there are not any signs of global warming noticeable to the everyday college student. However, in Alaska, Kolbert describes a different scene. Alaska is already being affected by global warming and people can actually see the changes.

Understanding global warming can be difficult but Kolbert makes it a little easier to understand with her casual writing and I think reading this book will be more interesting than some other scientific books out there!

The Big Yawn

Q: Why are yawns contagious?

A: It never fails. No matter who it is, where I am, or if I'm even tired a huge yawn takes over my face every time I see someone else do it first. Why?

I searched everywhere for the answer to this burning question and unfortunately there is not a definite answer because not everyone agrees on the reason why we yawn to begin with.

Scientists used to believe that people yawned when there was too much carbon dioxide and not enough oxygen in their blood. When a yawn stretched over your face you exhaled CO2 and inhaled oxygen into your lungs which then heads to your bloodstream. They also believe you yawn more when you are tired because the breathing is slowed down.

Recently though, some scientists have said the theory is false and believe that being warm could cause yawning. In 2007, researchers from the University of Albany proposed that yawning may be a means to keep the brain cool.

No matter why we yawn, someone will still follow us. According to WorldScience.net, the Finnish government funded a brain scanning study to find the answer. The study found that yawn contagion is unconscious meaning we often do not even realize we are doing it and have no control stopping it. "Wherever it might affect the brain, it bypasses the known brain circuitry for consciously analyzing and mimicking other people's actions," according to the study.

The circuitry that is bypassed is called the mirror-neuron system. This contains a special type of neurons that are active when the person does something and when he or she senses someone else doing the same thing, like yawning. The study says the mirror neurons do not play a role in yawn contagiousness because the area typically becomes active with conscious actions and scientists believe yawning is an unconscious action.

The study also found a deactivation in a part of the brain called the left periamygdalar region. This part of the brain has been linked to the unconscious analysis of emotional expressions in faces, so why would it be deactivated during yawning? Researchers say the reason why it deactivated is unclear.

So it seems to me after all this fancy and probably pretty expensive research at Helsinki University the answer has still not been found. The one clear answer believed to have been found through the study is that "contagious yawning does not rely on brain mechanisms of action understanding."

I'm still confused and started looking into the social aspect of yawning. Adelie penguins yawn as a part of their courtship- the male penguins open their beaks wide and point their faces toward the sky while trying to get the attention of their future partner. Could humans yawn as a way of communication too?

Yawning may be a survival instinct inherited from our evolutionary past. "During human evolutionary history when we were subject to predation and attacks by other groups, if everybody yawns in response to seeing someone yawn, the whole group becomes much more vigilant, and much better at being able to detect danger," said Gordon Gallup.

Believe what you believe. There are several reasons and explanations about the contagiousness of yawning, but I think it's probably just your own personal opinion about why it happens.

Why Don't Humans Have a Mating Season?

Deer, dogs, cats, and whales all have mating season in fact most mammals do, but why don't humans? According to the Naked Scientists forum, humans have evolved much more than other mammals not to need a mating season. Many animals reproduce at a certain time of the year because of their food resources or the temperature changes that they experience throughout the year. Animals want a lot of food available for the pregnant and nursing mother to stay nourish her and obviously don't want their little bundle of joy freezing at the time of birth.

Humans, in most cases, will not starve during pregnancy and their babies will stay warm even if they're born in the middle of December. So in this case there is no real reason for humans to have a mating season. If all these factors are taken care of the babies will survive whether they were conceived in January or July.

Another, more interesting theory is beer. According to Nkruman Steward, "if it wasn't for beer, humans would have a mating season just like every other animal on the planet." He believes there is no need for a mating season for humans because after a six pack of Bud Light, we can jump start one for ourselves at any time. Alcohol stimulates the part of the brain that determines facial attractiveness. In studies by researchers at University of Glasgow and St. Andrews, they found that the more people drink, the higher they ranked pictures of the opposite sex. So apparently people get drunk and reproduce; therefore, leaving no need for a mating season.

The beer theory is interesting and may have some explanation of why humans do not need a mating season, but I think the human evolution theory is more accurate.

Why don't Women have Beards?

Q: Why don't women have beards?

Men are hairy and women (well, most women) are not. What's up with that?

Hair growth is controlled by hormones and most women do not have beard because their female glands and hormones prevent it. The female hormone (estrogen) stimulates the growth of hair on a woman's head, but stunts the growth of beards and mustaches, yet sometimes the unwanted hair does show up.

The male sexual hormone, testosterone, is the hairy hormone. Men have more of this hormone than women, therefore they grow beards and women do not. But what about those ladies that do sport a little peach fuzz?

Younger women are full of estrogen which prevents beard growth, but as women pass through menopause, their estrogen level decreases. This could be the reason that some older women have unwanted facial hair as they age that they never had before.

Generally though, men are just hairier than women in most cases. But, if a man had more estrogen in his body than testosterone he would lose his beard so it just depends on the hormone levels of a person, which can be different in everyone.

It is interesting that this would not be a question or discussion, if women from day one had beards. The real question should be, why don't men have babies?

Hawking's Comeback

I really enjoyed this article on Stephen Hawking's comeback. It seems as if he has faced almost everything in his life and has conquered it. It is interesting that after all the work he has done in his life, he is not as iconic anymore as he used to be. The author of the article said, "the master of black holes is himself steadily becoming less visible." It may be a sign of the generation and the times. From my personal experience, I feel like my generation is more intersted in Kanye West's latest scandal and Britney Spears' newest fling instead of more important and intersting people like Hawking.

Now for the grading...

Lede: 19/20. I loved the lede. The author put me right into the same room with Hawking as he made his entrance. Very well done and definitely did draw me in.

Content: 18/20. I do think the author answered all the questions. Not knowing much about Hawking before this article, I learned a lot and was not left wondering anything after I finished the article.

Organization: 19/20. I thought the article was easy to read, follow, and understand. The author broke up the text into small paragraphs, which makes a long story easier to read and the transitions were effective in doing that also.

Quality of Writing: 20/20. I loved the writing style. The tone was not too scientific and stuffy, it was somewhat casual and very easy to understand and read.

Clarity of Exposition: 17/20. When the author was explaining the black holes theory I was a little confused, but he did try to use smaller words and phrases to explain it for the less scientific people out there like me. I'm guessing that people that are involved with this area clearly understand the article.

Brrrr!

Q: Do polar bears get cold?

A: The fury giants live in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway some of the coldest areas in the world where winter temperatures can drop to -45 Celsius. Brrr!

Polar bears are protected by with two layers of fur and a layer of blubber that can measure 4.5 inches thick. With such good insulation they experience almost no heat loss. But do they ever get cold?

According to the San Diego zoo, polar bears are more likely to suffer from over-heating than hypothermia. Polar bears can swim in frozen ocean water with no worry and survive even the harshest, coldest winter storm. Their two-layer fur sticks together when wet, so it serves as waterproof barrier for the bear keeping them dry and warm.

Their 4-inch blubber insulates the bear from the bone-chilling air and also acts as a nutritional reserve when its hard to find food. The blubber also helps the bear float when they're swimming in the icy ocean.

Although polar bears do not hibernate, they do make a den and sleep during times of low temperatures which will help keep them warm. Their bodies slow down and preserve their energy.

There is a catch- the bear must be healthy to withstand the Arctic cold. A young bear, sick bear, or nursing female bear may have a harder time dealing with the cold because they aren't able to reserve their fat.

Any healthy polar bear has all it needs to stay warm in the freezing cold... more power to them.

Best Lede from Discover Magazine

"Sleep deprivation. Stress positions. Waterboarding. These interrogation techniques used by the Bush administration in the war on terror were explained, at the time, as harsh but necessary tactics that forced captives to give up names, plots, and other information. But a new look at the neurobiological effects of prolonged stress on the brain suggests that torture damages the memory, and therefore often produces bad intelligence."

I loved this lede from an article at Discover Magazine. The lede begins with a list of interrogation techniques that most of us are well aware of after the Bush administration, so it draws the reader in wanting to read more and understand more about the topic. The last sentence is interesting and makes me want to continue reading the article. If the torture interrogation techniques can possibly cause memory loss then somebody should tell Dick Cheney.

Where are they Coming from???

It was still dark out when I woke up (thank you to my 3-month old son) and my stomach made that annoying gurgling sound. After 30 minutes of feeding a baby who wanted to play instead I groggily walked to the kitchen to get the last Red delicious apple. I opened up the breadbox where I always keep them and I jumped back as a swarm of fruit flies clouded my face.

I was confused. The apple was tied tightly in a plastic bag then placed in my "air-tight" breadbox. Where'd they come from? Why did they choose my last apple? I had to find out.

According to an article on discovery.com fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster ) come from the outdoors unlike popular belief that they just appear with "spontaneous generation."

The article says that up until about 100 years ago, people thought that if you left a piece of meat out flies would somehow emerge from it. Therefore, an Italian doctor decided to cover up the meat: No more flies.

Wrong. They're still here and they're still eating everyone's fruit.

Fruit flies eat a diet of yeast, which can be found in ripe fruit. They stay away from your unripe bananas and oranges. Why aren't there any fruit flies swarming the fruit section at Price Chopper? Usually because those fruits aren't ripe yet. Smart on their part.

Now to warn you about the gross factor. The flies lay eggs that turn into larvae (MAGGOTS!!!!) that will spend days eating the yeast products then hatch into fruit flies and then continue the cycle. There could be eggs on my delicious apple the instant I see a fruit fly and then only 30 hours later the disgusting squirmy maggots can appear and lots of them.

Okay so I throw the fruit away in the dumpster because I am deathly afraid of maggots. But there's still a few stragglers flying around my kitchen. Why are they still here? Marvelously, fruit flies can live on a range of other things beside your fruits. They can get nutrients from a scummy mop, the slime of a sink drain, or get this... they can live on a diet of alcohol fumes. Their tiny gross little bodies deploy a special chemical that can convert the alcohol to nutrients before it can poison them. Too bad for me.

Next bad news, their lifespan is only 8 days, but they breed at a rapid rate. Discovery.com gave an example that is absolutely mind-boggling. "one pair of flies, in one year, can produce a dynasty that, packed in a ball, would fill the void between the Earth and the Sun."

Looks like we'll never be rid of these little critters. An easy way to trap them is to use a wine bottle with just a little bit of wine left in the bottom, they'll smell the fruit and dive to their deaths. Guess I'll be finishing a bottle of wine tonight.

Lede of the Week

There are some things it is better just not to think about. Like the 10,000 bacteria you inhale with each breath in the average office building. Or the 10 million bacteria in each glass of tap water. Microbiologists have now added something else to the list of things too gross to contemplate: the deluge of bacteria that hit your face and flow deep into your lungs in the morning shower.

This lede came from a New York Times article by Nicholas Wade about a bacteria in water that can cause health problems. This lede is very catchy but still full of facts. It's interesting and it drew me in because of the gross statistic that there is 10 million bacteria in each glass of tap water. The lede left me wanting to read more.

What a Hoot!

I had no intentions of looking for a bird on my hike through a small trail in Ausable Forks, NY but I definitely found one. I heard a "hoo-hoo-hoot" coming from high up in the trees that made me stop in my tracks. Somehow in my 23 years of life I had never seen an owl in nature. I finally spotted the creature perched on the highest branch of the giant tree.

First I noticed his dark brown eyes glaring out at me. He was covered in white-gray feathers with brown stripes down his neck and chest. The feathers looked so puffy and warm. He continued to "hoot" for a few minutes longer then silence... but he never left his tree.

After my encounter with the owl, I searched online to find out what type of owl he was. I believe it was a barred owl (strix varia)- the brown horizontal stripes are a giveaway. The barred owl lives all throughout New York state in dense foliage high off the ground- just like the area I spotted him.

The barred owl is known to hunt for small animals like mice at night, but sometimes they hunt before dark on overcast days.

The loud "hoot" I heard is common for this type of owl because they are known to be very vocal and converse with others especially during mating seasons between February and March. The owls find one single partner for life and only breed once a year. Although they are a monogamous bird, they are separated from their partner most of the time until breeding season begins.

Are YOU Ready for Swine Flu?

Flu-season is fast approaching us and everyone now has to worry about the new Swine Flu or H1N1. With all the hype in the media every sniffle and cough will be feared and parents will be running to the pediatrician with their sneezing children in tow.

The New York Times article says that experts feared that the H1N1 influenza strain that appeared in the Spring would follow the same pattern as the flu in 1918, which ended up being the world's deadliest epidemic. So I guess people should be scared right?

Well- according to Dr. Neil O. Fishman, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, the virus has not mutated and "the swine flu that we're seeing still is a moderate disease that is behaving very much like ordinary season influenza."

Is Swine Flu really that bad? Dr. Fishman said in the article that it's like the ordinary flu, which happens to thousands of people every year. Yet, the ordinary flu can still be deadly, killing 36,000 people a year.

People under 60 are more at risk for Swine Flu since they have no immunity to it, unlike the older generation. The government has ordered 195 million doses of a H1N1 vaccine and they will be available by October 15.

I think the government has to be sure the right people get the vaccine and be sure they do not run out of doses. Hopefully I won't be proven wrong, but I don't think the H1N1 influenza is worth all the media hype and fear, but if it does turn out to be the world's next deadliest epidemic, we better be prepared. There is tons of information out there on the symptoms and treatments available so there should be no excuse.

We should protect ourselves from this possible outbreak so we don't regret it later.


Contact

Walk for Change!

A 65-year-old woman from Bethlehem, PA is walking for a cause- she is "Walking for the Climate." Greta Browne began her hike along the Eastern seaboard in March beginning in New Orleans and she plans on finishing this Saturday in our own backyard- Rouses Point, NY after a 1,100 mile trip.

Why would someone do this? She's hoping to bring public awareness and even possibly an outcry from the people for the end to global warming. There have been plenty of people who argue against the idea that humans can cause a climate change, but studies are proving those wrong. Sadly, even the people who do believe global warming is a serious problem, are not doing anything to stop it. “Mostly people think it is a problem,” Ms. Browne said, “but mostly they think it will not impact them anytime soon.”



If this 65-year-old woman, who is funding her cause from small donations and social security checks can do this- anyone can. But will they? It's important to show support of this woman and her cause, if you are not one of the people who believe global warming does not exist. So head up to Rouses Point this weekend and find the woman with the "Walking for the Climate" t-shirt and hand her some water, as long as it's not in a plastic bottle!

Save the Turtles

A ruling last week from a federal panel that regulates fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Fishermen's Association, will regulate the use of longlines used to catch grouper, which have been harmful to loggerhead sea turtles. Yet, both sides are still not happy.

Longlines are miles and miles of metal cable with thousands of baited hooks that stretch across the bottom of the ocean where fishermen hope to catch grouper, but in several cases, turtles get caught on the hooks and usually end up drowning before the lines are pulled to the surface. Roy Crabtree, Southeast regional administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says that more sea turtles die than people know of, he estimates about 600 a year die from longlines.

The ruling will limit the number of boats that are allowed to use the longlines and some areas between Texas and Florida are being closed off to longline fishing. The environmental side of this fight wants more to be done and believes this ruling is just a start for better things to come. Unforunately, the fishing industry is equally upset about the ruling because it limits the areas they can fish and without using the longlines, they'll have to use vertical lines, which could possibly lead to catching less grouper at a time.

I think it's interesting that the ruling was made by a Fishermen's Association, instead of a neutral party for both sides. I have a feeling if a no longlining fishing at all ruling was made by a environmental group, fishermen wouldn't stand for it. But, even though it may be a biased organization, at least it's something. Hopefully the Fishermen's Association is genuially concerned about the protection of the loggerhead sea turtles and continues the trend of saving them from fishing.


This story was found at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/science/earth/19turtle.html?ref=earth