Plasticity Lab

In science, we are learning about the Earth's layers. In the Plasticity lab we were simulating the properties of the Earth's mantle. The Earth's mantle is a solid that behaves as a liquid as it flows. To simulate this liquid-like solidity, we mixed water with corn starch. This created a very peculiar compound. When it was in one place with no friction or heat it act like a solid, and when friction or heat was applied, it turned liquid-like and runny. I observed that when pressure was applied it turned to a solid. For example, when I rolled it up into a ball, it quickly morphed into a solid. But as soon as I let go, it went back to a liquid. This has to do with the Earth's mantle because the mantle moves as a liquid but physically is a solid, just like the corn starch and water compound.

Response to Shecklerluv1128's Tay Sachs Disease

Dear Shecklerluv1128,

While reading your blog I was baffled by the realization that our diseases are very different. For instance, Tay Sachs disease occurs mostly in people from Eastern Europe while Klinefelter syndrome occurs in men and they can be from anywhere. Also, Tay Sachs has no treatment and Klinefelter syndrome has a few treatments. Another thing, the infants victims of Tay Sachs don't usually pass the age of 4 or 5 while the infant victims of Klinefelter syndrome don't pass the fetal period. Finally, I while Tay Sachs was discovered in 1881, my disorder (Klinefelter syndrome) was discovered in 1959. I admire the way you wrote this entry because it was easy to read and it made sense. See you tomorrow. Ha.<33333

-softballgurll13

Klinefelter syndrome

Klinefelter syndrome is a genetic disorder in which males with an extra X chromosome do not produce enough testosterone. Klinefelter syndrome was discovered in 1959. Symptoms for this disorder include infertility, less muscle mass than other boys, and impared communicating skills. Although there is no cure for Klinefelters syndrome, there are a few treatments for this disorder. For instance, educational services, phyical speech an occupational therapy, and medial treatments including testoserone replacement. Of course, getting this treatment is only possible if your alive and only forty percent of people with Klinefelters syndrome survive through the fetal period. Only one out of every 650 men in the world have this genetic disorder and as stated before, men are vulerable to this disorder. On a molecular level, cause of this disorder is the exsistance of an extra X chromosome. An important note for people that want to develop a treatment for Klinefelter syndrome is that they need to start treatment as early as possible. This disorder makes me feel terrible for any guy that has to go through this because they are more likely to be made fun of. I believe that this disorder should be recognized and treated well.

My Roller Coaster Website

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A Good Reason to Love Your Cow

In Newcastle University (in northeast England) they performed a study and they wanted to know, if you name your cow and give it love, will it produce more milk? And the answer is yes in most cases. The researchers discovered that farmers that named their cows Betsy, Gertrude, or Daisy improved the overall milk collection by about 500 pints a year. The researchers interviewed 516 dairy farmers and almost half of them said that the cows on their dairy farms that are named reported a higher milk yeild. "Just as people respond better to the personal touch, cows also feel happier and more relaxed if they are given a bit more one-to-one attention,"Catherine Douglas, the university's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, said. I guess I can believe this but it does seem far fetched.

For more info go to www.cnn.com.

Fire in Australia

108. That is an estimate of the amount of innocent people that perished in Australia's bushfire. The fire has also destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres. Australias police are saying it the worst bushfire in the nations history. The number of dead has passed that of the 75 Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 and more than 640 houses have been completely destroyed. Phil Shepherd of the Victoria State Police compares this to, "something of a holocaust". Kevin Rudd the Prime Minister of Australia has announced the making of a 6.7 million dollar relief fund, and said, "Hell and all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours." I feel very terrible for the poor people that suffered in this crisis, and I am looking on the internet for a fund to give to for this cause.

For more information on this serious matter go to http://www.cnn.com/ and click on world news, then go to Raging Australia Bushfires Kill Scores.

Your Dress is Ringing!

Have you ever really needed your cellphone, but forgot to grab it on the way out of your house? I know I have, but thats virtually impossible with the new M-Dress. Its a silk dress with a SIM card so you dont have to carry a phone with you. To answer a call you just raise your hand. This amazing dress was produced by the UK firm CureCircuit. I think that it would be awsome to have a M-Dress because I forget my cellphone in my locker, on my kitchen counter in my coat pockets, etc all the time. But this dress isn't the only fashion technology, clothes designers are increasingly incorporating electronics into their clothes. Jane McCann, Director of Smart Clothes and Wearable Technology at the University of Wales says "The clothing and electronics industries are collaborating in an unprecedented way, a new industrial revolution." One other really cool fashion technology is Angel Chang's thermochromic ink dresses that change color when you touch them or breathe on them. Also, XS labs have created a dress that literally knows your shape, it uses a shape-memory alloy called Nitinol. If you think this is crazy just think, the sports and fitness industries already have made wearable technology, producing shoes with built-in pedometers and active wear with integral iPod controls. Jane McCann says "You might want built-in controls for an MP3 player but I might like heart-beat monitoring. I'd like mine to have a digital print of the sleeve but my friend wants a picture of her boyfriend on the back. Some of that could happen in the next 10 years". So if your walking down the street and you see somebody with their hand in the air talking to themselves; you know what their up to! :)

For more information go to www.cnn.com then click on the science section and click on Futuristic Fashion Gets Smart. :)