Current event #4

The tell-tale bacteria

How can you tell is have bacteria in your body? If you wash your hands 500 times it doesn't matter because microbes (small organisms) are still in there (in your body). But not all of them injure you. Some of them are beneficial for you. Bacteria help a lot in police investigation. They can help catch robbers. It can help identify a person. Every person has different microbes and different fingerprints.

In my opinion this wasn't so interesting, but I liked the way how they related the article to the method of how police find people with fingerprints. I didn't like that the article was talking about bacteria because I don't like bacteria, but it was a very useful article. 

Author: Unknown
Source: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20100407/Note2.asp

Date: April 7, 2010

Due date: October 27, 2010

Current event #3

Afraid of its own fishy reflection

Researchers from Stanford University have discovered a species of fish, called cichlid, afraid of its reflexion in the mirror. The researchers found out that this species gets scared when it sees itself in the mirror. The same experiments were made on dolphins, elephants, apes and other animals. The conclusion is that those animals know that they are looking at themselves in the mirror, and cichlids and monkeys don't know that. When a fish sees another fish, it is scared and attacks or defends. Even if it is only a reflection in the mirror, a fish is afraid. The scientist studied the brain of the fish and they discovered that the fish acts differently when it's a reflexion and when it is a real fish in front.
I think that this article was pretty interesting. I absolutely adored the part when the fish scares up himself. My dog also is afraid of seeing herself in the mirror. In my opinion that fish should not be afraid of itself because it should know that he is that fish on the image. It is kind of ridiculous that a fish gets scared of itself.

Author: Stephen Omes
Source: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20100526/Note2.asp 
Date: May 26, 2010
Due date: October 6, 2010

Current event #2

Elephants all-wheel animals

The scientists invented a new system to know if the elephants bend down their legs. The elephant has four legs, he is a quadruped, but he uses them in a special way. They use them in a way that not another animal with four legs does it. The elephants use the two front legs like humans. The scientists videotaped the elephants how did they walk and run. They used research scales to measure how the elephants walk and run.

In comparison to an animal that everybody should know, a rabbit, an elephant does nearly the same thing. A rabbit uses his back legs to jump and the front legs to stop. An elephant uses his front legs to walk an stop.

I my opinion this is a really unique way to walk and run for a quadruple animal that is heavy and fat. It is a rare way how to use the legs. I think that this article is very interesting because I never thought that a big and fat animal could bend its legs like a human. I find this article very useful because it's a way how to understand characteristics of this animal.

Source: www.scienceforkids.org/articles/20100414/Note3.asp
Author: Stephen Omes
Date: April 14, 2010
Due date: September 29, 2010