A Heroic Find: Shedding light on the evolution of
primates
Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing discovered a
nearly complete skeleton of a critter in China’s Hubei province. The fossil
remains are said to be over 55 million years old, from the Eocene epoch and
potentially related to modern-day primates that live in Southeast Asia.
Scientists made a 3D image that represents what this animal may have looked like
in life-size form. They believe that the critter was agile, moving between
forestry using all four limbs. Its features include large eyes and small,
pointy teeth. These characteristics indicate that the critter probably had good
vision and hunted insects. Additionally, when analyzing the fossil, scientists
found that the critter also has features of anthropoids. The importance of this
finding is that the split between anthropoids and tarsiiformes must have
occurred earlier than 55 million years ago.
I really
enjoyed this article because I was interested to see how one finding can
completely change scientific theory. Before the discovery of this fossil,
scientists thought that the split between anthropoids and tarsiiformes was 55
million years ago. However, because this critter possesses certain crossover
features, scientists have had to reevaluate their previous theory.
Anthropoid
Tarsiiformes
The found fossil
This article talks about the impact of this
fossil discovery on evolutionary history:
Keep Your Mind on the Road
After many experiments and
intricate tests to determine which tasks were the most dangerous to perform
while driving, scientists discovered that along with talking, texting, calling,
and others, hands-free texting was among the most threatening. Not only can it
cause numerous accidents that could hurt drivers, but it also serves
as a death sentence and can ruin the lives of many. While these simple,
everyday activities may seem harmless, they can lead to a lack of focus and can
destroy people.
This article was important to me because I
really learned how essential it is to be attentive while driving. Even though
texting is something that people do constantly, always glued to their phones, I
have now learned as an upcoming driver how I need to take the time to put away
my electronics and concentrate on my surroundings.
This article also talks about the dangers of texting while driving:
Driverless Automobiles: The Car that Parks Itself
According to Google, a new, life-changing invention is about to be made: cars will no longer require drivers. No company has taken a larger step than Volvo; their cars are capable of parking themselves. Their mobiles can identify an empty parking space and steer into it even if the driver is outside of the car, using a smartphone application to control it. However, then a problem arises. Many corporations will not want to invest in the space for cars to be able to park themselves if there are not a lot of vehicles with this capability. Moreover, many people will not want to purchase these vehicles if there are not enough places for them to utilize a major feature. In addition, carmakers are inventing a new system where cars could communicate with one another, sharing data and important information on the road. Most driverless cars still need to have someone in the driver's seat just in case of emergency, though. Impressively, with the new technology of driverless cars, the scientists still remember the safety features and are trying to make the new cars less dangerous than ever.
I really liked this article because it taught me that safety always comes first. Even with scientists vigorously working and striving to create a new invention, they prefer to slow down their rapid advancements if it ensured that each user would possess a safe car. Basically, technological innovations should not be at the expense of the people's protection and welfare.
This article also talks about driverless cars:
Birds' magnetic sense: Columbarian Columbuses
The magnetic compass was such a revolutionary and crucial invention for all humans that they could not live without. Now, many birds (mostly homing pigeons) travel from place to place throughout the year because they have their own built in magnetic compasses unlike any person. Several experiments have been conducted in order to test the birds' sense of direction and the results show how incredible navigation is common among most birds. Scientists believe that the birds' ability to direct has to do with their beaks because they contain a magnetic mineral called magnetite. When some other scientists cut reed warblers' trigeminal nerve (connecting the beak to the brain), they lost their sense of magnetic dip and latitude. Then, another theory is that the magnetite lies in the ears, contributing to the idea that maybe birds are "hearing" the magnetic signal. A main alternative could be that they hear the signal as well, however, their eyes d not contain magnetite. No one is positive which hypothesis is correct; some even guess that the birds have a sixth sense, but this is yet to be discovered.
I really enjoyed this article because I never realized how smart birds actually are. Stereotypically, they are an unintelligent species; however, these claims have clearly been proven false. After much attention to this intricate theory about birds, people have finally learned to not make assumptions too quickly, because chances are they aren't true.
This article also talks about birds' magnetic compasses:
Apparently after much research, girls respond well to more sleep and regular bedtimes as children, but boys do not. The more on and off peoples' sleeping schedules were, the poorer their academics were. Bedtime information was then collected from approximately 11,000 children. Scientists questioned their bedtime routines, if they read or watched TV before sleeping, their parents' societal information, and then tested the children's IQs. Dr. Kelly's report shows that if children did not follow a regular bedtime by the age of 7, the affects were massive, especially with comprehension and mental action. Boys were slightly affected before the age of 7, but slowly this distinction faded. Scientists are yet to understand the difference between boys and girls, but they do know that keeping a consistent sleeping routine is essential.
I really enjoyed this article and learned much valuable information. I now know how important sleep is in daily lives because while its impacts may not seem great, they are extremely important and lasting. Young girls need to pay attention to the times they fall asleep every night because little do they know, but it may stay with them for a long time.
This article also talks about the benefits of a regular bedtime:
Do-it-yourself glaciers: The iceman cometh
As the earth's temperature rises, the glaciers begin to melt. Farmers need this melted water by March or April; however, they are getting it around June. By this time, they have pretty much missed the productive growing season and the water's use is not as essential. Chewang Norphel, a retired civil engineer, came up with the idea to build an artificial glacier since the real ones are melting. First, he attempted to slow water's flow and shield it from the sun. So far, Norphel and his team have built about 12 glaciers this way and have improved the conditions of many farmers. Some extremely particular glaciologists have argued that Norphel did not create real glaciers because the layers did not metamorphose into a solid block of granular ice.
This article was so interesting to me because I never knew that glaciers could possibly be manmade. The fact that people have created these new innovations and have made such a huge impact on the world of farming/agriculture is remarkable.
This article also talks about manmade glaciers:
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