Pippin's Question Box Answer - Time Travel

Hey Pippin! This is what I think...

FROM MY BRAIN:

1. Go into space and live there to slow down time or even stop it(apparently you don't age in space!)

2. Travel faster than light speed...you'll probably end up beating time (you know...a race against time)

AFTER MY BRAIN GOT TOO LAZY AND I WENT ONLINE:

3. Jump into a black hole! (don't know where you'll end up!)

A black hole might be connected to a white hole by a worm hole (the whole thing is a hole!). This means that if you can survive being sucked into a black hole, traveling at a speed close to that of light in a worm hole, and the being expelled from a white hole, you'll end up in a different place and time (maybe even a different universe)! Now the problem is getting back home...

Science Class Response

OWL PELLETS

During the owl pellet lab, I learned many things and had great fun. Owl pellets really are interesting, since they show a whole different method of digestion. I think that it's fascinating that owls eat their food whole, and have to go through a process called regurgitation to be able to digest the food. The digestible parts are separated from bones, teeth, and fur. The non-digestible parts are pressed into a pellet in the gizzard, while the rest is digested normally. The owl then has to regurgitate (puke) the pellet up to get it out.

I think that the project was very fun since we got to do a hands on assignment. It's an assignment that everyone looks forward to. I think that everyone gets surprised and excited when they can find a whole skeleton, and when they find skulls or other easily identifiable parts. Using all the tools also makes everyone excited and happy. Not only do people have a great time doing this lab, but we learn a great deal while doing so. All in all, it's a package deal where everyone benefits!

http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/flash/v4/index.htm

From this other source, I learned that owl pellets not only just help the owl eat food whole; they clean the esophagus when coming out. Also, I learned that the process isn't very easy, and it looks like the owl is having difficulty with breathing.

Science - Current Events 2

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110202853.htm

Thank you, Pippin14, for the article!!

This article is basically discussing whether dinosaurs were cold-blooded or warm-blooded. Dinosaurs seem cold-blooded, but in my opinion, they seem to be so different from the regular reptile of this day that anything may be possible! Apparently, a study from the journal PLoS ONE stated that they were probably warm-blooded. Being warm-blooded, dinosaurs would have been able to move fast and live in colder climates, but they would have to eat more. This seems like an adequate description of some of them to me! Some scientists decided to find out for sure. Of course, this issue is something that will probably be debated on for a while, but this study may bring some interesting evidence to light. Personally, I think that dinosaurs are probably earm-blooded; they are more like birds than we thought possible before, yet it's true! Warm blooded animals have a higher energy rate than cold-blooded. The scientists concluded that if they found out how much energy dinosaurs spent when walking or running, they would have a better chance of determining the type of blood. To me, it seems an impossible task, but then again, the computer seemed impossible in the 18 century, yet here we are! The scientists did find a way in the end. Energy cost of walking and such is strongly related to the leg size. Using the bones, the scientists found reliable information. To me, it seems that it would be difficult to find a collective answer, as all the dinosaurs have different size legs. Still, I'd trust a scientist over my judgement! Also, they decided to use another method where they would compare the weight of the legs to what they thought was the speed. However, they had to do a lot of tests to estimate the amount of muscle in the legs. Using their basic principles of locomotion, the scientists examined 13 different dinosaur species, and compared their results to other warm-blooded dinosaurs of today. This seemed very exciting work; the scientists were probably more impatient than I am to know the result! Finally, they found the answer: both experiments suggested strongly that dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Surprisingly (to me too), it showed also that this may have been a trait that dinosaurs inherited. The scientists think that this is why they had such a successful time during their reign. I think that it also showed that the warm-blooded animals are more successful than the cold-blooded. Dinosaurs were the top in their time, then came birds, then mammals, and all were warm-blooded! This new study has provided us with a different outlook in dinosaurs. I believe that this information is revolutionary, as it gives us so much information, and also leads us to as many questions.

Science - Current Events

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091009090436.htm

My article was about the debate whether Archaeopteryx (a raptor-like feathered dinosaur, considered the first bird) is more like a dinosaur than a bird. Birds technically evolved from dinosaurs, but there are many differences that set Archaeopteryx apart from the other birds. For example, normal birds mature very fast (it's not often that you see a baby bird), while recent studies show that Archaeopteryx doesn't, like other dinosaurs. Still, Archaeopteryx does have bird-like features, such as the feathers and wishbone. These, and the reptilian traits like teeth, 3-fingered hand, etc, make Archaeopteryx seem as the transition between dinosaurs and birds. I think that this perhaps is right, but the data isn't concrete yet. An important factor (at least, I think it is), is how Archaeopteryx could fly, and that was still a mystery. Then, studies at the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology showed that Archaeopteryx may have grown differently that other avian dinosaurs. This was a surpriseto me, as now I think that it's highly improbable that Archaeopteryx could fly at all with a build from its kind. More intense study finally revealed that Archaeopteryx grew mostly like the normal dinosaurs, but could still fly without that same build. I still am blown away with this information! Not only does it show it grew similarly to dinosaurs, but also tells us that although Archaeopteryx was very much like a bird, the true first bird only appeared millions of years after it. One thing that I thought was very interesting in this article was what a paleontologist said, "Our data on dinosaur growth rates and survivorship are bringing modern physiology and population biology to a field that has historically focused more on finding and naming fossil species." I agree with this statement, as lots of information, that people probably didn't dream of finding before, have been found now. I also think that we probably will know even more amazing things in the future, which others will just take for granted. After I read the article, I have to say that Archaeopteryx is probably a crossroads between dinosaurs and birds, and that I agree with the writers and paleontologists in this article highly.

Summer Reading Question

My book: The View From Saturday

What sort of person do you imagine the author of the novel to be?

I imagine that the author of this book is a middle aged lady. I have a feeling that this is so because I relate the author to Mrs. Olinski; she is almost the narrator of the story as she has the flashbacks and such. Also, I think that the author likes children as she knows so much about their personality. She probably was a teacher herself, maybe even a substitute. She could even be a class mom; just somebody who knew a lot about school activities. If she knew about them, then it would have been easier for her to write about the Academic Bowl. That is what I think of the author of The View From Saturday.

Bullying (Man's inhumanity to Man)

I think that people can't put a stop to bullying for many reasons. First, they may have bigger priorities to worry about. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph doesn't worry about Piggy being bullied by Jack because his main focus is to be rescued. Second, people might be intimidated by the bully. Most of the choir and other kids were in awe of Jack and didn't want to contradict someone so fierce. Finally, it would be hard to stop bullying forever. Smoking has been banned from public places and etc, but it still hasn't stopped. It's the same with bullying.

Welcome Scientists

My favorite subject is (it changes everyday) literature, because the class is relaxing as reading is fun and it's also funny.

The best book I ever read was Eclipse.

My favorite food to buy in the cafeteria are quesidillas.

On the weekend, when all my chores are done, I like to read or call my friends.

If I won a free airline ticket to any place I wanted, I would go to Australia, because my cousins live there and I want to spend time with them.

My favorite color is blue.

If I had a pet, it would be a dog, and I would name it Scruffy.

This year, if I work hard enough, I hope that my parents will finally give me a TV in my room so that I now that they trust me to be a responsible person.