Satellite from Space!

Over the years, we have sent so many irretrievable rockets, satellites and other devices to the outer atmosphere, that 'space junk' is becoming a big concern among the experts, given that they could freefall to earth any time - This week, their worst fears will be realized.

NASA has announced that the 13,000 pound (5,900 kilograms) Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), is making its way down and expected to hit Earth on Friday, September 23rd, sometime in the early afternoon, Eastern Standard Time.

However, before you start running for cover, here are a few details you should know. The experts at NASA believe that the satellite will disintegrate as it hits the atmosphere, and that only 26 pieces weighing a total of 1,170 pounds (532 kilograms) will actually hit earth.

Also, while they think the odds of hitting somebody are 1 in 3,200, given that that three-quarters of the Earth is uninhabited, they are confident that it is very unlikely any debris will crash land in populated areas.

However, having said that, they will not know the exact location of the landfall until about two hours before it happens - The only continent they have been able to rule out is North America!

So, if you live in another part of the world, be sure to keep an eye on the skies this Friday and you may see what scientists are describing as a short-lived, but spectacular firework display caused by the debris as it enters the earth's atmosphere.

9/25/11

While NASA confirmed that the UARS Satellite crashed into earth around 12.16 am (EST) on Saturday September 24th, 2011, a few hours later than originally anticipated, they have no clue where it landed.

Who new Crows were this Smart?

The reason humans are at the top of the food chain has a lot to do with intelligence. However, recently, research showed us a number of animals show similar intelligent behavior. Chimpanzee are also at the top, after all they share 99% of our DNA. Researchers recently found out that Caledonia Crows, that can only be found in the south pacific island of New Caledonia, resemble other crows in every way, except for its complex tool use, which beats most birds, but also most primates, including monkeys!

Researchers at Oxford University and University of Auckland have been following the Caledonia Crow for many years, and what they have discovered so far is very interesting information.The fact that the crows use many kinds of tools, which they craft from trees and shrubs, is not that surprising. Many animals and even insects are able to do that. What is surprising is that they can select the right tools or use them in combination to get a task done. This shows how cleaver these crows really are! 

To test this, University of Auckland researcher Alex Taylor and his team, showed seven crows a piece of meat inside a tree hollow and then placed near them a stick that was too short to get to the food. Right next to it, they also placed two cages, one with a useless stone, the other, with a stick that was long enough to pull the meat.

They then watched in wonder, as each one of the birds figured out how to get to the meat by first using the small stick as a tool to pull out the longer one, and then utilize the latter, to get to the food.

Alex and his team then reversed the sticks placing the long one near the birds and the short one in the cage. While their first reaction was to perform the previous routine, the birds quickly realized they didn't really need to and went on to pick the meat, using just the long stick. Though this kind of logical reasoning is common in humans, it has so far been observed only in chimpanzees and orangutans in the animal world - And, it gets better.

The latest study of these super-intelligent crows shows that they are now utilizing their  tool-use aptitude to grab themselves the most nutritious foods - beetle larvae. Researchers have always wondered why the crows spend so much time trying to dislodge the larvae from tree trucks with twigs - A task that requires a lot of skill and patience.

Now, they have the answer - Apparently, these tiny grubs are so nutritious that eating just a few is enough to provide the crows with their day's nutritional needs - A fact they have obviously figured out a long time ago.

Also, these are not the only species of crows that are smart. Tel Aviv's hooded crow has figured out how to catch fish, by first scattering bits of bread into a pond and then snagging the unsuspecting fish as they surfaced to eat the crumbs.

And if that's not impressive enough, there is the Japanese crow who extracts nutmeats from their hard shells by simply dropping them on the road so that the cars can crush them. What's even better is that in order to avoid getting hit by the vehicles, they wait until the traffic light turns red, scooping the nuts only after the cars grind to a halt!

Mount Etna eruption

As you all heard, Mount Etna erupted again at the 30 of August. Mount Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Even though Etna erupts often, people still live close to it (Not so close so they could be killed).Etna is Sicily’s most famous volcano. The government agency says Etna started spewing out a significant amount of ash in a southeast direction early in the day but that the eruption tapered off in about two hours. People like to live around mount Etna because it has fertile soil which is perfect for growing crops such as rice. Mount Etna also offers a lot of opportunities for jobs because of tourism.  Magma that raises out of Etna also contains many precious minerals. The minerals ooze through soil in liquid form and then dry

and form precious minerals as the water evaporates just like our failed crystal garden project last year.

Scientific Summer

I was riding my bike at ada. I was about 20 meters in front of my dad. Some guy on a motor just came in front of me. I didn't see him when he came there and I was going very fast. When I spotted him I stopped my bike. Since the bike was going very fast when I stopped it I flew in front of my bike and it fell on me.Inertia!! Since when my bike stopped my body was still in motion. I was going around 30 or 20 km per hour. So when I stopped I think I flew around 10 meters. I landed on my hands but since I was still going forward I hit my head. Luckilly, I had a healmet and gloves (for biking).

Goals for the Year

I have many goals for the year, but my biggest goals are to bring my homework on time and be prepared for class. I think I should also be more active in class. I think I need to practice on my input output note taking skills.