Saturday, 14 March 2009

March 16th Article Summary for 8th Grade

Just a reminder that I don't want you to copy and paste an article. I want you to summarize an article, provide the link, and give your opinion on the article. Enjoy.

Mr. Mills

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

mehdi snoussi

Bacteria are tiny, single-celled organisms that can cause disease in humans through infection. Bacteria can live almost anywhere: in soil, water, food or your body. We can cure many types of bacterial infections with the use of medicine called antibiotics, which kill the germy organisms.

Unfortunately, some types of bacteria do not respond to antibiotics. This resistance can be a big problem for humans — if our antibiotics don’t kill the bacteria, then a bacterial infection can be deadly. Some bacteria that cause ear infections, food poisoning and whooping cough, for example, can resist antibiotics.

Scientists recently discovered a new way to fight these tough bacteria. And it was in a very unusual place: under the sea.

Peter Moeller, a chemist at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, S.C., and his team found a place on the ocean floor where all the organisms were dead — except for a sponge.

Sponges are simple aquatic animals, many of which look like tubes. (Historically, humans have used dead sponges for scrubbing and cleaning, but most modern sponges — like the one by your kitchen sink — are made from synthetic, or man-made, materials.)

“How is this thing surviving when everything else is dead?” Moeller asked about the lone sponge. He knew that the sea is like a playground for disease — ocean water is literally swimming with bacteria.

In the body of the sponge, the scientists found a chemical called ageliferin. That chemical, which is nontoxic, might make it possible to fight against bacteria that don’t respond to antibiotics. When the scientists put ageliferin on some particularly tough bacteria in the laboratory and then added antibiotics, the germy organisms died. Ageliferin’s power to resist bacteria can help explain why the sponge is able to survive in a place where other organisms cannot.

In February, Moeller announced that ageliferin might be used against bacteria that threaten humans. In the laboratory, he has found that ageliferin can boost the power of antibiotics against bacteria that cause whooping cough, ear infections and food poisoning. It might also be used to fight bacterial infections that occur among wounded soldiers.

That news is promising. But right now, ageliferin works only in the laboratory. The scientists don’t know how ageliferin works, and they don’t know if it will ever really help humans fight back against bacteria. Nonetheless, it works for sponges — and it just may work for us.

Anonymous said...

by: hatim mrabet

earthquke

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph. The moment magnitude of an earthquake is conventionally reported, or the related and mostly obsolete Richter magnitude, with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale.
At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity
i think that an earthquake is bad because it cause a lot of dangerous things.

Anonymous said...

Continental Drift
The theory of continental drift is the shifting of earths plates moving the continents to their locations that they are at now. Continental drift apparently happened when plates moved and made the continents drift apart from each other. There is a theory that all of the continents were once part of a large landmass called Pangea. People have evidence that the continents have drifted they have found fossils of dinosaurs found all the way across the world from each other, fossils of plants, etc. Scientists think that the continents have had to drifted because the fossils would only be found on one continent, not all of them.
This article is very important because it shows the theory of continental drift, and how the scientists found fossils of things all the way across the world. It shows people that the continents fit like a puzzle peace, and it shows what happened to their world!
Yes, i agree with this article because it shows the theory of continental drift and it shows how the continents look like they spread apart from each other. The scientists have also written why they think the continents have moved because they have fund certain things to help then find that out.

Unknown said...

Glaciers in Uganda, East Africa are receding at an alarming rate due to global warming.
Dubbed 'the Mountains of the Moon', the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, East Africa are well-known for their breathtaking glaciers. It is rare to find snow and ice on the equator, so trekkers often follow rugged and steep routes and climb nearly 5000 metres above sea level, just to catch a glimpse of the icy landscape.


But these glaciers may not be around for much longer. Due to global warming, they are shrinking much faster than expected. Dr. Richard Taylor, a geographer at University College London who monitors the Rwenzori glaciers, says that when he stood at the foot of Speke glacier in 2005 and measured it, he was shocked to discover that it could soon be gone. "We were judging the distance that it had retreated in ten years, and it was a lot. That's when we realised things were dramatic," he recalls. "We had tracked that it had moved 311 metres, so we're looking at around 30 metres a year.

Seth Showalter said...

http://www.livescience.com/health/090310-fear-scent.html

This article describes an experiment in which pads were used to collect the sweat men sweated while watching a scary movie, the pads were then smelled by women while looking at images and it was discovered that the images look more scary while sniffing the "smell of fear."
This is important for guys to remember when going to a movie with their girlfriend. If you want them to be more scared, put your arm around them so they get a good whiff of your armpit aroma. On the other hand, if you're getting tired of her screaming in your ear, just put that arm down and she'll calm down like a baby warthog on sleeping pills. The End.

Anonymous said...

In the Amazon rainforests of Brazil scientists have discovered a new weir species of ant. The insect has no eyes. Its body is pale. And its mouthparts are longer than the rest of its head.If you happened to cross paths with this weird ant, you might imagine that it belongs on another planet. Even its name Martialis heureka suggests that it came from Mars.
Scientists looked at the ant's genes to find out where it fits in the ant tree. They showed that the ant came from the earliest branch of the ant family that still has living members.i think discovering new very old creatures is very important because they make us able to know more about earth along time ago and i agree that this ant has a weird look. you guys should checkout the pic it in
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20081001/Note2.asp

Anonymous said...

Meryen Bousfiha:
Sry Mr.Mills for being one day late, its bc my internet didnt work :S
My article is about greener diet.
The food we eat has affects on global warm=ing. Global warming makes the earth warmer because of the fuels that are released to the Earth. The green house gases warm the Earth more and more. The vegetables dont take any fuels and it doesnt hurt the environment at all. Its easy to grow and healthier. But on the other hand, the Beef affects our environment. The production of the meet releases a lot of carbon dioxide. Most of the carbon dioxide released comes from the meet productions. Unfortunatly, the meet is bad for the health somehow and it effects the environment.

I agree with this, and I have nothing wrong with it. Its not bad news at all for me since I dont like meet. I think that its better to eat vegetables and help the environment. Global warming affects our Earth a lot, animals will die and eventually the humans too. We have to decrease our diet from the beef meet. At least if will decrease the global warming a little bit. I THINK that its very important because global warming is a big problem to the world. AAnd so this meet affects our health as much as our environment... =D

Anonymous said...

What Causes Colds?
Most colds are caused by viruses called rhinoviruses that are in invisible droplets in the air you breathe or on things you touch. More than 100 different rhinoviruses (the name comes from "rhin," the Greek word for nose) can infiltrate the protective lining of the nose and throat. This triggers an immune system reaction that can make the throat sore, cause a headache, and make it hard to breathe.
No one knows exactly why people become infected with colds at certain times. But no matter what you hear, sitting or sleeping in a draft, not dressing warmly when it's chilly, or going outside with wet hair will not cause someone to catch a cold.
Air that's dry — indoors or out — can lower resistance to infection by viruses, though. So can allergies, lack of sleep, stress, not eating properly, or hanging out with someone who is smoking.
Being around people with colds makes it more likely you might catch one yourself, of course. Rhinoviruses can stay alive as droplets in the air or on surfaces for as long as 3 hours or more. If you touch your mouth or nose after touching someone or something that's been contaminated by one of these viruses, you'll probably catch a cold (unless you're already immune to the virus from having been exposed to it before).
People who smoke are more likely to catch colds than people who don't — and their symptoms will probably be worse, last longer, and be more likely to lead to bronchitis or even pneumonia.
If you already have a cold, you're more likely to spread it to others if you don't wash your hands after you cough or sneeze. Going to school or doing normal activities probably won't make you feel any worse. But it will increase the likelihood that your cold will spread to classmates or friends.
How Long Do Colds Last?
Cold symptoms usually appear 2 or 3 days after a person has been exposed to a source of infection. People are most contagious for the first 3 or 4 days after the symptoms appear and may be contagious for up to 3 weeks. Although some colds can linger for as long as 2 weeks, most clear up within a week.

I agree that the cold is responsible for more school absences than any other illness. We have to protect our body by exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough rest.