Largest Web Spinning Spiders Discovered

Recently scientists have found a new spider which is now considered the worlds largest web spinning spider. Golden orb-weaving spiders or also known as Nephila komaci. are the size of a regular CD. The females' bodies are 1.5 inches and the legs are 4 to 5 inches long. Females are larger than males due to the fact that they must lay eggs. They grow over time. Males on the other hand are 5 times smaller and are considered normal sized spiders. "the new species is "just a whisker" bigger, a few millimeters to be specific, than other Nephila species, which are known for their enormous body sizes", says Jonathan Coddington of the Smithsonian. Though there are larger spiders that do not spin webs, this spider is definitely still in the vast family of large spiders. These spiders are not only big in size but they also spin very large webs. They are the largest spiders that can spin webs. Very few people have seen this spider except for some African expedition researchers.
I truly find it fascinating that so many scientists pay so much close attention to animals as small as spiders. Although, this is not a small spider. This I also believe that these rare species should be acknowledged a lot more due to their unique size and web sizes. They are rarely found and only found in Africa making it rare for many people to see these beautys. Overall, I believe that these spiders should be recognized for their wonderful size.

Teen Pregnancies Higher In Relgious States

Two very important controversial issues that many Americans are talking about today are, teen pregnancies and religion. Now with all the teen pregnancy shows and all of the talk of religion, the two are very hot topics. The two are very important aspects and are things that are going through the minds of many teenagers who made the "wrong decision". New studies show that teen pregnancies are higher in religious states. This is a sort of oxymoron due to the fact that in most religions teen pregnancies are frown upon and are discouraged. The south part of our country have the more religious states and also are the states that have the highest amount of teen pregnancies. Studies show that people living in the south have higher rates of teen pregnancies. One reason that that the rates of teens having babies is higher than teens getting pregnant is because in some religions getting abortions are prohibited. Mississippi is the highest ranked religious state and also the state with the most teen pregnancies. Scientists also say that the more religious states put forth the fact that teens should have "safe sex" but don't stress abstinence. Studies also show that teens in less religious states had higher rates of abortion. Scientists also say that many religious teens just go out on a whim without protection and that brings their chances of getting pregnant through the roof.
Teen pregnancies and religion are two things I truly love debating and talking about and I feel very strongly for both. I believe that this is very much something that would never cross your mind. Most people think that teens that are more religious would stay abstinent, but apparently not. These studies are very odd, yet true. I for one would believe that teens in the south, or the more religious states would be encouraged to not have sex and that they would follow the rules of their Bible or any other religious book. On the other hand, I do believe that abortion should strongly be discouraged and even be taken away as a choice to teen mothers. Killing a baby is just as bad as killing a human on my opinion. The fact that even though these teenage girls are learning to at least have "safe sex" but not listening is truly unreal. Even though a baby is a wonderful thing, they should not have that much responsibility at such a young age. All in all, I believe that the fact that teen pregnancies are higher in religious states is very odd.

Article: http://www.livescience.com/culture/090916-religion-teen-pregnancy.html
Photo: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~s3mavis/1101851209_400.jpg

Plasticity Conclusion

Recently in science class we did a plasticity lab. We took, corn starch and water and mixed it together and that created the mixture for our lab. The mixture was liquid at first then became a solid. The mixture became a solid when it melted in our hands. It would be both a solid and a liquid or a special type of solid. When first holding it, the mixture would melt and then if you rolled it around in your hands it would become a solid. I for one would consider this mixture a solid, yet a special type of solid due to the fact that it would melt in your hands yet act as a solid as well. Even after the mixture oozed out of your hands it then became a solid ball like clay. If we smashed the ball that we made of this mixture, it would tend to crumble into pieces, acting like a solid. Yet if we just let it fall between our fingers, it would act as a liquid. After pushing my fingers into the mixture it would become a solid and it was had to move it. It became like clay or play dough. This mixture is just like the earths mantle which is a solid and a liquid. The mantle acts the same way the mixture does. The mantle is the layer under the Earth's crust, and it is about 1800 miles thick. The mantle is the largest part inside the earth and it is both a solid and a liquid as our mixture was. This is how this lab connects to the Earth's mantle. An example of this mixture would be in this Youtube video. This man is walking on the mixture and is able to do it due to the fact that it is both a solid and a liquid. The part where the man walks is a solid and he is able to quickly run through it without his feet sinking into it. This is a perfect example of our lab.

Picture- http://www.skiptomylou.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/oobleck-2.jpg
Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2XQ97XHjVw

"October Sky"

Recently in our unit we watched the movie, "October Sky". This movie was about a teenage boy and his friends who all gained a liking for rockets. They started to build rockets in their town, which was a coal mining town. This movie showed connections to both science and the character education traits.
This film showed many connections to science. One major connection was in the beginning the whole town was excited to see the launch of Russian satellite Sputnik. This launch was truly the inspiration for Homer Hickim, the main character in this movie. Sputnik was launched in October 4, 1957. This launch was one of the largest steps for all space exploration. The launch was said to change everything, it caught all Americans off-guard. Sputnik amazed all the Americans in 1957 and still leaves a huge impact on Americans presently. In the film, Homer lived in a coal mining town. The coal mine was a big deal in their town and the whole town was controlled by the coal mine. Coal mines caused many health dangers. Many coal miners risked their lives working long hard hours in the mines. They lived in the state of West Virginia, which is still known for their coal mines. 99% of the state's power is still generated from coal. The coal mine was the main priority for the town that Homer lived in. His father worked in the coal mines, and dreamed that his son would take his place one day. Homer though did not wish to work in the coal mines. Once his father had gotten injured from the mine, Homer was told to leave school and work in the mines. Staying in the mines too long would damage lungs and cause other health hazards. In 1952 though, congress passed the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act. This helped coal miners get help for their injuries. Overall, this film had important connections to science.
Also in this movie they showed connections to the character education traits. At first, Homer was just another boy in the town who played football and future was to work in the coal mine just like everyone else. He though showed everyone that not all men have to work in the coal mines. Homer became friends with a boy named Quintin and they showed cooperation because the two would never even be seen together before this but then got together and built their first rocket. Homer's dad continued to tell him that his dreams in rocket science wouldn't bring him anywhere in life. Homer was very mad at his dad for not believing in him, yet he showed self control and stayed calm when his dad threw his materials away. The teacher that cheered the boys on showed respect because she was the only one that truly believed that the four boys had potential. She continued to tell them that they should continue with their work and not stop no matter what their fathers said. Homer showed assertion throughout most of the film because he was confident in his work in the rockets and when he was told he couldn't continue with his work, he proved his innocence using math. Homer also showed empathy when he went to his teacher and she had confessed that she had cancer. He showed his feelings for her and felt bad for the only person that truly believed in him at first. He also showed empathy when his father had gotten injured from the coal mine and he had to step in for a while. This was empathy because he knew that his father was not able to work. Homer knew that he needed to support the family and he did so. All in all, this film had all the CARES traits incorporated into one.

http://www.wvgenweb.org/wvcoal/time.html
http://www.wvminesafety.org/wvcoalfacts.htm
http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/
http://www.markgerber.com/images/october_sky.jpg

Response to Down Syndrome

Recently, I read the blog of mooselover1892. She wrote about the genetic disease of Down Syndrome. This disease makes me feel very disappointed because there is still no known cure for it. There are many symptoms for this disease and some are very tragic, such as mental retardation. The patients of this disease live to a long long age, at all, in fact 85% of newborns die at the tender age of one. This makes me feel very sad because the children die before they are even able to talk. That is one of the many sad things about this disease. Still, there is no treatment for this disease but there is treatment for the health problems that come from this disease. 1 in 740 infants are born with disease making it not common yet, defiantly possible. Something that makes this disease even more tragic is the fact that most of the patients have very severe cases of it. Some of the bright things about this disease is that there are schools and training classes for children affected by the disease. That makes me feel happy because I know that the children are getting better from this terrible disease. Many of the children are most likely terrified due to this disease but the classes make them feel happier and better. That is very nice because these children need anything that can make them feel better

Cystic Fibrosis

The disease Cystic Fibrosis was discovered in the 19th century. It mostly affects the lungs and the digestive system. The symptoms one may get when the have this rare disease may be, very salty skin, persistent coughing at times with phlegm, frequent lung infections, wheezing or shortness or breath, poor growth/weight gain in spite of good appetite, and frequent, bulky stools or difficult in bowel movements. This disease obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. It also clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections. There is no known treatment for this disease, but a good lifestyle and good nutrition may help out a lot. The mortality for the disease is 30-40s. 37 is the predicted median for the patients age. The disease has hit 30, 000 children and adults in the United States and 70, 000 people worldwide. Most children and adolescents are vulnerable to this disease. The genes of this disease are mutated. The majority of the patients are diagnosed at the age of two. About 1, 000 new cases of this disease are found each year.

This disease makes me feel sad. I feel sad due to the fact that there is no known cure for it yet. The patients go through hard times from this disease and they cannot do anything about it other than live a good lifestyle. I feel that doctors and scientists should work their hardest to find a cure because this disease though rare, affects many people around the world today.

http://www.cff.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystic_fibrosis

Man Robs a Bank in Frankin Township

Recently, in Franklin Township a unknown man robbed a bank on Friday. Investors Saving Bank was robbed by a white man, who was supposedly 40 years old. During the 1:34 p.m. robbery at the bank, located on DeMott Lane in the Somerset section of town, County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said, no one was injured and no one was at the bank at the time. He was wearing blue jeans, a black jacket and a dark-red baseball hat with a circular logo on the front. The man was suspected of being 5 ft 11 in tall, and also wore white rimmed sunglasses. Due to the fact that no one was present during the crime, there were no witnesses, except for the teller. The man handed the teller a note demanding money and a bag. He though, did not show any weapons. The teller gave him the money and he left the bank going in an unknown direction. Investigators are still trying to figure out who this man is and asks anyone with information to contact them.

Article-http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/man_robs_franklin_township_ban.html
Photo-http://blog.nj.com/ledgerupdates_impact/2009/02/large_robbery.JPG
*photo taken with surveillance camera.