Cloning a Mammoth

Has it ever occurred to you to try to de-extinct an animal? Well it occurred to a few scientists to bring mammoths back. We think that dinosaurs are gone, so we can not clone them; but mammoths, well we'll see.. So first a couple of scientists got together and started to find bones and hairs of animal species that have gone extinct, in particular the mammoth. Then they got DNA samples from these products, trying to figure out why these animals had gone extinct. These scientists really want to clone a mammoth but is it really possible? We know that the mammoth's closest living relative is the Asian elephant, and they are practically 99% similar. So what makes mammoths look like mammoths and elephants look like elephants, what is that 1% difference? Well another scientist has now tried taking parts of the Asian elephant and replacing them with parts of the mammoth, scary right? So anyway, if scientists really do find that 1% difference between the Asian elephants and the mammoths then maybe they could clone a mammoth, but who knows! Here is a podcast with a lot more information! (By Semma)

Fast Plants

This week we have started the plant and plant reproduction unit in science. We started out the class on Monday by planting Fast Plant seeds in the soil in a 1 liter bottle that we cut in half. We watered it by taking the bottom of the bottle and putting water in it then attaching a cotton tube from the bottom of the water to the top of the soil.  I think this is really cool because the water is going up the tube to give water to the plant. I also really like this project because we get to see how the Fast Plant grows and changes as it becomes a bigger plant. (By Morgan)

Atlantis Salamanders

When I was in Atlantis, a city in the Bahamas, I found an incredible animal called the salamander. I've got video containing an adaptation that it uses to warn off predators. It turns its mouth orange and it has flaps wing like structures out at you. I was a little shocked at first when I saw this but I did some research and found out why the salamander did this when I got up close. It does this to ward off any predators that come to a dangerous distance. Clearly the salamander saw me as a threat to it. This connects to our unit because we did a unit on animal behavior. (by Patrick)

There are lots of tiny organisms in the world, probably more than humans. So the earth would have its fair share of things that would make your skin crawl. And then there are some that can fail vital organs, and some of these are parasites. I thought because we studied the hydra and planaria it would be fun to give people nightm-- I mean do research on this topic. An interesting parasite is the threadworm (Strongyloides) and an other organism, the water bear.

The threadworm most commonly infects its host by larvae infected soil. Some symptoms are: abdominal pain, bloating, heartburn, intermittent episodes of diarrhea and constipation, a dry cough, and rashes. Rarely people will develop arthritis, kidney problems, and heart conditions. Click here to read more about this parasite.

The water bear is not exactly invincible or a parasite but probably can survive the end of the world.This is the water bear (tardigrades). The water bear is a microscopic organism that can survive the extreme heat and cold, radiation, and the vacuum of space. And to top it all off, they live for 200 years... So expect to (not) see this creature around. How studies were done is they sent the FOTON-M3 (a rocket) to space with some water bears and 68 percent of the bears lived! Also some water bears have been found under a rock where there hasn't been any water in 25 years. So, what gives you the heebie jeebies? (by Griffin)

The Western Grebe

This is the Aechmophorus occidentalis, or more better known as the western grebe. A water-bird, it has the rare ability to be able to run on the surface of water. It is the largest animal to have acquired the skill of being able to run on water. They can be found in sizable saltwater and freshwater bays or lakes. This bird also uses its skill of running on water for mating and courtship purposes. As a courtship behavior, it will do something called "rushing" where they tuck back their wings, rise, and run on the water for a good 8 seconds and covers plenty of meters. (By Ben T)

Click this link to see a video of a western grebe running on water

2-3 eBOOK SHARE

In 6th grade science class, we made eBooks for a special animal that we were assigned. My animal was the warthog. Some interesting facts about them are: they can weigh up to 120-250 pounds! They live in Africa, southern Sudan and southeast Ethiopia. Their tusks grow to 10 inches long, and they live up to 15-17 years.

We brought these eBook presentations to the 2/3 class. We read our books to the 2/3-ers, and asked them about their IPs. We would switch buddy's after we were done reading. I really enjoyed it because I've never been in the 2-3, 4-5 class areas. It was very interesting how they had all that set up and programmed. It was very fun, and the 2-3ers were respectful and eager to listen to our books. (by Cody)

6th grade visits 4/5 to share animal behavior eBooks

Over the past few weeks the sixth graders have been researching a certain animal for an  Animal Behavior eBook. My animal was the blue-footed booby or Sula nebouxii. Did you know that the blue footed booby has a wingspan of almost 5 feet? Click on the link below to learn about the amazing blue-footed booby.

After a long month working on our Animal behavior eBook, we went to share them with the 4th and 5th graders this week. We all were paired up with two or three 4/5 students. It was also interesting hearing about all the IPs that the 4/5 students had made. I thought it was really fun today sharing all of our hard work and them sharing theirs with us. I hope in the future that we could learn more about all their awesome IPs.  Thank you to the 4/5 students for bringing us over to share. (By Scout)

 http://youtu.be/ilNcnp8vmJY

6th grade science students visit 2/3

6th graders visited the 2/3 homestations this week to share the eBooks they made during the Animal Behavior unit in science class. It was a wonderful experience because not only did 6th graders share their hard work, the 2/3 students reciprocated by sharing their recent IPs. We hope to connect with them again before the end of the year. Thanks for hosting us Down Under!

Global warming

Little does the human mind think about the careless acts we do to increase global warming. Global warming is the term used to illustrate the slow increase in the standard temperature of the earth's ocean and its atmosphere, and a change in Earth's climate. The earth's average temperature has increased substantially by between 0.4 and 0.8 degree Celsius over 100 years. Most of our global warming issues are due to the rising of carbon dioxide and other gases like burning fossil fuels, land clearing, agriculture, as well as other human activities, not just that, but it is also displacing people from cities and tropical islands forcing them to immigrate to higher grounds. Scientists believe at the rate of global warming today, that we could produce between 1.4 and 5.8 degree Celsius by the twenty-second century. The rising sea levels, melting polar ice caps, and the increase of storms and other severe weather events will occur if you forget to keep your mind on our world's health, help the fight and make a stand against global warming! (by Harry)

Here's an interesting video about global warming
 http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/101-videos/global-warming-101