Where Have All the Bees Gone?

Where Have All the Bees Gone? *Optional Homework Assignment
June 13, 2009

Entomologists—scientists who study insects—have a real mystery on their hands. All across the country, honeybees are leaving their hives and never returning.

It doesn't take long before a hive is nearly empty. Researchers call this phenomenon colony-collapse disorder. According to surveys of beekeepers across the country, 25 to 40 percent of the honeybees in the United States have vanished from their hives since last fall. So far, no one can explain why.
Colony collapse is a serious concern because bees play an important role in the production of about one-third of the foods we eat, including apples, watermelons, and almonds. As they feed, honeybees spread pollen from flower to flower. Without this process, called pollination, a plant can't produce seeds or fruits.
Now, a group of scientists and beekeepers has teamed up to try to figure out what's causing the alarming collapse of so many colonies. By sharing their expertise in honeybee behavior, health, and nutrition, team members hope to find out what's contributing to the decline and to prevent bee disappearances in the future.

Sick bees?
It could be that disease is causing the disappearance of the bees. To explore that possibility, Jay Evans, a research entomologist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Bee Research Laboratory, examines bees taken from colonies that are collapsing. "We know what a healthy bee should look like on the inside, and we can look for physical signs of disease," he says.

And bees from collapsing colonies don't look very healthy. "Their stomachs are worn down, compared to the stomachs of healthy bees," Evans says. It may be that a parasite is damaging the bees' digestive organs. The bees' inability to ward off such parasites suggests that their immune systems may not be working as they should.

The honeybees have other signs of troubled immune systems, such as high levels of bacteria and fungi inside their bodies, says Dewey Caron, an entomologist at the University of Delaware. He's one of the leaders of the colony-collapse research team.

But why would parasites, bacteria, or fungi in the body cause bees to leave their hives? After all, when you're sick, you want to stay at home, right?

Caron says that some of these disease-causing agents may lead to disturbances in bee behavior. "It may be that sick bees are not processing information correctly and learning where home is," he says. In other words, a sick bee might leave the hive and simply forget how to get back.
If enough of the bees in a colony can't find their way home, he says, it's just a matter of time before the colony collapses. Being social insects, even healthy bees are unable to live long on their own. And once the bees vanish, the crops that they usually pollinate are in trouble.

Environmental clues
Another cause of colony-collapse disorder may be certain chemicals that farmers apply to kill unwanted insects on crops, says Jerry Hayes, chief bee inspector for the Florida Department of Agriculture. Some studies, he says, suggest that a certain type of insecticide affects the honeybee's nervous system (which includes the brain) and memory. "It seems like honeybees are going out and getting confused about where to go and what to do," he says.

Adding to the mystery, Hayes says, is an observation about moths and other insects that frequently use empty beehives to raise their own young.

"Usually, they move right into an empty hive," he says, "but now they're waiting several weeks before they do." As Hayes sees it, this suggests that something repellent in the hive may not only be driving out bees but also keeping other insects from moving in, he says. So far, scientists haven't identified what that repellent thing could be.

Looking at bee genes
If it turns out that a disease is contributing to colony collapse, bees' genes could explain why some colonies have collapsed and others have not. In any group of bees—or other animals, including people—there are many different kinds of genes, because each individual has a slightly different unique set of genes. The more different genes a group has, the higher the group's genetic diversity. And genetic diversity is a plus as far as survival is concerned.
Some scientists are now studying genetic diversity in honeybee colonies to see if it has an effect on colony collapse disorder.

"If a colony is genetically diverse, it's less likely the colony will be wiped out completely from a sweeping infection or disease," says David Tarpy, a University of North Carolina entomologist. That's because at least some bees in a genetically diverse group are likely to have genes that help them resist any specific disease that gets into the colony, he says. Scientists haven't determined the role of genetic diversity in colony collapse, but it's a promising theory, says Evans. He and his colleagues at the USDA bee lab are currently running genetic tests on bees from collapsing colonies. Their goal is to find out whether there are genetic differences between the bees that vanish and those that remain in their hives.

Scientists are working hard to figure out the causes of colony collapse. Meanwhile, bees continue to disappear. Can anything be done to help them survive?

Tarpy suggests that more people could raise bees to help restore their numbers. "Given this decline in honeybees, if you want to get active in helping to promote pollination, the best thing to do is to become a beekeeper and keep your own bees," he says.

Don't be put off by the possibility of a sting, says Dan Geer, who raises bees in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. First of all, beekeepers can wear protective gear. And bees, he says, have a bad rep. "You'd be surprised by how gentle they are," he says.

Wow! This is a real world mystery where scientists need to find an answer to a problem that is happening now. Putting on your thinking caps and using what knowledge you already know about bees, try to think of a possible reason why the bees are dying. Remember to use information from the article to help give you ideas.

Remember to answer in essay format,
What do you think the reason is for the dying honey bees?
Why do you think this is a possible answer?

A Big, Weird Dino

A Big, Weird Dino * Optional Homework Assignment
June 27, 2007

A new dinosaur find has forced scientists to rethink their understanding of these ancient creatures.

The feathered dino, which belongs to a new genus called Gigantoraptor, was surprisingly huge and heavy for its shape. It belonged to a group of birdlike dinosaurs called oviraptors. The largest animals in this group weighed no more than 40 kilograms (88 pounds).

Gigantoraptor, by comparison, weighed about 1.4 metric tons (more than 3,000 pounds). It was 8 meters (26 feet) long and 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) tall at its shoulder. It lived in what is now northern China, where scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing found most of its leg and tail bones. The team also found part of its lower jaw and spine.

The scientists dug up the first of the creature's bones in April 2005. The huge size of the fossils threw them off. "We first thought it might be from a sauropod," says researcher Xing Xu. Sauropods were enormous, long-necked dinosaurs known to have lived in the region around 70 million years ago. "Then, we thought it might be from a tyrannosaur," like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Xu adds.

As they discovered more fossils however, the scientists realized that they were looking at a new species. Based on the number of growth rings in the animal's bones and the distances between those rings, the researchers estimate that the Gigantoraptor was about 11 years old when it died. Other evidence suggests that the giant was a young adult, but still growing.

Gigantoraptors, it appears, grew more quickly and reached adulthood earlier than the huge tyrannosaurs did, says Thomas R. Holtz Jr., a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Maryland at College Park. Growing quickly, he says, would have helped protect the newly discovered species from attacks by hungry tyrannosaurs.

The sizes and proportions of the newly discovered dino's leg bones suggest that the animal was a speedy runner. It "would have been among the fastest dinosaurs of its body size," Holtz speculates.

Many oviraptors had feathers, and because Gigantoraptor looked like these smaller, birdlike animals, Xu suspects it had feathers too. That's a perplexing thought. Within the family of dinosaurs that produced birds, animals with larger bodies usually looked less like birds than smaller members of the group did. The bigger animals tended to have smaller limbs relative to their bodies, and their lower-leg bones were shorter in proportion to their upper legs.

"It's really a surprising discovery," says Xu. Adds Holtz, "This is one weird dinosaur." .

Scientists have really been finding a lot of new dinosaurs. From the description of this dinosaur, how is this dinosaur different from other dinosaurs? How is it similar?

The Solar System's Biggest Junkyard

The Solar System's Biggest Junkyard
*Optional Homework Assignment
Sept. 24, 2008

Each white dot represents an individual piece of tracked orbital debris. This image shows the Low Earth Orbit, which is the region from the Earth’s surface to 1,240 miles and contains the most space junk.

NASA Johnson Space Center
On a clear night, you can look in the sky and see the moon and stars. You might even see the blinking light of a working satellite as it flies past, on its way around the Earth.
And, even though you cannot see it, you are also looking at the largest junkyard in the solar system.

Higher than the highest clouds but much closer than the moon, the bulk of the junkyard stretches from the Earth’s surface to 20,000 miles overhead. There are tens of millions of pieces of rubbish there. Some of the pieces are rocks and dust from passing comets, but most of them are manmade and called “orbital debris” (pronounced duh-BREE).

There are some unusual things up there, like a camera that floated away from astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams in December 2006. Other astronauts have lost tools like wrenches and screwdrivers. In 1965 astronaut Ed White even lost a spare glove. Most of the junk, however, comes from large satellites and rockets that fell apart after they stopped working.

Together, all the space junk would weigh about 11 million pounds on Earth, or more than 3,000 cars. The largest piece is a part of a rocket about the size of a minivan. The smallest piece would fit on your pinkie fingernail with room to spare.

“It’s like a classic environmental problem, like water pollution or air pollution,” says Nicholas Johnson. Johnson is the Chief Scientist for Orbital Debris at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. His job is to keep track of the orbiting garbage.

The junkyard is a serious problem for the future of spaceflight.
“You’ve got multimillion satellites in orbit all the time, and manned space flights,” says Joe Gambrell, who helps keep track of both working and broken-down satellites. His main tool is the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, which is part of the U.S. military. Gambrell works at the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo. “If you don’t track debris, you risk some kind of collision,” he adds.

In 2007, the space junkyard grew by more than 100,000 pieces. That’s more than any other year since people started launching satellites into space. The problem of space junk is not going away, and scientists are watching closely.

Danger in Orbit
A “satellite” is any object that orbits another object, held close by gravity. The moon is a satellite of the Earth, and the Earth is a satellite of the sun. These are natural satellites. Manmade satellites, which are built on Earth and launched into space, are used for communications, scientific studies and military applications.

In the last 50 years, human beings have launched thousands of artificial satellites into space. When a satellite stops working, it usually falls back toward the Earth and burns up in the atmosphere. Satellites at high altitudes, however, sometimes remain in Earth’s orbit.
Later, they may fall apart or explode into thousands of smaller pieces. The higher the satellite, the longer it stays in orbit, and the more likely it is to break apart. The pieces may stay in orbit for years, decades or even centuries.

At the NASA Ames Research Center, scientists simulate what would happen were a tiny piece of space junk to hit a spacecraft.
NASA
Space junk races around the Earth at breakneck speeds. Most pieces fly through space at more than 20 times the speed that sound travels on Earth. Going that fast, even the smallest pieces mean big trouble for spacecraft. For example, a tiny marble in orbit around the Earth can have as much energy as a bowling ball going 500 miles per hour, or a car going 30 miles per hour.
Challenger while it was in space in 1983. The shuttle returned to Earth safely from that mission.


A tiny fleck of paint struck and cracked one window of the space shuttle Challenger while it was in space in 1983. The shuttle returned to Earth safely from that mission.

NASA Johnson Space Center
In 1983, a small gouge appeared in one window of the space shuttle Challenger while it was in space. When the shuttle returned to Earth and scientists analyzed the window, they found that the crack was caused by a tiny, orbiting fleck of paint. If the shuttle had been struck by a larger piece of junk, the astronauts may have been in danger.

Many other satellites and space shuttles have also shown damage from tiny pieces of trash. When the space shuttle Endeavour returned to Earth last August, its radiator panels had small holes from space garbage. Last year, two satellites had to be redirected to avoid collisions with big pieces of junk.

The U.S. Space Surveillance Network and NASA work together to keep track of the largest pieces. When the shuttle is in orbit, for example, their attention is on nearby junk that may get in the way. If there is even a small chance of a collision, then the shuttle changes direction.
Watching the garbage

About 17,000 pieces of garbage are larger than 4 inches, which is slightly smaller than a softball. The Space Surveillance Network keeps a list of all these pieces, using dozens of telescopes and antennas on Earth and in space to watch them. Because all the pieces are in motion all the time, keeping track is difficult (but not impossible).

Monitoring the space junk is a problem of energy and motion. To keep track of the junk, the scientists have to know two things: where the garbage is now, and where it is going to be in the future.

This antenna, located in the Mojave Desert, California, can use radio to detect tiny pieces of junk, if they’re not too high.

NASA Johnson Space Center
To find out where a piece is now, scientists use telescopes and high-powered antennas to watch it fly through space. Every day, scientists must make sure each piece is where they expect to find it. A “lost piece” could mean serious danger for a working satellite or space shuttle.

To find out where the piece is going, scientists measure its speed and direction as it crosses the sky. Some of the pieces move in an almost perfect circle around the Earth. Other pieces move in elliptical orbits, which means they are sometimes closer to Earth and sometimes farther as they fly. The measurement of direction is complicated because junk can move north or south, east or west, and up or down.

By knowing the location, speed and direction of each big piece of junk, the scientists can predict where all the pieces will go. (Similarly, in baseball, an outfielder has to predict where a pop fly will land, if she wants to catch it. In soccer, a goalie has to predict where a ball will go, so he can block it.)

“We’re always looking about four days into the future, tracking objects which might come close,” says Johnson.

There are tens of millions of pieces smaller than softballs. Because there are so many small pieces, “We can’t [keep track] of them all,” Johnson says. Instead of watching each piece individually, scientists use telescopes and antennas to watch one patch of sky and count the number of pieces that pass overhead. With that small measurement, they can use a computer program to get a good idea of what the whole sky looks like.

Keeping track of all the junk is necessary to ensure that astronauts and working satellites can be safe. Like other environmental problems, space junk will get worse without careful monitoring and attention. In the future, pieces of junk will probably hit each other, making even more trash.
The more garbage that remains in orbit, the greater the risk to space flights. What can be done about the problem of space junk? The large pieces of junk cannot be brought back to Earth, Johnson says, because the technology is too expensive. Instead, he says, we should try to stop adding new garbage. For example, engineers are changing the way they build spacecraft.
“How you build your satellite can minimize debris,” Gambrell says.

A solution will require international cooperation. Last year, the United Nations General Assembly approved guidelines for how to reduce the risk of space junk. Johnson says that spacefaring countries came together because “the environment was getting worse every year.”
If countries work together to control the amount of trash we send into space, Johnson says, we can keep the problem under control. In the future, perhaps we can even clean up the mess.
“In time, either technology or economics will allow us to go out and [improve] the environment,” he says.



Space junk is becoming a very serious problem. From the information you have read, what might be a solution to space junk? What could we do to stop or prevent space junk now and in the future? (Hint: use your imagination, but also facts from the article).

IDITAROD WINNER * Optional Homework Assignment

Mackey Wins Record-Tying Third Straight Iditarod Dog-Sled Title
March 18 (Bloomberg) -- Lance Mackey won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for a record-tying third consecutive year.

Mackey, 38, finished the 1,100-mile (1,770-kilometer) race in 9 days, 21 hours, 38 minutes. His closest competitors, Sebastian Schnuelle and John Baker, have yet to reach the finish line in Nome, Alaska.

Mackey, from Fairbanks, Alaska, joins Doug Swingley, who won the race from 1999 to 2001, and Susan Butcher (1986-1988) as the only champions three consecutive years. The overall record for championships is four, shared by Butcher, Swingley, Rick Swenson, Martin Buser and Jeff King.Mackey’s father,

Dick, won the Iditarod in 1978, while his older brother, Rick, claimed the title in 1983.

To find out more about the Iditarod races, click the link below
http://www.ultimateiditarod.com/faq.htm#Iditarod%20Basics

Sometimes we need to overcome huge obstacles or problems. Mackey overcame the artic weather to win the Iditarod race for the third time. Think of a time you needed to overcome a big problem. Now in essay format, tell about…

What was the problem?
What happened?

Remember to use a thesis statement and restate the thesis!

North Dakota's Rising Rivers

North Dakota's Rising Rivers
Melting snow, ice jams and a blizzard create dangerous flooding conditions in North Dakota
By Lorin Driggs

Residents of Bismarck, Fargo and other towns in North Dakota as well as towns in western Minnesota took steps on Wednesday to protect their homes and businesses from rising flood waters. As many as eight rivers in the region are expected to reach flood levels over the next few days.

To make matters worse, a blizzard dumped more than 8 inches of snow in the Bismarck area on Tuesday, adding to the challenges facing residents. And an ice jam south of Bismarck threatened to send the backed up waters of the Missouri River over its banks and into the streets of the city. An ice jam occurs when large chunks of ice clog the natural flow of a river so that the water backs up behind it. Members of the National Guard who flew over the Missouri River on Wednesday were considering using explosives to break up the largest ice jams.
Residents Get Ready.

To the east in Fargo, North Dakota's largest city, residents prepared for flooding from the Red River. By early Wednesday, the river was measured at almost 34 feet, already more than 15 feet above flood stage. The river is expected to crest, or reach its highest level, Friday evening, measuring between 39 and 41 feet. This could cause severe flooding and extensive damage.
Volunteers throughout the area filled sandbags in an effort to hold back the rising waters and protect homes and businesses. Officials ordered residents of some areas to evacuate, or leave, and warned others to prepare for possible evacuation over the next few days. When the evacuation order went out for Fox Island, on the Missouri River just south of Bismarck, residents Jane and Michael Pole didn't have to be convinced. "We just grabbed a bag, threw some stuff in and left," Jane Pole said.

President Obama has declared North Dakota a federal disaster area. This means that the federal government will help pay for the cost of fighting the floods and the expensive clean-up in the coming days and weeks.

Now, post
1. One interesting fact you learned about the flood in North Dakota.
2. How is it different than where we live?
3. What book, story, or movie does this article remind you of?
4. What did you already know that helped you understand his article?

Giant Jellyfish Invasion

Giant Jellyfish Invasion

Are aliens attacking the Sea of Japan? Not exactly. But these gigantic blobs are unwelcome visitors from another place. Called Nomura's jellyfish, the wiggly, pinkish giants can weigh up to 450 pounds (204 kilograms)—as heavy as a male lion—and they're swarming by the millions.

The supersize sea creatures—normally found off the coasts of China and North and South Korea—occasionally drift east into the Sea of Japan to feed on tiny organisms called plankton. But now one hundred times the usual number of jellyfish are invading Japanese waters. And local fishermen are feeling as if they are under siege.

The fishermen's nets are getting weighted down, or even broken, by hundreds of Nomura's. The jellies crush, slime, and poison valuable fish in the nets, such as the tuna and salmon that the fishermen rely on to make a living.

No one knows for sure what's causing this jellyfish traffic jam. It's possible that oceans heated by global warming are creating the perfect jellyfish breeding ground. Another theory is that overfishing has decreased the numbers of some fish, which may allow the jellies to chow down without competition for food. For now, all the fishermen can do is design special nets to try to keep the jellies out. Some of them hope to turn the catastrophe into cash by selling jellyfish snacks. Peanut butter and jellyfish, anyone?

Fast Facts
Baby Nomura's jellyfish change from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a washing machine in six months or less.
Jellyfish are 95% water.
Jellyfish aren't actually fish, they're invertebrates—animals without backbones.

Finding all of these jellyfish is not common in this part of the world. Remember a time something unexpected happened to you. Tell me about this time. Remember to…
* Who were the people involved?
* What was the unusual thing?
Remember to answer the questions with a thesis statement.

Mummy Chamber Unearthed

Mummy Chamber Unearthed
Archaeologists find 30 mummies in ancient Egyptian burial tomb
By Dante A. Ciampaglia February 17 , 2009

Scientists have been digging in the sands of Saqqara, Egypt, for more than 150 years, searching for and finding ancient artifacts and structures. And last week another remarkable discovery was made.At the bottom of a 36-foot-deep well, archaeologists found a 4,300-year-old burial tomb filled with 30 mummies. The tomb was discovered on the western side of Step Pyramid of Saqqara, one of the oldest structures in the world.A team of archaeologists led by Zahi Hawas made the discovery. Hawas is the head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt. He and his team have been digging in Saqqara for more than a year.In the burial chamber, Hawas and his team found sarcophagi made of limestone and wood. Looters and thieves from ancient times had damaged some of the sarcophagi, and this caused some of the mummies to be in poor condition.But one sarcophagus was found virtually undisturbed. It was made of limestone and sealed with plaster, which is a sign that the person inside was rich. Hawas said he thought it came from Egypt's 26th Dynasty, which lasted from 664 B.C. to 525 B.C. When Hawas opened the sarcophagus, he found a complete and well-preserved mummy.

"To find an intact mummy inside a limestone sarcophagus is not common," Hawas said. "It's rare. It's very rare. This mummy should contain amulets, golden amulets, to help the deceased go to the afterlife."

To help scientists learn more about the mummy and its times, it will be X-rayed in the coming weeks.

The mummies discovered in the tomb come from a few different periods in Egyptian history, according to Hawas's team. Many of the mummies are from about 640 B.C. But the oldest mummy has been estimated to be from 2494 B.C.-2345 B.C. A mummified dog was also discovered among the human mummies.

The tomb originally belonged to a priest named Sangem, according to Hawas. But over time, others were buried in the space. This mummy discovery isn't the first time burial chambers have been found at Saqqara. Scientists have discovered numerous mummies in the desert there and call the area a necropolis, which is a large cemetery of an ancient city. But most mummies are discovered in their own burial chambers rather than with others.Other things have been found at Saqqara too. Last year, Hawas and his team unearthed a 4,300-year-old pyramid in the desert. But while scientists have searched the area for more than a century, Hawas believes there is still a lot to discover.

Uncovering an ancient tomb is like finding a long lost secret. Remember a time you uncovered a secret. Now write an essay telling me about it. Remember to…

• Who were the people involved?
• What was the secret you uncovered?

Remember to answer the questions with a thesis statement.

Earth Day

Earth Day

Earth Day is a global holiday that celebrates our planet’s environment. Every year on April 22, people host different events to remember the Earth. But Earth Day is not just about appreciating the environment—it’s about preserving it as well. Environmental activists use Earth Day to increase awareness about issues like global warming and oil spills. They also use the day to urge politicians to pass laws that will help save the environment.

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin started the holiday. Nelson was worried that industrialized countries, like the United States, were too careless with the environment. After an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969, Nelson proposed several reforms or changes.One reform was to hold a national Earth Day every April 22. Denis Hayes organized the first Earth Day. Hayes went on to lead the Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden, Colorado. John McConnell designed the unofficial flag of the event, the Earth Flag. More than 20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day. Schools and universities around the nation joined in. Students spent the day learning about the environment and discussing ways to cut down pollution. Concerts in major cities honored the day.

Weeks after the event, Congress passed three laws: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. These laws protect drinking water, wild lands, and animals from people or companies.Today more than 500 million people in 175 countries celebrate Earth Day! Students spend the day learning about environmental issues, while activists use the day to rally for new environmental policies.

Explain why Earth Day is important and who is responsible for creating Earth Day? What happened to create this special day?

Butterflies

Butterflies

There are thousands of brightly colored and beautiful butterfly species around the world. Watch these incredible insects transform from caterpillars to butterflies.

Click the link below

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/bugs-kids/butterflies-kids.html

Now, post

1. One interesting fact you learned about butterflies.

2. How is it different than other insects?

3. What book, story, or movie does this article remind you of?

4. What did you already know that helped you understand his article?

Beelzebufo: A Giant of a Find

Beelzebufo: A Giant of a Find

A team of researchers in Madagascar has discovered the fossil of what may be the largest frog to have ever lived. The beach-ball-size amphibian, which grew to be 16 inches (40.6 centimeters) long and weighed about 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms), is scientifically named Beelzebufo, or ‘devil frog.’Paleontologist David Krause of Stony Brook University in New York made the discovery and is collaborating with other scientists to determine how Beelzebufo is related to other frogs and to understand how and why they are on the island of Madagascar. Fossil frog experts Susan Evans and Marc Jones of the University College London agree that the new frog represents the first known occurrence of a fossil group in Madagascar with living relatives in South

America."Beelzebufo appears to be a very close relative of a group of South American frogs known as 'ceratophyrines,' or 'pac-man' frogs, because of their immense mouths," said Krause.
But why wasn’t Beelzebufo found in South America? "We're asking ourselves, 'What's a 'South American' frog doing half-way around the world, in Madagascar?'" said Krause. “One possibility is that there was a land connection between South America and Madagascar during [the Late Cretaceous] period." Some researchers believe that Antarctica, Madagascar, and South America may all have been connected at one time.Beelzebufo is, without a doubt, one of the largest frogs on record and was perhaps the largest frog ever to exist. The size, appearance, and predatory nature of the frog prompted its discoverers to call it the "armored frog from hell." The name “Beelzebufo” comes from the Greek word for devil (Beelzebub) and the Latin word for toad (bufo).Not only was the frog huge, it was powerful, had a protective shield, an extremely wide mouth and powerful jaws. These features made Beelzebufo capable of killing lizards and other small animals, perhaps even hatchling dinosaurs.By comparison, the largest living frog today is the goliath frog of West Africa, which can be 12.5 inches (31.7 centimeters) long and weigh about 7.2 pounds (3.2 kilograms). The largest frog alive on Madagascar today is just over four inches (10.1 centimeters) long.

Finding the world largest frog is exciting.
How is this frog different from the frogs we know?
How is this frog similar?
How much did this frog weigh?
Would you want this frog as a pet?

Interview With David de Rothschild, NG Emerging Explorer and Adventurer

Interview With David de Rothschild, Emerging Explorer and Adventurer

David de Rothschild is an adventurer, an environmentalist, and an explorer. He has traveled across Antarctica, set a speed record crossing the Greenland ice cap, and reached the North Pole with hungry polar bears following him. Now he's getting ready for his next adventure: Sailing to Australia in a boat made from recycled plastic bottles!

He spends his days working at Pier 31 in San Francisco on the very challenging research and development project to create a 60-foot (18-meter) catamaran sailboat called Plastiki. He's a bit frantic lately, but if all goes as planned, he will set off from San Francisco in April 2009 and sail 11,000 miles (17,703 kilometers) to Sydney, Australia. It is a project that he hopes will change the whole boat making industry. The scientists and engineers have created a process that will kick-start ideas and get people thinking in a whole new way about how boats are made and new uses for plastic trash.

How did he become an explorer and environmentalist? David answers questions from National Geographic Kids!
NG Kids: What were you like as a kid?David: I was very inquisitive, curious, and mischievous. I was always asking questions. Asking questions really led me to where I am today. Asking questions leads you on adventures and adventures are breeding grounds for stories. From stories we create our dreams. Adventures can be spending time with your friends in a tent in the backyard. Kids are the agents of change. It's important to remember that nothing is impossible.
NG Kids: Do you have a hero?David: My uncle is my hero. He is Peter Robeson and an Olympic show jumper.
NG Kids: What do you daydream about?David: I grew up on a farm and we all dreamed about being veterinarians. I have two dogs that go everywhere with me and sleep in my bed and on my head. One is a miniature schnauzer named Nesta, and the other is an English bull terrier named Smudge. But I still dream all the time and I think it's important to let your mind take you where you want to go. And then act on them. It's also important to pay attention in school. Looking back, I would have paid more attention in biology and geography.
NG Kids: How did you get into your field of work?David: I studied natural medicine, or naturopathy, and it led me to questions of why we use the things we do and thoughts of you are what you breathe. These kinds of questions led me to where I am today and led me on an adventure.
NG Kids: What’s a normal day like for you?David: I don't know what that means. I don't ever really have a "normal" day. My day usually starts very early in the morning and ends very late at night. I spend a lot of time talking to people about Plastiki, writing, responding to lots of e-mails, and meeting with scientists and engineers working on the boat. And I take time to stay fit and healthy—so it's a very full day.
NG Kids: What do you do for fun or to be silly?David: I am always silly! It is essential. Whether I am playing jokes on a friend or playing at the pier, I am always smiling and being silly. I always think about how fortunate I am to be involved in this project.
NG Kids: What's the best place you've ever traveled to?David: The best place is the place that I haven't traveled to. The world is so vast. I mean I'd love to go to Madagascar and back down to Antarctica again. But every place is an adventure. So ask me that again when I am 70 years old!
NG Kids: What's the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you that you can share with others?David: There are two really. One is to be honest. Always treat other people the way you would want to be treated. And the second one is don't be afraid to fail. Don't be afraid to make a mistake. You aren't going to know if you don't try.
NG Kids: Do you have any good explorer jokes?David: I am a pirate right now! So I will give you my favorite pirate joke. What's a pirate's favorite letter? It's a P, because it's an Arrrr with one leg! Anything can be a pirate joke if you just add Arrrr. Do you want another one? Why can't a pirate play cards? Because he's standing on the deck!
David de Rothschild is an adventurer, an environmentalist, and an explorer. He has traveled across Antarctica, set a speed record crossing the Greenland ice cap, and reached the North Pole with hungry polar bears following him. Now he's getting ready for his next adventure: Sailing to Australia in a boat made from recycled plastic bottles!
He spends his days working at Pier 31 in San Francisco on the very challenging research and development project to create a 60-foot (18-meter) catamaran sailboat called Plastiki. He's a bit frantic lately, but if all goes as planned, he will set off from San Francisco in April 2009 and sail 11,000 miles (17,703 kilometers) to Sydney, Australia. It is a project that he hopes will change the whole boat making industry. The scientists and engineers have created a process that will kick-start ideas and get people thinking in a whole new way about how boats are made and new uses for plastic trash.
How did he become an explorer and environmentalist? David answers questions from National Geographic Kids!
NG Kids: What were you like as a kid?David: I was very inquisitive, curious, and mischievous. I was always asking questions. Asking questions really led me to where I am today. Asking questions leads you on adventures and adventures are breeding grounds for stories. From stories we create our dreams. Adventures can be spending time with your friends in a tent in the backyard. Kids are the agents of change. It's important to remember that nothing is impossible.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, and be a famous explorer
Where would you go?
Who would you go with?
What would you do when you are there?

The Guinness Book of World Records

The Guinness Book of World Records

The Guinness Book of World Records is just that. A book of silly, strange, and bizarre records set by both adults and children.

Click the link to view videos of some of the records in this book.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/weird-wacky-kids/guinness-world-records/guinness-spider-boy-kids.html

Now that you have see some of the records in the Guinness Book of World Records, what record do you think you would be able to set? This is what you are good at. It can be silly, strange, or just about anything. Tell us about which record you would be able to set/beat and why you feel you are able to do so.

New "Dracula" Fish Discovered

New "Dracula" Fish Discovered

March 11, 2009--While he may not vant to suck your blood, the male fish seen above does sport spooky-looking fangs that have earned it the name Danionella dracula.

Researchers at London's Natural History Museum found several of the new species (bottom) in a tank of aquarium fish. Initially museum staff had thought the 0.7-inch-long (1.7-centimeter-long) creatures, caught in Myanmar (Burma), were part of an already known, related species.
"After a year or so in captivity, they started dying," museum scientist Ralf Britz told BBC News.
"When I preserved them and looked at them under the microscope, I thought, my God, what is this, they can't be teeth."

In fact, the fangs are not true teeth—the line of fish that gave rise to D. dracula is thought to have lost teeth around 50 million years ago.

By staining the bone and dissolving away tissue to reveal the full jawbones of dead specimens (top), Briz found that the odd species has rows of bony jaw protrusions (inset) that lack the pulp cavities and enamel caps of true teeth.

Despite their ghoulish appearance, the fangs likely aren't used for feeding.
"We did not study stomach contents, but we know that its close relatives live on small crustaceans … and other small invertebrates," Britz said in an email to National Geographic News. "In captivity it readily accepts brine shrimp [larvae], tiny nematodes, and even very fine flake food."

Based on the behavior of live "Dracula" fish, the researchers think the males use their extralong fangs to spar with each other during aggressive displays. The findings are described this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

To see more unusual fish, Click the link below.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/fish-kids/fish-camouflage-kids.html

Now that you have learned about the Dracula fish and many other unusual fish, explain why these fish have these special adaptations? Would these fish be able to survive without being ‘special?’ Write in a complete paragraph

Fish Needs See-Through Head

A Fish with a See Through Head


March 18, 2009

This small, dark barreleye fish has a see-through forehead. The two spots on the front of its face are nostril-like organs, not eyes. For eyes, look inside the clear covering to the pair of green domes. Those are the lenses, and this fish is looking straight up through the top of its head.

The fish in the picture is alive and you’re looking inside its head. Really. It’s not a medical freak. Just a kind of fish with a naturally see-through forehead.

A new species, you might think. But no. The story is odder than that.
Meet one of the fish called barreleyes. This kind lives some 600 meters deep or more (that’s more than a third of a mile) in the Pacific Ocean.

A see-through forehead sounds like something you might remember to mention when describing a new fish. But 70 years ago scientists didn’t say a word about it when they gave the fish its official scientific name (Macropinna microstoma).

Those earlier fish scientists probably didn’t know about the clear forehead. They had to work from fish caught in deep nets and dragged up to the surface. The long trip up didn’t leave the samples in such good shape.

Today a scientist can send cameras and other equipment down to study deep-sea creatures where they live. Since 1993, cameras from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California have met these bizarre barreleyes three times in deep water off the coast.
And researchers managed to catch one and bring it to the surface in much better shape than usual.

What a difference meeting a live fish makes. Old reports had talked about some slime on the front of the fish. Now researchers see that the slime was probably the remains of the clear forehead.

The covering is tough and like the clear canopy on a fighter jet that lets the pilot see what’s happening, says Monterey Bay scientist Bruce Robison. In the fish, the rounded window is full of clear liquid and covers the eyes.

Like fighter pilots, these barreleye fish look out through their clear covering. Check the picture for the pair of fat, green domes like the tops of balls, inside the head. Those are the lenses of the fish’s eyes. (In the picture, the green lenses point up, and the fish is looking overhead.)

On barreleyes’ short tubes, the part that catches the image is at the bottom. That arrangement had puzzled scientists because tubular eyes should see only what’s straight in front of them and not much at the sides. That’s not very convenient. It would be a bit like looking at the world through the tube from a roll of toilet paper.

But looking at a living specimen, the researchers realized that an eye tube can move. Barreleyes point it upright to look overhead and then swing the lens downward so the tube points straight ahead, like the barrel of a mini cannon.

When the eyes point forward, the fish looks toward its pouty little mouth. Its lips stick out a bit, as if they would be good for picking morsels of food out of small places.


To see a video of the fish click the URL address below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM9o4VnfHJU&feature=player_embedded

Now, post
1. One interesting fact you learned about this fish
2. How is it different than other fish?
3. What book, story, or movie does this article remind you of?
4. What did you already know that helped you understand his article?

Welcome to Israel

Welcome to a Virtual Voyage to Israel

Take a virtual voyage to explore a land of plenty in the desert by clicking the link below.

A Virtual Voyage to Israel


Remember to...

1. Tell me interesting facts you have learned


2. How is life in Israel different than your life?
   
3. Tell a story, book, or movie that this article reminds you of
   
   

Famous American Women

Famous American Women

Every March, the country celebrates the accomplishments of women throughout American history.

Your job is to click the link and choose a famous American Woman to read about. In your review, tell the person’s name, and what made them an important part of American history. Remember only 1 famous person per posting. Create a new posting if you would like to complete a review on more than 1 famous American woman.

Have fun

Times For Kids

Alaskan volcano erupts, spewing ash skyward

Alaskan volcano erupts, spewing ash skyward

Last Updated: Monday, March 23, 2009 11:15 AM ET CBC News

Mount Redoubt, shown with some steam on March 15, erupted four times starting Sunday night. (U.S. Geological Survey, Heather Bleick/Associated Press)Eruptions at Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano have sent a plume of smoke nearly 15,000 metres above sea level.
Geologists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said the volcano erupted five times late Sunday and early Monday.
"This is a fairly large eruption, close to the larger cities in Alaska," said geophysicist John Power.
The first eruption occurred at 10:38 p.m. on Sunday night and resulted in about four hours of continuous volcanic tremors.
Seismic activity around the volcano had been intense in recent days, geologists said, and it was expected that the volcano would blow. Up to 50 earthquakes per hour were being reported in the area on Sunday prior to the eruption.
Mount Redoubt, which is about 160 kilometres southwest of Anchorage and stands at 3,108 metres, last erupted over a four-month period in 1989-90, Power said.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory issued a red alert for the region, indicating that an eruption is underway and that a significant amount of volcanic ash is in the atmosphere.
The observatory said the eruptions appear to be caused by a steam explosion in a shallow hydrothermal system of the volcano. It is still unclear if the eruptions represent a flow of new magma or pulverized old material.
More explosions expected
John Power, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Volcano Observatory shows a satellite image of the eruption of Mount Redoubt (Al Grillo/Associated Press)The observatory said that more explosions are expected with little to no warning — and will contain more volcanic ash.
The seismic activity at Mount Redoubt could continue for weeks or months, the observatory said.
The observatory is staffing its offices 24 hours a day during the activity at Redoubt and has opened an operations centre in Anchorage.
The ash fall from the eruptions is currently drifting northeast and will likely not fall onto Anchorage, said Janet Schaefer, a geologist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
But wind patterns are sending the ash cloud toward Willow and Talkneetna, which are near Mount McKinley in Denali National Park.
The U.S. National Weather Service is predicting that fine ash fall will start in several communities late Monday morning.
Volcanic ash consists of tiny jagged pieces of rock and glass that are mildly corrosive and conduct electricity when wet. The ash can also injure skin, eyes and breathing passages.
Clouds of the ash can turn daylight into complete darkness and are often accompanied by rain and lightning that can result in power outages and communication interruptions. The ash is also a problem for airplanes.
Flights cancelled
Alaska Airlines on Monday cancelled 19 flights in and out of the Anchorage international airport because of the ash.
Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage told only essential personnel to report to work. The Air Force said 60 planes, including fighter jets, cargo aircraft and a 747 commercial plane, were being sheltered.
Residents in the area also being asked not to drive.
But most of the debris from the eruption appears to have dropped down the side of the volcano, said Dave Stricklan, a hydrometeorogical technician with the weather service.
"There's going to be a very fine amount of it that's going to be suspended in the atmosphere for quite some time, but nothing to really affect anything such as aviation travel. The heavier stuff will filter out," Stricklan said.
Light ash fall has been reported in Skwentna and the Susitan Valley, according to the weather service.
"It's coming down," said Willow resident Rita Jackson. "My eyes are itching really bad."
People living in the affected areas are being advised to seal windows and doors and cover air and water intakes in their homes.

After reading about Mount. Redoubt, sum up the article in a 2-3 sentence summary. Remember to tell the main, “big” ideas of the article.