Messer, A. (2010, Feb. 20). Roots key to second Green Revolution. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2010, from http://live.psu.edu/story/44711
Summary:
This article is about a person named Jonathan Lynch, who is a plant nutrition professor, who with his colleagues does some experiments for “the second Green Revolution.” The meaning of “the second Green Revolution” is that they research which kind of beans or crops can tolerate the low condition soil growing very well. So, why do the scientists need to develop this research? Because in Arica, there are a lot of farmerd who don’t know how to fertilize crops, and the fertilizer is very expensive in Africa. So, the farmers in those areas need some special seeds, which cost less money and just need simple ways to care for. And crops must have phosphorus to grow luxuriantly, but this substance is just maintained in the surface of soil; most plants cannot absorb it very easily. According the root system, most seed plant’s roots grow deeply under the soil. Therefore, the professor Lynch spent 25 years to explore which kind of beans can grow in the low fertility soil. Through his effort, Lynch and his partners produce some shallow root plants, which meet all of their requirements. However, this research leads to some doubters. Many people believe the soil would be eroded very fast. But the scientists disagree about this belief. Lynch explained that the shallow root plants were good for soil; they could maintain phosphorus move firmly than deep-root plants. Unfortunately, shallow-root plants are harmed by drought. As a result, the researchers are trying to mix the deep-root plants and shallow-root plants together. Furthermore, Lynch also does some research about corn and maize. That is because, in general, most corn cannot absorb nitrogen extremely; as a result, most nitrogen changes into nitrogen oxides. And the nitrogen oxide is a harmful substance, which can lead to global warming. If we can move up the efficiency, that will let the corn absorb more nitrogen. Our countries can save a lot of money. So our scientists are utilizing the root system to find a good way to solve this serious problem. Lynch is searching for some kinds of maize, whose roots can catch nitrogen very fast. So far, he found that some the roots with aerenchyma might suit this researching. Our scientists still try their best to do them.
Reaction:
After reading, I believe our humans are so great that they can find all the research results. Africa is an area which has more problems with it. There, many countries, people cannot subsist their life easily; the resources, the civilization and the rules, many things need us, the other countries, to help them. I know the most serious problem in Africa is food. Many countries don’t have a lot of farmers; they don’t even know how to fertilize! Many people there don’t have education, they don’t know how to write or how to explain their feelings. So the crop failure happened there many times and a lot of people died because of this. In order to solve this problem, the scientists from all the countries come together and try to think out efficient ideas. Lynch’s research is one of these studies. In my opinion, his study not only suits Africa’s situation, but also meets the other countries’ requirements. If this result can be used by a manufacturer, I think this will be the most successful research in 2010. As for another study, finding the efficient roots that can absorb nitrogen speedily, I will pay more attention to it; because if he and his partners succeed, our earth would be better than before. In addition, if we can also produce this kind of plants or crops, the global warming would be relieved,and we might not be afraid of catastrophe which is led by bad climates, and governments can have more money and energy to deal with other problems. In conclusion, this research might be a good news for humans.
Summary: According to this article, the scientists from “the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)” claim that they have a new theory, a white roof can reduce the “heat island effect”. This research team’s leader, Keith Oleson, and his colleagues created a new computer program that focuses on the effect of climate changing and rising temperatures on our large cities population. The scientists can use this computer program to do some experiments and explore the effects that climate changing and rising temperatures bring to us. As this new theory is created by this new computer program, it supposes of white roofs in city areas, and advises the scientists that cities would benefit from white roofs. However, the researchers realized that there still are some encumbrances; we doubt its feasibility. This article gives us an example that if you wear a white t-shirt walking on a sunny day, you would feel cooler than wearing a black t-shirt. Therefore, the computer model tell us, if in a big city, each roof is painted in white color, the heat would be reduced by about 33%. Actually, for some reasons, such as the air-conditioning and heating, the effect may less than this data. The white roofs might not know anymore. Oleson said that it was not as simple as just painting the roofs. So the research team listed several factors that the white roofs might useful. First, if a city has a mass of roofs together, white color is usable. Second, if a roof is made by metal or can insulation there is less impact when it is changed in white. The last is that white roofs would have a large effect in the some warm climates. This research team will continue this study to save our people from is that white roofs would have a large effect in the some warm climates. This research team will continue this study to save our people from global warming.
Reaction: In my opinion, this article has its own significance. Even though we still cannot find an efficacious way to solve the global warming problem, I am very glad to see this new theory! Nowadays, our earth faces many serious problems, such as global pollution, climate changing, resource consuming and white pollution. All the above problems harm humans and threaten us with our life. A few days ago, I heard my friend say that he didn’t think that our earth was facing the temperatures rising problem; this winter was colder than before! However, I disagreed with him; he just evades the truth. In 2009, we had a famous and great movie, called “2012”. When I saw this movie, I felt the fear, even a week after I saw the movie. We have many movies that are about the earth being destroyed, but this movie especially gives us a true feeling, that global warming is the most serious problem, which we need to try our best to solve. The scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research give us the hope, and let us believe that we still have ability to challenge the miserable plight. Although I don’t understand the fundamental theory, I think using the special colors to decrease temperatures is a wonderful idea. I very much appreciate these researchers, because they have much creative thinking; I won’t feel very afraid or feel worried about our earth. I believed we can save our lives successfully.
Simon, E. (2010,Jan 29). CCNY biologists identify new Spiny Pocket Mouse species. The City University Of New York. Retrieved Feb.16, 2010, from http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2010/01/29/ccny-biologists-identify-new-spiny-pocket-mouse-species/
Summary:
This article tells us that biologists have found a new species of spiny pocket mouse, which is called Heteromys catopterius. And makes a comparison between the Heteromys catopterius and Overlook Spiny Pocket Mouse, in order to explain why this kind of mouse is a new species. There are a lot of differences, such as the Heteromys catopterius ‘ fur is darker than that of the Overlook Spiny Pocket Mouse and this mouse doesn’t have obviously rounded ears. Besides, the skull of H. anomalus is broader and shorter. The Overlook Spiny Pocket Mouse usually lives in the place which is from 350 to 2,450 meters higher than the sea level. But the H. anomalus lives in the mountains of the area or some forests , which are lower than this number. Many people are very surprised that we still have a new mammal species, which we could not find in the past. Most new species are found in some genetic work; biologists need to check the data when they identify an isolated species. But this time, the new species is a special one; researchers had never paid attention to it. Professor Anderson, who found the H. anomalus, explains that if there are distinguishable changes from one place to another place, more likely we can find new species between these two places. In addition, Professor Anderson is a monitor of a group which does research about “geographic information systems (GIS)”. His purpose is to connect the Heteromys and GIS , do research about the requirement of climate and make a comparison between the suitable habitat and location habitat.
Reaction: After reading this article, I found that there still are some dead angles that our science cannot touch. This new species is a branch of the spiny pocket mouse, so the biological scientists never focused on it. Through this case, I realized that our nature has varied species; human is just one kind of living thing in the natural world. Human’s science, power and wisdom cannot be mentioned of the same time with our nature. I believe after this discovery, we will find other new species in the future. On the other hand, I am glad to hear this news, because we can get clues and more information to fill in our zoology data store house. Like professor Anderson, we can use the new species to do some research, which can help improve our life. As we know, all the science research or experiments serve our human beings; the purpose is of improve our life,and our living environment. Because now, the natural environment has become worse than before, all the scientists try their best to save our earth; therefore we need more patience. As for me, even though I am just a student, I still can learn the spirit of scientists, and use this spirit in my daily study.
Dybas, C. and NSF. Cain, E. (2010, January 28). dinosaur discovery helps solve piece of evolutionary puzzle. National Science Foundation directorate for biological sciences (BIO), George Washington University, retrieved Feb. 1, 2010, from http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116291&org=BIO&from=news.
Summary:
This article tells us about the new evidence of a kind of dinosaurs, which looks like bird, but does not belong to birds. This kind of dinosaurs is distinct from the birds. National Science Foundation supposed some scientists’ expeditions. They went to Xinjiang Autonomous Region, a part of northwestern China. This place is famous for Late Jurassic fossils. After through many of expeditions, these scientists found many interesting fossils. Especially, they found the fossil of Haplocheirus, which was their major discovery. Haplocheirus is a transitional fossil; it displays an early evolutionary process, so it reflects the process that the later alvarezsaurs develop and change from earlier predatory dinosaurs. And this kind of fossil also proves the scientists’ predictions-the Alvarezsauridae is used to develop in the Late Jurassic time period. Besides, according this article, the Late Jurassic period is very important in that the birds evolved in this time.
Reaction:
After reading, I feel this expedition was historic. The new fossil can return a real situation of the Late Jurassic period, and let our people find the truth of the dinosaurs’ evolution. Before I held the same view with scientists, that the birds are evolved from the group of Alvarezsauridae. Even though this result is announced to republic but I was so shocked that I could not believe this fact. That is because it is totally different; the knowledge that students learned before was the opposite. In addition, as a Chinese I’m very proud of our country; this most important historic thing was found in China. This new discovery can help us to fix the erroneous theory, and let our students obtain the right knowledge; it is good for our science development. I realize that sometimes the firm knowledge maybe is wrong, even if people believe it for so many years. When we have different views, we should point out our questions, not just follow the rules.
This article is about the climate changing effect butterflies are impacted and their habitats are breaking so that change a lot. So the butterflies move to high elevations because the loss habitats. This phenomenon is analyzed by biologist Matthew Forister, a University of Nevada, Reno assistant professor in the College of Science. As we known, butterflies are important sign of our ecosystem. They show if the environment worldwide is healthy. There is about 35 years data shows that climate has changed over the past three decades, with an increase daily temperatures, changing some low-elevation butterfly populations to higher elevations. These biologists found that climate change alone cannot account in full for the deteriorating low-altitude fauna. They used information on land use to prove that the declines also follow change of habitat from rural to urban and suburban types. Their most important findings: Butterfly diversity is falling fast at all the places near sea level. It is declining more slowly or holding roughly constant in the mountains, except at tree line. At tree line, butterfly diversity is actually going up, as lower-elevation species react to the warming climate by moving upslope to higher, cooler elevations. Diversity among the high-elevation-specialist butterflies is beginning to fall as temperatures become uncomfortably warm for them.
Reaction:
After I read this article, I concert about our environment. Because our serious problem-global warming, leads the butterflies move to high elevations, they are losing habitats. Eventhough I’m not very sure about why the butterflies are used as indicators of the health of the environment worldwide, I still believe our habitats become very weak, worse than before. Also I very appreciate the biologist Matthew Forister and his work group, they can spent so many years to do this study. That’s not original people can finish it. About this article, I learned much biology knowledge and becoming very interested in butterflies. I really want to know how they can be a important sign of our environment. Although the tempreture is higher than last year but we still should come up with some ways to solve this serious problem.
