Animal of Steel

Iron Animal

    Many animals can't survive extreme  , extreme cold, radiation, and the vacuum of outer space. But there is an animal that can survive all of these conditions. Meet the Tardigrade, also known as the water bear. These animals ( only about 0.5 mm to  12 mm long) do the impossible they go into a stage called cryptobiosis. This is when the water bear retracts itself and loses most of its water. In this state, they are indestructible. Water bears are known only to die because of old age. They also have an average lifespan of 200 years!

My View

     I think that the water bear is a huge step forward. It shows how powerful some tiny animals could be. But the best part is that you can see these creatures under a simple microscope in garden moss. But any evil scientists out there better not try intertwining their DNA!  

The Poet of Poetry

The Life of Jack Prelustky

         Jack Prelutsky was born on September 8, 1940, in Brooklyn. He is currently 73. When he was born, a fire burned his house, but Jack Prelutsky was saved by his uncle. Jack Prelutsky hated poetry, but later rediscovered it. Jack Prelutsky  gets his ideas for his poems from things that are around him ,things that are happening, and things that happened. An interesting fact about him is that he's been a cab driver, furniture mover, piano mover, carpenter, folksinger, photographer, actor, and a lot more jobs. Another interesting fact is that he had his beard a foot long and keeps a frog collection. Sources: http://jackprelutsky.com/;http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/68; Wikipedia

  

Poem Analysis

        

A Dragon’s Lament – (from THE DRAGONS ARE SINGING TONIGHT)

I’m tired of being a dragon,

Ferocious and brimming with flame,

The cause of unspeakable terror

When anyone mentions my name.

I’m bored with my bad reputation

For being a miserable brute,

And being routinely expected

To brazenly pillage and loot.

I wish that I weren't repulsive,

Despicable, ruthless, and fierce,

With talons designed to dismember

And fangs finely fashioned to pierce.

I've lost my desire for doing

The deeds any dragon should do,

But since I can’t alter my nature,

I guess I’ll just terrify you. - Jack Prelutsky

      I think this poem the message that it sends is that you can't change who you are so be happy with yourself. This poem stuck to me I often wish that I were someone else but know I can't change. This is also why I can relate to this poem. I think during this time the poet was a sad person when writing this poem because he felt like changing himself.










    

Aliens: Creators of the Moai of Easter Island?

The Mystery of Easter Island

The Moai

              Easter Island: a place of mystery and suspicion. The Rapanui were a stone age culture that lived on Easter Island. The cleared the forests, planted crops, and became great artists. The Rapanui carved enormous statues called the moai, which ranged  from four to 33 feet in height and weighed up to 80 tons! but suddenly, all but disappeared. On Easter Sunday,1772, the first European  visitors arrived to Easter Island. Nearly 900 moai covered the island, but much of the island was destroyed. The palm forests had disappeared, with many plants and animals one as well.many Statues had been forgotten and toppled over. The few Rapanui that were left had turned into cannibals. What happened to this peaceful island? Many  wacky theories have formed over time. The theory that I believed happened is the walking theory because it showed why there were only a few Rapanui,why the forests were gone,l and how the Rapanui were able to move the moai.

The Theory of Carl Lipo & Terry Hunt

          Archaeologists Carl Lipo and Terry Hunt . They say that there were only a few Rapanui is because the population reached just about 3,000 people. They argue that there was never really was a big population to crash. A reason for this small population is the

fact that families were to busy with the moai( there were 900 moai) to grow large families. According to the article "Did Aliens Make These Statues?", Lipo and Hunt say that rats were the cause of the lack of palm forests. Confused? The Rapanui moved to the island about 1000 years ago. They probably brought rats with them for food( YUM). These rats were released on the island and started gnawing at the plants and nuts. This caused the destruction of the palm forests. This is supported by the fact that fossils of palm nut had gnaw marks on them.

         But they puzzle isn't solved yet. The statues were moved 11 miles across the island. How could this be possible when the Rapanui only had stone tools? Lipo's dnd Hunt's theory are that they " walked" the statues.They would tie ropes to the moai and rock them towards their destination. The archaeologist duo  demonstrated this by "walking" the statue with a team of 18. They were able to move the statue a few hundred yards.

Conclusion

         The moai and Easter Island are a huge mystery on the island, which is part of Chile today. There are many theories ranging around these mysteries. But, who knows, maybe aliens really did build the statues!

The Life Of Leonardo Da Vinci

       Leonardo Da Vinci : The Man of Many Arts

           Leonardo di ser Piero Da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, " at the third hour of the night", in the Tuscan hill town of Vinci, in the lower valley of the Arno river in the  territory of Florence. Leonardo was the illegitimate son of Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci, a Florentine notary, and Caterina, a peasant who may have been a slave form the Middle East. Not a lot is known about Leonardo's early life. But we do know that he spent his first five years in the hamlet of Anchiano, then lived in the household of his father, grandparents, and uncle Francesco , in the small town of  Vinci. His father had married a sixteen-year-old girl named Albiera, who loved Leonardo , but sadly died young. In later life Leonardo only recorded two childhood incidents. One, which noted as an omen, was when a kite dropped from the sky and hovered over his cradle, its tail feathers brushing over his face. The second occurred while Leonardo was exploring the mountains and discovered a cave. He was both terrified that theremight be some terrible monster there, but was also driven by curiosity to find what was inside. Leonardo was not ever married or known to have children. da Vinci was a man of many talents and interests. He was an architect, musician, engineer, mathematician, inventor, scientist, botanist, and anatomist. His most known painting is, of course, the Mona Lisa. But Da Vinci also sketched the first parachute, repeating rifle, first helicopter, first tank, first airplane, first swinging bridge, paddle boat, and first motor car. An interesting fact about Leonardo da Vinci is that he technically had no surname."Da Vinci" simply meant "of Vinci": his full birth name was Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, meaning, Leonardo, son of ser Piero from Vinci. Another interesting fact about Leonardo da Vinci is that he was a professional lyre player. When he first presented himself to the Milanese court, was introduced as a musician, not a artist nor inventor. A final interesting fact about Leonardo is that he was an ambitious paranoid dyslexic. This enabled him to draw forward with one hand and write backwards with the other hand. Writing backwards caused him to  write a mirror image of each word making it nearly impossible to read( which is why he did it).

Quotes From Leonardo da Vinci

      A quote of Leonardo da Vinci's is "A well-spent day brings happy sleep." My opinion about this quote is that shows that if spend a well-spent day, you will fall asleep easily and contently.  Another quote is "As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death." My opinion about this quote is that if you are satisfied with your life, then you will die happy. The last, but not least, quote of Da Vinci's is, " Marriage is like putting your hand into a bag of snakes in the hope of pulling out an eel." My opinion about this quote is that i agree with Leonardo because marriage is risky and wen you do it , you hope it will be a success.

Major Accomplishments

                  I think that Leonardo da Vinci accomplished a lot in his time. His most famous painting, the Mona Lisa is beautiful and mysterious. No one quite know why she was smiling. What do you think? Another painting of Leonardo da Vinci's is the Last Supper. It depicts Jesus's last dinner with his disciples. it is also famous and is beautiful. His ideas for inventions , anatomy, science changed the world. He was creative and exceptional.

 Sources: http://www.leonardoda-vinci.org/biography.html

               https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101203101355AAB0Rvg

               http://discovermagazine.com/2006/may/10-da-vinci#.UwVIlPldU40

               http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/leonardo_da_vinci.html

              

RYNO- The One-Wheeled Motorcycle

The One-Wheeled Electric Motorcycle

        Over many years, there have been many unusual models of transportation such as the Segway, the Solowheel, the Uno, etc. However, none of these match the latest entrant to the market. Now introducing...... the RYNO! The Ryno, which stands for "Ride Your Own Opportunity,"  it is an electric uni-motorcycle that consists of only 25 inch one wheel! Its just like a motorized uni-cycle. But unlike a uni-cycle, the RYNO is not hard to balance on or to ride. you might ask, "How is that possible?"  Well, thanks to a combo of gyroscope sensors and  accelerometers, this unique vehicle is able to self-balance  itself. In order to get the RYNO started, all the rider of the bike has to do is lean forward on the handle! Simple, isn't it? But how does this happen? When you lean forward on the handlebars, it causes the sensor-balanced to re-adjust and propel the bike forward. Plus, if you need to stop, you can use the hand brakes, or simply lean back! the RYNO is fitted with a rechargeable battery that can provide power for approximately 10 miles, and has a top speed of 25 mph. But don't go swapping your car for this cool motorcycle just yet. That's because the RYNO is not street-legal yet. Though it is okay to drive around on sidewalks and bike lanes, you might find some resistance from the authorities simply because it looks as though it would topple over any minute.

 source: http://www.dogonews.com/2014/1/27/one-wheeled-electric-motorcycle-ready-to-make-its-debut

Eco-Friendly 

                      The RYNO is also very eco-friendly. It is electrically powered and does not use gasoline to power it. This makes it very eco-friendly. I think that newer types of transportation or newer models should be eco-friendly like the RYNO. Cars and transportation devices that use gasoline are one of the main causes of global warming. That could change the climate of Earth and could possibly cause a ice age. It could also cause the destruction of humanity. But by building transportation that can use alternative sources of fuel, we can prevent this from happening. The RYNO is a step towards preventing global warming.

                                                           This is the launch video of RYNO.     

Thinking Matters

          The RYNO is a great eco-friendly advancement. What other eco-friendly advancement can you think of?                            

An Airplane Made of Paper,(Literally)!

The Greatest Paper Airplane Made!

      When you think of a paper airplane, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? A flimsy piece of paper that you fold that glides when you throw it the right way. But don't tell this to Luca Iacconi-Stewart. He has spent precious time on a manila airplane. This plane is made with such detail and preciseness, that it could pass for a real jetliner, if it weren't for its 1:60 scale and inability to fly!  Luca starts this  section by printing out the detailed design and then carefully carves it down with an X-Acto  knife. After this is done, he painstakingly glues it all together. Luca got the idea of making this plane when he stumbled upon some detailed drawings of a Air India Boeing 777-300ER Luca This detail-oriented artist is so particular about the plane that he spent an entire summer building the seats for the plane. He first started by dividing the cabin into three sections: first class, economy, and business. He then crafted the exact number of seats.

Source: http://www.dogonews.com/2014/1/23/is-this-the-worlds-most-incredible-paper-airplane-we-sure-think-so

Patience Counts

       Luca's  plane is still not finished, even after FIVE years. Lucas needs a lot of patience to build this plane. For example, it took him twenty minutes for ONE economy seat, four to six hours for ONE business sea, and an astounding EIGHT hours to make a first class seat. Imagine making a hundred of these seats for countless hours. I would probably freak out and get really frustrated. For someone to build a paper airplane like this you need to have extreme patience. A normal paper airplane is usually made in seconds. Luca is very patient and will finish this plane.

  

The videos above show some parts of making the

Thinking Matters

  Luca also was stopped by college when making the plane because his course got heavy. That's why recently, he quit school to pursue his dream and passion. Do you think this decision is correct? Comment in the comment box below about whether his decision was right or wrong.

Its A Miracle, No Stains!

Wow, No Stains!

            Have you ever been scolded by your mom for spilling milk or juice on your t-shirt?  Those long, repetitive lectures about spilling liquids on your clothes? But no more! Thanks to this fantastic invention by a San Francisco student, you clothes will never get stained! Aamir, a university student majoring in entrepreneurship  began developing the fabric about  year and a half ago. Aamir's first prototype was made by coating the t-shirt with hydrophobic  spray. This, however, did not work well because the protective layer would wash of in one wash.Then the inventor got the idea of incorporating tiny particles of silica, the same material that is used in umbrella's, into the fabric itself. Because this mineral is bonded at a microscopic level, it helps create a layer of air between any liquid dripping down and the t-shirt. This product was called Silica This in turn causes the offending stainer to magically roll off (like rain does of an umbrella) , instead of seeping through. Finally, the victim of the stain wins over the stainer! The best part of this material does not irritate the skin,and according to the inventor(Aamir), is completely safe to wear all day!

Inventors Change the World

     Everyday inventions amaze us.  The Silica t-shirt is one of many inventions us humans have  invented. These inventions help us every day.  For example, if Thomas Edison hadn't invented the  light bulb, we would still be using lamps and fire as a light source. If  Henry ford hadn't invented the car, a big part of today's world, we wouldn't be traveling to places as fast as nowadays. We wouldn't Mercedes, Ferrari, Bugatti, Lamborghini, etc. The inventions  we use and are invented everyday make our lives easier. These inventions are ingrained in our everyday life, helping us along the way.

         This video is the kick-start video for the product, Silic. This video explains the project better, and in more detail.

Thinking Matters 

    What is a new invention that you think will affect the world? I challenge you to find a new invention of thus type and research this. Then, please tell me what it is n the comment box.

It's Raining Diamonds!

It Just Might be Raining Diamonds on Jupiter and Saturn

       Do you like jewels, precious stones? Then you will certainly like this news! It might be raining diamonds on Jupiter and Saturn right now! chunks of diamond may be floating in helium and hydrogen fluid in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. But there's more! at even lower depths the extreme pressure and temperature can melt the diamonds, literally causing liquid diamond rain, said researchers. This new information that has  confirmed that at depth, diamonds may be floating around inside Saturn. Some might even grow so large that they could be called "diamondbergs!"  But why are so many diamonds forming only on Saturn and Jupiter? Diamonds can form when elemental carbon, such as graphite or soot created by huge lightning storms on Saturn,falls into the deep atmosphere of the planet where it is crushed into the gem, say planetary scientists Mona Delitsky and Kevin Baines, who conducted the research for this topic.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/jupiter-saturn-skies-are-filled-diamonds-8C11371619

My Opinion

         My opinion is that we have a lot to discover in space, such as these diamonds. We might even find life on an other planet or even find a way to live on Mars! The universe is very big and we are a minuscule thing compared to the universe. But this also means  that we have a lot to learn and discover. We are prospering everyday, discovering new things. The diamond discovery is only part of our discoveries. We have made mistakes with a few of these discoveries, but we make sure to try to fix them.



This video shows more about the diamond rain, and also more on how they form. It also talks about a book called "Alien Seas," which has a picture that shows future mining robots. These robots might be used to mine the diamond from Jupiter and Saturn.

Think Matters

  I showed one discovery on space but there are man more. But I wonder if any other planets have diamonds on them/ I challenge you to research jis and comment on it.