Teamwork keeps fire ants high and dry

The physics that floats a bug's boat

By Daniel Strain

Web edition : Monday, April 25th, 2011

By linking very close together, ants on the bottom of this raft create a watertight seal much like a boat’s hull.

"When floods strike, ants ride out the storm in a self-assembled ant raft. In this study, ant groups of 1,000 to 7,000 bugs spread out in the water to form a raft of uniform thickness."  Fire ants are incredible survivors and have shown how working together can lead to survival of their population.  Physicist from the Georgia Institute of Technology are studying these ants on how that work together to form these incredible structures.  The hope is that they can use their findings to build robots with smaller processors and that can work together to build structures, like bridges. 

I was first interested in this article because of the word 'Teamwork"  I am amazed with how insects and other animals can work together in times of need to do something.  Over and over again I find that ants seem to have many secrets in how to work together.

I can make many connections to life.  First we have many challenges that face the human race that are potentially life threatening to our population on Earth.  It is amazing how one of the smallest creatures can outperform us in regards to teamwork. Also, animals and plants have always been the catalyst for many of our engineering designs and once again we are using organic life to help show us ways we build things to help up survive and participate in the world.

If you would like to read the original article click on the following Link.
Teamwork Article

View the video by clicking on this link.
Fire Ant Video

Noise Distracts Fish from Their Dinner

ScienceDaily (Mar. 7, 2011) —

Three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). (Credit: Image by Ron Offermans)

The article discussed research on the effects of sound on fish.  "Using underwater speakers to play noise at levels similar to those produced by recreational speedboats, the researchers found that three-spined sticklebacks exposed to even brief noise playback made more foraging mistakes and were less efficient at consuming the available food compared to those in quiet conditions." (ScienceDaily, 2011)  The study suggests there could be a much wider range of detrimental effects than previously thought, and so there is a vital need for further research .  

I found this article interesting because the title implied that fish could be distracted by noise while they are trying to focus on eating.  Eating is vital to most animals and they have enough hurdles to getting food such as other competitors and predators and now it seems that we are having more of an impact on life in the seas.

We, humans, somethings think that what we do has no effect on the other species that inhabit the earth.  as out population increases there is less and less space to for other organisms to live and function.  This is yet more proof to suggest that we need to be careful and more conscious of our actions on this planet.

To read more about this article click on the following link

Noise Distracts Fish from Their Dinner

Couch Potatoes Beware: Too Much Time Spent Watching TV Is Harmful to Heart Health

ScienceDaily (Jan. 10, 2011) — Spending too much leisure time in front of a TV or computer screen appears to dramatically increase the risk for heart disease and premature death from any cause, perhaps regardless of how much exercise one gets, according to a new study published in the January 18, 2011, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

A new study finds that spending too much leisure time in front of a TV or computer screen appears to dramatically increase the risk for heart disease and premature death from any cause. (Credit: iStockphoto/Hans Laubel)

This article looks at the the link between watching TV, spending time on the computer and how that can lead to both non-fatal and fatal cardiac events.  The research stated that people who spend less than 2 hours a day are less likely to suffer cardiac problems or early death compared to people who sit in front of the TV or computers for 4 hours or more each day.  

"In fact, compared with those spending less than two hours a day on screen-based entertainment, there was a 48% increased risk of all-cause mortality in those spending four or more hours a day and an approximately 125% increase in risk of cardiovascular events in those spending two or more hours a day. These associations were independent of traditional risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, BMI, social class, as well as exercise."

These findings have led the authors of the study to advocate for health guidelines for recreational sitting; considering that many people have jobs that are already require them to sit in front of computer screens for long periods of time.

I found this interested because I find myself sitting in front of computers all day long for work and then I go home most evenings and sit infront of a computer screen to prepare for the next day.  On top of that I relax by watching TV to much.

Connections that can be made are we are becoming a much less active culture.  Our lives are helped so much by modern technology like computers and other electronics but at what cost.  It is good that studies are being done so that our global culture can take a look at this more closely and come up with ways of relaxing and still staying healthy.

If you are interested in reading more about this click on the following link.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110110164736.htm

FOR KIDS: A very good blast from the past

Wedenesday 27th, 2010 Science News

And Into the future: New Cool Stuff that Lasers can do

DAILY LIFEThe loss of a fiber optic cable in San Jose, Calif., last year highlighted how crucial lasers have become in our lives.

Lasers have been around for 50 years this year, but scientists never imagined what lasers would be used for in our daily lives.  From telecommunications to scanning the price for a food item in the grocery store to reading a DVD or CD to so many other uses.  

"But for all of these practical uses, scientists who are exploring the future applications of lasers — from harnessing the power of the sun for carbon-free energy to altering weather patterns — say that the future of lasers is only getting brighter, and more intense. The next generation of lasers is going to be 10 to 100 times more powerful than present-day lasers."

Some of the things that this article talks about is how lasers may be used for detecting weather and influencing rainfall, creating carbon free energy, brain research, light amplification and biotechnology.  

The story of lasers and its many applications illustrates the value of basic research, says Fritz. When the laser was invented, “no one could have envisioned how much of an impact it would have on society.”

This article interested me because I didn't realize how invested or rather dependent we are on lasers.  Also, something that was discovered so long ago is still opening itself up to new possibilities. 

Imagination is something that goes hand in hand with science.  Lasers have given us all a foundation for some many things we use today.  To think that they could offer us cleaner power or way to understand our brains is exciting.  Understanding what makes the tiniest brain tick might give us insight as to better use our own.

If you are interested in looking at this article then click onto the following link:

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/64723/title/FOR_KIDS_A_very_good_blast_from_the_past

Most BP oil still pollutes the Gulf, scientists conclude

Breakdown is proving slower than expected  

 By Janet Raloff

 Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Oil plumes from the BP oil spill appear to be slow to disperse, as researchers found in June when a submersible vehicle (yellow) mapped a plume of oil 1,100 meters below the surface that stretched 35 kilometers long.

It appears that BP and so many people were wrong about what happen to the estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil (almost 206 million gallons) the escaped from the damaged well before it was successfully capped on July 15.  I remember talking to my father this summer and asking him if there was any news and he said that it was amazing, that all the oil had biodegraded.  I told him that was impossible and that it had to be somewhere.


The Woods Hole team has mapped a huge plume of diffuse hydrocarbons more than 35 kilometers long. As this cloud of oil flowed roughly 1,100 meters below the surface, it maintained a configuration that was roughly 200 meters high, up to 2 kilometers wide and traveling at about 6.7 kilometers per day. Over the entire span of the plume studied, the cloud’s height “only varied by tens of meters,” notes Woods Hole team leader Richard Camilli.


The scary thing is that scientist are saying that it is not going away.  Oil that has resisted dispersion and evaporation likely will “remain potentially harmful for decades,” MacDonald said at the congressional hearing, adding: “I expect the hydrocarbon imprint of the BP discharge will be detectable in the marine environment for the rest of my life.”


This interested me because when I lived in Zimbabwe I thought this was the worst environmental disaster in my life time and it seemed like so many people in the U.S. just went back to business after the oil was capped and never looked back.  It was over.  Now the is information that is far from over. I love the marine environment and it breaks my heart to hear the news.


This article connects to all of us.  We as human being have an impact on the environment and this is yet another example.  We have no idea what the long term effects are going to be from the oil that is moving 1000 meters below the surface and the sad thing is we don't seem to care until it washes up on our shores and it effects our lively hood.  If we don't start being more aware of our behaviors then the consequences will be our downfall and the end to our existence on this planet.
If you want to read this article then click the link below.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/62415/title/Most_BP_oil_still_pollutes_the_Gulf%2C_scientists_conclude

New Satellite Data Reveals True Decline of World's Mangrove Forests

Costa Rica. Mangrove forests have been declining around the world. (Credit: iStockphoto/Urs Siedentop

ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2010) — New satellite imagery has given scientists the most comprehensive and exact data on the distribution and decline of mangrove forests from across the world. The research, carried out by scientists from the U.S Geological Survey and NASA, is published in Global Ecology and Biogeography, and reveals forest distribution is 12.3% smaller than earlier estimates.

This article is about how scientist are using technology, specifically satellites images, to see how humans are impacting the ecosystems around the world.  This article is specifically about Mangrove Forests.  "Mangrove forests are among the most productive and biologically important ecosystems of the world, including trees, palms and shrubs which grow at tropical and subtropical tidal zones across the equator."

Using this technology scientist can see that the Mangroves are in great danger as well as the organisms that live there.  "The study reveals that 75% of the remaining forest is found in just 15 countries, out of which only ~6.9% is protected under the existing protected areas network."

"The current estimate of mangrove forests of the world is less than half what it once was, and much of that is in a degraded condition," said Giri. "It is believed that 35% of mangrove forests were lost from 1980 to 2000 which has had an impact on the coastal communities that use mangrove forests as a protective barrier from natural disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis."

The work that is being done is significant and allowing scientist to get a clear picture of the Mangrove Forest on a global scale.  If you would like to read further about this click the link.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100818085932.htm

I found this article interesting because recently there was a huge oil spill in the Gulf and there was much talk about the Mangrove Forest in costal Louisiana and now I can see that scientist can use satellites images to view the damage that may be caused over time