APES Current Events

In April of this year, a forest fire roared through the New Jersey Pine Barrens at the Penn State Forest. A week later, the forest was already beginning to be reborn. Not only are these fires unavoidable, but they are also beneficial for the forest's survival. The Pine Barrens in this particular area are extremely durable and are relatively unharmed by the 600 fires that occur every year. The entire forest can recover from a major forest fire in about a year, and scientists are starting to research the reasons why the recovery time is so fast in this area. I find it very interesting that a fire can help a forest to survive. I'm curious what the science is behind this recovery process and how the fire is able to spark new life.   NY Times Article

"termites" known for destroying homes are actually establishing amazing things. BMC biology, scientist just discovered 4,200 female termites and not a single male, Termites and known to have a role in the society with the females but the males can be discarded from their society. One research showed that there were 76 colonies of termites 37 of the groups were asexual and female, while the rest were mixed. The asexual females store no sperm in their reproductive organs and lay unfertilized  eggs.  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/28/science/termites-colonies-males.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

On Friday, several large earthquakes struck Sulawesi, an island off the coast of Indonesia. The first one destroyed many structures, but 27 aftershocks followed. The last one, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake started a tsunami that killed hundred of people. The amount of damage is still unclear, but it is severe. Due to the geography and the type of fault that caused this earthquake, it came as a surprise to many scientists. I believe that "surprise" earthquakes and tsunamis like this are extremely dangerous to people and scientists should try to monitor this area more closely to try to give people a better warning. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/09/indonesia-tsunami-sulawesi-explained-science-geology/

https://newsela.com/read/elem-big-q-salt-in-oceans/id/44202/       The ocean gets its salt from the the rocks. When the waves and rain cause erosion to the rocks, salt comes out of the rocks into the ocean. Oceans were not originally salty; they became salty over time. I was shocked to read that rivers aren't as salty as the ocean. I knew the ocean was made up of salt water and I knew rivers were typically fresh water, but I never thought about why rivers weren't salty. They have so many rocks lined up against the river, I am surprised the rocks don't give off more salt into the river.

Overall, in this article it explains how within the next 30-50 years, killer whales may very well face a decrease and collapse in a population caused from a toxic chemical that eventually got banned. As well as, a chemical compound that goes by the name polychlorinated biphenyls, is changing the behavior of orcas and ruining their immune systems which is negatively affecting the killer whales reproduction which researchers conclude that the orca whale itself may not survive the next few generations. In other words, killer whales are now supposedly carrying 25% more PCBs than the normal amount to fertility. In conclusion, killer whales are coming to an end or extinction if not more is being done about the problem. In addition, what I enjoyed about reading this article is the fact that I didn't know much about killer whales until reading the article which gave me a little more knowledge on the animal as well as it was something I was unaware of so it taught me some new things such a

                 There are many environmental benefits to all electric cars. There are far less greenhouse gases then regular gas operated cars. Electric cars eliminate noise pollution and pollution overall. It costs about ten cents per hour to power and electric car. Many people like electric powered cars because it preserves our gas. The more fuel a regular car burns the more carbon dioxide it gives out, which then contributes to global warming, so it is better for the environment to drive an electric car. 

https://www.livescience.com/63677-wwii-bombs-edge-of-space.html 80 years ago the bombs of World War II began to effect the earth to this day. Not only by effecting family, but also the outer edge of space. The shock waves that were caused by the bombs faded the ionosphere. The ionosphere is the outermost layer of the earths atmosphere and where auroras are made. Scientists have done research and notices that lightening may intensify the ionosphere. Every attack released around three hundred lightening strikes. Researchers found that the electron concentration had decreased from all of the shock waves that the bombs set off. Researchers have found that the bombing affected the UK which is over 620 miles away.  The fact that something that happened eighty years ago still affects the earth greatly shocks me. People need to take this into consideration when they are affecting the environment. 

Cahokia, Illinois is a location of an ancient civilization, but scientists were not positive on the amount of people that lived there. Population of ancient civilizations is extremely difficult for archaeologists to determine, and it is usually found by looking at amounts of artifacts and structures found. A new tactic was used, measuring the amount of a molecule called coprostanol, found in human poop, that has been embedded in these settlements. A similar study with the components of feces is being conducted in Peru, and this could help strengthen the test's accuracy. I was shocked to read that components found in poop, of all things, could be a large step in helping archaeologists. I hope that more studies like these are conducted, worldwide, so that their validity can be further examined. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/remnants-human-poop-help-archaeologists-study-ancient-populations-180970337/

In Egypt, air pollution cuts the average life span by 1.9 years, and in India air pollution cuts the average life span by 1.2 years. In the US the life span cut is a little less, but air pollution is still having an impact on us. This comes as Trump plans to replace Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aimed to use cleaner energy sources. This could lead to 1,400 premature deaths. It was found that cooking with wood, charcoal, or animal dung indoors is devastating and in South Asia is reduces the life expectancy by another 1.2 years. Despite all this, the world has made much progress to reduce air pollution and raise life expectancy in the past decades. I find it very scary that the Trump administration would reverse Obama's clean environment plan, and I want to know why he thinks this is a good idea. Link:  Air Pollution  

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/science/manta-ray-filters.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=6&pgtype=sectionfront These rays are pretty big in size.  These rays use a unique way to filter there food through the body.  Instead of the food getting clogged in the stomach when the ray eats it the ray has a filtration system which pushes the food up and keeps the food from falling into the cervices.  This is confusing but I found it really interesting on how the how they eat there food.  There have been multiple experiments done in order to test this.  Researchers found out that this could be a way that whales, and sharks filter there food.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-rhinos-once-roamed-washington-state-180970035/ In 1935 two couples were exploring the Blue Lake in Washington when they discovered the fossils of a rhinoceros. They established through the material the fossils were encased in that the Rhino was in a small pool of water when a volcano must have spewed lava on it. When the lava cooled it trapped the Rhino body and preserved it. I think this is really cool because Rhinos aren't really found in the US but they seem like an animal that would be really cool to just find in the wild. If rhinos still lived in Washington it would have been very interesting to see how the market involving the horns and skins would change and if they would still be endangered today.

Videos of feral cats in New York City showed the cats watching as rats rummage around a trash collector center, not even trying to kill them. The cats instead opt for smaller prey like small birds and mice. Of the 306 tapes of the cats in the area, only 20 actually showed a cat stalking the rats. The videos also showed that when there are more cats in the area, the rats hide and are less abundant, which could contribute to the reason people think cats reduce the rat population. If cats don't really kill rats as often as we think, then the rat populations aren't going to be controlled very well by cats. Link to Article

Beluga There is a beluga whale in the Thames River. This could cause the environment and the whale harm because of there not being enough space for it to swim and the water quality will probably change. The water quality will need to be checked everyday if there is a change then they should try to remove the whale safely without harming the marine animal and move it back to the ocean. The whale is still swimming strongly like they do in the ocean but its just in a smaller space. Only time will tell if anything will happen to the whale or the water ecosystem that was already established.

CLICK HERE FOR A BORING ARTICLE So business guys are freaking out because hurricane Florence is destroying a lot of things in North Carolina. Because of this insurers are losing tons of money and they're worried. In 1964

With the continuing change of climate, some of the world's biggest countries are at risk. Among the top countries for losses due to climate change are the U.S., Saudi Arabia and India. Researchers have finally found a formula to calculate the amount of damage carbon emissions are doing to our climate. Scientists say one of the biggest problem's they're facing in these calculations are the countries that are unaware of the change carbon dioxide is causing to ecosystems and the environment.

The installation of large solar and wind farms could increase the rainfall, vegetation, and clean energy in the world’s largest desert, the Sahara Desert. The expected increase of rainfall between 8 to 20 inches a year, if the farms were built, would cause the Sahara to no longer be classified as a desert. This will hopefully, in turn, stop the decade long expansion of the Sahara Desert. I feel that the installation of solar and wind farms is a good idea because it would cause the Sahara Desert to be able to be occupied by humans, animals, and plants. This makes the Earth more habitable and causes the environment to thrive. I find it very interesting that the Sahara Desert was once a place where people could survive, but turned into a very dangerous part of the Earth. Link: Desert Greening

The Artic Lake is currently releasing so much methane gas that it produces bubbles and if you touch it with a match, the water catches on fire. If you touch it, you boil. This is due to the rising global temperatures. It is causing holes to burn in the lake. The deepest part with the largest burning hole is 50 ft while the rest of the lake is only 3 ft. This is very dangerous to scientists who test it and to those who study it. There's nothing we can do about it, its just the natural environment. I fond this very interesting because I didn't even know this was possible.

Algae has begin to form in Greenland and is turning the ice pink. Many think its a phenomena but is leading to ice continuing to melt. It is helping a lot to possibly melting one of the biggest frozen bodies of water in the world. Apparently this algae needs perfect conditions to grow and reproduce. And the environment in Greenland and parts of Antarctica are in perfect condition. With these Northern places melting this is where ice algae feasts.  This is crazy and somewhat scary. This algae will help increase the bow fast the north melts. This will lead to increased danger of losing glaciers. On ice this algae will spread quickly leading to increased melting. You can read the article below: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/09/news-greenland-ice-sheet-melting-arctic-algae/

The artical In the acrtical it talks about a tree kangaroo that was thought to have gone extinct. Then it was spotted in an area and there where pictures taken of it.

Killer whales are in danger from a persistent chemical pollution in the environment. The chemical is polychlorinated biphenyls or PCB's for short. These chemicals where used in plastic, paints, electrical equipment and much more. The chemical is highly toxic and even though is was banned from use many years ago, it has reached the environment and the ocean. Orcas absorb all of the PCB's in the ocean since they are a predator and eat everything from fish to seals and even sharks. In female orcas, the PCB's stunt the ovaries which limit their ability to produce. The ones living in the polluted seas are in trouble for the next 30-50 years. The toxic chemicals hit them the hardest in the reproductive system, but the chemicals are very soluble in fat and orcas are full of fat. Unfortunately there isn't much that can be done when the PCB's hit the ocean floor, however the toxic chemicals like PCB's are no longer legal in substances.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/manta-rays-have-unusual-mouth-filter-resists-clogging?tgt=nr The mouth filter in a manta ray is different than a normal colander-like filter used to filter food. They are parallel strands of cartilaginous lobes that filter out the water and the plankton. It is an energy efficient process that allows the manta ray to continually eat, instead of having to stop and clean out the filters. This is interesting because this idea can be used for wastewater treatment to try to have more energy efficient plants. It also could also help trap pollutants and other small particles that could be dangerous if they are filtered back into the water.

"The African malaria mosquito is the most dangerous animal on earth," says Conor McMeniman,  assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. 2.7 million people die from mosquito-borne diseases every year. This is why researchers have used the gene editing tool called CRISPR to eliminate the mosquitoes . Mosquitoes with these mutated genes are not able to reproduce and cannot develop correctly. I think this is a precarious procedure. Killing all the mosquitoes could lead to dark days. On the other hand it would save many lives, and there would be no more mosquitoes so you can't complain. Tampering this much with the environment could be very helpful, or catastrophic. Either way I am excited to see humans really mess with the earth and see what happens. 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/27-major-cities-retreat-from-peak-greenhouse-gas-emissions/ Scientists in London and New York City have created a formula for determining whether a city has most likely seen its high point in greenhouse emissions historically. The formula includes an observation over six years with a ten percent figure tracking the amount of emissions from each city. Cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Milan, Barcelona, and Paris were at much greater emission rates six or more years ago and have contributed their declining rates to more efficient electricity. I believe that these cities should continue making efforts to decrease greenhouse admissions in an effort to preserve the earth's atmosphere and research alternative ways of producing this waste in a cleaner format.

The "unique" talents and skills that human beings have mastered over time, while impressive, is not only unique to humans. Animals, such as mice, have been tested and treated for depression. However, the treatment given to animals might be hindering their potential. Culture, misinformation, and ethics often influence how we treat animals and perception of them. Studies are being done to gauge how advanced animals are in intelligence. This is very intriguing to me. Often we do not think about if wild animals feel emotion, as we are only exposed to domestic animals and their emotions. Our meat industry also degrades our perception of animals. I believe we should think further about animals, and continue research. here is the article link

https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/09/they_all_die_in_the_end_pennsy.html Even though we have tons of problems going on in the environment right with extinction and such, there is now a disease causing deer to be consistently dying off within 18-24 months of exposure to this disease, and not showing any symptoms before hand. This disease is contracted by saliva, urine, and feces. Gross. That's not all, now they are considering there is a risk to people, like hunters who usually consume and cook their meat.

ARTICLE A group of scientists on a research trip found a jellyfish in the Mediterranean Ocean with a plastic cigarette wrapper inside of it. Eighteen billion pounds of plastic ends up in the ocean every year and marine life tend to mistake it for their prey. Additionally, the scent of the plastic has been found to attract the marine animals into eating it. I believe that humans should work on decreasing the production of plastic products in order to be more conscious of other species. In doing so, the deadly health impacts that plastic can have on marine animals would occur less frequently.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-09-13/study-climate-change-beyond-paris-accord-levels-sharply-increases-global-deaths A rise in global temperature had lead to almost nine percent more deaths internationally. The deaths due to heat exposure would increase based nearly on the fact that global warming is playing a bigger role in the world than it was years ago. An agreement between 174 countries was signed to try and develop their own plans to limit a rise in global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/massive-net-being-deployed-pick-plastic-pacific "Ocean Cleanup" is a relatively new project that has a goal to clean up 90% of the garbage in the Pacific garbage patch by 2040.  The first phase of their project began on September 8th, 2018.  The project includes a 600 meter line of nets will be placed in the ocean to move with the wind and currents and ultimately collect trash.  The ultimate goal is that a fleet of sixty of these systems will be released into the Pacific. I think that this is a very interesting idea that will hopefully bring about positive environmental change in the Pacific Ocean.  The article does mention some concerns with the project that I agree with.  There is a worry that the nets will pick up marine life as well as trash.  It was also mentioned that the nets could disrupt ecosystems and organisms that have managed to adapt to a polluted life in the ocean.  There is also no conclusive proof that the net systems

Sixteen Year-Old Angelina Arora started experimenting with organic materials in order to create a plastic-like bag that would decompose faster than commercial plastic. By extracting chitin, a carbohydrate found in prawn shells, and converting the chitin into chitosan chemically, Arora mixed the new chitosan with fibroin, which is a protein found in silk cocoons, to produce a biodegradable bag that decomposes within thirty three days, a whopping one and a half million times faster than commercial plastics. Through her creation, Arora won many awards and advocates that everyone should do what they can in order to reduce waste and plastic in the environment. Read More:  Teenager Invents Plastic Bag Made From Shrimp

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180910142417.htm In this article it discusses the effects of wildfire smoke on humans and their health. According to research it is believed that by the end of the century 15,000 people per day will die from inhalation of wildfire smoke. " The new study predicts that average visibility due to particulate matter will improve across the contiguous United States over the 21st century, but fire-related particulate matter will reduce visibility on the worst days in the western and southeastern U.S. Haze from wildfire smoke affects how people see colors, forms and textures of a given vista or skyline." My reaction to this would be surprised. I'r surprised that so many people are affected daily by wildfire smoke that we can't get under control. I feel like as humans we should be doing something about this, but at the same time I believe that those who live close to the wildfires should move away and protect themselves. 

A bill was passed in North Carolina in 2012 saying that developers and policy makers were not allowed to use up to date climate science. They need to use the climate science so they can see where the water level will be so they could see how to save everything from being destroyed. Now six years later there is a big hurricane coming and the developers and policymakers couldn't get any data on the rising sea levels. The hurricane that is coming is a very big storm and people have to be evacuated. Lawmakers could be helping the issue but instead they are just ignoring the problem and more things are being destroyed meaning more money is being spent. I think that they should've just let them use the up to date climate science and do their thing. Instead they shut them down, and now families homes are being destroyed and a lot of other damage is taking place. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2018/09/6-years-ago-north-carolina-chose-to-ignore-rising-sea-levels-this-week-it-b

Mirror, mirror, on the wall who's the cutest fish of all?

(EDIT) While a few environmentalists were observing gentoo penguin wild life, they notice that the penguins avoid large groups of crabs/lobsters. This is because of the penguin's prey fighting back. Of course you expect a fight between penguins or any animal actually, with their prey but I'm glad the lobsters won. Lobsters are better than penguins, end of discussion. https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/gentoo-penguin-dinner-knows-how-fight-back

Debbie Raphael, director of San Francisco department of environment says  nearly 70% of litter on the streets are plastic straws. Every day about 1 million plastic straws are used in San Francisco. The San Francisco board of supervisors voted to ban straws, and the band will take place in July of 2019. Starbucks also pledges to get rid of all straws by 2020. I didn't know that so many straws were littered. I think that banning straws is inconvenient. banning straws could help reduce the amount of litter and trash on the streets but straws only make up a portion of littered material.  Click  Here  to read more

Article Rafi Letzter is saying how a few years ago the Earths water heated up and is now moving toward the Northern Icecap. He fears that as it gets closer and gets trapped under them it will melt them causing our already depleting icecaps to almost disappear and cause an even greater rise in the water level.

Water, Water everywhere, but not a drop to drink

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180828133931.htm Scientists at UC Santa Barbra's Bren School of environmental science are worried that a "warming earth" is causing wild fires to intensify with time. If this is true, the wildfires will increase in areas that already experience them and some areas that do not have them. 

https://www.livescience.com/63435-what-is-nitrogen-fixation.html Scientists have discovered a strain of corn in Oaxaca, Mexico that can take in nitrogen directly from the air. Considering all  living things need nitrogen as a vital nutrient this could reduce the amount of nitrogen pollution. I think this is a very interesting find not only because of how this corn could help with pollution, but also because it has only been discovered now.

Insects eat through 8 percent of corn and about 14 percent of rice. When it's warm, insects' metabolisms speed up super fast and it results in the insects eating more. The temperatures also effect parasites that graze among corn. The United States is one of the most effected countries in the world. Whereas the crops won't be completely gone, a big portion of them will be. Article

https://www.livescience.com/63435-what-is-nitrogen-fixation.html An indigenous species of corn to the Sierra Mixe region of Oaxaca, Mexico can take in atmospheric nitrogen and use it to grow. This can reduce the nitrogen pollution that has become one of the world's largest environmental problems.