APES Current Events

Recently on the  UNC Charlotte campus 2 students were found dead and 4 injured, after shooter. The suspect, a male student, is in custody  now.  Officers are going room by room on campus to identify any students, faculty or others who may be sheltering in place. I think overall it is really scary because a shooting can happen anywhere and we never know when. Unfortunately  without increasing security, these shootings will continue to occur. https://abcnews.go.com/US/dead-injured-shooting-unc-charlotte-campus-officials/story?id=62739015  

STEVE, or Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, is a strange light in the sky that occurs close to the equator. STEVE generally has a purple or mauve ribbon of light that occurs from heated plasma particles, which heat other particles in the sky. STEVE also has green lights, which are being called the "picket fence". These green lights occur from electrons from space which excite oxygen molecules and cause them to glow green. Researchers believe STEVE is being caused by something special, but don't know what yet. Link to Article

ARticle Products that picture environmental groups' logos on them are preferred for their high quality and ability to preserve the planet. These products tend to be soft, durable, efficient, and responsibly produced. These products push suppliers to ensure that forests stay fully in tact. They are extremely crucial because they are environmentally friendly and consumer preferred. I am elated by the fact that such high quality products are additionally beneficial to the planet. This fact results in people supporting the Earth, even if they are not always aware of it. It's a win-win situation for consumers and forests.

A farmer believes that tomatoes survival depends on the plants diversity, this farmer is Brad Gates.  He encourages people to grow their own tomatoes at home.  Climate change is the reason why he is trying to grow new tomatoes because the crop is becoming threatened.  Gates believes that growing different types of tomatoes like cold-tolerant and heat-tolerant will help the tomato population.  I believe tat this is interesting because I did not know that this was going on or a problem with our food and crops.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/dining/tomatoes-climate-change.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ocean-wind-and-waves-have-grown-stronger-over-last-three-decades-180972048/ This article is really interesting because it shows that climate change affects more than just what we think. It seems that every time a new article comes out about climate change affects there is something new we have to worry about. This could be a demonstration on what could be coming in terms of worse hurricanes and tsunamis along with the other damaging affects of climate change.

In the past 33 years, oceans have become stormier. There are larger, strong waves and also stronger winds. It is thought that climate change and weather phenomena like El Nino have an effect on this. Stormier oceans can lead to coastal flooding and faster erosion. This is dangerous to communities that live on the coast. This is yet another example of how our earth's weather patterns are negatively changing throughout the years. I think that if this pattern continues, we should make efforts to look into some sort of  technology so that we can stop the effect that these ocean storms have on our coastal communities. The world's oceans are becoming stormier -- and that's bad news for coastal communities

Researchers at UCLA created a new device that can create electricity from snow. It's called a snow-based triboelectric nanogenerator or snow Teng for short. It works by using static electricity. This occurs when two materials interact and one gives up electrons while the other captures them. Snow is positively charged and gives up the electrons, and silicone takes in the electrons. Because of the use of silicone this device could be produced at low costs. I think this technology can be very useful and is a cool concept that can improve the lives of the many who live in snowy areas. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190415160820.htm

A study done by the University of Maryland shows that exposure to extreme heat and precipitation in prenatal and early childhood in countries situated in the global tropics could affect their educational development. In Central America and the Caribbean they see the highest amount of rainfall and also had the lowest prediction for education. This can cause an issue for those developing countries or countries that are in need of people for jobs. If they are unable to get an education then they will be unable to get a job. Thus being unable to provide for their country if the population continues to grow. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190415154656.htm

Students all over the world are protesting climate change and the government's lack of effort to stop it. On March 1, they led a protest that took place in ninety-eight countries. The planet's average temperature has increased by one degree Celsius since preindustrial times, and if no action is taken to cut back on greenhouse gasses the temperature will just continue to increase. Many of kids that are taking part in the protest have not lived during a time where they didn't have to worry about global warming, which is alarming because it shows how much climate change is already affecting us. Students worldwide are striking to demand action on climate change

Link: A way to distinguish the living coral in coral reefs has been developed by scientists by analyzing DNA in small samples of seawater. The technique that they use uses the DNA that is constantly shed into the environment from organisms and they leave genetic residue that can be detected and analyzed using molecular biology tools.  I think this scientific development is really cool and allows us to use natural made genetics to help get a better understanding of different species of organisms.

With up to one million animals at risk for extinction due to human activity we have to act soon. Some of activity's we're doing to cause the risks are  such as over consumption, illegal poaching, deforestation and fossil fuel emissions. With nature losing clean air and by 2050 there will be more plastic then fish in the sea due to European  countries dumping plastics in the ocean the extinction  for fish could come sooner then later. My reaction to this is that we need to take care better care of the world before something bad actually  does happen. https://www.livescience.com/65314-human-influence-species-extinction.html

On April 9th, there was an outbreak of measles in New York. This is very surprising because we have vaccines for measles. This outbreak caused New York to declare a Public Health Emergency, which causes unvaccinated people in certain areas to get vaccinated or fined. https://www.infoplease.com/april-2019-current-events-us-news#New%20York%20Declares%20Health%20Emergency

With ocean temperatures rising, marine species are more vulnerable to being effected. Marine species have less ways to avoid issues as they are beginning to disappear from habitats at a rate twice as much as land species. Marine species have less room for error as they can't avoid the rising temps like land species can. The article brings up good points and concerns for marine species. They are at higher risks for effects than land species do and the facts so. This is from global warming happening and effecting the ocean temps creating dangerous living conditions for some marine life, not good. The Article -  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/ocean-species-disappear-faster-climate-change-impacts-cold-blooded-animals-harder/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/24/bee-saviour-sugar-cards-could-help-starving-bees The "Bee Saviour" is a credit card sized card with 3 sugar sachets that would be able to feed starving bee's or other insects that need the sugar. I think this is a brilliant idea because the bee's really need our help right now. This also makes it extremely easy for anyone to help out the environment.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, already at least 555 people have been infected by the Measles virus this year as of April 15 th . Measles outbreaks are occurring again due to relaxed attitudes towards not vaccinating children. There is currently no treatment for Measles, and it can lead to even more serious medical complications, such as pneumonia, swelling of the brain, or deafness. Measles is a very contagious virus that is spread through coughing or sneezing, causing it to linger on surfaces or in the air for up to two hours. At the moment, Measles outbreaks are occurring in four states, ones in which are lacking a vaccinated population. This gives rise to the possibility that the virus might become an endemic in the U.S. I find that the purpose of this article is to warn the United States about the possible repercussions of not vaccinating children. It is quite alarming to see the number of cases increasing because there is no treatment and the v...

Carbon released into the atmosphere because the loss of arctic permafrost along with solar absorption. This is increasing the rate of climate change and accelerating the speed of it. This will have a big impact on the world's economy.  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190423114027.htm

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/bornholm-island-denmark-goes-trash-free-by-recycling/ Bornholm island in Denmark has decided to go completely trash free and recycle all of the trash that they produce. They have a total of 40,000 inhabitants and 600,000 tourists each year.  By 2023, Danish officials claim that all waste on Bornholm will be treated as a resource. They have a vision, but have not articulated a clear cut plan of how to attain this goal. I think this is a really good idea, however they will need to strategically plan this in order for it to actually work.

Using light a prototype green material has the ability to purify enough drinking water for four people in one hour. When the water was tested it showed that it killed 100 percent of bacteria in 10 liters of water. The new 2-D sheet of graphitic carbon nitride is a photocatalyst and it releases electrons when when it destroys microbes. Today’s most effective photocatalysts metals that can leach into water as toxic pollutants and the 2-D sheets are slightly less effective but don't contain metals. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/water-purification-light-graphitic-carbon-nitride

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/16/climate/glaciers-melting-alaska-washington.html? By now it is pretty well known that glaciers around the world are melting due to global warming and climate change but in recent times, glaciers in North America has shown significant decrease in size. There are ecosystems and animals such as salmon who depend heavily on streams which run off glaciers. In places such as Alaska and British Columbia, there are large numbers of people depending on the water supply for drinking and their crops. This article is more proof that the Earth is suffering at the hands of global warming and climate change. We need to find ways to decrease the negative effects that of which are increasing at an overwhelming rate. I went to Alaska two summers ago and I was able to see several glaciers in person. It is heartbreaking to see what they used to look like and how rapidly they are shrinking.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/24/health/polluted-air-counties-lung-association/index.html American have been breathing in air that could possibly kill you. 141 million live american live in areas where the air pollution is unhealthy and increasing. The main cause is particle pollution. Particle pollution is comes from dirt, dust, soot, smoke. It is produced by coal and natural gas fired plants, cars agriculture, and unpaved roads and construction sites. Wild fires are also a major contributor to pollution. Particle pollution is a major thing that that contributes to climate change. Climate change takes a major toll on the environment. the climate change makes animals and plants change and act different and produce at different times a year. it will also change the way the weather is.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/23/africa/hippopotamuses-dead-in-ethiopia-park-intl/index.html 28 dead hippos were found in a national park in Ethiopia. They died over the span of a few days. The cause of death is unknown. Hippos are on the endangered list, so them dying is a big deal. I have a feeling that there was foul play involved in the deaths of the hippos because of how many were found dead.

article A study by two Stanford University professors found that as global temperatures rise, economic growth slowed in poor countries and accelerated in rich countries. It was estimated that the gap between the richest and poorest countries' per capita income is 25 percentage points bigger than if there was no climate change. It is believed that this is due to the location of 3rd world countries. Poor countries are typically concentrated near the equator, causing them to be more sensitive to the slightest changes in temperature. The higher temperatures can affect crop production, human health, and productivity. However, richer countries located further north benefit from the rising temperatures. I find this to be very interesting. I never would have thought that the global wealth gap would be an effect of climate change. I think that it is upsetting that even though richer countries are contributing more to climate change, poorer countries are the ones suffering.

Climate change is causing severe struggle to countries that are already faced with poverty. Countries such as Costa Rica, India, etc. are very warm and have struggling economies. But, more northern countries such as Iceland, The U.S., etc. have thriving economies and lower regional temps.

Climate Change is happening quickly, and the price we are paying is rising higher and higher we speak. When looking at the overall cost of climate change, the melting Arctic is going to add about seventy trillion dollars to climate change, unless we reduce the emissions we create on the Earth. This creates many issues to humans and the environment. This article makes me sad. People need to enjoy the Earth and help it instead of taking it for granted. Read More ~  A warming Arctic could cost the world trillions of dollars

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/warm-dry-winds-melting-antarctica-larsen-c-ice-shelf?tgt=nr Warm winds have caused ice from the Antartic Peninsula, and specifically the Larsen C ice shelf, to melt and form pools.  Researchers have looked at atmospheric condition data from 1982 to 2017 and found that since 2015, the warm winds have caused an alarming amount of melting to take place.  This is problematic because melting causes cracks to form, and could eventually cause the ice shelf to break off.  This is important because it gives us an example of the effects that climate change is having on our planet.  If we do not start making changes soon, the Earth will suffer greater consequences. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190418135047.htm Researchers have been using a GPS to track the timing and patterns of giant tortoise migration over the past few years. The tortoises often take the same migration routes over many years in order to find the best food quality and temperatures suitable for them. The timing of their migration is essential in order to keep their energy level high and a climate change could change the outcome.

http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/main-articles/i/is-an-insect-apocalypse-coming.aspx Scientists have found that insects are beginning to deplete. Since the 1990's, 80% of earth's insect biomass has disappeared. The reason for the lack of insects is due to agriculture. The pesticides and fertilizers are killing them off along with destroying their habitat. Other reasons for their disappearances are insect diseases and climate change. Their depletion is alarming because they feed many animals, they pollinate a majority of the plants on earth, keep soil healthy, help recycle nutrients, and control pests. I believe insects are very important and need to be helped in order to keep a stable environment. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-48023560?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment&link_location=live-reporting-story Rescuers had to walk for 2 miles to save a sheep stuck in a river estuary. The sheep was found near Bridegemarsh Marina at Althorne on the River crouch when the Southend Coastguard was called to help the Essex fire and Rescue service. They joined firefighters on a 2 mile walk to help save the sheep and bring it to safety. The sheep was successfully saved and many puns on Facebook started after that.

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/world-s-glaciers-hold-lots-nuclear-fallout-here-s-what-ncna994546 The rapid disappearance of the world's ice leaves ancient artifacts, frozen corpses, long-dead viruses, and lots of trapped greenhouse gases as parting gifts as Earth's glaciers and permafrost retreat. Now, thanks to global research nuclear fallout can be added to the list. In a recent study of glaciers, all glaciers studied have elevated levels of fallout radionuclides (radioactive atoms resulted from nuclear accidents and weapons tests). According to Clason, the nuclear contaminants will have no immediate threat to the environment, but are found in significantly higher levels than what is deemed safe for human ingestion. The contaminants can enter the food chain by melting into rivers, lakes, and oceans.

The measles outbreak has spread to 20 U.S. states so far, affecting over 555 people across the country in 2019 alone. It's almost double the amount of measles reported in all of 2018. This year has just about hit the record amount of Measles outbreaks since "eliminating" the disease in 2000. The measles are spreading more vastly in areas where it is normalized or easily able to skip the vaccination of children. The measles are very dangerous and can lead to severe pneumonia, a paused immune system, or swelling in the brain, which can lead to deafness or other "disabilities." One person with the measles can infect up to eighteen unvaccinated people with the disease. To lessen the severity of the outbreak in the United States, more and more people would need to get vaccinated, which many families are not willing to do. This means, scientists and doctors are still not sure if the disease will be controlled. Personally, I think it is absurd how parents can think n...

https://www.livescience.com/65267-quakes-shake-southern-california-every-three-minutes.html Every three minutes, Southern California gets a small earthquake, barely strong enough for seismic instruments to notice. Once every so often the instrument can detect these earthquakes and this allows scientists to experiment how larger earthquakes form one another.  These earthquakes are so small that the seismic instruments can not pick out the noise from the earthquakes from the environmental noises.  Many scientists use the data of these earthquakes to explore the aftermath of the biggest ones in the world. This article made me think, there are probably small earthquakes happening all around the world without any one realizing it, this is honestly scary.

In this article, researchers have discovered alive brain cells in dead pigs. The blood vessels in the pigs brain started to begin functioning and some brain cells starting to regain strength again. The researchers started to discover some activity in the neurons. Even after death, some specialist are starting to believe that the brain can be recoverable even after death. They assume that once the blood supply is cut off that the brain loses those neurons, but if blood can be quickly restored that could mean another thing. I think this is a cool fact to know, I don't think anything can come from this discovery but it's interesting to know. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/science/brain-dead-pigs.html

Climate change is causing the Arctics to become warmer and less greener. Alaska has gotten warmer by at least 2 ° c since 1949 and the Arctic Interior is an average 5°c warmer. Many studies have shown that Alaska and the Arctic are having less vegetation every year. The increase in temperature has caused many plants to lose their freeze resistance, causing them to dry up and die. This is all very concerning because climate change poses such a big threat. If climate change continues to happen, it could potentially ruin our planet for good in the future. Since this is happening now in the Arctic, it can eventually happen around the world. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-arctic-browning

An Italian family has a special gene mutation known as zfhx2 which allows them to feel little to no pain. Scientists have been studying the family in attempt to help figure out how to reduce pain through gene therapy and medicines used to block out pain signals. This article was quite interesting. It opens up a world of possibility for scientists to discover ways to treat all kinds of pain. Although results may not come too quickly I still feel that this will differently help pave the way for new pain medicines.  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/family-feels-almost-no-pain-180971915/                       

Mud Boi What is Pennsylvania doing? Making our State Amphibian a mud boi of course. Only 24 now 25 states have a Sate Amphibian. Now the other states have amphibians that look a little better then our mud boi but appearances aren't everything, he's mud colored, and has a mucus layer that coats his whole being, kind of like a fish and their slim. Mud boi is a Hellbender Salamander whose numbers are close to gone, they are listen as near threatened. They are very sensitive to pollution and prefer the Appalachian region with swift, running, clean, fresh water. We have a better chance for fresh water now.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/14/science/sea-spiders-antarctica.html The ability for Giant Sea Spiders to adapt within their habitats are proving to be a crucial aspect within the warming earth. Antarctic sea spiders have the trait known as polar gigantism which is thought to be the reason they are able to survive in both cold and warm waters. Their skin consists of holes which increase as the spider grows. This aides them in absorbing oxygen in varying temperatures of water. They do not have lungs or any other organs for breathing, they just simply obtain oxygen through their skin. I think this is incredibly interesting even though i'm not a fan of spiders. I did not know that sea spiders don't have lungs or gills to breath in and out of. Also their ability to adapt to such vast temperatures of water is pretty amazing.

The conservation group for American Rivers constructed a list of the most recent endangered rivers. The group works to rivers from harmful factors such as dam construction, pollution, and climate change. This list contains the Chilkat, Stikine, Green-Duwamish, Willamette, South Fork Salmon, Upper Mississippi, Buffalo National, Cuyahoga, Big Darby Creek, Hudson, and Gila rivers. The Gila River is especially at risk. It is deemed as one of the nation's last "wild" rivers, as it was a freshwater source for indigenous people. There are possible plans to divert the flow of the river, allowing water to reach other parts of New Mexico, which would hurt the river's chances of survival. I find it disheartening that a river of such significance and cultural importance could be destroyed so easily. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/most-endagnered-rivers-united-states/

At a period of time when the world couldn't seem more divided it is always refreshing to see a few like minded individuals come together to support a cause. Climate change should already be n the fore front of energy policies however unfortunately not everyone is fully convinced. For the leaders of Britain to sit in their houses of government and representation and think that the only way to solve their countries problems right now is to spread further dissidence due to money and greed is an objectively misguided and depraved act.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/sea-turtle-sex-ratio-crisis-from-climate-change-has-hope/ Because climate changes we are having more turtles born female. The numbers are that 116 to 1. This could be a problem because they could go extinct because they don't have enough males to reproduce.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190410120606.htm Paleoclimatologist and lead author, Trevor Porter, for the first time in a field study used radiocarbon dating and water isotopes preserved in a layer of permafrost underneath a peatland in central Yukon to reconstruct the summer temperatures in that area over the past 13,600 years. Every summer, new peat moss forms and accumulates at the surface, and top of permafrost. Each centimeter contains 20-30 years worth of precipitation. This settles into well blended layers of information, according to Porter. The results of this study confirmed previous studies of midges (small insects also preserved within permafrost). The study states that industrial-era warming led to current summer temperatures exceeding previous maximum temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius. This warming  is above the global average and the average of the Arctic region in general. 9,000 years ago was a deep permafrost thaw but the temperatures at that time w...

It is said in the article that in the Philippians that 261 people had died from measles this year. That is a 547% increase from before . There are about 2.4 million kids in a lot of danger because of this. https://www.infoplease.com/march-2019-current-events-world-news#Measles%20Spreads%20Through%20the%20Philippines

Neil Chatterjee, a federal energy regulator in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, appointed by Donald Trump, believes in man's effect on climate change despite the president's denial. He is calling for a decrease in emissions and supports cleaner energy. He would like to move away from energy such as coal and applauds solar and wind energy. This is interesting, as most people appointed by Trump disagree with the idea of climate change being affected by man. This could be seen as a huge step towards doing something about climate change if people who are normally seen as regressive are striving for cleaner energy. Trump-appointed energy official: Climate change is real and we must lower carbon emissions

An international team of over 200 astronomers has captured the first direct images of a black hole. They accomplished this remarkable feat by coordinating the power of eight major radio observatories on four continents, to work together as a virtual, Earth-sized telescope. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190410091028.htm This is very cool that we finally have direct images of a black hole.

Cats can recognize their own names, a recent study shows. Previous research shows cats understand human facial expressions and human voices, and now, its been proven domesticated cats recognize their names. Researchers said four nouns and then the cat's name, and always received a reaction from the cat upon saying their name. However, cats living with large groups of other cats often responded to their own names and other cat's names, whereas lone domesticated cats did not. This article shows how cats have been domesticated. They used to be top predators, but humans have turned them into common house pets. We could maybe even domesticate other predators, like lions and bears. (I'm not going to try though) Link to Article

Link Before the Whale died it was weak and vomiting up blood. The stomach of the whale was full of plastic surprising the people who were doing a necropsy on it to figure out the reason the whale died. Its possible that the whale could've been suffering for months or a few years. There have been a lot of aquatic deaths that have occurred because of plastic waste, fishing nets, and pollution. We should keep our oceans clean so the aquatic life will thrive.

The earth is very slowly moving away from the earth, because of the tidal interactions, about a micrometer per year, or a millionth of a meter per year. Another reason why the earth is moving further form the sun is because of nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the sun continuously transforming a small part of its mass into energy. but over the entire main sequence lifetime of the sun (10 billion years) the sun will only lose about .1% of its mass, which roughly means that the earth should about 150,000 km. The earth sun distance is just about 150,000,000 km so the distance that the earth would move over 10 billion years. "   If we assume that the Sun's rate of nuclear fusion today is the same as the average rate over those 10 billion years (a bold assumption, but it should give us a rough idea of the answer), then we're moving away from the Sun at the rate of ~1.5 cm (less than an inch) per year. I probably don't even need to mention that this is so small that we don...

It's not a secret that air pollution or any type of pollution is harmful to our health. Scientists have been studying a certain pollute called PM2.5, which instead of being exhaled, when inhaled it can then travel past your body's usual defenses and cause irritation and inflammation. In long term affects, it can cause respiratory issues and even cancer. A study shows that 107,000 deaths were caused prematurely back in 2011 due to poor air condition. https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/08/health/particle-pollution-study/index.html

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/event-horizon-telescope-first-image-black-hole-questions?tgt=nr The Event Horizon Telescope has taken a clear picture of  Sagittarius A in 2017, the massive black hole at the center of our galaxy.  The pictures of the black hole are said to be released this month.  This article discussed four things we'll be able to learn by looking at these images.   1.  Black holes emit no light, so the black hole will really just be black, with surrounding light from heated particles that orbit the mass.   2.  The image may help scientists discover if the Theory of Relativity holds up to a black hole because of the shape of its ring. 3.  The images will help scientists discover how black holes produce jets with such a strong magnetic field. 4.   Finally, the images will hopefully suggest if pulsars surround the Milky Way's back hole.   These new images will hopefully give scientists ...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190404143747.htm Scientist believed Geobacter sulfurreducens conducted electricity through tiny hair like appendages, but a researcher from the University of Virginia School of Medicine determined that the bacteria transmitted electricity through immaculately ordered fibers. Researchers believe that the bacteria could be useful from harnessing power from bio energy to cleaning up pollution. The bacteria could be the bridge between electronics and living cells. I think it's important we put a lot of time into this because it could really help advance the medical field and benefit the environment.

The arctic is losing ice dramatically. Only 20% of the ice reaches the center of the arctic ocean. The other 80% melts before it can make it to the center. I chose this article because its crazy that we are losing so much ice in the arctic. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190402081557.htm

An unprecedented marine heatwave had long-lasting negative impacts on both survival and birth rates on the iconic dolphin population in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Researchers have now documented that climate change may have more far-reaching consequences for the conservation of marine mammals than previously thought. Climate change can effect animals in a way we don't even think of. We as humans can help climate change not occur by using more natural resources and using less harmful substances that have a negative effect on the environment. 

New research is detailing how environmental stressors, including heavy metals, brought on by human activity are harming coastal green sea turtle populations -- work that researchers hope will inform conservation efforts going forward. Animals are being harmed by natural disasters, but humans could help out afterwards. I think its sad how turtles are endangered when they reproduce so many babies at once. We as humans need to help out and keep the environment clean so animals can live healthier lives. 

Compounds produced by sorghum plants to defend against insect feeding could be isolated, synthesized and used as a targeted, nontoxic insect deterrent, according to researchers who studied plant-insect interactions that included field, greenhouse and laboratory components. I think this is a positive environmental change because they found a way to protect plants but not be harmful to helpful insects.  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190403155427.htm

https://newsela.com/read/loc-mysteries-male-birds-more-colorful/id/26088 This article states that males are more colorful because they have to get the females attention. Females are very busy incubating their eggs until they are hatched and when they hatch, they have to take care and raise their chicks. It is proven that women are attracted to more colors so if the males are more colorful it will be easier to find themselves a mate. I thought male birds were more colorful due to their diet kind of like flamingos but I was suprised to learn it was just because they needed to attract females.

Dar es Salaam is a city in Tanzania, which like most African cities, has an extremely high birthrate and immigration rate. Due to this rapid increase in population, it is projected to grow from 6 million to 13.4 million people by the year 2035. It is difficult for this city to gain enough land to spread out, so the buildings are tight together and weak structurally. This clustering of many people in one place is not good for the environment, since the amount of carbon emissions is going to rapidly increase along with the population. I believe that something should be done to either slow down the growth of this city or spread out the growth in order to stop permanent environmental damage in that area. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/tanzanian-city-may-soon-be-one-of-the-worlds-most-populous/                                     

The global climate change has been increasing and it not having great effects of the earth. researchers have found that the temperature in the South pole is about 68F higher than now  from 5.3 to 2.6 years ago. Burning fossils fuels started to pump CO2 into the atmosphere extremely fast, although the temperature would've taken time to make its way into the atmosphere, once it gets there, the temperature changes drastically and causes many environmental impacts which makes icebergs melt, oceans rise, animals migrate and shift to different climates to try and survive the change, and more intense heat waves occur.  “If we keep carbon emissions going at the current rate, by the end of the century we will have 1,000ppm,” said Siegert. The low 280ppm level of CO 2 in the run-up to the industrial revolution was rooted in carbon being removed from the air by plants and animals and then buried. “It formed coal seams, gas and oil fields. And what we have been doing for the last 150 year...

According to a preliminary study, people are able to improve their thinking abilities after a 20 minute workout. Michelle Voss, a cognitive neuroscientist, had 34 people with an average age of 67 undergo brain scans, memory tests, and exercises. Voss and her colleagues were looking for effects of a 20-minute stint on a stationary bike which is designed to make people sweat. Before and after exercises the participants took memory scans and MRI brain scans that involved remembering previous faces they have seen. They also did brain tests another day after the participants spent 20 minutes on a bike that pedaled for them. On average, people were able to remember more faces after an intense workout. I think this is a very interesting experiment and something i definitely would like to learn more about. I never realized working out could influence your memories. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/single-workout-exercise-benefits-memory-improvement?tgt=nr

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190403155436.htm Co2 greenhouse gases are higher than they have ever been. A team of scientists completed a computer simulation of climate data over a period of time. Humans are increasing greenhouse gases and it is changing our planet completely. Our world is just going to shit tbh. All these scientists are literally PROVING that global warming is happening and that we need to do something about greenhouse gases. Yet, people still don't believe it or just don't care about doing anything about it. We're all just gonna die I suppose.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190403135052.htm A study taken at James Cook University measured how many adult corals survived along the Great Barrier Reef following extreme heat stress due to global warming. The study found that most of the reef is dead, and the parts that are still alive are going to have a tough time replenishing. The reef has experienced 4 mass bleaching events from the heat, which is killing off the reef. If this continues, the Great Barrier Reef might be gone forever. This study gives more insight into global warming. I knew about the bleaching before, but I didn't know how bad of shape the reef is in.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/planetary-remnant-survived-death-sun-white-dwarf?tgt=nr A new look into a planetismal that managed to survive the destruction of its sun. The planet now orbits its white dwarf that has taken the place of its sun. they found that the planet is composed by an iron rich core. This research allows scientist to examine the cores of planets which they say is hard to examine from earth because we cant drill to the core.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-fossils-north-dakota-dinosaur-killing-asteroid-impact?tgt=nr   New fossil finds in the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota at a site dubbed Tanis have been dated back to just hours following the asteroid impact that caused the extinction of all non-bird dinosaurs and 75% of land based species. Ir provides a very clear picture of the immediate hours following the event and shining a light on just exactly how many of the species were killed. The new image of the aftermath of the event paints a picture of a massive explosion which triggered earthquakes somewhere between magnitude 10 and 11.5. The tremors caused the shallow sea that covered North America at the time to slosh back and forth with huge tsunamis, burying freshwater plant and animal species in the mud in an instant, leading to the fossils the scientists are using to extrapolate this event. Also at the site small spheres of silica glass surrounded by clay thousands of miles out ...

click for volcano People have theories about how the mass extinction occurred. Some believe that it was from a meteor, some believe that it was from volcanoes. Others believe that it was caused by both. Studies have shown the volcanic activity occurred before the meteor even hit Earth. Other data shows that most of the eruptions came years after and were caused by the meteor. I personally believe that the mass extinction could have been cause by both the meteor and volcanoes. I think that the meteor had more of an affect than the volcanoes did during the initial extinction and the volcanoes could have played a bigger part after the meteor struck.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/genetics-how-mosquitoes-sniff-out-human-sweat?tgt=nr Scientists have discovered that IR8a protein found in mosquito antennae is what is used by the mosquitoes to sniff out the lactic acid in human sweat, making them decide if it is "human enough" to bite., because they prefer human blood over that of animals. If this scent protein is jammed, mosquitoes may become confused as to whether or not they should bite humans. It will be interesting to see what comes of this, because it could be a possibility that scientists can jam these proteins. Perhaps if these proteins are jammed in enough mosquitoes, they will reproduce with one another and evolve, so that they lose this protein.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/single-dose-antidote-may-help-prevent-fentanyl-overdoses?tgt=nr A single-dose opioid antidote is currently being tested on mice, showing that they last several days. Before, these doses lasted for 30 minutes, which is not enough time to counteract the opioids that are in the system, causing an overdose. These could last for several hours up to a couple of days, so this new antidote is a new breakthrough. If it is proven that these antidotes will prevent mice from overdosing, then the formula will be adapted to fit humans. This is a huge breakthrough in the science field, because the opioid outbreak has been an issue, especially more recently. If antidotes can be produced to counteract these drugs, the amount of deaths by overdose will decrease, and many lives will be saved.

White people's eating habitats have increased the amount of greenhouse gases. This is because the way that they are producing their food shows that they require more water and then release larger amounts of greenhouse gases. According to Joe Bozeman, the food pipeline which includes all of the production, distribution and waste is something that majorly contributes to climate change. It also makes it so there are environmental changes. According to a study, white individuals produce around 680 kilograms of greenhouse carbon dioxide every year. This can be directly linked to what they eat and drink. Researchers also found out that the food that white people eat requires 7 percent more water. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190327123850.htm

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/03/gelada-monkeys-survive-harsh-climate-in-ethiopian-highlands/ Gelada monkeys eat grass and sleep on the sides of cliffs while predators like hyenas are waiting to kill them. This primate spends its days searching for vegetation in the savanna along Africa's roof. Their nights consist of hiding in cold, wet, and dark areas. It is not clear how many of these monkeys there are with estimate ranging from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands.

Bacteria is able to be traveled many miles throughout the atmosphere.  Scientists are now building a Bridge.  Scientists said that plants and animals are not able to transfer bacteria because bacteria lives in 160 degree water.  I feel like this is interesting because I never new how bacteria was traveled and needed a very hot temp to be transported. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190325080426.htm

With climate change being a huge issue in today's world this minor snowfall could tell us what the future holds and what is it to come. With some big snow storms happening in Antarctica can help the thickness of the ice sheets under the iceberg and might cause it to shrink over time. With floating ice shelves needing a lot of snow for them to stay a float the amount of snow around it could vary and could leave snow ice shelves there and other gone. With all of this snow happening in just a few days this can show us that snow in the next couple of months can go down dramatically. My reaction to this is the climate for the future is getting harder to predict every year and can change at any moment. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/one-antarctic-ice-shelf-gets-half-its-annual-snowfall-just-10-days

Somewhat piggy backing off of my last post, these plastic bags are able to dissolve in water. Not only is this very cool and interesting, but also it is safe to drink, making the ability to get rid of plastic bags even more convenient in the case that people make the switch In my opinion, the only downfall is the price, they are very expensive as of right now, running at about 15 dollars for a pack of bags, however if the price drops people may make the switch. Link -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqE20TFl6cY

In this video, the narrator and a few other people explain the gravity of plastic bags as pollution and what the difference biodegradable bags can make. This is very informative because of the true gravity this holds, especially by the view of pollution in South Africa. Link -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjzvwI3XHls

In Bogota, Colombia every Sunday the city gives up cars. The event starts at 7 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon. Main streets and shut down for the event and is welcome to any ways of transportation other than motor-driven. I think this is an awesome idea, but something that could never happen in America. Its a great way to get people healthier, environmental friendly, and social all at the same time. It would be cool if this could happen but with America's society its unlikely to every happen. The Article:  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/03/bogota-colombia-ciclovia-bans-cars-on-roads-each-sunday/