"The first study to determine the global threat status of 21 species of wide-ranging oceanic pelagic sharks and rays reveals serious overfishing and recommends key steps that governments can take to safeguard populations. These findings and recommendations for action are published in the latest edition of Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems."
Scientists determined that 16 out of the 21 species of sharks that live in the oceans, get caught by fishers, and that they can get extinct really easily, because when they catch them, the catches are not regulated.
They are vulnerable to be over fished, because a lot of times they don't reach the age in which they are sexually mature and have offspring. So the population of sharks can go down easily.
"Fishery managers and regional, national and international officials have the opportunity and the obligation to halt and reverse the rate of loss of biodiversity and ensure sharks and rays are exploited sustainably." says lead author Nicholas Dulvy from the Centre for Environment.
"The current rate of biodiversity loss is ten to a hundred times greater than historic extinction rates, and as humans make increasing use of ocean resources it is possible that many more aquatic species, particularly sharks, are coming under threat," says Dulvy
So some of the solutions for this problem are to establish limits for catching them, so that the sharks can be controlled.
I really like everything about marine life, so I think that this is a problem that has to stop, because all fish and sharks are going to be extinct if this doesn't stop.
So if this doesn't stop soon, it can happen faster than anyone can think.
More other things consequences can happen because if sharks get extinct, they can stop the food chain, and then more problems will come on and on and on, so it is important that it stops.
And besides animals don't have the fault from anything, the fishers are the ones that are making mistakes sometimes not really knowing, so I think that authorities should really put an end to this.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Bloomberg Lays into Policymakers' "Political Science"
This article is about Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New york saying that pollution is growing and we must put a stop to it. He also discussed the fact that science is more important than politics. He was discussing this at the World Science Festival. He is stating that politicians have throughout history ignored sicentists waranings on many things such as the link between smoking and lung cancer. When polictics ignore science he says it is because of political science. he also believes that it is an important issue to reduce greenhouse gases.
My opinon is that we all have to start taking steps for a better future and a better life. It would be nice if politicians began listening to scientists about what is happening on our planet, after all they are the ones that do all the research and can help solve the problems.
My opinon is that we all have to start taking steps for a better future and a better life. It would be nice if politicians began listening to scientists about what is happening on our planet, after all they are the ones that do all the research and can help solve the problems.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monkey's brain controls robot arm
In this article, the u.s.a scientific though that it could be possible to feed a monkey
with a robotic arm.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University
implanted tiny electrodes into the primary motor cortex, the region of the
brain that sends electrical signals to other parts of the body to control movement.
After programming the arm to respond to certain brain activity,
the researchers were then able to train the monkeys to operate
the arm and have it reach for a treat, pick it up and bring it to their mouths.
They made the monkey learn haw to use it by first observing,
which activates his brain cells as if he were doing it.
University of Montreal researcher John Kalaska, who was not part of the research team, described in an accompanying news article the ease with which the monkeys adapted to and learned to control their robotic arms.
In the experiment the monkey learn by watching just like the scientific s thought it will be.
They say the research could lead to the development of prosthetics for people with spinal cord injuries and those with conditions such as Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
My opinion !!!
i think this experiment is really good because if this work they could help people that need it.
they should keep researching and doing more experiments like this , that could help people.
if it works it will be really cool and people could have more possibilities to live better.
with a robotic arm.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University
implanted tiny electrodes into the primary motor cortex, the region of the
brain that sends electrical signals to other parts of the body to control movement.
After programming the arm to respond to certain brain activity,
the researchers were then able to train the monkeys to operate
the arm and have it reach for a treat, pick it up and bring it to their mouths.
They made the monkey learn haw to use it by first observing,
which activates his brain cells as if he were doing it.
University of Montreal researcher John Kalaska, who was not part of the research team, described in an accompanying news article the ease with which the monkeys adapted to and learned to control their robotic arms.
In the experiment the monkey learn by watching just like the scientific s thought it will be.
They say the research could lead to the development of prosthetics for people with spinal cord injuries and those with conditions such as Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
My opinion !!!
i think this experiment is really good because if this work they could help people that need it.
they should keep researching and doing more experiments like this , that could help people.
if it works it will be really cool and people could have more possibilities to live better.
Physics in your home
No you’re not dreaming you do have physics in your home. Your DVD’s have optics, lasers and electronics. Your fireplace has thermodynamics and fluid motion. This just goes to show that everything we take for granted actually has loads of cool stuff and took a lot of time to make. Your cell phone or blackberry uses electromagnetic waves and space flight and it’s about as big as you hand. Your credit cards have electromagnetic induction. Even your bicycle has mechanics involved in making it. Yes, every single object in your house probably has physics involved in making it.
No you’re not dreaming you do have physics in your home. Your DVD’s have optics, lasers and electronics. Your fireplace has thermodynamics and fluid motion. This just goes to show that everything we take for granted actually has loads of cool stuff and took a lot of time to make. Your cell phone or blackberry uses electromagnetic waves and space flight and it’s about as big as you hand. Your credit cards have electromagnetic induction. Even your bicycle has mechanics involved in making it. Yes, every single object in your house probably has physics involved in making it.
INDIANA JONES: THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, FACT OR FICTION?
I know we’ve all been looking forward to the fourth instalment in the Indiana Jones series but some of the things they used in the movies may be shocking from a scientist’s point of view. The story for the fourth film is that archaeologist Indiana Jones and his kid helper Mut hear of an old Mayan skull that gives great power to the holder. Indy and his friend set out to find the skull, but on the way they meet a female Nazi with a violent temper. They will also encounter more Nazi’s, giant boulders, hidden traps and unfriendly native Mayans. And as I said the things they use just don’t match the Mayans, for example the stone they used for the temple is granite while the Mayans used other rock from the mountains. Also the carvings on the walls are not at all like the Mayan carvings on real temples. So if a scientist would enter the set of this film he should take a close look around.
I know we’ve all been looking forward to the fourth instalment in the Indiana Jones series but some of the things they used in the movies may be shocking from a scientist’s point of view. The story for the fourth film is that archaeologist Indiana Jones and his kid helper Mut hear of an old Mayan skull that gives great power to the holder. Indy and his friend set out to find the skull, but on the way they meet a female Nazi with a violent temper. They will also encounter more Nazi’s, giant boulders, hidden traps and unfriendly native Mayans. And as I said the things they use just don’t match the Mayans, for example the stone they used for the temple is granite while the Mayans used other rock from the mountains. Also the carvings on the walls are not at all like the Mayan carvings on real temples. So if a scientist would enter the set of this film he should take a close look around.
Monday, May 26, 2008
No more thin plastic bags in china!!
This article is informing us about the amount of thin plastic bags used in China, how they damage the enviorment and what the government is doing to help or decrease the damage!
Thin plastic bags are used for everything in China!
Fruit mongers weigh everything in them, tailors stuff shirts into them, even street food vendors give their piping hot wares directly into see-through plastic bags that dont even do something to protect one's hands from being burned!
Chinese use up to three billion of this plastic bags a day! this habit picked in the 1980s of using this plastic bags for convenience is really damaging the enviorment.
In China they even have a special name for the plastic bags found flying, hanging and floating everywhere from trees to rivers: bai si wu le, or "white pollution,".
But the government has realised how this is affecting the enviorment and they have decided to do something about it:
The government is set to ban the manufacture and force shopkeepers to charge for the distribution of bags thinner than .025 millimeters thick as of June 1! This is a really dramatic change and the people of china are not happy of prepared for this, "I don't know what we'll do, what will we use!?" says a worker in the market of China!
The Chinese government is banning production and distribution of the thinnest plastic bags in a bid to curb the white pollution that is taking over the countryside. The bags are also banned from all forms of public transportation.
The move may save as much as 37 million barrels of oil currently used to produce the plastic totes! Already, the nation's largest producer of such thin plastic bags, Huaqiang, has shut down its operations!
my opinion:
I think this is a very important change and the enviorment will be so much better and it will help alot! I think this desision and change will be difficult for the people in China because they use so much this bags, and it will be a drastic change, but I also think that they will eventually find better ways and other better products, and at the end, the result will be very good for the country and the eviorment!
I think it is very good that people are finding new products that will be better for the world and that they are being more aware of this kind of things, and more aware that we need to change how we live or really bad consequences will come!!! I thaught this was a very interesting and important article , and i liked it alot!!
Maria Rubio!
Thin plastic bags are used for everything in China!
Fruit mongers weigh everything in them, tailors stuff shirts into them, even street food vendors give their piping hot wares directly into see-through plastic bags that dont even do something to protect one's hands from being burned!
Chinese use up to three billion of this plastic bags a day! this habit picked in the 1980s of using this plastic bags for convenience is really damaging the enviorment.
In China they even have a special name for the plastic bags found flying, hanging and floating everywhere from trees to rivers: bai si wu le, or "white pollution,".
But the government has realised how this is affecting the enviorment and they have decided to do something about it:
The government is set to ban the manufacture and force shopkeepers to charge for the distribution of bags thinner than .025 millimeters thick as of June 1! This is a really dramatic change and the people of china are not happy of prepared for this, "I don't know what we'll do, what will we use!?" says a worker in the market of China!
The Chinese government is banning production and distribution of the thinnest plastic bags in a bid to curb the white pollution that is taking over the countryside. The bags are also banned from all forms of public transportation.
The move may save as much as 37 million barrels of oil currently used to produce the plastic totes! Already, the nation's largest producer of such thin plastic bags, Huaqiang, has shut down its operations!
my opinion:
I think this is a very important change and the enviorment will be so much better and it will help alot! I think this desision and change will be difficult for the people in China because they use so much this bags, and it will be a drastic change, but I also think that they will eventually find better ways and other better products, and at the end, the result will be very good for the country and the eviorment!
I think it is very good that people are finding new products that will be better for the world and that they are being more aware of this kind of things, and more aware that we need to change how we live or really bad consequences will come!!! I thaught this was a very interesting and important article , and i liked it alot!!
Maria Rubio!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
More Aftershocks in China Quake Zone
This article is about another aftershock in China that happened on May 20th measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale. Many people were evacuated from buildings especially any building that was higher than three floors. There were no people hurt but officials say that they are losing food supplies very quickly. There will likely be many more aftershocks in the future. possibly one measuring 7 on the Richter scale. The Chinese governments is still not allowing outside help which is making it harder for people to find food and essentials.
My opinion is that the Chinese government needs to start thinking of their people instead of just themselves. Perhaps they should evacuate some people from the hardest hit areas and get them the things they need instead of sitting around and doing nothing. What is going to happen to the olympics?
My opinion is that the Chinese government needs to start thinking of their people instead of just themselves. Perhaps they should evacuate some people from the hardest hit areas and get them the things they need instead of sitting around and doing nothing. What is going to happen to the olympics?
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