Could Life Survive in Mars? Scientist say Yes! Science Daily-June 5, 2010

The Alex Heiberg Island, in Nunavut, Canada is an island in the very extreme north of Canada. This islando, during Spring has a climate very similar to a spring in Mars. It was thougt before that in that island, it was all ice and nothing could possibly live in there. Like in Mars. Well, this theory was proved wrong by Dr. Lyle Whyte, a professor in Canada's University of Toronto. He whent to that island to do a research about life expectancy and it was found that some methane-eating bacteria was found in the ice. This bacteria was a form of life so it was proved that life was, indeed supported under those subzero temeratures and that frozen salt water even though that there is absolutely no consumable oxygen in that frozen water.

Dr. Lyle also found out that these bacteria were not the same as the usual methane producin bacteria that breathe oxigen. But these bacteria ate methane isntead and they breathed sulfate that was found in the ice. When all this things happene, many people and scientists begun the think that it was probable that there was also any kind of life in Mars. At least during spring anyway. Besides, it was recently discovered that there is water and frozen methane in Mars so life for these bacteria is possible. Besides it was later stated that the temperature in Mars is not very different from many islands in Nunavut Territory. Like in Mars, Nunavut can get as high as -10 to 0 celsius and even a few degrees higher than 0. Also it can easily get to -50 celsius so life could be similar in some ways.

I really liked this artcile post because it is immensly interesting how there is a possibility that there is actually life in some other planet. I also found it very interesting how there is actually a place in earth that has similar temperatures to some other platet too. I would recommend this article for all of my classmates to read because this actually affects every human being on earth because this is information that everyone must know. I think that this also would relate to my personal life because I am actually following many IB Learner Profile Traits. One of the most important is the Reflective, which is the trait of this month starting June because I am reading all this information and then reflecting on it before I summerize it. I am also be a Knowledgeable and an Inquirer because I am seeking and finding information. It is sad that this is the last post in the year, but this does not mean that I will stop learning during summer, I will look at some article posts to read and learn because I usually find them very interesting.

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Warm water causes extra cold winters in Northeastern North America an Northeast Asia (Science Daily, March 30, 2011)

This article is about how North America and Asia are colder in the winter than places in Europe in the same latitude. If you were sitting in a bench at central park in New York during the winter, then it would be 32 degrees F. But right across the ocean in Portugal, which is at the exact same latitude, it would be only 48 degrees F. For many decades, it was thought that the golf of Mexico had a current referred to as the golf stream that carried warm tropical waters up to Europe causing it to get warmer. In 2002 it was proved this theory was mistaken. In the northern hemisphere, water currents flow clock wise so the stream did not go to Europe, it goes to the northeast coast of the US and eastern coast of Canada. This currents warm up the water, causing it to warm up the air above it. The gravity does it's job so the warm air warms the east of the current's side, meanwhile the western side's pressure brings air from the pole down there and make the weather much colder. It wasn't that Europe was warmer, but that North America was colder.

At the other side, in the west coast of the US and Canada, it is the total opposite. It is warmer because it is the east to another current in the north pacific ocean. This current work the same way but what is to the east of the current would be Northeastern Asia, so this same thing is happening in there.

This is a very interesting topic because these place affected by the cold air are having very different conditions. People living in certain places might need to use more thermostat than people in Europe even though they are at the same latitude and this is costing the lots of money. Unfortunately. There is nothing we can do because this is not caused by us, this is just the natural way the planet Earth works.

I can relate this to my life because I once got to experience that. Last December I when to Miami and the temperature was 54. Even though it was Miami, in Yahoo weather they also explained this phenomenon and they said it was only happening for a a few days. I looked all the way across the ocean in Algeria, it was way warmer even though it was at the same latitude.

It is amazing how every time I do a Journal Article, I learn so much, and I can relate this to the IB learner profile. I am being a knowledgable student by learning about this phenomenon occurring right now, or well, it did when it was winter now it is spring, so it is actual news that encourage me to be more aware of the world outside where I live. This is also the idea of this international school. To learn about international new that don't necessarily affect me that much, but once I learn about them, I realize how much they actually do.

Here is a picture from a satellite from the NASA showing how north america is colder that Europe even when in the same latitude:


Wanna read the actual post? Go to the following link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110330131306.htm

Waiter, there is metal in my moon water! (Science Daily Feb. 22, 2011)

This article in the space section in science daily is about the moon. It explains that a robot named LCROSS went to the moon in 2009 and it just came back with the following news. There are certain places in the moon that have permanent shadows, making it very cold and there was ice found in them. It was proved to be plain water, but it had metallic elements like mercury, magnesium, calcium, and even a bit of silver that makes it toxic for us, humans to drink. That's why if we are planning to drink the water from the moon, we must use a filter. It also says that the moon was much like earth before but there were lots of meteors that crashed into it so it developed craters (the wholes in the moon) and because of it's location, the sun rays hit it at a higher level causing the absolute destruction of it's atmosphere. That is why it looks dry and has almost no gravity.

I think that this is very important for us because it is a discovery made by the NASA and the space is something us humans have very little knowledge about because it is immense so this is something more that can actually serve us in the future. I know is thought is very fictitious but this is what I think, I think that in one future the moon is going to be a recreation center or a hotel and people will go on vacations there so if we know the place better we might be getting closer to my thought. I also think that if there is water, or in this case ice, the must be life somewhere. Maybe we are getting much closer to finding life outside of earth which has being the dream of all kids and adults.

There is not much we can do about this but learn more about it. If we inquire about this topic we will eventually discover new things which is great. I can relate this to the IB Learner profile because people in the NASA are inquirers because they wanna learn more about the space that is surrounding us. Also once they know and discover new things, they are being knowledgeable, I am being a knowledgeable person because I am learning new things about this and you are too because you are reading this. So be and inquarer and visit the actual post by science daily: Waiter, There's Metal in My Moon Water

Artic Ice is Melting (Science Daily, Jan. 28th, 2011)

The artic circle is located in the very north of the planet. It is a place with very cold temperatures and because of that the bio-divercity of this area is very low, but there is live in this place. There are polar bears, seals, etc. I is one of the coldest places in earth and it's also the most affected place by the global warming in Earth.

The water temperature in the artic circle has being changing since the medieval warm period, which was from 900-1300AD and this changed the temperature in Europe. But now it is changing way more rapid and its affecting us way more. The temperatures in the oceans in Norway have increased 3.5F (1.9C) during the past 100 years. This has contributed to ice melting in the artics and ocean temperature rising in the world. Normally, the ocean in the artics would be frozen by winter, part of it would melt during the spring, it would be melted in very little parts during summer, and whatever melts, freezes back in the fall and the ice layer gets much more stronger in the winter. This is not the case in this world. What is happening is that certain parts are frozen during the winter, certain parts melt during the spring and continue melting during the summer and early fall. During late fall an ice layer begins to form and during winter not nearly what was frozen the year before freezes again and more melts during the spring once again.

This is causing sea-level rising and it is also causing the sea temperatures to rise, which leads to hurricanes and other deadly natural disasters. Besides, when the ice layer was bigger during those winters, more sun rays were bounced of earth and the greenhouse effect was less.
When you relate this to the IB learner profile, you might wanna be a caring person and inquire how to save the artics from melting, recycling is a very good way to stop this, an ice area the same size as the state of Alaska has being lost already and more of it it's on it's way. We can help reduce this, not stop it. If you want to become a knowledgable please visit this website and read the original post by science daily.

-http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110127141659.htm

Ocean Warming (Science Daily Oct. 30th, 2010)

This post is about Baffin Bay, a bay in Greenland that called the attention to scientists due its extraordinary animal life. But there was only something that stopped them from acquiring more and more knowledge from this place, the fact that there were hard and thick layers or ice covering it during the winter and the special machines to open a whole in them were really expensive. But one day, they came up with an idea, which was to go there during the summer and put a special machine into several animals so that they could show how is life there during the winter.

They recorded that temperatures from the years 2006 and 2007 and they realized that after that there has being a severe change in the temperature of the water that affected really much the life in the bay. This bay is fresh water, because its melted ice from the poles, so that makes it easier to freeze, but the years are passing and each time the ice layer tends to be thinner or cover less part of the bay.

I think this post is really important because there is a variety of really rare species found in that bay due its conditions, but now, thanks to global warming, we are all getting affected, the poles aren't as big now, the water's temperature has changes, many animals have died, and in some cases there is no way back, but we can just stay still, we don't have to keep moving foreword with this, maybe with time, the earth will get better and everything would be back as it was before, long ago. This bay has attracted the attention of scientists. I would recommend to for an ecological life, and preserve the earth's natural resources. This is affects everyone of us.
If you relate this to the IB learner profile, then you might want to be a caring person and do something for the world. Give back to the world and do us, and yourself a favor. This is just a warning from nature to show how many bad things can happen if we just don't care!!

Check this post by Science Daily by yourself at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101027170928.htm

The Coral Reefs Article Date: Wed. September 29, 2010

This article is about the effects that this long and hot summer took in the coral reefs in the Caribbean. What happens is that this last summer the temperatures were extremely hot so the water in the Caribbean started to heat up really fast. When the water in the Caribbean got hot, the algae that provides them food if forced due to the temperatures ad the coral reefs bleach or appear white. When the coral reefs get white, they are lifeless and they can easily obtain and transmit infections. The fish are forced to move to a better place and that place would be inhabited by fish
.

What interested me about this article is that as shown in the map, the Caribbean is highly affected by this and I personally love going to the beach here in Venezuela and love doing snorkel and watching coral reefs and fish. As shown in the map, the south of the Caribbean is the most affected part, this is where I go! I wonder how many coral reefs died this summer. I would like to go to places I was before in order to contrast how it is now, and how it was before. It's really sad how the world is unstable now a days. There are a lot of disasters and fore me, the ocean is a really important thing, that we must maintain healthy, clean and it bio-divercity ver well preserved now that there are some species in danger.
This is also another way to compare this article to my life. This article does affect my life and the beaches in where I live. Besides I would feel really sad if there were lots of damages to Los Roques, I love that National Park and it's got one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I would hate to see it in danger and I can't do anything about it!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100923104217.htm

The Coral Reefs Article