Eye shapes of animals can tell us about their lifestyles by Meredith Jacques


Scientists have recently discovered that the shape of an animals' pupil is very closely related to their behaviors and niche in the world.  Predators tend to have pupils that are vertical slits (like your pet cat).  But, this only applies if they are short, and therefore their eyes are closer to the ground.  For taller animals that hunt for food, pupils tend to be more round.  For animals that are usually prey, horizontal pupils tend to be more common.  But, it turns out this is only useful when an animal's pupils are parallel to the ground.  The scientists were curious what happens when an animal moves it head down to eat (like a deer eating grass).  They decided to look at animal's eyes while they were moving their head.  They discovered that their eyes actually rotate in their heads!  The eyes rotate to keep the pupil parallel to the ground.

Why might this be useful information to know?
What does this tell us about human beings?
Who might be interested in this information other than scientists?



http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/08/07/430149677/eye-shapes-of-the-animal-world-hint-at-differences-in-our-lifestyles

New Camera Technology by Brady Duggan

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/theres-no-hiding-new-camera

New camera technology shows that we can detect objects through a camera that is not in the camera’s view. Using a laser projected on the ground and a very electromagnetic wave sensitive camera, you can determine where an object is that is not in the camera’s field of view. The laser is pointed at the ground and sends a wave around and then bounces off the object and is sent back to the camera. The camera can then determine the position of the object.

Video:

https://youtu.be/Pi7iCUSXctY

What do you think this could be used for?

How will this technology help us?

Is Sneaker Innovation Changing How We Move? by Sean Fisher

Is Sneaker Innovation Changing How We Move?

Sneaker technology has found of new way of making running shoes more comfortable and increase your speed, and traction by using waffle iron. The idea was discovered when Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman was trying to figure out how he could make a shoe with more traction but did not want to place spikes on the bottom of the shoes. Bill's wife was making breakfast one day and when he took a look at his food he studied the structure of the waffle. Bowerman used the waffle maker and poured rubber into it this became a successful decision for the company to sell shoes made with waffle iron. LED lights are also being installed in the sneakers through the laces which is new for shoes because LED lights are mostly used for vehicles.

Would you wear a pair of running shoes made with waffle iron?

Do you think they will be better shoes?

http://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/is-sneaker-innovation-changing-how-we-move/

Why Science Does Not Disprove God by Noah Whalen

Why Science Does Not Disprove God

The Big Bang theory was created by a Catholic priest named George Lamator, who was also an Astronomer and physics teacher. Amir Aczel, the author of “Why Science Does Not Disprove God” wrote the book because he believed many people think of science and religion as separate even though they may not be, and to protect the integrity of science. The first point given in the podcast was that something can’t come from nothing. There has never been nothing, ever. Everything in the universe is so intricate and well structured, there is reason behind the chaos and science helps to uncover the unknown. The more we learn, the more unlikely that the structures we find are created on it’s own. Why does everything work out? Science will probably never prove or disprove God. God comes with the idea of faith, and so do all of our theories about the universe. People who believe the theories have faith in them. Aczel personally believes in a God who reveals himself in the harmony of all that exists but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind. the state of science right now is not at the place where it can say there is no God.

1. Do you believe in God? Why or why not?
2. Why do you think science may never prove or disprove a God?
3. What is faith?

http://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/amir-aczel-why-science-does-not-disprove-god/

Lucid Dreaming by Tim Lewis

Lucid Dreaming

Lucid Dreaming is your chance to play with extraordinary activities which are activated through unused parts buried in your brain.  Even though the term "lucid" means clear, lucid dreaming is more than just having a clear dream. To have a lucid dream you must know that it’s a dream while you’re dreaming. It doesn't require that you can control anything in your dream, though control is what beginning lucid dreamers often aim at. People get attracted to lucid dreaming because they want to be able to do things they could never do in reality, for example, taste fire or fly to the sun. More and more experienced lucid dreamers are realizing the benefits of lucid dreaming. You can use this to measure boundaries of your imagination and the limits of the universe.


What are some techniques one can use to try and become a lucid dreamer?

What are some of the personal benefits one can have from lucid dreaming?

Israel’s Solar Panels by Jacob Berry

Israel’s Solar Panels

Right now Israel is planning to build the world's largest solar power plant. This will be placed in the Negev (a large area of desert). This is really stunning because Israel is roughly the size of New Jersey and is creating largest Solar Power Plant in the World.

The site for all of the solar panels in going to be 1000 acres of land which is roughly 1.5 square miles. This site will be able to supply 500 megawatts at the end of the project. To put this into perspective 80 megawatts is enough to supply 160 thousand people with energy and Israel is planning to build one with 500 megawatts. That is enough energy to provide one million people with clean, and renewable energy.

Hypothetically if Israel had 87 square miles filled with solar panels they could generate enough energy to supply power to the whole country of 8 million people. This project is an incredible step towards effective renewable energy.

Questions:

1. Why doesn't the United States start to develop a network of solar panels?
2. How large a piece of land do you think we would need to power all  the people in the USA?

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/45123#.Vk89gnpOI4Y

What is Sleep Paralysis, and is it real? by Stephanie Ruiz

What is Sleep Paralysis, and is it real?

Sleep Paralysis is the sensation of not being able to move when falling asleep or waking up. Your mind is alert and your eyes can see, but the rest of your body is paralysed. Hallucinations are very common, these range from hearing things, sensing a presence and seeing “demons” in the room. On average these experiences last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, in some rare cases they may even last hours. Sleep paralysis is harmless but it may lead to anxiety and difficulty sleeping. Some people may experience sleep paralysis once or twice in their life, others may have it more often. It's more common among teenagers and young adults.

When you sleep your body releases chemicals to stop you from thrashing around during REM, when your experience vivid dreams. This chemical locks down everything in your body except your eyes and your diaphragm, so you won’t act your your dreams. This chemical release may still occur when you are waking up causing you to not be able to move.

There is no cure for sleep paralysis but by getting regular sleep and not using your phone or watching tv before you sleep can help relieve this.

At the beginning of this year, a documentary called The Nightmare was made, which focuses on sleep paralysis and it gives the viewer a sense of what happens when someone goes through this phenomenon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoPsjWqvwT4

1. Have any of you experienced sleep paralysis? If yes, can you tell what you experienced?

2. Why do you think this affects teens and young adults more?