Interesting Science Topics

Target and Walmart: Forensics Powerhouses

2017-06-26T08:14:00.001-07:00

A Forensics officer starts to work on a new case. To get into his lab, he must go through a state of the art hand scanner and enter a very distinctive password. As he enters the lab he starts to go over all the video surveillance and the take data within the objects left at the crime scene. Although his case is a serious one, his job certainly doesn't match the part. He is a Target employee.

Many Target superstores are just like the one above, with hidden laboratories inside to solve many various crimes from simple retail crimes that happen in Target to felonies that are given to them by the law bureaus that can't do it by themselves. In fact, Target's own forensics may be better than the own police forensics. This is because unlike the public police department, Target is a private corporation, thus they have no limits on how much they can spend on their forensics team. But the police department does have a limit because it is government funded. Not to mention the fact that police department has loads of cases just flowing. For their forensics team to analyze and focus on one case it would take a very long time to get results back. So on very special occasions, they send their cases to the Target forensics team to have them deal with it. And Target's forensics team is top of the line, Target has spent a lot of money getting good equipment and hiring a very experienced forensics team.They have monitors and surveillance that can look at any store. These Target forensics teams are no joke. Now, you're probably extremely confused, why would Target need a forensics team? Well let's backtrack for a little bit. Well put yourself in the shoes of a CEo of one of the biggest supermarket conglomerates in the world. There is going to be a lot of theft, and a lot of crimes occurring in your stores. However, things have gotten so heated that people have been murdered within a Target store before. In fact there has been a recent crime in 2016 of a murder committed by two brothers in Oakland who have been charged for stabbing a 36 year old man inside a Target store. So as you can see, these crimes aren't to be taken lightly. Thus, Target decided to take matters into its own hands and start to create a forensics team. At first, they were focused on their own retail crimes but once the police caught wind of it they decided to send a few of their own cases. in fact, Target is willing to help solve these cases for free.

They've been doing a good job so far, and if you were to go onto Target's website right now you can find a future career in their forensics team. In addition to this, Walmart has decided to jump onto the bandwagon as well with their own forensics team. So if you're ever in Target or Walmart, don't try to sneak that delicious candy bar you want so much. Just pay for the damn thing because their forensics team will probably be watching you as you're reading this.

Lightning Hits this Place for 300 Nights...

2016-10-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the intersection between Catatumbo River and Lake Maracaibo in northwestern Venezuela is victim to lightning strikes 300 times a year and lightning flashes several times over one second? It holds the world's most lightning bolts per kilometer squared. This is created from the cool air from the Andes that mixes with the warm air from the Caribbean Sea causing this very unusual weather phenomenon.

Halloween Fact 1: The Silly String Fine

2016-10-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you could be fined 1,000 dollars for using or selling silly string on Halloween in Hollywood? This fine started when thousands of people in Hollywood were so bored they went and bought silly string. Thus, they took it upon themselves to start vandalizing the streets of Hollywood, as a side note some people bought it illegally. Unfortunately, the city didn't take this too lightly, thus if you use or sell Silly String in Hollywood from 12:01 am on Oct. 31 to 12:00 pm on Nov. 1, you might get a fine that caps at 1,000 dollars. Talk about an expensive holiday!

Coming Back from the Dead

2016-10-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

Coming Back from the Dead

Hey guys, it's been a while so I thought I would do something along the lines of Genetics. Also, I feel this would be sort of festive with Halloween coming up, so I thought this would be appropriate for this month's post.
Remember those times when you watched all those horror movies that had to do with monsters and zombies that came back from the dead? Well now, that may actually be a possibility. Scientists have recently found a bacteria called Deinococcus radiodurans which is able to withstand very extreme UV radiation and heat. In fact, it doesn't technically survive under these conditions because it actually destroys the bacteria's genome and breaks it apart into hundreds of fragments of DNA. Then in a few hours it reassembles all the fragments back into it's original genome, thus bringing it back to life. Unlike most bacteria, Deinococcus radiodurans doesn't divide rapidly, instead it has evolved to become more robust to its environment. It is similar the neuron cells in our body, Deinococcus radiodurans carries two copies of its genomes. So what is really behind this weird magic trick?

The Process of Resurrection
When the genome initially breaks apart, it shatters into hundreds of double-helix DNA fragments. Proteins then come to break down the ends of the fragments which created single stranded DNA which are called "tails". Those tails were then called "sticky ends" since they could combine with each other. But they sticky ends must be complimentary to each other. This basically means that the sequence of nucleic bases must be the opposite of the other, and so they attract. (Ex: Adenine is attracted to Thymine, and Guanine is attracted to Cytosine.) A protein helps organize the strands of DNA into circular chromosomes that help make up the bacteria's characteristics. After the genome is back together again, then the bacteria cell can create proteins, lipids, and the membranes. Because of the bacteria's strong tolerance to the most extreme conditions scientists are very excited about new applications of this technique and what this could mean towards the future of health and genetics.
Habitat
It has numerous habitats that it lives in but since researchers have commonly found it in various soils it has been classified as a soil bacteria. Usually, it is cultured from elephant dung and doesn't have any significant interactions with other organisms making it practically harmless.
History
Deinococcus radiodurans was the first discovered in 1956 by Arthur W. Anderson in Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station in Corvallis,Oregon, It had been found in a can of meat which had been treated with very large amounts of radiation to sterilize it from hazardous bacteria. It's complete DNA sequence was first published in 1999 by TIGR. It's durability was put to the test and finally Scientists came found that Deinococcus can survive up to 1,000 times that amount of radiation that would kill a regular human being.
Applications
This mechanism of resurrection has paved a very bright future in the areas of health and biotechnology. For example, scientists believe that they can use this mechanism to help the regeneration of neuron cells inside the human body. In fact, we may be able to utilize this to bring life back to various types of cells in our bodies.
This post might be a little short, don't worry I'll post one or two more in this month. Hope you guys enjoyed this fun little post!

The Pentagon

2016-09-17T07:09:00.001-07:00

Did you know that the Pentagon is 17.5 miles long? General Eisenhower got lost in the Pentagon trying to find his office.

The Winged Misconception

2016-09-13T16:53:00.001-07:00

Did you know that the 1903 Wright Flyer exhibit that we all know and love was not donate until a matter of decades? This was because Orville Wright was furious that the Smithsonian Museum tried to save face for the sake of Samuel Langley who experimented with the Langley Aerodrome which crashed 9 days before the Wright Brothers took flight. They altered the Aerodrome and called it the first machine "capable" of manned flight. Thus, Orville tried to correct this by donating his flying machine to the London Science Museum in 1925. Finally, in the 1940s, the Smithsonian corrected the mistake and Orville donated the invention a year before his death.

A Shallow Attack

2016-09-12T18:18:00.001-07:00

Did you know that a shark attack on a human usually happens in less than 6 feet 6 inches of calm water with a relatively short distance from shore. This is a common misconception with many people who believe shark attacks happen in very deep waters isolated from an sight of land.

3D Printing in Gold

2016-09-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can use various materials for 3D printing? Some of these materials include gold, sliver, titanium, wood, and ceramics. 3D printers can now have the capability to 3D print prosthetics to 3D printing jewelry.

Permanent Footprints

2016-09-11T18:22:00.001-07:00

Did you know that the Apollo astronauts' footprints on the moon will stay there for approximately 100 million years? This is because the Moon has no atmosphere so there is no wind or water to erode the footprints away. However, there are micrometeorites that hit the moon so erosion is still taking place but at a slower rate.

The Fifth Leg

2016-09-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

Did you know that a walking kangaroo's tail works just as hard as an average human's leg at strolling speed? The tail acts as a fifth leg for the kangaroo and helps make the hop of the kangaroo more effective. If you want more about kangaroos visit National Geographic!

Man's Best Friend: The First Living Thing to Orbit the Earth (and come back alive)

2016-09-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know two dogs named Belka and Strelka were the first living organisms to orbit the Earth?

Their real names were Albina and Markiza but they were renamed because the country's leadership didn't like foreign names. In August 1960, they orbited the Earth 15 times and their voyage was a little over 24 hours. When they returned from space they were studied to see what impact space had on their bodies. After, they died natural deaths and were old in age. Today, Belka and Strelka are located at the Cosmonautics Memorial Museum in Moscow.

Hitler's Capital: Oxford older than the Aztecs

2016-09-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Note:
September, the month where a new year of school begins for many. Since it is that time of the year, I wanted to make a post dedicated to education! I will upload another post really soon after this one. I hope you enjoy!

Oxford University

Oxford University is one of the oldest universities that are still operational to this day. But, it seems as though Oxford University is never really considered ancient in our books. In fact, Oxford University was around since the Aztec Empire. However, when we think about Aztecs, we associate this civilization with ancient in our timeline. Just the thought that the Oxford University today was around the same time Aztecs were busy sacrificing themselves and Spanish Conquistadors were still looking for gold, is a little weird. Let's go way back to the founding of Oxford University.
There is no clear date for when Oxford University was actually founded, but there was some form of teaching at Oxford during 1096. It developed quickly from 1167. This was when Henry II banned English Students from attending the University of Paris. In 1188, Gerald of Wales, a historian, gave a public reading to the Oxford dons. In 1190, Emo of Friesland attended Oxford becoming the first known overseas student. This started Oxford's University's tradition of international scholarly links. In 1231, the masters were recognized as a universitas or corporation. Later in the 13th century, rioting between the townspeople of Oxford and the students caused the hasty creation of the very first halls of residence for the students of Oxford University. These halls were quickly replaced by Oxford's first colleges, which originally began as medieval 'halls of residence' or endowed houses supervised by a Master. The oldest colleges are Balliol and Merton Colleges, which were established between 1249 and 1264. Soon Oxford was given praises from popes, kings, and sages because of its antiquity, curriculum, doctrine, and privileges. In 1355, Edward III paid tribute to Oxford for its contribution to learning. Oxford University was Royalist during the Civil War, and Charles I held a counter-Parliament in Convocation House. Later, in the later 17th century, the Oxford philosopher John Locke was suspected of treason and had to escape the country. The University assumed a strong leading role in the Victorian era, and contributed significantly to religious controversy. From 1833 and on The Oxford Movement wanted to revitalize the Catholic aspects of the Anglican Church. A well known leader was John Henry Newman, he became a Roman Catholic in 1845 and was later made a Cardinal. 15 years later, the new University Museum was the scene of very well known debate between Thomas Huxley, the champion of evolution, and Bishop Wilberforce. From 1878, academic halls were established for women and were admitted full membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges of Oxford University first admitted women in 1974 and after all colleges have admitted women and men. This is a brief history of Oxford University.
If you ever visit Oxford here are some interesting facts that could make things a little more interesting (not saying that Oxford is boring!).

1. Adolf Hitler planned to make Oxford his capital if he ever took over England. This is why it was not bombed during World War II.
2. Sir Roger Bannister ran the four minute mile in Oxford in 1954. He was a medical student at Oxford University.
3. Bob Hawke, a former Australian Prime Minister, broke the Guinness World Record for drinking a yard of ale in 11 seconds at Oxford University.
4. The formal word for somebody from Oxford is Oxonian.
5. The Oxford Comma is Oxford's own grammatical use for a comma.
6. Oxford is one degree west of the Prime Meridian, thus 5 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time. This is shown by the bell Great Tom, which rings 101 times during 9:05 pm every evening.
7. For all of you Harry Potter fans out there, Oxford University is where the Great Hall in Harry Potter was filmed. The place in Oxford University is called the Christ Church College. Christ Church College is also where Lewis Carroll was inspired to write Alice in Wonderland.

Besides the history and the interesting facts, Oxford University is one of the leading universities in the world. For all of you people going to Oxford University, it is truly a great honor. A lot of respect goes out to you guys. If you ever get the chance, visit Oxford University sometime. It is really wonderful and a memorable experience. Have a nice day guys!

Kiwi

2016-08-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Did you know the kiwi was originally called the "Chinese Gooseberry" but was later changed due to the name being negatively associated with the Cold War?

The iPad over the iPhone

2016-08-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the first thing that came out was the iPad instead of the iPhone? Apple began exploring tablet devices way before the idea of an iPhone took shape. In fact, Steve Jobs during an interview that Apple was researching tablet designs with a virtual keyboard, they came back with a multi touch function and Steve Jobs thought to apply this to a phone. Thus, they began working on the iPhone.

The Slow Eater

2016-08-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Did you know it takes a giant panda up to 16 hours to eat bamboo? This is because bamboo is very poor in nutrition, thus pandas must to consume 20 kg of bamboo to meet their dietary needs.

Technology over Hygiene?

2016-08-20T14:06:00.001-07:00

Did you know that there are 6.8 billion people in the world and 4 billion use a mobile phone? But only 3.5 billion of them use a toothbrush.

Gazelles

2016-08-19T17:17:00.001-07:00

Did you know when Gazelles jump it actually slows the Gazelles down when it is being chased by a predator? It is used as a taunt to show the how fit the Gazelle is. This technique is called stotting.

Jedi are Real

2016-08-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

Did you know Jedism is a real religion where people believe in the ways of The Force?
Over 53,000 people in New Zealand listed themselves as Jedi in New Zealand's 2001 census. Although it was not counted, it would have been the second largest religion in New Zealand.
It is also the 4th largest religion in England and Wales. In Australia, more than 70,000 people, which is 0.37% of the total population listed themselves as part of the Jedi order in the 2001 census as well.
Are you part of the Jedi?

The Decoy

2016-08-13T15:20:00.001-07:00

Did you know when in danger, lizards have the ability to lose their tail to distract and confuse their predator? The tail that was left will then move to give time for the lizard to escape while the predator is confused. The tail will then grow back slimmer and in a different color.

Leonardo da Vinci

2016-08-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

Did you know Leonardo da Vinci drew plans for a humanoid machine in 1945. Later Engineer Mark Rosheim created a functional mini version to help NASA colonize Mars.

The Amazing Water Bear

2016-08-10T17:55:00.001-07:00

The Amazing Water Bear

You think Superman may be the most indestructible hero in the DC Universe. These living water bears may be the next best thing in our reality.

Water bears, also known as Tardigrades, can live in the most extreme conditions found on Earth. The tardigrade is so resilient it can even survive in outer space! Outer space is as extreme as it can get for a living organism. Not only that but these water bears are able to curl up into dry dehydrated balls in survive for decades without any hydration. Then you can animate them back to a lively state in seconds with a single drop of water! Many scientists can find them in hot springs or in layers of ice on Himalayan mountaintops.
Many scientists have tested the limits of these hardy tardigrades. They were tested where they survived being frozen at -328 degrees Fahrenheit or heated to more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and are even capable of coming out unscathed from pressures as powerful as 6000 times that of the Earth's atmosphere. They are capable of surviving doses radiation that are thousands of times stronger than the amount needed to be fatal to an average human being. If you want to go so extreme a group of European researchers in 2007 exposed a group of dehydrated tardigrades to the vacuum and solar radiation of outer space for ten days. When they descended to Earth and rehydrated, 68 percent of them that were shielded from the radiation lived. Even a couple of tardigrades that were exposed with no radiation protection came back to life and could produce healthy offspring.

So how can these tardigrades survive in such harsh conditions? Well, this is because they have a unique feature that allows them to immerse into a dehydrated state that simulating death or is very similar to death. When their environment puts stress on them, a tardigrade only has to curl up into a dry and death like state called a tun, which helps reduce metabolic activity which can be as low as .01 percent of normal levels. Thus, to get to the tun state the tardigrade produces a special protective sugar called trehalose, which forms a gel-like medium. This preserves the organelles and membranes that make up the organism's cells. In this form, the water bear can survive for decades and even longer periods of time. For instance, scientists were able to take dehydrated tardigrades that were in a museum sample of dried moss that was more than 100 years old and brought them back to life. However, the longer the tardigrade is in this state it's chances of being brought back to life get lower.
The tun is not the only form that the tardigrade has. In fact this creature has various other forms it is capable of transforming into when necessary in a certain environment it is living in. For example, if the oxygen in their water medium decreases so low that they cannot use enough oxygen for respiration they will stretch out into a long relaxed state where their metabolic rate is reduced but their muscles will be relaxed enough to let in as much water and oxygen into their cells as possible. In addition, if the temperature in a tardigrade's environment drops abruptly to below freezing, it would form a special cold-resistant tun, with molecules that help prevent the formation of large ice crystals that could potentially cell membranes.
Tardigrades surprisingly have the most foreign DNA of any animal known to man. Tardigrades do not belong to any known Phylum. Most of you probably thought they belonged with the Arthropods. The tardigrade has it's own special phylum made just for them called Tardigrada. But, doesn't it have the anatomy of an arthropod? Well that is not the case, the anatomy of the tardigade is not like a typical Arthropod although it does have eight legs and might put it into the Arachnids. On the contrary, the tardigrade has a head region of an arthropod put a short body with four fuse segments unlike an arthropod. Extending from the body are 8 unjointed limbs with several sharp claws on the ends. They have no specialized organs of circulation or respiration, and the alimentary canal goes from one end of the body and out the other. The tardigrade has stylets near the mouth that helps pierce individual plant cells and suck out the cell contents. However, some tardigrades are carnivores.

Watch out for these fearsome creatures, they could be lurking in the infinite depths of outer space or just feasting on your grass in the backyard. I hope you enjoyed today's blog post!

Mars

2016-08-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know only 16 out of 39 Mars missions have actually been successful?

Llamas

2016-02-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know that llamas have three stomachs? Did you also know that llamas even have their own font? Use it here.

Black Holes

2016-02-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

Did you know that from the perspective of a person A watching person B travel into a black hole it seems that the person B is getting slower and slower? That is because according to Einstein's general relativity the faster you go towards the speed of light it seems time slows down. Thus, when person B travels into the black hole, the black hole warps time and space creating the perception that person B seems to be getting slower.

Dogs

2016-02-21T06:58:00.002-08:00

Did you know dogs have a special membrane called the tapetum lucidum that allows them to see in the dark?