Earliest known T. Rex relative may have been found

           The earliest known relative of the T. Rex and all other meat-eating dinosaurs was discovered this week. The 4 foot 15 pound creature lived 230 million years ago in what is now South America, and has been nick named Eudromaeusmurphi, for Eodromaeus. The creature lived during the time referred to as  the "dawn of the age of dinosaurs," a rather unclear period in dinosaur history. The Eodromaeus is part of the theropod lineage, which includes all dinosaurs that were predators. Another dinosaur once thought to be of the same theropod family was the Eoraptor, a small reptile that also ran on two legs. However, it has recently been discovered that the Eoraptor was in fact an early ancestor of the sauropod lineage, a group that includes giant long necked herbivores. It was discovered that the two were unrelated due to the difference in facial features, such as size of nostrils, or placement of teeth. Despite their differences, their similarities have supported the suggestion that there were three main groups of dinosaurs, sauropods, theropods, and "bird-hipped" ornthischians shared a body plan, proving that the three groups are indeed very similar.

           

          This article is important to society because it sheds light on the evolutionary process that has been in effect for millions of years before humans. This article is also is important to society because it proves that new discoveries are being made every day, and that man is neither omnipotent or omniscient in concerns of the planet and nature, providing more reason for its conservation. I chose this article because both dinosaurs and evolution interest me.

             

          Though the article was interesting and easy to read, it lacked scientific facts or specifics. It was short of information concerning the Eodromaeus and its discoverers, and was somewhat vague in most of its claims.The article also failed to provide information on the future of Eodromaeus' discovery, and what it will mean for archeologist for years to come.  Despite its short comings, the article served its purpose, which was to share information in a comprehendible manner. 

Roach, John. " Earliest known T. Rex relative may have been found" 1/13/11 MSNBC

posted for C. Nagy     

Figures on Global Climate Show 2010 Tied 2005 as the Hottest Year on Record

     Global warning has become one of the greatest issues in the world. Signs of this grave catastrophe have recently become more apparent. Increase in average temperatures and fluke weather patterns have created concerns amongst the scientific world. 2010 has been a climatologically remarkable year. Between the prodigious snowstorms that broke records in the United States and Europe, record-breaking heat waves in Russia, and strong floods in Pakistan, Australia, California, and Tennessee; it is safe to say that concern is necessary. It is clear that these abnormalities stem from human innovations. The carbon dioxide level has increased about 40 percent since the Industrial Revolution. Also 2010 has been one of the hottest years since 1800, aside from 2005. The average temperature has risen 1.17 degrees Fahrenheit

     The author takes an alarmist stance when writing this article. It does not seem that all of the facts regarding this issue were displayed. Although it is an imminent issue, there are other perspectives on it. Many political figures would choose to differ on this stance.  However I believe that global warming is an issue in which our generation is forced to deal with. Many should be more cautious in how they consume energy. The resources we have are not infinite, so we should sparingly use them.  

Gillis, Justin. "Figures on Global Climate Show 2010 Tied 2005 as the Hottest Year on Record." The New York Times 12 Jan. 2011: n. pag. Web. 13 Jan. 2011.

posted for N. Malik

Smarter Than You Think- When Computers Keep Watch

This article is about the advantages and disadvantages of a new type of camera that can identify things such as moods, heart rate, forgotten tasks, and personal information.  This same technology can be found in gadgets such as smart phones and computers. Most people recognize this program with their photography application on their computers in which the software recognizes the faces of people in the picture and matches them with other photographs with the same person in it. A study last spring that took place in a West Virginia penitentiary proved that this technology was a great help in stopping fights within the prison walls.  In this study, prison guards dressed up as inmates and stirred trouble on the grounds. Cameras that were set up immediately identified that there was a problem in the prison and notified all of the guards by text message that there was an incident and where it was taking place. It also identified the face that had thrown the first punch because it can detect motion and zoom in on the face of the individual. This technology can be seen as revolutionary for that it can now help find missing children and Alzheimer’s patients who have wandered off at night. These cameras can be used in schoolyards, shopping malls, offices, hospitals, subway platforms, and stadiums.         

I chose this article because I had found this technology not only interesting, but how it can advance society in many different ways. I also find how controversial these camera and computers are alarming. This is due to the fact that many find these cameras as an invasion of privacy. Google’s new application, googles,  allows for individuals to take pictures with their phones and send in that photo to find a picture of the same thing online. For example, if one was to take a picture of the Eiffel tower, they would send it in to Google and they would in return send another picture of the Eiffel tower back to them. Google has had many complaints due to the fact that many people’s houses and personal properties are now visible to everyone. Google has since blurred out the properties that had complained. This application also brings up all the information of the item in the picture, such as, the address and the occupant.  Google is not the only source that is doing this. Yahoo, iMac, and Microsoft all have a hand in this. Further research is going underway due to the amount of complaints. Edward E. Schmitt, the executive of Google had commented, “It was just too sensitive, and we didn’t want to go there. You want to avoid enabling stalking behavior.” There have also been cases where these same cameras detect your mood by tracking the brain patterns along with the heart rate.

             

          I believe this article was very well written and informative. The only problem I had found was that it said that these cameras were used for many different uses but had only really explained one.

Lohr, Steve. "Smarter Than You Think- When Computers Keep Watch." New York Times. 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 5 Jan. 2011. 

posted for L. Dowe

Blunders Abounded Before Gulf Spill, Panel Says

          The presidential panel that was named to study the accident of the Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has concluded that it was not completely an accident and that there were many failures and blunders by the companies involved in drilling the well and the government regulators assigned to police them. The companies BP and Transocean were two of many subcontractors working for the site. These companies took many hazardous and time saving steps which led to many risks and in the end to major oil spill. The panel found that company officials had failed to consult with one another on critical decisions and many of the senior officials were not paying close attention at all to the problems that were slowly starting to occur in the gulf. On April 20th the well erupted causing an explosion killing 11 men and spilling nearly five million barrels of oil into the gulf. The panel realized that if theses companies and head senior officials paid more attention to problems and didn’t try to take short cuts to save time and money this would not have happened.

          I thought that this was a good article because it has a big affect on our society. The oil spill ruined the gulf and has killed many species of animals, plants, and wildlife. This is an important article for people to read because although it was a terrible tragic event, many believe that it was just one huge accident. This article proves that that is not the case. There were multiple different times and people that could have said something or done something to prevent this catastrophe.

          This article had both strengths and weaknesses. Its strengths were that it gave detailed information on who could have made a difference to stop this, but didn’t and also how the different companies are trying to respond. The only weakness I could think of was in the beginning it did not really explain what they were talking about, incase the reader was unfamiliar with this tragic world known event.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/science/earth/06spill.html?

Border, John M. "Blunders Abounded Before Gulf Spill, Panel Says." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 5 Jan. 2011.

Detecting Tuberculosis: No Microscopes, Just Rats.

Jack Deasy 

                This article is about how rats are a new way to test for tuberculosis. All you have to do is get a sputum and from this the rat is able to smell it and determine if it is in fact tuberculosis or just an other disease. This can prove to be very useful because it is much more cost efficient then the method used today. The method used today costs $17,000 for the machine and $17 for each sample that is tested. Once the rats are born they teach them how to discover if it is tuberculosis or not. When a rat detects a positive sample they are rewarded and when they do not they receive nothing.

                I think that this article affects most people in the world. The reason is that if they have found a cheaper and faster way to determine if patients do indeed have tuberculosis, this could save many lives. This would allow for more people to take the test and perhaps have this disease identified much sooner.

                I think that overall this was a well written article. I think that it was a little confusing, but overall did a good job at presenting the information.

Bakalar, Nicholas. Detecting Tuberculosis: No Microscopes, Just Rats. New York City: n.p., 2011. Web. 5 Jan. 2011.
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/health/04tb.html?ref=science.