The team named it "Shady" after nearby town Shadehill.https://www.cbs8.com/article/life/animals/triceratops-skull-south-daokta/67-84d9488b-50ba-4eaa-9ea5-01605355ad08
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Hummingbird True Facts
An interesting and entertaining look at Hummingbirds that will leave you with more knowledge about this unique creature than you ever dreamed possible. This is the latest video in the True Facts series from Ze Frank. Each episode is like a miniature science lesson from a teacher full of humor and sarcasm that any student would find entertaining
Wednesday, August 12, 2020
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Virtual Book Discussion - September 8 - Gulp
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
In GULP Roach presents the facts of the research while giving her little interpretations and feelings upon the subject but other than that she gives the reader a chance to interpret the research themselves. For this, Roach somewhat reveals her opinion to the reader but in a way that makes it clear to the reader that she believes in this while it could be interpreted in other ways.
We first learn about the impact of smell on our eating habits. Smell makes the first impact on our choices of what to eat. Also what is mentioned in the first chapter about smell that disappointed me is to learn that the United States is the olive oil “dumping ground”.
Then Roach travels to a pet-food taste-test lab where she learns about the science behind how to make the coating of tasty foods for animals. Hands down this is my favorite chapter because I find it so interesting how scientists can interact with animals who can not communicate with them. So it is a lot of trial and error experiments. One experiment that Roach discussed was how rodents reacted with either a sugary solution or bitter solution. If it was sugary they would lick all over themselves to get the well-liked taste and if it was bitter the rodents would try to get the solution off of them.
Then Roach talks about the cultural influences on eating. It is interesting to think that where we live shapes our appetite. For example, if I were to live in Alaska I might like more gamey meat than I do right now.
Then Roach talks about the process of chewing and the benefits of it. Then the book travels to the stomach and meet William Beaumont who teaches us the acid juices that are in the stomach and how they kill bacteria. Also Beaumont emphasizes on the fact that digestion is chemical, not mechanical.
We then learn about saliva and more about chewing at an oral-processing lab. We also learn about Jianshe Chen’s amazing knowledge of knowing “the minimum number of chews required to ready a McVitie’s Digestive biscuit for the swallow (eight)” (137).
After, we go inside a whale to debunk the legend of William Beaumont who was said to be eaten by a whale. Roach debunks the story by explaining the gastric acid and pepsin in the whale would have killed him.
Then we learn about the scary story of eaten mealworms eating whoever ate them. But through research, we learn it is not true.
Roach then talks about a man given the name Mr. L who overdosed on opium pills and was getting his stomach pumped, but the doctors did not know they pumped too much and he died. Roach also talks about why we feel full. It is because our stomach stretches which signals our brain that we are full.
We then learn the uses of taking advantage of the anal’s function (as a storage space). We learn about the criminal acts that smuggle items into prison by putting something in one’s anus (keistering). Then Roach informs us on defecation (pooping).
After, Roach talks about the bacteria that is in our colon and the hydrogen and methane in our digestive track.
We then learn about flatulence. Then Roach amusingly talks about the study of smelling flatulence, and the three sulfuric gasses that make the smell of flatulence.
After, Roach talks about eating rectally which took me by surprise. I never heard of anything like that. It is used to postpone death when someone is in a very unhealthy state but not sustain life. But the downfall of eating rectally is that the colon and rectum can not absorb large molecules: fat and protein.
Then we learn about mega-colons, and how the constipation of having a mega-sized colon can lead to death. This was sadly the case for The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.
Lastly, we learn about fecal transplants which takes bacteria from one person’s colon and implants it into another person’s colon.
The end result, Roach presents an easy way for the reader to understand the unusual yet complex topics discussed in GULP.
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