Supermoon 2017

Get your cameras ready.  Tonight is the supermoon.  The first and only supermoon in 2017 (there will be two more in January 2018).

http://www.newsweek.com/supermoon-2017-how-take-picture-moon-your-phone-729106

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/30/us/supermoon-2017/index.html

https://www.space.com/38969-supermoon-trilogy-kicks-off-dec-3.html

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/Super-Frost-Moon-Will-Light-Up-Your-Sky-This-Weekend-461496903.html


Even though this has nothing to do with cells, microscopes or cell transport, I still think it is totally cool science.  I want you to take a picture, time lapse video, or even try to get artsy and get a cool horizon picture.  The best viewing will be at the moon rise and moon set.  I would like you to put your picture in a Google Document and put the link to your Google Document in your post.  If you are on social media, post your picture with #cnnweather and #supermoon and #werclc.  In order to get on the WGN news, upload your pictures to WGN.

http://chicagoweathercenter.com/photos

So this is another easy blog post, but you will get the best shot if you do it tonight.  Good luck.  I can't wait to see your photos.

If you missed the supermoon last night, you can still do the blog post.  Find a cool picture that someone else took of the supermoon and post the site.

Holiday Photos

What if people sent electron microscope pictures instead of holiday cards?  I guess it wouldn't be quite as nostalgic and you wouldn't see how much your cousins have changed in that year that they were off at college.  However, electron microscope images are super cool. Below is a cool SEM image of a snowflake.

Here is a cool TEM image of a small pox virus.  Remember TEM images are 2-D images of the inside of an object with greater magnification than the SEM.

Your assignment this week is to find one really cool electron microscope image.  It can either be SEM (will be 3-D and show the outside of an object) or TEM (2-D and the inside of an object).  Please put the link in your response since blogger won't allow you to insert pictures.  In your response, explain what your image is, what type of microscope, total magnification if possible and why you like it.  Post early, because I don't want any repeats if possible.  So be sure to look at the pictures that have been posted before you.

The surprisingly charming science of your gut

I listened to this Ted Talk podcast on my way up to the Science Teacher Convention on Friday morning.  Immediately, I thought of my awesome Honors Biology classes and how much you would love this.

You can either watch the video above or listen to the podcast in the link below:

https://play.radiopublic.com/ted-talks-daily-69aZB6/ep/s1!1f1a9e47206f32d17afa0c1998e1e3b8350df523

What do you think?  Can you think of a time when your emotions and stress caused you digestive problems?  Do you think mental health is linked to digestion?

Write a scholarly paragraph with at least five sentences about the Ted Talk.  Then please respond to at least one of your peers.

Frog Farming

As we prepare to dissect frogs this week, I thought it would be interesting to learn about frog farming.  In class, we are dissecting frogs to learn more about the digestive system.  Usually students ask where the frogs come from that we dissect.  All the grass frogs we dissect are ordered from a scientific supply company.  However in the 1930's, there was a get-rich-quick push for everyday Americans to raise giant frogs.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/frog-farming-1930s-failure-ponds-canning-legs-conservation

https://mdc.mo.gov/property/pond-stream-care/ponds-fish-frog-management/frog-farming-facts

Have you ever eaten frog legs?  Do you know that most of the frogs that are served in America actually come from Indochina?  This week, you will read one of the two articles above.  In a scholarly paragraph, write a brief summary of what you learned.  Please share at least two facts that you didn't know before.  In conclusion, I want you to give some frog trivia.  For example, I would end my summary with....Did you know that a group of frogs is called an army?  or  The largest frog is the Goliath frog which is up to a foot long and can weigh up to 7 pounds.

Halloween Candy, Food Coma and Scary Music... oh my

This Tuesday is Halloween and to get in the spirit, I thought I would share one of my favorite Jimmy Kimmel clips.  I absolutely love the brothers at the end of this clip.  If you have time to kill this week between school work and trick-or-treating, you should look at more of the "I Ate All of Your Halloween Candy Clips."  Jimmy Kimmel has been doing this challenge for about six years and he says he will continue the challenge until kids get smarter and realize it is all a joke.

During third hour this week, we had a little extra time on Thursday so some of you picked out some excellent blog topics.

1.  Food Comas

2.  Halloween is not a treat for your Digestive System

3.  The Future of Medical Technology Video Clip:

4.  Why is Scary Music Scary?

All of the options above are either related to digestion, Halloween, or biology in some way or another.  (Thanks 3rd hour...you guys rock.)  You can pick which option you would like to either read or watch.  Write a scholarly paragraph about what you learned.  Your paragraph should be at least five sentences long.  Also, I would like to to respond to at least one of your peers.  Do you have an idea for a future blog post?  Please email it to me.

Got Milk

This week we will wrap up our unit on Chemistry.  In class last week we discussed whether or not you liked milk.  I would say that our class is about 50/50 on the milk issue.  This is a super interesting video put out by the Howard Hughes Institute about lactose tolerance and evolution.  Essentially, one video actually ties together three different units in Honors Biology:  Biochemistry, Enzymes and Digestion and finally Evolution. 

What causes lactose persistence?  Normally, what happens to our ability to digest lactose as we get older?  What is the enzyme that helps break apart lactose into glucose and galactose?  What caused the different mutations in the Finnish and the African people?  Was it the same mutation?  Why is milk good for you?  What was the factor that helped "weed out" the people that were not able to digest lactose? 

Your assignment this week is to watch the video and answer some of the questions above in a well constructed paragraph.  Also in your paragraph I want you to state whether or not you like milk.  Additionally, I would like you to state whether your family likes milk and where your family's ancestors are from.  In addition to your post, you will also need to respond to at least one of your peers. 

Chicago Pop Party

Do you remember learning about the Boston Tea Party in History class?  You know the one where the colonists got mad about the tax on tea and dumped the tea into the Boston Harbor?

I couldn't help but think about how ironic it would have been if Chicago had done the same thing to show outrage over the Cook County Soda Pop Tax.  Okay, environmentally it would have been a nightmare and been horrible for Lake Michigan, but the Cook County Soda Tax caused some major tension in Chicago.

A new study from the World Health Organization says that about 25% of all American teenagers are obese.  The soda tax was an attempt to raise over $1 billion dollars by taxing all sugary drinks a penny an ounce.  Twofold, the tax would raise money for Cook County at the same time it was discouraging young people from drinking sugary drinks.

This week I want your opinion about the Cook County Soda Tax.  Are you for the tax or against the tax and why?

1.  The Cook County Government Site:
https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/sweetened-beverage-tax

2.  Chicago Tribune from 2016
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-cook-county-soda-pop-tax-vote-met-1111-20161110-story.html

3.  USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/10/11/soda-tax-fizzles-out-chicago-area-after-clash-over-health-taxes-sales/753600001/

4.  Chicago Tribune from this week
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-soda-tax-repeal-suffredin-1012-20171011-story.html

5.  The Economist
https://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2017/10/fizzled-0

6.  The Daily Herald
http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20171014/why-the-cook-county-soda-tax-failed

You will write a five sentence paragraph stating your opinion about the soda tax.  In your paragraph, you must provide evidence to support your stance from one of the articles above.  State which article you read to find your evidence.  The first article is from the actual government site, but the other five articles are valid newspapers or magazines.  Please do not start your paragraph with "I read...."  Instead start right off the bat with your stance on the soda tax.  Then support your claim with evidence and reasoning just like a scientific paragraph.  Remember that sentences start with capital letters and end with periods.  Additionally, you should comment on at least one of your peer's posts.

Happy National Coffee Day

Did you know that last Thursday was National Coffee Day?  When I was your age, my mom not only wouldn't let my sisters and me near coffee, but she told us that caffeine actually stunted growth.  Because I was a puny freshman, I went nowhere near coffee until I got married in 2000.  By then I figured I was done growing and I could start enjoying coffee.

Caffeine is an alkaloid, meaning that is a nitrogen compound.  The scientific name is trimethylxanthine and it is highly water soluble.  Chemically it looks like this:

Caffeine:  How much is too much?
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678

Kids and Caffeine
https://www.today.com/health/kids-caffeine-may-be-dangerous-combination-new-study-suggests-1D79801666

Yes.  It is possible to overdose on caffeine.
http://www.health.com/nutrition/caffeine-overdose-symptoms

This week you can read one of the articles above about caffeine, or you can find your own article about caffeine.  If you chose to find your own article, please include the web address at the end of your post.  Are you pro-caffeine or anti-caffeine?  Do you think that high school kids drink coffee because they need the caffeine?  Are they drinking coffee just to look cool?  Do young people consume too much caffeine?  On the other hand, what are the benefits of drinking caffeine?  How much caffeine is okay?

Remember this should be a scholarly paragraph with at least 5 sentences.  I am not an English teacher, but I know that you should start a sentence with a capital letter and end with a period.  Also be sure to give evidence to support your claims.  Why do you think the way that you do?  What is the proof?  Additionally, you need to comment on at least one of your peer's posts.

Biodiversity and Invasive Species

This week we will wrap up Ecology with a look at biodiversity.  Watch the video clip below about biodiversity.  It does an excellent job of summarizing biodiversity.  I want you to come away from this video with a definition of biodiversity.

From Jamaica to Ireland to Japan and beyond, invasive species are an immense threat to biodiversity worldwide.  Initially, I thought I would have you write about one of the species that we talked about in class, the Asian Carp, the Burmese python or the Australian rabbits.  However, the more sites that I looked at the more I was enthralled by the wide variety of invasive species that are not only a threat to biodiversity, but they are entirely eliminating native species.  Pick one of the articles below and read about invasive species.

Asian Carp:
https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/ascarpover.htm

Australian Rabbits:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/04/08/2538860.htm

Burmese Python:
https://tackk.com/tn5tuq

Lionfish:
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/lionfish.html

Starfish:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/giant-sea-snail-plan-rescue-barrier-reef-030814192.html

Rodents:
https://www.islandconservation.org/gene-drive-island-birds-conservation/#

Sea Lamprey:
http://www.untamedscience.com/biodiversity/sea-lamprey/

Overview:
http://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/simberloff.html

Your assignment for this week is to write a scholarly paragraph of at least five sentences.  In your paragraph, I want you first to define biodiversity from the video clip.  Then I want you to cite a specific example of an invasive species and how it is limiting biodiversity.  I gave you seven different links above about different invasive species.  You only need to pick one of the invasive species.  In your paragraph explain why your invasive species is a problem and what the local authorities are doing to solve the problem.  This blog post will help you with one of the essays on the test.  If you want to discuss another invasive species that I did not list above, then just include the link to your article at the end of your blog post.  Also, you will need to comment on at least one of your peer's posts.

Dogs Have Feelings and Sea Lions Can Dance

OMG...another hurricane and more natural disasters.  I needed to read about something happy this morning.  Cute puppies and dancing sea lions definitely seemed the opposite of monster storms.

Above is a picture that I took of Gibson, our friends new puppy.  This past summer two of our friends got new puppies and my own sons were insanely jealous.  While I never had a pet growing up, I know that many of my students and most of my friends have pets.  The relationships between pets and their owners is that of true love.

In National Geographic this week, there was an article about dogs having feelings.  Do pets really love their owners?  Read the article below (Actually, it is a review of a book by Gregory Burns.):

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/09/dog-brain-feelings-mri-gregory-berns/

Your assignment this week is to write a scholarly paragraph about this article and the niche of a pet.  In your paragraph, define what a pet's niche is and if you have a pet how your specific pet fills the niche in your family.  Summarize the article and its findings.  What do you think?  Does your pet love you or just the food?  Be sure to mention the findings on both the sea lions and the relationship between brains and extinction.

Finally, I would like you to change your profile picture this week to a cute picture of a dog, pet or any other animal that would make us smile.

Hurricane Harvey

In the past week, Hurricane Harvey has reeked havoc on Houston, Texas and the southern part of the United States.  This week we are starting our unit on ecology.  What an appropriate way to introduce the study of the interactions between living organisms and their environment.  Not only have ecosystems been destroyed, but some of the biggest threats are unseen.  That flood water is teeming with bacteria, toxic sludge, and alligators.

Your assignment this week is to pick one of the articles or series below:

1.  Toxic Waste Sites Flooded in Texas:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/03/us/houston-texas-flood-aftermath/index.html

2.  Is Hurricane Harvey a Result of Global Warming:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/opinion/hurricane-harvey-global-warming.html?mcubz=0

3.  Health Threats from Hurricane Harvey: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/31/health/hurricane-harvey-health.html?mcubz=0

4.  How Labs are Coping with Hurricane Harvey:

http://www.nature.com/news/how-labs-are-coping-with-hurricane-harvey-s-devastating-floods-1.22542

5.  Or watch these clips about first responders:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/harvey-first-responders/?utm_term=.c43fdd1ffcd8

Read the article (or if you pick #5, watch the video clips).  You will write a scholarly paragraph about what you read.  Start by stating which article you read.  Then summarize the article in at least three sentences.  Somewhere in your summary, you must make a connection to ecology.  Try and use at least three new vocabulary words in your summary.  Conclude your response with your own opinion.  What do you think?  Where should Houston go from here?  What should President Trump do?  How can you help?

Remember that a descent paragraph should have at least five sentences, proper punctuation, correct spelling and grammar.  I am not an English teacher, but I do know what a scientific paragraph should look like.  Read the questions that I posted above and find examples to support what you think.  Please try to include additional research or other sites that I should investigate at the end of your response.  In addition to posting a response, I would like you to comment on at least one of your peers.  This is a public blog meaning anything that you post will be visible to the world, so put your best self out there.  I am going to share this link with your parents so they can see your work.

Fierce Moms

In honor of Mother's Day, this week's blog post will be about some fierce moms.  Pick one of the National Geographic articles below to read.

1.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/animals-mothers-pandas-spiders-octopus/

or

2.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/mating-insects-frogs-scorpions-babies-newborns/

or

 3.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/04/150428-mothers-day-carrying-babies-animals-science-spiders/

or

4.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/160505-animals-mothers-day-holiday-culture/

or watch these:

Please write a paragraph about what you learned or watched.  Or you can find another cool mom video and include the url in your post.  

Risking it all....

I had a plethora of baseball games this weekend.....  So no official blog post.  I do want to share this awesome video clip though.

Totally amazing.

Cryogenics....Fact or Fiction

On Friday we talked briefly about cryogenic preservation.  Cryogenics was is the news this past year as a  14 year old girl with cancer in the United Kingdom wanted her body to be frozen rather than buried.  

“I don’t want to be buried underground. I want to live and live longer and I think that in the future they might find a cure for my cancer and wake me up. I want to have this chance. This is my wish.”

Here are two articles about the case if you want to know more:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/18/health/uk-teenager-cryonics-body-preservation/

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/18/teenage-girls-wish-for-preservation-after-death-agreed-to-by-court

So I decided to do some research.

Interested?   In Michigan there is Cryonics Institute...

http://www.cryonics.org/

In Scotsdale, Arizona there is Alcor....

http://www.alcor.org/


What do you think?  This week rather than asking you to read an article.  I am going to let you do the research.  You will still write a scholarly paragraph, but you get to do the research.  Pick a few questions and answer them, pose your own questions, state your opinion, and be sure to comment on someone else's post.

What is cryogenic preservation?
Is cryogenic preservation done on living organisms?
Is revival even possible?
Can a preserved brain be put into another person's body?
Has any mammal been successfully cryopreserved and revived?
How much does it cost?
What is the neuro option?
Do you think it will be possible to cure every disease, reverse aging and fix the damage from freezing?
Can the brain stop working without losing function?
How soon after the heart stops must the person be frozen?

Change the World

Happy Earth Day.  I truly believe that we all can change the world.  I know that I am the ultimate optimist, but I have faith in mankind.  April 22, 1970 was the very first Earth Day.  Clearly, things have changed a ton since 1970.

I love this picture.  Can you imagine if our entire class brought brooms to downtown Crystal Lake and started sweeping?  It would be amazing.

Did you see the Google Doodle this morning?

http://time.com/4751376/google-doodle-earth-day-tips-climate-change/

Did you go to the March for Science in Chicago?

https://sciencemarchchicago.org/

How did you "Take a Stand for Science" today?


The very first Earth Day was focused on educating the public about the environment.  What is the history of Earth Day?  What does it mean to you?  What impact has Earth Day had on our society and our world?  What impact has Earth Day had on you?  In a scholarly paragraph, I would like you to write about Earth Day.  You don't necessarily have to answer my questions.  As long as you have a well-crafted paragraph about Earth Day, I am going to be flexible.  This can be a paragraph about your opinions, a paragraph about the history of Earth Day, a paragraph about your experience at the March for Science (extra credit if you go to the March and show me pictures....totally awesome) or a paragraph about what the government is doing to promote Earth Day issues.

http://www.baltimoremagazine.com/2015/4/22/the-first-earth-day-a-brief-history

http://www.livescience.com/50556-earth-day-facts-history.html

http://www.earthday.org/

Then  you can go and see "Born in China."  It was fantastic.

Are you number 8?

According to two different lists, the octopus is the seventh most intelligent animals on Earth.  They can solve puzzles, use tools, and communicate?  What number are you?  Are you as intelligent as an octopus?

Not only do octopus have amazing gripping power, several hearts, blue blood, and detachable arms, but they are also a lot like Houdini.

Just this week an article was published about this species being able to recode their DNA.  Do you remember when we learned about protein synthesis in the second unit this semester?  (DNA to mRNA to tRNA to amino acids)  Octopus can actually change their RNA.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/science/octopus-squid-intelligence-rna-editing.html

This week we are going to write about the octopus which is way cooler than you could have ever imagined.  Watch the videos and read the article.  In a scholarly paragraph, please respond to the videos and article.  What did you learn?  What did you like?  Do you think you are as intelligent as an octopus?  Can you think of an example of why changing the RNA would be beneficial to the octopus?  Why would changing RNA cause the octopus to have slower evolution?  What other animals show superior intelligence?  Also you need to comment on at least one of your peers.

Hate Daylight Saving Time?

Fall back....spring ahead.  Really, what is the point?

At this point in the year, students are tired,  teachers are tired and trust me, I am sure your parents are tired.  So, lets move the clocks ahead and lose an hour of sleep.  I love driving to school in the dark.  Seems like maybe Arizona and Hawaii might be the smartest states in the nation when it comes to daylight saving time as they did not change their clocks last night.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/0/daylight-saving-time-united-states-time-do-clocks-change-does/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-daylightsaving-idUSKBN16I0S6

https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/daylight-saving-health.html

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/03/daylight_saving_time_2017_surp.html

Write a scholarly paragraph with at least three things you learned about daylight saving time.  Make sure that your paragraph has at least 5 sentences.  In conclusion, give your opinion about what should be done with daylight saving time.  Should we follow in the footsteps of Hawaii and Arizona?  If you find another article that has interesting information, go ahead and use it.  Just be sure to include the web address at the end of your response.

Friday Night Lights?

How can we protect kids?  Helmets, pads, and laws forcing concussion testing?  What is the best way to move forward?

Last week in class, we briefly talked about concussions.  Below is a TED talk by a world famous neuropsychologist explaining how she would go about protecting kids.

These are the two sites that she mentions in her talk:

https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/

http://cokidswithbraininjury.com/

What do you think?  What is the best way to protect kids from getting concussions?  Is forcing kids to wear helmets when they ride their bikes and play football the solution?  Or should states take more drastic steps like abolishing high school football all together?  

https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/friday-night-lights-out-the-case-for-abolishing-high-school-football

This week you do not have to read a specific article, or watch a designated video.  Instead, I just want you to plainly state your opinion.  What do you think?  In your paragraph (remember at least 5 sentences), I would like you to include at least one data point to support your stance.  Ideally, I would love for you to have a lively discussion between your posts and responses about what students, parents, politicians, school boards and coaches should do.

The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades

Last unit, I decided to skip the section on DNA technology, but this weekend I was reading an article and I wished that we had at least talked about CRISPR.  DNA technology has made tremendous strides in the past few decades and is continuing to rush into the future.  In my lifetime alone, cell phones have gone from non-existent to a "necessity" that you can keep in your pocket.

This week instead of having you read an article, I am going to have you watch the following video.

Is genetic engineering science fiction or the new reality?  How will DNA technology change what we perceive as "normal?"  Is genetic modification going to be the new normal?  Do you agree with scientists will usng CRISPR to eliminate genetic diseases and cancer?  Will this lead to using genetics to create a more perfect race (Eugenics) or to create a clone army (Star Wars or  North Korea using genetics)?  If genetic modification becomes a reality what will happen to children that are not genetically modified?  What do you think will happen to hiring practices?  Will this lead to a new type of discrimination?  

In your response, you do not have to answer all of these questions, but I would like for you to address some of them.  First watch the video.  Then, write a scholarly response about designer babies and genetic engineering. Please make sure that your paragraph has at least five sentences.  Use proper capitalization and punctuation.  In English, many of you are reading Frankenstein.  Can you see parallels between the book and true science?  Perhaps I will share your responses with your English teachers.  Also you need to respond to at least one of your peers.

Science Fiction or Science Future?

Last week we started our unit on DNA...one of my favorites.  Starting the unit with a look at the structure of DNA and DNA replication, I thought it only right to start this week with a blog post about breakthroughs in DNA research.

1.  First, a Human-Pig Hybrid with pig lungs that filter human blood...

What could this mean for the millions of people that are waiting for organ transplants?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/human-pig-hybrid-embryo-chimera-organs-health-science/


2.  New life forms made with synthetic DNA?

Scientists have modified the E. Coli bacteria to "create organisms with wholly unnatural attributes and traits not found elsewhere in nature."  Will this lead to new life forms?  

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/23/organisms-created-with-synthetic-dna-pave-way-for-new-entirely-new-life-forms

3.  A look into the human genome by looking at a shared defect.

Scientists think that the human genome is divided up into TADS--like mini neighborhoods of DNA with their own rules and regulations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/science/dna-tads.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FDNA%20(Deoxyribonucleic%20Acid)&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

4.  Finally, in honor of Valentiens day, saliva...its not just for kissing anymore.

If you are interested in DNA testing, you can do research into to either mail DNA testing kits or going to a laboratory for DNA testing.  Should you choose this option, I would like you to copy and past the address of the site that you used to do your research at the end of your blog post.  What did you learn?  Why would someone want to do DNA testing?  Is it expensive?

So for this week you have four options to choose from.  In your scholarly paragraph, please state which option you picked.  Then summarize the article.  What did you learn?  What is your opinion?  How could this be a positive advancement for science?  What could be the drawbacks?  Since you are studying Frankenstein right now, can you make any connections to the book?  Be sure to write this paragraph with proper techniques I might share them with your English teachers.

To study or watch Netflix...that is the question

As I sit here on Saturday writing your blog post for this week, I am looking forward to watching a couple of episodes of Scandal tonight after my kids go to bed.  Is two episodes at a time considered binge watching?

I did a little research and realized that my two episodes (okay maybe sometimes three) at a time is not truly considered binge watching.  However, I do think that some of my students binge watch Netflix, Hulu or whatever other outlet has their show.  When I was little my mom was super strict about watching TV...

• don't sit too close to the  TV...you might get cancer
• don't listen to the TV too loud...it will cause hearing loss
• don't watch TV for too long...it will kill brain cells

While I know that she was making most of her rules up, I am curious about the health effects of TV watching.  Especially binge watching.  Is binge watching good for you?  Does it change your brain?  Does it really lead to insomnia?  Does it cause weight gain?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/04/binge-watching-tv-harmful-to-your-health_n_5732082.html

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/04/binge-watching-mental-health-effects-research

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/fashion/post-binge-watching-blues.html

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/12/31/461594989/netflix-and-chew-how-binge-watching-affects-our-eating-habits

Read one of the articles above and write a scholarly response about binge watching.  Is binge watching any different than watching hours and hours of YouTube (my son is so guilty of this)?   Is it really bad for you?  What do you think?  Write a 4 to 5 sentence summary and then conclude with your opinion of binge watching.  Perhaps you can include a recommendation of your top shows to binge watch.  Also please respond to one of your peers.


Maybe you don't binge watch or lose time watching YouTube....hopefully this weekend you are all studying so much for your photosynthesis and respiration test that you don't have time for binge watching.

Watch out! You might get what your after...

Initially when I was writing this blog-post, I thought I would have you write about aphids (little bugs) that can do photosynthesis.  Man are they cool....females can be born pregnant, males are sometimes born without a mouth.  Nonetheless, I decided that you might not think they were as cool as I did.

With the new semester, I have a bunch of new students.  In addition to new students, we also as a country have a new president.  Likely, President Obama was the president the entire time that you have been in school (since kindergarten).  So in honor of our our new president, I thought we could take a look at one of his initiatives.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2075761/trumps-wall-threatens-111-endangered-species

http://time.com/4650178/donald-trump-border-wall-environment/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trumps-wall-could-cause-serious-environmental-damage/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-s-border-wall-pledge-threatens-delicate-desert-ecosystems/

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603524/trumps-border-wall-will-be-awful-for-the-environment/

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602494/bad-math-props-up-trumps-border-wall/

Above are six different articles about the proposed Trump wall between the United States and Mexico.   First, I would like you to read at least one of the articles.  Because this is a very heated topic right now, I am going to structure your response a little differently.

1.  State which article you read and what you learned.  Write a scholarly summary of the article (at least 2 or 3 sentences).

2.  As a scientist, I would like to hear your opinion about building the wall.  It will look like this: Scientist:  As a scientist, I think ....

3.  Then I want your true opinion as of the wall.  It will look like this:  
Socially:  My opinion about the wall is ....

Overall, the entire response will have three parts.  Remember, that I would suggest to write this first in a Google Document and then paste it into the blog.  That way you can check grammar, punctuation and spelling.  This is a public blog so once you hit publish the world will see what you have to say.  Be sure to be signed in to Blogger in the upper right hand corner before you try to publish.