By 2015, babies might have their entire DNA read at birth for $100

"Mapping the individual - cheaply"

By 2015, babies might have their entire DNA read at birth, as costs of sequencing plunge. Charles Arthur looks at the implications for individuals and society
Charles Arthur The Guardian, Thursday April 24 2008

Had one of his parents been slightly less fortunate in their choice of a mate, James Watson might not have helped discover the structure of DNA in 1953. Instead, he would have been born deaf, and then lost his sight as he became a teenager. Equally, as he is, had he been less fortunate in the genetic lottery when he chose his wife, either of their sons might have had the same fate.

This is because Watson's complete DNA - his genome - contains a single gene for Usher's syndrome, an inherited disorder which affects hearing and sight. Watson's must have come from one of his parents. Usher's is a 'recessive' disease - you need two copies of the gene to be affected. About five people per 100,000 carry the gene, so Watson's chances of being disabled weren't large. But they were real."

Read about the implications of this soon-to-arrive medical service.

Podcast: Fuel Cells – the next generation of power

Fuel cells are about a third more efficient than all other standard energy technologies - and the waste product is just water vapor. You can already find prototypes intended to supply power to laptops, mobile equipment, cell phones or supplying electricity and heat to homes. A fuel cell is a miniature chemicals factory. Listen how BASF experts work on the application of fuel cell technology to become reality.

Go here for a 9 minute podcast:

http://corporate.basf.com/podcast/fuel_cells/?id=V00-82TN-CBTUbcp3HJ

Why long-haul food may be greener than local food with low air-miles - Times Online

Why long-haul food may be greener than local food with low air-miles - Times Online: "Why long-haul food may be greener than local food with low air-miles
Shoppers choosing local over long-haul may not be as green as they think, finds our correspondent as he unravels the scienceRichard Woods
If you buy a packet of Waitrose blueberries from Chile, it’s a crime against humanity. If you nibble mange tout from Africa, you’re practically murdering the planet. And if you eat apples from New Zealand, well, you’re in league with the devil.
Why? Food miles, of course. It’s obvious that if you buy food from thousands of miles away, the transport alone must consume vast amounts of energy, thus fuelling climate change and global meltdown. As any concerned citizen knows, think green, think local.
Or think again. Researchers are finding that food miles are far from the whole story when assessing the environmental impact of what we eat. At a conference last month on the economics of food, Chris Foster of Manchester Business School presented some startling conclusions from a review of the evidence."

Identical Twins Not As Identical As Believed

Identical Twins Not As Identical As Believed: "ScienceDaily (Feb. 20, 2008) — Contrary to our previous beliefs, identical twins are not genetically identical. This surprising finding may be of great significance for research on hereditary diseases and for the development of new diagnostic methods. How can it be that one identical twin might develop Parkinson's disease, for instance, but not the other? Until now, the reasons have been sought in environmental factors. The current study complicates the picture."

Carl Zimmer's Science Tattoo Emporium

Carl Zimmer's Science Tattoo Emporium: "Carl Zimmer's Science Tattoo Emporium
Underneath their sober lab coats and flannel shirts, scientists hide images of their scientific passions. Here they are revealed to all."

Artificial Sweeteners Increase Weight?

Artificial Sweeteners Increase Weight?: "Do Sweeteners in Diet Soda Increase Weight?
Rat Study Links Weight Gain to Low-Calorie Sweeteners; Critics Say No Relevance for Humans
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MDFeb. 11, 2008 -- It may sound counterintuitive, but replacing the sugar in diet sodas and other foods with reduced- and no-calorie sweeteners may make weight control harder, a small animal study shows.
Rats in the Purdue University study that were fed regular feed and yogurt sweetened with no-calorie saccharin took in more total calories and gained more weight than rats fed regular feed and yogurt sweetened with sugar.
Researchers speculate that over time, reduced-calorie sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose condition the body to no longer associate sweetness with calories, thereby disrupting its ability to accurately assess caloric intake.
This disruption may, in turn, lead to overeating, they note."

Video - Discovery Channel Videos Online - News, Science, Space, History, Engineering

An invaluable video source for teachers. There are hundreds of Discovery Channel videos available at this page. The videos cover a wide range of programs: Discovery Zone, Dirty Jobs, Smash Labs, Mythbusters. Go here....Video - Discovery Channel Videos Online - News, Science, Space, History, Engineering

Rich nations' environmental footprints tread heavily on poor countries

The environmental damage caused by rich nations disproportionately impacts poor nations and costs them more than their combined foreign debt, according to a first-ever global accounting of the dollar costs of countries' ecological footprints.

The study, led by former University of California, Berkeley, research fellow Thara Srinivasan, assessed the impacts of agricultural intensification and expansion, deforestation, overfishing, loss of mangrove swamps and forests, ozone depletion and climate change during a 40-year period, from 1961 to 2000. In the case of climate change and ozone depletion, the researchers also estimated the impacts that may be felt through the end of this century.

"At least to some extent, the rich nations have developed at the expense of the poor and, in effect, there is a debt to the poor," said coauthor Richard B. Norgaard, an ecological economist and UC Berkeley professor of energy and resources. "That, perhaps, is one reason that they are poor. You don't see it until you do the kind of accounting that we do here."

The calculation of the ecological footprints of the world's low-, middle- and high-income nations drew upon more than a decade of assessments by environmental economists who have tried to attach monetary figures to environmental damage, plus data from the recent United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and World Bank reports.

Read more at Rich nations' environmental footprints tread heavily on poor countries

Oobleck - Instructables - DIY, How To, craft, food

Make yourself some Oobleck. Mix 1 1/2 cups of corn starch with a cup of water and some food coloring for effect. The result is liquid yet solid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vSFfH3V2XQ

Oobleck - Instructables - DIY, How To, craft, food

Make Rheopectic slime in less than 15 minutes!

how to make your own high-quality slime (this slime is not Oobleck; it is not made with starch) in less than 15 minutes (the timing starts once you have gathered the materials). Of course, you will learn about two topics related to slime structure and behavior: polymers and non-Newtonian fluids. To learn what "rheopectic" means, keep reading.

Make Rheopectic slime in less than 15 minutes! (It is not Oobleck) - Instructables - DIY, How To, tech

Make a Super Bouncy Ball - Instructables - DIY, How To, kids, offbeat

make a great little toy using a chemical reaction, and easy-to-get chemicals.
Great science-fun for kids!

Make a Super Bouncy Ball - Instructables - DIY, How To, kids, offbeat

NIH Office of Science Education (OSE)

This site has scads of Biology resources for teachers.

Topics
• Bioethics
• Blood & Lymphatic System
• Bones, Joints, & Muscles
• Brain & Nervous System
• Cell Biology & Cancer
• Child & Teen Health
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Digestive System
• Ears, Nose, &Throat
• Endocrine System
• Environmental Health & Toxicology
• Evolution
• More... (41 total)

Grade Levels• High School
• Middle School
• Elementary School

Resource Formats
• Lesson Plans and Supplemental Curricula
• Bookmarks
• Cinema
• Español (Spanish)
• Multimedia
• Newsletters
• Online Exhibits
• Online Resources
• Photos, Images, & Graphics
• Posters
• More... (16 total)

Go to...NIH Office of Science Education (OSE)

One Meal to Good (or Bad) Health - TIME

Want to know how many cheeseburgers you'd have to eat before they start doing damage to your body? The answer, according to a review of new dietary research, is just one. Just one high-fat, high-sugar meal can trigger a biochemical cascade, causing inflammation of blood vessels and immediate, detrimental changes to the nervous system, according to the paper, published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. And just one healthy meal helps return your body to its optimal state. "Your health and vigor, at a very basic level, are as good as your last meal," says lead author James O'Keefe....click title to read more

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See - Yahoo! Video

A science teacher and a whiteboard. A Yahoo video you should see

Protein power: Researchers trigger insulin production in diabetic mice

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- If the human body were a stage, then proteins would rank among the lead actors in the play we call “Life.”

These large biological molecules hold many starring roles, and their lines are dictated by information encoded in our genes. They are production powerhouses, regulating the basic processes of living and controlling countless functions. Many are enzymes that produce or use energy. Others regulate genes.

Researchers are increasingly studying proteins as potential therapies for a variety of dread diseases because they can influence cell behavior by fueling or dampening certain molecular signals.

Now University of Florida researchers have coaxed liver and pancreatic cells within diabetic mice into churning out insulin by injecting the animals with a naturally occurring protein called Pdx1, opening up a new research avenue that someday could lead to safer treatments for type 1 diabetes. Pdx1 activates the genes controlling the development of the pancreas cells that make and release insulin to maintain safe levels of glucose in the body. The UF research team’s novel approach is described online in the journal Diabetes.

“Pdx1 is so special because it possesses a unique amino acid sequence that acts as a sort of molecular passport, allowing it to pass freely into cells, enter the nucleus and activate insulin production and release,” said lead scientist Dr. Li-Jun Yang, an associate professor of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine at UF’s College of Medicine.

Earlier research has shown that inserting the Pdx1 gene into liver or pancreas cells can induce insulin production, but most gene therapy methods use viruses to introduce a piece of genetically engineered DNA into cells. The disadvantage of such approaches is that researchers can never be certain the viruses are entirely harmless, Yang said.

The idea with protein therapy is that eventually a person’s own cells could be reprogrammed to naturally produce the hormone, restoring the body’s ability to properly regulate blood sugar levels without having to use a potentially hazardous virus to slip corrective genes into the body or having to transplant pancreatic cells from someone else. That could eliminate the adverse effects sometimes associated with gene therapy and eliminate the need for lifelong suppression of the immune system so transplanted cells are not rejected, Yang said.

Humans Blamed in Coral Reef Disappearance

Jan. 9, 2008 -- The world's coral reefs are in alarming decline, but what -- or who -- is most to blame?

A groundbreaking study published Wednesday singles out human settlement, especially coastal development and agriculture, as the main culprit, even more so than warming sea waters and acidification linked to global warming.

The study focuses on the Caribbean, where declining reefs are endangering species of wildlife as well as tourism and fishing that are vital for the local economy, says lead author, Camilo Mora, of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

"The continuing degradation of coral reefs may be soon beyond repair if threats are not identified and rapidly controlled," he said.

Teasing apart the complicated web of factors driving reef destruction -- overfishing, runoff of pesticides and pollution, hurricanes, climate change -- is crucial for devising the best conservation strategies.

There might not be enough time for second or third chances, Mora said.

But a welter of contradictory evidence, most of it gathered from single sites, has made it nearly impossible to figure out what causes what.

Which is why Mora and University of Miami marine biologist Robert Ginsburg decided to compare several large-scale databases that had never been systematically cross-referenced.

Focusing on corals, fishes and macroalgae, or seaweed, in 322 sites across 13 countries in the Caribbean, the study matched environmental and ecological data against patterns of human population density, coastal development and agricultural land use.

Also included were data on hurricanes, biodiversity, fish populations and coral disease.

Sifting through all these statistics showed clearly that the number of people is the main driver of the mortality of corals, along with declining fish biomass and increases in algae.

But different kinds of human activity resulted in different impacts, the study revealed.

Higher population density in coastal areas produces more sewage and depletes fish stocks, both of which are directly responsible for coral mortality.

But chemical discharges from agricultural land drives an increase in macroalgae, which is indirectly linked to coral loss.

Warmer sea surfaces are also contributing to coral decline, but not hurricanes, said the study, published in the journal Nature.

"The human expansion in coastal areas inevitably poses severe risks to the maintenance of complex ecosystems such as coral reefs," Mora said.

Within a reef, predators prey on plant-eating fish, herbivores graze on seaweed, which in turn interacts with living coral. "A threat in any one group may escalate to the entire ecosystem," Mora explained.

"The array of human stressors ... are significantly affecting all major groups of coral reef organisms."

The study also concluded that while Marine Protected Areas help restore fish populations, they do nothing to protect coral.

A fifth of the world's marine reefs have already been destroyed and half are threatened because of human impact, whether directly or as a consequence of rising temperatures driven by climate change, according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Coral reefs support some of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world, including many species that depend on reefs for shelter, reproduction and foraging.

Coral reefs also provide livelihoods for 100 million people and form the basis for industries such as tourism and fishing, worth $30 billion a year, says the IUCN.

How to Make a Milky Way -- Schilling 2008 (108): 1 -- ScienceNOW

AUSTIN, TEXAS--Looking 12 billion years back in time, astronomers have found the ancestors of spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way. They liken the discovery, presented here at the 211th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, to finding key fossils in the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens.
The very first galaxies--formed shortly after the big bang--were small and dim. Through mergers, they grew into the large galaxies we see today. Astronomers using the biggest telescopes can see these original building blocks at very large distances, where the universe appears as it did billions of years ago (ScienceNOW, 28 November 2007). But there's a snag: Astronomers have found such a stunning variety of early galaxies that they are unclear about which of these faint objects are the precursors of spiral galaxies like our Milky Way and which are the ancestors of other types of galaxies, such as giant ellipticals like M87 (ScienceNOW, 5 November 2001).
Now, astrophysicists Eric Gawiser of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Caryl Gronwall of Pennsylvania State University in State College say they've solved the puzzle. The researchers used the Hubble Space Telescope, along with other ground- and space-based scopes, to analyze lightweight collections of stars known as Lyman alpha emitters. These clusters are 10 times smaller and 20 to 40 times less massive than the Milky Way. Gawiser, Gronwall, and their colleagues showed that the starlight emitted from these star collections, and the way they are clustered in space, indicates that they must have been the building blocks for larger galaxies such as the Milky Way.
The new results will help astronomers better understand the origin and evolution of galaxies--one of the outstanding problems in cosmology, says astronomer Sandra Faber of the University of California, Santa Cruz. "It's like discovering embryonic cells: It starts to become interesting when you know what they will evolve into."

Making Babies - How Simple Rules Build Complex Bodies - The Panda's Thumb

The New York Academy of Sciences provides us with access to a talk by Nobel Laureate Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard on how genes drive development, no need for unspecified ‘Intelligent Designers’, no need for miracles, just hard work by scientists who are committed to discovering the details of how, what, when and so on. Compare this with how ID explains the development of the embryo.
Click on the Flash presentation
I also suggest that interested readers get their hands on her book “Coming to Life: How Genes Drive Development” by Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard or read an excerpt of the book: Chapter IX — Evolution, Body Plans, and Genomes

Frozen Baby Mammoth to Shed Light on Climate Change

Jan. 4, 2008 -- Frozen in much the state it died some 37,500 years ago, a Siberian baby mammoth undergoing tests in Japan could finally explain why the beasts were driven to extinction -- and shed light on climate change, scientists said Friday.

The 6-month-old calf, unearthed in May by a reindeer herder in northern Siberia's remote Yamal-Nenets autonomous region, is virtually intact and even has some fur, though the tail and ear of the animal dubbed "Lyuba" were apparently bitten off.

"Lyuba's discovery is an historic event," said Bernard Buigues, vice president of the Geneva-based International Mammoth Committee. "It could tell us why this species didn't survive ... and shed light on the fate of human beings."

The last of the ancient beasts are thought to have roamed the earth from about 4.8 million years ago to 4,000 years ago, and researchers have debated whether their demise was due to climate change or over-hunting by humans.

"This is what we've all been waiting for -- the chance to explain everything about the mammoth," said Naoki Suzuki of the Jikei University School of Medicine, who is leading the first phase of an international study of the carcass's structure.

"Our findings will be a big step toward resolving the mystery of their extinction," Suzuki told a press conference in Tokyo.

The 4-foot gray-and-brown mammoth underwent a computed tomography scan that produced 3-D pictures with an almost surgical view, Suzuki said.

BBC NEWS | UK | Low-energy bulb disposal warning

The Environment Agency has called for more information to be made available on the health and environmental risks posed by low-energy light bulbs.

It says because the bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, more information about safe recycling is needed.

It also wants health warnings printed on packaging and information on how to clear up smashed bulbs in the home.

But a toxicologist has played down the risks, saying several bulbs would have to be smashed at once to pose a danger.

Toxic substance

Environmental scientist Dr David Spurgeon said: "Because these light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury they could cause a problem if they are disposed of in a normal waste-bin.

"It is possible that the mercury they contain could be released either into the air or from land-fill when they are released into the wider environment.

"That's a concern, because mercury is a well known toxic substance."

Cellulosic Ethanol: One Molecule Could Cure Our Addiction to Oil

The Chemistry

On a blackboard, it looks so simple: Take a plant and extract the cellulose. Add some enzymes and convert the cellulose molecules into sugars. Ferment the sugar into alcohol. Then distill the alcohol into fuel. One, two, three, four — and we're powering our cars with lawn cuttings, wood chips, and prairie grasses instead of Middle East oil.

Unfortunately, passing chemistry class doesn't mean acing economics. Scientists have long known how to turn trees into ethanol, but doing it profitably is another matter. We can run our cars on lawn cuttings today; we just can't do it at a price people are willing to pay.

The problem is cellulose. Found in plant cell walls, it's the most abundant naturally occurring organic molecule on the planet, a potentially limitless source of energy. But it's a tough molecule to break down. Bacteria and other microorganisms use specialized enzymes to do the job, scouring lawns, fields, and forest floors, hunting out cellulose and dining on it. Evolution has given other animals elegant ways to do the same: Cows, goats, and deer maintain a special stomach full of bugs to digest the molecule; termites harbor hundreds of unique microorganisms in their guts that help them process it. For scientists, though, figuring out how to convert cellulose into a usable form on a budget driven by gas-pump prices has been neither elegant nor easy. To tap that potential energy, they're harnessing nature's tools, tweaking them in the lab to make them work much faster than nature intended.

Scientists Use Sunlight to Make Fuel From CO2

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico have found a way of using sunlight to recycle carbon dioxide and produce fuels like methanol or gasoline.

The Sunlight to Petrol, or S2P, project essentially reverses the combustion process, recovering the building blocks of hydrocarbons. They can then be used to synthesize liquid fuels like methanol or gasoline. Researchers said the technology already works and could help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, although large-scale implementation could be a decade or more away.

"This is about closing the cycle," said Ellen Stechel, manager of Sandia's Fuels and Energy Transitions department. "Right now our fossil fuels are emitting CO2. This would help us manage and reduce our emissions and put us on the path to a carbon-neutral energy system."

The idea of recycling carbon dioxide is not new, but has generally been considered too difficult and expensive to be worth the effort. But with oil prices exceeding $100 per barrel and concerns about global warming mounting, researchers are increasingly motivated to investigate carbon recycling. Los Alamos Renewable Energy, for example, has developed a method of using CO2 to generate electricity and fuel.

S2P uses a solar reactor called the Counter-Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator, or CR5, to divide carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide and oxygen.

"It's a heat engine," Stechel said. "But instead of doing mechanical work, it does chemical work."

Teenage smokers risk badly wired brains - health - 03 January 2008 - New Scientist

Teenage smokers risk badly wired brains

• 03 January 2008
• Linda Geddes
• Magazine issue 2637

Parents may now have another reason to worry about their children smoking. Nicotine may cause the teenage brain to develop abnormally, resulting in changes to the structure of white matter - the neural tissue through which signals are relayed. Teenagers who smoke, or whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, are also more likely to suffer from auditory attention deficits, meaning they find it harder to concentrate on what is being said when other things are happening at the same time.

Leslie Jacobsen of Yale University School of Medicine and colleagues used diffusion tensor imaging, which measures how water diffuses through brain tissue, to study the brains of 33 teenagers whose mothers had smoked during pregnancy. Twenty-five of the teens were daily smokers. The team also studied 34 teens whose mothers had not smoked, of whom 14 were daily smokers.

Some printable paper rulers

Some printable paper rulers

Every teacher needs a class set of rulers at some time. What better way of doing it on the cheap than these printable rulers.

Lots of variety: Metric, Imperial, and blank. Print them on paper, cardstock or overhead transparencies!

Accurate too!

Biology Teachers!

Find the Rabbit Hole to the ReGenesis Extended Reality Game. HINT: His Left eye

By registering, you will step into the world of ReGenesis.

• You will no longer be just a passive television viewer.
• You will become an INVESTIGATOR in ReGenesis where NorBAC is REAL and needs your help.
• You will uncover CLUES to find out the TRUTH behind the story.

Pieces of the puzzle can be anywhere. Beginning with emails that are synchronized with each episode, you will soon enter A MAZE OF COMMUNICATIONS across multiple websites, discussion with other viewers, email dispatches, webcam video, classified documents, even telephone voicemail and a login that allows you access to the internal network of NorBAC.

Remember...
YOU decide how far to push forward in the game. Only you know the whole story. Be a part of it.

Ecogeeks - The Wild Classroom

A new science video podcast that explains science topics in a fun and exciting way. Great for science teachers to download to show in the classroom. Most videos come with lesson plans or accompanying informational web pages.

Some Videos:

Ecogeeks: Special Crew Bio #3 Jonas Stenstrom

Ecogeeks Special: Biodiversity of Mexico

Ecogeeks #8: Z is for Zebra: Extinction in Black a

Ecogeeks: #7 Coastal Temperate Oceans

Ecogeeks: Special - Barro Colorado Island

Ecogeeks: Special Crew Bio #2 Hazen Audel

Ecogeeks: #6 Rainforests

Ecogeeks Special: Derby Day ... with Toads

Ecogeeks Special: Rap Video - Rainforest Preview

Ecogeeks Announcement: Who are we again

Ecogeeks: #5 Biodiversity

Ecogeeks Species Profile: #2 Tailless Whip Scorpio

Ecogeeks Announcement: A new season from Panama

Ecogeeks Email Question: #2 Oahu Tree Snails

Ecogeeks Email Question: #1 Hawaii Part 1

Ecogeeks Species Profile: #1 Alligator Snapping Tu

Ecogeeks: #4 Streams and Rivers

Ecogeeks: Special Crew Bio #1 Rob Nelson

Ecogeeks: #3 Alpine Tundra

Ecogeeks: #2 Grasslands and Prairies

Ecogeeks: #1 World's Deadliest Snakes

Go ---->

Einstein’s Miracle Year

Einstein’s Miracle Year is an award-winning movie that celebrates the three revolutionary ideas that Albert Einstein presented in 1905. About 15 minutes in length, the movie explores Einstein’s discoveries and how they have influenced our understanding of the universe.

Link--->http://www.physicscentral.com/miracleyear/index.html

Voyages Through Time

VTT Curriculum: Overview: "Voyages Through Time is a year-long, integrated science curriculum for ninth or tenth grade, based on the theme of evolution and delivered on CD-ROM. In Voyages Through Time (VTT), evolution is defined as cumulative change over time that occurs in all realms of the natural world. The evolutionary scope of Voyages Through Time (VTT) is billions of years long and ranges from the Big Bang to modern technologies. The evolution of everything provides a compelling 'story-line' for the entire curriculum."

Teachers can download a larger version of the timeline graphic above at:
http://www.seti.org/site/pp.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=181991

School Science Educational Resources

Download these great worksheets to learn more about genetics. These fun and educational activities have been created for school students ranging from K – 12 and are designed to complement the school curriculum. Great to use on Jeans for Genes Day or at any time of the year!

Primary School
-Jeans Helix - DNA shaped jeans to colour in and cut out. Decorate the classroom in denim!
-Crossword - Solve crossword clues and have some fun with science (grade 4+)
-Findaword - Students learn what's really in their genes, great for english and science skills (grade 2+).
-Genetic Traits Card - Investigate the weird and wonderful genetic traits of your class to reveal more about what makes us who and what we are! Accompanied by teacher notes
-Gene Genius - A fact sheet for teachers covering the basics of genetics - Great for a short lesson on Jeans for Genes Day!



High School
Imagine you’re a gene therapist - An interactive classroom activity to teach students about genes, genetic disease, inheritance, DNA technology and the challenges of cutting edge medical science (including ethical issues). Accompanied by detailed teacher notes.

-Trivia Quiz - Quiz students on their genetic know-how or as a lunchtime trivia game with prizes on Jeans for Genes Day (grade 9+).
-Crossword - Test students problem solving with these clever science clues (grade 9+). Accompanied by teacher notes.
-Karyotyping – A hands-on paper activity to cut-out, sort and analyse human chromosomes and genetic disorders (grade 9+)
-DIY DNA Extraction Experiment - Simple practical experiment for students to extract DNA from onions; also explains how the experts do it in real scientific experiments (grade 7+). Accompanied by teacher notes.
-DIY Electrophoresis Experiment – An entirely do-able experiment that allows students to investigate the concept of gel electrophoresis using equipment you can buy at the supermarket!

THE INFINITY PROJECT ~:~ Engineering for the High School Classroom .:|

An effective, fun and easy way to bring math and science to life.

The Infinity Project is a national award winning high school and early college math- and science-based engineering and technology education initiative that helps educators deliver a maximum of engineering exposure with a minimum of training, expense and time. Created to help students see the real value of math and science and its varied applications to high tech engineering - The Infinity Project is working with schools all across the country to bring the best of engineering to their students.

How to Extract DNA from Anything Living

This page outlines how anyone can extract DNA from materials like beans, peas, etc with simple materials like a kitchen blender. Take the DNA and perform Electrophoresis to analyze the nucleic acids. CSI anyone?

The Biology Project

This site is a treasure trove for Biology Teachers. It has extensive sets of Tutorials, Problem Sets and Activities in numerous areas. A must visit!!

• Biochemistry basic chemistry, metabolism, enzymes, energy, & catalysis, large molecules, photosynthesis, pH & pKa, clinical correlates of pH, vitamins B12 and Folate, and regulation of carbohydrate metabolism.
• Chemistry of Amino Acids learn the structure and chemistry of the amino acids that are found within proteins.
  Cell Biology studying cells, mitosis, meiosis, the cell cycle, prokaryotes, eukaryotes, & viruses
• Chemicals & Human Health basic toxicology, lung toxicology, environmental tobacco smoke & lung development, kidneys & metals
  Developmental Biology developmental mechanisms
  Human Biology DNA forensics, karyotyping, genetics, blood types, reproduction, sexually transmitted diseases
• Immunology, HIV, the ELISA assay, Western blotting analysis and case studies designed for advanced students.
  Mendelian Genetics monohybrid cross, dihybrid cross, sex-linked inheritance
  Molecular Biology nucleic acids, genetics of prokaryotes, genetics of eukaryotes, recombinant DNA.

New report gives Canada poor grade in science

Last Updated: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 12:59 PM ET
CBC News

Canada lacks strength in science and technology and risks falling behind other countries, according to a survey of 1,500 Canadian scientists.
Fewer than half of the scientists who replied to the survey ranked Canada strong overall in science and technology.
About one-quarter of the respondents said Canada is weak in science and tech compared to other developed countries.
And about 40 per cent of the scientists who responded to the survey said Canada is losing ground compared to other countries. more

The Science House

Hoot Tubes
This demonstration shows how hot air rising through an open tube (stove pipe) vibrates to create a sound.

How does it work?
For a better idea, watch a short video of the burner (QuickTime, 155 KB).
The hot, vibrating air rises through tube setting up a convection current. A convection current is simply the movement of air caused by different densities. Hot air is less dense than cold air and will move upward while the cool air sinks.
When the vibrating air moves through the tube, it begins to resonate or vibrate at the natural frequency of the tube. Since our tube is open on both ends, the wave that resonates will have a wavelength 1/2 the length of the tube.
If you double the length of the tube, what happens to the resonant wavelength? How does this affect the pitch we hear? Find out by watching this video of a longer hoot tube (QuickTime, 415 KB).
Pipe organs, foghorns, the recorder and other musical instruments use this same concept to produce sounds, only the air is pushed through the pipe by other means than a hot burner.

Get Smarter & Get Tech

To quote from the site "Our mission is to stimulate improvements in mathematics and science education. Getsmarter.org provides:
Free, no-risk, K-12 self-assessment in math and science with international benchmarking In the privacy of their own homes and classrooms, site visitors can instantly compare their performance with that of students around the world, based on the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 1995-99.

Self-assessment linked with learning and self-improvement In a fun, fully interactive environment, site visitors have access to hints, tutorials and links to the best web sites for increased understanding and improved performance in math and science. MSTV allows high schoolers to explore the significance of math and science in our daily lives.

We provide several links to our companion site, GetTech.org, where your student or child can learn about the careers available in the math, science, and technology fields. We feature high-demand, high-tech vocations that require the mathematical and scientific knowledge that is being encouraged on the Getsmarter web site."

Science fair projects 13

"1850 science fair and science project ideas "

This site is a gold mine for ideas for projects. The author also provides details on how to organize a project as follows;

Preface
Planning your project
Your logbook
Choosing a topic
Literature searching for a topic
Asking for help in finding a topic
Coming up with a research question
Planning your timetable
Legal and other drawbacks
Making the final plans
Finding information
Doing an advanced search
Doing a project
The scientific method
Measuring things
Recording results
Analysing the results
Summarising results
Reaching conclusions
Presenting your project

An Introduction to the Periodic Table

A Flash-based Periodic Table from ChemSoc.

Chemical data for individual elements can be obtained by following the data link from the web page belonging to that element.
There are links to html and pdf files that provide background information and further data on the Periodic Table of Elements.

What's Your Genetic Literacy Score?

Written by Ker Than, Live Science, August 14, 2006 http://www.livescience.com

I wrote about a paper appearing in Science today that compares public acceptance of evolution in the United States versus other countries. http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060810_evo_rank.html.

As part of the study, the researchers reviewed surveys in which adults were given 10 True or False statements (listed below) to test their understanding of basic concepts from genetics.
Each correct answer was worth one point. The median score for American adults was 4. How do you fare?

1. Ordinary tomatoes do not have genes, whereas genetically modified tomatoes do.
2. Genetically modified animals are always larger than ordinary animals.
3. Cloning is a form of reproduction in which offspring result from the union of sperm and egg.
4. Today it is not possible to transfer genes from humans to animals.
5. If someone eats a genetically modified fruit, there is a risk that a person�s genes might be modified too.
6. All plants and animals have DNA.
7. Today it is not possible to transfer genes from animals to plants.
8. Humans have somewhat less than half of the DNA in common with chimpanzees.
9.. It is possible to extract stem cells from human embryos without destroying the embryos.
10. All humans share exactly the same DNA.

Answers at www.livescience.com/blogs/2006/08/10/whats-your-genetic-literacy-score/"

Surfing Scientist - The Lab

Surfing Scientist - The Lab: "Resources designed to make primary science teaching fun. Some examples;
-wasabi charmer
-food, exercise & energy
-manhole covers
-the magic bottle
-salt and germination
-glass half full
-electric experiments
-bike wheel gyro
-the missing dollar
-classic candle experiment
-magic hanky
-egg pickle
-mini water cycle
-sugar shocker
-the amazing indestructible bag
-tricky intersection
-cut the cake
-dry ice!
-leaping candle flame
-hourglass problem
-five cent science
-hot and cold water
-the surgeon

YouTube - The end of Easter Island

Teaching Environmental Biology?

Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited places on earth. Only some 150 square miles in area, it lies in the Pacific Ocean, 2,000 miles off the west coast of South America and 1250 miles from the nearest inhabitable land of Pitcairn Island. At its peak the population was only about 7,000. Yet despite its superficial insignificance, the history of Easter Island is a grim warning to the world.

David Attenborough discusses the demise of Easter Island's native society, and the implications for the rest of the world's inhabitants.

Elmhurst College: General Science Demonstrations

If you are looking for a neat demonstration for your next chemistry lesson, then try Elmhurst College. This small college in Illinois has a chemistry department that has collected many demonstrations. They are divided into two collections; those that can be done at home and those that require special chemicals.

Expedition to study alien-like glacier

An Arctic island that has yielded sensational fossils—reportedly from “missing link” fish that could walk—is now grabbing scientists’ attention for another reason.


Yellowish snow as a result of a discharge of sulfur springs in Ellesmere Island. (Courtesy Geological Survey of Canada)


Parts of Ellesmere Island may resemble the landscape of a distant moon that conceivably harbors life, researchers say.
If so, a study of the territory might turn up clues to how life originates on other planets.Four researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada plan to spend two weeks this summer studying a sulfur-spewing spring at the island.

INSULTINGLY STUPID MOVIE PHYSICS

Movie physics can provide a bonanza of enrichment activities for both high school physics students and first year physics students in college. These generally require nothing more than a VCR and stopwatch. Some movie scenes provide examples of good physics and others bad physics but all can be analyzed and used as topics of discussion. When the physics are so bad they're downright ugly, the real fun begins. Not only can ugly physics be analyzed, but they can be mercilessly ripped apart.

Some insultingly stupid movie physics are so commonplace they have become visual clichés and do for movies what verbal clichés do for literature. Really good movies like Casablanca don't need visual clichés to build excitement. They depend on less glitzy techniques like good plot, character development, and sparkling dialog. The list of bad movie physics addressed at the website are the following:

• Flashing Bullets
• Flaming Cars
• The Mac 10 Problem
• Problems with Windows
• The Attractive Force of Glass
• Falls
• Scaling Problems
• Outerspace Explosions
• Visible Laserbeams
  

Neave Planetarium

If you are teaching Astronomy and have a data projector, then this is for you. What a fantastic introduction to the night sky!

The Planetarium is a Flash application that shows you the night sky at any location on Earth at any time. Point at a star and it will display its name and order of magnitude.

-What did the night sky look like when you were born?
-What does the night sky look like from Australia?

Have fun!!

A Science Odyssey

Here are a number of simulations that will stimulate your students in science. Technology at Home, Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker, Probe the Brain, Probe the Brain, Doctor over Time, DNA Workshop. They are free to use and can be downloaded for local use.

In order to facilitate the use of the Science Odyssey web site in situations where users may have a slow connections to the Internet -- or none at all -- WGBH has provided downloadable "packages" of A Science Odyssey's most popular features.

These packages are collections of all the files necessary to use one of the Science Odyssey features. (You will still require a web browser and the necessary plug-ins) You can use the packages to distribute the features to students in a class or friends who do not have Internet access.

Free Software

Classes are over and it's time to start thinking about next Fall. Over the summer, you might want to play with free software from ContentGenerator.net. There's Fling The Teacher, Multiple Choice Generator, and Match-up Quiz Generator.

Have some fun, show the kids you have a sense of humor!

Scirus-the Scientific Search Engine

Scirus is the most comprehensive science-specific search engine on the Internet. Scirus searches over 250 million science-specific Web pages, enabling you to quickly:

• Pinpoint scientific, scholarly, technical and medical data on the Web.
• Find the latest reports, peer-reviewed articles, patents, pre prints and journals that other search engines miss.
• Offer unique functionalities designed for scientists and researchers.
• Filters out non-scientific sites. For example, if you search on REM, Google finds the rock group - Scirus finds information on sleep, among other things
• Finds peer-reviewed articles such as PDF and PostScript files, which are often invisible to other search engines.
• Searches the most comprehensive combination of web information, preprint servers, digital archives, repositories and patent and journal databases. Scirus goes deeper than the first two levels of a Web site, thereby revealing much more relevant information.

NASA TV on Your Desktop

Mio Nasa TV is the best way to watch Nasa Television while using your computer.

Nasa TV provides real-time coverage of agency activities and missions as well as resource video to the news media, and educational programming to teachers, students and the general public.

Download the free program by clicking on the title of this blog.

7000 Question Chemistry Bank

This project has grown to nearly 7,000 questions/problems. It covers 19 topics, has two levels of difficulty and five types of inquiry: multiple choice, serial multiple choice, matching, free response and serial free response.

This chemistry bank is a 100% free service offered to all certified chemistry teachers.You will need a password. Bona fide chemistry teachers may request a password, at no charge, by sending an application letter on school letterhead to:
Brother Malcolm Melcher,60 North Catherine Street,Mobile, Alabama 36604
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Toxtown

Interactive introduction to toxic chemicals and environmental health risks you might encounter in everyday life, in everyday places.

Has a Flash-based interface that allows the user to go to the town, city, farm, school or park. User clicks and explores the site to find out about everyday chemicals that are found in those areas. Many information links to other websites. Excellent resource!

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National Library of Medicine

Excellent science resources for teachers and students at. high school and college level.

PubMed data base. Citations to journal articles in medicine and life sciences.

Visible Human Project website.Explore x-ray slices of humans

Frankenstein:penetrating the secrets of nature online version of museum exhibit

Visible proof: forensic views of the body online version of museum exhibit with lesson plans

Public Library of Science

"The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a public resource.

"Our goals are to:

1. Open the doors to the world's library of scientific knowledge by giving any scientist, physician, patient, or student - anywhere in the world - unlimited access to the latest scientific research.
2. Facilitate research, informed medical practice, and education by making it possible to freely search the full text of every published article to locate specific ideas, methods, experimental results, and observations.
3. Enable scientists, librarians, publishers, and entrepreneurs to develop innovative ways to explore and use the world's treasury of scientific ideas and discoveries."

Cheap-O Electricity Unit

If you are finding it difficult to gather enough small light bulbs to teach a unit on electricity, now is the time to put out the word to parents and friends. As Christmas approaches many people will discover that their old strings of mini lights don't work and it is cheaper to toss them than to find the one bulb that is burned out. Ask them to give you the old strings of lights. Using scissors or wire cutters simply snip the wire half way between each bulb. You will soon have 60 to over a 100 lights with 2 inch leads. These bulbs easily light with a D cell and don't burn out if students join several batteries in series. Be sure that you discard the plug ends where students won't find them. A loose plug is very tempting to plug into the wall and it could be deadly.

Thanks to Dwight Zirschky, 4/5 grade, Ewing Young Elementary School, Newberg, Oregon, (zirschkyd@mail.yamhillesd.k12.or.us)

Google Mars

First there was Google Earth, then Google Moon. On Monday, Google Inc. expanded its galactic reach by launching Google Mars, a Web browser-based mapping tool that gives users an up-close, interactive view of the Red Planet with the click of a mouse.
The Martian maps were made from images taken by NASA's orbiting Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor.

Google Mars doesn't provide driving directions, but users can see the planet in three different formats: The Martian elevation map is color-coded by altitude; the visible-imagery map shows the surface in black-and-white pictures; the infrared map indicates temperature, with cooler areas dark and warmer areas bright.

Using Case Studies in Science Class

Bring reality into your classroom by using Case Studies. Long used by Harvard Business School and University of Western Ontario, case studies allow students to cover key concepts and develop skills in relevant settings.

Now Science Teachers can do the same. Kip Herreid at the University of Buffalo has been collecting Science Case Studies for years. You can join the distribution list free and download case studies and the teacher notes for each for the study. Although most are written for college level there are many that are suitable for senior high school science or can readily be adapted.

Save your development time and browse their library. Join the list and receive notification each time a new case is added to the site.

http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/ubcase.htm

The Science of the Winter Olympics

1. How is physics involved in sports? Which laws of physics apply to biomechanics, and why?
2. How can the mind affect the body, especially in terms of health and sports performance? How do athletes use the mind to influence their performance?

Find the answers to these questions and more. The Why Files has produced a special edition on the Winter Olympics.

There are Lesson Plans and Activities such as:

1. Deluge of luge physics! Excellent online lesson explains the physics and biomechanics of skating and luge. Includes great graphics to explain concepts and formulas. Recommended for grades 10-12.
2. Hands-on arm activity! Students study the biomechanics of joints and build a model of a human arm. Recommended for grades 9-12, although younger students may also enjoy this activity.
3. Walk in the shoes of a sport scientist!Using research, design a basketball shoe fit for the pros. Choose from a variety of research methods and activities. Recommended for grades 7-12.

http://whyfiles.org/019olympic/

John Kirk - Grade 9 and 12 Biology Teachers

This website has some amazing animations, and can be used for science from grades 9 - 12. The animations range from the structure of DNA, amino acids, proteins, and the processes of replication, transcription and translation for the grade 12 biology teacher, to traditional mitosis and meiosis animations for the grade 9 teacher. The author, John Kyrk, uses atomic models similar to the space filler model, but he cuts down on the size of the Van der Waals radii by 1/3, which allows the student to better make out the individual atoms involved.
An excellent, and and very visually appealing website.

Suggested by Andrew Holmes

www.johnkyrk.com

WebAnatomy - Need a cell review?

A collection of study aids at the University of Minnesota.

There are self-tests, timed tests, multiplayer games and an image bank.

This site covers all of the major human body systems and also covers histology very well.

Suggested by Steve Jones

go to WebAnatomy

ChemThink: A Chemistry Teacher's Best Friend (and it's Free!)

This Flash site is superb! The ChemThink site was designed to be used by teachers as one tool to help students understand chemistry.

When an instructor signs up for an account, the instructor can get a code that his/her students will then use to register. In this way the instructor will have access to their records to assess their progress.

The site features excellent tutorials, question sets and simulations. The simulations alone are worth a visit!

Each registered student's progress through the tutorials and question sets is recorded in a database so that the instructor can find out which students are finding the material difficult and which ones have already mastered the content.

This site should become a standard tool in any chemistry teacher's teaching toolkit!

www.chemthink.com

Zerobio - A Biology Student's Resource

A wonderful resource by a talented and dedicated teacher at Central Secondary School in London, Ontario. This is a website for high school science students. You'll find a variety of interactive quizzes, games and puzzles to practice what you're learning in Grade 9 Science, Grade 11 Biology and Grade 12 Biology. There are also some specific student resources for each course. Full of Flash Animations, Interactive Quizzes and Photoessays [Pig Dissection!], this site makes studying science painless. It has won several Web Awards for design excellence.

www.zerobio.com

The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL)

is a collaborative effort of biologists from around the world. On more than 4000 World Wide Web pages, the project provides information about the diversity of organisms on Earth, their evolutionary history (phylogeny), and characteristics.
Each page contains information about a particular group of organisms (e.g., echinoderms, tyrannosaurs, phlox flowers, cephalopods, club fungi, or the salamanderfish of Western Australia). ToL pages are linked one to another hierarchically, in the form of the evolutionary tree of life. Starting with the root of all Life on Earth and moving out along diverging branches to individual species, the structure of the ToL project thus illustrates the genetic connections between all living things.

go to http://tolweb.org/tree/

CRAM Science - a teen science website

A science-based website -- the first of its kind in Canada designed to engage teenagers -- has been launched by two London women.
Mira Ray and Amy Cook are the co-founders of CRAM Science, an Internet resource for youths 13 to 18 years old.

Ray and Cook, both Toronto natives, surveyed area teachers, parents and students to determine if there was a need for a science-dedicated website for teens. They discovered lots of science information on the Internet for children and adults, but not for teens.
"There really is a lack of availability of resources for teenagers. A lot of youth are neglecting the sciences," says Ray, a marathon runner.
They also did surveys to determine what kind of information teenagers would like to have.
Based on that, Ray and Cook came up with several themes for their site.
Sections on www.cram science.ca include: This Just In (science in the news), The Lab (do-it-yourself experiments), The Clinic (health matters), The Studio (arts and entertainment), Sportology (sports and fitness) and an area to have questions answered.
The content will be changed every month and special issues introduced throughout the year, such as at Christmas.
go to www.cramscience.ca

Mass vs. Density

In this Flinn Physical Science Fax, two candle pieces, one large and one small are placed in clear, colorless liquids. One candle sinks, the other floats. What causes the difference? Is it their mass? Is it their density? Are the liquids identical?
Jump to Flinn Science

Frank Potter's Science Gems

Great links to Great Science Resources
For students, parents, teachers, scientists, engineers and mathematicians. More than 14,000 Science Resources sorted by Category, Subcategory, and Grade Level
http://www.sciencegems.com/

Spinach Alternative

Taken from Teacher Advice Pages at NSTA.org
Question: Other than spinach,is there any other better option for a variety of pigments to run a paper chromatography? If there is, which is the best solvent to be used for this technique? I would like to use it to introduce photosynthesis and pigments to 10th graders.
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Evelyn MontalvoMayaguez, Puerto Rico2005-11-07-->

Answer: The fun part of chromatography is that almost anything works. I've found geraniums are rich and work well. Ethyl alcohol is the only safe solvent. (Avoid petroleum ether, despite the fact that older manuals list it. It's explosive.)
Try the same leaves in both alcohol and water. Anthocyanins (the reds and blues in fall leaves) are water soluble, so you'll get great variety. (Then try to see if the red and blue pigments can be used as indicators. Flowers make great pH meters when mashed.)
Juliana Texley NSTA Web Field Editor Boca Raton, Florida 2005-11-07