DQ June 2nd
What does Behe mean by a structure that is irreducible complex?
One of Behe’s arguments in regards to evolution being an idea of the past and something that needs to be discarded or thrown out, he bring up the concept of irreducible complexity. This idea presents thought that there are organisms that have a series of interacting parts that are so complex that if one part is not present then it is impossible for the organism to function. Therefore making the claim that the organism was creating all at once as a singular piece and that in turn it could not have evolved to state in which it is now. (Bull puckie if you ask me)
Is the mammalian ear irreducibly complex? Why?
The mammalian ear is not a irreducibly complex design because for some time now scientist have been explaining through the use of the fossil record, that the two bones that form the lower jaw of reptiles have evolved within us to serve as a functional part of our inner ear. It is because of this that we can see the functions or features can evolve and changes to meet the needs of these species that share them. This truly is natural selection at its finest.
Behe claims that the eukaryotic cilium as an irreducibly complex structure, arguing that the 9+2 pattern of microtubules is essential for the cilium to beat. Test this hypothesis scientifically.
In order to test this has hypothesis we would have to prove that without the 9+2 cell pattern, the cilium would not beat or function. Then we would not to prove the there are less complex cell pattern that produce the same result like the 9+1 or the 9+0 miller made mention of in the reading, By doing this we would have grounds that Behe’s argument had a great deal of holes.
Explain how blood clotting evolved.
Blood clotting evolved from the different components found in blood and tissue, it is from these components that you can find soluble proteins that when put together have a primitive blood clotting reaction that could dated back to the early invertebrates. This ability shows that this reaction was working within our ancestors and now is working within us. Doolittle (Haha nice name) then goes on to present the idea that it is because of gene duplications that we see this reaction still today. Because of how useful blood clotting is in our survival, natural selection has kept this reaction and also refined it so that is would work more effectively with in each species.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
No Ryhme or Reason!!! Poof ......here's DUMBO!!!!
1.Why does Miller argue that “no science is safe” from attacks by creationists? Give examples of different scientific disciplines that creationists attack?
Miller argues that “no science is safe” from attacks by creationists because in order for the creationists to have strong appeal and grounds for rebuttals they must prove that scientific methods do not work or are false. Creationists have set out to prove wrong many disciplines of science such as astronomy and its fundamental constants, chemistry and its laws of thermodynamics, and geology and the new methods of dating rocks.
2.Why does this mode of attack flourish in our discipline-based approach to education? How can interdisciplinary address the problem? Can interdisciplinary prevent the problem?
This mode of attack flourishes in a discipline based approach to education, because each discipline is separated into its own category where as an interdisciplinary discipline –based approaches bring many aspects of education together making it less vulnerable to attack. So by only attacking one subfield of science, creationists would have a better chance at disproving evolutionary thoughts, hypotheses and theories. Even as they continue to convince the science world that most of what they know and believe is true, but that is really just the subfield of biology has strayed from the truth.
3.How did Gould and Eldredge rock the evolutionary boat in 1972? How can you reconcile their claims with the genetic “switches” you learned about in the NOVA documentary “What Darwin Never Knew”?
Gould and Eldredge rocked the evolutionary boat by going against the normative and predominate views of “modern synthesis” that was well thought of during this time. The idea modern synthesis was the thought that evolution was a gradual process and could be found within the confines of preexisting structures of science. Gould and Eldredget thought ill of this due to the fact the there have to be changes appearing in the fossil record. Gould and Eldredge instead came forth with a new idea called “punctuated equilibrium” which stated that living things live had be maintained in a type of equilibrium for years, and that while in the state the organism would instead undergo brief periods of rapid change. This idea seemed to correspond with the theory of genetic “switches” talked about in the Nova film, because the switches could be identified as a type of rapid growth or change within the organism.
4.Outline Phillip Johnson’s critiques of evolution, and explain why each critique is invalid. Note: you can use this outline as a draft of your Talking to your neighbor essay!
The first critique was that if there was not a complete fossil record, the gaps in the record would make the record irrelevant and not a viable source of data in the evolutionary path of evidence. This argument was not valid, because as we have learned in the class gaps in the record can be made by the mere fact that we have not found a particular species yet or that it was in fact a species that did not preserve well within the fossilization process. The second critique made by Johnson says something to the effect that a genetic mechanism that cannot make the jump in both form and function within a particular species was simple impossible. This is a bunch of poop because scientist can in fact measure the rate of morphological change caused by natural selection in the fossil record.
5.One common claim by advocates of Intelligent Design is that nearly identical elephants appeared in India and Africa, and that special creation is the only way to explain how these geographically disparate species could be so similar. Test this hypothesis as a scientist would. Use figures 4.3 and 4.4 in your discussion.
(Tried to do this question later and ERES would not open for me to look at the figures)Sadly incomplete
6.What are some of the flaws in design that we would have to accept if we believe in Intelligent Design?
The first flaw we would have to embrace would be that the intelligent creator designed each species specifically, which is just not true there are a great deal of species very much alike. Next we would have to believe that every specific species would make its way in the fossil record, lastly we would have believe that ancestry is not real and does not exist.
7.What are the mechanisms of evolutionary change that Johnson and his ilk deny?
They deny such things as a sequence within the fossil record, stating that the scientists are merely imaging things, that in fact the intelligent designer was changing his beautiful and wonderful masterpiece each and every time. (Uh-huh! Rightttt!). They also deny the idea of genetic switches, believe they could not possible cause the jump in form and function.
Miller argues that “no science is safe” from attacks by creationists because in order for the creationists to have strong appeal and grounds for rebuttals they must prove that scientific methods do not work or are false. Creationists have set out to prove wrong many disciplines of science such as astronomy and its fundamental constants, chemistry and its laws of thermodynamics, and geology and the new methods of dating rocks.
2.Why does this mode of attack flourish in our discipline-based approach to education? How can interdisciplinary address the problem? Can interdisciplinary prevent the problem?
This mode of attack flourishes in a discipline based approach to education, because each discipline is separated into its own category where as an interdisciplinary discipline –based approaches bring many aspects of education together making it less vulnerable to attack. So by only attacking one subfield of science, creationists would have a better chance at disproving evolutionary thoughts, hypotheses and theories. Even as they continue to convince the science world that most of what they know and believe is true, but that is really just the subfield of biology has strayed from the truth.
3.How did Gould and Eldredge rock the evolutionary boat in 1972? How can you reconcile their claims with the genetic “switches” you learned about in the NOVA documentary “What Darwin Never Knew”?
Gould and Eldredge rocked the evolutionary boat by going against the normative and predominate views of “modern synthesis” that was well thought of during this time. The idea modern synthesis was the thought that evolution was a gradual process and could be found within the confines of preexisting structures of science. Gould and Eldredget thought ill of this due to the fact the there have to be changes appearing in the fossil record. Gould and Eldredge instead came forth with a new idea called “punctuated equilibrium” which stated that living things live had be maintained in a type of equilibrium for years, and that while in the state the organism would instead undergo brief periods of rapid change. This idea seemed to correspond with the theory of genetic “switches” talked about in the Nova film, because the switches could be identified as a type of rapid growth or change within the organism.
4.Outline Phillip Johnson’s critiques of evolution, and explain why each critique is invalid. Note: you can use this outline as a draft of your Talking to your neighbor essay!
The first critique was that if there was not a complete fossil record, the gaps in the record would make the record irrelevant and not a viable source of data in the evolutionary path of evidence. This argument was not valid, because as we have learned in the class gaps in the record can be made by the mere fact that we have not found a particular species yet or that it was in fact a species that did not preserve well within the fossilization process. The second critique made by Johnson says something to the effect that a genetic mechanism that cannot make the jump in both form and function within a particular species was simple impossible. This is a bunch of poop because scientist can in fact measure the rate of morphological change caused by natural selection in the fossil record.
5.One common claim by advocates of Intelligent Design is that nearly identical elephants appeared in India and Africa, and that special creation is the only way to explain how these geographically disparate species could be so similar. Test this hypothesis as a scientist would. Use figures 4.3 and 4.4 in your discussion.
(Tried to do this question later and ERES would not open for me to look at the figures)Sadly incomplete
6.What are some of the flaws in design that we would have to accept if we believe in Intelligent Design?
The first flaw we would have to embrace would be that the intelligent creator designed each species specifically, which is just not true there are a great deal of species very much alike. Next we would have to believe that every specific species would make its way in the fossil record, lastly we would have believe that ancestry is not real and does not exist.
7.What are the mechanisms of evolutionary change that Johnson and his ilk deny?
They deny such things as a sequence within the fossil record, stating that the scientists are merely imaging things, that in fact the intelligent designer was changing his beautiful and wonderful masterpiece each and every time. (Uh-huh! Rightttt!). They also deny the idea of genetic switches, believe they could not possible cause the jump in form and function.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Facts, laws, theories, and hypotheses OHMY!
1. All four ways of knowing are valid and appropriate in certain situations. Briefly describe a situation that is appropriate for each way of knowing.
• Authority- is when you trust, or believe someone that is the leading expert or specialist on a given topic or subject. Therefore providing a type of given authority in a certain kind of information. An example of this with in my own life can be seen within my martial art instructor, she has been teaching and instructing for over 10 years and has earned the respect and authority within her given art. I can then relay on her knowledge and expertise to teach me.
• Revelation- is when someone receives knowledge, guidance, or information from a being or god from within their faith or beliefs, An example of this within my life is my belief in the New Testament written in the pages of my God inspired bible.
• Logic- is when a person uses the fact in front of them to systematically, break down information into usable understandings or explanations. Though you must note the logic does not carry any reference to the real world. An example of this in my life could be thinking that all sport cars go fast, and saying a car that just not go fast and making the declaration that that car must not be a sports car.
• Science- is when you apply logic, speculation, and facts to the real world. This process many times allows you to eliminate different aspects of your knowledge and build on the most proven facts and truths within a given situation. Science is the by far one of the most refined ways of knowing, but yields a much more powerful, trust worthy outcome. An example of this could be stating the ice is not water, but then subjecting it to different tests and finding it is in fact a different from of water.
2. Distinguish between hypotheses and theories.
Hypotheses- are formed to present a relationship or correlation between things. I once hear them described as very education guesses. A hypothesis is in many ways the starting place for future fact, laws and theories.
Theories- are studies/explanations about the natural world that have been exhaustively studied and many times include and relay on laws, well tested hypothesis, facts, and other influential studies. It many times takes a great deal of work to reach the theory stage within the scientific community.
3. Go back to a previous reading you had in this course. Which hypotheses did you discuss while answering your discussion questions? What theory (ies) did you test?”
Two hypotheses that were focused on within our studies are:
1) Found within the activity for work done on Price and Partner’s case study, If everyone from my high school was to ride the bus instead of drive their own cars, our carbon foot print as a whole would be much less. It tested the CO2 output for all the cars in my school districts high school students, as well as all the CO2 output from the bus it would take to bring them to and from school every day, in the hopes of proving that a bus would be better for the environment then everyone driving their own cars.
2) The second main hypothesis that comes to mind was our most resent hypothesis that stated something along the lines of our human skulls had evolved over time from a chimp like ancestor. The point of this hypothesis was to get us looking at how similar and how different our skulls are to that of chimpanzee and to see if we the homo-sapiens did in fact form from the same lineage of chimps and just change course along the way.
• Authority- is when you trust, or believe someone that is the leading expert or specialist on a given topic or subject. Therefore providing a type of given authority in a certain kind of information. An example of this with in my own life can be seen within my martial art instructor, she has been teaching and instructing for over 10 years and has earned the respect and authority within her given art. I can then relay on her knowledge and expertise to teach me.
• Revelation- is when someone receives knowledge, guidance, or information from a being or god from within their faith or beliefs, An example of this within my life is my belief in the New Testament written in the pages of my God inspired bible.
• Logic- is when a person uses the fact in front of them to systematically, break down information into usable understandings or explanations. Though you must note the logic does not carry any reference to the real world. An example of this in my life could be thinking that all sport cars go fast, and saying a car that just not go fast and making the declaration that that car must not be a sports car.
• Science- is when you apply logic, speculation, and facts to the real world. This process many times allows you to eliminate different aspects of your knowledge and build on the most proven facts and truths within a given situation. Science is the by far one of the most refined ways of knowing, but yields a much more powerful, trust worthy outcome. An example of this could be stating the ice is not water, but then subjecting it to different tests and finding it is in fact a different from of water.
2. Distinguish between hypotheses and theories.
Hypotheses- are formed to present a relationship or correlation between things. I once hear them described as very education guesses. A hypothesis is in many ways the starting place for future fact, laws and theories.
Theories- are studies/explanations about the natural world that have been exhaustively studied and many times include and relay on laws, well tested hypothesis, facts, and other influential studies. It many times takes a great deal of work to reach the theory stage within the scientific community.
3. Go back to a previous reading you had in this course. Which hypotheses did you discuss while answering your discussion questions? What theory (ies) did you test?”
Two hypotheses that were focused on within our studies are:
1) Found within the activity for work done on Price and Partner’s case study, If everyone from my high school was to ride the bus instead of drive their own cars, our carbon foot print as a whole would be much less. It tested the CO2 output for all the cars in my school districts high school students, as well as all the CO2 output from the bus it would take to bring them to and from school every day, in the hopes of proving that a bus would be better for the environment then everyone driving their own cars.
2) The second main hypothesis that comes to mind was our most resent hypothesis that stated something along the lines of our human skulls had evolved over time from a chimp like ancestor. The point of this hypothesis was to get us looking at how similar and how different our skulls are to that of chimpanzee and to see if we the homo-sapiens did in fact form from the same lineage of chimps and just change course along the way.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Here come the Skulls!
Prep- Skull lab
Which skull are you most excited about seeing? Why?
I’m looking forward to seeing the baby chimp skull compared to the skull of a baby human, I have always been curious to see how different our skulls are start before they really have time to grow and develop. Early in the course we learned that the great apes have a great deal of their skull plates closed off by the large jaw muscle that forms through the side holes in their skull, I’m interest to see where on the skull this muscle resides.
Paraphrase the hypothesis that you are testing in this lab.
In this lab we will be testing the hypothesis that our skulls have evolved over time from that of chimpanzee or related ancestor, because of a disturbance/change in the timeline within evolution.
What is standardization? Why is it necessary? How will you standardize the measurements you are taking in this lab?
Standardization is when you use the height to length ratio to measure something instead of it actual size, by doing this you can measure things that change in shape as they get older and change size. This is necessary because without this your ability to measure the same species at different stages of life you need a standardization system. I will take the height and length measurements of both an adult skull and the baby skull to see/study the difference.
Post a picture of an axolotl on your blog; cite your source. Write a caption for the figure, explaining why this is such a cool example of heterochrony. (See Below)
What would we look like if we grew isometrically starting at birth?
We would look like huge babies, Our heads would be very large for our bodies and we would all most likely be pudgy and have smooth skin, LOL and pampers would have to make a much bigger diaper
What is sexual dimorphism?
Sexual dimorphism is when you have two different body structures built into the genes or evolution of a particular species, a good example of this can be seen in apes where the males are a great deal larger than the females because of the males need to fight for dominance in order to gain access to the females during mating. This is not found to as large a degree within the human race.
Give an example of an organism (it doesn’t have to be an animal!) that grows allometrically, but that isn’t discussed in the lab handout. Think of one on your own instead of looking it up on the Internet.
I think that a butterfly could be considered an extreme version of this process, as it is born it comes into the world as a caterpillar only to completely change its bodily form into a butterfly a few days later in its stage of adult hood.
Which skull are you most excited about seeing? Why?
I’m looking forward to seeing the baby chimp skull compared to the skull of a baby human, I have always been curious to see how different our skulls are start before they really have time to grow and develop. Early in the course we learned that the great apes have a great deal of their skull plates closed off by the large jaw muscle that forms through the side holes in their skull, I’m interest to see where on the skull this muscle resides.
Paraphrase the hypothesis that you are testing in this lab.
In this lab we will be testing the hypothesis that our skulls have evolved over time from that of chimpanzee or related ancestor, because of a disturbance/change in the timeline within evolution.
What is standardization? Why is it necessary? How will you standardize the measurements you are taking in this lab?
Standardization is when you use the height to length ratio to measure something instead of it actual size, by doing this you can measure things that change in shape as they get older and change size. This is necessary because without this your ability to measure the same species at different stages of life you need a standardization system. I will take the height and length measurements of both an adult skull and the baby skull to see/study the difference.
Post a picture of an axolotl on your blog; cite your source. Write a caption for the figure, explaining why this is such a cool example of heterochrony. (See Below)
What would we look like if we grew isometrically starting at birth?
We would look like huge babies, Our heads would be very large for our bodies and we would all most likely be pudgy and have smooth skin, LOL and pampers would have to make a much bigger diaper
What is sexual dimorphism?
Sexual dimorphism is when you have two different body structures built into the genes or evolution of a particular species, a good example of this can be seen in apes where the males are a great deal larger than the females because of the males need to fight for dominance in order to gain access to the females during mating. This is not found to as large a degree within the human race.
Give an example of an organism (it doesn’t have to be an animal!) that grows allometrically, but that isn’t discussed in the lab handout. Think of one on your own instead of looking it up on the Internet.
I think that a butterfly could be considered an extreme version of this process, as it is born it comes into the world as a caterpillar only to completely change its bodily form into a butterfly a few days later in its stage of adult hood.
Baby salamanders or are they???
These are pictures of the Axolotl salamander, this salamander is the prefect example of an alternative form of evolutionary change over time. The Axolotl salamander looks like its a baby when really it is a full grown sexual mature adult. Note the cool looking gills, this was once the trait of just the young of their species.
Pictures found at:
http://curiousanimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/axolotl-small.jpg
http://lostangelesblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/axolotl.jpg
Sunday, May 9, 2010
My Carbon Yetti Print!!!
History of Life!!!
1. What hook does the author use to capture your attention?
In this story the authors use a combination of mystery and science fiction writing and storytelling techniques to pull their readers in and present there scientific perspective. It was rather good and interesting.
2. How could you adapt this hook in your own case study?
My team could very much learn from this type of fictional writing style in the making of and writing of our case study. We already have plays to tell our story in a narrative style story format.
3. Work within you group to decide who completes each activity. (SEE BELOW)
4. How is the case study a model for the one you are writing? What do you want to emulate? What do you want to change?
This case study is great model of the ability to present very complicated scientific perspective in a very laymen and understandable terms for those not schooled in the subject or field of science. I think that we as a group should try to emulate the openness and easy at which to bring about our information and findings within our own stories, while at the same time not making our stories to long. I think I would only change the clarity of the punch line or the ending of the plot, it seemed to hold a bit of confusion.
Activity 4. Your carbon toe print
Claim
Scientists have accumulated enough evidence to conclude that current global climate changes are at least partially anthropogenic.
Learning objectives
Explain how scientists use data from the carbon isotopes in old trees to record the increase in CO¬¬2 that began with the Industrial Revolution.
Find your carbon “toeprint”—the amount of CO2 you emit on your commute to school.
The Industrial Revolution
When houses and factories began using electricity in the mid-19th century, utilities and appliances we often take for granted today quickly replaced kerosene lamps, icehouses, wood stoves, and hard labor. Just a few years later, the gasoline combustion engine reshaped society as cars and trucks changed our landscape. For many, life certainly became easier. But as the decades passed, more coal and oil production was needed to meet the demand for electricity production and our growing fleets of cars, resulting in the rise of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Activity
To get to school, I can take the bus, ride my bike, drive with friends or be dropped off. Best yet, I can drive by myself in my own car. If I can afford my own car and gas, why shouldn’t I enjoy the convenience and privacy on my journey to school every day?
Facts
Passenger cars in the US contribute approximately 645 million tons of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere each year (EPA 2005). Approximately 2.2 billion tons are added from
electricity use (EPA 2000).
For every gallon of gasoline burned, 19.4 lbs. of CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere
(EPA 2005).
The average miles per gallon for passenger cars in the US is about 22 (US Bureau of Transportation Statistics 2008).
Find your carbon “toeprint”
So many resources that we use today—switching on our computers, driving our cars, recharging our cell phones—draw on power that potentially emits more CO2. Our carbon footprint is an estimate of how much CO2 we use. Let’s look at what might be your carbon toeprint: how much CO2 high school students in your state would emit during their commute to school if they were all to drive themselves.
Record the number of miles 10 students travel to and from school.
Table 4.1 Distance students travel
Student Miles to and from school
1 1
2 3
3 2
4 6
5 1
6 3
7 15
8 4
9 7
10 2
Calculate the average distance traveled.
Average Distance Traveled= 4.4 miles
Multiply this average by the number of high school students in your school district.
4 schools x 1440 students per school = 5760 Approximate students
5760 x 4.4 miles = 25,344
Divide that number by 22 miles per gallon to calculate the average amount of fuel used during this commute.
25,344 / 22 = 1152
Now multiply that by 19.4 lbs of CO2 per gallon emitted into the atmosphere.
1152 x 19.4 = 22348.8 lbs
Multiply by 5 to calculate the pounds of CO2 emitted each week.
22348.8lbs x 5 = 111,744 lbs
How many tons is that? (Hint: there are 2000 lbs in a ton)
55.872 tons of CO2 a week !
Now let’s suppose everyone takes the bus. More CO2 is being emitted than if everyone were walking or riding a bike, so how much CO2 would actually be saved each week? Let’s assume 25 people ride a single bus, and that the bus travels 7 miles per gallon of fuel (American School Bus Council 2008, Laughlin 2004). Calculate the farthest distance traveled.
How many bus trips are necessary?
5760 students / 25 (max. on a bus) = 230.4 trips
How many miles do the buses travel?
15 farthest radius trip from school x 2 round trip = 30 x 230.4 (# of bus trips to get all students) = 6912 miles
Divide that number by 7 mpg to calculate the amount of fuel used by buses.
6912 miles / 7mpg = 987.43 gallons
Now multiply that by 19.4 lbs of CO2 per gallon emitted into the atmosphere.
987.43 gallons x 19.4 = 19,156.14 lbs/g
Multiply by 5 to calculate the pounds of CO2 emitted each week.
19,156.14 x 5 = 95,780.71
How many tons is that? (Hint: there are 2000 lbs in a ton)
47.90 tons a week
How many tons of fuel is saved?
55.87 (car) – 47.90 (bus) = 7.97 tons a week are saved. Still bad, need more bikers and walkers
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a federal laboratory under the auspices of the Department of Energy, reports that a number of school districts are paving the way for reducing the carbon emissions of school buses even more. Strategies include using alternative fuels like natural gas and biodiesel.
1. What hook does the author use to capture your attention?
In this story the authors use a combination of mystery and science fiction writing and storytelling techniques to pull their readers in and present there scientific perspective. It was rather good and interesting.
2. How could you adapt this hook in your own case study?
My team could very much learn from this type of fictional writing style in the making of and writing of our case study. We already have plays to tell our story in a narrative style story format.
3. Work within you group to decide who completes each activity. (SEE BELOW)
4. How is the case study a model for the one you are writing? What do you want to emulate? What do you want to change?
This case study is great model of the ability to present very complicated scientific perspective in a very laymen and understandable terms for those not schooled in the subject or field of science. I think that we as a group should try to emulate the openness and easy at which to bring about our information and findings within our own stories, while at the same time not making our stories to long. I think I would only change the clarity of the punch line or the ending of the plot, it seemed to hold a bit of confusion.
Activity 4. Your carbon toe print
Claim
Scientists have accumulated enough evidence to conclude that current global climate changes are at least partially anthropogenic.
Learning objectives
Explain how scientists use data from the carbon isotopes in old trees to record the increase in CO¬¬2 that began with the Industrial Revolution.
Find your carbon “toeprint”—the amount of CO2 you emit on your commute to school.
The Industrial Revolution
When houses and factories began using electricity in the mid-19th century, utilities and appliances we often take for granted today quickly replaced kerosene lamps, icehouses, wood stoves, and hard labor. Just a few years later, the gasoline combustion engine reshaped society as cars and trucks changed our landscape. For many, life certainly became easier. But as the decades passed, more coal and oil production was needed to meet the demand for electricity production and our growing fleets of cars, resulting in the rise of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Activity
To get to school, I can take the bus, ride my bike, drive with friends or be dropped off. Best yet, I can drive by myself in my own car. If I can afford my own car and gas, why shouldn’t I enjoy the convenience and privacy on my journey to school every day?
Facts
Passenger cars in the US contribute approximately 645 million tons of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere each year (EPA 2005). Approximately 2.2 billion tons are added from
electricity use (EPA 2000).
For every gallon of gasoline burned, 19.4 lbs. of CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere
(EPA 2005).
The average miles per gallon for passenger cars in the US is about 22 (US Bureau of Transportation Statistics 2008).
Find your carbon “toeprint”
So many resources that we use today—switching on our computers, driving our cars, recharging our cell phones—draw on power that potentially emits more CO2. Our carbon footprint is an estimate of how much CO2 we use. Let’s look at what might be your carbon toeprint: how much CO2 high school students in your state would emit during their commute to school if they were all to drive themselves.
Record the number of miles 10 students travel to and from school.
Table 4.1 Distance students travel
Student Miles to and from school
1 1
2 3
3 2
4 6
5 1
6 3
7 15
8 4
9 7
10 2
Calculate the average distance traveled.
Average Distance Traveled= 4.4 miles
Multiply this average by the number of high school students in your school district.
4 schools x 1440 students per school = 5760 Approximate students
5760 x 4.4 miles = 25,344
Divide that number by 22 miles per gallon to calculate the average amount of fuel used during this commute.
25,344 / 22 = 1152
Now multiply that by 19.4 lbs of CO2 per gallon emitted into the atmosphere.
1152 x 19.4 = 22348.8 lbs
Multiply by 5 to calculate the pounds of CO2 emitted each week.
22348.8lbs x 5 = 111,744 lbs
How many tons is that? (Hint: there are 2000 lbs in a ton)
55.872 tons of CO2 a week !
Now let’s suppose everyone takes the bus. More CO2 is being emitted than if everyone were walking or riding a bike, so how much CO2 would actually be saved each week? Let’s assume 25 people ride a single bus, and that the bus travels 7 miles per gallon of fuel (American School Bus Council 2008, Laughlin 2004). Calculate the farthest distance traveled.
How many bus trips are necessary?
5760 students / 25 (max. on a bus) = 230.4 trips
How many miles do the buses travel?
15 farthest radius trip from school x 2 round trip = 30 x 230.4 (# of bus trips to get all students) = 6912 miles
Divide that number by 7 mpg to calculate the amount of fuel used by buses.
6912 miles / 7mpg = 987.43 gallons
Now multiply that by 19.4 lbs of CO2 per gallon emitted into the atmosphere.
987.43 gallons x 19.4 = 19,156.14 lbs/g
Multiply by 5 to calculate the pounds of CO2 emitted each week.
19,156.14 x 5 = 95,780.71
How many tons is that? (Hint: there are 2000 lbs in a ton)
47.90 tons a week
How many tons of fuel is saved?
55.87 (car) – 47.90 (bus) = 7.97 tons a week are saved. Still bad, need more bikers and walkers
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a federal laboratory under the auspices of the Department of Energy, reports that a number of school districts are paving the way for reducing the carbon emissions of school buses even more. Strategies include using alternative fuels like natural gas and biodiesel.
Monday, May 3, 2010
When things go bye bye!
Lab handout
1. What is the main point of Signor and Lipps 1982?
Both Signor and Lipps set out to research and explain how several taxa populations disappeared before the hypothesized catastrophic extinction event. Signor and Lipps reviewed the fossil record for specific information regarding the time periods in which these taxa began to decline and found that the mass extinction did not occur until later. The scientists are trying to pull apart the evidence that discusses the hypotheses of a catastrophic extinction and whether or not the theory of such a hypothesis is relevant.
2. What have you learned from the title of this paper?
The title is basically saying that Signor and Lipps’ are trying to find out whether bias in the fossil record research was a critical piece in the arrival of a catastrophic extinction event hypothesis; and whether or not the gradual extinction of several taxa points to another suggestion of a hypothesis about the mass extinction.
3. Explain what the vertical axes mean on all three graphs in Figure 2 of Signor and Lipps 1982.
Figure 2a’s vertical axis is the actual diversity of animals in a certain location. The graph depicts what would occur to the diversity in the population if a catastrophic extinction were to happen. Figure 2b-(ask professor). Figure 2c-(ask professor)
4. What do you think Signor and Lipps mean when they question whether the fossil record is to “be accepted at face value” (291)?
They are implying the fact that if we would like to go on thinking that there was a catastrophic extinction event instead of trudging through the actual evidence and fossil records to prove scientifically that there was actually that sort of event, then we are giving up to easily and there should be more research done in this area.
5. What do Signor and Lipps mean by “random truncation of ranges” (292)?
They explain that a sampling method such as a “random truncation of ranges” is likely to show a trend of gradual extinction because not every event of biotic extinction is recorded in the fossil record, so scientists must use a truncation of ranges to explore the patterns of the specific taxa extinction and they must use the last known record of that taxa to connect the two patterns. The randomness comes along if the last known records are in different sections of time and are random and not in a specific order.
Zimmer 2010, Radiations and extinctions (excerpt)
1. What hook does the author use to capture your attention?
The author uses the hook of the biggest extinction event in history that destroyed over half of the genera on the Earth. This is a good shock factor to get the audience’s attention.
2. How could you adapt this hook in your own case study?
I could adapt this hook by using it similarly in the opening statements of my case study by explaining the shock factor of the PT extinction.
3. When was the biggest mass extinction in the history of animals? What do we call this extinction event? What caused it?
When: 250 million years ago. Named: KT extinction Cause: Meteor
4. Which species seem to be most robust to extinction? Why?
Marine invertebrates seem most robust to extinction due to the fact that the ocean is so expansive that they would most likely survive a catastrophic event in a smaller range of area.
5. What’s the difference between mass extinctions and background extinctions?
Mass extinctions normally include a lot of genera and are more easily noticed when a large range of fossils are found from the same time period. Background extinctions tend to be smaller scale and usually include less number of genera and records are a bit more difficult to pinpoint the cause of these extinctions.
6. Zimmer warns us that global climate change is one drastic consequence of increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What is the other?
Destroying the world’s rain forests.
7. How could you use Figure 10.15 as a hook for capturing the attention of your audience in the introduction of a case study?
I could use this figure that depicts the rate of extinctions across several million years to explain the shocking evidence that we are potentially headed into another period of mass extinction and the fact that we can learn from our history of these events and try to prevent another catastrophic extinction event from occurring.
1. What is the main point of Signor and Lipps 1982?
Both Signor and Lipps set out to research and explain how several taxa populations disappeared before the hypothesized catastrophic extinction event. Signor and Lipps reviewed the fossil record for specific information regarding the time periods in which these taxa began to decline and found that the mass extinction did not occur until later. The scientists are trying to pull apart the evidence that discusses the hypotheses of a catastrophic extinction and whether or not the theory of such a hypothesis is relevant.
2. What have you learned from the title of this paper?
The title is basically saying that Signor and Lipps’ are trying to find out whether bias in the fossil record research was a critical piece in the arrival of a catastrophic extinction event hypothesis; and whether or not the gradual extinction of several taxa points to another suggestion of a hypothesis about the mass extinction.
3. Explain what the vertical axes mean on all three graphs in Figure 2 of Signor and Lipps 1982.
Figure 2a’s vertical axis is the actual diversity of animals in a certain location. The graph depicts what would occur to the diversity in the population if a catastrophic extinction were to happen. Figure 2b-(ask professor). Figure 2c-(ask professor)
4. What do you think Signor and Lipps mean when they question whether the fossil record is to “be accepted at face value” (291)?
They are implying the fact that if we would like to go on thinking that there was a catastrophic extinction event instead of trudging through the actual evidence and fossil records to prove scientifically that there was actually that sort of event, then we are giving up to easily and there should be more research done in this area.
5. What do Signor and Lipps mean by “random truncation of ranges” (292)?
They explain that a sampling method such as a “random truncation of ranges” is likely to show a trend of gradual extinction because not every event of biotic extinction is recorded in the fossil record, so scientists must use a truncation of ranges to explore the patterns of the specific taxa extinction and they must use the last known record of that taxa to connect the two patterns. The randomness comes along if the last known records are in different sections of time and are random and not in a specific order.
Zimmer 2010, Radiations and extinctions (excerpt)
1. What hook does the author use to capture your attention?
The author uses the hook of the biggest extinction event in history that destroyed over half of the genera on the Earth. This is a good shock factor to get the audience’s attention.
2. How could you adapt this hook in your own case study?
I could adapt this hook by using it similarly in the opening statements of my case study by explaining the shock factor of the PT extinction.
3. When was the biggest mass extinction in the history of animals? What do we call this extinction event? What caused it?
When: 250 million years ago. Named: KT extinction Cause: Meteor
4. Which species seem to be most robust to extinction? Why?
Marine invertebrates seem most robust to extinction due to the fact that the ocean is so expansive that they would most likely survive a catastrophic event in a smaller range of area.
5. What’s the difference between mass extinctions and background extinctions?
Mass extinctions normally include a lot of genera and are more easily noticed when a large range of fossils are found from the same time period. Background extinctions tend to be smaller scale and usually include less number of genera and records are a bit more difficult to pinpoint the cause of these extinctions.
6. Zimmer warns us that global climate change is one drastic consequence of increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What is the other?
Destroying the world’s rain forests.
7. How could you use Figure 10.15 as a hook for capturing the attention of your audience in the introduction of a case study?
I could use this figure that depicts the rate of extinctions across several million years to explain the shocking evidence that we are potentially headed into another period of mass extinction and the fact that we can learn from our history of these events and try to prevent another catastrophic extinction event from occurring.
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