Week 7
Guest speaker: Dr. Matthieu Arfeux: A Quick Trip through Fractals
Review of graphic novel pages.
Homework: 1. Continue to develop your graphic novels
2. Read the article SCIENCE NEWS THAT STUCK WITH US IN 2015. Select the news item (there are ten) that you find the most compelling. Write on the class blog explaining why you chose it and what makes it the most interesting for you. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/28/science/2015-top-science-stories.html
HW DUE: Monday, March 21, noon.
March 19, 2016 at 1:09 am
The news item that I found the most compelling was Preserving Cuba’s Environment. I chose this article because my major is in the marine sciences and I believe that this is a huge opportunity for scientists in both the United States and Cuba. This is the most interesting to me because authorities in Cuba have emphasized the importance for protecting the environment, but there is still more to be done now that there is a high potential for tourism from the US and development to Cuba. High levels of tourism can cause damage to reefs and sea grass caused by pollutants or litter and trash making its was into the water. By working to preserve the marine environment in Cuba, we can work to keep one of natures beauties alive.
March 21, 2016 at 5:25 pm
Of all the outstanding news items which were found on the article, there was one which stood out to me the most. This was the article titled “Previewing Climate Change in the Pacific.” Today, global warming has become a major issue in the US and all around the world, as our pollution levels have been rising and the earth is gradually increasing in temperature. This has led to animals which live on cold climates dying, especially polar bears. However, although the pacific ocean is increasing in temperature and there are several theories as to why it is occurring, there is not a single known rule. For example, El Nino leads to a dramatic increase in temperature and was estimated to make 2015 the hottest year to date. While the major effects of climate change may be out of our hands, it is important to note that if we do our part in helping the environment and raise awareness, it may result in helping the cause towards the long run.
March 21, 2016 at 9:12 pm
The news item that I found most compelling was Previewing Climate Change in the Pacific by John Schwartz. I didn’t know that climate change could impact coral reefs as significantly as it currently does. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the world is in the midst a global coral bleaching event due to climate change. Coral bleaching destroys reefs and in turn disrupts the habitat of the diverse ecosystem held together by the reef. I find coral reefs to be one the most artistic works of nature because each colony in the reef is unique and together forms a collaboration of biodiversity of marine life much like a rainforest but in the sea. I think it is a shame that many coral reefs are being destroyed by increased temperatures due to climate change. Even worse it is predicted that bleaching is going to be even worse this year.
March 21, 2016 at 11:04 pm
The article which I found to be the most striking was the “Celestial Celebrations of Einstein” as it shows how much of an impact one person made on the world of physics and mathematics. In one case, the effects of two black holes colliding always intrigued me as to what would happen if such massive objects collided with one another. Such “small” discoveries could lead to major discoveries such as the bending of light due to massive objects like in the case of the solar eclipse of 1919 which caused stars to appear to shift positions. Moreover, how would light appear in the collision of the two black holes. However to be more precise, in recent times, we have discovered what would happen and this more importantly proved Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Furthermore, happy belated birthday, Einstein.
March 22, 2016 at 12:46 am
The article which I found the most compelling was the ‘preserving Cuba’s Environment’. Cuban marine scientists and the United States decided to protect and preserve the ocean they share. When Fidel Castro expressed the significance of protecting the environment, Cuba contributed to preserve natural resources and found the environmental laws. However, the island nation’s resolve has never kept properly, so some environmental experts are anxious about the flood of tourists that will cause polluted Cuban environment.
Here is pictures of Cuba’s ecosystem such as sea turtle and coral reefs which are called ‘Heart of the marine ecosystem’.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cuba-environment-tourists_us_56eac165e4b0860f99dbb125
March 22, 2016 at 12:49 am
I really loved the segment on the emergence of deep learning algorithms anyhow they will soon affect our everyday lives. The development of programs which have access to myriads of data and statistics will really allow humans to make great leaps in the development of software. The emergence of rap consumer grade Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality really show what companies such as Microsoft and Oculus have achieved. Algorithms in the software can learn and predict solutions and virtualization of things in our daily lives, from projecting info based on things you see on a AR headset to a software platform that automates your own home. Industry leading companies such as Apple and Google have been using innovations in software which interacts with the user in order to benefit the users life or mankind overall. Recently, Googles AI has been in a match with world class “Go” players and for the first time a computer is able to skillfully compete in a logic and tragic game against a real human brain. In combination with AI, modern robotics takes AI to a whole new level with machine learning and mechanical engineering, paving the way for robots that can accomplish newer and more difficult tasks.
March 22, 2016 at 7:33 am
The news item that I found most compelling was fish by the trillion in the Twilight Zone. This is the first time I have heard this kind of fish. Bristlemouths are one to three inches in length and what’s more surprised is that the fish has a remarkable ability to reproduce. I was interested in a strategy called counter-illumination which they use to avoid predators.
March 22, 2016 at 5:29 pm
The most impressive one for me is the climate change in the Pacific. Because I take Geology course and we also talk about this. The warming ocean is really a big deal on landscape and ocean ecotype. First the warming ocean will cause the raise of sea level, which means it would inundate islands and indirectly causes the decrease of species. The most typical example is polar bear and penguin, those species living in polar area. And the warming ocean also cause the change environment in ocean. The change living condition also causes decrease of ocean animals, and destroys the ecotype chain. However, the climate change in ocean has economy benefit in human being because the raise of sea level will lead more shipping channel available.