Bio Ethanol Fuel

Today we discussed how to make bio ethanol. Bio ethanol is most often used as motor fuel. The ethanol that is found in this fuel is the same alcohol that is in alcoholic beverages. Bio ethanol is a form of renewable energy that can be produced from agricultural feedstocks. It can be made from corn, sugar cane, potato and manioc. The basic steps fror large scale production of ethanol are yeast fermentation of sugars, distillation, dehydration and denaturing.

There are pros and cons to Bio ethanol. Some pros are that through the use of bio ethanol, some of these CO2 Green house emissions will be reduced as the fuel crops absorb the CO2 they emit through growing. Also, it will reduce dependence on Oil. Some cons are that bio ethanol can be corrosive to metals such as aluminum. Also, it may require the use of too much arable land and too much energy input during the production process to justify it.

Mitochondrial Eve

Mitochondrial Eve is the woman from who mall living humans today descend, on their mother's side, and through the mothers of those mothers and so on, back until all lines converge on one person. Mitochondrial Eve is estimated to have lived around 200,000 years ago most likely in East Africa. even though all people have descended from this mitochondrial eve we all look different. This is because as people migrated from different people they adapted to different environments which had effects on them such as changes in their appearances.

Macon Dog Park Lab

For this lab we went to the Macon Dog Park called Tyler's Place. While at the park we took samples of the water in the park to see if there were any bacteria or parasites in the water. We also discussed the impact we thought the dog park had on the community. Dog parks can really make a community feel connected because most people will tend to go out to the dog parks with their dogs and be more social with other members of the community. Along with these perks there are sometimes downfalls to dog parks such as dog fights and owners not cleaning up after their dogs just to name a few.

Amphioxus

Amphioxus, also known as Lancelet, are found buried in the sand in shallow parts of temperate or tropical seas. They are an important object of study in zoology as they provide indications about the origins of the vertebrates. They serve as an intriguing comparison point for tracing how vertebrates have evolved and adapted. Even though Amphioxus split from vertebrates more than 520 million years ago, their genomes hold clues about evolution, particularly how vertebrates have employed old genes for new functions. They are regarded as similar to the archetypal vertebrate form.

They grow up to about 5 centimeters (2.0 in) long, reaching 7 centimeters (2.8 in) at the longest. They have a translucent, somewhat fish-like body, but without any paired fins or other limbs. A relatively poorly developed tail fin is present, but they are not especially good swimmers. In common with vertebrates, lancelets have a hollow nerve cord running along the back, pharyngeal slits and a tail that runs past the anus. Also like vertebrates, the muscles are arranged in blocks called myomeres.

Darwin's Dilema: The Burgess Shale, Hallucigenia

Hallucigenia is an organism that arose during the Cambrian explosion. It got its name from it strange and dreamlike appearance. It was 0.5-3 cm in length and lived on the sea floor. Figuring out how this creature functioned and whats its unique appendages were used for has proven difficult for scientists. While still debated, it is commonly thought that the blob on one of its ends functioned as a head-like structure even though it has no signs of a mouth, ears, or eyes. The six spines rising from one of its sides are paired with six tentacles on the other side. It is thought that it may have fed by either ingesting food through each of its tentacles or by passing food along with them to its 'head'.
An alternative interpretation considered Hallucigenia to be an appendage of a larger, unknown animal. There had been precedent for this, as the species Anomalocaris had been originally identified as three separate creatures before being identified as a single huge 3-foot-long creature. Given the uncertainty of its taxonomy, Hallucigenia was tentatively placed within the phylum Lobopodia.

I'm a Tree Hugger!

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)

Asarum canadense is commonly known as wild ginger. The long rhizomes of wild ginger were used by Native Americans as a seasoning. Although it is similar to true ginger, wild ginger should not be used as a substitute because it contains an unknown concentration of the carcinogen aristolochic acid. Native Americans used the plant as a medicinal herb to treat a number of ailments including dysentery, digestive problems, swollen breasts, coughs and colds, typhus, scarlet fever, nerves, sore throats, cramps, heaves, earaches, headaches, convulsions, asthma, tuberculosis, urinary disorders and venereal disease.