Tick Tock on the Clock

I have always had a strange obsession with clocks. Although I never really payed attention to the different types.

Clocks are made to give us precision through out the day. Clocks measure time. To learn more about time view a previous blog post. All clocks have a couple of requirements. They must first have a power source, a "time base", and finally they must have a way to display information.

There are many kinds of clocks. First the sundial, which was first used in 3500 B.C

  

The hour glass was the next innovation. Hourglasses were accurate, but required attention. They work the same way as water clocks which rely on gravity to move some object from a higher to a lover position on a regular fashion. 

Pendulums were a great advancement in technology, although they were expensive. This means that the whole town relied on one clock. 

Chronometers had increased the accuracy of time keeping and made it possible for men at sea to fix their position in the ocean. This technology also made advances in watches. 

Digital clocks were the next advancement: they assist in the operation of other devices such as movie recorders, and computers

Atomic clocks have increased the accuracy of time! They are also commonly found! 

Stay Curious xD!

Why Red Blood Cells look Like Donuts

I was looking at a slide of red blood cells under a microscope and I noticed something I never really caught, red blood cells look like donuts. Most cells do not have this shape to them so why do red blood cells look like donuts?
Well red blood cells don't really like donuts they actually look like "biconcave" disk. That means they are round but there side concave inwards.

The "biconcave" disk shape is created by a particular protein which is present in the outer membrane and holds it into shape. Red blood cells play the special role of carrying oxygen to all parts of your body. Red blood cell go through blood vessels to do so. The red blood cells have to be really flexible to squeeze through capillaries, capillaries can be the size of a strand of hair, this means that there smaller then the blood cells. Red blood cells have to "denuclei". They literally drop their nuclei and therefore the "biconcave" shape appears. Red blood cells don't need there nuclei to reproduce, they are reproduced in bone marrow after four months! They natural recycle!

Stay Curious xD!

BRAIN POWER!

Being some what of a  procrastinator makes me wonder if this has to do with some weird condition I may have in my brain. But NO Your Brain is the Boss of your body! The brain has many different parts that work together. There are five main parts :

• Cerebrum
• Cerebellum
• Brain Stem
• Pituitary
• Hypothalamus

Each part of the brain plays a different role.

Cerebrum

The largest part of your brain that functions for determining intelligence, determining personality, thinking, perceiving, language, sense,motor function, and planning and organization.  It covers the upper most part of the brain. 

Cerebellum

The Cerebellum is the hind part of the brain . It contains hundreds to millions of neurons, and relays on motor control. It is involved in  the functions of fine movement coordination,  balance and equilibrium,  and muscle tone. 

Brain Stem

The brain stem is the region that connects the cerebellum to the spine cord. Motor and sensory neurons travel through the brain stem. It accounts for breathing, blood pressure, digestion, heart rate, and other automatic functions.

Pituitary

The Pituitary is involved in hormone production. It is divided up into three glands which are all involved in the hormonal production. It helps with the functions of growth, blood pressure, pregnancy, breast milk production, sex organ, thyroid gland, metabolism, temperature regulation, and pain relief. 

Hypothalamus 

The Hypothalamus links the nervous system to the endocrine system. It is located below the thalamus, just above the brain stem. 

The brain is a beautiful thing and it helps spark our curiosity! I hope this blog post educated you a bit on the parts of the brain! 

Ear Infection.

Sitting in class a ringing noise began to come to my attention, and then a pop! A ear infection. I get ear infections more than the average person, and currently have one right now! But where does this painful infection come from?

Middle ear infections are the most common, and usually occur along with an upper respiratory infection such as a cold. During a cold for example the lining of the eustachian tube can swell and block the tube. This results in fluid build up in the middle ear, creating the perfect area for bacteria or viruses to grow into a infection. 

Pus develops during a ear infection when the body tried to fight it. Then more fluid collects and pushes against the ear drum. This causes pain and sometimes problems with hearing. Believe me is is painful! Although there is treatment! Antibiotic treatment may shorten some symptoms, but most of your awesome immune system can fight the infection!In severe cases, to much fluid can increase pressure on the eardrum until it ruptures, allowing fluid to drain out.

Stay Curious xD!

Lego's

Confession time: I still play with Lego's.  But hey! Lego's are awesome, and are for all ages! They are affordable, and you can literally build anything with them. People say "Duck Tape is the solution" I beg to differ. On weekends when I am bored I BUILD with Lego's. But how are Lego's made?

The concept is generally simple the Lego company takes melted plastic and puts it into Lego molds, after that the molds are sent down a large conveyor belt. This is how the plastic cools down. After that the Lego's are packaged!

If you are still interested in Lego's check out this video:

Also check out these sites:

 http://www.lego.com/

http://shop.lego.com/en-US/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego

Thanks for Reading!

Stay Curious xD

The Term Biology

I was ironically sitting in my biology honors class thinking about what biology is. Well that is what I am learning right? But I wanted to know what the actual term means and where is came from. The term "biology" was first used by Karl Burdach (1776-1847) to denote the study of man. Jean Babtiste Pierre Antoine de Monet Lamarck (1744-1829) gave the term a broader meaning in 1812. The broader meaning was the "integral character of science".  The term was coined together from special sciences such as chemistry, meteorology, geology, and botany-zoology.

Biology is the science that deals with living things (Greek bios "Life"). It was broadly dived into two areas zoology, the study of animals, and botany, the study of plants. Biology is now divided and sub divided into hundreds of sub categories involving function, structure, and classification of the forms of life. Some sub categories include anatomy, ecology, embryology, evolution, genetics, paleontology, and physiology. One of my current favorites is anatomy. 

Stay Curious xD