Our Field Trip to the Museum of Anthropology - Tell me 3 things you learned from the museum. :-)5/30/2013
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Who says you can't go home again? Scientists have figured out how some salmon navigate 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometers) back to where they hatched. Now, scientists have finally solved how the species accomplishes its navigational feat—the fish uses Earth’s magnetic field to steer itself home. “To find their way back home across thousands of kilometers of ocean, salmon imprint on [i.e. learn and remember] the magnetic field that exists where they first enter the sea as juveniles,” study leader Nathan Putman, of Oregon State University, said in a statement. So Putman and colleagues hypothesized that salmon were using variations in the Earth’s magnetic field to figure out where “home” was. If this was true, then the researchers could see if a salmon’s ability to navigate changed over time with small, naturally occurring variations in the global magnetic field. Putman and colleagues used 56 years of fisheries data to study a group of sockeye salmon that spawned in the Fraser River in British Columbia and spent much of their adult lives in and around Alaska‘s Aleutian Islands. The researchers studied the likely routes the salmon took in transit between these two locations and compared it to data on the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field at the time. (Also see “Alaska’s Clash Over Salmon and Gold Goes National.”) The key to this study was a major navigational obstacle the fish had to traverse. Vancouver Island blocks the entrance to the Fraser River, forcing the salmon to swim around either the northern or southern end of the island to get to the spawning grounds (see map above). If the fish really did use the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate, then their choice of routes around Vancouver Island would vary depending on the current strength of the magnetic field at the time. Kevin Richardson, zoologist and animal behaviouralist, raises and trains some of the most dangerous animals known to mán. To do this he does not use the common methods of breaking the animal's spírit with sticks and chains, instead he uses love, understanding and trust. With this unusual method of training he has developed some exceptionally personal bonds with his students. He sleeps with lions, cuddles newborn hyenas, swims with lionesses. Kevin can confidently look into their eyes, crouch to the their level and even lie down with them - all taboos in the normal world of wild animal handling - yet he has never been mauled or attacked. Some call him crazy; others shake their heads at his unique method of interacting with the animals. And Kevin's secret - get to know the particular personality of each animal, what makes them angry, happy, upset, irritated - just like a mother with a child. A new record has been reclaimed by the originator of pizza. The Italians had again made us awe as they have broken the record of having the largest gluten free pizza that is around 131-foot long. The people responsible for the world beating record were five Italian chefs led by Dovilio Nardi, a pizza chain maker who was providing service for those with celiac disease, and Dr. Schar, a gluten-free food company was the organizer. Over 19,800 pounds of flour was used, 10,000 pounds of tomato sauce were spread, 8,800 pounds of mozzarella cheese were topped and mixed in the pizza were 1,488 pounds of margarine, 551 pounds of rock salt, 220 pounds of lettuce and 55 pounds of vinegar. Overall, it weighed 51,257 pounds. Baking the dough alone took 2 days to bake in 5,000 batches and the whole process was very long but when they broke the record, everything was worth it. Previously, the record holder was back in 1990, holding a 122 feet big pizza made by Norwood Pick’n Pay hypermarket in South Africa. Now, the Italians hold the record, exceeding over 9 feet from the previous record and was entitled “Ottvia, an homage to the first Roman emperor Octavian Augustus.” |
Miss. Angela SongHello, I'm a Grade 4/5 teacher in Surrey School District. My philosophy in teaching is to learn with the students and to instill passion in life-long learning. I try to challenge students to be independent and innovative with a critical mind.
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