Overview of NIGMS and Computing Life: Computing Life - National Institute of General Medical Sciences Computing Life From text messaging friends to navigating city streets with GPS technology, we're all living the computing life. But as we've upgraded from snail mail and compasses, so too have scientists. Computer advances now let researchers quickly search through DNA sequences to find gene variations that could lead to disease, simulate how flu might spread through your school and design three-dimensional animations of molecules that rival any video game. By teaming computers and biology, scientists can answer new and old questions that could offer insights into the fundamental processes that keep us alive and make us sick. This booklet introduces you to just some of the ways that physicists, biologists and even artists are computing life. What Is NIGMS? The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) supports basic research on genes, proteins and cells.
11 Meaningful Earth Day Activities for Every Grade Level Our students are the future caretakers of our Earth. These fun Earth Day activities help empower kids to have a positive impact on the planet. From recycled art projects to farming simulations, here’s how to roll out the green carpet in your classroom on Earth Day this year. 1. Engineering for Good (6–8) Your middle schoolers know that drinking plenty of H2O is good for them, but they may not realize the impact all those plastic water bottles have on the environment. In this project-based learning unit, they’ll design their own solutions for this issue by using engineering. Bonus: The lessons are aligned with the NGSS Engineering Design Standards. 2. In this art activity, students learn how to take their ideas from paper to reality. Through videos, activities, and lessons, students learn about the importance of recycling. 3. This lesson helps kids understand what could happen to plants and animals if they don’t adapt when their environment changes. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Grand Challenges - 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering With input from people around the world an international group of leading technological thinkers were asked to identify the Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century. From urban centers to remote corners of Earth, the depths of the oceans to space, humanity has always sought to transcend barriers, overcome challenges, and create opportunities that improve life in our part of the universe. In the last century alone, many great engineering achievements became so commonplace that we now take them mostly for granted. Technology allows an abundant supply of food and safe drinking water for much of the world.
Abrupt glacier melt causes Canadian river to vanish in four days Updated A vast glacier-fed river which flowed from Canada's Yukon territory across Alaska to drain into the Bering Sea has disappeared in just four days, in what scientists believe is the first observed case of "river piracy". High average temperatures in the first three months of 2016 caused a dramatic spike in the amount of meltwater flowing from the Kaskawulsh glacier, carving a deep canyon in the ice and redirecting the flow toward the Alsek River in the south, rather than the north-flowing Slims River. That changed the Slims River from a three-metre-deep, raging torrent to a place where "massive afternoon dust storms occurred almost daily", according to a scientific paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience. "We were really surprised when we got there and there was basically no water in the river," lead author Daniel Shugar said of the Slims River. "We could walk across it and we wouldn't get our shirts wet."
iPad Graphic Calculator Apps April 12, 2016 Below are some very good graphing calculators for math teachers and students. Learners can use these apps on their iPads to perform complex mathematical equations, plot graphs, and visualize math notations. For those of you looking for graphing calculators to use on Chrome, check out this page. 1- Desmos Graphing Calculator This is one of the most popular graphic calculator out there. 2- Quick Graph ‘It is a powerful, high quality, graphic calculator that takes full advantage of the multitouch display and the powerful graphic capabilities of the iPad and iPhone, both in 2D and 3D. 3- Good Grapher This is another excellent scientific graphing calculator. 4- Scientific Graphing Calculator 2 This is an upgraded version of Scientific Graphing Calculator.
What the World Would Look Like if All the Ice Melted This story appears in the September 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine. The maps here show the world as it is now, with only one difference: All the ice on land has melted and drained into the sea, raising it 216 feet and creating new shorelines for our continents and inland seas. There are more than five million cubic miles of ice on Earth, and some scientists say it would take more than 5,000 years to melt it all. If we continue adding carbon to the atmosphere, we’ll very likely create an ice-free planet, with an average temperature of perhaps 80 degrees Fahrenheit instead of the current 58. North America The entire Atlantic seaboard would vanish, along with Florida and the Gulf Coast. South America The Amazon Basin in the north and the Paraguay River Basin in the south would become Atlantic inlets, wiping out Buenos Aires, coastal Uruguay, and most of Paraguay. Africa Europe London? Asia Australia Antarctica
Video Resources for Teaching Math With Pi Day coming up, we wanted to shout out to all the amazing YouTube creators who are making math videos! (Of course, if it's Pi Day videos you want, check out our "Hooray for Pi Day" post.) Math may not seem like a natural fit for the visually-driven medium of video -- but you'd be amazed by the creativity of some of these creators who bring the complexities of all levels of math to life on the small screen. Math teachers, this one's for you! Video Playlist: Best YouTube Channels for Math Teachers Watch the player below to see the whole playlist, or view it on YouTube. The Infinite Hotel Paradox - Jeff Dekofsky (05:59) Want to show your students the math behind online dating? More Resources for Engaging Kids in Math I hope this playlist has inspired you to find some creative ways to get your students excited about math, or at the very least provided some great resources for homework help.
What the World Will Look Like 4°C Warmer Micronesia is gone – sunk beneath the waves. Pakistan and South India have been abandoned. And Europe is slowly turning into a desert. This is the world, 4°C warmer than it is now. But there is also good news: Western Antarctica is no longer icy and uninhabitable. Smart cities thrive in newly green and pleasant lands. This map, which shows some of the effects a 4°C rise in average temperature could have on the planet, is eight years old, but it seems to get more contemporary as it ages (and the planet warms). Few serious scientists doubt that climate change is happening, or that it is man-made. Those on the fact-based side of this argument should realise that continuously bombarding the opposition with doom and gloom is likely to reinforce their resistance to accepting the new paradigm. This map offers an alternative: lots of misery and disaster, but also plenty of hope and solutions. First, the bad news. Orange is not much better: 'Uninhabitable desert'. But there is a flipside.
ActionBioscience - promoting bioscience literacy Fundamental Biosciences Life sciences include disciplines of science that are concerned with the scientific study of life – including microbes, plants, and animals, including humans. Biology is an umbrella term for the natural sciences that study life, with the other life sciences serving as subfields. Also, in the area of Life sciences, we aim to promote the understanding of biodiversity of life and improve bioscience literacy to increase global ecological consciousness and promote bioscience education. Goals and Features of Bioscience on ICWB.com To achieve the beforementioned aims, this section features articles written by scientists, scientific educators and science students on a variety of bioscience-related subjects. The record shows time and again that one person or a small group can awaken the public to the importance of an issue and bring about a startling change in the direction of a society.Hal Mooney. Inspired by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS)
Volcanoes: How often do they erupt and what happens when they do? - Science News - ABC News Planet Earth is covered in hundreds of volcanoes, many of which will be erupting at any one time. Many of us only notice volcanoes when they are about to explode or disrupt our travel plans, but these spectacular forces of nature can have a significant impact on people living in the local area. While volcanoes can be destructive, they are also responsible for creating rich agricultural soil, minerals like gold and silver, diamonds, hot springs and geothermal energy. So how do these iconic wonders form, and what risks do they really pose? What is a volcano? A volcano is like a chimney that allows hot liquid rock, called magma, to flow from a layer within the Earth and erupt onto the surface. As magma rises through many kilometres to the Earth's surface, dissolved gases contained within it form expanding bubbles. These bubbles increase the pressure of the magma and, if this pressure is great enough, the volcano will erupt. Strato volcanoes Anatomy of a strato volcano such as Mt Agung And travel?
Using Labs | NOVA Labs When you join NOVA Labs, you'll be actively participating in science. The data are real. The questions are real. The challenges you'll encounter are the same challenges that scientists and engineers are grappling with today. Getting Started The best way to start is to jump right into one of the Labs. If you're new to these topics or want to learn more about the science behind them, each Lab provides a number of short, informative videos that cover the basics—key concepts, explanations of the technologies involved, and an overview of some of the most important questions and challenges in each field. Join NOVA Labs Creating an account will enhance your NOVA Labs experience. Sign up now to get the most out of NOVA Labs. Our Experts As a member of the NOVA Labs community, you’ll have the opportunity to ask experts questions, propose your own ideas, and share your discoveries. Learn about careers on our Meet the Experts page Follow the conversation on our Social Feed
What Causes Ocean Currents? The systems of ocean surface currents and deep water currents are, as expected, connected, but the locations of the physical connections are limited to three areas (one per main ocean), and are all on the Northern Hemisphere. The downwelling occurs on the Northern Atlantic, while the upwelling occurs on the Northern Pacific and the Northern Indian Ocean, as shown on the side map. The extents of the continental shelf block, or at least seriously limit, the movement of the ocean currents. To see a 3D view of the Conveyor Belt enlarge the diagram below. 1. Due to the friction between air and water, winds create surface currents that carry water masses from the equatorial areas toward northern (and southern) polar zones. 2. 3. 4. There is basically just one area on the global ocean where the ocean currents floating as the components of the Conveyor Belt system downwell, performing a radical dive and a switch of the direction.
Welcome to Virtual Labs Australia's pollution mapped by postcode reveals nation's 'dirty truth' Updated about an hour agoFri 16 Nov 2018, 2:53am On the fringes of Australia's biggest cities, people work, live, and play next to some of the nation's biggest polluters. Key points: National Pollution Inventory data has been mapped according to postcodes The Australian Conservation Foundation report reveals the country's most-polluted postcodesBotany Bay in Sydney and Altona in Melbourne are the cities' most-polluted areas For the first time, Australia's pollution has been mapped by postcode in a report titled The Dirty Truth by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF). Some of the areas identified as being the most polluted in Australia's capital cities include: Botany Bay in SydneyAltona in MelbournePort of BrisbaneParmelia near Perth The ACF found the lower the postcode's weekly household income, the more likely it was to be home to polluting facilities such as factories and refineries. And if you want to avoid living among pollutants? "The best way is to have money essentially.