Question of the Day
March 26, 2010
Science often looks to explain the extraordinary, or the myth, by citing the fantastic ecological, epidemiological, and environmental eccentricities. An example, you ask? “Modeling the Hydrodynamic Situation of the Exodus”.
Today, we challenge you to match the tales of Passover to the possible scientific explanation.
1. The burning bush.
2. The parting of the Red Sea.
3. The ten plagues, specifically: frogs.
4. The ten plagues, specifically: death of the first born.
5. The ten plagues, specifically: water to blood.
A. Dinoflaggelates
B. Spontaneous combustion, natural gas, or a volcanic vent
C. Mycotoxins
D. A “wind setdown”
E. Extinction of predators
Links:
NPR: Passover Miracles Meet Scientific Explanations. April 2009.
Times Online: Plagues of Egypt ‘caused by nature, not God’. Dec. 2007.
Slate.com: A Skeptics Guide to Passover. April 2009.
Answers:
1. Burning bush – B. Spontaneous combustion, natural gas or a volcanic vent.
2. The parting of the Red Sea – D. A “wind setdown.”
3. Frogs – E. Extinction of frog-eating fish.
4. Death of the first born – mycotoxins.
5. Water to blood – dinoflaggelates.
March 19, 2010
Hawai’i is often considered an original source for popular tropical fruits like bananas, pineapples, and mangoes. However, this produce was brought in by the Tahitians. Other species were brought in at later dates, including boars, insects, sugar cane, and rats. In order to keep that last from eating all of the profitable sugar cane, a planter imported what species that has since both failed to control the rat population and grown out of control itself?
a) chickens
b) foxes
c) mongoose
d) snakes
e) bears
Answer: C, Mongoose.
The farmers who were responsible for bringing over the mongoose were under the impression that since a caged mongoose will eat a caged rat, a mongoose is a logical predator in the wild. However, given that rats are nocturnal and mongoose are diurnal, this was a largely ineffective measure, and rats are still primarily controlled by fires and traps in sugar cane fields.
March 12
Historically, humans haven’t done the best job of considering the long-term implications of their societal structures. Literally, huge structures have been built in earthquake fault zones, volcanic hotspots, and coastlines vulnerable to tsunamis. One city in particular, with an estimated population of over 10 million, is built on the corner of three tectonic plates, and is the only metropolis that spans two continents. Which city is this?
A. Istanbul, Turkey
B. Sao Paulo, Brazil
C. Beijing, China
D. Delhi, India
E. Mexico City, Mexico
ANSWER: A, Istanbul. Because of poorly-enforced architectural codes and limited resources, this is one of the most vulnerable cities to geologic catastrophe. Of course, the question then is: what to do about it? Should existing buildings be retrofitted? Should codes even be enforced, to avert a possible disaster decades in the future, when the economic situation in Turkey is considered?
Sources:
TUIK
US Geological Survey Report in the 1999 Turkish Earthquake.
March 5, 2010
“Breathe and Speak-Easy,” A Clean Energy Quote Quiz 1. “What the US and China do over the next decade will determine the fate of the world.” 2. “The problem of global warming is primarily a political problem at this point. The science is beyond dispute, but how do we achieve objects that we all know are necessary? That is a political problem.” 3. “Other countries are not pressing the pause button on clean-energy industries, and they will move quickly to capture America’s share of the global market while we sit on the sidelines. The longer we delay, the longer we remain dependent on foreign oil instead of America’s home-grown clean energy resources.” 4. “If you list today’s top 30 companies in solar, wind and advanced batteries, American companies hold only 6 spots. That fact should worry us all.” 5. “At this moment of necessity, we need you. We need some inventiveness. Your country needs you to create new jobs and lead new industries. Your country needs you to mount a historic effort to end, once and for all, our dependence on foreign oil.” A. George Soros Answers: 2: A, George Soros, Cleantech hits the jackpot: George Soros to invest $1 billion in green energy, Daily Finance. October 2009. 3. D, Spokeswoman for the Department of Energy, Stephanie Mueller. 4. C, Venture capitalist John Doerr, Committee Briefing:”Investing in Green Technology as a Strategy for Economic Recovery.” January, 2010. 5. B, President Obama. Obama Plans More Than $200 Billion in Clean Energy Spending. Washington Post. March 2009. Join us at 8:00 PM EST on Tuesday, March 9 to hear from the Executive Director of Americans for Energy Leadership, Teryn Norris. February 26, 2010 On Wednesday the Vermont state senate voted to block the operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant after 2012. How many nuclear power plants are currently operating in the United States? A. 31 Answer: C. There are currently 66 operational nuclear power plants in Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/us/25nuke.html February 19, 2010 Last Sunday, February 14, 2010, romantic couples shared food, wine and bonded in many similar ways. Due to the thought-paralyzing effects of what we define as “love,” many laymen, poets, and those afflicted have described this state of emotion as “a sickness.” And psychologists studying certain types of neurotransmitters heartily agree. Which of the following chemicals are produced in the brain when a test subject interacts with, or sees a picture of their object of affection? A. Dopamine – associated with mood, reward, motivation and voluntary movement Answer: All of them! Neuroendocrine Perspectives on Social Attachment and Love February 12, 2010 A. 10 million Answer: C, 95 million head of cattle. Of that 95 million, Sources: February 5, 2010 Which of the following are real headlines from this week’s news? A. University president wants to change rules that govern granting of tenure Answer: All except B. are real headlines, though admittedly, some have been shortened. A. Leader of nation’s biggest campus wants to change rules that govern granting of tenure. LA Times. January 29, 2010 From where will people receive medicine in the case of a bioterrorism attack? A. Specifically designated pharmacies and grocery stores Answer: C. In an Executive Order in December 2009, President Obama designated the U.S. Postal Service as the primary responder in the case of a bioterrorism incident in the US. Below is the language of the Executive Order that refers directly to this responsibility. “Sec. 2. United States Postal Service Delivery of Medical Countermeasures. (a) The U.S. Postal Service has the capacity for rapid residential delivery of medical countermeasures for self administration across all communities in the United States. The Federal Government shall pursue a national U.S. Postal Service medical countermeasures dispensing model to respond to a large-scale biological attack.” ESTABLISHING FEDERAL CAPABILITY FOR THE TIMELY PROVISION OF Obama to Announce Bioterrorism Response Plan The commission also issued failing grades to Congress for not reorganizing itself to better oversee anti-terror efforts and to the government generally for failing to recruit and train new national security experts. Efforts that won an “A” grade: a government review of security at laboratories where scientists work with dangerous pathogens, a new national strategy to improve bioforensic capabilities and the appointment of a White House adviser on weapons of mass destruction.” January 22, 2010 Israel has not had a breach in airport security since 2002. Unlike the US’s current strategies, which of the following tactics are employed each day in Israel’s airports to ensure that passengers are safe prior to, and during a flight? A. All passengers entering the airport must provide an answer to the questions “How are you?” and “Where are you coming from?” Correct Answers: A. B. D. E. Based on several articles, Israeli security crews focus on behavioral signals more closely than the US, which relies mostly on technologies. There was no mention of hidden microphones in the sourced articles below. Behavioral screening — the future of airport security? CNN. December, 2008. What Israel can teach us about security. The Star.com. December, 2009. US Airport Security – How Stuff Works. January 15, 2010 Please consider donating to one of the below relief funds before reading today’s Friday Trivia. American Red Cross It has been said several times on the news while considering the causes of the suffering in Haiti that earthquakes do not kill people. Buildings kill people. Though aphorisitic, perhaps this repeated phrase will serve as a preventative reminder in the future. The Haitian government did not consider the International Code Council Building Codes for safety, nor require similar national standards, and undoubtly, this precaution would have limited the devestation in this country. Which of the following are not general design strategies that prevent structures from collapsing due to the lateral or horizontal shear loads caused by earthquakes? A. Engineers ensure that taller buildings are designed to withstand more force than shorter ones. Answers: A, D, and E are NOT general design strategies to prevent building destruction during earthquakes. A. “The taller a structure, the more flexible it is. The more flexible it is, the less energy is required to keep it from toppling or collapsing when the earth’s shaking makes it sway. You can feel this same phenomenon while you’re riding a bus or subway. It requires less effort to remain standing if you flex your body and flow with the bumps and jolts than if you stiffly try to defy them. Because shorter buildings are stiffer than taller ones, a three-story apartment house is considered more vulnerable to earthquake damage than a 30-story skyscraper. When planning the seismic safety of a building, structural engineers must design the support elements of shorter buildings to withstand greater forces than those of taller buildings.” B. “Ductile materials perform better than brittle ones. Ductile materials include steel and aluminum. Brittle materials include brick, stone and unstrengthened concrete.” C. Flexible joints prevent snapping and breaking, leading to greater instabilities. D. “In 1984 the magnitude 6.2 Morgan Hill, California, earthquake shook the West Valley College campus, 20 miles away. Instruments in the college gymnasium showed that its roof was so flexible that in a stronger or closer earthquake the building might be severely damaged, threatening the safety of occupants. At that time, these flexible roof designs were permitted by the Uniform Building Code (a set of standards used in many states). Many industrial facilities nationwide were built with such roofs. The center of the gym roof shook sideways three to four times as much as the edges. The Code has since been revised to reduce the flexibility of such large-span roof systems and thereby improve their seismic resistance.” E. ” In planning for earthquakes, engineers today have come to value flexibility more than strength. For example, small elements of the infrastructure like gas lines and water mains are often designed with elastic loops so they bend rather than break. Helpful Links: January 8, 2009 What makes the Volt an E-REV rather than a HEV? A. Its gasoline engine does not power the wheels of the car. Answer: A. Its gasoline engine does not power the wheels of the car. B. There are currently several types of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) being designed and tests. (2010 Prius) “An E-REV like the Chevrolet Volt is unique from a hybrid or plug-in hybrid in that the vehicle’s wheels are always driven electrically by an electric drive unit.” “An E-REV like the Chevrolet Volt represents a significant departure from conventional hybrids. In a E-REV, the wheels are turned by an electric drive unit, whereas in conventional hybrids the wheels are turned by an electric motor, a gasoline engine, or both. For short trips, E-REVs will run on battery power alone. For longer trips, additional electricity can be supplied by an internal combustion engine or a fuel cell. The battery and propulsion systems are sized so that when sufficient energy is available from the battery, the engine (or fuel cell) is not required for operation. During this electric only phase of driving, the battery, motor, and power electronics are designed to deliver full performance, acceleration, top speed, hill climbing on electric power alone.” Also See: December 18, 2009 In the past few weeks, a team at a major research university produced findings that showed that life scientists are more likely to develop “twice as many highly influential papers” if they have which of the following? A. Unlimited access to coffee and caffeine-enhanced soft drinks. December 11, 2009
Evidence has suggested that for 800,000 years prior to the 1800s, the atmosphere varied between 180 ppm and 280 ppm CO2. Currently, many groups, aware of that our atmospheric carbon is at 388 ppm and rising 2 ppm each year, are devising ways to reduce atmospheric CO2. Which of the following has not yet been discussed as a method of reducing CO2 in the atmosphere? (and is also most likely impossible!) A. Sequestering CO2 in cement. Answer: C. Reducing the frequency of volcanic eruptions. (Not possible nor helpful!) A. Cement B. Soil C. Reducing or limiting volcanic eruptions has NOT been discussed as a method. “Carbon dioxide is abundant in volcanic gases, but not enough to significantly contribute to the greenhouse effect. Volcanoes contribute about 110 million tons of carbon dioxide per year while man’s activities contribute about 10 billion tons per year. The problem is complex, for volcanoes can help cool the earth’s surface by forming sulfuric acid aerosols that reflect the sun’s rays, and also contribute to global warming by giving off carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which contributes to the greenhouse effect.” D. Biochar E. Venting CO2 into space. Post-turkey considerations: Thirty-four percent of all Americans are currently overweight, and the World Health Organization estimates that approximately half of all Americans will be considered obese by 2020. In reaction to lawsuits against food and drink companies from obese consumers, several states have passed “cheeseburger” tort reform bills. Which one of the following have actually been proposed? A. Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act Answers: A, D, and E are bills.
Match the quotes above to the speakers below.”
B. President Obama
C. Venture capitalist John Doerr
D. Spokeswoman for the DOE, Stephanie Mueller
E. Energy Secretary Stephen Chu
1: E, Secretary Stephen Chu, A Political Scientist. Time Magazine. August, 2009.
Washington Post, March 4.
To RSVP for this for this online seminar, email SEA’s Program Director Brie Welzer at Brielle.Welzer@sefora.org.
B. 54
C. 66
D. 83
31 states. Combined, these power plants generate 9% of all energy
consumed in the United States.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/reactors/states.html
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/reactors/nuke1.html
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=us_energy_home
B. Serotonin – associated with appetite suppression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies
C. Oxytocin – creates a bond between two people, increases positive social behaviors
D. Vasopressin – creates a feeling of reward for long-term partnerships
E. Endogenous opioids – “endorphins” that produce a high after emotional bonding
SEA staff, a computer scientist, geologist and biologist, strongly concur with neuroscientists: with these many chemicals being secreted, love most definitely should be categorized as a psychosis!
http://www.oxytocin.org/oxytoc/love-science.html
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB117131067930406235-bGy4c0TRQJG9Lm7yG07vGevbH1M_20080212.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,993160-1,00.html
The USDA recently abandoned a program to track the growth and movement
of cattle in the United States. Approximately how many head of cattle
would this program have monitored?
B. 35 million
C. 95 million
D. 120 million
approximately 35 million will go to the butcher where they will yield
over 26 billion pounds of beef. That’s enough beef to make everyone
in the US a quarter-pound burger 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year.
US Census Bureau
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
B. Republicans embrace Obama’s call for a more cordial atmosphere in Washington
C. Brain scan allows unconscious patient to communicate
D. Insulin Can Now Be Made Cheaply from Flowers
E. Physicists Prove Teleportation Is Possible
F. Iran Send Some Animals Into Space
B. was an anonymous tweet (a post on the networking site Twitter).
B. Republicans embrace Obama’s call for a more cordial atmosphere in Washington
C. Brain scan allows unconscious patient to communicate. Scientific American.
D. Insulin Can Now Be Made Cheaply from Flowers. PopScience.
E. Physicists Prove Teleportation of Energy Is Possible. PopScience.
F. Iran Send Some Animals Into Space. NY Times.
B. Centers of Disease Control located in each community
C. The U.S. Postal Service
D. Their refrigerators
E. Specifically designated hospitals and clinics
MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES FOLLOWING A BIOLOGICAL ATTACK. White House Press Release.
“The goal is a national capability for the rapid, reliable and affordable production of an array of medical countermeasures,” Shapiro said. The announcement came hours after the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism gave the federal government an “F” for its preparations to respond to a biological attack that could cause mass casualties.
B. Employees who screen baggage can put suspected luggage into a “bomb box” that can contain large explosions.
C. Hidden microphones in each corridor and between seats in waiting areas.
D. A series of threat and vulnerability analyses that are continually updated and improved.
E. Hidden infrared technology can identify irregularities in body temperature, heart rate and respiration.
Doctors Without Borders
Partners In Health
B. Builders use wood and steel materials for structures on or near fault lines.
C. The joints of a building should be allowed to bend and misshape.
D. The roof should be flexible.
E. A building should maintain rigidity between levels.
- Exploratorium
- Buildings in Earthquakes PowerPoint.
- USGS Building Safer Structures
Buildings are more flexible too. Dr. Salvadori compares a faulty building to a dry old tree, strong but liable to break under heavy winds, and a well-engineered one to a reed, lighter, more resilient and less likely to snap.
”A building’s ability to absorb motion is as important as its ability to withstand collapse,” said Robert Silman, a New York structural engineer. Wright’s Foresight.”
The California Quake – Earthquake Engineering – Why the Skyscrapers Just Swayed – 1989 New York Times
Earthquakes and Buildings Guide
ABC’s of Seismic Building Codes
Preparing Structures for Shaking
B. Unlike current hybrids, it can be plugged into an electrical outlet.
C. It can only travel 40 miles (64 km) on stored electricity.
D. It stores electric power within a lithium-ion battery pack.
E. Its design predicts a drag coefficient higher than other similar vehicles.
C. This is true, and the distance is relevant: the average American commutes 33 miles each day.
D. The battery will be 6 feet long (1.8 meters) and weigh nearly 400 pounds (181 kg)! But this characteristic does not prevent the Volt from being classified as a hybrid.
E. The Chevrolet Volt boasts a .28 drag coefficient compared to Toyota Prius’ .30. At least, according to GM.
GM Media Online, “What is an E-REV?”
1. Why Is the 2011 Chevrolet Volt NOT a Hybrid – Green Car Reports
2. All About Plug In Hybrids – Cal Cars
3. Ask About the Volt and Other Hybrid and Electric Vehicles – NY Times
4. Chevrolet Volt in the Wind Tunnel – Wired
B. Rigid time lines and limited research funding.
C. Prize money and gift rewards for specific outcomes.
D. Excess vacation and recuperation/family time.
E. Assurance that they will not be penalized by short-term failures.
Answer: E.
MIT study: Scientific innovation is more likely with long-term, less-restrictive funding
Link: http://web.mit.edu/press/2009/creative-research-1209.html
B. Liquefying CO2 and pumping it into soil.
C. Reducing the frequency of volcanic eruptions.
D. Producing biochar through the pyrolysis of biomass.
E. Venting CO2 into space.
Scientific American. Cement from CO2: A Concrete Cure for Global Warming?
http://bit.ly/8d0rGa. August 2008.
Ohio State University. Soil Carbon Sequestration – Fundamentals
http://bit.ly/7ibybz.
http://volcanology.geol.ucsb.edu/gas.htm – University of California, Santa Barbara.
“Pyrolysis of waste biomass can generate fuels and biochar recalcitrant against decomposition. If biochar is returned to agricultural land it can increase the soil’s carbon content permanently and would establish a carbon sink for atmospheric CO2. In this case the use of crop residues as a potential energy source may improve soil quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a complementary not competing way. ” http://www.biochar.org/joomla/
“[Alfred] Wong believes it should be possible to artificially coax carbon dioxide molecules into leaving the planet’s atmosphere in larger numbers. He proposes doing this by first ionizing more carbon dioxide molecules (one idea is to zap dust in the sky with lasers to release more electrons) and then guiding the resultant carbon dioxide ions to the appropriate altitude from which they could then drift into space through a series of natural processes.”
http://bit.ly/5zEuec. http://bit.ly/5dDlcI
December 4, 2009
B. Vending Machine Accessibility Act
C. Consumers Freedom Act
D. Commonsense Consumption Act
E. Right to Eat Enchiladas Act
(B and C are products of SEA staff creativity.)
CDC Chronic Diseases Press Releases – http://bit.ly/92og1I
“More than one third of U.S. adults-more than 72 million people-and 16% of U.S. children are obese.”
The Pew Center on States – Information about “Cheeseburger Bill.” – http://bit.ly/8Nv630
“Any type of food can be healthy, so long as it’s eaten in moderation, so long as it’s eaten as part of a balanced diet and as part of lifestyle that includes regular exercise,” said Virginia Del. Bill Janis (R), an attorney sponsoring a ‘cheeseburger’ bill. “The notion that somehow food is unhealthy when I eat too much of it, I don’t have a balanced diet and I don’t exercise regularly, where’s the accountability? Where’s the responsibility?”
Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act of 2005 – http://bit.ly/6Jq7Yc
Commonsense Consumption Act of 2007 – http://bit.ly/7pL1oA
” 5/7/2007–Introduced. Commonsense Consumption Act of 2007 – Prohibits new, and requires dismissal of pending, civil actions by any person against a manufacturer, marketer, distributor, advertiser, or seller of food, or a trade association, for any injury related to a person’s accumulated acts of consumption of food and weight gain, obesity, or any associated health condition.”
Right to Eat Enchiladas Act - http://bit.ly/4JLYL5 (Text of Bill)
November 20, 2009
Approximately eight months ago, Senator Schumer of New York introduced the BPA-Free Kids Act of 2009, which bans the chemical bisphenol A in food and drink containers designed for children. Of the currently known side-effects for the consumption of BPA, which of the below have NOT been noted during experiments on mice?
A. dramatically enlarged and oversensitized prostates
B. greater susceptibility to cancer
C. decrease in maternal behaviors
D. neurobehavioral problems such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
E. aneuploidy – (an abnormal number of chromosomes)
Answer: All of the above. Other side effects, for example, include a slowing of metabolism due to decreases in the functioning of the thyroid. See a comprehensive list here.
** SEA staff are always seeking help and advice with our Friday Trivias. If you enjoy creating trivia, or have a suggestion on how to improve this weekly addition to our newsletters, please contact Brielle.Welzer@sefora.org. We greatly enjoy communications with our members.
Senator Schumer’s press release. March 30, 2009.
http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/record.cfm?id=310796
First human study to measure effects of BPA on male reproductive system. November 11, 2009.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20091111/First-human-study-to-measure-effects-of-BPA-on-male-reproductive-system.aspx
The Bisphenol A Website – for more information.
http://www.bisphenol-a.org/
Friday the 13th, 2009
According to Dr. Steven Schlozman of Harvard Medical School, we can easily hypothesize the neurological states of Zombies, based on their physical actions. Which of the following anatomical features would not account for the rage, walking and decision-making difficulties, insatiability, and flesh-eating characteristics that Zombies possess.
(We are referring to those infected beings of the Night of the Living Dead, not the faster versions in 28 Days Later.)
A. An ablated anterior ventromedial hypothalamus
B. A shrunken amygdala
C. A damaged anterior cingulate cortex
D. A poorly developed frontal lobe
E. Cerebellar degeneration
Answer: B. A shrunken amygdala.
“[Zombies have] a whole lot of amygdala going on, amygdala, which is the region of the limbic system that’s responsible for very, very base emotions – usually rage, fear and maybe lust.” Dr. Steven Schlozman, co-director of the Medical Student Education in Psychiatry at Harvard Med School.
A. The anterior ventromedial hypothalamus controls satiety. Mice that have had this region surgically removed can eat themselves to death. This type of neurological degeneration could very well be responsible for zombie’s food lust.
C. The anterior cingulate cortex controls, among other functions, rationality and empathy, two under-rated skills in the zombie community.
D. The frontal lobe controls problem solving.
E. The cerebellum is crucial for motor controls.
Featured Article: A Head-Shrinker Studies The Zombie Brain. NPR.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114319726
The Amygdala’s inner workings. The Scientist. 2001.
http://www.biopsychiatry.com/amygdala.htm
Other Zombie Literature.
http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2006/02/02/the_wisdom_of_parasites.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_cockroach_wasp
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071206-roach-zombie.html
November 6, 2009
Earlier this week a federal judge ruled that a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the US Patent and Trademark Office and a Utah-based research company could move forward. The suit alleges that patents for human genes resrict open research and thereby violate free speech.
When was the first patent issued for a human gene?
Answer: In 1982, the USPTO issued a patent to the Regents of the University of California for work carried out on the construction of a plasmid contained in a bacterium and expression of genes for chorionic somatomammotropin.
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