Todays Research On Cosmology

While cosmology research began long ago scientists only thought to believe that it was a story of how the world was created and continues to exist.  From reading the article entitled "Cosmology And The 21st Century," by Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel Primack, it was clear how every culture had a certain cosmology but back then researchers did not have the tools to scientifically come up with one specific answer to why it made sense of the ordinary world and what it all meant about the universe.  In today's world astronomers are making vast leaps into finding how the universe is expanding and what we can expect for the future.

While reading from the website Facts On File: Today's Science News, one article entitled Cosmology, gave an in depth look to what the universe will do in upcoming years.  The first time astronomers realized that the universe will always be expanding was in 1998.  That same year they realized that with every passing year it will be expanding at a faster rate by some unknown force of anti-gravity.  This news looked at in more recent years was considered mind blowing to astronomers given the fact that they previously thought the universe would reach a peak expansion point or it would be easy to come up with an explanation to just how fast it was going to keep growing.  Now it is realized that if the universe was to keep expanding at a rapid pace it could collapse entirely.

Now astronomers know that the existence of the entire universe has a lot to do with its mass and density.  It could eventually collapse if it has too little density, which means it would keep expanding forever.  Thus making it collapse on itself because of its own density.

How to measure the ever expanding universe is done using light.  All the stars give off light in a reddish tint to the Earth and therefore scientists can tell how much the universe has expanded from previous years by measuring the "redshift."  

Although scientists are not positive why the universe is expanding at such a rapid rate they do have some different theory's on the idea such as the "Virtual Particles" theory or the "X Matter" idea.  None have yet to be proven to give solid answers but with more research a correct theory and plan could be made for the future. 

Reading Connections #1 Galileo Megan Crilly

While reading The Scientific Revolution I read about Galileo Galilei, and I realized he did more than just invent the telescope and discover that the sun was the actual center of the universe. His discovery came from simply watching the sun and other moving objects in the skies above. He didn’t accept that the earth was the center of the universe he followed his curiosity and found something life changing for the entire population.

By publishing his findings he, “profoundly questioned a fundamental Aristotelian distinction between physics of the heavens and that of the Earth” (Shapin 17). Along with the discovery of the Sun being the center of the universe, he also discovered new planets, specifically Jupiter which had its own moons orbiting around it which proves that not everything revolves around the Earth. Also, he noticed black spots on the Sun, and the craters and unsmooth surface of the moon. These discoveries had a huge impact on people because it proved that was once believed to be the heavenly, perfect, universe is just as corrupt as Earth. I found this and many more facts about all of Gaileo’s discoveries at http://www.crystalinks.com/galileo.html.

Galileo also was the first to begin disproving Aristotle’s physics theories by actually testing them out. At one website, the author tells us that Galileo went to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and dropped two objects. He discovered that it is due to friction that the two objects pass through is why one falls faster than the other, not because of their densities which is what Aristotle had stated.

The website is: http://www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/lab/galileo/bio.htm

It’s amazing how huge of an impact Galileo had on changing people’s views of what was right and what was fictional that they had been told. He was one of the first to really challenge religion and Aristotle’s way of thinking. He thought for himself and used experiments to try to figure things out. He didn’t take people’s words for it, he wanted to find out for himself. With all of his discoveries he made people question if anything they were told/taught was really true.

Works Cited:

Shapin, Steven. The Scientific Revolution. New York: University of Chicago P, 1998. 16-20.

Lack Of Sleep Can Lead To Disease

My What's New(s) In Science presentation was about not getting enough sleep at night and how that could lead to disease if repeated each night.  I originally found an article about this topic from the source sciencenews.com.  When browsing this website, which describes itself as a "magazine of the society about science for the public," I found out that all stories relate to science news, both old and new.  The second source I found about this topic was from the website sciencedaily.com.  This website was described as "your source for the latest research news," this article dealt with chronic sleep disorders and was similar to the first source.  They both deal with late nights causing disease, however sciencedaily examined more of a current disorder while sciencenews wrote more of a feature piece on the subject.  

The first article talked about how people who enjoy staying up late into the morning hours can be prone to acquire some diseases.  Some examples include diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  Sleep deprivation happens when the body feels tired and thus increases inflammation of certain proteins in cells in the blood.  These proteins are called NF Kappa B and are more frequently seen in women than men when sleep deprivation occurs.  These levels can be brought back to normal once a person has had a healthy night's sleep.  A scientist can draw blood from a patient to analyze the protein cells and see if constant inflammation is occurring.

The second article, sciencedaily, reports on an experiment dealing with people who thought that they could be suffering from chronic sleep disorder.  Having this restriction harms cardiac activity in a person which can lead to cardiovascular disease.  This study was researched at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, also known as the APSS.  There the APSS tested the hypothesis that if one does not receive enough sleep for a length of time harmful repercussions may occur.   The experiment consisted of 39 men and women who slept for a normal amount of hours each night and then every night after the amount of hours was shortened by 5.  This went on for a total of 5 nights but the APSS saw that changes were made in behavior and attitude after only the second night.  The main reason this study was performed and researched was to see if sleep deprivation is really a large factor in a person's health.

The two articles were written differently but dealt with the same topic.  The first source dealt more in depth with the chemical aspect of finding what could be affecting a person in the blood stream.  While the second source did more of a hands on experiment using real subjects to see what their response would be after a short time and then relating this to long term affects.

This topic matters to a college student because college kids are usually up late for a variety of reasons.  This topic should matter to everyone who is concerned with their health.  Sleep is an easy thing to do, and if you can find the time to get an extra 2 to 3 hours of sleep each night it can greatly affect a persons health.  This topic appeared in both sciencenews.com and sciencedaily.com because the study and research of sleep deprivation is directly connected with science.  Without having a variety of science websites this information would have never been able to reach the common person.  This news could be revolutionary if more people knew that disease can be a factor if the body does not receive enough sleep.  I think that after reading these articles more people will do their best to try and get more sleep at night to reduce those risks and stay healthy.   

Alzheimer's- Can what we read really be true? Megan Crilly

I think the best part of this assignment was the fact that I researched the same topic and got two different responses from two different resources. I found an article at Science Daily, an online science research provider who reported on an new finding that can lead to scientists detecting Alzheimer's through a blood test before the patient experiences symptoms. They say that due to early detection of the disease can lead to a better chance of fighting the disease.
Here is the website:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080909094743.htm

I then went to www.abc.com where I found the same topic, but covered very differently. They acknowledge that there was a small breakthrough where researchers had found that the levels of the peptide, Amyloid Beta 42 (Aß42), was a common thread with all the patients studied. However they don't see it becoming an actual test for Alzheimer's. They have many so called experts that are not specified as how they are experts, that agree it is not a reliable test. to tell if this will actually indicate the chances of someone getting Alzheimer's.
Here is the article:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ActiveAging/story?id=5754705&page=1

Now for a little extra: both articles mentioned the same place where the information was found; The Proceedings for National Academy of Science:
http://www.pnas.org/content/105/20/7327.full?sid=047c59ff-d8db-4bd9-b9c0-28d10998ebbe

In this review of the study, it says that it was tested on lab rats and for the most part, ABC was closer when saying this cannot be a reliable test to determine if someone is more likely to have Alzheimer;s, but it did shed insight on what is happening in the body that is infected with Alzheimer's disease.

After doing this assignment, I have realized how important it is to find the article from multiple sources to see who is giving you accurate information as well as accurate interpretations of the facts. So, in conclusion, the discovery that if peptide levels are high, you are more likely to have Alzheimers, it is not reliable enough to make a definite answer to someone who comes into the doctor's office asking. So in conclusion, the discoveries made in this recent experiment were some what ground breaking, it is merely a step in the right direction. It isn't a definite test to see if someone has a higher risk of having Alzheimer's but it will help scientists understand this mysterious disease. Secondly, always check the sources your source uses. These findings will give more specific information and facts so that you can come up with your own interpretations instead of relying on just one person's interpretations.

Over a Week Later, Anyone see any Black Holes?

A few weeks ago I presented to my class on the Large Hadron Collider. What’s the Large Hadron Collider you ask? If you wish to know then take a look at the two articles I gathered information from. To sum it all up for those that don’t wish for a huge read, it was constructed by scientists to launch molecules across a 17 mile ring until they collided. They would then observe and record data from the collision in hopes of discovering how our universe came to be; a mini big bang per se.
The controversy around said L.H.C. was that it could by off chance create a black hole, strange matter, or some other odd thing that would bring around the end of society and earth as we know it.
Well who’s laughing now, over a week after the L.H.C. was turned on and we’re still here.

Article 1: Earth Will Survive After All, Physicists Say
By Dennis Overbye
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/science/21cernw.html?ex=1371700800&en=9a049827dbee8e7b&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg

Article 2: At the Heart of all Matter
By Joel Achenbach
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/god-particle/achenbach-text/1

Why did it matter to you?

To me it was an interesting thing to read about. I found the debates resulting from the L.H.C. more interesting then I did the actually possibilities the collider could present for science. I’m not all too excited about knowing how we came to be, nor is my brain even capable of understanding the possible results, I’m perfectly happy enjoying my life as it is. At times there are some things we shouldn’t know, I’m not sure if the same could be applied to a recreation of the big bang, but someone can let me know when they release their findings.

Why should it matter to us?

In a way it might not matter to the average person. The average person will most likely not understand the results of the L.H.C. That’s why before it was turned on a decent amount of people were debating about black holes and strange matter bringing around the end of everything. It is natural to fear what you don’t understand. Considering the scientists who created it themselves are merely running on theories, how much would the average person understand? That’s a lot to worry about. But in the end what is and has science been but a bunch of theories?

What effect will it have on people in general?

As for people in general, the repercussions on both sides of the project are huge, on one end we get destroyed, end of story. But if the experiment does succeed the results are boundless. Our current electronics such as laptops and Ipods run from technology derived from similar scientific experiments of a smaller scale then the L.H.C.

Is it “Revolutionary?”

Absolutely, what scientists find from the experiment should it continue as planned can be used in so many ways. But as well it will all come down to how it is used. Science is merely a tool used by man, so whether good or bad, the results will be revolutionary. We could be on the way to making technology superior to our own in the far off future to help in our daily lives. Or we could create weapons meant to destroy one another on a scale entirely leagues ahead of the atom bomb, yikes. The L.H.C will revolutionize the world, one way or another.

Course Readings

Abrams, Nancy and Joel Primack. "Cosmology and 21st-Century Culture." Science. September 7, 2001. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/293/5536/1769

Appleman, Philip, ed. Darwin. 3rd ed. New York: W.W.Norton, 2001.

Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The Atlantic. 2007. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google

Davies, Norman. Europe: A History. New York: HarperPerennial, 1998.

Dennis, Rutledge M. “Social Darwinism, Scientific Racism, and the Metaphysics of Race.”
Journal of Negro Education. Summer 1995. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3626/is_199507/ai_n8730395


Gombrich, E.H. The Story of Art. New York: Phaidon Press, 2007

Kalb, Claudia. “In Our Blood.” Newsweek. February 6, 2006. http://www.newsweek.com/id/57201/

Linden, David J. The Accidental Mind. Cambridge, MA: Belknap, 2007.

Matthews, Michael R., ed. The Scientific Background to Modern Philosophy. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub, 1989.

Mason, Michael. "How to Teach Science to the Pope." Discover Magazine. August 18, 2008. http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/18-how-to-teach-science-to-the-pope

Ptolemy. "Saving the Appearances" as it appears in Brian Baigrie's Scientific Revolutions: Primary Texts in the History of Science. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.

Sagan, Carl. "Can We Know The Universe?" originally published in Broca's Brain, 1979. http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/sagan_science.html

Seed Media Group. Revolutionary Minds. Seed Magazine.com 2008. http://revminds.seedmagazine.com/

Shapin, Steven. The Scientific Revolution. Chicago: The University of Chicago press, 1996.

Watts, Ruth. "Gender, science and modernity in seventeenth-century England." Paedagogica Historica. 2005. 41, 1, 79-93. ISSN: 0030-9230.

Important Instructions

In order to receive course credit for your blog postings, be sure to follow these instructions:

1. Include YOUR FULL NAME IN THE LABELS for your post. This is how I will keep track of your postings. If your name does not appear, your post will not count.
2. Include ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FIVE BLOG DESCRIPTIONS IN THE LABELS for your required posts so that I know which ones you have completed: Reading Connections #1, Reading Connections #2, Abstract, Darwin Revelation, or What's New(s) in Science. If your blog is not descriptively so labeled, it will not count.
3. Each post MUST INCLUDE a link to outside content: an article, a blog post, video, music, etc. The content is up to you but if you do not include a link, your post will not count.
4. Each post MUST INCLUDE proper citations for any content that is not uniquely your own. If you refer directly to course readings, you should not only indicate author and page numbers, but also include a link to the course readings post so viewers can see the full citation.
5. Each required post MUST FULFILL ALL THE CRITERIA outlined for that post, as described in Required Postings.

Getting Started

I will send an email to your Champlain address "inviting" you to blogger as an author on our class blog. Once you sign up, you are ready to go.

If you need help posting, blogger can offer plenty of assistance. The general help page is found here. Information on how to post is located here. You can also find details on adding links or videos, and even directions on how to post a video from YouTube.

Welcome to the 2008 Class Blog for Core 210-03

Throughout this semester, our class studying Scientific Revolutions will create posts that elaborate upon course content and connect to other materials through links to outside sources such as articles and videos.

Your contribution will consist of a minimum of 5 posts, as outlined below, plus comments on other student postings as appropriate. (Of course, you are welcome and encouraged to blog more frequently if you wish!) Although it is a required course component, I hope you will approach this blog as an opportunity to show your unique perspective on the material we read and discuss, to be creative, and to personalize what we are doing in class in a way that interests and excites you.

REQUIRED POSTINGS:

1. Reading Connections #1: This posting must be made during course weeks 2-5. Create a blog post with links to articles, video, or other content of your choosing that extend concepts we are covering in class during these weeks. You must provide a clear explanation of how your link(s) connect to and expand upon class content, and you must specifically refer to and cite class texts when developing your explanations.
2. Reading Connections #2: This posting is just like the first, only it must be made during course weeks 6-8 and it must deal connect to course content covered during that same period.
3. Abstract: This posting must be done during course week 9. Together with your project partner, post your project abstract and provide a minimum of two links to follow for readers interested in learning more.
4. Darwin Revelation: This posting must be made during course weeks 13-15 (prior to final exam period). Identify a revelation you had after reading about and studying Darwin, and embed a YouTube video that represents the revelation. Your revelation must be clearly explained and supported through specific references to in-class readings, and the connection between your revelation and your chosen video must be thoroughly articulated. (You will also present and explain your revelation to the class during our Final Exam period.)
5. What’s New(s) in Science?: This posting must be completed within 1 week of your in-class What's New(s) Presentation. Create a blog posting that mirrors your in-class presentation, including links to outside content and explanations of their relevance.

Have fun, and remember, you are literally writing for the whole world to read!