There are thousands and millions of people on this planet. Organisms surround us and fill our earth with nutrients and other things. But when things begin they can't just sit around, they have to reproduce at the right time and when time is best for them. Sexual reproduction is how humans reproduce. Both a male and female work together to reproduce and create offspring. Asexual reproduction is when one organism creates offspring just like itself. These species are exactly the same, and they rarely would change. Here is a chart to show the differences and similarities between the two. 
      Although they may sound confusing the two are incredible and keep our world what it is. Without reproduction we wouldn't be here. Imagine that! It's so crazy! We wouldn't have some of the greatest people on this earth. No George Washington, Oprah, or (I know girls) Josh Hutcherson. It's kind of hard to manage into our brains, but it's true and makes us... well, us!



 
     Doctors are some of the worlds most helpful people. They save lives, help people, and make sure you're healthy. Doctors are constantly helping others and doing what's best for you, well telling you what's best...at least. Surgeons are just like doctors but do more surgery, because that's their job. Surgeons demonstrate incredible talents I learned a little about in science. 
     When I dissected a frog, eye, and squid, I was very grateful that I have a surgeon and doctor. I really wouldn't want to give myself a surgery! Surgeons are really brave and have to spend a lot of time in school to become a surgeon. They put a lot of effort and money into their school time and basically their LIFE!.... so they can help others. I learned that without surgeons and doctors we would have a lot of confusion in today's world. Without them, we wouldn't know what our body and skeleton were/looked like. We would have to give ourselves surgery, and make our own medicine. Life would be really tricky! Thank you to all those surgeons who help others and thank you to all those doctors who take care of us. Thank you so much, you are all great examples! 
 
     You've all grown up knowing that you have an eye, two in fact! You never learned much about the eye in elementary school, but you sure will/did in middle school! Today's topic (question) is...: How does your eye direct light into the eye and then transfer it to the brain? Well, your eye has a tiny little hole called the pupil. The pupil is covered by your cornea which is just like a window, it's clear but blocks the rest of your eye. The pupil focuses and bends light so that means when things get really bright, your pupil tells the lens (which is farther back behind it) to get smaller. When things get dark your pupil tells the lens to get bigger. 
     After light passes through the pupil, light passes through the lens (so it can be adjusted). Then it goes into this jelly-like substance called the vitreous humor. Then the retina, where nerves take the light to the optic nerve which is a tunnel to the brain. I know it might sound confusing but with some research, you'll get it. Search "eye diagram" on Google Search and look at images for more information. It really is amazing how the eye and light work!
 
    Why is the sky blue? We already answered that question last week, but that was what I thought, now I'm talking about what I've learned and know. Well, the sky is blue because everything else is a color too. I mean we all know the sky isn't neon orange. Clearly, the sky is blue...but why? 


     The sky is blue because when light hits the sky is absorbs all the other colors, just not blue. It reflects blue, so that's why we see blue. It's like a red bouncy ball, it absorbs all the colors, including blue, but reflects red... that's why we see red when we play or look at the bouncy ball. It order for something to have color, it must absorb and reflect. Everything is the same way. Look at your grass, it's green, hopefully. Why is it green? Well it absorbs colors, but what does it reflect? It reflects green and that's why your grass...even though only your eyes are seeing the green. 


     Hopefully you now understand why the grass is green, why the sky is blue, and why a bouncy ball (which is red) is red. Absorb and Reflect (A & R) Absorb and Reflect. It's how color works, thankfully we have eyes that do the job for us so we don't have to figure out each objects color but looking at what it absorbs and what it reflects. I guess we have it pretty easy!
 
    Hiyah! Welcome back to a wonderful Science Solutions blog post! Today our topic is a simple question... "Why is the sky blue?" Thankfully, in this blog today...no research was needed. Us students were asked to guess or discuss why the sky is blue. Here is my hypothesis, or a simple thought about something with a though out detail. When oxygen first formed on the earth... it created the ozone layer. The ozone layer helps protect the earth from harmful outer-space objects. When the oxygen formed the ozone layer, it kind of trapped itself inside a big bubble. The oxygen still populated just filled the bubble up slowly. This created the sky and the oxygen helps the sky stay its color by reflecting only the color blue, but absorbing all the other colors as well. Everything we know reflects color. Your shoelaces, your aunts china set, your teachers calculator. Everything. It takes in color but only reflects a few of the colors it absorbs. 


     Color is a very interesting topic but is useful to our scientists. What would life be like without color? Why is color so important? Those are all simple questions you can answer! Just remember that color absorbs all but only reflects small. That's an easy way to remember that even the grayest shade you've ever seen still absorbs red, purple, and yellow (much more colors as well) but only reflects the gray. Color absorbs all, but only reflects small.
 
    You know when your room is a mess and you can't seem to find something your looking for? Let's use socks as an example... you found one by the piano, but can't find the match! Where could it be! All of the sudden you find it... in the shower upstairs. How'd it get there. 

     Fossils are the same way... fossils could be found in California and the same fossil could be found in Antarctica. Well, here's why. A long time ago all the 7 continents were once joined. This meant that they were all closer to the equator and had warmer weather than they do today. That also means a lot of the same animals could live somewhere else where the weather was just as nice. Like some animals in Asia then, could be found in Antarctica because the temperatures for weather were the same.


     This doesn't mean you're a scientist looking for socks... it means animals can be traced back, a long ways. Animals traveled just like humans just ended up hopefully a little different than we will. Since the animals traveled and explored new places that suited them, when they died; they made it possible for humans to learn more about what the earth was like... millions of years ago.
 
     Otherwise known as the Hypostomus Plecostomus, please, put your hands together for the Suckermouth Catfish!!! *applause* Anyways... in science groups of 4 have been put together to study animals at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Each group has a different animal...every period has different animals too! At the end of the year, the whole 7th grade will head to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo to study their see their animals physically and study other animals as well. 
     
     My group... got the Suckermouth Catfish which is a fish that can be found in any warm ocean water. The Suckermouth Catfish is recognized as a catfish because of its' long whiskers. The Suckermouth Catfish isn't very big though and probably won't make the best meal. Did you know the Suckermouth Catfish can actually hold its breath for a really long time, storing it for later!? I never knew that! Also, the Suckermouth Catfish can lay up to 3,000 eggs at one time! Glad you're not a Suckermouth Catfish?! 
     
     Since each group has their own animal... each group gets to be interested in other people's animal where no one has the same animal. In computers, Mr. Kimbley has us making posters for our animal that will have QR codes. At the zoo, if students have phones, they can scan the animal and the poster the group made will come up! How cool is that!?
  
     I really think this project will be fun, and from what the 8th graders have said... it sounds like it! Even though I didn't get the animal I was exactly hoping for, I really enjoy working with a good and cooperative group who makes things easier on everyone's part! I can't wait 
 
     Well...it's been a while! What a spring break! It was super crazy but now I am back in school so I need to fo-cus! Today, we're writing about the best scientific discovery ever made. In my opinion, I know I might sound crazy but this is what I've agreed to write about... the circle. The circle is perfectly round, which means, it can roll. A rolling circle, created the wheel; which helped create transportation. Transportation plays a really big role in our society and even in earlier societies. After the carriage, came the car and, who knows what will come next. Without the circle/wheel we would be without a lot of things. Think about our lives today and how they are effected with the wheel and what life would be like without the wheel. No trains, cars, buses, bikes, unicycles, wheelchairs, elevators,  (older) cameras,and sadly snowmen. Could you imagine your life without those things?That already takes out about half of our life, if a little bit less. The human life is basically built on circles/wheels. Without the wheel/circle our schools, classes, houses, transportation, and other things would be VERY different. Even the smallest things really do have meaning... just look at the circle; look at where it got us.
 
   It all started long ago when all the continents on this earth were combined and named one of the greatest, Pan-"WAIT! Are you saying I could've had the chance to live in Africa? Without having to pay for air fair?!" Yes, Carl. Just, there wouldn't have been air fair. It was dinosaurs. Like I was saying earlier, Pangea. One of the greatest places ever on this earth. Dinosaurs roamed Pangea until there death. Which caused fossils of course. As time went on, the continents spread apart and mankind arrived. Millions of years later, we know as today, we have scientists investigating why animals with behaviors and structures that wouldn't allow them to live in Antartica today. This is because when Pangea was around Antarctica wasn't as cold as it is today. They could live there and roam wherever they wanted, without getting frost-bite. When the animals became extinct, they were buried and fossils helped scientists today learn about our past. Sorry Carl, no dino-rides this time
 
    In science, we have been working on making flash cards on a cool website called Quizlet. Quizlet is a simple website made for anyone. This website is mostly for studying but could be used for other purposes. In science, we use flash cards, and like I put earlier, we use Quizlet to do so. It didn't occur to me until last night when I realized I really, truly, and honestly wanted straight A's on this upcoming report card. If I can get straight A's, I'll get an iPhone 4s (which is why I'm trying to be pro-active and get good grades.)
     Quizlet to me, isn't useful. I mean, typing and writing down the definitions of vocabulary words makes things  a bit easier, but I use my book and Interactive Reader to study. I think Quizlet is useful, just not for me. I normally study at night, in bed, with a flashlight. Normally, that's what I do, and to get on Quizlet, a lot of the time, you need a computer. I really liked Quizlet because it was something to do at the beginning of the year when in science class, we weren't doing much. Now though, I don't use it at all and don't think I ever will if I need it to study. Although it might be different for others, which is fine, this was my personal opinion about Quizlet.