Science Lab

This year has been a very fun year of science experiments which were conducted in the science lab. We had to pair up with a partner and my partner was Liu Yu Xuan for the year. We had a lot of fun doing these science experiments together as we were the best of friends and could get along very well. From these experiments, we had a better friendship as the experiments sometimes has to be done together and we have to collaborate together.

One of the more fun experiments is the one on the concave and convex mirrors. One of us had to make to mirror go to the perfect angle while to other has to take the measurements. Sometimes, we could also have fun in these experiment practicals. We managed to form some rainbows from the rainbows through this practical. Our science teacher is also very systematic. She would first show us how to do the experiments first, before we could do it on our own, so that we could not face problems. However, even if we faced some doubts, she would always be there to lend us a helping hand, which I feel is great.

These science lab periods were always filled with fun and entertainment. We would also always learn thing from it, thus giving us a broader view of science as a subject. I hope that the remaining science lessons would also be  this exciting and I am looking forward to them.

Aim for EOY science examination

For the last few terms, I have not done well for science, therefore I feel that I should start working hard. I should start my revision for the science EOY examinations early, so that I would not feel very pressurized and panic when it is time for the science exam. Reading up on all the topics is also a must as only this way will I be familiar with them and do well. I must not only read up on the relevant topics but must understand all the key phrases and relevant information. An examination is to help the pupil point out his/her poor part. Hence, whenever it comes to examinations, we should not be too nervous about the exam and not get to stressed out by it. Once we are well prepared, we should have confident in ourselves. Thus, only by starting our revision early will I be confident and not panic at the last minute. Last minute revision never allows you to do well for your examinations and this has already been proven by my results for the first three terms. Thus, the only way where I could do well now is actually through early revision. I hope that I would do well for my EOY examinations by starting early revising. Good Luck to me.

Term 3 reflection

Term 3 is the term where we were taught of physics and the properties of light. This was a very simple topic and we just have to know the concepts of light and we would be able to answer all the questions. The teachers had a new style of teaching this term where we have to study and learn on our own. We were given a total of 10 worksheets which we have to finish. If we faced any problems we have to clarify our doubts in class. The worksheets were very beneficial for equipping us the knowledge of light already. Everything in the worksheet were very detailed and we could understand the worksheet very well.

After the term 3 test and when we received our paper back, I was extremely disappointed with the marks that I got for the science test. The topics tested were light, water and biodiversity. In this test, I only had a few hours to study for the test as on that particular week, I had three other tests for the other subjects. I was only able to start revising for science at the last minute, which was one day before the test day.

This has thus caused me to not have enough practice and therefore I one of the only few people who did not get an A1. I has humiliated when the teacher gave out those few people who did not get A1, before saying that the rest of the class got A1. This will make those pupils who did not do so well to feel embarrass and that was how I felt at that particular point of time. However, it was also due to my terrible mark which caused this to happen. Had I scored an A1 mark, this would never had happened.

Now, the only thing that I can do is to buck up. I will start to go through science topics so that I would be familiar with them and hopefully do well for the EOY examinations.

Cool and Trendy Experiment

This is an experiment on detergent and pepper done by me.

Could a Tumor Suppressor Also Fight Obesity? Research Reveals Hormone Receptor GCC's Role in Appetite

Just three days ago, the hormone receptor guanylyl cyclase C (GCC) has been established as a suppressor of colorectal cancer tumors, but new evidence from Thomas Jefferson University suggests it may also fight one of the countryy's biggest pandemics: obesity.

If this really is true, then people will have a lower possibility of becoming fat. However, when some people know about this, they would be glad as they could eat more food and not get fat very quickly. In America, about 1/3 of their population are obese people and this in turn will make more people become obese.

There have been a research done by researchers that conclude that the hormone receptor guanylyl cyclase C has the ability to stop oneself from eating when they are already feeling very full. This is actually a very fascinating thing because GCC is expressed predominantly in the intestine, and there was no indication that it regulated any function that had to do with metabolism and nutrient uptake, as mentioned by Dr. Waldman.

This has made my come down to my conclusion, does obese people have lesser GCC which is a reason why they eat a lot and become so fat. I think that my conclusion is very true as the GCC in our bodies have already been proven that it has the ability to help us overcome our excessive eating habits. Thus I feel that obese people definitely have a lack of this GCC hormones in their bodies, so they eat excessively and have a obese body shape.

I hope that researchers would be able to conduct further investigations into this particular hormone's abilities and tell the world if it really helps us to fight against obesity. If it is true, people who want to slim down could get injections of this hormone.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825123822.htm

Swirling seas of plastic trash

After reading this science article, I am extremely heartbroken. Despite the fact that people all around the world have been advised to stop littering, it seems that this littering still has not stopped. There has been many plastic trash that were found in animals in the seas. They took in the plastic there were in the thrown in the sea and they died due to this. When people cut these animals into two parts, plastic parts were found in their bodies thus proving the claim.

There are even beaches that have been so dirty due to the mass disposal of plastic that it is unable to be used for recreational activities again. These once beautiful beaches have now been extremely dirty and messy that no one wants to go there again as the environment is no longer as beautiful as it is previously. The sight of this dirty beach is completely different as how is it when it is first built. This shows us that these plastic trash do not only affect animals, but also our recreational areas. Now that it is destroyed, the government has to spend millions of dollars to clean up these areas, so that it would continue to attract people to it.

In conclusion, I hope that everyone could understand the numberless bad benefits of littering. These litterbugs have dirtied our world and caused many unpleasant things to occur. It has made our world a very different place now. Litter could be found everywhere, in animals, beaches etc. One day, if everyone realises the importance of not littering, the world would definitely be a better place to live in as we would be litter free.

Link: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/06/swirling-seas-of-plastic-trash/

Lotion takes a bite out of snake venom

After reading this article, I found out that a lotion for the treatment of snake venom is finally invented. I have always thought about why no one has ever created something to go against venom, now there is finally someone who invented such a thing. I really feel that these people who created this lotion are extremely smart. By creating such a lotion, it will benefit a lot of people and prevent the number of people who might die because of snake venom.

With this particular lotion, it will slow down the time in which the snake venom will spread around the infected body, thus lesser people will lose their lives due to snake venom. The venom-slowing lotion contains nitric oxide, which retards the spread of venom by slowing down the lymphatic system. Nitric oxide is a chemical compound made of nitrogen and oxygen. This compound is often used to treat angina, which is chest pain caused when the heart doesn’t receive enough blood. This is why the lotion is able to slow down the spread of snake venom.

However, there are also some bad benefits of this lotion. This lotion is unable to slow down some venoms of snakes as some molecule of venom from some snakes are too small and the lotion is unable to take effect against them, thus it is useless against these people. Despite this, the lotion could be said as a lifesaver as it could could save you from death from snake venom.

I hope that this lotion would have some modifications in the future and eventually one day, it would be able to slow down the venom spread from all snakes in the human body. If this is possible, I believe that it will play a very important part in the survival of many people who get near to snakes very often. In conclusion, one day I hope that this cream will be sold all over the world so that everyone around the world would be able to get treatment against venom with the slowing down of the spread of venom.

Link: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/07/lotion-takes-a-bite-out-of-snake-venom/

Fats encourage overeating

I read an article today, it is based on fats that encourage overeating. I feel that it is completely true and common. Usually, those people that go and eat buffet are normally fat people as they are able to eat more food and thus the price is more reasonable for them. However, I still do not understand why do fats encourage people to overeat. Thus, after reading this article, I finally know why this is so.

Fatty foods can be hard to resist and hard on your health. A high-fat diet can increase weight and the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in America. But many people still find it difficult to limit fats. According to research by researchers, there is a molecule called endocannabinoids in our bodies. This molecule tells our bodies when to eat. When these molecules are blocked, then we will stop eating.

Fats, contain endocannabinoids, thus when we eat fatty food, we would feel that it is extremely tasty can keep on continue eating it, which leads to overeating. Thus, we should always bear in mind this, fatty food could seem to be very delicious, but it would would us to overeat. Overeating may lead to us have digestion problems which may lead to diarrhea. Hence, we should always stay away from these fatty food as they causes overeating which has a negetive impact on our bodies.

Link: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/07/fats-encourage-overeating/

Fanged Frog

Hi people,

Just not long ago, a new groups of frogs which were known as fanged frogs were discover on an Indonesian island of Sulawesi. These frogs were very unique and different from other frogs as they had fangs. These fangs that they had were not exactly teeth, but they were actually jaw protrusions.

Normally, people would never have imagined a frog that has fangs, but now after thorough research, by scientists these particular species of frogs had finally been found. What's more interesting about these fangs is that they are not visible past the gumline. They are always hidden. I do not know the reason for this, but it should be because if the fangs are visible, it would be very difficult for the frog to close its mouth.

The fanged frog is very special as it has fangs that are about the same as snakes, just that its fangs are just smaller. When I first saw the fanged frog, I actually thought that it could be venom or poison in the fangs which would be transmitted to its prey. Thus, I thought that it a very dangerous insect where man has to have precaution when dealing with it. Besides all this, I really admire the people who make such discoveries. These people are not afraid of species of organisms that has never been discovered before and thus they never know what their lives could be up against.

In conclusion, I feel that not a lot of information has been provided on these fanged frogs yet, as people has just discovered such species. I hope that in the next few months to come, more in depth research could be done on the species as I am really interested in them.

Link: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/08/pictures/110816-fanged-frogs-new-species-indonesia-sulawesi-science/

After 1 1/2 years of science lessons

Hey people,

So far in Hwa Chong, one and a half years of science lesson has passed and I must say that from these Science lessons, my knowledge on Science has increased significantly.

In my primary school, science was an extremely easy subject which was very easy for us to master. Just three days, before the exam I would read up my notes and prepare myself for the test. Th science lessons were mainly very boring where the teachers gives out past years papers for us to do. Therefore, everyone dreaded science lesson a lot.

In my PSLE though, I did quite well, I got an A* for science as there was very little things to read up on and the subjects that was taught was easy for us to understand.

When I got into Hwa Chong, the science environment has changed a 180 degrees for me. We have science lesson twice a week, each lesson only an hours long and one of the lessons would be conducted in the science lad where we would be given the opportunity to do experiments to discover the concepts of some of the science laws.

The science lessons in class was also extremely interesting as the teacher speaks very lively and everyone would enjoy the period.

In conclusion, I feel that science has became a subject that I hate in the past to one which I really enjoy and look forward to now as the beauty of science as a topic is simply amazing.

‘Most fearsome predator’ unveiled

Hi Everyone,

A skull belonging to one of the largest "sea monsters" ever unearthed is being unveiled to the public. This fearsome creature is known as a pliosaur.

The fossil of the pliosaur was first found in Dorset, but it has taken 18 months to remove the skull from its rocky casing, revealing the monster in remarkable detail. Scientists suspect the creature, which is on show at the Dorset County Museum, may be a new species or even genus of reptiles.

Although this skull is 95% complete, it is probably one of the largest and certainly one of the most well-preserved and complete pliosaurs ever found anywhere in the world. These pliosaurs which lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods were the top predators of the oceans.

The pliosaurs could also be the biggest beast ever discovered. The skull of this creature was about 3m long and never in my life could I imagine a creature that has such a long skull. This is simply impressive. It is amazing to have the largest, most complete skull of the most powerful predator to live on Earth on display on the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site which is the home of the science of palaeontology. I hope that one day, all the fossils of this creature could be put together and be displayed. I just could not imagine how big this creature actually is.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14061347

Yours,

Ryan Ong

Scientists discover the point of sex

Hi Everyone,

I will be posting on a new discovery made by scienctists just recently. They have finally found out the point of sex. To us humans, sex is what we do to reproduce and gain pleasure. However, to animals, sex has helped them a lot from getting killed. Based on research, researchers have discovered that animals reproduce together, rather than simply cloning themselves, because it helps them to ward off parasites.

Furthermore, cross-fertilisation helps creatures stay a step ahead in the continuous "arms race" with parasites, which are forever evolving to try and infect them. This just shows us that animals are very intelligent. They have sex to extend their lifetime and prevent themselves from getting infected by parasites.

This findings support the evolutionary theory that blending of two animals' genomes creates an offspring with a new genetic code which may make it more resistant to attack, experts said. I was quite amazed when I read this article at first as I never thought that sex was something done to extend life. I feel that it is a very cool thing to know as we will be able to look at sex at another point which is for the survival of animals.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14046316

Yours,
Ryan Ong

Deep-down worm is far out

Hi Everyone,

I will be sharing a new discovery made by scientists. These amazing people have actually found a worm more than three quarters of a mile underground, which is 1.609344 km underground. Recent discoveries in a South African gold mine reviewed this special worm.

If worms can survive in extreme underground environments, then perhaps similar life exists deep beneath the surface of other planets. Scientists already knew that single-cell organisms live in harsh, dark environments miles underground. But worms, which have lots of cells, are a different story. The study suggests that underground life may be a lot more complicated than scientists previously thought.

In addition, Gaetan Borgonie, a worm expert at the University of Ghent in Belgium, who led the study also told Science News he suspects that the worms’ ancestors lived on Earth’s surface and over time, dug deep, which is very true.

In conclusion, worms have always been special, but I feel that this discovery might not be necessary true, R. John Parkes, who studies underground life at Cardiff University in Wales. Parkes wonders if drilling the holes for the mine somehow changed the underground environment, making it possible for worms to live in such an unusual place. I agree with him and feel that more research should be carried out before they can finally conclude that worms are able to survive very deep underground.

Link: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/331318/title/FOR_KIDS_Deep-down_worm_is_far_out

Yours,
Ryan Ong

Rockin' Tortoises

Hi Everyone,

Today, I will be taling about this 150 year old new species of tortoises. This new species was discovered when a team of researchers investigated a desert tortoise from the United States Southwest and northwestern Mexico. What was thought to be a simple problem in species identification turned out to be a very complex matter. Their investigations required forensic genetics and several other methods.

In the end, they found it necessary to describe a new species. More than that, the discovery has very important implications for conservation and the development of the deserts of southern California.

I was actually quite surprised when I read this article, this species of tortoise has been around for 150 years and only now researchers have been able to find it. I had always expected new species to be discovered very quickly due to the high tech machinery that we have currently. Only now I have realised how hard was it to establish a the discovery of a new species. Even when they had discovered this, it is also said that another species that is related to this species still survives. Therefore, these researchers should waste no time and introduce to us a new species of tortoise again.

Link:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110628132555.htm

Yours,
Ryan Ong

Loudest Animal Is Recorded for the First Time

Hi Everyone,

Today, I will posting on a new discovery made by scientists which have shown for the first time that the loudest animal on earth, relative to its body size, is the tiny water boatman, Micronecta scholtzi. At 99.2 decibels, this represents the equivalent of listening to an orchestra play loudly while sitting in the front row.

This has led to researchers, who are presenting their work at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Glasgow, being keen to bring together aspects of biology and engineering to clarify how and why such a small animal makes such a loud noise, and to explore the practical applications, which I feel is very smart of them. If they really find the reason which a small animal could produce such a loud sound, perhaps, there could be breakthrough in science.

Above are some pictures of this animal and the sound it can made compared to other animals.
Hope that you enjoyed it!

Yours,
Ryan Ong

Sleeping babies learn in an eyeblink

Hi Everyone,

I will sharing on a news article that I just read. It is a very interesting news article that says that sleeping babies are able to learn in an eyeblink. I was very amazed by this article thus posting it here to share it with everyone.

It is always said that babies snooze through much of the first month after birth, but don’t call them lazy. One-month-olds doze to discover, with an emphasis on social insights, a new study suggests. In addition to this, a 2010 investigation led by study coauthor and developmental psychobiologist William Fifer of Columbia University in New York City also found out that sleeping 1- to 2-day-olds learn to blink in response to a tone played before the delivery of a blink-inducing air puff.

This article is very interesting as no one would ever expect sleeping babies to learn things in just an eyeblink. I feel that perhaps these psychobiologist could do the same experiment on adults as you never know that adults might be able to respond to this type of conditioning while asleep as well as babies. Without this control experiment, we might be making unwarranted conclusions about sleep learning. Therefore, the psychobiologist should do this experiment on adults and see the outcome of the experiment. Good luck sciencetists!

Link: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/332049/title/Sleeping_babies_learn_in_an_eyeblink

Yours,
Ryan Ong

Term 2 Science Excursion

Hi Everyone,

I went on an excursion to the Macritchie Reservoir Park last term. I did not go on this excursion with my class as I went to support the Hwa Chong Waterpolo team on that particular day. Therfore, I had to change date and go to this excursion with the Ortus consortium classes. The Ortus boys were very annoying as they were always talking and pushing one another around throughout the journey to the Reservior Park. Firstly, we were all given two worksheets which had to be filled up on the trial. Then we went to the various stations where there are many activities, which we had to do and see before we knew how to fill up the worksheets. It was quite tedious though, with many questions on each page and furthermore, we were carrying our bags around, not to mention the humid weather which also led to us perspiring terribly.

From this excursion, I learnt various things that I did not know of previously and also had a broader view of science as a subject as it is one of the subjects that has the most hands-on activities. I hope that the school science department will organise more of such activities as they allow us to learnt science while having fun at the same time.

Yours,
Ryan Ong

Reflection on Term 2 Science

Hi Everyone,

Today, I will be posting on my results and reflections from the two terms and how I feel about it.

Term 1

Term 1 was a term where chemistry and the periodic table was tested. It was actually a very straightforward topic where we just have to know by heart the first 20 elements of the periodic table. At first everyone thought that was going to be a very confusing topic, but after a few lessons, we could understand the topic quite well already. The science teachers were also very innovative as the online lessons were used to educate us on the periodic table. We had to paste the first twenty elements on a plain sheet of construction paper. When I first heard of this task, I was worried as was scared that I would face many problems doing it. However, the teachers were very helpful and whenever we faced some difficulties, they would always be lending their helping hands to help us. This has not only allowed me know the number of protons, neutrons and electrons of the elements, but I also managed to memorize the elements by heart through this online lesson. In the end, I did badly for the term test. I did not do that well. I looked through my mistakes and found out where I had gone wrong. This would make sure that I would never have the same mistakes if they ever come out again.

Term 2

In term 2, we were taught biology and also acids and alkalis. This was the term where I had to miss out on science lessons for a period of time and I had the national school competition for my waterpolo CCA. The missing out of lessons were at first a very happy thing for me as I did not have to stay in class to listen to lessons but was given an opportunity to compete against other people from all around Singapore in my CCA. Later on I realised that the missing out on lessons had a very negetive impact on me. When my Science teacher explaining to the class on some matters, I was very confused as I had missed out on a lot. Therefore, had to stay back after school on some occasions to personally ask my science teacher on the topic which I had missed out on. The acids and alkalis was the topic that was very challenging for me. I could not understand this topic and faced many problems. There was also an online lesson where we have to get into groups of 4 to make a video on sexually transmitted diseases. From the making of the video, we had a deeper understanding of the sexually transmitted diseases and how they came about.

In the end, when I got back my term 2 test results, I found my term 2 results very disappointing actually, not because I did not work hard, but I did not work hard enough to memorise all the chemical formulas. This has resulted in me finding difficulty in some on the questions tested. As for the sex education, I think I did very well getting full marks for most of the questions. Despite all this, I am quite satisfied with my MCQ section marks. I scored 10/15, where some of the questions I just guessed the answer. I also chose science ace in term 2, and I am proud to say that I had gotten 5/5 ace points, due to the effort that I put into doing the posters and PPT documents, thus I chose science as my ace subject again this term, hope to max it out again.

In conclusion, I hope that I will be able to start the revision for my science test earlier, such that more of my time could be spent more meaningfully and also to prevent me from occurring circumstances where I have to try my luck and guess the answer.

Yours,
Ryan Ong