A Brief Happenings of “Science” Events

Lightning Times Some Brief Articles about the

Fall Season.

October/November 2015

Water Found on Mars!!!

Water on Mars has been one of the most compelling mysteries of the 21-century. On September 29, 2015 NASA confirmed there is water on Mars and even knew it was in ice form. The water on Mars, if in liquid form, could cover the whole planet. But if a Mars rover were to a sample it would be illegal because the international space treaty of 1967 protects any foreign object from being brought back to earth. So the only way you can see water on Mars is to move there! So unless you want to move there you will never see water on Mars. Also though according to NASA there is a tiny bit of liquid water on Mars. For now that's all the news in water on Mars

Scary Halloween Have you ever watched a horror movie or get scared by someone? Do you ever wonder what makes you scared? Well, if you said yes to any of these questions, we have some answers. Fear is controlled by an almond shaped structure called your amygdala. It is the response to immediate stimuli. The empty feeling in your gut,,the racing feeling in your heart, palms sweating, the nervousness- that’s your brain responding to a very specific threat before it even happens. Why do we like being scared? Well, some people think it is funny afterward or it may just make you feel good that you made it through. Why? The moment we feel threatened or scared, we feel more strong and powerful physically, and more emotionally. This charges to our physical and mental state is called an “adrenaline rush,” and as humans we are apparently hard-wired to be drawn to this type of feeling. This is why we get scared…

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Why we set the clocks back for Day Time Savings Time?

Have you ever wondered why we set the clock back an hour for DST, a.k.a. Daylight Savings Time. Well, read on to find out! It all started as an idea in 1784 by Benjamin Franklin when he wrote an essay called An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light to the Journal of Paris. In 1895, the idea continued with a Gentleman named George Venom Hudson, who presented a proposal to the Wellington Philosophical Society. Finally, in 1908 a man named William Willet. The idea was used in World War I to preserve fuel from candlelight. However, many people know that daylight is shorter than nighttime in the winter, and nighttime is shorter than daylight in summer. It is also a lot colder in the winter than summer. This is because when sunrays hit the earth in a straight line like it does for the equator, it makes the temperature warmer in that area. When it hits the earth from an angle like it does for the North and South Pole however, it makes the temperature cooler. To make days shorter, the Northern Hemisphere has to be pointed away from the sun causing the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. To cause the longest day of the year, or the Summer Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere has to be pointed to the sun. So when the days are equal, they are the fall and spring Equinoxes. So, the reason why we have DST is sort of both an interesting mix of science and history. It is clear from the vast background, DST is considerably one of the most interesting topics ever!

Why Do the Leaves Change Color?

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Leaves change color because over time the tree creates chlorophyll which makes the leaves green. Once fall begins trees creates Carotenoids. This makes the leaves turn yellow and orange. Shortly after this the trees produce Anthocyanin’s which gives the tree a reddish color. The trees change color and fall because there is less daylight, the temperature changes, and there is less rain. The chlorophyll in the tree creates sugars which goes to the roots and feeds the tree. As daylight shortens the veins that bring water nutrients to the leaves gradually close off. The old chlorophyll then disappears and is replaced by new chlorophyll. Intensity is connected to temperature. If days are light and nights are dark more sugars get trapped. As soon as the trees eat all the sugars the leaves eventually fall. Then next spring the leaves grow again and this cycle goes on and on again and again.

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By: Sydney R, Laila I, and Delaney H

6th Grade Candy Survey Results

93% of our 6th grade says that sugar is the reason that candy

is not healthy. That is true, sugar is very bad for you, but there are also other ingredients that make candy unhealthy. Some of these include corn syrup, food dye, calories, fat, artificial foods and flavors, and sodium chloride. These ingredients can cause obesity and clogs your arteries. Most of the 6th grade thought that mike n ikes were healthier than twizzlers which is not true. Mike n Ikes have fake fruit flavored chemicals and and tons of sugars which is very unhealthy, While Twizzlers have natural based flavoring and still lots of sugars but not nearly as much as Mike n Ikes. 40% of the 6th grade liked reese's peanut butter cups as their favorite candy, 30% of the 6th grade likes any kind of chocolate as their favorite candy. 20% of the 6th grade likes any kind of gummy candy. 10% of the 6th grade likes any kind of hard candy. Most of our grade thinks that just plain chocolate is the healthiest candy, some chocolates can be good for you but others can be very bad for you such as most milk chocolate they have very bad chemicals and fake cream or milk flavoring that can be very bad for you. But there are also some chocolates that are ok for you such as most dark chocolates because they have very little fat, there are also other candies that can be ok for you such as york peppermint patties, and peanut m&m’s, and reese's peanut butter cups minis. Hope you consider what you eat!!!

Candy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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