Autotroph Example
Deciduous leaf: Plants that shed their leaves seasonally, mostly during the cold and dry seasons, annually. Examples are trees and shrubs. What is impressive about them are wide array of colors that their leaves display before they are shed. This tree sheds its leaves every fall season, therefore it is a deciduous leaf.
Science Sunday: August 2: The History of Everything
Welcome to Science Sunday and the last day of Parradox's Pirracy Prroject!
This week's Science Sunday is light-hearted. We'll be examining the series' theme song, "The History of Everything" by the Barenaked Ladies, and those items (scientific and historical) which to which it refers.
NOTE: There's a lot of ridiculous in here. I evidently got picture-happy midway through this process, and then the silly just progressed from there.
Nearly Fourteen Billion Years Ago Expansion Started
"Expansion" refers to the metric expansion of space, or the distance between objects in space. It is a key element of the big bang theory. As stated, expansion describes the distance between objects; the universe might be infinite or finite, but scientists do not believe that it is expanding into something. That is, the universe itself is expanding, but there is nothing outside the universe that is being affected. It is understood that expansion began after the "big bang" and has continued since.
A later part of "The History of Everything" says, It's expanding ever outward, but one day it will pause and start to go the other way. This and subsequent lyrics refer to the theory that the universe is, in fact, finite and will eventually reach its peak and contraction will occur, ultimately leading to the end of the universe.
The Autotrophs Began to Drool
An autotroph is an organism capable of synthesizing its own organic substances, like food, from inorganic substances using light or chemical energy. An autotroph, for example, may create its own sugars, lipids, and amino acids. Green plants, algae, and some bacteria are autotrophs. Because the song refers to the passage of time, the words "began to drool" depict autotrophs becoming heterotroph, an organism dependent on another organism for food, etc.
Neanderthals Developed Tools
Neanderthals are believed to be an extinct species of human in ice-age Europe and western and central Asia between 35,000–120,000 years ago. Their tools consisted mostly of stone flakes, hand axes, and spears. There is evidence to suggest that they used a lot of wood, unlikely to have been preserved.
A depiction of a Neanderthal burial
We Built a Wall; We Built the Pyramids
"We built a wall" most likely refers to The Great Wall of China, as shown in the credits. The Great Wall is remarkable because it was a series of fortifications built, rebuilt, and maintained over the course of more than 2,000 years (c. 5th century BC to 1600 AD). The wall covers more than 4,000 miles, although archaeological evidence suggests that the wall could have once covered more than 5,000 miles. At its peak, it was guarded by more than one million men.
(For other ancient walls, go here.)
"We built the pyramids" probably refers to the Egyptian pyramids, although it may refer to the world's pyramids at large. The Mesopotamians built the earliest pyramidal structures, called ziggurats, monuments that were brightly painted. However, these pyramids were constructed mostly of mud and therefore little remains of them.
The most famous pyramids are the Egyptians', with 138 discovered as of last year. The earliest of these is the Pyramid of Djoser, built during the third dynasty (c.2690 BC). The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest of Egypt's pyramids, one of the largest worldwide, and was the tallest building in the world until the construction of Lincoln Cathedral in 1400. Pyramids held great symbolic meaning for the Egyptians: it is thought that their shape symbolized the mound from which they believed the Earth was created; it is also thought that that the shape is representative of descending rays of the sun, as some pyramids were given names to do with solar luminescence. The pyramids were burial monuments, as is well known, but disagreement exists as to the exact mythology associated with them.
Other pyramid locations include Nubia (roughly 220), Greece, China (roughly 38), Mesoamerica, North America (Monk's Mound), and India.
(For a list of the world's ancient pyramids by country, go here.)
Unravelling the Mystery That All Started With the Big Bang
We're all familiar with big bang cosmology, the theory that the universe was born when dense, condensed matter suddenly and rapidly began to expand, so I'll just leave you with a factoid:
The theory got its name from Fred Hoyle, a scientist who did not believe in the theory, as a means of mocking it. However, the scientists who did believe it found it humorous and adopted the name. (Since that time, though, Hoyle's reasons for disliking the theory have been proven wrong, and he has been converted now supports it.)
(If you want to immerse yourself in the complexities, there's always the Wikipedia article; you may also enjoy this timeline of the big bang, particularly the theories about what's to come.)
A Fraction of a Second and the Elements Were Made
You know this one too, thanks to elementary and middle school science and the periodic table of elements.
The Bipeds Stood up Straight
A biped is any organism that moves on two limbs. The first known biped is the Eudibamus; bipedalism existed among dinosaur species. There at least a dozen distinct theories regarding bipedalism in humans.
The Dinosaurs All Met Their Fate
The mass extinction of the dinosaurs, a tragedy because dinosaurs were freaking awesome. There are a three primary theories about the extinction:
1. IMPACT EVENT: Also known as the asteroid collision theory, supported by evidence of a 3-9 mile wide asteroid which hit somewhere near the Yucatán Peninsula.
(I chose these photos because they're *dramatic*!)
2. DECCAN TRAPS: Massive volcanoes, not great news.
3. FAILURE TO ADAPT: Conditions in the environment changed, and dinosaurs were unable to adapt.
Some scientists also believe that there were multiple causes of extinction. Whatever caused the dinosaurs' extinction, much scientific evidence suggests that the extinction was a rapid one.
The Oceans and Pangea
Refers to the supercontinent that once existed. The name comes from Greek -- "pan" ["all"] + "gaia" ["earth"] and was coined by Alfred Wegener, the originator of the continental drift theory. It is possible that the formation and separation of supercontinents is cyclical and has occurred more than once in Earth's history.
A depiction of pangea's separation
Australopithecus Would Really Have Been Sick of Us
A possible ancestral race of humanity, thought to be the first to stand upright and walk as bipedals. They are believed to have populated Africa approximately 3.0-3.9 billion years ago.
Encarta, Deuteronomy
Encarta is a multimedia encyclopedia developed by Microsoft. It was very useful and popular before The Hitchhiker's Guide Wikipedia was developed.
Deuteronomy is the fifth book in the Old Testament. It can be translated "second law"; it is mostly comprised of sermons by Moses.
Einstein, Astrology
We all know who Einstein is, so let's have fun facts (from here):
- When Albert Einstein died, his final words died with him. The nurse at his side didn't understand German.
- Albert Einstein was once offered the Presidency of Israel. He declined saying he had no head for problems.
- Einstein wasn't present in December 1922 to receive the Nobel prize in physics. Instead he was on a voyage to Japan. [NOTE: I originally read that as "he was on the Voyager"; Star Trek has officially consumed my brain.]
- A simple compass is the instrument deemed to have shaped Einstein's career. His father gave it to him while he was sick in bed at the age of 5. His curiosity in the unknown thus began.
- In the period before World War II, Albert Einstein was so well known in America that he would be stopped on the street by people wanting him to explain "that theory". He finally figured out a way to handle the incessant inquiries. He told his inquirers "Pardon me, so sorry! Always I am mistaken for Professor Einstein."
This fact (from here) is quite Sheldon-like:
After Einstein and Mileva married, they had two sons: Hans Albert and Eduard. Einstein’s academic successes and world travel, however, came at a price - he became estranged from his wife. For a while, the couple tried to work out their problems - Einstein even proposed a strange "contract" for living together with Mileva:The relationship progressed. Einstein became estranged from his wife. The biography reprints a chilling letter from Einstein to his wife, a proposed "contract" in which they could continue to live together under certain conditions. Indeed that was the heading: "Conditions."
A. You will make sure
1. that my clothes and laundry are kept in good order;
2. that I will receive my three meals regularly in my room;
3. that my bedroom and study are kept neat, and especially that my desk is left for my use only.
B. You will renounce all personal relations with me insofar as they are not completely necessary for social reasons…
Astrology is "the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies and their supposed influence on human affairs"; its origins go as far back as 3,000 years BC.
The signs of the Zodiac, one of the most common and popular areas of astrology.
YOUR TURN
Know any interesting scientific topics not covered by Science Sundays? Have a favorite theory, or fact, or science you'd like to share? Nows your opportunity! In the comments, tell US what YOU know!
