Michael's Environmental Science Blog: 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Amphioxus

Amphioxus, pretty much the lamest animal ever. The beginning of all vertebrates, it has no limbs so it can't really do much. It is essentially a living spine.

I think having a a community dog park is a great idea. It gives a place for pet owners to take their dogs so that they can roam free, in an enclosed space. Meet new dogs and just have a super fun time. It also allows owners to get some fresh air and socialize. Strangely it also helps to reduce crime.

Mitochondrial Eve

Mitochondrial Eve is my mom's name. She's really old and dead. But I do have her mitochondrial DNA so we are related even if we are from a separate continent and there is a few thousand years age difference.

File:Early diversification.PNG

Darwin's Dilemma

One day when Charles Darwin was piddling along looking at animals and pondering about evolution he found a a fossil and said, "Wtf! Where did all these weird animals come from?" Because the fossils had in no way shape or form any relation to past fossils found making them separate from what looked like the chain of evolution. And now we have scientists digging them up looking for answers.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Jackson Springs Park

Visiting Jackson Springs Park has easily been my favorite lab. I had no idea such a pretty place existed in Macon, especially behind Baconsfield. Although I went there to learn about geology I became much more interested in the neighborhood development. After the lab a friend and I drove around and through the neighborhoods to look at the beautiful houses. The lots were spectacular and the houses were even better. I have determined that if I continue to live in Macon I will live in one of those houses. They remind me of the houses in Buckhead Atlanta. Not necessarily big, buy the certainly are beautiful.

Magaflood!!!!!!

After watching the video about Megaflood I learned how many processes the Earth has for shaping it's landscape. Previously thinking, like most geologists at the time, that water slowly forms the land I was surprised and intrigued to find out that it happened very rapidly. I was even more shocked when I found out that bubbles had dominated by creating huge potholes in the ground. After watching the video I am determined to visit the Scab Lands and do some epic hiking.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Blood Sugar Lab

Negative Feedback

Monday, October 17, 2011

Negative Feedback Loops

Negative feedback occurs when the output of a system acts to oppose changes to the input of the system, with the result that the changes are attenuated. If the overall feedback of the system is negative, then the system will tend to be stable.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Favorite Soil Type

I would have to say my favorite type of soil is Vertisols (http://soils.cals.uidaho.edu/soilorders/vertisols.htm), because it looks funny all when it has shrunk. It is the paradigm desolate landscape look that makes me think of the cartoons that i watched as a little kid.