The Water Cycle!

     Hello everyone, and welcome to... Meapz4Science! I know I haven't been posting a lot of blogs lately, but I'm back! This one is going to be very short, but it's about the very thing that helps us live. It is... The Water Cycle! So, let's get started!

 

     Alright, first we will start in the ocean. Water molcules are always moving around. Sometimes, some molecules are moving fast enough to become vapor. But, with the help of our good friend the sun, A lot more water can turn into vapor. This is called Evaporation. It's sort of like steam that is produced in a boiling pot of water. That is just one step, so let's move on!



 

     So now the little water droplets have turned into vapor, and are rising into the sky. The air up high is much cooler than it is down on the surface. The water vapor cools down and turns back into water to form clouds. This is called Condensation. It's like if you have iced water out on a hot day, and water collects on the outside of the glass. Let's move on now!

     Alright, The clouds are now getting heavier and heavier. Eventually, the clouds get too heavy, and it rains. This is called Precipitation. Precipitation is also rain, snow, sleet, or hail. Some precipitation like rain can be good and water crops. Other kinds of precipitation, like hail, is destructive and can destroy houses. Well, now let's go to the next step!

     The next step isn't really a step. It's called collection. Collection is when the precipitation goes into rivers and lakes and stuff (So, it collects). Sometimes it flows into the ocean.

 

     So, how does this even relate to the climate? Well, it is constantly recycling water, so we can use it again. It can also cause droughts and floods. Think of the water cycle as a huge recycling process.Well, that's all for today. I'm Emma The Meap, and I will see you next time. BYE!!!

Click here for more info about the water cycle!









Natural Resources!

     Hello everyone, and welcome to... Meapz4Science! In honor of Earth Day an stuff, Today we will be talking about natural resources! Who's excited? "I am!" Great, Science Cat! So let's get started!



     Alright, first let's start with a simple question: What are natural resources? "Natural resources are things that occur naturally that is useful to us." Good explanation. "Thank you." Once we have that down, they break up natural resources into two categories: Renewable and non-renewable energy. Renewable energy means that you can't run out of it. "Non-renewable energy means you can't use it again, or it takes a very long time to make." So now let's get into some examples of each!

Renewable Resources

     Let's start with renewable resources. "Some examples of renewable resources are water, wind, and the sun." We will talk more about those later. Some others are trees. If we keep re-planting forests, we will never run out of trees. "Yeah. We can also use geothermal energy, or heat from magma." That's true. Another great factor is that most of these are non-polluting. "But there are disadvantages." Yep. With the sun and the wind, if it's rainy or if the wind isnt blowing, that means no energy. "I guess nothing can come perfect, can it?" Yeah, I'm afraid so. Well, let's not get too wrapped up! So let's get on with the other category!



Non-renewable Resources

     Alright, so now we will talk about some non-renewable resources. "Some examples of non-renewable resources are coal, fossil fuels, and nuclear power." Fossil fuels are fuels made by fossils buried deep underwater. "These are considered non-renewable because they take millions and millions of years to form."Also, oil is a non-renewable resource. A bad thing about non-renewable resources is that when using these, the pollute. Very badly pollute. "Then why do we use them so much?" I was getting to that.

Why do we use them?

     Many people all agree on this one question: 'If fossil fuels pollute so badly, then why do we even use them?' "The answer is money. Fossil fuels and stuff are so cheap to get, and don't take a lot of time and effort." However, it can lead to catastrophic events, like oil spills. "How can we fix our ways?" We will talk about that next!

 

Conserving

     So we know that fossil fuels are bad, and we need to stop polluting. "Tons of kids have the same excuse: "But I'm just a kid!" Simple things like recycling plastic and paper can help the environment. Or you can pick up litter on the side of the road. "Or you can raise awareness about the problem, like we are right now!" You are correct, Science Cat! Well, that's all for today! I'm Emma The Meap, "And I'm Science Cat," and we will see you next time. BYE!!!

Learn more about fossil fuels by clicking here! 

Learn how to save energy by clicking here!

Moon Phases!

     Hello everyone, and welcome too... Meapz4Science! Today we will talk some more about the moon. We will talk about... It's phases! I will have some help from Science Cat! Welcome! "Hello! I'd love to help!" Alright, then let's get started!

     Alright. First we will talk about the superstitions regarding the moon's phases. "Like wolves howling at the moon?" Yes. As a matter of fact, wolves don't howl at the moon. They raise their heads in the air for acoustics, not to talk to the moon. "OK, here's another one: 'Is it true that strange behavior increases on nights of full moons?' Huh, it's a good theory." It isn't true, though. Scientists did a study, and there is no correlation with crime and the moon phases. "It' a bad idea anyway. If I were to rob a bank, I would do it during a new moon." They don't know about that yet! "Well then, let's get on with it then."





     Okay, now we will talk about the moon's phases. "Wait! Some of our readers might not know what moon phases are!" Oh, yeah. Okay, so you know how sometimes the moon doesn't always appear in a full circle? "Or how sometimes you can't see it at all? Those are phases!" Yep. The reason the moon goes through phases is because the sun strikes the moon's surface at different angles. "One side of the moon is lit up, while one side of the moon is dark. It isn't always the same side, but we see the same side all the time." So, let's get on with the first one!

New Moon

     Okay, the first moon phase is the new moon. This doesn't mean the moon is brand new. "This phase occurs when the moon is between us and the sun, so we can't see it." Right. You can't see a thing, not even a sliver. "That would be a waxing crescent. But we haven't gotten to that yet." No spoilers! Anyways, let's move on to the Waxing phases.

  

Waxing Phases

     Now we will talk about the waxing phases. "Waxing means, increasing. You can tell what the moon is doing during this time." Right. You have the Waxing Crescent, which is the time between the new moon and the 1st Quarter. "The 1st quarter occurs when you can only see half of the illuminated side," Or 1 quarter of the moon. Then you have the Waxing Gibbous. "Gibbous means humpbacked, or the way the moon looks during this time." This is the time between the 1st quarter and the full moon. Now let's get on with every one's favorite!

Full Moon!!!

     Now it's time for... The full moon! "This is my favorite phase!" Yep! This occurs when the Earth is between the sun and moon, meaning we can see the whole illuminated half of it! Yay! " But wouldn't that be a lunar eclipse? And about the new moon, how is that not a solar eclipse?" I will tell you. The moon isn't lined up directly with the equator. It almost always either stays above or below the equator. So yeah. 

Waning Phases

     Alright, so now we will talk about the Waning Phases. "The waning phases are basically the opposite of the waxing phases." Right. Waning means "decreasing" so it is going back to the new moon. "You also have the 'last quarter' which is when you see the other half of the lit up moon." You also have the waning gibbous and the waning crescent, but we won't get much into those.

 

      Alright guys, that's all for today! " We hope you thoroughly enjoyed!" I'm Emma The Meap, "And I'm Science Cat," And we will see you next time. peace!!!

 Check out Science Cat's Bog Here!

Click here for a 2014 lunar calendar! 

Moon!

     Hello everyone, and Welcome to... Meapz4Science! Today we will not talk about a planet, but we will talk about... The Moon! Today we have a guest with me. She is Science Fairy! "Yep! I am here to talk about the moon with you!" Thank you! So, Let's get started!

     Alright, first we will talk about it's brightness and darkness. "Right. If the moon doesn't produce light on its own, how is it the second brightest object in the solar system?" I will tell you. When it is night time here in America, the sun is "behind" us, right? "Yes. And the moon is in front of us." So the moon is "facing" the sun, so the light is reflecting off the Moon's surface. "Oh okay, I understand now."

     Okay, now we will talk about it's phases. "This will answer your 'If the moon is a sphere, how come I see it as a crescent?' question." If you have that question, then listen up! The reason you see it like that is because the sunlight is actually being blocked by the Earth's shadow. When a new moon occurs, this means that the Earth is letting almost no light get to the moon at all. "When a full moon occurs, the Earth is out of the way of the sunlight, leaving the moon full in all its glory!" Right. You can see all the phases in this diagram:

     Okay, now we will- "Hang on, hang on. You haven't even explained how the Moon got here in the FIRST PLACE!" I was getting to that! Okay, STORY TIME! When the Earth was still young and forming, an object about the size of Mars collided with the Earth, "Spraying molten rock all into the Earth's orbit. All that rock eventually clumped together to form the satellite we call the Moon!" THE END! There you go. Happy now?

     Alright, now you have all heard the phrase 'Once in a blue moon' Once in your life, but what does it mean? "We are going to tell you. It actually does not mean the moon turns blue." What really happens is that two full moons appear in a row. "Even though the moon can't go blue, the angle of the sun does sometimes make it appear orange n the sky."





     Okay, now we will talk about The moon's orbiting pattern. The moon rotates once every 27 days or so. "The moon completes an orbit around earth every 29 days, or around a month's time." This means we always only see one side of the moon. "Because we are the superstitious people that we are, it led to the theory that aliens live on the dark side of the moon and stuff." I'd rather not find out the hard way.

     As we all know, the moon's surface isn't really... perfect. "Yeah. It isn't really a sphere like some people think." There are tons and tons of craters from meteors that have hit the moon. "But how come we don't have those on Earth? I mean, our gravity IS stronger." Well, unlike us, the moon doesn't have an atmosphere to burn them up. "Oh, okay." It also has dark patches we call seas, even though they don't have water on or in them.

Okay, now it is time for fun facts on the Moon and stuff!!

1) The moon is Earth's only satellite.

2) When a Super moon occurs, the moon comes closer to the earth and becomes really big.

3) The words lunatic and looney come from the Latin word for moon, Luna.

     Alright, that's all for today. I'm Emma The Meap, "And I'm Science Fairy," And we will see you next time. BYE!!!

Click here to learn more about the moon's phases! 

Want more superstitions about the Moon? Click here to see some! 

  

Neptune!

     Hello everyone, and welcome to... Meapz4Science! Today we will talk about the big blue planet everyone loves. It's... Neptune! "Is it Sailor Neptune?" Amisha, what are you doing here? " I wanted to help. Jeez." Fine, you can help. And no, it isn't about Sailor Neptune!

     Alright, first we will talk about Neptune's name origin. "Neptune, as we all know, is blue. This made its discoverers think of the ocean." Right. So they only saw it fit to name it after the Roman God of the sea. "The Romans get to name everything."



     Okay, next we will talk about how Neptune was discovered. "Well, neptune was actually discovered by mathematicians Urbain Le Verrier and John Couch Adams." Well, you are a little bit right. They noticed Uranus had an irregular orbit, and thought another planet's gravity might be causing it. "So they used math to find out exactly where Neptune might be?" Yep. Then the had astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle use their mesurements, and there it was.

     Alright. Now we will compare Neptune to the other gas giants. Neptune is the smallest planet of the gas giants. "A planet that is similar in a lot of ways is Uranus. Boy, I love to talk about that! He." Amisha! Anyways, one thing that they have in common is their size. Neptune is only slightly smaller than Uranus. "Man! Uranus must be large! He He." Amisha! If you wanted to make Uranus jokes, you could have come to my last blog post! "Jeez. Jerk much?" I'm not a- never mind. Another thing they have in common is their composition. Like Uranus, Neptune has mostly hydrogen in the atmosphere, with that little bit of methane that makes it blue.

     In comparison with Jupiter and Saturn, it is one main thing for both. Like Saturn, Neptune has rings. "No it doesn't! You are wrong!" No I'm not! Neptune does have rings! They are just very faint and young. "Humph. Prove it!" Ugh. SECURITY! GET THIS WEIRDO OFF MY SET! Thank you. Who do we have now? "It's me, Science Fairy!" Finally someone who cares! Anyway, now we will talk about what it has in common with Jupiter. "Hmm... The Great Red Spot?" Exactly! Except on Neptune it is called the Great Dark Spot, and it is located around the middle of Neptune. "Well, what else is different? The last time I checked, the Great Dark Spot wasn't there, and a new one formed around the bottom of the planet." Good question. This just shows that unlike Jupiter, Neptune's atmosphere is always active, and when a storm stops, another one can form. "Cool."

     Alright, did you know that Neptune has 13 moons? "Yes I do, actually." Really? You could have- never mind. But I'll tell you something you might not know. "Okay, tell me. Well, one of its moons, Triton, actually orbits in the opposite way Neptune rotates. "Well, actually, I-" Don't even pretend like you knew! I know you didn't! Okay, now we will talk about some interesting facts about Neptune!

1. Even if Pluto was still a planet, Neptune would still sometimes be the farthest, because Pluto's orbit crosses over Neptune's.
2. The Great Dark Spot is accompanied by another storm called "Scooter," because of how fast it travels.
3. How does Methane make Neptune blue? Well, Methane absorbs the warm colors and reflects off the blue and green, and that is what we see. 

     Well, that's all for today. I'm Emma The Meap, "And I'm Science Fairy," And we will see you next time!

Check out Science Fairy's Blog Here!

Learn More about Neptune Here!

Uranus!

     Hello everyone, and welcome to... Meapz4Science! Today we will talk about... Should I even say it? Okay, we will talk about.... Uranus. "HA HA HA HA!" Science Cat, what are you... I won't even ask. Will you at least help me? "Sure. I'd love to talk about URANUS! Ha Ha!" Okay, first of all, it's not that funny. Second of all, I say it like (YOOR-ahnus) not (urANUS)! "Okay, okay. I'll try and calm down... hue hue hue." Ugh. Anyways, let's just start already!

     Alright, first we will talk about its name origin. "Who would want to name a planet that?!" I think it didn't meant what it does today back then. Anyways, it was named after the Greek God of the Sky. So yeah.

 

     Okay, now we will talk about the planet itself. Uranus is the 7th planet from the sun. Uranus is also a gas giant. "He He." Science Cat! If you can't hold it together, you will have to leave! Okay? "Jeez, are you fun at all?" I am- never mind. Uranus is also considered an ice giant because it has a lot of ice in its mantle. Its atmosphere contains hydrogen and helium and a little bit of methane, which gives it that blue green color you see.

     Uranus has rings too, just very dark faint rings. Uranus also has around 21 moons. They are all named after Shakespearean characters. One of its moons, Titania, might have diamonds on it. "Oh! Can we steal them? We'd be rich and they would be all to ourselves!" No we can't, Science Cat! Okay, Let's move on.

 

     "There is one more characteristic you forgot!" I was getting to that, Science Cat! Uranus is tilted on its side! "I'll bet it just wanted to take a nap." Planets don't take naps! Scientists think a huge collision with another object tipped Uranus. "..." Uh, you ok Sciece Cat? You don't have to talk about Uranus if you don't want to. "... HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Sorry, hehe. I just needed it out of my system." SCIENCE CAT! Anyway,That's all for today! I'm Emma The Meap, "And I'm Science Cat," And we will see you next time. PEACE!!!

Want to find out more about Uranus! Click here to go to another website!

Click here to check out Science Cat's blog!



Meapz4Science News!

     Hello everyone, and welcome to another Meapz4Science News! Today we will talk about something you normally hear about in movies. Ever heard of brainwashing? That is what we will talk about today, or at least erasing memories. Before we start, This article was written by Stephen Ornes, and the source of the article will be linked at the end of the post. Alright, let's get started!



     Alright, we all know the brain stores memories, both good and bad. But we also forget memories. A new study has shown that a small electrical shock to the brain can erase upsetting memories of a bad event shortly after recalling it. The study is just the first step to proving that memories are "plastic" so to say. This means they can be changed and sometimes even erased altogether. These findings could lead to new treatments for people who suffer from mental diseases such as severe anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Such treatments may be able to target severely disturbing memories and help patients forget them.

 

     To test this theory, 42 people were tested. All of them had severe depression. They were told 2 upsetting, or depressing, stories, and each stories had pictures to go with it. One of the stories was about a boy who got hit by a car, and the other was about a woman who got attacked in an alley. So...sad!! Then, one week later, the testing would begin.

     One week later, they were shown a picture from only one of the events. The scientists asked the test subjects questions about it, forcing them to recall the sad memories.
Neuroscientists have found evidence that recalling a story in such a way can make memories about it vulnerable to change. And that’s precisely what the researchers attempted to do. They looked to change that recalled memory using a method called ECT, which delivers an electric shock to the brain.

     Immediately after remembering the details, The test subjects were put to sleep. While they were asleep, the doctors gave only some of the patients and ECT shock. One day later, each patient had to take a multiple choice test. They had to remember details about both upsetting stories.

     Patients who weren't given ECT remembered both stories fairly well. Patients whose brains were zapped as part of the treatment remembered details of only one story well. It was the one they weren't told to recall just before the treatment. The scientists found that details of the story the patients had been thinking about before ECT were recalled poorly. In fact, the patients scored no better on remembering these details than if they had simply guessed the answers.

     Well, that's all the news for today!  Personally, this story is a very interesting one. This new treatment could help people to deal with stuff like loss or severe depression. Anyways, I'm Emma The Meap, and I will see you next time. PEACE!!!

Want to see my source article? Click here to check it out!

 

Saturn!!

     Hello everyone, and welcome to... Meapz4Science! I will first apologize for the HUGE lack of posts on my blog. I've been sick, It's been the holidays, etc. Today we will kick it off for the first Meapz4Science blog of 2014!! WOO! Anyway, We will start with.. Saturn! To help me with telling you about one of the most popular planets, here is Science Fairy! "Thank you, Emma The Meap! I'm glad to help!" Fantastic, so let's get started!

 

     

     Alright, first we will talk about the Roman Mythology behind Saturn's name. "Saturn is named after the Roman god of Agriculture." Don't ask us why they named it after him. We don't know. "Not The most friendly looking man."



     Okay, now we can talk about the planet itself! First we will talk about its size in relation to other planets. "Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system, aside from Jupiter. Jupiter's always the top spot." Alright, then explain how it could float on WATER if you put it in water. "That is because It has the lowest density of any planet." Thank you.

 

     Alright, next we will talk about what makes Saturn one of the most popular planets in our solar system. "Ooh! Oh I know! I know!!" Science Cat! How'd you ge in here? "I might have parachuted through the ceiling?" Ugh. SECURITY!!! There we go. As I was saying, we will talk about... "It's rings!" Thank you for STEALING MY LINE! Anyways, what do saturn's rings look like to you? "If you think they are a smooth disc, you'd be WRONG!" Correct, Science Fairy! They are actually chunks of rock and ice particles caught in Saturn's orbit. And the rings all have names. "Is one named Tina? Or Frank? Or-" No. They are named with letters. "Who named these things? I would name it Tina." I know you would.

 



      Alright, now that we've covered the rings, we can move on to the atmosphere of Saturn. "Saturn's atmosphere is mostly comprised of hydrogen and helium, but there are still other gases, like ammonia and water vapor." Correct you are, Science Fairy! When you get closer to the core, the gases turn to liquid, and some scientists believe Saturn might have a small rocky core.

 

     Okay! Saturn has a moon called Titan, which we will talk about next. "But why would we talk about the MOON of Saturn? Is it because it is bugger than Mercury?" No, but because The Cassini Mission found lakes of liquid Methane on Titan. "That is cool! Why else is it important?" Because it has an atmosphere of Methane. "We could never survive there though! So why are we studying it?" Because it is almost like a young Earth. It may unlock the origins of Earth."Oooohh. That makes MUCH more sense now."

 

      Well, that's all the time we have for today. I'm Emma The Meap, "And I'm Science Fairy," And we will see you next time. PEACE!!!