Pippin's Question Box: Why can't adults hear the "mosquito" whine?

The main reason why adults can't hear the 'mosquito' whine is because of presbycusis. This condition causes adults (people over the age of 18) to lose the ability to hear high-pitched noises, such as the 'mosquito' whine. This condition is common, and worsens by age. Some causes of presbycusis include high blood pressure, diabetes, stress, poor diet, usage of drugs,and aging. What is interesting about this though, is that this tone was created to help shop keepers to keep annoying teenagers away from loitering in front of or in their stores, while still being able to keep adults happy and unaffected. However, this has been more useful to teenager than shop keepers because most teens set it as their ring tone during school so that they can receive text messages without their teachers hearing.

Sources:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/p/presbycusis/causes.htm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13274669


http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/presbycusis.asp

5 Maxims/Morals for Literature

I think that the moral for The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing is that looks can sometimes trick you into following someone that isn't trustworthy. You should always be careful in who you trust and who you follow. I can relate this story to another, called the Wolf And 8 Sheep. In this story, the 8 sheep fall for the wolf's disguise and let him into their house.

The moral for The Four Oxen and the Lion is that you should maintain a good relationship with others whether you like them or not because you cannot achieve on your own. Sometimes you are a lot stronger when you are with others rather than on your own. In the story, when the four oxen were together, the only way they were able to defend themselves was with the help of each other. But when they went apart, they were vulnerable. I can relate this to cooperation in CARES because the oxen were able to defend themselves in the beginning of the story by cooperating with each other. But when they weren't able to cooperate, that's when the Lion had its advantage.

The maxim for The Fisher and the Little Fish is that you should be happy with what you have because something is better than nothing. In the story, the fisher was happy he had caught at least a small fish, after fishing all day and getting nothing because even a small thing can make a huge difference when said out loud.

The moral for The Crow and the Pitcher is that no task is impossible to do if you want it badly enough. You can succeed of you try hard enough and use your knowledge. In the story, the crow needed water but his beak couldn't reach it. He had only two choices: give up and die, or use his brain to find a way to get the water. Because the crow wanted the water badly enough, he used his knowledge to figure out a strategy.

The maxim for The Fox and the Goat is that you should be careful in who you trust. Don't believe in everything you hear. The outside world is rough and not every thing will be done fairly, so you should be careful in what you do and who you listen to. It might be a trap or a trick, like how the fox tricked the goat into helping him out, so it is good to be cautious and careful, and think before you act.

Ask a Geneticist

I have learned many things from these links. For example. I learned that there usually isn't a relationship between the number of chromosomes and the number of genes. Chromosomes can be fused together or broken apart. Humans and chimpanzees are very similar because they have the same number of genes; 98.8% alike. Bacteria has all of its DNA in one chromosome, while in humans, it's broken down into many. One reason for this is because humans are more complex, and bacteria is more simple, reproduction wise too. When humans produce sex cells, each sex cell has only 23 chromosomes. There is no telling in which chromosomes an offspring will get because there are over 10 trillion different possibilities. Chromosomes are basically a package containing one's genes. Genes are stretches of DNA that contain instructions for making a protein. Gene duplication are groups of genes that are more organized on our chromosomes.This is another way to create new genes. Overall, I have learned a lot from these interesting articles.

Wooden Bowls

This story shows responsibility and empathy. The son is responsible to support his dad, which is the least he can do after all the things his dad has done for him, such as raising him and giving him a good family. The son is also responsible to set a good example for his son and to teach him how to treat his elders with respect and sympathy. You should empathize people because no one is perfect and not everyone can be the way you want them to. You should try and understand their situatation, like in the story, the son should have been more understanding of his father considering his old age and the fact that he is his father. I can relate this to my grandfather because sometimes I get annoyed at him, but then I realize that I should try and be more considerate of his situation and age. The lesson this story teaches is that you should respect and be tolerant to your elders because someday, you are going to be like them too. You should try and enjoy every moment you can with them because they are not going to around for long.

Basic Genetics Homework

The passing of traits from parents to a child is called heredity. Humans have 2 sets of traits, each set containing 23 chromosomes. An egg cell contains one set of chromosomes, while the sperm cell contains the other set of chromosomes. When the egg and sperm combine, they create a cell called zygote, which has two sets of chromosomes, half from the mother and the other half form the father.
A trait is a notable feature or quality in a person. Physical traits are characteristics of one's physical makeup such as hair color, eye color, and height. Behavioral traits are characteristics of the way one acts. An increased risk of getting a certain kind of health problem is also a trait that could be passed on to a child from a parent. Environmental factors can influence or change traits. A set of genetic information for each form is described as an allele. Homozygous is when you have two of the same allele for a trait. Heterozygous is when you have two different alleles for a trait. Traits are usually shaped by more than one gene; this called complex traits.

Current Events #2

This article is about the discovery of an ancient animal. These species are called Kombuisia. Scientists found fossils in Antarctica. These animals are about the size of a cat and have a short tail and stubby legs. They believe that Kombuisia laid eggs and did not have any fur. It is not sure whether these animals are warm blooded or cold blooded. These animals became extinct a long time ago, back when Antartica was part of Pangea. The climate was too hot for these animals, as well as many others to survive. A volcanoe eruption in Siberia caused global warming at that time, making it even worse.
I think that this is a very interesting article. I find it hard to believe that all these animals are exinct because Antartica was too warm. To be exact, about 80-95 percent of species went extinct, land and water. This is a very huge number. Today, Antartica is colder because overtime, it shifted more towards the south pole, making it cold. I think it is fascinating that scientists can find out so much just from looking at fossils.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34259034/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Class Response

One of my favorite things we did in class are the owl pellets. We took apart an owl pellet, found all the bones of the prey that it ate, and put its skeleton back together. It was very interesting and fascinating to see all the bones and feathers. I really liked this activity because I was amazed at how much I learned. I learned that owls do not chew their food, they swallow their prey whole. Owls usually eat rodents and small birds. The proventriculus produces enzymes and acids that help digest. The gizzard holds back the indigestible material such as the bones and feathers. The nutrients are absorbed by the small intestine. The indigestible material forms into a pellet. It goes back to the proventiculus and stays there for 10 hours before regurgitated. Regurgitation means that the owls is ready to eat again.
There are many new things I learned from this link. For instance, owl pellets are different from other pellets because they contain more food residue. This is because an owls digestibe juices are less acidic that other birds. I also learned that when an owl is about to regurgitate, it has a pained expression. It is reluctant to fly. The owl just simply spits the pellet out and leaves.
http://www.owlpages.com/articles.php?section=owl+physiology&title=Digestion