Frankus

       At the beginning of the year, Dr. Rood given a sunflower seed with a cup of dirt. I was told to plant the seed and take care of the soon to be sunflower. His name would be Frankus for no praticular reason. I managed to grow the sunflower to the point that it became too big for its cup. I bought a new, larger, pot for Frankus. Look how tall he is!

       I expect that he will flower some time soon. I am not able to take him on the plane back to Maryland, so i gave him to his godfather, Austin Thompson, for the break. The day he flowers will be a happy day!

Mitochondrial Eve

       Mitochondrial eve refers the study for the most common mother between women today. This is because mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the mother without and genetic recombination or change. Because there is no change in mitochondrial DNA then there must be one person from which all mitochondrial DNA comes. The mitochondrial eve is estimated to have lived some 200,000 years ago somewhere in Africa. This follows the hypothesis that humans spread Africa conquering neanderthals.

      

       This is  similar to the study of the Y chromosomal adam and the human most recent common ancestor. In the Y chromosomal adam study the research was done to estimate how closely related every man is because of their most common male ancestor. This is possible because every man inherits a Y chromosome from their father thus their has to be a common ancestor. The most recent common ancestor studies have indicated that within 5,000 years everyone shares a common ancestor

Amphioxus

        Amphioxi also known as lancelets are small animals that live in shallow watery areas near the sea. They are used as food in some countries for both human and livestock consumption. In zoology, they have become an important study facet because they provide indications of the origins of vertebrates. Lancelets split from vertebrates over 500 million years ago. This allows lancelets to be compared to modern vertebrates as a comparison for how vertebrates have evolved and adapted. The lancelet genome and vertebrate genome can be compared to see the change and how old genes have been used for new function in the vertebrates.  

Hitichiti Experimental Forest

       The Hitchiti experimental forest also known as the Brender demonstration forest is located north of Macon Ga. In the past the forest has was used by the hitchiti indians which would fire clear the land for plant and to herd animals for hunting. Then it was used as a source of timber and cotton. Now it is used by the USDA forest service as an active research facility.

       The research forrest does research mainly on pine trees specifically the loblolly pine. For instance they are studying the effect of improper planting and also the effect of pre-commercial thinning of the loblolly pine. They also do studies on georgia specific insects and diseases, while studying the proper construction of commercial developments to reduce there environmental impacts.

Geology

       Geology is the study of the rocks of the earth and the processes by which they evolve. The three main forms of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock. These rocks are formed from each other through differing processes as well as unconsolidated material. Unconsolidated material comes from recent deposits and the study of these materials forms a specific form of subspecialty of geology called Quaternary geology.

       The rock cycle shows the changes that occur between igneous rock, sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, and magma. Cooling magma and lava forms igneous rock which is the most present of the three in the Earth’s crust. Igneous rock can change to metamorphic rock through pressure and temperature due to the mineral content of the rock which then gives it a characteristic spacial and geometric configuration. Igneous rock can also be formed into sedimentary rock through erosion and the subsequent redepositing of the sediment. Both metamorphic and sedimentary rock returns to igneous rock through heating it enough to melt it to magma.

The Indian Mounds

       The Ocmulgee National Monument is in memory of the people that have

inhabited the area for around 17,000 years. The mounds represent the relationship between soil knowledge and engineering techniques. The park was first studied by archaeologists in the 1930’s with the help of the WPA. The mounds were excavated finding hundreds of significant artifacts which lead to the establishment of it as a National monument in December 23, 1936. The park spans 700 acres including walking trails, historic sites and a small museum. 

Making Biodiesel and Bioethanol

       As most people probably know, common products can be adapted and used to make fuel, specifically diesel and ethanol. Biodiesel, as this type of fuel is called can be easily made from vegetable oil. Many laws now in several nations require their fuel to contain a certain percentage of biofuel. Biodiesel, once manufactured is a clean safe ready to use fuel that will work in any diesel system. Making biodiesel is a relatively safe and uninteresting process. It is a simple chemical reaction between a lipid, aka the vegetable oil, and an alcohol. Most often, biodiesel is blended with petro diesel and only makes up for less than twenty percent of the fuel in order to avoid any possible need for modifications or damage to the engine.

       

       Another type of biofuel that is very common is bioethanol. Bioethanol is a form of renewable energy that can be produced from common agricultural crops such as sugar cane, potato, manioc and corn. Bioethanol is a mixture of ethanol, an alcohol, with these common crops. Much debate is raised however, over the actual effectiveness of this fuel. It is consumed much quicker than ordinary fossil fuel. Also, due to the subsidies the government pays farmers to grow these crops to be used for bioethanol, the price for those crops in the grocery stores has risen considerably. The government also requires a minimum percent of bioethanol to be mixed in with gasoline which raises the cost of gasoline even further. In addition, although this renewable resource reduces the use of fossil fuels, it requires a tremendous amount of farmland and creates incredible amounts of pollution while planting and fertilizing these crops. Therefore, the debate on the effectiveness and helpfulness of bioethanol is still very much up in the air.