Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Evolution

Evolution is one of the "big questions". What is evolution? It is the inherited traits to allow a certain species to be better coped with their environment. For instance, polar bears. Their were no such thing until one of the ice ages. The commonly known black bear, started to migrate. They got lost, and ended up somewhere very cold, and stayed. The offspring, over time of course, ended up with white fur, and a much higher tolerance to the cold. Polar bears now populate the colder regions of the world. Darwin conducted experiements on an island using birds. He found dead bird bodies, and noticed that the beaks were all different, but the bodies were more or less the same. He finally stated that the birds belonged to the same species, but had different beaks for different eating habits. Some beaks were used to be able to crack nuts. Some for reaching deep into a flower. Some for easy to access things. These beaks allowed the birds on the different islands to live on their specified island without going hungry. Evolution is only a belief today, but it is possible.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Durian and alcohol

The Durian, a fruit native to south-east Asia, is well known for it's pungent powerful smell that everyone hates, and it's wonderfully pleasing taste. The only problem is, for all you alcoholics, be careful when eating this wonderful fruit and drinking alcohol. It could prove fatal. There have been cases in which the victim did live, but with much pain and suffering. One instance states that the victim had chest pains, and stomach pains. He thought quickly, and drank a lot of water until he vommited. He passed out afterward, and woke up in the hospital. He was saved, either by the water, or the paramedics.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Global Warming

The world's own death. Global warming is not allowing much more of us. We are creating the death of our home, at least, so some say. I personally believe that we should be fine, at least in our lifetime, and for a few to come. Global warming is "melting the ice caps so polar bears won't be able to live". Polar bears have enough ice to suffice. It may be raising the water levels, but it won't be enough to cause much damage for a very long time.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Fire


Fire. It's mesmerizing. It's very beautiful, but have you ever truly thought about what it really is? It's confusing, deffinately that. Fire requires 3 things. Fuel, Oxygen, and heat. Technically it also requires a chemical reaction. Fire cannot exsist without any 1 of these three things. Extinguishing a fire invlolves the removal of one or more of the "helpers". The heat is what makes a fire hot (obviously). Burning is also a chemical reaction. When, for instance, skin is introduced to fire, or a hot enough surface, it will start to bubble and blister. The blistering is a part of the bodies healing process. Fire may be mesmerizing to see, but it is dangerous to the touch.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Diet soda

Diet soda. Made for people to believe that they are drinking a healthier drink. Diet drinks contain zero calories, zero sugar. Good? Yes. Alternatives? Of course. Are these alternatives good? No. Tests show that those who drink diet soda gain up to 30% more weight than those who drink normal soda. This is mostly because of the common artificial sweetner, asparatame. Asparatame can be found in almost everything. Asparatame is C14H18N2O5. Asparatame is an artificial sweetner that is genetically altered. Consuming foods that are genetically altered can be bad to us, as it can cause us to alter. So if you absolutely need soda, go with the real stuff. Not the diet. (Diet soda tastes terrible anyway)

Monday, April 16, 2012

pH and Health: how the two correlate

Acid and alkaline are very alike, yet very opposite. They both are on the pH scale, but are on opposite sides. They both can cause damage, but they do it so differently. The pH scale includes 0-14. 0-6.9 is acidic, and 7.1-14 being alkaline, 7 being neutral (a common reference for 7 being table salt). It is said that having a high acidic level in your blood can be costly, but having a high alkaline level is healthy. Some reasons that support this idea include:
Cancer and disease tend to live longer, healthier, and more active in an acidic environment. Once pH level hits 8.0, cancer can die within hours.
Acidic blood running through veins can burn your arterial walls, leading to internal bleeding, and costly results
Pains are easily caused by a high acidic level, such as: migraines and arthritis.
Properly following some strict diets, or more easily, some leniant diets can allow you to live happier and healthier. Some bad foods include:
Cola-about 2.5-2.6 acid level, this is one of the worst acidic foods/drinks to have. Can't you feel the acid working on your teeth? It's gross! If you've never felt it, try this at home experiement. Open up a nice refreshing coke, take a sip, and feel how odd your teeth feel. Bet that'll stop ya from having another "refreshing" coke. It may be "Ice cold" but it's also loaded with acid, and sugar.
Anything sugary. Another reason why the above cola is bad, as most cola's have at least 50 grams of sugar. Yuck!
So, yes acidity can cause harm to your body. So eat healthy, eat smart, and you won't have to deal with cancer, migianes, or arthritis. Stay away from soda, sugar, and you'll be good!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Thermal printer paper

Thermal paper is a different type of paper than your normal printer paper. It is printed on with heat, not ink. There are advantages to it, such as it’s economical benefit, it’s great reliability, flexibility of size, it comes in BPA free rolls (no toxins in the paper), it comes in 8 ½ x 11 (standard size), and no limit to sheets. The parts There are multiple parts to thermal printer paper. They are as follows. 1. Base paper a. This paper is what holds the chemicals, and is the sturdy structure of the paper. 2. The Under-coating a. This is to ensure a smooth look for the paper, and with which to hold the thermal coating. The smoother this coating is, the better quality the image. 3. The Thermal-coating a. This is the coating which, made of a vast amount of chemical compounds, creates an image when put under heat. How it works The thermal paper crosses over the thermal print head. The thermal coating turns black (or red if used with 2-toned printer and paper) in the heated areas. Two colors can be printed (see above). Each color that is available runs across the print head at a different temperature. Acetone on Thermal paper This video shows some cool effects with acetone on the thermal coating. Reading the comments will explain in brief detail the experiments people have done, and some of the chemistry involved.