Friday, February 24, 2012

32,000-Year-Old Plant Brought Back to Life (Oldest Yet)

That's right, holding the record of being the oldest plant seed to be regenerated and grown, this discovery astonishes scientists and people alike. It is claimed that a Russian team of scientists discovered the seeds in a block of ice some 124 feet below the permafrost, most likely buried by an Ice Age squirrel near the banks of Kolyma River. They were also surrounded by layers of mammoth, bison, and woolly rhinoceros bones. They identified the plant as Silene stenophylla, a plant native to Siberia. The mature seeds were damaged, most likely by the squirrel. The immature seeds, however, remained usable plant material. The team brought the seeds back to a lab, extracted the seed tissue, and successfully germinated the seeds. Each of them grew to be different shapes, but the same plant all the same. Scientists are now discussing the issue at hand: may other plant life frozen beneath the permafrost be brought back to life? If so, will they be very useful to the world today? Regenerating seeds that have been frozen at 19 degrees Fahrenheit for so long could have varying results: they may grow, they may not. Although, plant saving projects like the one taken place in Russia, depend on freezing the seeds. The Missouri Botanical Garden's Raven quoted "If we can uncover the conditions that kept the seeds viable for 32,000 years, you'd be able to preserve seeds for longer."

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Budget Breakdown

This video goes into detail on what process the federal budget undergoes to become usable and then how much the U.S. Government spends and what it spends on.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

iCivics: People's Pie

In the iCivics game, People's Pie, I not only learned how to manage the federal budget, but discovered how taxation greatly affects how much I'm able to spend for the country as well. I had to apply mathematical and logical skills to help decide on what to fund and what to cut for the U.S. In the end, I ended up being in debt and displeasing my citizens. It was difficult to manage the budget and to decide what was necessary to cut and what was necessary to fund. The game really allowed me to think deeply on what programs were essential to our nation and why the U.S. Government struggles so much to maintain our budget. If I was to change anything for the next time I play, I would tax a little bit more on the income tax in order to have more spending money to support the programs for our nation.

Friday, February 10, 2012

The Lottery

The lottery is a bad idea. How so? Well according to Nathan Tabor, lotteries are opposed by God and people shouldn't have anything to do with them. They are sinful and morally wrong. Secondly, they undermine the importance of people's work ethic and saving money up for the future. Also, he claims that lotteries are a disappointment waiting to happen for those who are poor/in poverty and believes its unfair to people. He quotes: "...the lottery is really a hidden and regressive tax on those least able to afford it: "inner-city" ghetto dwellers plus those on Welfare and others of a lower socio-economic status. These are the people who buy Lottery tickets in disproportionate numbers, hoping for a lucky bet and a big win to boost them out of poverty." He not only believes gambling and the lottery are against his religious morals, but he worries what they will do to the poor and how there is virtually no chance of winning. I happen to agree with all of his points of views because the gambling and lottery world is nothing but a place of let downs. It will only crush people's hopes and take up all their money.