The Simpsons Can Be Educational!!!

So here I am on a Friday night writing lesson plans...how much more thrilling can his get! Then, in my attempt to create an engaging lesson plan in kingdom classification,s (is there such a thing?), I came across this presentation that involves the Simpsons...got to love it! I will not be using this for my students because I don't think any of them watch the show these days. For those of us that grew up in the "Simpsons Generation" however, (and it is still going by the way), I thought you would get a kick out of it. Please take a look at these slides; they are hysterical!

The Simpsonssss!!!

Rapping Science

Getting an 11th grader to pay attention to a lesson on Natural and Artificial Selection is not an easy task! I did it though! While searching for a short video to summarize my lesson, I stumbled across this little gem of a video...It's a rap video and the lyrics are all about the process of Natural Selection versus Artificial Selection.  I played the video at the beginning of the class and then again at the end of the class. When I played it at the beginning it caught the students attention and got them interested in the lesson. Then, when I played it at the end, they understood more of the jokes and concepts rapped about in the video. Now, they not only enjoyed the fact that their teacher was showing a rap video, but they were able to appreciate the genius of the video. I have to say, it was extremely rewarding watching this progression! Here is the link to the video...check it out for yourself!

Rap Video

Here are the lyrics to follow along...
Artificial selection, it starts with a question
How did people ever get cows, chickens and pigs
And other animals and plants to act so domestic?
We took them from the wild and we bred them, brethren
Welcome to the Charles Darwin Bicentennial
So, why does everybody think this guy is so special?
Maybe because a man was born two centuries ago
Who, as far as anyone knows, was the first
To recognize the underlying pattern behind the pageant
Affectionately known as “life on this planet”
He was the first to understand it
The first to translate his amazement
At the wonder of life, into a way to explain it
So this is a celebration of Darwin’s greatness
In the form of a rap – some would say “a debasement”
I would say “be patient”, just think of this as
A manifestation of the evolutionary equation
A recapitulation of life, a re-enactment
So, how do you go from amoebas to rappers?
You open The Origin of Species, and you read its chapters
The first chapter is about the impact of people’s actions
On farm animals, pets, and domestic crops
Where did they come from? From original stocks
Of wild animals and plants, which were selected and crossed
For the best properties, and thus became the effect of their cause
But of course, not every selection was conscious
Still, even if breeders in ancient Egypt couldn’t see this
And had no idea how to rework the features
Of a species of sheep or increase the sweetness
Of their peaches every season, when they chose to seed it
Or to feed it or to breed it or to weed it out and delete it
‘Cause they didn’t see it as needed, whether the preferences in question
Were for bigger chicken breasts or whippets with a thinner mid-section
Or if it was just an inner predilection to pick the best in
Any mixed collection, that’s artificial selection
Artificial selection, it starts with a question
How did people ever get cows, chickens and pigs
And other animals and plants to act so domestic?
We took them from the wild and we bred them, brethren
But there’s nothing artificial about domestication
Ant colonies keep domestic aphids
It’s just an arrangement where one hand washes the other
We protect the cow, and the cow offers the udder
And even if there’s never a conscious discussion
If our little selections and little preferences
Can change and enhance the critical differences
Between wild and domestic breeds over the centuries
Then maybe that can explain… everything
In nature it isn’t us that makes the selections
It’s just survival and reproduction in the midst of competition
Where slight differences that arise randomly
Get selected by the pressures applied environmentally
And eventually species divide like a family tree
Into everything alive, from a fly to a manatee
So how does this apply to the craft of the MC?
Well, variation can be found in the styles on display
Rappers all have different techniques when they’re on stage
And the results can be seen in the audience’s face
Like, for instance, at this moment, you all look amazed
Like guppies removed abruptly from their aquatic space
Your minds are probably racing over questions of style and race
And genre and time and place, and some of your eyes are glazed
Like “For God’s sake, how long will this take?!?”
But if you all feel that way, then soon I’ll be replaced
By someone more entertaining, like maybe Lil Wayne
This is the rap version of the doctrine of Malthus
It’s the proportion of hungry mouths
To food resources in the form of captive audiences
Where crowds of two or more will always
Be at least half as common as performers
Can you see the mathematical problem?
But survival on stage is a non-random process
‘Cause those who get massive responses tend to influence
Those who aspire to get massive responses
So if you say I sound like, for instance, Eminem, then I’ll say
“That’s preposterous!” But if you catch me grabbing my crotch
And acting obnoxious, then I might have to acknowledge
That this is a form of imitation modified by experience
Which is similar to the genetic basis of inheritance
Except it’s part Darwinism and part Lamarkism
With genes and culture co-evolving as we rock to the rhythm
But whether you think cultures really evolve
Or if it’s just a silly metaphor that’s pretty but false
Or whether you’ve never even thought about that
I still think Darwin can teach us a lot about rap
And vice verse; ‘cause it’s all about that
Competition for status with intricate language
Delivered in battles, and it’s all about getting that
Fitness advantage and the different adaptive behaviour patterns
That have us acting crazier than capercaillie mating dances
But hey, that’s natural selection; so just sit back and listen
And witness the evolution of the rap profession
Artificial selection, it starts with a question
How did people ever get cows, chickens and pigs
And other animals and plants to act so domestic?
We took them from the wild and we bred them, brethren

Artificial Selection

I am in the middle of designing a lesson on Natural vs. Artificial Selection. In an attempt to find some examples of artificial selection I started looking at a variety of websites and journal articles. What I found was shocking! Of course, the obvious examples of artificial selection is selective breeding in dogs and other household pets, as well as horse breeding in race horses. What I was not prepared for was the extent to which the food we eat is genetically modified. Humans are changing the natural course of evolution to benefit themselves. We genetically modify the food we eat for our nutritional benefit and animals for our enjoyment and entertainment. So, I began to wonder; is all this genetic modification going to ruin natural selection and cause issues with the evolution of entire ecosystems? The answer to this question will require much more research, but the real question is, has anyone (scientists etc..) ever posed it? What do you think?

Check out this informational slide show:
Artificial vs. Natural Selection

What is Your Ecologic Footprint?

I just finished writing this weeks lesson pland for the Environmental Science class I am student teaching in this semester and the topic is Environmental Sustainability. The textbook talks about ecelogic footprint (a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems) as an introduction to the topic. Intruiged, I decided to calculate my own ecological footprint. The results I got were jaw dropping! According to my footprint.org if everyone lived the way I do we would need 5.9 earths to sustain humanity! I have decided to try and change some of my habbits that have contributed to such a large ecologic footprint and will retake this test in 6 months to see if I have made any progress. I challenge you to take the test and do the same!!!

See my results... http://myfootprint.org/en/your_results/?id=3063781
Click here to take your own test... http://myfootprint.org/en/

Also, check out this cool video on ecological footprint! http://vimeo.com/2373946

Science Vs. Technology

I had a very interesting debate the other day in one of my classes and I thought I would share it with you to get your perspective on the subject...I am taking a class called The History of Science and one of the first assignments we had was to comment and reflect on the difference between science and technology. Science was defined as a series of languages (biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics etc...) used to describe reality. Technology, is anything that has a practical application, i.e. tools or electronics. Our study of science and technology began in prehistoric times where it was very obvious that technology was a precursor to science. In bringing our discussion of technology versus science to the present, our professor emailed us an Op-Ed article recently published in the New York Times by Ernie Ellis, an associate professor of geography and environmental systems at the University of Maryland. Entitled, “Overpopulation is Not the Problem”, the article is mistaken for being a commentary on the troubles we are facing regarding overpopulation  It became so controversial that he wrote a follow up article to clarify his intentions.

Ellis tries to rectify the misconception that his article was about the troubles of overpopulation, rather, it is in fact about the problems with our societal construct. He merely points out the fact that the ability of our planet to sustain the growing human population does not lie in the lack of natural resources, available land, or even technology. It is a matter of regulation and adaptation. He admits that global warming as well as the extinction of animal species and loss of biodiversity is a problem. At the same time, however, he is also of the opinion that the solution to these problems lies within the advancement of technology, much of which we already have and a more rigid regulation of resources.

It is Ellis assumption that we have all we need to sustain life, even for 9 or 10 billion of us by the end of the century. It is the ability of society to use is to its fullest advantages that will determine if we can be successful. This, is in and where my new doubts lie. Ellis’s original article is not an attack on the science world, he is defending the science world and in turn attacking society. I do not disagree with the ideals he sets forth for a modified society, but what he is asking for is just short of world peace. He sums it up when he says “Human well being and improved stewardship of the biosphere are limited primarily by the strength of social systems and technologies, not by population or environment.” I agree with him that the technology is there, but will our global social system ever be able to work together to achieve this goal; what do you think?

Mad About Mangroves and Crazy Over Coral Reefs!

Me in the Mangroves!

This summer I took a vacation to the island of Antigua down in the Caribbean Sea. While most of my fellow travelers were satisfied staying at the resort or going into town simply to shop for nick nacks, I was determined to explore the entire island and discover all of its beauty. So, I started reading about various tours you could take of the island and then, I found it! I couldn't help but let my inner nerd explode when I came across a tour that included a kayak trip through the mangroves followed by a dive at one of the most vivacious coral reefs on the island! There were of course several other parts of the tour including a tour of the  inner island with stops at several historical sites, but having studied so much marine ecology in college and having never actually seen the mangroves in person, I was in shear heaven! When everyone saw how excited I was about this excursion they decided to humor me and come along; and boy did they make the right choice! While kayaking through the mangroves, we saw an 8 foot and 4 foot nurse shark and a sea turtle! Then while diving in the reef we were blown away by the variety of tropical fish, lobsters, sting rays and so much more that we saw. It was truly an experience I will never forget!

The mangroves are a marine habitat typically found in tropical environments so called the mangroves because of the unique tree/shrub like flora that it is made up of. These plants grow directly out of the muddy sea floor providing a shallow and safe place for hundreds or marine animals to nurse and feed their young. The mangroves also provide a barrier between the rough ocean tides and the shoreline, holding the sediment in place to avoid erosion and destruction. To read more about the mangrove click here...Mangroves

                                                         
 Coral Reefs are another marine habitat commonly found in tropical environments. They thrive in waters slightly deeper than the mangroves but not usually more than 200 feet. Despite its sometimes rock like appearance, coral is alive, it is an animal in the same classification as a jellyfish or its neighboring anemones. Coral has a symbiotic relationship with the algae that live inside of it and it is because of the algae's need of sunlight in order to photosynthesize that coral reefs are found in clear, shallow, salt water. Coral reefs are the most diverse marine ecosystem providing essential spawning, nursing, breeding and feeding grounds for countless species of marine organisms. They are also home to several species of fish targeted for fishing. Unfortunately coral reefs are endangered by over fishing, global warming, and human destruction. To learn more about coral reefs click here...Coral Reefs

Swimming With Sharks Anyone?

Just a few short weeks ago I was swimming in the ocean down in Long Beach Long Island. It was the perfect beach day; that is it was, until a 10 foot shark washed up on the beach a mere quarter mile from where we were. At first I freaked out…who wouldn't you?! Then I learned it was a basking shark and I calmed down. Everyone asked how I could be so calm and I explained everything to them. Did you know that basking sharks do not have any teeth? In fact their diet consists primarily of krill (the same thing whales eat) and that they are named such because they like to swim near the surface of the water and soak up the sun? Hardly a vicious creature I would say! In fact, that is one if the reasons they are common to injuries from boaters and the like. Though it did look impressive, it was nothing to fear, however, very few people chose to go back in the water after that! 

Check out these articles about my shark and other shark sightings on Long Island!!!

The Scene of The Shark

A Few Weeks Later...

A little more information on Basking Sharks...

Basking Sharks on BBC

Marine Biology

See, no teeth!!!

Still intimidating though!!!