Sunday, October 25, 2009

Weekly Science Article Report #3 - Period 5

For this week's report, I would like us to try something different.

This time, instead of finding an article to read, I would like you to listen to a podcast as your "article."
For this assignment, you should pick an episode from one of the following podcasts:
Lab Out Loud
Radio Lab
NPR's Science Friday
Science Made Fun

Extra credit will given to students who choose their podcasts from Radio Lab or Science Friday.

For a reminder, here's what to do for this assignment:
1) Citation: Here you will put the name of the article, the author, and where you found it (for example, the New York Times or Science News for Kids).
2) A brief summary: Here you will summarize the article in one or two sentences. This is to give your readers (including me) a sense of what you have read.
3) Reflection: This is the biggest part of your report. I am interested in your response to the article. Please address the following questions in your reflection:
a) What did you think about the article? Did you like it or not? Why?
b) What interested you or surprised you about the article?
c) What questions do you have about what you read? What would you like to know more about what you’ve read?

In addition to your usual report, I would also like you to talk about what it was like to listen to the "article" instead of reading it.

Have fun!

18 comments:

timeblazer42 said...

I listened to the article Blink on Radiolab.
The aticle is about why people blink. They even speak to other scientists to find out what they know.
I thought that it was an interesting article. What I found interesting was that they say that when you are watching a movie with other people and nothing is going on in a scene, you and everyone else is likely to blink.
I thought that it was a bit easier to listen to the article than reading it. If I was reading it on a computer screen, my eyes would get tired before I could finish it.

calvone said...

Summary:The article was called bird migration. The article was about where and when birds migrate. The people at the program had small metal bands that were sent by the goverment and the people who worked thier identtified the kind of bird and then put hte identification bond that had numbers on them.
Reflection:I thaught that the article was interesting and had lots of detail, but they looked like they were hurting the birds.The way the the man was showing us he put two fingers on each side of the birds neck to hold it down which i didn't like. I'm sorry but i wouldn't like to know more about bird migratoin.

Jack Bauer said...

1) I listened to the article "The Ramen Challenge" by Jad Amburan and Robert Crolwitch on Radiolab.

2) This article is about Rob and Jad explaining that instead of going out to eat at the end of the week, that you should eat ramen instead.

3) a. I didn't like the article because it didn't give the information out in much of an understandable way. I had to listen to it five times to get all the information. and It didn't really have much of a point or moral to it.

b. What surprised me about the article is that it wasn't really related to science. so when I saw the title, the ramen challenge, I thought oh, maybe there going to blow it up or make it rot or something.

c. Some of the questions I have are, are these men scientists or random people?
and I also want to know what they thought they were getting out of this, or what they were trying to accomplish.

I personally didn't like listening to it because when I am listening to information, I cant comprehend it in the time it is being said in. but if I'm reading, I can stop, read at my own pace, go back to it and it is easier.

ChickenNikeSoup said...

I listened to an article called Sleep from Radio Lab.

In this article they talk about one question; why do living organisms including humans, sleep? There were a couple of answers. One is simple, humans work and think in the day, and at night the body needs a rest from all that to renew its power to do work and think again for another 12 hours approximately. Another answer that to me, does not seem logic is that humans are alive in the day but the body dies at night to then reboot itself in the morning.

I did like the article and thought it was highly interesting but there was too much talking and joking from the many people that were in the article.

It surprised me that the way a dolphin sleeps is by doing something called logging in which they flot at the surface of the water like a log and shutdown half of there brain so it can sleep and keep the other half on, to breath, since they are not fish and require oxygen to survive. Now, in the article it mentioned that crayfish and flies can sleep and did not xplain how they manage to do that, so that is one of my questions.

I personaly rather read an article than have to listen to one because there is a lot of unnecessary talking, joking and people getting off topic, where in a writen article, the information is straight forward, and you can pick out key words and info.

Flaming wombat said...

Weird science
Science Made Fun
http://www.sciencemadefun.org.uk/

This article explained myths and the science behind them. It explained chickens without heads, the Bermuda Triangle, animals with two heads, how to find a fake photo and raining animals.

I liked this article because of all of the corny jokes that lightened the article but there wasn’t much to lighten because the article had so many interesting facts and stories. A thing that interested me about this article was the explanation of how a chicken survives without its head. Apparently its brain stem was still connected and it could breathe. One question I had was “Was that chicken the only one without a head?” another one I had was “How can I duplicate this happening”

I liked listening to the article instead of reading it because some of the conversations that happen between the two or more people on a podcast cannot be recreated on paper except in the writing of a script.

ilovepickles4ever said...

I listened to the article called, "How Clean Is the Shower" from Science friday.

In this article, they explained how showers have many bacteria and germs on the heads. They also esplained how showers may be dangerous, because of the germs that are on there lead to muscle pains and muscle related illness.

I found the article very interesting. I thought it was interesting that bacteria was found in the shower heads. You would think that showers were extremely clean, but no, scientists have proved wrong.

It surprised me to hear how there were bacteria in the shower. It surprised me because I always thought that showers were clean.

I do not have any questions on this article.

I did not like listening to it. I didn't because the voices annoy me and i cannot concentrate. I concentrate much more if I am reading

stitchlover said...

The name of my article is called
Rollercoaster
By Science Made Fun

This article is about rollercoasters and what make them move, and what it does to your body

The article was cool. It tells a lot of things that I didn’t know about the article

I never knew that rollercoasters don’t have engines and move with energy and gravity.
I also found out that the body releases a chemical called adrenaline. This chemical tells your body that there is sign of danger.
And when you get off, the body rewards you by giving you the relaxed feeling, and that you survived the ride.

I would actually like to know how they got this information in the first place. Did they actually experiment it, or did they get it out of a book?

I liked listening to it more than reading it because then I don’t have to go through all the National Geographic magazines to if the article is scientific or not. It is also much easier to listen to it than to read it.

miss0892 said...

My article was called “Are Humans Still Evolving?” from Science Friday. The guests were Edward P. Bass, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, and Stephen Sterns.
The article was about humans evolving, and if they still were. It also talked about what we would evolve into.
I liked the article because it was really cool to find out what we were predicted to become. Like how women were supposed to be shorted and fatter and stuff, but good things too, like how women (and not so much men) will have improved cardiovascular systems. It surprised me that women would be shorter and fatter, and that was also kind of disturbing. I guess I was kind of wondering is humans would start walking of four legs of something, but I suppose that was a little to far into the future. I'm also wondering if that will effect the age of people, and make them live longer. Besides that I don't really have any questions.

shmunkle said...

My science video was called roller coasters from "Science made fun" and the man speaking was named Collin. The video was about what your body is fealing on a roller coaster and what makes a roller coaster move. I liked this video because I'm a big fan of roller coasters and it was intresting to know what your body is fealing on a roller coaster. The thing that surprised me about the video was I learned that you get the same fealing of finishing a roller coaster when you eat chocolate. I would like to know how you desighn and test a roller coaster. I liked listening to a video more than reading a articale because if I come into a word in articale I don't understand then I don't have to ask my mom what it means.

RolexJoe said...

Searching for the Right Hand Scrubbing Message
NPR Science Friday

This podcast is about how to get people to wash their more often and in particular when after using the toilet. The guest speaker is Dr. Val Curtis. She is the director of the Hygiene Center at the University of London.

I found out that in a recent study that only 66% of women wash their hands after using the toilet and only 33% of men wash their hands. Hand was washing with soap is one of the most effective ways of preventing yourself from getting H1N1 (swine flu), the regular flu and other infections and diseases. You can pass diseases if your hands are soiled and touch other surfaces or shakes other people’s hands. I also learned the antibacterial wipes and gels are as effective as hand washing.

According to Dr. Val Curtis signs promoting hand washing increase the percent of people who wash their hands after using the toilet. Also you could put the sinks outside the restroom so that other people will be watching you if wash your hands or not. They will do it because they will be embarrassed and because you don’t want to be a social outcast. The most effective way to make people wash their hands is by social peer pressure.

I enjoyed the podcast. I think it is easier to read an article than listen to a podcast. When you read an article you can look back easier for information. I thought the findings were very interesting. I am very surprised, because I thought that most adults wash their regularly. I was taught at a very young age that hand washing is important; it is almost second nature to me.

I have some questions.
Is bar soap in a public bathroom safe to use?
Is it full of bacteria because everyone is touching it?
Would it be better to skip the bar soap if that is the only thing available?

CrazyCurls said...

The name of the article I found was called "After Birth.” This podcast is from Radio Lab.

This article is mainly about how babies see the world. One fact that really interested me is that the lens on babies eyes is crystal clear, while people with fully developed eyes have a slightly yellowed lens, which acts like sunglasses would. For example, imagine that you are skiing, and you are wearing goggles with a protective lens against the harsh light that reflects off the snow. Now, imagine that you take those goggles off, and the light hits you at full force. This is how babies see things all the time, not just for a few seconds. One other fact that interested me is that when babies stare at their parents for minutes on end, it is not because of their affection for them, but rather the fact that their brains have not yet fully developed, and they don't know how to move their eyes easily.

Reflection: (a)I really liked this podcast because it was filled with information I am fascinated by. (b) I thought that this podcast was really interesting, because I have always wondered what goes on in a babies mind and how they see the world. This topic really interests me because nobody can remember this stage in their life. (b) I was surprised about how unlike an article this podcast was. I had imagined that it would be like an article read out loud, but instead it was a question and answer between two people, and there was a lot of off topic talking. This surprised me because this does not happen in articles. (c) I would be interested to know what babies think when they see their parents or other important figures (toys, things they see everyday etc.). What goes on in their minds when they see these items? Can newborns feel emotion towards people like their parents?

Finally, I think that it is easier to listen to a podcast rather than reading an article. I think this because hearing the emotion and sound effects helped make the podcast easier to understand. If I were to read the podcast I listened to, I do not think that I would understand it as clearly. One thing I don't like about podcasts, however, is how sometimes the speakers get off topic.

Ilovechesecakeyesido09 said...

my article is called polar bears from Science Made Fun. It is about how polar bears survive, what they eat and how much they weigh. I liked this article. I really enjoyed it because I like to learn about polar bears. That is also what made me intertested in the article. I was suprised to learn that polar bears weigh as much as 3 lions. I was also suprised to here that if you went to Antarctica, on a clear day, you could see a polar bears nose from six miles away because it sticks out against the snow so much. It gave me a lot of information. I would like to know how old polar bears are when they become fullgrown. it was a really great story.

Labrat51 said...

My article is called Northern Lights from Science Made Fun. It is about how the northern lights happen and why. I liked this article very much. I found the part about how the gas particles and the sun together create the northern lights very interesting. I was surprised that you could see the lights about 2500 Kilometers from the north pole. I have no questions. I found that listening to a podcast instead of having the text in front of you was a lot harder. I much prefer to have the information in front of me.

C.96.M.27.K.12 said...

1.) The article I listened to was “Mischel’s Marsmallow”. The article was by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. I found this article at the Radio Lab WNYC.org.
2.) I read an article about how this guy Mischel noticed how when you reach the age of four get an amazingly better patience and resistance. He tested a bunch of four year olds and when they were older the ones that resisted eating a marshmallow longer at the age of four now did better on test than the ones that had a harder time resisting marshmallows.
3.) a) I thought that this article was very interesting and cool. I liked it a lot. I liked it because it was a very interesting topic and really caught my attention and I enjoyed learning about it. It made me wonder how long I could be patient and resist a marshmallow when I was four.
b) What I found surprising is that they tested hundreds of kids and almost always the ones that resisted longer when they were young did significantly better on test, like S.A.T.S It also said that the ones that resisted longer got into better colleges and weren’t suspended as much as the kids that resisted shorter. The most surprising thing was that the difference in S.A.T scores from resisting the marshmallow for one minute or twenty was 210 points on your S.A.T I that that was just so amazing.
c) One question I had was, are the authors of this article actually scientist? Another question is Why would he go through so much trouble to and How did Mischel track down all these people? Lastly how old are those kids now?

Bob said...

1) I listened to Blink, from Radio Lab. Radio Lab people are the authors, with some guests.


2) They have a theory about how blinking synchronizes with other things in life.


3) a) I thought the podcast article was okay. It was kind of interesting, it wouldn’t catch my attention like a story about some astronaut just landed on the moon. It was still kind of interesting to hear about how people have studied blinking.

b) It surprised me that blinking could actually have that much impact on people’s studies. People are actually interested in the science of blinking, and they went further that “to keep your eye moist”. I also thought that it was interesting that people blink when nothing on the TV is going on, so they don’t miss anything, but it makes sense.

c) I want to know how people thought about relating blinks to movies. I don’t really want to know more about this, it is just kind of weird, and not really my favored science topic.

Summer09 said...

I listened to Science of Soccer from Science Made Fun.
This article was about the science of soccer and how even if you don’t know it soccer is connected to the laws of physics. Everything you do has a scientific equation to it even if you don’t know it while you’re taking the shot.
I did like the article because I myself love soccer and its one of my favorite things to do. I also liked it because it gave me more of a feel for how I kick the ball and where I place my foot when I take a shot. What really surprised me is Apollo 17 Luna landing mission the astronauts played soccer on the service of the moon with a 200 pound moon rock. When you kick the ball does the position of your foot change the way it spins? I didn’t like the listening article as much because it was harder to focus and I couldn’t understand what the people were saying.

spots101 said...

I listened to an article called why do we laugh. It was from radio lab

The article I listened to is about how everybody laughs but why. One of the things that it said was that sometimes you do not even laugh at something or someone because they made a joke. Sometimes it is purely just the media. It also said that when you are alone not watching any TV radio etc. You do not laugh. When there is no media around you, you do not just laugh to yourself about something you were thinking of. Sometimes you’re even just laughing about how someone else laughs.
I really enjoyed this article. I thought that it was very interesting and at the same time it did not really feel like homework. I thought it was really funny to hear them because they make it a discussion and really fun to listen to.
I was really interested in how when you are alone you usually do not talk and then when you are with someone you sometimes just don’t laugh because it is funny it is just the media.
I had some questions on why do you laugh. What parts of your body makes you laugh and how much energy does it take. Also why do you cry when you are laughing?
I loved listening to it instead of reading it because I thought that it had discussion so it was really very fun to listen to. I also thought that it was easier than just reading because I get to really listen to it and make pictures in my mind while I am working.

xoxopicklelover said...

I listened to the podcast
how clean is the shower from science friday

In the podcast they explained how showers may have many germs and bacteria on the shower head. They also spoke about how taking a shower can be dangerous for the germs that are on the shower heads could lead to pain the muscle and muscle related illness.

I thought that the podcast was really quite interesting. I never knew how dangerous taking a shower could be. I take showers all the time and now I'll be a little more reluctant. I would have thought that a shower would be way more hygienic than a bath. Now I'm not so sure.

I was a bit surprised that the germs were on the shower head. I never touch the shower head. I would have thought that the knob would have been the dirtiest part of the shower. because that where your hand touch before you get in the shower.

I dont have any questions but i do wonder why a scientist choose to research this particular subject.


I would defiantly prefer to read an article then listen to it. that way i can always look back if i have a question. My mind tends to wonder while listening to the podcasts.

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