Celebrate your skin colours

Hi,

This intriguing video explains why dark skinned people originate from equatorial countries such as Africa, India and South East Asia.

Melanin is a pigment molecule that give the dark colour to skin. It evolved by natural selection to cut out harmful UV radiation from the sun. It is a natural sunscreen.

However there has been much migration of light skinned people from low UV places to high UV places and vice versa. UVB light is important to make vitamin D in our skins. However, dark skinned people in the countries nearer to the poles are not getting enough of it and this will lead to serious health consequences such as bone and teeth problems, reduced immune system, mood and mental health problems.

Also dark skinned people who work at desk jobs should be aware of these health risks.

Light skinned people have less melanin and so they run the risk of skin cancer due to excessive UVB damaging their DNA. Lighter skin colour is a product of evolution by natural selection in a latitude that gets very little UVB light.






Cheers

"TACARE" and "Roots and Shoots", what are they?

Hi,

Watch this video and be convinced by Jane Goodall on why she is hopeful that we can help humans and animals live together in harmony.

She pins her hope on these three concepts:
1-Advances in technology can be harnessed to rally us to take care of nature.
2-Nature is resilient.
3-Determination and resilience of the human spirit when we are empowered.







Cheers

Dan Gilbert tells us how to make ourselves happy

Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel truly happy even when things don’t go as planned.

Be Happy

Three stories from Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer

Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios draws from some of the most pivotal points in his life. He urged graduates of Stanford University to pursue their dreams. Choose a job you love to do and you will get better and better at it. "Stay hungry, stay foolish" he advises the 2005 cohort of graduates.

Cheers

Super Rice from genetically engineered rice plant

Source: International Rice Research Institute
Straits Times 25 Dec 2009



Research has been done to transfer genes for C4 photosynthesis system from other plants into rice.
Rice has genes for C3 photosynthesis which is less efficient at capturing sunlight for photosynthesis. The yield is less than in C4 plants such as sugar cane, wheat or maize. Dr Robert Zeigler and his team of scientists have introduced C4 genes into rice and are expecting this GMO rice to have 50% increased yields.


"Snorkel rice" or rice that can tolerate flooding -important to have due to global warming and rising sea levels.



Dr Robert Zeigler speaks on the genetic nature of rice, its diseases, soil, water quality and other factors that affects yield. These have to be known to develop new rice strains to meet the growing demands and the constraints of climate changes.

Rice plant having some bits of genes from wheat or maize is small matter really.


Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends.

Wangari Maathai the pioneer environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Prize winner

Wangari Maathai is the First African woman to win the Nobel Prize in 2004.
Born in Kenyan in 1940, she started the Green Belt Movement. It has since planted more than 35 million trees.

She is a pioneer in climate change activism. She believed in staying connected with the environment as it impacts us all in very aspect of our lives. She believes in sharing resources with all life forms in our environment. She has always taught the people of Kenya on the importance of sustainable resources and empowerment of women.

She started planting trees in 1977 and has tirelessly spoken about the 3Rs, using resources in a responsible way and has lead a successful environmental programme in her country. Listen to her reasons for planting the 35 million trees.



Cheers and merry Christmas to all my Christian friends.

Colour evolution in fruit flies

Hi,

Ugandan fruit flies have changed colour, according to scientists. Researchers have reported in the journal Science that genetic mutations have caused the flies to evolve darker colouration, which they believe helps the creatures adapt to higher altitudes.

Global warming allows organisms that adapt to live at higher altitudes. Everyone knows that the temperature drops as one goes up the mountains. As global warming occurs, the temperatures at higher altitudes also warms up and organisms that used to live in the valleys can now colonise the slopes of the mountains.

Source: Science Journal

Cheers

Save the seeds for the future of food

Hi,

Watch this video to understand the urgency in preserving and protecting the future of food.

With climate change happening so fast, the natural evolution of crop plants to cope with this rapid rise in temperature will not happen. Mass extinction of crop and food plants will happen very quickly. Scientists are really in a panic to save as many wild species and existing varieties of crop plants.

The seeds of these plants can then be resources which can be used for research and natural or artificial selection. The new varieties of plants created by man can then cope well with the higher temperatures and so our food production can keep pace with population growth.


30 or 40 years ago mass starvation used to be common in India and China due to rapid increases in population numbers in these countries. Research by scientists led to new strains of rice and wheat plants. Food shortages have since been forgotten due to Green Revolution, as it is called.

Scientists are coming to our rescue again to avert another catastrophe. This time the cause is different, extinction of food crops due to rapid global warming.

Click on the link below:

One seed at a time, protecting the future of food




Cheers

Bacteria that turns CO2 and sunlight energy into liquid fuel

Hi,



Scientists have come up with the perfect solution to global warming.

A genetically modified bacterium has been engineered with the ability to convert carbon dioxide into a liquid fuel that can be used in our present cars.

This GMO bacterium carries out photosynthesis, ie it captures sunlight energy which it changes to the chemical energy in the fuel produced. This is very similar to the green plants, except that in plants glucose is the first product. The plant then changes glucose into other molecules that it needs to grow and develop.

Click on this link to read the full story Engineering bacteria to turn CO2 into liquid fuel.


Cheers

Global Day of Acion against global warming

Hi,

Today I have two videos to share with you:


(1) Click on this link Kumi Naidoo's Speech at the COPenhagen Global Day of Action.

This YouTube video was recorded on 12 Dec 2009 in front of 100,000 youth in Copenhagen.

Greenpeace International ED, Kumi Naidoo, delivered a passionate speech at the launch of the Global Day of Action March in Copenhagen 12 Dec. 2009. "Yes we can, yes we must and yes we will deliver a fair efficient and legally binding treaty to protect the future of our children!"

(2) Click on this link Storms of my grandchildren.

It is Youtube video where David Letterman speaks to James Hansen who authored the book "Storms of my grandchildren". He speaks his mind on global warming and the complacence we see around, us especially in the youth of today.

Cheers,

Eating less carbohydrates (not fats) helps weight loss

Hi,

We have always been told that oily foods make us fat; carbohydrates like noodles, and rice are not that fattening as fried foods. See the graph below which shows otherwise.



Source: www.sciencenews.org

Cheers

Growing food in your own cities or uban farming

Hi,





"By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centres. The human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. If we don’t learn how to [vertical farm] soon, these will become horrible places."

According the UN, the amount of arable land per person decreased from about an acre in 1970 to roughly half an acre in 2000 and is projected to decline to about a third of an acre by 2050.

There will simply not be enough farmland to feed us.

Vertical farming also uses a fraction of the water land farming does. Countries that are "water challenged" will implement this type of farming in the near future says most scientists.

Click on this to read more about The High Rise Urban Farms of the Future.



Cheers

360 degree stereoscopic vision is the answer

Hi,



Why do humans, owls and tigers have forward facing eyes? Deer, cows, and antelopes have eyes on the sides of their faces?

The answer: Stereoscopic vision is important for hunters; a wide field of vision is important for herbivores to detect and escape from their predators

When both eyes face forward, the fields of vision of the two eyes will overlap. This gives rise to a sensation of depth or distance. This is important if a predator is to catch its prey. Hunters need this acute sense of distance/depth.

In the case of prey animals, their food organism does not run away. (Plants are rooted to the ground.) However herbivores have to be on the look out for the predators and hence the importance of a wide field of vision.

Then the question is why do hammer-head sharks have eyes which are so far apart that it does not seem to give them stereoscopic vision. BTW, these sharks are avid hunters that chase and catch fast swimming and agile prey such as squids and ray fish.

To find out more on this click Why the hammerhead shark got its hammer


Cheers

Why some of us do not get allergies or sick so often but others do.

Hi,



The latest work by Denise Kelly, a gut immunologist at the University of Aberdeen, UK supports the theory that gut microbiota influences our immune function and susceptibility to diseases and allergies.

Glenn Gibson, a food microbiologist at the University of Reading, UK, agrees that previous studies have "shown by implication" that immune responses are linked to organisms in the gut. He went further to tally the gene expression response into this theory.

Kelly argues that the similarities between the organisms found in human and pig guts and their comparable size in organs, makes pigs a good model animal to study. In future studies, she hopes to further identify the types of organisms that are associated with health.

Click here to read more on Dirty pigs are healthy pigs.


Cheers

Nikola Tesla- the inventer extraordinary

Hi,

Many of us do not know about the great dreamer and much misunderstood scientist, Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943).





One of his memorable demonstrations was in 1891 when he showed his wireless transmission of power and energy. Wireless light bulbs were lighting up powered by the electrical field surrounding them!

That is unimaginable even now, 66 years after his death.


Click here to read more about Nikola Tesla's 300 patents.



Cheers

Things you did not know about lipids or fats

Hi,


1 The root of obesity: Depending on gender and how active they are, adults should eat 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day only.

2 People who regularly eat dinner or breakfast in restaurants double their risk of becoming obese.

3 Being overweight reduces a woman’s chances of getting pregnant.

4 Each year nearly millions are spent on diet programs.

5 Biology is trying to help too. Leptin is a hunger-slaking hormone pumped into the bloodstream by fat cells. The more fat you have, the more leptin you make and the less hungry you feel.

6 Want to get your hands on some leptin? The hormone never panned out as a diet aid because most overweight people have become insensitive to it.

7 Over the course of a year, about 10 percent of an adult’s fat cells die. Alas, the body promptly replaces them.

8 The total number of fat cells in your body remains constant once you reach adulthood. Even after radical weight-loss procedures such as stomach stapling, fat cells return to their presurgery numbers within two years.

9 Try the vacuum instead. Liposuction is the only way to actually reduce the number of fat cells in your spare tire. Diet and exercise just shrink them.

10 New Zealander Pete Bethune gave a whole new meaning to biofuel when he used his liposuctioned fat to power the world’s fastest eco-boat. A way to solve the obesity epidemic and the fuel crisis?

11 It may make you prettier, but not healthier. Liposuction doesn’t remove fat from around the internal organs, so your fat-related health risks are unchanged.

12 Blame Mom and Dad. Obesity is more heritable than schizophrenia, high blood pressure, and alcoholism.

13 Cutting saturated fat intake to the recommended 10 percent of your calories will prolong your life, but only by a few months at most, researchers found.

14 The brain is about 70 percent fat.

15 Bottlenose dolphins use fatty tissue in the head, concentrated in an organ called the melon, to focus sound waves, giving them their sonar ability.

16 Think you have a spare tire? Whales are wrapped in fat—a thick layer of blubber—as vital insulation against the cold. Some whales have a blubber layer up to 20 inches thick.

17 Camels have the opposite problem: Living in hot climates, they want as little heat-trapping insulation as possible, so they concentrate their fat in their humps.



Cheers

The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes

I would like to share this moving speech by Severn Suzuki. She is a member of ECO, Environmental Children's Organisation which comprises 12 and 13 year olds in Canada. She spoke at the United Nations Earth Summit when she was 12 years old.



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Cheers

Cheeky illustrations

If she is not finished yet, she soon will be...



Keep the fast foods out of the Masai Mara savana.....




Cheers

Is the appendix really a useless vestige?

Hi,

Scientists answer this question with an emphatic no.





The appendix, they said, is a safe haven where good bacteria could hang out until they were needed to repopulate the gut after a nasty case of diarrhoea, for example. BTW, do you know that we have about 1 kg of good bacteria in our alimentary canal, mostly in the large intestine or colon? (Herbivores such as cows and sheep depend on these bacteria to digest the cellulose cell walls of the vegetation that these animals depend on for their nutrition.)

Appendicitis, or inflammation of the appendix, is not due to a faulty appendix, but rather due to cultural changes associated with industrialized society and improved sanitation. "Those changes left our immune systems with too little work and too much time their hands – a recipe for trouble," says William Parker of Duke University.

We had no way of knowing until the mid 1980's that the function of the appendix could be rendered obsolete by cultural changes that included widespread use of sewer systems and clean drinking water.

To prevent appendicitis the answer may lie in devising ways to challenge our immune systems today in much the same manner that they were challenged back in the Stone Age. "If modern medicine could figure out a way to do that, we would see far fewer cases of allergies, autoimmune disease, and appendicitis." (Childhood asthma, lupus disease, eczema are some autoimmune diseases common in Singapore.)

William Parker of Duke University is the senior author of this study.


Cheers

The boy who harnessed the wind

Hi,

I would like to share this video with you.


William Kamkwamba - author of 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind'


There may be a 30 second ad for some other TV program before the interview. Seems to be random.

It is about a 14 year old school drop-out who read a picture book at a public library in Malawi, Africa and built a windmill from scrap materials found in his rather deprived environment.

Hear the witty William Kamkwamba himself recount his mission to overcome famine and poverty. Hear his amazing story, his cute accent and his sense of humour.

Cheers and Happy Deepavali to all Hindu friends.

Amazing see through frog

Hi,

This frog is see through.
Amazing. No need to dissect to look at the intestines, blood vessels, the reproductive organs, the lungs, the heart etc. To see the frog at its original size, click on the link below.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/img/2008/04/apr08-02-1280.jpg

Selamat Hari Raya Puasa to all Muslim friends

Cheers

10 ways to rescue the climate, according to science fiction

Hi,

Check out this link:

10 ways to rescue the climate, according to science fiction.

1: Pump the atmosphere full of nanomachines to get "smart weather."
2: A ring of ice.
3: Use special bacteria.
4: Build a giant sunshade around the Earth.
5: Take Earth further away from the sun.
6: Hack The Human Genome
7: Restart the Gulf Stream
8: Shut down all our technology
9: Open a big hole.
10: Kill the aliens who are causing the problem in the first place.

Scientists have written books on this topic and many of them have been made into movies which are very engaging and entertaining. Some are far-fetched but look plausible, maybe sometime in the future...

Cheers

Urine formation by the nephrons in the kidney

Hi,

This is a short but crisp video on how urine is formed from the blood at the millions of tiny nephrons found in the kidneys. The involvement of the glomerulus, proximal and distal tubules, the loop of Henle and processes such as ultra-filtration and active transport are explained.





Cheers

DNA and protein synthesis animations

Hi,

This post is on animations of how ribosomes are sites where amino acids are assembled to produce protein molecules in cells.The structure of DNA and the nitrogenous base pairs are also mentioned.


How the DNA works can be seen by clicking on this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmDG_fKUTR8



DNA to protein, how the DNA is transcribed to form the mRNA and used to make protein molecules in the cytoplasm. The site of production being the ribosomes.




This simple yet clear video explains transcription, formation of mRNA, nuclear membrane pores, ribosomes the molecular factory, translation, tRNA and protein assembly. the long chain of amino acids or protein being folded to form the 3D structure before it is ready for its use in the body.




Cheers

Hormones

Hi,

Some really cool videos for your viewing pleasure. Learn where hormones are produced, how they travel to the target organs and how they help to co-ordinate processes in our bodies.

The endocrine glands (places which secrete hormones) have a rich supply of blood capillaries in them to carry the chemical messengers(hormones)to all parts of the body where the blood stream flows. the target cells have complementary receptor on their surface membranes. these receptors will bind with the hormones and produces the specific response. After the hormones have done their functions will be destroyed in the liver.












Cheers

Deforestation-the tragic aftermath

Hi,


Listen to these songs and watch the videos on the impact of man on the environment. Big animals like the Sumatran tiger of which only about 10 are left in the wild will not take long to go extinct. Small animals like frogs and fresh water organisms, and plants big and small are all in danger when their habitats disappear.

These haunting images of the near extinct magnificent fauna and flora are seldom in the radar of our everyday experiences but they are all treasures which we must be taught to treasure and preserve for our future generations. They are not only beautiful, but their demise will decrease the biodiversity of organisms on the planet. They are important in economic crop plant and animal breeding and as sources of new pharmaceutical products.














For more songs on the environment, click on the link below to listen to Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil.

http://asal-sakti.blogspot.com/search/label/Peter%20Garrett



Cheers

Pollination and sexual reproduction in plants

Hi,

Pollination involves flowers and pollen grains. The agents of pollination could be insects such as bees, ants, bats and other animals that visit flowers to get their food- pollen grains and nectar.

After the pollen grain is successfully transferred from the anther to the stigma, fertilisation process will kick in. This process is different from that in animals as the pollen grain germinates and grows a pollen tube will allows the male gamete to travel through the tube to the ovule.

Flowers go to great lengths to avoid self-fertilisation and prefer cross-fertilisation. It is fascination to see this processes employed in the different species of flowering plants.


Watch these two videos to clarify these concepts.










Cheers

Heavy metal poisoning, Minamata disaster

Hi,

Watch this disturbing video of what happened in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s at Minamata Bay area. Students, this topic is found in your syllabus on water pollution and bioaccumulation.






Mercury compounds in organic forms are very poisonous to the body. It was first noticed in the pet cats in the village. It was initially called the "Cats Dance Disease". Mercury compounds accumulates in cells causing central nervous system disorders, epilepsy-like symptoms and loss of sense of balance in man. In the 1960's children were born in the Minamata area with congenital brain damage and severe physical disabilities. Finally it was traced to the contamination of fish and other sea-foods with organic mercury compounds.

To listen to some songs on the environment by Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil, click on the link below;

http://asal-sakti.blogspot.com/search/label/Peter%20Garrett


Cheers

How blood is involved in transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide

Hi,

All of us know blood transport oxygen and carbon dioxide. We also know that red blood cells transport oxygen from lungs to all cells of the body. But do we also know that carbon dioxide is transported by the plasma? The red blood cells are very important in this transport too, but indirectly only.

Watch these two videos and understand the concepts better.









Cheers

Cell division, mitosis and meiosis, role of meiosis in sexual reproduction and natural selection in Galapagos Islands

Hi,

These two videos on the two types of cell divisions are superb. Watch and enjoy.








The function of sexual reproduction and the reason why organisms choose this form over asexual methods is explored in this video. Watch and be wowed.




Sexual reproduction, genetic variation and natural selection resulted in an explosion of phenotypes in the remote Galapagos Islands. More than 13 types of finches evolved to take advantage of the various niches available to them. This was recorded by Charles Darwin, the first scientist study these birds and the father of the theory of evolution.





Cheers

Genetic engineering- production of human insulin

Hi,







Watch these videos on how genetically modified E. coli bacterium is produced by scientists. The human gene that controls the production of the hormone insulin was identified. it is the "cut" out from the human chromosome on which it is found and then inserted into the bacterial DNA (plasmid). This GMO is then grown on an industrial scale to produce insulin. The hormone is excreted by the GMO and the medium is collected, the cells filtered and removed. The filtrate is purified and crystalline insulin is collected and sold on a commercial scale by pharmaceutical companies.

However many people are uncomfortable in consuming GM food or using GM products. Here is another video that explores this aspect of genetic engineering.





Cheers

Asexual rerproduction, cloning Dolly the Sheep

Hi,





On the topic of creating new organisms using unconventional methods, lets look at Dolly the sheep. She was created in Feb 1997 from a cell taken from the udder(milk producing glands)of a sheep. It is said that when male scientists were thinking of what to call the cloned sheep made from the udder(the equivalent in humans will be the breast) the scientists thought of Dolly Parton. View the video of this famous curvaceous country western singer and find out why.

As the offspring produced in this way is not the result of fusion of two gametes, the genetic material comes from one parent only. There will be no genetic variation. The offspring will be a carbon copy or clone. It will inherit all the genotypes of the single parent. However the phenotype may not be the same as the parent that donated the cell as environmental effects (on the multiple genes that decide the continuous variation traits) will kick in.

Cheers

Meet the super cow and the featherless chicken

Hi,





Arnold Schwarzenegger, a body builder with real rippling muscles grown by exercising regularly.



Creating a super beef cattle has been the dream of farmers ever since he started farming and animal husbandry.

Artificial selection or selective breeding methods have been used to create better and better breeds of animals for meat and transport purposes.

Meet the super cow, also called Arnold Schwarzenegger cow in this video.Artificial selection in this breed, called the Belgian Blue, took more than 100 years. A defective gene (mutant gene that arose spontaneously) was identified. This gene does not regulate the usual muscle growth. This resulted in "double muscle cell growth" resulting in a super cow which is all lean meat.

Sperms from this mutant was collected and used for artificial insemination.Very weird but true.

Are you ready for the featherless chicken? These chicken were also produced by selective breeding/cross breeding farmers intent on breeding new farm animals which have special advantages. The bird looks like it just walked away from the supermarket shelves!



Cheers

The earth is all we have

Hi,

On June 3, I was at Commonwealth Secondary School for the "Just One Earth Environmental Seminar 2009".

The first half of the seminar consisted of presentation by various speakers on importance of maintaining a green environment and sustainability of our resources. the second half of the seminar consisted of visits to various places related to the sustainable energy and waste management. I chose to visit the Poh Ern Shih Buddhist Temple for the excursion.

Mr Derrick Ho from MEWR (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) spoke on Sustainable Development Blueprint for Singapore and its Implications for Schools. It can be viewed in detail by clicking this link. Here is a more direct link to a list of actions that individuals can take in support of sustainable development.

You can see the pictures I took below.

Mr Edwin Khew, CEO of IUT Global Pte Ltd, a global environmental waste technology company taking us through how organic wastes are treated in his Tuas Factory, methane gas is collected, and the then the wastes are incinerated into ash and sent to Pulau Semakau for landfill	Sec. One students of Commonwealth Sec. Sch. explain their project on sustainability
Cattails, sedge, reeds, bladderwort growing in clean water from the school's washbasins	Pandanus growing luxuriantly in the marsh garden created with waste water from the school toilets

At the Poh Ern Shih Buddhist Temple,you can meet volunteer Mr Lee Boon Siong. He is very committed to greening the temple. Many of his technologies are applicable to residential buildings too. You may want to read about the temple at the Poh Ern Shih Buddhist Temple website before visiting it yourself.

Cheers

Poh Ern Shih Buddhist Temple, off Pasir Panjang Road, is the "temple of the future". It is designed to harness solar, hydro and wind energy for its energy needs	Mr Lee Boon Siong, a volunteer at Poh Ern Shih Buddhist Temple, explaining how even diffused light in the shade can be directed with a series of mirrors in a tunnel to light up the floor below
Diffused light is captured in the shade of the temple to direct to the lower floors	This skylight channels daylight through a winding tube using internal mirrors to deliver light to the temple interior
The hall is lighted by the sunlight coming from the atrium and ventilated by the mesh-like design of the walls	Solar panels come in this size. Mr Lee experiments with different types of panel. He found the "amorphous panels" to be the best for Singapore's cloudy skies.
Harvesting wind power is not so effective as Singapore is not windy enough.	There are more than 3 types of solar panels being experimented with by Mr Lee. There is much R&D in this field of technology.
Solar power is harvested to heat up water for the temple's use.	Look at the panel. Today 23 KWH has been harvested from the sunlight
Table cum bed cum cupboard at the temple is made of bamboo, a fast growing, sustainable alternative to the usual hard wood used in making furniture

To listen to some songs on the environment by Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil, click on the link below:

http://asal-sakti.blogspot.com/search/label/Peter%20Garrett

Cheers

350 -The Most Important Number in the World

Hi,

I was listening to Bill McKibben recently. He is the author of "End of Nature", a book he wrote in 1989. It seems he was was the first to warn of global warming, 20 years ago!

View the short video below, which is deliberately wordless so that it needs no translation. It has proved very effective in mobilising the communities around the world into taking responsibility for their actions. Now they can go out there and make the necessary impact. They can do something to change the course and momentum of the global warming. Activists like Mr McKibben are calling for changes in attitude, cultures, efficiencies in energy consumption in homes, production lines to becoming central parts of our lives.

He first raised an alarm about global warming in 1989 but, he says, he never dreamed the crisis would come as soon as it has. Even 18 months ago the scientific view was not as bad as it is today. Click on the link below to learn about the movement Mr McKibben and 6 of his friends founded.

An increase of 1⁰C so far has already caused the following:

1. new diseases in some countries. eg dengue fever in Bangladesh


2. changes in hydrological cycles arid land experiencing drying out faster and wetter areas, getting inundated with frequent heavy rainfalls and flooding


3. rivers drying out and bigger and more frequent forest and bush fires


4. tens of millions of pine forests killed off by pine bark beetles as they did not die in the cold winters as winters are so warm nowadays


5. 80% of sunlight energy falling on polar ice caps is reflected. But no more now. when sunlight is absorbed, it melts the permafrost (permanently frozen ice, ie ice that does not melt in summer). This releases millions of tons of methane which usually lies below the permafrost. Methane is many times more powerful green house gas than carbon dioxide.


6. For 10,000 years, since the civilisation of man, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has remained at around 275 ppm. In Jan 2008 it has been found to be 350 ppm. Anything above this concentration will not be tolerated. It means the planet is "sick". The symptoms are already seen in Arctic ice melting, rivers drying up etc.


7. Global warming and cooling are not new to the planet. However, this time it is caused by man and it is happening way too fast. This does not allow the organisms (plants and animal species) to adapt to these changes as it is happening too fast.

The tipping point is - or was - the number '350'. This is the level in the atmosphere of CO₂ in parts per million that will cause global warming to go beyond our control. And we are reaching this number... just... about... NOW! This is why McKibben calls 350 The Most Important Number in the World

Watch this space around October 24 this year, and look out for events focused on 350 that you can get involved in between now and then - or organise an activity of your own.

To listen to songs on the environment by Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil, click on the link below:

http://asal-sakti.blogspot.com/search/label/Peter%20Garrett



Cheers

Repair our eyes and do it cheaply and safely?

Hi,

I found a fascinating article that will interest most of us in Singapore, given the prevalence of myopia or short-sightedness here.

It is about restoration of good eye-sight using stem cells. It take less than a month to restore sight. It is cheap, non-invasive, only takes a couple of hours to complete.

Sounds too good to be true. The new procedure has been performed in Sydney, Australia. Scientists think this technique can be used in skin grafts as the cornea is the skin of the eye. It has the same physiological functions as other skin.

Watch the video below to 'see' for yourself.



Cheers

Earth Day 2009

Hi,

On April 24 2009, our school celebrated Earth Day.

The whole school was assembled in the Hall. All staff and students were kept engaged by the four Environment Ambassadors and Mdm Preetha during the first half of the period. The lower secondary pupils kept the school engaged with their presentation on Recycling.

The second half of the assembly was on "Carbon Zero". Randal, Elizabeth and Deborah encouraged and cajoled the staff and students to think about how we can reduce the carbon footprint we leave behind with subtle changes in our attitude. The school was also invited to take part in the Carbon Zero competition, which started in May, and spread the message of conserving electricity in our daily use of electrical appliances at home and in school and office.

Mdm Preetha introducing the 4 trained Environment Ambassadors of the school.	What better issue to discuss on Earth Day than recycling and care for the environment?
The students and staff wait in anticipation for the programme to start	Randall speaks on "Carbon Zero"
Audience participation is what everybody looks out for	Prizes for right answers always gets everyone's attention
What really is recycling?	Besides Randal, Elizabeth and Deborah were engaging the audience on how to reduce wastage of electricity in our homes. Their tips on the many ways to conserve energy are easy to follow

Cheers

Earth Hour 2009 celebrations

Hi,

Our school joined many groups and individuals around the world to mark Earth Hour 2009 on 28 April. Although it is now June, this post is not untimely as the point of Earth Hour was not to raise awareness of global warming only to have it forgotten as swiftly as the next hour. So, a reminder of what we did in our school...

Form teachers and Co-form teachers of each class were asked to spend time during their Form Teacher periods to speak about the event.

They were to show the two videos below to their students:
2.2 million people in Sydney ( about 3 minutes only)

Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group on global warming.

Our students were encouraged to join millions of people around the world and celebrate Earth Hour on Saturday 28 March by switching off all lights in their homes.

They were encouraged to find out that many government agencies (e.g. community centres), educational institutions (e.g. the polytechnics and universities), hotels (e.g. Royal Plaza hotel), businesses (e.g. Singtel, Golden Village), shopping malls (e.g. Junction 8, Bugis Junction), and many others were all coming up with interesting ways in which to carry on with their business as usual but with the lights switched off!

Some teachers also found time to view the video below with their classes.

Earth Hour news

Form teachers spent time to reflect on the following question:
“How do you think the Earth Hour Celebration may change your attitude towards conserving energy?”

Coloured paper in the shape of a large green leaf was given to each Form teacher to collate the responses from your class. These leaves were entered for a competition. Prizes will be awarded to the classes with the most original and innovative responses. The responses were displayed outside the Staff Room.

To listen to some songs on the environment by Peter Garrettt of Midnight Oil, click on the link below:

http://asal-sakti.blogspot.com/search/label/Peter%20Garrett


Cheers

Lesson 38: Digestive and excretory systems

Hi,

Hopefully these Powerpoint slides will go some way in helping you in your revision.

The large ppt covers:

• classes of food and their functions

• balanced diet

• parts of the digestive system, their digestive enzymes, peristalsis

• absorption and villi structure

• excretion, structure and function of the urinary system

• nephron system and production of urine

• water and salt balance

• dialysis machine

• short quiz

Chapter 38- Digestive & Excretory Systems

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Cheers

Lesson 37: Ecology, food chains and populations

Hi,

Everybody enjoys ecology and food chain studies. Here is more for your enjoyment.

This set of powerpoint slides contain the following which are relevant to your biology syllabus:

• energy flow, sunlight energy being converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis

• autotrophs(producers), heterotrophs(consumers), decomposers(soil bacteria and soil fungi)

• food chain (flow of energy through organisms)

• food web, examples of food webs

• pyramids of numbers, biomass, and energy

• carbon cycle

• quiz.

You can ignore the nitrogen and other mineral cycles as well as population studies as they are not in the biology syllabus for this year.

Chapter 3 & 5 Lecture- Ecology & Population Growth

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Lesson 36: Leaves, roots and stem

Hi,

Plant physiology is not so exciting for most students. Hopefully this will add some zest for you.

I find this set of powerpoint slides very vivid. It covers the following parts of the syllabus in clear crisp slides:

• functions of roots, leaves and stem in a plant

• root hair cell and its various functions

• xylem structure and its functions

• phloem structure and its functions

• active transports and use of energy (ATP) to transfer molecules and ions

• osmosis and simple diffusion

• structure of vascular bundle, its location in the plant organs

• transpiration, transpiration pull, capillary action

• stoma and how it functions in gaseous exchanges

The parts about secondary growth, bark formation are not in our syllabus.

Chapter 23 Lecture- Roots, Stems, Leaves

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Lesson 35: Keeping the internal environment in the body constant

Hi,

The keeping of internal environment in the body constant is of utmost importance. Upset of this fine balance would lead to major physiological changes which could lead to multiple organ failure and death.

This set of powerpoint is wholesome. It covers everything that we need to learn for the exams. Check out the following concepts in the slides:

• definition of homoeostasis
  
• control of water potential, sugar conc in blood, temperature of body, urea conc in blood
• structure and labels of urinary system
• quiz on urinary system
• kidney structure
• nephron structure, its functions and processes that occur in filtering the blood
• kidney dialyis machine and how it mimic the kidney functions
• ADH, its functions and processes involved in controlling the volume and conc of blood
• skin sturcture, labellling, its fucntions as sense organ and temperature control
• how raising the hair, shivering, blood supply to skin and sweating are related to temperature control
  

Unit 6 Human Homeostasis

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Lesson 34: Excercise and how it affects gaseous exchanges

Hi,

Everyone know that exercise increases the heart rate and the breathing rate among other changes. Find out how and why these changes occur.

With the aid of this set of powerpoint slides you will revise the following concepts:

• structure of the respiratory system, its labelling
• alveolus and its structure
• gaseous exchanges at the alveolar surface
• scanning electron micrograph of the cilia cells, the goblet cells of the trachea and bronchi
  
• pulse rate and heart rate
• heart structure and heart cycles/cardiac cycles
  
• blood pressure changes

Gaseous Exchange And Exercise

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Lesson 33: Gaseous exchange at the lungs

Hi,

These cheerful Powerpoint slides are more suitable for the Pure Biology students. It deals with details of how oxygen and carbon dioxide travel in the blood.

The details of how carbon dioxide enters the red blood cell and form carbonic acid which later dissociates to form hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions. The bicarbonate ion then diffuses back into the plasma and travels to the lungs and then enter back into the rbc. This reaction occurs in the reverse order to form carbon dioxide which then diffuses into the alveoli. This concept is well explained with large diagrams.

Gas Exchange (Further Human Physiology)

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Cheers