Quarter 4 Extra Credit

This one is multi part.  I recommend you start now.

1. Choose one of the Grand Challenges of Engineering.
2. Write a paragraph on each of the following:
1. What is it?
2. Why is it important?
3. Why is it difficult?
4. Who are some people working on it?
3. Email or phone interview with someone working on or with knowledge of the project
1. 10 questions
2. Clear this with me first.
4. What is your solution?
1. At least 500 words
2. Be specific

Scale of the Universe

As requested by some, here is the Scale of the Universe site.  It makes you feel very small (or big, if you go the other way).

The End of Antibiotics?

In the A&P classes, we have been talking about antibiotic resistance in bacteria.  Here's an article highlighting the problem in American hospitals.  Some bacteria are virtually resistant to every antibiotic that is on the market.

Why not just make new ones?  The process for bringing a new drug to market takes many years and much money.  It's best to stretch out what we have and stop overuse of antibiotics.

Glass

So, you may not know this, but I love technology.  I really do.  Even before I ever owned a smart phone, I would read up all about them and dream of what I could do with one (perhaps that's a bit sad).

I especially love Google technology.  I can't explain it, but their stuff is pretty awesome to me.  They're working on an interface now called Glass.  You wear it and it does things.  Watch the video below for more information.

It was an asteroid!

Although some scientists have suggested for decades that an asteroid may have killed the dinosaurs, others have disagreed.  The dates of major collisions around the earth and the demise of our loved beasties just didn't seem to occur at the same time.  The asteroid theory remained the favored idea of all of us kids out there who wanted a nice, clean explanation for why I can't ride a Triceratops down the street.

Now, it turns out, the age estimates of the Chixulub crater were by around 100,000 years.  It did happen at around the same exact (geological) time that the mass extinction of Earth species occurred 65 million years ago.  Sure, there was also a great deal of volcanic activity around then that would have weakened the dinos, but the asteroid finished them off!

http://www.npr.org/2013/02/07/171170142/fresh-clues-in-dinosaur-whodunit-point-to-asteroid

Anosmia

Well, I am finally (almost) over the flu, but I am left with near complete anosmia.  I find this very annoying as I love to cook and appreciate the subtle flavors of food.

What is this?

Will it ever reverse?

What does scent have to do with flavor?

Read and find out.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/anosmia-loss-of-smell

The Walls of Jericho

I haven't been feeling too well recently, so I haven't posted as frequently as I would like.

Here's something that I gave my physics classes to listen to.  How many trumpets would it take to knock down the walls of Jericho (miracles aside)?

From Radiolab.