Emporer Penguins

Due to the loss of essential aortic sea ice, Emperor penguins are facing extinction with in the next century. Researchers say that an emperor penguin population in Terrie Adelie will shrink from it normal size of 3,000 to a staggering 400breeding pairs in this amount of time. With out sea ice, penguins are unable to eat, breed, or molt. Also , krill a coruscation that lives in the Arctic thrives on the algae underneath sea ice. Krill is a food source for numerous animals including penguins. Therefore without sea ice the penguins will die of starvation . This is because fish also eat krill so there will be no fish to eat for the emperor penguins. I Believe if people avoid the use of traveling in short distances in cars by walking and should avoid using spray chemicals. By doing things like these you can help to stop global warming therefore ice will not decrease as fast, giving scientists time to make solutions. In conclusion, Emperor penguins are an amazing animal, but can only survive from choices humans make everyday.

Link:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127090728.htm

Picture link:http://www.lodi.k12.wi.us/schools/PS/penguins/emperor_penguin.jpg

Inaguration

On January 20th 2009, during the inauguration, Barack H. Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Also, Joe Biden became the Vice President. Barack is the first African American President of the United States, which is a huge achievement on his part. This historical event was held in Washington D.C. at the Capitol. Although the temperature was cold, it didn't stop the millions of people from attending. People were stationed between the capitol and the Washington monument. Next, this inaugurating was the most costly one so far. In fact,75 million dollars was spent to make it possible. "Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet." This is part of President Obama's speech that shows all of the problems our country is facing and I believe that like Barack says, he will bring change. With a new president I think anything is possible.

After the inauguration, many events were held such as marching bands, floats, balls, and a luncheon. One of these special events was the inauguration parade. This is an American tradition that honors the newly sworn in president and vice president. The parade is open to the public and people couldn't line up for the parade till 7:00. Due to the parade, many roads were closed and the amount of security was larger than normal. Ten thousand people from 50 states will follow the vice president and president.I think this is one of the most special events after the inauguration. This is because everyone can go to it as well as its on TV so millions can watch it. Last, many citizens at the inauguration parade say that a ''black president is giving them allot of inspiration.''

With a new president comes new responsibilities and changes in our country. For millions of people they believe president barrack Obama will help to solve the many problems our country is faced with such as education, economy crisis, the war in Iraq and many more. In conclusion, i believe that Obama will change the united states for the best.

link:http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/InaugParade.htm

link:http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/the_inauguration_of_president.html

link:http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/obama.politics/index.html

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

The loggerhead sea turtles are a species of endangered aquatic turtles.

Unfortunately, every year 1000 of these beautiful turtles unfortunately die. Jim Balsiger is one researchers who is helping to identify threats to the the loggerhead sea turtle in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, as well as solutions. It is very important for many areas of the Atlantic where these turtles are commonly found to be safe. This is because these turtles travel and nest in numerous areas thorough their life. A few threats imposed on them are lack of habitat due to fishing netters, as well as the down sizing of their environment. The recovery of the loggerhead sea turtle will take a longer period of time to recover than any other species of turtle. Researchers claim the reason for this is because they are always being threaten by fish netters and it takes them longer to mature than other turtles. I believe if scientists find where sea turtles commonly travel, they will have a greater success with helping to save them from extinction.

Link:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090116163930.htm

Picture:http://www.underwater.com.au/content/1054/gallery_main.jpg

Prehistoric Dinosaur

In the Sahara Dessert, dinosaur explorers were on an expedition to find prehistoric fossils. They were very successful and possibly found two new species of dinosaurs. These ancient creatures are estimated to live about one hundred million years ago. They are plant eaters called Sauropod and are believed to stand at about 65 feet high. One researcher Ibrahim said," It was remarkable for them to discover two specimens as well as they may be completely new species." Another reason this is a major discovery is because it is unusual that a herbivore would be found in such a barren environment with such little vegetation. I believe that this will show people that barren desserts like the Sahara may have had plant life millions of years ago and various species of dinosaurs lived there. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth University, Collage Dublin , and University Hassan 11 were lead by Nizar Ibrahim, a palaeontologist on this expedition. As you can see, there are discoveries happening everyday and there may be thousands of dinosaur fossils waiting to be found.


Link:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216114750.htm

Etheopian Wolf

The Ethiopian wolf is a highly endangered animal with a population of less than five hundred surviving. The majority of these animals are living in Bale Mountains National Park. Although they many seem to have no threats, they live close to the Oromo people. The Oromo people use dogs to heard their livestock and wolfs sometimes encounter with them. Therefore, these animals are at risk of getting the rabies viruses from the dogs. A team from the Oxford University and Ethiopian conservationists vaccinate numerous dogs every year to prevent rabies from spreading into the wolf population. Unfortunately, an outbreak of rabies in the wolf population has occurred. So far, 14 wolfs have died already and if not stopped, two thirds of the population in bales web valley are likely to die. a group from the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Authority set out on an expedition to stop the Ethiopian wolf population from decreasing. These courageous people get around in the almost barren mountain regions and have to endure temperatures as cold as -fifteen degrees. Due to their hard work it pays off and they have vaccinated about forty six wolves in various packs. Oxford university researchers have a sophisticated machine that shows the ways rabies can spread among the Ethiopian wolf population. Therefore, they can target different packs that many encounter with other wolves more often. I believe if people stay concerned about these creatures and research as well as vaccinate them, the population will not keep decreasing. In Conclusion, the years of research, planning, and mapping allows scientist to allways help the Ethiopian wolf when necessary.




link- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119175533.htm

Heading for the Hills

Due to the rising climate, various problems are occurring worldwide. One of these problems is that many mammals are retreating to higher elevations or heading north. For example in Yosemite National Park, chipmunks, mice and other small animals are leaving their habitat for cooler weather. Because of the incline in heat, sensitive species are not able to adapt to this change in weather and need to travel to more suitable homes. Biologists are very concerned and are running more tests to gather information. One biologist, Colwell, says that this can begin to suck the nature out of these beautiful lowlands. Average low temperatures in Yosemite National Park have risen three degrees celsius. Although the majority of animals are leaving, some such as the deer mouse aren't. I feel that this can someday cause a much larger problem with these sensitive environments and should be taken care of as quickly as possible. The Tropical Research Institute in Panama and many biologists in the European mountains are racing to find a solution to this problem.


Link- http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/37485/title/Climate_warms%2C_creatures_head_for_the_hills

Picture from- http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1944623-Yosemite_National_Park-Yosemite_National_Park.jpg