Hominids

This week we learned about hominids.  A hominid is one of the humans closest ancestors.  The hominid walked upright.  There were many skulls found that date back to 4 million years old. The homo erectus has a big brain.  The body is also big.  The hominids are unlike monkeys because their big toe is close to there other toes just like humans.  Monkeys have a toe that is arched out from the others.  This is to help them climb trees.  Hominids are related to human, orangoutangs, gorillas, and monkey's.  

Evolution and populations

This week we learned about adaptions, population, and evolution. Evolution happens over time. It is the changing of species. We evoloved from apes. Things that come from evolution is adaptations, mutations,natural selections, and selective breeding.

Selective breeding- if the organim is best suited in the environment, then they will survive and reproduce. If the organism doesn't suit in the environment, they will die and not reproduce. If the population changes to quickly, then the organisms can't adapt and will die out.

Mutations-random change in the genes

Adaptations-the changes in physical or behavior traits in response to environment that occurs over time

Selective breeding- changes that are artificial that breed two organisms to make a better one

Population can change in many ways. There could be predators that attack the prey and effect the population. Also, environments can change the population. Disease can effect population too. If animals reproduce it will higher the population. When the predators population goes up, the prey go down. When prey population goes up the predator goes down.

Ugenics

Ugenics is the study of improving the human species or human population. Ugenics puts down or discourages the undesirable. It trys to stop people from having defective children that are undesirable.

Adaptation and Natural Selections

This week in science we did three simulations to show examples of population in habitats. This also taught us about adaptations. The simulations tought us how the creatures in our simulation adapted to different environments. This is possible if a blue starburst had a baby with a brown starburst. The offspring might be heterozygous. This means that it might be able to live in purple environment as well as a blue environment. We also learned about predators and prey in one of our simulations. If the prey camoflauges with its background then its population will go up. This is because the predator won't be able to see them and eat them least. If the prey doesn't camoflauge with its environment, the predator will see them and eat them more. Then their population will go down. Blending in with your environment is another adaptation. Our class said that adaptation can be "adapted" over time.

The Cockroaches Week/ Scientific Experiments

This week when we did our cockroach experiment. I learned that scientific experiments can always change. I thought that I had a great procedure, but then my group decided to change some things. The cockroaches can also change your experiment if they do something unexpected.
I also learned that a small thing can change a lot. For example. If you put one of the cockaroaches in a box, and it crawls out everytime, then you would have to add that to your conclusion. You might also change your bug and start over again.

The Cockroaches Week

CCAAMMPP SSPPEEAARRSS!!

What does camp have to do with science? Well I can tell you some reasons.

First of, we learned about different types of waters. There are lotic waters and lintic waters. Lotic water means that the water moves like a lake. Lintic water means that the water stays still, like a lake. We found differnt oragnisms in the water too. If you catch organisms in the lotic water, you can't put them into the lintic water, because that is not their normal habitat.

The rock wall only had one thing that I know is science related. This is the pulleys on the top of the tower. When you pull on one side of the rope the other side goes up. The person climbing would be the weight. The pulley is a mechanical advantage.

On the nature walk we learned about the different rocks. Sedimentary rocks are rocks that are layered. Metamorphic rocks are rocks that have been aged. They have no layers. Igneous rocks are rocks that came from volcanoes. They have little holes in them. There was a big field of rocks there. They came here being pushed by glaciers.

Also on the nature walk, we learned about mas and fungi. Mas eats the food from the liken. Liken gather minerals. The get food from the Mas. Fungi get food from dead things. It is a decomposer.