Endeavour Launch

Space shuttle Endeavour rocketed into orbit on what is likely to be the last night-time launch for the programme. The shuttle, with six astronauts on board, took flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, before dawn, igniting the sky with a brilliant flash seen for miles around. Thick, low clouds that had delayed a first launch attempt on Sunday returned, but then cleared away just in time. There are just four more missions scheduled this year before the shuttles are retired. Endeavour's destination, the International Space Station, was soaring over Romania at the time of lift-off. The shuttle is set to arrive at the station early on Wednesday. Commander George Zamka and his crew will deliver and install Tranquility, a new room that will eventually house life-support equipment, exercise machines and a toilet, as well as a seven-windowed observation dome which has the biggest window ever sent into space, a circle 79 centimetres across. It will be the last major construction job at the space station. Both the new room and observation dome - together exceeding $400 million - were supplied by the European Space Agency.

Science Fact of the Week 43 - Sequoia

The Giant Redwood or Sequoia is the world's largest tree. It is also the largest living thing on the planet and amongst the oldest living things, with some trees over 2000 years old. It is an evergreen, long-lived, coniferous tree, reaching up to 115.5 m in height and 8 m diameter at breast height (that's equivalent to a 35 storey building). The current tallest tree is Hyperion, measuring at 115.55 m.

Redwoods have a conical crown, with horizontal to slightly drooping branches. The bark is very thick, up to 30 cm, and quite soft, fibrous with a bright red-brown when freshly exposed (hence the name 'redwood'), weathering darker. The root system is composed of shallow, wide-spreading lateral roots. It is native to coastal California and the southwestern corner of Oregon within the United States. The cool, moist air created by the Pacific Ocean keeps the trees continually damp, even during summer droughts. These conditions have existed for some time, as the redwoods go back 20 million years in their present range.

Exactly why the redwoods grow so tall is a mystery. Theories continue to develop but proof remains elusive. The trees can reach ages of 2,000 years and regularly reach 600 years. Resistance to natural enemies such as insects and fire are built-in features of a coast redwood. Diseases are virtually unknown and insect damage insignificant thanks to the high tannin content of the wood. Thick bark and foliage that rests high above the ground provides protection from all but the hottest fires. The redwoods' unusual ability to regenerate also aids in their survival as a species. They do not rely solely upon sexual reproduction, as many other trees must. New sprouts may come directly from a stump or downed tree's root system as a clone.

The Princess and the Frog

The Frog Blog, along with Walt Disney Animation Studios, present the musical "The Princess and the Frog," an animated comedy set in the great city of New Orleans. From the creators of "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin" comes a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. OK, I confess, we might not be responsible for the Oscar nominated animated feature, but we do love it here at the Frog Blog. Below is clip. It's in the cinema's now, so check it out!

Bull Frog Hunting

The Bull Frog is a large frog native to North America. Below is a video from National Geographic about the well documented eating habits of the Bull Frog, namely that it will eat anything it can overpower and stuff in its mouth.

Breakthrough in Prostate Cancer Research

Published today in the journal Genetic Vaccines and Therapy are details of a breakthrough in prostate cancer research, from an Irish based research laboratory. A DNA-based vaccine which is shown to destroy secondary prostate cancer has been successful in animal trials in Cork. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in Irish men and around 1,900 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed annually, with 700 patients dying of the disease each year. Localised prostate cancer is currently treated with surgery and radiotherapy, but there are limited options for cures for those with secondary prostate cancer. DNA vaccines activate the immune system against prostate cancer and then seek out any remaining cancer cells that have migrated to other parts of the body and destroy them, after treatment of the original cancer.

Astronomy Lately?

I've just realised that three of the last four posts were on astronomy. The most recent was the 30th post on astronomy on the Frog Blog. I think we need to get back to some raw biological stuff!

NASA Reports Pluto Getting Redder

Reports to day from NASA (which seems to be in the news more these days after their Constellation Program was cut) suggest dwarf planet Pluto is turning brighter and redder as its 248-year-long rotation around the sun changes its seasons. The US space agency released new images taken by the orbiting Hubble space telescope that show Pluto's northern hemisphere growing brighter and the entire planet looking redder. These changes are most likely the consequence of surface ice melting on the sunlit pole and then refreezing on the other pole. Click here to see more pics of Pluto.

Meteorite Fireball Lands in Ireland

A fireball, thought to be a meteorite, has been spotted in the night sky by people from all over the Ireland yesterday evening. Gardaí received reports of sightings from people all over the country, but is believed it may have eventually landed in Cavan. Astronomy Ireland reported on its website that a huge fireball was seen by thousands of people in Ireland on Wednesday evening. This fireball was a large rock - possibly the size of a car - striking our atmosphere and blazing into flames. The meteorite is of significant scientific interest and anyone who finds it is asked to contact Astronomy Ireland. Click here to visit their website.

RDS McWilliams Young Science Writer Competition

Details have been released about this years RDS McWilliams Young Science Writers competition. The competition is open to anyone aged 12 to 19 and involves writing a report or short story around any area of science. No restrictions are placed on the topic that the student can write about – they decide. Prizes include laptops, iPods and more. Before beginning their work students are advised to check out the list of top tips for writing a prize-winning entry and read the full entry guidelines. To find out more information or to apply online click here. The closing date for receipt of entries is April 23rd 2010. Good luck and get writing.

Obama Ends Moon & Mars Missions

Barack Obama has announced an increase of $6 billion dollars in NASA's budget over the next five years, but has decided to cancelled the "Constellation Program", NASA's mission to send humans back to the moon by 2020 and for a manned mission to Mars by 2050. The news comes as no surprise as the US economy continues to struggle. Constellation had been heavily criticized since it was unveiled in 2005 by President George W. Bush. Even before the plan was announced, some scientists pointed out that manned exploration has drawbacks, such as high costs, extreme safety requirements, and humans’ biological sensitivity to radiation. Obama is also proposing subcontracting some of NASA's future missions to the outer atmosphere to private companies, when the Space Shuttle completes its final mission this year.

Biology Prize 2010

The Frog Blog would like to annouce details of SCC's Annual Biology Prize. This year, pupils (from Forms IV, V or VI) are asked to provide a 300 to 400 word synopsis or summary of any Biology topic of their choice. It may be broad or narrow but must be interesting and unique. Pupils should research the topic thoroughly and include references in their synopses.

The top 5 - 6 proposals will then be asked to prepare a 15 minute PowerPoint Presentation on their topic and be able to answer questions within it. All prize entries must be submitted by e-mail to info@sccscience.com by Monday February 8th 2010. Good luck and get working!!

New Science Books in the Library

The librarian, Mr. Mc Conville has recently added some new science books to the library. Amongst the new books is THE MANGA GUIDE TO PHYSICS by Hideo Nitta and Keita Takatsu, an interesting illustrated introduction to the world of physics that is well worth checking out. Also included is Paul Murdin's SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE, a great book detailing the origins and formation of our universe. For full details of the new science books in the library click here.

Science Fact of the Week 42 - Mercury

Mercury is a very strange metal. It is a liquid at room temperature, but it is so dense that cannon balls float in it. With the atomic number 80 in the periodic table and with an atomic weight of 200, this element is more dense than lead. With a melting point of −38.83 °C and boiling point of 356.73 °C, mercury has one of the narrowest ranges of its liquid state of any metal. Mercury is, in fact, the only metal that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure and one of only six elements that are liquid at room temperature.

Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world mostly as cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), which is the source of the red pigment vermilion, and is mostly obtained by reduction from cinnabar. Cinnabar is highly toxic by ingestion or inhalation of the dust. Mercury poisoning can also result from exposure to soluble forms of mercury (such as mercuric chloride or methyl-mercury), inhalation of mercury vapour, or eating fish contaminated with mercury. Mercury has many uses though and is used in thermometers, barometers, electrical devices and much more. Interestingly, mercury has a negative coefficient of surface tension, which means that the meniscus on the surface is the other way up from normal.

Penguin Corner - There's Always One!

Why is there always some randomer who sticks their head in front of the camera just when you are taking a great photo!

Orville Wright

Todays marks the anniversary of the death of Orville Wright, the American pioneer aviator, who with his brother, Wilbur, invented the first powered airplane, Flyer, capable of sustained, controlled flight. At Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville made the first ever manned powered flight, airborn for 12-sec. By 1905, they had improved the design, built and and made several long flights in Flyer III, which was the first fully practical airplane (1905), able to fly up to 38-min and travel 24 miles (39-km). Their Model A was produced in 1908, capable of flight for over two hours of flight. They sold considerable numbers, but European designers became strong competitors. After Wilbur died of typhoid in 1912, Orville sold his interest in the Wright Company in 1915. He died on January 30th 1948.