Parasites are often hard to identify because they are so adapted to their parasitic way of life. Strepsiptera are no exception. They are insects to be sure but exactly who they are related to is more difficult to ascertain. Most people have…
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January 22, 2015 Physical Science
The stars are mostly made of hydrogen. Not entirely though. The sun, for example, is only 91.2 percent hydrogen atoms. It converts hydrogen to helium atoms, in a fusion reaction that gives off the energy that powers all life on…
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This is a huge topic because there are so many kinds of arthropods. There are three broad groups to consider; insects, crustaceans, and the chelicerates (spiders and their cousins). Spiders and insects are terrestrial animals and so have similar to solutions to the problems associated with…
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The giant Western Red Cedars are a member of the Cypress family, and some of these trees live for thousands of years. The trees’ longevity makes the Western Red Cedar forests a national treasure which cannot be replaced. These trees…
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January 22, 2015 Physical Science
The Noble Gas neon is one of the most inert elements known. Finding interesting facts about an element that does not do very much is difficult but I’ll try. Starting with the elements basic properties, its atomic weight is 20.1797…
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January 22, 2015 Physical Science
One thing that most kids agree on is the fact that they find anything that looks and feels gross, yucky, or disgusting, appealing. While most adults find it less than attractive, kids especially like slime, and they like to make…
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January 22, 2015 Physical Science
Gold: Royalty among the Elements Gold has been known since prehistoric times, and is mined on all continents except Antarctica. It has been highly valued and treasured ever since its prehistoric discovery. Because of its relative rarity (it is the…
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Parthenogenesis, or asexual reproduction, is the act of reproduction without using more than one source of genetic material. The natural world has many examples of parthenogenic species and relatively few that only reproduce sexually. The only known species that do…
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January 22, 2015 Physical Science
Chlorine, a gaseous halogen has atomic number 17 and belongs in group 17, period 3 and the p-block of the periodic table. Needing only one electron to fill its outer electron shell, chlorine readily forms compounds with most other elements….
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January 22, 2015 Physical Science
All molecules experience intermolecular attractions because molecules attract each other at moderate distances and repel each other at close range. The attractive forces are collectively called “Van der Waals forces” and include all forces that act between electrically neutral molecules…
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