My Science School

 The major biomes of the world are: Tundra, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, grass lands and Savannas Chaparral, tropical rain forest and deserts. Major biomes of the world.

Biosphere is a term used to describe the parts of the earth and the thin layer of air above its surface that supports life. It is limited to the waters of the earth, a fraction of its crust and the lower regions of the atmosphere. It is also the part where solar energy is used to bring about photosynthesis and other chemical and physical charges. 

It is a broad natural assemblage of plants and animals shaped by common patterns of vegetations and climate. Some examples of biomes are forest biomes, desert biomes, grass land biomes or tundra biomes etc. 

The biotic factor concerns the organic variable affecting an ecosystem. For example, the changing population of elephants and its effect on the African Savana.

 The living components of biosphere such as plants, animals etc. are called biotic components. The non-living components of biosphere such as water, air, stones, etc. are called abiotic components. 

Habitat is defined as a localized environment in which an organism lives and which provides for all or almost all of its needs. 

The term food pyramid is used to describe the quantities of materials that pass from one kind of eater to another. The word pyramid is used because the amount of energy associated with the food material becomes smaller at every link or upward step.

All food chains begin with green plants because they are the only living things that can produce their own food. Green plants produce food by the process of photosynthesis.

 

William Harvey was an English physician who lived in the 17th century. He was the first person to correctly describe blood’s circulation in body.

       He showed that arteries and veins form a complete circuit starts at the heart, and leads back to the heart. He also established that the heart’s regular contractions drive the flow of blood around the whole body.

        Before his discoveries, blood was thought to ebb and flow through the body by the contraction of arteries. Harvey’s knowledge came from observations he made of blood flowing through the veins and arteries of living animals that he cut open. This may seem cruel, as there were no anaesthetics in Harvey’s time.

        Nevertheless, it is how we arrived at an understanding of blood and its circulation in the body.

       William Harvey’s work also laid down the foundations of physiology, which is the study of body functions. 

Joseph Black, a British chemist and physicist, is famous for his discovery of carbon dioxide. Black was always a meticulous chemist, keeping careful note of all his results and measurements. It was this which led to his discovery of carbon dioxide.

      Black also took an interest in the science of heat. In the 18th century, there were several competing theories about the nature of heat, and how it related to temperature.

      Black’s investigations not only clarified the distinction between temperature and heat, but also resulted in the theory of latent heat. Black was gifted and effective teacher. His course in chemistry proved so popular that many students, even those with no particular interest in the subject, were eager to attend.

     Alongside his teaching, black carried on an active and demanding medical practice. Joseph Black, widely respected both as a scientist and a physician, is truly one of the titans in the world of science.

Joseph Priestly, an Englishman is noted for his groundbreaking contributions to experimental chemistry, electricity, and the chemistry of gases.

       Before him, scientists thought that the air on earth consisted of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Priestley brought 10 more gases to this light, such as nitrogen, hydrogen chloride, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and oxygen.

       He isolated oxygen in its gaseous state, and conducted a series of experiments to distinguish each gas based on its properties. Priestley also made another discovery that has been highly appreciated by surgeons worldwide. He discovered nitrous oxide, which was also known as laughing gas. It was the first surgical an aesthetic to be used.

      Priestley’s best known achievement in the field of biology in 1772 was his work with photosynthesis. Priestley’s other interesting discoveries include the fact that graphite is a good electric conductor, and that gummy tree sap is a good eraser for pencil marks.

      Did you know that you can enjoy your favorite fizzy drink thanks to Joseph Priestley, for he was the one who invented soda water?

The English scientist Henry Cavendish was an experimental chemist and physicist par excellence. Cavendish was the first to recognize hydrogen gas as a distinct substance. He called it inflammable air.

         Cavendish showed that hydrogen is much less dense than air. In 1785, he published a paper showing the earth’s atmosphere consists of four parts nitrogen to one part oxygen.

         In addition, to his achievements in chemistry, Cavendish is also known for the Cavendish experiment. He was the first to measure the force of gravity between masses in a laboratory, and to produce an accurate value for earth’s density.

       Henry Cavendish also experimented with electricity, but much of his work on the subject was only published after his death. He was renowned for the great accuracy and precision of his scientific research.

In the 18th century, the Swedish naturalist and physician Carl Linnaeus introduced the scientific system of classifying plants and animals that is used all over the world to this day.

      Under this system, each living thing is assigned a name consisting of two Latin word is the name of the genus, and the second, the species. The classification of living things is called taxonomy.

     In 1737, Linnaeus published the first edition of his book titled systema naturae or system of nature. Over the years, Linnaeus continued to develop his ideas and add new species so that the book grew in period of about 30years from 12 outsize pages in its first edition, to 2400 pages in its 12th edition.

     This was the first serious attempt ever made to document all of our planet’s species. It was a huge effort, and it won Linnaeus acclaim as the ‘Father of Taxonomy’.

Edmond Halley was an English scientist who became very interested in a comet that he saw in 1682. After being told that a similar comet had appeared in 1531 and 1607, he suspected that it was the same comet that he had seen.

        By using the laws of gravity discovered by his friend Sir Isaac Newton, Halley realized that he could predict when it would return. Halley worked out that he comet would appear in our skies every 75 to 76 years.

        He was correct in his prediction, but sadly when the comet did reappear, he was no more, and he could not witness the confirmation he had waited for so eagerly. In his honour, the comet was named after him.

     Though he is remembered foremost as an astronomer, Halley also made significant discoveries in the fields of geography, mathematics, meteorology, and physics. Halley was very close to Newton.

Sir Isaac Newton, an Englishman who lived in the 17th century, is scientific legend. He came up with numerous theories and contributed ideas to many different fields including physics, mathematics, and philosophy.

      In 1687, Newton published his book philosophiae Natural is principia mathematica. In it, he describes universal gravitation, and the three laws of motion. It is widely regarded to be one of the most important books in the history of science. It is well known that his work on formulating a theory of gravitation was inspired by watching an apple fall from a tree!

        During his lifetime, Newton developed a new type of mathematics called calculus, and made breakthroughs in the area of optics such as the reflecting telescope. He also discovered that white light is made up of a wide range of different colors.

       Newton was a deep thinker with an insatiable curiosity to know everything about everything he saw. His contributions are so numerous, that e changed forever the way in which we look at the world.