My Science School

If a seed grew close to its parent, it probably would be in the shade. It could not get the sunlight it needs to grow. It would not have enough space to grow, either. Somehow, the seed must get to a place where it can grow. Luckily, seeds have many ways of doing this.

Some seeds, such as those of the maple tree, float on the wind. Their “wings” carry them a long way. Other seeds catch a ride with animals. When animals eat fruit, they eat the seeds along with it, and the seeds pass through the animal’s body. The animal may travel far before dropping the seeds. Other seeds, such as those of bur marigolds and cleavers, grow inside fruits that stick to things. They hitchhike on the fur of passing animals until they are brushed off.

Some fruits actually explode. Dry peapods split open, hurling their seeds in all directions. Touch-me-not plants have pods that fly open at the slightest movement. And the squirting cucumber shoots out seeds in a jet of liquid.

Plants have many different parts. Many have roots, stems, and leaves. All the parts work together to help the plant live and grow. Not every plant has all these parts, but most do.

Roots grow from the bottom of the plant down into the ground and spread out. Like sponges, roots soak up water and minerals for the plant. Roots are anchors too. By growing down and spreading out in the ground, they hold a plant firmly in place.

Stems support a plant’s leaves and hold them towards the light. Flowers grow from the stems. Water and minerals travel to the rest of the plant through tiny tubes in the stems. The trunk of a tree is a big stem.

Leaves make food for the plant. They use the energy of sunlight to change air, water, and minerals into sugar and starch. Leaves grow in many shapes and sizes. Some are broad and flat. Others are long and thin. Some leaves have smooth edges. The edges of other leaves are jagged or wavy. And some leaves look like needles or spines.

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Leaves don’t seem to do anything at all. But if you could become tiny enough to peek inside a leaf - you would have a surprise!

Sunlight comes into a leaf through the leaf’s skin. Inside, the leaves have a wonderful green substance called chlorophyll. The chlorophyll catches some of the sunlight that falls on the leaf. At the same time, air comes into the leaf through many tiny openings. And water moves up from the roots below.

Leaves are like little food factories. Using sunlight for energy, the chlorophyll changes water and a gas from the air into food for the plant.

Besides green, leaves have other colours, such as yellow and orange. In summer, the green chlorophyll covers the other colours. In the autumn, it sometimes fades. Then you see the other colours.

If someone asked you to name a plant, you might say, “a tree”. You’d probably think of many other green and leafy living things, too. But not all plants are green and leafy. Most are, but not all.

So what makes a plant a plant?

Plants usually spend their whole lives rooted to one place. They can’t move around like animals. Most plants produce seeds to make new plants.

Plants also have special kinds of cells. Plant cells have tough, thick walls made of cellulose. And most plants contain a special substance called chlorophyll. Plants use chlorophyll to make their own food with the help of water, air, and sunlight. Animals have no chlorophyll.

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Plants are divided into groups.

Almost all plants belong to the group called seed plants. They’re called seed plants because they make seeds that grow into new plants.

Most seed plants are flowering plants. Flowering plants make their seeds inside flowers. By far, most plants in the world are flowering plants. Other seed plants make their seeds inside cones. Cone-bearing plants are called conifers. These plants include such trees as pines, spruces, and firs. Plants called cycads and ginkgoes (also called maidenhair trees) also are cone-bearing plants. These types of plants have been around for millions of years.

Other plant groups use tiny cells called spores, not seeds, to make new plants. Spore-making plants include ferns, horsetails, and mosses.

Ferns have feathery leaves called fronds. Their spores form on the undersides of the fronds. Horsetails have tall, green stems with a cap on top. They have long, thin leaves. Moss grows like a soft, green furry coat on a tree trunk or a rock. Moss is made up of thousands of tiny plants growing very close together.

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Do you know the difference between a living thing and a nonliving thing? You are a living thing. And so are puppies, trees, and mushrooms. Bicycles, rocks, shoes, and tennis balls are nonliving things.

How do you tell living things from nonliving things? All living things have certain features in common. Almost all living things must have food, water, and air. And they are made up of tiny units called cells. Living things also reproduce, which means they can make new living things just like themselves.

The many, many types of living things are also different from one another in important ways. Scientists separate all living things into large groups called kingdoms. Each kingdom is made up of living things that are similar to one another. Each kingdom is different from the other kingdoms.

Most scientists say there are five main kingdoms. Animals make up one of the kingdoms. Most animals move around and get their food by eating other living things. Plants make up another kingdom. The plant kingdom is important to the other kingdoms because plants create the food that most other living things need. The other kingdoms include organisms such as fungi and algae.

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EV, known colloquially as tree man syndrome, is an incredibly rare genetic condition. It leads to chronic HPV infections that result in characteristic skin growths and lesions.

People who may have EV or a family history of it should notify a doctor, ideally a specialized dermatologist, as soon a possible. The goal is to manage symptoms and prevent severe complications. A person may also benefit from genetic counseling.

Symptoms can appear at any age, including infancy. In more than half of EV cases, symptoms first appear in children between the ages of 5 and 11. For nearly a quarter of people with EV, symptoms first emerge during puberty.

Symptoms may include a mix of:

• flat-topped or bumpy lesions


• small, raised bumps known as papules


• large patches of raised and inflamed skin, known as plaques


• small, raised brown lesions that resemble scabs

 

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The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, was an activity involving the pouring of a bucket of ice water over a person's head, either by another person or self-administered, to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as motor neuron disease and in the U.S. as Lou Gehrig's disease) and encourage donations to research. The challenge was co-founded by Pat Quinn and Pete Frates; it went viral on social media during July–August 2014. In the U.S., many people participated for the ALS Association, and in the UK, many people participated for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, although some individuals opted to donate their money from the Ice Bucket Challenge to other organizations.

The Ice Bucket Challenge is a fun way to raise awareness and donations for a worthy cause. Most supporters are okay with the fact that the challenge is a trend. They understand that the campaign is harnessing the phenomenon of Internet virality and that, even if it only stays popular for a few weeks, the campaign will still have done some good.

 

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Microcephaly is a medical condition in which the circumference of the head is smaller than normal because the brain has not developed properly or has stopped growing. Microcephaly can be present at birth or it may develop in the first few years of life.

Microcephaly can be caused by a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Children with microcephaly often have developmental issues. Generally there's no treatment for microcephaly, but early intervention with supportive therapies, such as speech and occupational therapies, may help enhance your child's development and improve quality of life.

There are many potential causes of microcephaly, but often cause remains unknown. The most common causes include:

• infections during pregnancy: toxoplasmosis (caused by a parasite found in undercooked meat), Campylobacter pylori, rubella, herpes, syphilis, cytomegalovirus, HIV and Zika;


• exposure to toxic chemicals: maternal exposure to heavy metals like arsenic and mercury, alcohol, radiation, and smoking;


• pre- and perinatal injuries to the developing brain (hypoxia-ischemia, trauma);


• genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome; and


• severe malnutrition during fetal life.

 

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Progeria is a rare genetic condition that causes a person to age prematurely. Children with progeria appear healthy, but by the age of 2 years, they look as if they have become old too fast.

Progeria is a genetic condition.

Most children with progeria have a mutation on the gene that encodes for lamin A, a protein that holds the nucleus of the cell together. This protein is also known as progerin.

The defective protein is thought to make the nucleus unstable. This instability makes cells more likely to die younger, leading to the symptoms of progeria.

It seems to happen because of a rare genetic change. One parent may have the mutation, even though they do not have progeria.

There is not usually any family history, but if there is already one child in the family with progeria, there is a 2 to 3 percent chance that another sibling will have it.

Genetic testing can show whether a parent has the mutation or not.

 

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Salmon comprises many species of fish. They are unique in that they live both in freshwater and salt water, and for this characteristic they are called "anadromous" Let's find out more about how this happens.

Found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, salmon begin their life in freshwater. For the first few months (sometimes even a few years, depending on the species). The salmon live in freshwater, usually a river. And then they move to the ocean. Again, after living there for a while, when it's time for them to spawn (lay eggs), they head back as adults to the same river they were born in. Soon after spawning, adults from some species die, and some repeat the cycle. These journeys are said to cover hundreds of miles in a salmon's lifetime. According to research, salmon have an acute sense of smell, which is what helps them back to their birth place, though much time passes in between. Some have said it's the Earth's magnetic field that guides them.

But what's more fascinating is how their bodies adapt to two different habitats.

Usually fish can die if they switch between salt and freshwater - when salt water fish get into freshwater. Their cells can burst and when freshwater fish enter salt water, their cells can shrivel. However, a complex adaptation mechanism involving body fluids comes into play to help the salmon survive. It happens at the intertidal zone (such as a seashore) before the young salmon enters the ocean. It gets used to the salty water by gradually drinking a lot of it, expelling excess salt and very little urine. These work in reverse when the adult returns to its freshwater home - it hardly drinks freshwater and has no need to expel salt. A study from 2015 made a revelation about another factor that helps the young salmon - light. Increased light during spring increased the production of a special enzyme which "stimulates the fish to prepare itself before it wanders out into salt water'.

 

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