The processes of feeding without mouths

1) Chlorophyll traps light.
2) Water enters leaf.
3) Carbon dioxide enters leaf.
4) Sugar leaves leaf.




very complicated, no?


((all images found online through google search))

Algae Cell

squee!!! ^_^ check this out, such an itty bitty thing with so much inside it. i mean, this thing is microscopic, hard to see with the naked eye and everything. it's eukaryotes which means its more organized then the prokaryotes. the reason it's a eukaryotes is because it has a nucleus, see the red dot?

now, answer these three very simple questions by posting in my comments.
1) What makes the algae an eukaryotes and not a prokaryotes?
2) Where are algae usually found?
3)How do they feed?

Microscopic!

Wow, last lab we got to play with microscopes ^_^ neat! I've always wanted to play with those things. i got to magnify a wee bitty letter then a strand of my hair then some scum from the tank. uck, there were MOVING itty bitty things in that sample i took. most of those things were clear and had lil yellow centers. though there was a few that had red dots. also the moving things would sometimes spin out of control, like its mixing up whats inside. it was very fun to look and watch those crazy lil things...too bad my eyes got strained from staring too long ^_^

CLAMP

kyaaaaa!!!! ^_^ okay, i am soooo tired of blogging serious stuff. now for some things i actually really like ^ ^ CLAMP no, its not a tool used by men to fix the sink. its actually a group of women manga writers. manga, not mango. manga is/are japanese comics. CLAMP does varied work, and are among the most popular writers to date. All thier work are beautiful and well drawn, and the stories compelling.
the artists ------------------------->














still the same ppl ^^


their works include but are not limited to: Cardcaptor Sakura



Magical Knights Rayearth X1999

Wish

Runoffs

During our last saturday lab, we went up to PauPau to see the runoff pipe. If it had rained harder and longer we could have seen the effects clearly. Seeing it without the action wasn't as informative as it would have been otherwise. Still, I can see and imagine what could happen. If there was alot of water coming down from the hills it will wash out into the sea, sometimes it even runs through these pipes directly. But, who knows what will slide off the hill directly into our seas? Hmmm...questionable...

Project in Progress

BEHOLD!!!!!

Okay, now that I have your attention ^_^ Listen! Some years ago we of the Northern Marianas Islands (Saipan in very particular) spent a load of cash in an attempt to plant some mangroves in American Memorial Park. The idea was that mangroves would serve as a natural filter and homeland to many small aquatic based critters. Its a wonderful idea...too bad they planted the wrong plant. The planting was, to be blunt, not a success...and for good reasons. Right now, I'm looking into those reasons and researching on which mangrove is the right kind to plant. From what I've manage to find out there are three (3) types of mangroves...and only one of them actually grows out of the water. The other two types grow more upland, but they still require very damp soil to florish at all. They are colorfully called Red Mangrove (rhizophora mangle), Black Mangrove (avicennia germinans) and White Mangrove (laguncularia racemosa). The pictures above are red mangroves. Hopefully I (and anyone who's willing to help me) will be able to find and reinstate these plants. It was found out in a research report (can't for the life of me remember where) that prop-rooted mangrove variety once florished here on Saipan. So with that hope burning in our hearts, we must perservere ^^ NEVER SURRENDER!!!

Hike Hike Hike!!!

For a great saturday activity I suggest a hike up and around Mt. Laulau ^_^ I can almost guarentee that you'll feel like a NEW person after that hike. New and exhuasted ^^ anyway, jokes aside. Imagine, walking up a steep hill, there are trees all around you so you have something sturdy to hold onto making falls less hazardous to your general wellbeing. Now, imagine that those trees don't last for very long. Stepping out of the trees you will suddenly find yourself with an unobstructed view of Laulau Bay. The relentless sun beating down on after the cool shade of the trees. Thigh high sear grasses and other sticklers covering large expanses of the hillside. And the burnt remains of the past still in evidence. I looked out on this scene and wondered. Wondered how long it would take for this man-influenced savannah to recover from its razing. Though there was a quiet beauty to the hillside, it was a dangerous beauty. Not an immediate danger, as I learned, but a real one none-the-less.
From what Angelo, our guide, said there should have been more trees growing. What actually took root does not look enough to prevent a runoff and other landslides. Hopefully, the kiddies that are going to be planting will have more flora that takes and florishes in the hydrophobic land. But, I only thought of this once I was able to find some shade to hide under. I can honestly admit that the hike exhausted me and the heat was not fun either ^_^ but, it was not intolerable...just not fun. The heat, not the hike. The hike is a good form of exercise. Go sometime.

The Shape of Life: Origins

A movie we watched. About the origins of life it was about. Interesting I found it to a point. ^_^
Okay, about that movie. It was sort've documentary-like. According to them the first mulit-cellular animal was and is the sponge. Its the same as modern day animals because it shares animal cells, is held together by collegens and feeds. Of course, a sponge doesn't have any internal organs, no limbs, and is about the simplist thing in the world. Scientists have concluded that the fact that it feeds and reproduces sexually makes it an animal. Using the very involved arts of gene splicing they've found that sponges have the very base genes that are shared by ALL animals. Still, after watching that...I'm still not totally convinced that the sponge isn't a plant.