Zika: a virus that could change our world

by Miguel Garduno

Zika is the most recent virus that is affecting tropical areas around our world. The virus was originally found in a Ugandan forest that is called the Zika forest, and the first infection was found in a monkey.

Zika so far has caused brains to not develop properly and paralysis, but if it mutates then it can cause organ failure and seizures could also be a possibility. Zika has common systems like rash, joint pain, fever, and conjunctivitis (pink eye). It can cause birth defects, and it can be sexually transmitted from one partner to another. Zika is spreading into hot and humid countries, and soon it will infect the United States.

Zika is mostly transmitted by mosquitoes, and the mosquitoes that transmit Zika can also spread the Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. The mosquitoes spread Zika by laying eggs in water, or by just biting a person. The mosquitoes Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus are aggressive daytime biters, though they can also bite at night. There are a few different ways to prevent a mosquito bite. One way is to wear long sleeved shirts and long pants. Another way is to sleep under a mosquito netting. A third way to protect yourself is mosquito repellent. If you have a child, you should put a mosquito netting around their crib.

The larvae of the mosquitoes that transmit Zika.

People think that the Zika virus was actually engineered as an experimental biological weapon by the biotech company Oxitc. A genetically modified mosquito for Zika is when a female mates with a GMO male, they lay eggs that hatch but the larvae dies before adulthood. In Brazil in 2012, Zika case maps reportedly matched the locations of tests conducted by Oxitec. the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) say that the virus was first discovered in 1947, and had further outbreaks in tropical Africa, southeast Asia, and the Pacific islands.

I think that Zika is a a serious problem, because it is spread by mosquitoes in tropical areas, which means that there will be more infections in the summer. People say that in 10 years, everyone will have Zika but there will be a cure by then. Zika is not deadly so far, but it’s very infectious, and at some point it could be worse than the Black Death. Scientists are looking at the DNA of the virus to see how it spreads in the human body.

Scientists are working on a cure for Zika, but we may not have enough time to develop it before it spreads all over the world.

The amazing big cats of the wild

by Melvin Prudente

There are multiple big cats in the wild that are really interesting. Out of all the wild cats, the hybrid cats are usually the most adored and worshiped. Hybrid cats are distinct, and have unique features that are related to their parents. Hybrid cats include ligers, tigons, and leopons; they are combinations of cats such as lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, and cougars. The big cats mostly belong to the genus panthera. Here are the top 5 most interesting and historical cats. 

5: Lions

Lions are big cats that live up to 10-17 years and weigh around 100 pounds as an adult. They live in Africa and Asia, but they are decreasing in population, especially in Asia. Since their population is decreasing, their interesting features and skills might not be seen any more; one of these skills is creating roars that can be heard from up to 5 miles away. They can leap as far as 36 feet, and run at a pace of 50 miles per hour. African lions are the most social of all the big cats, and live together in groups or “prides” consisting of 15 lions. They often hunt in groups of two or three, using teamwork to stalk, surround, and kill their prey.

4: Tigers

Tigers are the largest members of the cat family, and are known for their strength and power. Tigers are one of the most feared predators in the wild, capable of killing an animal 2 times its size. The key to a tiger’s power is its canine teeth; just like its ancestor, the sabre-toothed cat, the tiger uses its canines to kill 98% of its prey. The tiger’s strength and power really impresses people, including me. They live in Asia near swamps, grasslands, and rain forests that have been hybridized to help them. Tigers have been used to create ligers and tigons, which have certain features of both lions and tigers. Ligers have the stripes and body of a tiger, but the face and mane of a lion. Tigons have the eyes and face of a tiger but the body of a lion. These hybrids mainly have the life span of a tiger, living up to 20-26 years, and they are growing in population. The population of tigers is 2,226 in the wild, and it is progressing every year.

3: Leopards

In my opinion, leopards are the most powerful members of the cat family. Their body structures are proven to be effective for hunting in the wild. Their sleek and powerful body helps them run at a speed of 57 kilometers per hour. They are excellent swimmers and climbers, and they can make some of the sharpest turns in the wild. Leopards are ambush predators; they crouch low to sneak up to their prey, and pounce before it has a chance to react. According to the Animal Diversity Web, a database maintained by the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan, a leopard will kill its prey with one swift bite to the neck. I personally believe that the leopards are underrated as one of the strongest big cats.

2: Jaguars

Jaguars are the biggest cats in America, and the third largest cats in the world. I believe that their features and appearance make them look harmless, but they are deadly. They are identified by their yellow or orange coats, dark spots and short legs. The dark spots on their coats are unlike any other cat’s spots. Each spot looks like a rose, and are called rosettes. They run at a great pace, which is really good for the hybrid of leopards and jaguars; these hybrids are called jaglions, and have one the sharpest turns in the wild. The range of ability jaguars have is what makes them so cool. Even though they look harmless, they are very good predators.

1: Pumas

Pumas are my favorite big cats in the wild. They are the only ones on this list that don’t belong to the panthera genus. Their incredible bodies and abilities are the most unique out of all the big cats in the wild. They have a great amount of power, just like the lions, but they also have great structures. Many scientists who analyze the big cats believe that pumas are the third most powerful cats in the world. Their geographic location is the widest in the western hemisphere. They are called many things, such as cougars, mountain lions and their main name, which of course is pumas; the names are different depending on their different locations. Their unique talent I mentioned earlier is hunting both really big animals and really fast animals. To me, pumas are the mix of all these big cats I have listed in the top 5. They have the second most powerful jaw of the big cats, and the run at an impressive pace of 50 miles per hour. They are the mix of all cats which is why they are so great.

This list shows the big cats that are the most interesting and amazing in the world, in my point of view. Hopefully you never run into one in person, because they’re dangerous. I hope you enjoyed my list!

Are there other planets similar to planet Earth?

Kepler 22B.

by Miguel Garduno

We live in a world called Earth, and people think that we are not killing our world–but sadly, we are. We are killing our world by creating pollution, killing our plants, not throwing our garbage in bins, and many other ways. But many people don’t care to help save our world; if these people don’t stop and help our global community, pretty soon the world could end without us expecting it. But scientists are finding new worlds, light years away from us, that could be other types of Earths.

One example is Kepler-22B. Kepler-22B looks exactly like Earth, but it’s a few light years away from us. It was discovered in 2011, when NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) was using the Kepler Telescope (after which Kepler 22B was named) to find other Earth-like planets as part of the Kepler mission. There’s also a Kepler spacecraft, which was launched in March of 2009. So far, NASA has discovered 4,706 potentially Earth-like planets (2,326 in the first 16 months of its search).

Once confirmed by follow-up studies, these potential discoveries could continue to increase the tally of exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) over its current count of 2,056 other planets similar to Earth. Kepler-22B was the first exoplanet found to orbit in a star’s habitable zone light years away from Earth. So this means that Kepler-22B may have liquid water on its surface, just like Earth, making it the closest possible sister planet. NASA wrote this about Kepler-22B: “the planet is 2.4 times the size of Earth, making it the smallest yet found to orbit in the middle of the habitable zone of a star like our sun.”

Some scientists think that Mars could be a solution, because they believe there could be water on Mars and it’a a similar distance from the sun as Earth.

Moving to another planet similar to Earth could give humans a second chance. It will also be a responsibility, because we will have to take care of the new planet so the same problems don’t happen again. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, our world is dying. Global warming is increasing, people are still polluting are world, and weather is getting more extreme. There are many planets that could help us find a solution. It’s just a matter of time until we find one.

The destruction we cause (natural disasters)

by Melvin Prudente

People harm the Earth, but they do not realize that when they harm the Earth, they also harm themselves. One of the main effects of us harming the Earth is the increase in natural disasters, such as tornadoes, blizzards, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Natural disasters are natural events that take away human life or damage human property.

At least 80 people die from tornadoes each year, and at least 19 people die from hurricanes. According to ScienceLine.edu, “Over 1000 tornadoes occur each year mainly in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and eastern Colorado.” Scientists say that 200 more natural disasters can happen per year because of pollution, especially the appearance of warm or cold fronts in unexpected places.

Pollution is one of the causes of global warming. The increased pollutants in the atmosphere can   damage the ozone layer. This creates the unexpected cold & warm fronts, which creates floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. Scientists have collected data that the more polluted places in the USA are 20% more likely to have tornadoes, hurricanes and flash floods. How would you feel if these natural disasters were to take your family member’s life?

The government has agreed to create many factories in the US that cost many thousands of dollars each. They don’t realize that the effects of pollution can cause disasters that will waste a lot more money. EF5 tornadoes (otherwise known as a Category 5 tornado, which is the strongest kind) cost an average of about 2.8 billion dollars in damage per tornado.

Aftermath of a tornado in Oklahoma.

Natural disasters affect the development, economy and society of many places, such as Japan. Japan is the main site of the 10 worst natural disasters of the 21st century. It is where tsunamis, earthquakes, typhoons and volcanic eruptions are common. Asia is one of the most polluted continents, and it is where many terrible natural disasters in the 21st century occur. More than 1,100 natural disasters have occurred in japan in the past 10 years, and their rate is increasing.

We should stop littering and creating air pollution, because in return we could have more natural disasters. We are creating a problem that we can not control at all. This is why we should stop polluting, because of the aftereffects and the fact that we’re harming the place we live.

The search for new planets similar to our own

by Justin Mendoza

Is it possible to find a planet that has important fundamental features in common with Earth, that will allow us to live there if we have to? For example, a planet with a breathable atmosphere or resources such as coal? So when our population increases to where the planet cannot hold it, there will be a planet to fill the rest of our population in?

Well that question is unsolved. Why? Because we are still developing our understanding of other planets in this universe. As far as we still know, there is not a planet that has the salient features we need for our survival.

Normally, when NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) looks for habitable planets similar to Earth, they try to find glimpses of water; ordinarily, water indicates a possibility of life. They also look for previously undiscovered things, like natural resources or elements or substances that they’ve never seen before. They do this so we can improve our comprehension of the conditions on other planets. In addition, NASA looks at a planet’s distance from the sun in its solar system. This is because the temperature on a planet can occasionally depend on its distance from the sun. For example, Neptune one of the planets in our solar system. It is a great distance from the sun, which is why its surface temperature is -214 degrees Celsius. That is equal to -353 Fahrenheit! Planets closer to their suns, such as Earth, tend to have higher temperatures.

Much of the time, we are looking for planets similar to Earth, and there’s a chance that we have almost accomplished that goal. In the Kepler -62 system, they might have found an oceanic planet, similar to Earth: Kepler 62E and Kepler 62F. However, this discovery raises some questions worth thinking about. For example, how could any intelligent inhabitants build a technological society in an oceanic world? Also, how can we develop our knowledge of an oceanic world as we explore it?

We are still discovering new planets, and one of them could be the new Earth.

Our understanding of the universe is not even close to complete, and I don’t think it ever will be.