Are GMOs Safe?

What is a GMO?

The term "GMO" stands for a genetically modified organism. Like the name suggests, a genetically modified organism's genome has been altered to cater to specific needs. 

Genetically Modified Food?

"Genetic modifications" might sound foreign to a lot of us, but most of the food we eat is genetically modified. Just about 85% of the corn produced in the U.S is genetically modified so the crop can be resistant to herbicide glyphosate, a chemical used to kill weeds. Soybeans are one of the most heavily genetically modified foods in the U.S, with about 94% of it being GM. It is modified to increase its content of oleic acid that reduces LDL cholesterol or "bad" cholesterol. Milk is another GM food. Cows are given rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) that increases the production of milk. Around 10% of the world's crop are genetically modified and about 70% of processed foods in the U.S are said to have one or more GM ingredients in them. 

Why Do People Oppose GM Foods?

People mainly oppose GM foods simply because there is not a lot known about their effects on human health. The increase in production of crops that are resistant to a certain chemical, eg: herbicides, results in extensive use of the chemical. Weeds and insects also become resistant to what the crop is made resistant to. A survey conducted in the U.S showed that over 50% of participants said that a tomato would taste like fish if it was modified with fish genes (it wouldn't). This is known as psychological essentialism. Simply put, people thought all the genes in an organism cause the organism's "typical" characteristics. These are people's main concerns when it comes to genetically modified foods.

Should You Really Be Worried?

At this point, no. So far, all research done has shown that GM foods do not change the nutritional value in food and is not harmful to humans. A study done in 2015 showed that 37% of participants thought that GMOs were safe. This shows that there is a psychological association that would be hard to change. To say definitively whether or not GM foods affect human health, decades of research would be required. With the information we have, genetically modified foods are not something we should be worried about.

Citations

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-people-oppose-gmos-even-though-science-says-they-are-safe/
https://www.medicalbag.com/the-fit-md/why-are-we-so-afraid-of-gmos/article/653830/
https://quizlet.com/73932714/gmos-5-flash-cards/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/28/gmo-questions/1658225/
https://heartuk.org.uk/health-and-high-cholesterol
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/builtlean/diet-and-nutrition_b_4323937.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/well/eat/are-gmo-foods-safe.html
https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2016/05/gmo-safety-debate-is-over/
https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/what-is-gmo/

Why Does Helium Change Your Voice?

   I'm pretty sure we've all heard this one. We've all sucked in helium and enjoyed the chipmunk voices that are heard as a result, but what causes the change in one's voices?

   A person's normal voice is determined by several factors. The shape of the throat, mouth, lips, nasal passages, and tongue all contribute to making the sound of the voice. 

   Your voice starts in your larynx, or voice box, that has your vocal cords. The folded membranes in the cords vibrate when air passes over them and the vibrations resonate throughout, creating a sound, the voice. 

   The air one breathes is mostly made up of oxygen and nitrogen. Helium is much less dense than such gases. Due to the lower density, sound travels up to twice as fast as it does through other gases. When you inhale helium, the air moves over the vocal cords much faster than oxygen and nitrogen. This makes the vocal tract more prone to high-frequency sounds, thus changing the voice.

Citations

https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-helium-change-the-sound-of-your-voice
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-inhaling-helium/

   

   

Using Magnetism and Nanotechnology to Clean Up Oil Spills

Definitions

Magnetism can be defined as a physical phenomenon caused by magnetic fields.

Nano-science is the study of phenomena a few nano-meters small. 

Analysis


Oil spills, as we all know, are extremely harmful to all marine life. The chemicals used to clean the spills aren't very safe either.

Scientists have found a way to put nano-science and magnetism together to create a more effective, safe way to clean up oil spills. How?

Researchers have taken ferroparticles (magnetic particles a few nano-meters small) and mixed it with a carrier fluid like oil. This creates a substance known as a ferrofluid. This substance is magnetic. The way oil spills would be cleaned by using this is by pouring ferroparticles over the surface of the oil and using a magnet to clean it up. 

Conclusion

This way of cleaning oil spills however, is not very practical on a large scale. Who knows, maybe something more effective will come up in the future.

I did my 7th grade science fair project on this and got an A! Try it yourself: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/EnvEng_p036/environmental-engineering/can-nanotechnology-help-clean-up-ocean-oil-spills

Citations

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/EnvEng_p036/environmental-engineering/can-nanotechnology-help-clean-up-ocean-oil-spills
https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+of+magnetism&oq=definition+of+magnetism&aqs=chrome.0.0l6.10200j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.google.com/search?ei=LFawWvDuLKymjwTNtqqoAw&q=definition+of+nanotechnology&oq=definition+of+nanotechn&gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.0l3j0i22i30k1l7.12222.14274.0.15336.9.6.0.3.3.0.142.382.0j3.3.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..3.6.387...0i20i263k1.0.OMpC_NLqVEc
   

Synthetic Biology

Definition

Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological entities such as enzymes, genetic circuits and cells or the redesign of existing biological systems.

Analysis

All living organisms contain an instruction set that determines their structure and function. The instructions are encoded in the organisms DNA; long strings of molecules embedded in each cell. This is known as the organisms genetic code.

Synthetic biology, in simple words, is altering this genetic code. Scientists have used synthetic biology to breed organisms that have the best useful features of other organisms.

Conclusion

Synthetic biology is a vast topic. This, however, is the basic explanation of synthetic biology. 

Citations

https://www.nature.com/subjects/synthetic-biology

My Mars Mission

Mars. The red planet. The only planet on which signs of life have been found. How intriguing is that? Very interesting isn't it?

If I got the chance to go to any place I wanted, I would choose Mars. Just experiencing one day on Mars would be surreal. From the time I get decked up in the special spacesuit, to entering the spaceship to reaching Mars, that entire time would be truly special.

Those first moments would truly be emotional for me because the thought of leaving behind my family without knowing what would happen to me, is a really scary thought. But, once I enter the spaceship, the excitement begins. Once we reach Mars, the first thing I would do is feel the Martian surface. I would then ensure the safety of my fellow astronauts. We would then start to our space station, keeping in mind the challenges we are going to face. 

We have to keep in mind the hostile living and temperature conditions on Mars. Although we are prepared, we have to be ready for anything. After getting somewhat comfortable at base camp, we will get ready to explore Mars. The craters, remains of water bodies and all the other mysteries that Mars holds will be discovered and investigated by us. We will study all the surfaces and also look for signs of alien life. We will definitely have the lack of resources we will need to live, but we will try to overcome all the challenges we face and will survive as long as we can on Mars. 

We don't know what would happen to us, but staying on Mars would be extremely exciting. Let's see if we can make Mars a place like Earth, a place where we can live and breathe.

This was what I had written for a sci-fi writing competition in school. I was not at all prepared, I went to school and wrote something. It was a story writing contest, but I wrote about an experience, my experience (what it would be like), rather than a story. I was not expecting it, but guess what?! I got first place. So, I thought I would share it with all of you. 

Hydraulic Jacks

Definition

A hydraulic jack is a jack (a device used to lift heavy loads, like wheels of vehicles) that uses hydraulic power.

How they work

A hydraulic jack works on pascal's principle,i.e, when force is applied to an enclosed fluid, it moves in all directions undiminished. 

Let me explain this a little clearer with an example. Let's say we have two syringes (without the needle, of course) named A & B. Let's fill A with water. If we push the piston of A, the water will flow through the tube & go into B, hence pushing B's piston upwards. 

If something is placed on top of B's piston then it will be moved.

Hydraulic jacks work the same way.

So, the next you see someone on the road lifting their tires with a jack, you can walk up to them & tell them how their jack works ;-)   

Citations

https://www.thomasnet.com/articles/materials-handling/how-hydraulic-jacks-work

Time Travel

Definition

  
Time. What is it? The continuing and unlimited progress of existence and events in past, present and future.
Today, traveling is possible in the three dimensions (length,height,breadth). But, what about the fourth dimension (time)? That's where time traveling comes in. Time travel is basically moving to the past or future.  

Analysis

Time travel isn't very complicated at all. Simply explained; Albert Einstein said that the universe has a speed limit, the speed of light. Nothing can go faster than that.

Imagine you are traveling in a spaceship that moves at the speed of light. You travel in that spaceship for just a few days through space. On earth, that would equal to about a 100 years. If you come back to earth, your friends would have aged & your city or town would have changed so much that you probably wouldn't even recognize it. 
That's basically what time travel is. 

Conclusion
  
Time travel is not yet possible, but one day it might be. If it is, it'll be possible only to travel to the future. The 'PAST' is & will always remain a question mark.

Citations

https://www.google.com/search?ei=9VawWujKG5DUjwPJ15pA&q=time+travel+definition&oq=time+travel+&gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.0i20i263k1j0i131k1j0l2j0i131k1j0l5.1588.5773.0.7414.16.15.0.1.1.0.319.1476.0j7j1j1.10.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..5.11.1624.6..0i67k1j0i131i46k1j46i131k1j35i39k1j0i131i67k1.142.ILrmiLoWgvo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgdacFRkiZ8