How Does Your Computer Think?

Have you ever wondered how your computer or tablet is able to do so many amazing things? Just like humans use their brains to think, so do computers. The brain of a computer is called a PROCESSOR. This processor gives directions for your computer to follow. But how do our computers read and understand these directions?

What Language Does Your Computer Speak?

It might sound crazy, but computers have their own language! You might have been thinking of English, Spanish, or even French, but computers use a language called BINARY CODE. This language lets computers understand, read, and complete the directions given by their brains, or the 

Figure 1: Binary Code

processor we talked about above. Unlike any normal language that humans use and is written and spoken using the ABCs, binary code uses NUMBERS. In fact, it only uses two numbers which happen to be ZERO and ONE! These ones and zeroes are put together to create a secret code that only the computer can read along with the humans who invented this code. To get a better look at this “secret code,” a picture is provided above in Figure 1 of what all computers have to read (3). Since these secret codes of ones and zeroes are difficult for humans to read, they started to think of ways to make an easier language for both humans and computers to understand and read.

Making an Easier Language

Binary code is a very hard language for humans to understand and make readable for computers to follow directions given by its “brain,” or processor (2). To solve this problem, people called computer programmers created HIGHER-LEVEL LANGUAGES. These higher-level languages are very different from binary code. Instead of using zeroes and ones for computers to follow directions in, these new languages use the ABCs for computers to read. By changing from numbers to the alphabet, computers are able to do so many more AMAZING things. These things include the fun games that you play on your computer or tablet or watch cartoons and movies on Netflix. An example

Figure 2: Games on Kindle tablet

of what these games might look like to you can be seen in Figure 2 to the right (1). Next time you go on your computer and watch the cool and amazing things that your computer lets you do, take a second and think back to how your computer thinks and what languages it uses to do these things for us.

References

(1)Amazon Kids Series [Illustration] (2014). Retrieved from http://www.viralblog.com/trends-innovations/why-netflix-and-amazon-tap-into-kids-series/

(2)Deitel, P. & Deitel, H. (2015). Java™: How to program. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

(3)Vector – Blue Binary Background [Illustration] (2014). Retrieved from http://www.canstockphoto.com/blue-binary-background-16091597.html

Sami Learns to Save Sea Life

Sami Learns to Save Sea Life

 



Dolphin jumping out of the water

Sami COULD NOT wait to leave for the beach. Ever since her mom and dad told her they were soon going she has been very excited. She remembered the beach last year and seeing the dolphins jump out of the water throughout the day. She could not wait to see more dolphins and collect sea shells for all her friends. She helped her dad pack up her beach toys and loaded the last bags in the car to leave for Florida.

 

The beautiful beach Sami remembers...

When they arrived Sami was so excited to run out and stick her toes in the water. She ran out with her mom to the beach but something looked different to Sami. The water was not the pretty blue she remembered. Instead the water was dark green and Sami suddenly was worried. She asked her mom why the ocean looked different from last year and why she did not see any dolphins or sea shells.
 

Sami's favorite sea shell - Sand Dollar

Sami’s mom explained to her about ocean pollution and how it can really affect our beaches. She told her the pollution can hurt the animals and break all the sea shells up. Sami suddenly felt really sad. She did not want to think about not being able to come to the beautiful beach anymore. Then Sami had an idea and she quickly asked her mom and dad how they could help to save the ocean and the animals in it.

Her dad remembered seeing a sign about Marine Biologists teaching children the effects of ocean pollution. Her dad called the number on the sign and they made a reservation for three people at the center for the next day. He wanted Sami to learn about the dangers of pollution and he wanted her to learn about the environment.

 

When they arrived at their appointment Sami and her parents were greeted by Amanda who planned to teach Sami all about saving sea life. Sami saw many pictures of injured animals and pollution floating in the ocean and washed up on the sandy beaches. It made her sad and even more excited to learn about saving sea life. Sami learned many new things about the ocean that she did not know.

Sea Turtle

Jellyfish

Sami’s session lasted two hours and was filled with a lot of new information. She learned that HALF of the oxygen we need to survive comes from the ocean (3)! She learned plastic takes a very long time to break down and causes it to collect in the ocean. Trash that ends up in the ocean kills sea life because they mistake it for FOOD (1). Sami learned that jellyfish are starting to take over the ocean because they can survive in the polluted water (1). She also learned there are not many laws that can help to protect our oceans (2). Sami was also surprised to find out that ocean pollution affects humans as well! The polluted water can contain bacteria which can make us very sick. After learning everything, Sami became more aware and eager to share information with her friends and family.
 

Here are a list of Sami’s solutions, please join her to SAVE our oceans!
- Recycle and compost what you can
- NEVER throw trash out the window
- Leave your CAR at home when you can and WALK
- Pick up any trash you may find outside
- Eat less seafood to save the fish from going extinct
- Use fewer plastic products
- Grow your own food to reduce the use of agricultural chemicals
- Use sunscreen that is safe for ocean life
By following some of Sami’s tips we can help to save our ocean one person at a time!

References

(1) Kowalski, K. M. (2010). Oceans of trouble: Your health is closely connected to the sea’s health. Current Health Teens, 37(2), 16-19.

(2) Laws, Regulations, Treaties. (2013, April 9). EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/marinedebris/lawsregs.cfm

(3) Ocean Pollution. (2014). Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 1p.

 

Trees Seem to be Key

The tree house the kids are standing below (1)

The kids are standing below the tree house wondering, 'This tree house looks cool and all, but what makes it any more special than our regular houses?'

The Lorax is waiting on the front porch of the tree house, inviting the kids to come in. He is eager to show them around his tree home and to explain just how special it really is. 

The Lorax (2)

”Come on in guys, hurry, before there isn’t a tree left to explore!”

Raccoons using a tree
as their home. (3)

The first branch the Lorax takes the kids to is called Animal Support, known as AS. AS supports the ladder that leads you up to the tree house. Just like the branch supports the ladder, trees support animal life by housing them, as seen in the image to the left.

“Next stop, Oxygen Alley. 

We call it OA for short.” 

OA is the branch that holds up the porch, which allows us to communicate with those below. Just like OA is a connector between the porch and the outside world, trees supply us with oxygen, which helps us talk as much as we want with our friends. 

A piece of wood furniture
that was made from a tree (4)

Right after OA, the kids were led to Hardwood Holder-uppers. 

• HH is a branch in the tree house that has a very important job. 
• It supports the floor that you can use to sit on. 
• Just like the branch holds up the floor that can act as furniture, trees give us lumber that is used to make chairs, couches, tables, and beds.

At this point in the tour, the kids were 

all excited and ready to learn more.

Who knew trees did so many things for us?! 

Unfortunately, the adventure was quickly coming to an end, so the Lorax took a time-out to explain to the kids:

Apples growing on a tree (5)

The next pause happened in front of the Healthy Branch. 
The HB is the branch that holds up the walls of the tree house. Just like the HB keeps the walls of the treehouse standing strong, trees give us important foods such as apples, nuts, and syrup, which all help us stay healthy and strong.

The next and final stop of the kids’ tree-house adventure was at Hide-and-Seek Branch.

Animals using the tree to hide (6)

“The HAS,” the Lorax explained with wonder in his voice, “is perhaps the strongest branch of them all because it holds up the roof.” Just like the HAS helps the roof stay up, keeping us safe from storms, trees make great protection for animals and hunters when the weather gets rough.

Now that the tour was over, the children were sad that they had to leave. They said their goodbyes to the Lorax and promised to come back again soon. He reminded them as they climbed down the ladder, "Always remember how important trees are, and how fun tree houses can be!"

(1) Clipart. Cartoon tree house. [Online image]. Retrieved from http://www.clipartbest.com/clipart-yco495j9i

(6) Cole, M. Illustration of animals under the tree on white. [Online image]. Retrieved

                 from http://www.shutterstock.com/s/%22squirrel+tree%22/search.html?page=1&inline=105833450

(5) Inwallspeakers. Green apple tree clipart. [Online image]. Retrieved from http://inwallspeakers1.com/green-apple-tree-clipart/

(4) Seamartini. Cartoon wooden chest of drawers vector. [Online image]. Retrieved      
                 from http://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/cartoon-wooden-chest-of-drawers-vector-2048319

(2) Tinsel-tv. Lorax character mr (4). [Online image]. Retrieved from http://tinsel.tv/the-lorax-stills/#jp-carousel-9121

(3) Wdwf. Raccoon family in tree den. [Online image]. Retrieved from http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/snags/

 

Field Trip to Jurassic Park!

                Field Trip to Jurassic Park!

Imagine all your classmates piling into a bus and taking a field trip to see wooly mammoths or saber-toothed tigers just like the ones in the movie Ice Age! It seems crazy right? But, someday this kind of field trip might


Characters from Ice Age (2).

be possible through the process of CLONING.


Cloning is a process scientists do to create a genetic copy of an animal. An easier way to think about cloning is to think about twins (1). Do you have any friends that are identical twins? Their DNA is exactly the same so they are like clones. 

Scientists are working to collect DNA from animals that have gone extinct to make clones of them and BRING THEM BACK FROM THE DEAD!

Pretend you are walking through the zoo: to your right you see a wooly mammoth exhibit, to your left you see a cage containing two Tasmanian tigers, playfully fighting, and straight ahead you see a pasture of different animals such as the Pyrenean ibex (large mountain goat) or the Auroch (large, amored cow) (3). You've probably never heard of some of these animals because they went extinct! But wouldn't it be awesome to see these amazing animals?

Someday this zoo may actually exist as scientists continue to research cloning. Animals like sheep have already been successfully cloned (4). It is just a matter of time before a wooly mammoth becomes just as common as an elephant in a zoo!

                      How Cloning Works
As you continue walking through the zoo, you enter a building that tells you about how cloning these extinct animals became possible. This is the interesting information you learn:
Cloning is something scientist have been working on for years. There are two main types of cloning: artificial embryo twinning and somatic cell nuclear transfer.They take embryos from an animal and make copies of them in a laboratory. After that they place the copies into a surrogate mother who carries the clone and gives birth to it (1). So when a scientist finds DNA from a wooly mammoth, they can take it, make copies, and then place it into an animal that is close to a wooly mammoth, like an elephant. The elephant carries the wooly mammoth clone and eventually gives birth to it. And wa-la! A baby wooly mammoth clone is born!

Peaches from Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (5).

 

 Sadly, dinosaurs cannot be cloned with today's technology (3). Although the idea of a dinosaur zoo, like Jurassic Park, seems exciting, it is mostly science fiction, or imaginary. However, technology is always changing, so maybe someday dinosaur DNA will be able to be cloned.

So remember what you learned on your imaginary field trip to the extinct animal zoo, and wait patiently as scientists try to make it REAL! 

1. What is cloning? 2014. Learn Genetics. Genetic Science Learning Center. Retrieved from: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cloning/whatiscloning/.
2. "Ice Age" cast. [photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2014, from http://www.kdramastars.com/articles/34661/20140826/ice-age-5.htm.
3. Quiros, G. (2014, April 22). Should scientists bring extinct species back from oblivion? PBS Newshour. Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/reawakening-extinct-species/.
4. Panno, J. (2005). Animal cloning: The science of nuclear transfer. Retrieved from: http://pilot.passhe.edu:8010/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=3&ti=1,3&=&=&=&=&PID=wDOn3zPIZ6LbJ9LrUN-um9RnBFfp5&SEQ=20141023101908&SID=1.
5. Peaches portal.png. [photograph]. (n.d.) Retrieved November 28, 2014, from: http://iceage.wikia.com/wiki/File:Peaches_portal.png.