NEW YORK TO L.A IN 41 MIN.

Countries all over the world are investing to build better, faster trains. How? Well there are essentially two types of trains right now in the present world. Conventional trains, and maglev type trains. Conventional involves steel-wheel-on-steel-track systems, that generally travel around 200 mph. Maglevs are a little faster and travel at speeds up to 270 mph. The magnetic repulsion between an onboard magnet and one embedded in the track itself is commonly what powers this type of train. This is where Robert Salter's idea with the RAND corporation comes in. In 1972, he proposed a "very high-speed" train called a "vactrain," he said this train would travel on magnetic rails similarly as "much as a surfboard rides the ocean's waves." This is where the similarity ends. Unlike the surfer, the train would be sealed in a vacuum. Therefore, not only not facing any rolling resistance from the rails, but also zero wind resistance from the atmosphere as well. Because of the fact that there is almost no resistance from anything, this train supposedly can travel significantly faster than any modern day trains. In fact, founder of et3 Daryl Oster proposed a maglev that could travel at speeds up to 4,000 miles per hour, able to zip from New York to Los Angeles in only 41 minutes. This train could very well be a very common type of train in Americas near future as well because, Vice President Joseph Biden announced recently in February that the U.S would invest $53 billion in high speed trains in the next 6 years. I cannot wait to get on a train like that!

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Solution to Snow?

Well it's winter and it just won't stop SNOWING! I' am totally frustrated and just like me so are Russia and China. Sick of all the snow, these two countries are not trying to find new ways to clear it, but control this form of precipitation before it even starts. These two countries are trying to do this by doing something called cloud seeding. This is when planes spray clouds in the sky with a number of substances. In China they are using silver iodine, while in Russia they are going to use a mix of cement powder, dry ice, and silver iodine. This works by causing water vapor in the air to crystalize or freeze at different temperatures. Although the effectiveness of cloud seeding is unsure, some experts predict of only a maximum of a 20% change in precipitation. But this is enough for the two countries to use this formula in complete opposite ways. In Russia they are planning on limiting or decreasing snow, and some people like former Mayor Yury Luzhkov have already tried. In contrast Beijing a city suffering from drought for the past decade, they plan to use it to encourage rainfall. In my opinion I agree with these countries, finding new ways to control the weather will actually help us now and in the future as global warming continues and causes even more severe temperatures and weather to occur. But all I have to say is, when does America get to try some!

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(All info. above was retrieved from the link above)

Antimatter

(Image by: NASA's Goddard Space Flight center)

Whenever I come across the word antimatter, the first thing that comes into my head is the universe and how big it is. In addition, I also think about how antimatter is somthing that is far away, deep in the universe nowhere near where I am. But the article I read on NASAs website proved me wrong. It talked about how NASAs gamma-ray space telescope Fermi detected antimatter being released from thunderstorms on Earth! Apparantly in a thunderstorms intense electrical field, electrons located there are accelerated upwards (here the electrons can ramp up to speeds close to light!). When one of these electrons come in contact with an atom it gives off a gamma-ray. In addittion very few times a gamma-ray grazes an atom. Accordingly, it then transforms into two particles. One normal matter, an electron, the other electrons oppisite, a positron, otherwise known as antimatter. The accelerated electrons travel on the Earths magnetic field. Some of these hit Fermi also riding on Earths magnetic field letting it detect this amzing phenomenon in the first place. That is really cool. I mean who would of thought something like antimatter was created in the everyday thunderstorm.

(here is the link to the article I got this info. from. You should really take a look at it because it provides more info. and there is a really cool and enriching video about the subject as well!)

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GLAST/news/fermi-thunderstorms.html

The tree and the soil in this picture are a wonderful example of a mutualistic relationship because in this soil are many worms. Earth worms to be exact. These worms burrow through the soil mixing it up helping the plant get the nutrients it needs. In addition the worms are able to get the food and shelter they need to survive. Also, the scat of the Earth worms are filled with the nutrients the tree need to survive. This is a perfect example of a mutualistic relationship because both species are benefiting from what each other does and so this is a symbiotic relationship.

Limiting Factors

Trees are a very exceptional examples of a limiting factor. If you look to the tree in the picture to your left you could see that its branches and leaves are widespread shading most of the ground underneath the tree preventing most, if not all of its competition from growing. Its roots are also spread very deep into the ground giving it the ability to soak up all the water it needs. In the process strangling the roots of weeds and other pests. Trees are limiting factors that have been around for billions of years and do a very good job at this.

Super Fall!

Water falls are a beautiful part of nature and everyone loves them including me. But a gigantic one that powers electricity for a city, now thats a step up. Rio de Janeiro has a solar powered artificial waterfall that works day in or day out. This tower uses many solar panels and excess energy is used to help pump sea water into a tower. At night the falling water makes the energy. Who would have knew. An Eco friendly power generator that looks absolutley magnificent. Personally I think this is a great invention and proves to me that us humans might actually solve our energy problems and lessen our impact dramaticly on the Earth. This waterfall even has a shop and cafeteria for those not interested or bored with the waterfall. Even though that is imossible to happen I think that was still a good idea. Thats not all there is either. There are 360 degree sky decks and visitors can even do some bungee jumping for 90 stories high. Now isn;t bungee jumping of a water fall breathtaking. This place has EVERYTHING! Plus to counter all the carbon the city realeses into the air the have planted 3580 saplings! Now this city is someone we Americans should look up to.

SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH! (Sort Of)

Whats the first thing that comes to your mind when you here the phrase "3-D game" with new nintendo game system written after it. I do not know about you but I would not say any thing. Instead, I will stare wide eyes my jaw wide open for about five seconds before I act like a monkey and jump around the whole house screaming like a donkey. Well atleast that's what I will be doing in my brain. The thing is I am sort of a video game addict who loves 3-D games. Since the entire virtual world is jumping into 3-D, nintendo the biggest game system company in the world has decided to join the ride. In my opinion this would maybe be a scientific breakthrough. Oh, and also one of the single most wonderful moments of my life because I love Nintendo systems and games and I also love 3-D, so this is a very cool scientific breakthrough if you ask me. How I found this amazing piece of news you ask? Well I had some homework and had to make a blog on something when I saw a picture of a DS with a 3-D mario on it. I immediatly clicked on the link my heart skipping a beat. Ok, fine I wasn't really that excited I was just happy that I might have found something interesting for my blog. After reading what it was mainly about my initial shcok weared off and the next thing the claimed my thoughts was that how?? I know that every 3-D movie or game needs special glasses but the article said that it didn't use them. Puzzled I read on to find out that it does this using extremly sensitive tilting technology. Yeah maybe it really wasn't a scientific breakthrough rather a clever use of the technology already available. Well I was still excited to read that this master peice had already came out in Japan and would soon come to America in 3 months. I am going to ask no beg no cry so my parents to give me it on my birthday that will come soon after. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!