VanCleave's Science Fun

Your Guide to Science Projects, Fun Experiments, and Science Research

Archives for 2010

Animal Development Glossary

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animal pole The end of a zygote with relatively less yolk and lying closer to the cell’s nucleus. The location of the egg’s poles defines the orientation in which the embryo develops. blastocyst Hollow, fluid-filled ball of cells that is formed in the early stages of the embryonic development of humans and other mammals. In […]

Ecology Population Glossary

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arithmetical increase An increase in numbers by an addition of a fixed number in each time period. biosphere The interactive collection of all the world’s ecosystems. Also thought of as that portion of the Earth that supports life. carrying capacity The maximum population density of a species that can be sustained in a given geographical […]

Ecology Communities Glossary

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Batesian mimicry A type of mimicry in which one species evolves to resemble a species that has superior protection against predators. biodiversity Variety among living things. There are three principal types of biodiversity: species diversity, geographic distribution of species populations, and genetic diversity within species populations. biological legacy A living thing, or product of a […]

Ecology Glossary

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abiotic Pertaining to nonliving things. algal bloom An overabundance of algae in a body of water, resulting from an excess of nutrients. The many dead algae that fall to the bottom allow decomposing bacteria to flourish, using up so much oxygen that fish can suffocate. aquifer Porous underground rock in which groundwater is stored. algal […]

Moon Landing

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Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin hold the title of being the first to walk on the Moon. There were three crewmen, the third being Michael Collins who orbited in the Command Module while Armstrong and Aldrin were on the Moon’s surface. For details and photos, see Apollo 11 Mission.

Plant Root Systems

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Taproot System: The dandelion plant has a tap root system, which consists of a main root that grows straight down. This root is much larger than the roots branching from it. The smaller branching roots are called rootlets, and these roots grow laterally. Plants with a tap root are difficult to transplant. When you pull […]

Geotropism

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Upside Down Planter There is a special Planter advertised on TV that allows you to grow a tomato plant upside down. I wondered how successful this would be and designed a planter. The planters shown were designed by Amida and her sons. When potted, the stem and leaves of the small tomato plant were pushed […]

Cloud Formation Video

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After watching the video, check out some of the other posts on this website about clouds. EARTH SCIENCE BOOKS Earth Science is the study of the Earth, which includes the atmosphere (air layer), lithosphere (solid materials-rocks), and hydrosphere (water-oceans, rivers, lakes,and streams)  

Cloud Colors

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Question: Why are clouds white? Answer: Clouds are white because white light comes from the clouds to your eyes. Now let me explain where this white light comes from. 1. Light from the sun is white. This means it is made up of all the colors of the light spectrum, which are the colors of […]