Alternative Fuels

One new and upcoming fuel source that is being developed and used is the production of Bioethanol. This is a renewable form of ethanol that can be made from agricultural products such as corn, sugar cane, and potatoes. There are a lot of upsides to this fuel. There are some concerns however. The fuel is renewable source and considered "green." Some of the downsides and cons associated with this fuel are the increase in food cost. If crops were to start being used for fuel as well as food then the demand for these crops would rise and probably drive up the costs. There is also a concern for the balance or energy and pollution that comes with the production of bioethanol. Another con is that this process can have excess wastes that are largely useless. There is research being done into uses for the waste. One example of this is using different types of grasses to make the fuel and then using the waste produced to make things like paper.

Amphioxus

This small organism known as Amphioxus, or as Lancelet is believed to be the precursor to modern vertebrates. This is believed because this organism has been around for millions of years. It has a basic structure but it has many of the basic parts that set apart vertebrates from other organisms. Its basic structure and its old origins have led to the belief that it is an early basis for what evolved into modern vertebrates. Another characteristic that supports this theory is the study of the Lanelet genome. When studying the genome scientist find that it is by far the most basic chordate identified. This means that it was the first to split from the common ancestor from all chordates that predates the Cambrian Era. It being the first split shows that it is the origin of today's vertebrates.

Mitochondrial Eve

There is a belief and theory that all people have a common ancestor in a figure known as, Mitochondrial Eve. This woman was believed to live somewhere in Northern Africa. From her offspring was the basis for all of the world's population. As the population is this area began to grow different groups began to migrate to different areas. As these people migrated over time they began to develop differently based on their new environments. This is why people of different races look differently even though they all have a common ancestor.

Below are examples of how people have developed differently, and the different characteristics of different races.

Mexican

Ugandan

British

Italian

Japanese

Macon Dog Park Lab

In our last lab we ventured to the Macon Dog Park and took water samples from the urban creek that ran through it. We also talked about the value of dog parks to people and the communities that they are a part of. Dog parks would overall greatly increase a sense of community in an area. They provide an area where families can come together with their pets and just enjoy being outdoors. It provides a great place for recreation. A dog park generally draws the same type of audience. This brings people together who have similar interest. Their love of their pet and a desire for recreation will bring people to the park from all around the community. This will have a large amount of people with the same interest in the same place. This can lead to the rise of relationships and friendships centered around the dog park. These connections would not have been made had the dog park not been there. The dog parks can also help lower the crime rate in an area. Dog parks generally draw a lot of people and a lot of families with children. When all of these people are present the crime rate tends to drop. Criminals tend to shy away from areas that are heavily populated with these people and families with children.

There is however one downside to dog parks is sanitation. Generally dog parks are kept clean to the naked eye, but just as when a lot of different kids are present in a daycare all of the different dogs coming and going in the park can allow for the spread of diseases and sickness. These diseases and bacteria are not necessarily harmful to humans, but they can be very harmful to dogs. If the bacteria level becomes high enough it can lead to the closing of a dog park. An Austin Dog Park is a perfect example of this. So it is very important that in a park people take responsibility for the animals. They need to clean up after them and make sure they are vaccinated before visiting a public setting like a dog park. If they don't and bacteria start to spread it could cause the closure of the park and the sense of community in the area could be hurt and damaged.

Jackson Springs Park Lab

In this lab we walked around Jackson Springs Park and examined the rocks along its creek bed going through the middle of the park. We discussed the history of the park and its development form the much larger Baconsfield Park to the smaller Jackson Springs Park that it is today. We also discussed how the neighborhoods in the surrounding areas developed according to the social class of the people and their needs or wants. Some neighborhoods developed with lots of land and large houses for the wealthy. Some developed cheaper houses for the working class, and some developed for the middle class with children.
After talking about the history we got hammers and started to examine the geology of the area. We looked at the rich soil around the edge of the stream and we studied rocks. We found lots of sandstone, quartz, and even some gneiss along the bank. We sifted the soil and found that it was very silty in some areas and also contained a lot of clay in others.

Hitchiti Experimental Forest

In lab we visited the Hitchiti Experimental Forest and hiked along the Hitchiti or Ernst Brendner Trail. This forest is called experimental because certain parts of it are subject to experimental burning at different intervals to study the growth and recovery of the ecosystem after an event such as a burning.

Along the hike we saw a number of different plants and soil types. Parts of the trail ran in old, dried river banks and along the side of a river. This allowed us to see very rich organic soil. We also were able to find large rocks that were in the ground that would had a number of different mosses growing on them. Two plants that we came across were wild ginger and sassafras. Wild ginger is a small root-like plant that grew out of the ground. This plant tends to prefer shaded, rich, organic soil. This makes the forest floor of Hitchiti that was shaded by large pine and oak trees an ideal place for this plant. One interesting feature of this plant is that it smells like licorice. The other plant we took special notice of is sassafras. One particular interesting point about this plant is that it expresses three different leaf strategies on the same tree. It has an oval unlobed leaf, a bilobed or mitten-shaped, and a trilobed  or three pronged leaf.

Ginger

Sassafras Leaf Strategies

Lake Sidney Lanier

Lake Lanier officially called Lake Sidney Lanier is my favorite lake. It is located in Hall County Georgia. It is a man made lake that was created with the completion of the Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956. Today this lake is used for a number of different recreational activities. It is also used as a food and water source for the surrounding areas. The major use for this area is recreation. There is a large country club with a beach and its own amusement park on the lake side.