As most people know, Sahara Desert is one of the first ten biggest deserts in the world. When people think of desert, high temperature and dry air would probably become the first two phrases come to mind. And then I got interested in how does the desert came from.

Sahara desert, located in the Morocco, is the place that consists of the abundant sunshine and serious natural situation which means it is extraordinary for animals or plants to live. However, to discover the mysterious desert, many scientists and travelers come to visit the challenges. Through the research, scientist describes that the Sahara desert consists the lowest temperature in high altitude and the highest temperature in low altitude. And the difference of temperature between day and night is huge. Also the rivers coming from outside the Sahara desert made up the underground water or surface water. Even though the desert includes harsh conditions, it still provides us the precious gift, like the mineral resources including petroleum.
Nowadays, researchers still insist on discovering the formation principle of the Sahara desert. One of the reasons is influenced by the geography feature. Since Sahara desert mostly covers the flat ground, it is easier to form a desert. In this case, the null hypothesis would be the formation of the Sahara desert is not influenced by landscape features. And the alternative hypothesis would be the formation of the Sahara desert is influenced by landscape features. Based on the limited scientific technology, Sahara desert still needs more knowledge to be discovered.

Desert as one of the mysterious existence provides us diverse information about the nature and even human beings’ source. It shows a totally different place that we cannot even experience in our regular residential area. But there are still some people live near the Sahara Desert in the assistance for a special animal living in a desert called camel.
Camel, a famous transportation in desert, consists small head, wide neck and brown fur on the huge body. Due to the special body function, camels usually can stay alive in a month without food and a week without water. This feature helps them to become one of the major animals through a desert area.

In conclusion, through the mysterious nature, there is always something we do not know or do not experience before. Even though it still needs more discovering in the future, the answer will come out one day through the challenging and hard working.

Sources:

1. Sahara Desert
2. Camel
3. Sahara Desert Facts

Recently, my mom traveled to Thailand and send me lots of pictures of elephants. When I saw the picture, the giant volume of elephant suddenly attracted my attention. Go over the images, I found out an interesting fact that no adult elephants is jumping. To find out the reason, I start my research.

First of all, I want to talk about the basic information about Asian elephants. As one of the smartest animals in the world, elephants have big brains and developed a way to comfort their friends when they are in a difficult situation which can only do by a few types of animals. Comparing to African elephants, Asian one is much more smaller and lighter than an elephant in Africa area whose height is around 3 meters from feet to shoulder. And they usually use a long nose to catch the food and throw it into the mouth. Also, there is another interesting fact about the elephant. As most people know, human beings stay pregnant for ten months to give birth, but elephants need to take twenty to twenty-two months.

However, those basic information cannot provide direct evidence to illustrate why elephants cannot jump. Since scientists have not yet provided any research results to the public, I only find some assumptions. Initially, it might cause by elephants’ strange skeleton. Since elephant owns weak ankles, it is hard for them to do the strenuous exercise, like jumping. Their ankles will hurt due to the frequent movement. Second, according to physics, the heavy weight may be another reason. As the equation shows that pressure equals to force divided by surface area. Since the weight of an elephant is big and the area of the feet is small, it would result in a huge pressure which would be hard for an elephant to endure.

Furthermore, to my surprise, the most frequent news about elephant is not its interesting fact, but it is about the illegal ivory trade. Since the teeth of elephants can be used as both medicine and sculpture materials, it become a popular object around the world. And business men are concentrated on trading those special elements from countries to countries which hurt the elephants’ growth, like some elephants developed as a special type that born without teeth. Further information can be got it here:  Ivory Trade
In conclusion, even though there are many elephants existing around the world, they still need protections. From doing a little thing like avoid buying staffs made by ivory, it may provide a safe situation for elephants to stay alive.

Source:

1. elephant
2. Elephant cannot Jump

A bright light suddenly across from the dark sky. Most people may guess it is the lightning, but if you live near the north pole you would definitely spell out Aurora. Green lights, purple lights and even red lights. All different kinds of lights show up in the sky and consist a spectacular image that words cannot even describe.

Actually, in the ancient time, local residents did not know the northern lights are a kind of scientific phenomenon. Some people described it as a sign that was given from the Gods while other people thought it is the splash of snowflakes played by little fox. However, with the development of scientific knowledge, scientists discovered the real cause of the aurora and found out several facts.

First of all, the northern lights actually are the interacting between charged particles and earth’s magnetic field. When particles come out from the sun, they react with magnetic field and store energy. When that energy release, it turns out to be aurora consisting of several types of wavelength. Different types of aurora are caused by diverse particles. For example, when most people went to see the aurora, they saw green or orange color for the most part of time. The reason is that most part of air consists of nitrogen and oxygen. And when oxygen atom interacts, it releases a green light. When nitrogen atom interacts, it releases orange light. Also, those phenomena can be seen in the space too. However, there are still some unknown information carried with aurora, like the weird sound. Scientists are still investigating.

Furthermore, one of the important suggestions is about photographing those fantastic northern lights. Through the research, professional photographer suggests that it is essential that we carry a camera that you are comfortable to operate and have an extra battery due to the cold temperature. Also, the low temperature sometimes would hurt the camera lens, it is better for us to keep it in the bag until the aurora shows up.

In conclusion, here are some traveling suggestions if you want to see the aurora. There are numerous places, like Alaska in USA, Norway in Europe, and North Canada. First, since aurora usually appears in the late night, it is important for you to carry warm clothes. Second, you need to contact with the local tour guide, because they own the information package to know where has the most chance for the appearance of the aurora. Third, you can also plan to further local activities like ski or sledding.

Aurora is a mystery created by nature. Even though we may not have enough knowledge to discover the deep concept, it would definitely find out in the future. Also, I would highly recommend you to travel to one of the places I listed above. It would be part of the best experiences in your life.

Sources:

1. Facts about Northern Lights
2. How to Photograph Northern Lights
3. Photos Recording Northern Lights Sound

Recently, one of the famous science news talked about that giant panda is not endangered any more due to the hard working of the Chinese government. However, since giant panda is an endemic species which can only survive in China, it is not a well known animal over the world. Due to my personal interest on cute animals. I did some researches on giant pandas. And I will present them in three parts, including external features, living conditions and culture.

External Features

Big black ears, black circle around eyes, black arms and legs with white in the center of the body. These terms correctly describe the external features of pandas which only including two colors on their bodies. The color of black and white helps them to hide under the snow or a dark bosk in order to avoid enemies. Moreover, their claws are mostly sharp which assists them to catch or eat food. Giant pandas, just as their names, are really huge and male pandas usually are bigger than female pandas.

Living Conditions

Even though pandas become famous these years, they actually stayed for thousands of years in the world as an existent proof of ancient animals. And each of them usually lives for twenty to thirty years. As an endemic species, giant panda has a high requirement for living. One of their hard requirements includes high humidity which needs to be over eighty percent. And also for the most part of their lives, giant pandas only eat bamboos and water as their food. Except eating, they usually spend half the day to get enough sleep which becomes one of the causes of heavy weight. Also this habit decreases their energy consumption.

Culture

As a national animal in China, giant pandas also becomes a symbol of the Olympic Games named friendlies in Beijing, China. There are five of them including Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini. Each of them represents different meanings which are prosperous,happiness, passion, health and luckiness. Also, there is a movie related to the giant panda called Kung Fu Panda. If you are interested in, you can click on the you tube video showing below. Kung Fu Panda

Recently, a show including pandas which just born happened in China and attracted many visitors from different countries. And there is an interesting picture describes that a panda wanted to play with his neighbor but fell down from the stage. Last, if you want to travel to China, you can stop by in Chengdu, Sichuan to visit giant pandas. I am sure they will give you a big welcome party using their cute body languages. And even though giant pandas are not endangered animals anymore, they still need protections because of the low birth rate.

Sources:

1. Giant Panda Facts
2. Baby Panda
3. No Longer in Danger

When I was a little child, one of the worst vegetables in my mind was spinach because of the weird feeling on my teeth after I ate it. To figure out the reason cause the strange feeling on my teeth, I did some researches. Although there might be some confounding variables, one of the most important reasons is the presence of oxalic acid. Through the research, oxalic acid is a chemical which protects spinach from insects’ invading. And after it reacts with calcium, it would become a solid which cannot be dissolved in the water. This type of acid stays on people’s tongues or teeth causing the bitter feeling. However, to improve our living situation, scientists insist on discovering new types of spinach which will get rid of this weird feeling these years.

Nowadays, there are several types of spinach. One of the most common one is flat-leaf spinach which can be used in salad. Even though I do not like to eat spinach, my parents sometimes would force me to have some due to its’ benefits. First of all, it has lots of advantages for college students who need to use the laptop for studying. Staying in front of a computer for a long time is definitely bad for eyes which may lead to nearsightedness. Several vitamins like vitamin A which also existing in carrots is really good at providing enough nutrition for eyes. Vitamins also protect skin and hair from thirsty situation. And the protein with minimal calories preventing people from disease which helps people to build a strong body. Moreover, spinach is not just for younger people, but also for elder people. The iron in spinach increases the blood cell in the human body which prevents them from heart diseases. And the minerals inside also improve the function of digestion which assists people to discharge trash from body.

When there are many advantages to eat spinach, there are also a few disadvantages. For example, pesticides which prevent vegetables from insects causing the oxalic acid remaining on spinach leave. And it would be bad for our human body. However, there are several ways to avoid this situation. First, cooker can boil the spinach in water for ten seconds before cooking. Second, people can buy organic spinach which would include less oxalic acid.

Even though I did not like to eat spinach when I was a little, I start to eat it these years because it is good for my health. And also I get a good recipe to cook it which is to mix the spinach with meat sauce after boiling it. It is really delicious. And if you want to learn more about spinach, you can check more information below:Scientists Eye Benefits Spinach

Sources:

1. http://www.livescience.com/51324-spinach-nutrition.html
2. http://www.livescience.com/56237-why-spinach-makes-teeth-feel-weird.html

Images Sources:
1. https://www.google.com/search?q=spinach&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwppyU3rzPAhVE4CYKHQrmBogQ_AUICCgB&biw=1440&bih=755#imgrc=sBGOAOMNogF-HM%3A

2. https://www.google.com/search?q=%E8%8F%A0%E8%8F%9C%E8%82%89%E9%85%B1&biw=1440&bih=755&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwin5qOp3rzPAhXEZiYKHfIiByMQ_AUICCgB#imgrc=dYsQBIEYv4haHM%3A

3.https://www.google.com/search?q=pesticide+spinach&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiIk4S63rzPAhXJSSYKHZL2A38Q_AUICCgB&biw=1440&bih=755#imgrc=9ZrvyAnWb4h9DM%3A

Nowadays, many teenagers choose to drink soda or coffee instead of water. And also I was one of those people. However, after I read from the article published in Top Ten. I realized that even though those drinks may give us a temporary flavor, it is more important for people to drink water. It may taste plain, but the water will build a colorful world in our body. Below, I listed several reasons that encourages us to drink water.

Initially, the most important thing for girls is to keep beauty. Here, I will explain why water will help us in this case. After drinking lots of water, water will come down to your intestine and clean the dirty objects. Also, water will help you functioning the metabolism at the same time which assists you to get rid of those dirty staffs quickly. In that way, water protects your skin by cleaning your body garbage. Moreover, water can help us to stay in a good mood. When epinephrine is too excited, people may get excited or depressed quickly. To get away this disappointed mood, people can drinking water. As the idea discussed above, water can clean dirty things in the body. Also in this case, water can help people get away the surplus epinephrine quickly which will settled down the mood. Last, it is important for you to drink water when you are sick. Since water can help you expelling the bad staffs, it is essential to drink water when you are coughing or having fever.

Above are the several significant benefits of drinking water. Furthermore, it is also important to own a good habit about drinking water. For example, do not drink water quickly right after exercising. Also, do not drink water until you are thirsty. Further information can be read from the source Top Ten Benefits of Drinking Water . In conclusion, drinking more water to build a healthier life style.

Source: http://www.top10homeremedies.com/kitchen-ingredients/10-health-benefits-of-drinking-water.html

With the development of society, more and more workers or even students are struggling with the time management. They are forced to manage their time wisely in order to complete their jobs or works perfectly before the deadline. However, it is important to know that getting enough sleep is also essential in people’s lives.

Through the article 11 Surprising Health Benefits of Sleep, the author provides several evidences about health benefits of sleeping. And I summarize them for three main ideas. First of all, sleeping can improve people’s memory. When people are sleeping, their brain is more active than usual. Therefore, sleeping assists the brain to reanalyze the staffs, restore the information and memorizing important messages. Moreover, it is also important to sleep which help people to remain beauty. Since sleeping offers a resting time for human body, there are more blood circulation happened through skin. So, it is easier for skin to get repaired. One more obvious evidence to show the importance of sleeping is that if you do not get enough sleep, there would be a big black circle around your eyes which may affect your entire look. Last, sleeping can improve your health. The research shows that it is good for sick people to get sleep because sleeping improves the immunity of human beings which helps them to build resistance to germs.

Therefore, what is the best time for people to sleep? To answer that question, researcher suggested that it is good for people to sleep around six hours to ten hours for adults each day. Also it is really good for you to take a nap around noon which may provide you a more energetic brain to work in the afternoon. If you want to get more information about the sleeping time, below is the link connected to the idea.What’s The Best Time To Sleep?

With the development of internet, more and more people choose to work at home instead of running out under the sunshine. Also, many people are afraid to go under the sun, because the sunlight will hurt our skin and it is hard to get it back. However, whether it is a good choice to avoid meeting with the sun is a question I am researching for this passage.

After reading an article online, I concluded three important benefits of spending time with sunlight. First of all, it can prevent people from short sight. Through the research written from an university department in Australia, it is important to know that the sunshine stimulates the growing of dopamine which can help focalizing the light correctly in eyes. Furthermore, basking can prevent people from sickness or diseases. The sunlight increases the amount of Vitamin D in our body which helps our blood circulation and possess immunity enhancement and then decreases the frequency of sickness. And also this idea is proved by the Yale University. Moreover, the most interesting thing is that basking can help us to extend life-span. Since people choose to exercise under the sunshine instead of working in their office, they get a stronger body to live which prevent most of them from serious disease.

Therefore, sunlight is beneficial to most of people. However, it is also important to know that basking is a way to get healthier but only if you feel comfortable about that. And one more suggestion is that it is important to avoid hanging out around noon during the summer time. Otherwise, you may get sick because of the high temperature. In the end, I’d like to say that winter is almost coming and let us catch the tail of summer. Enjoy the Sunshine and get healthily.

Below is the link I got information from and also you can click it if you want to get more information about benefits of sunshine.What Are the Benefits of Sunlight

Hello, everyone! My name is Yixiao Jiang and I come from Wuhan, China. I am a freshman this year. But it’s my third year to study as an international student in America. And I was in a Catholic School in Boston before. The reason I chose this class is my advisor highly recommended me to take this class. He said I can learn more scientific things that related to my daily life. And I might apply those knowledge to my life. Since I am a realistic person, I chose this class which helps me to gain enough credits in college and might help me in the future.

Furthermore, I am in DUS now, and I want to study risk management in my following college year. Since I do not like to memorize professional terms like chlorophyll, especially studying in a foreign country, I did not choose science as my major. However, I like part of science topics which relates to our life and I am also interested in doing experiments. There is a link below connecting to a YouTube video about 10 Magic and Cool Science Experiments you can do at home. Hope you can enjoy it! I am really looking forward to take this science class which might change my opinion. That is all I want to say. Thank　you!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFYnRJ20gg8