2015 Spring Issue

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Catapulta SPRING 2015

MARS, fISH &mORE

MANY SCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES!

NEED SLEEP? SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


Editor-in-Chief: Michael Gao (II) Task Manager: William Gao (II) Content Editors: Jiayi Chen (II) Kevin Yang (II) Content Associates: Randy Chen (III) William Ho (III) Ashley Chou (V) Copy Editor: Neil Sun (I) Copy Associates: Alfred Yan (IV) Masha Leyfer (V) Christy Jestin (VI)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Layout Editor: Yinyu Ji (III) Layout Associates: Hayden Codiga (IV) Fahad Anwar (V) Annie Tsan (V) Liane Xu (V)

Website Coordinator: Michael Lee (II) Faculty Advisor: Ms. Bateman

The Vaquita

Need Sleep?

THe Mantis SHrimp

Treasurer: Daniel Sherman (II)

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Everyday radiation

cochineal bugs

spotlight: Bio club

Special Thanks: Mr. Smith

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Dear READER:

Also, thanks for those who came to our Pi Day Fundraiser. And as always, if you’re interested in being a part of Catapulta for next year, please email catapultasciencebls@gmail.com.

BLS CATAPULTA

P.S. Remember to complete the Scavenger Hunt at the back for a chance to win a $15 dollar Starbucks gift card!

Trees and old age

science of the aquarium

see in style

We hope that you had an awesome break! We are very excited to present to you the Spring Issue of Catapulta! This issue includes cool articles ranging from current events in our school (the Science Fair, Biology Club, Beijing Science Contest, and Science Team) to current events all over the world. This will be our third and last issue this school year. As sad as we are to end this year of Catapulta, we have really enjoyed creating the magazine, reading all of your fantastic articles, and seeing you savor the issues. We would like to thank Mr. Smith for his constant support, excitement, and insight for us. We would like to thank Ms. Bateman, our faculty advisor, as well for her tremendous support this entire year.

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Bill nye plans for mars

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I(c)onic filter

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science team

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luminescent glowsticks

Bubbly water

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large hadron collider

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beijing science fair

back inside the BLS garden


KEVIN S. QI, V

“Keep

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your

Distance”

The Mantis Shrimp If someone told you to think of a fast animal, the mantis shrimp would definitely not come to mind. After reading this, your opinion may be different. The mantis shrimp is neither mantis nor shrimp. It looks more like a lobster than either and it is unique enough to belong to its own taxonomic order, Stomatopoda. The mantis shrimp is a type of crustacean that lives mostly in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The 400 species of mantis shrimp are divided into two main groups: spearers and smashers. Both of these groups are extremely powerful and have the ability to decimate their prey instantly. Spearers utilize their sharp appendages to grab and tear through their prey, while smashers use two round clubs to pummel crabs and oysters. When a mantis shrimp strikes, water moves out of the way so quickly that cavitation bubbles form. These cavitation bubbles are essentially pockets of air that normally would not exist. Because of this, water rushes back into the wake of the blows instantly. The intensity of the water movement generates heat and even light.

Cavitation bubbles form most often with smashers, since spearers tend to hunt fish rather than hard-shelled creatures like crabs. When smashers hit their prey, the prey is struck twice: the first time by the smasher’s club, and the second time by the harsh effect of the cavitation bubble. Because of this, a mantis shrimp can stun or kill its prey, even when it misses. The force that a mantis shrimp exerts is equal to that of a .22 caliber bullet, and larger Stomatopods can even break aquarium glass. What makes these crustaceans so powerful? The mantis shrimp’s speed could not be achieved purely by muscle; scientists have concluded that the mantis shrimp draws its energy from a spring-like mechanism inside of its body. Its “spear” or “club” is held down and locked, and when it is released, the built-up power springs forward. In three milliseconds, its weapon can reach speeds of fifty miles per hour. So if you ever see a mantis shrimp, keep your distance. Although they are small, they can still inflict some painful injuries.


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Randy Chen, III Across America, concerns regarding sleep deprivation have encouraged schools to start later. Here, at Boston Latin School, later school start times were proposed. People have suggested that a later start time would alleviate sleep deprivation and allow students to perform at their full Despite the research the AAP has concapacity. ducted, starting school later might not be a viable Research has been conducted on the re- solution to the almost endemic sleep deprivation lease of a chemical in our brains called melato- among teens because of technology. Research nin because of its association with sleepiness. has shown that lights emitted by computers and Typically, melatonin is released as the sun sets, phones signal the brain that it is not yet time to but during the teenage years, melatonin levels sleep. This causes melatonin levels to remain rise later at night, and do not fall back down un- relatively low. As a result, seemingly innocutil several hours later, in the morning. According ous things, like social media, actually make fallto the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), ing asleep harder for teens. Thus, in many cases, preteens need ten to twelve hours of sleep, but teenagers are sleep deprived not only because of as they develop into teenagers, they will begin early school start times, but also because comto feel sleepy later at night and will only require puters and other electronic devices keep them eight or nine hours. awake in the middle of the night. Therefore, if The issue that raised concern was the early school were to start at 8:30 a.m., teenagers would school start time, which is at 7:45 a.m. at BLS. The actually still be sleep deprived, as they would fall argument is that teenagers are biologically incapable asleep later at night due to their reliance on social of falling asleep until 11:00 p.m. and that wak- media as entertainment, and due to later compleing up at 6:00 a.m. would allow them to sleep for tion of homework, as school would also end latonly seven hours, which, according to the AAP, er. So would a later school start time really help is not enough. Therefore, if school were to begin students get more sleep? Perhaps, but only in an at 8:30 a.m, hypothetically, teenagers would sleep ideal world, where teenagers would stop procrasat 11:00 p.m. and wake up at 7:00 a.m, thereby tinating, start sleeping earlier, and not be distracted by electronic devices. obtaining the minimum eight hours of sleep.

“Biologically Incapable of falling asleep until 11:00 p.m�?

Need SLEEP?


t

e h

i t u a q va

Liane Xu, V

The vaquita, also known as the Phocoena sinus, looks like a dolphin, but is actually a porpoise.

Its natural habitat is the northern Gulf of California, which is near Mexico. Growing up to 5 feet long and weighing up to 120 lb, this aquatic animal was first discovered in 1958. Vaquitas are the smallest porpoises on the Earth. They have a dark ring around their eyes and mouth, and a faint line from their mouths to their pectoral fins (near the chest area). Although they are mostly gray, their skin color is lighter on their ventral surface, or their belly. Newborns tend to have darker coloration. Currently, there are only about 97 of them left, making the species critically endangered and the most endangered cetacean, or ma-

rine mammal. Despite marine protection initiatives, illegal fishing operations still capture and accidentally drown them in gillnets, killing over half of their population in the last three years. Twenty percent of vaquitas are entangled in gillnets intended for other fish in its habitat, like totoaba. Even though the totoaba is also critically endangered, China’s high demand for vaquita has caused a boom in the illegal market. Despite efforts to collaborate with the Mexican government, if this bycatch is not eliminated soon, the vaquita could become extinct by 2018 or even sooner. Awareness must be spread to protect this unique species from its demise.

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John Kim, II

EVERYDAY RADIATION

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Can we live a single day without using a mobile phone and Wi-Fi? Most people would say no. Clearly, these technologies play a major role in people’s daily lives. In order to understand the underlying influence of frequently using electric and wireless devices, we should look at something else: our own bodies. In the human body, electrical nervous activity manipulates growth, metabolism, thought, movement, and other functions. Mobile phones, WiFi, and wireless devices, however, carry radiofrequency (RF) fields that disturb this electrical activity. Electromagnetic fields (EMF) from other electrical devices have a similar effect. The human body is susceptible to EMF and RF due to internal chemical reactions such as digestion, metabolism, and brain activity. There are many hazards associated with being exposed to EMF and RF. For over 20 years, physicians had suspected that exposure to EMF from power lines and television caused a wide variety of symptoms, but only in the mid 1990s did it become clear that this was the case. In recent years, there has been increased

exposure to radiofrequency because of widespread usage of wireless technologies. People in modern times are affected by diseases such as cancer, neurological diseases, reproductive disorders, hypersensitivity, and immune dysfunction, which are all linked with radiofrequency and wireless technology. What makes exposure to RF more hazardous than exposure to EMF is that only stationary devices transmit EMF. Because phones are now mobile and electronics are more prevalent in society, people are more vulnerable to the effects of RF. Although many studies reveal that EMF and RF are harmful to human biological systems, their malicious capabilities are not yet fully understood. Therefore, no one knows for sure the full effect of keeping electronic devices nearby. Even if it is difficult, avoiding direct contact with electronic devices for a prolonged time would reduce the potential risk to one’s health.

cancer, neurological diseases, reproductive disorders, hypersensitivity


Biology CLUB

club spotlight! On Tuesday, March 3 after school, many students from all classes in BLS congregated in the Seevak room, eagerly waiting in long lines to sign in and find seats. Their objective? To have a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to meet one of the most influential individuals in the biomedical world. That day, the Boston Latin School Biology Club and the school community had the honor of listening to one of the most influential engineers in the world, Dr. Robert S. Langer. Pioneering biomedical research and medicine development, Dr. Langer has impacted the lives of over 2 billion people with his work and inventions. He has published over 1,300 scientific articles and has been cited for his publications over 169,000 times in the research of other scientists, making Dr. Langer the most cited individual in history. Many interested Latin School

students from all grade levels listened to Dr. Langer talk about his work and his journey into the biomedical field, and learned about his contributions to combating cancer through a new medicine delivery system in the form of naturally decaying medical capsules. In addition to medicine delivery, Dr. Langer also works on medical scaffolds, or body structures that he can artificially grow into replacements for individuals who might have lost or damaged them in injury. This new treatment involves using an individual’s own tissue to grow on a biodegradable structure, which could then be implanted on the individual. Furthermore, Dr. Langer spoke about his own journey into the biomedical field and how he became a leading researcher in drug development and therapeutics. He advised students to pursue their passions, but also keep their minds open to many other amazing opportunities available to them.

There are many ways you can be involved with what the Biology Club is doing. The next Speaker Series event, featuring Dr. Robert Weinberg, the discoverer of several oncogenes related to cancer research, will be on May 27. A current professor at MIT in cancer research, Dr. Weinberg specializes in developing drugs to target cancer stem cells. He has even created a pharmaceutical company called Verastem which is currently creating new drugs to help cancer patients. Weinberg is also a leading member of renowned organizations such as the Broad and Whitehead Institutes. If you attend Dr. Weinberg’s talk, you will get a lot of insight

The Boston Latin School Biology Club sponsors many Speaker Events like the one just described in its Speaker Series. Through this program, students like you are directly connected with the leaders and professionals working in the biomedical community in the Greater Boston Area. There are so many interesting and mind-blowing developments happening in biology and medicine that we are unaware of. The Biology Club aims to bring the advancements and developments directly to us through the people who are leading the research efforts and creating the latest technology themselves. Through participating in the speaker events, students have the opportunity not only to see how concepts taught in class are applied in research to create extremely beneficial developments, but also to speak to the leaders of these mindblowing developments themselves.

and learn exciting things about modern developments in cancer treatment and prevention. The Biology Club will include many speakers from STEM summer programs, who will talk about exciting internships and research opportunities. The Biology Club will also do cool lab demonstrations. And if there is enough interest, the Biology Club has considered having local university students come to tutor biology students. So the bottom line is: consider attending future Biology Club events, as you might learn a lot about cutting-edge research in the biomedical field, find something to do over the summer, or discover a future career for yourself!

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Alfred Yan, Iv

cochineal

bugs

Insects play a rather large role in our lives. For example, bees are important pollinators that create the honey that we consume, and some species of moths produce the silk in our clothes. Another insect that is often used in our daily lives is the cochineal bug Dactylopius coccus. Cochineal bugs are common in the southernmost areas of the United States, Central America and South America, and are adapted to living in deserts and arid locations. Thus, many of them live on prickly pear cactus, which is found in this region. The female stores eggs under its abdomen. When it dies, the nymphs (insects in their immature stage) soon hatch out of the egg and are able to clamber out from beneath their mother’s corpse. At the beginning of their life cycle, these nymphs are known as “crawlers,” since they usually spread around on the cactus plant with their legs, or spread to other cacti using special filaments that allow them to be blown around by the wind. Finally, when these insects settle, they begin to develop. The males of this species grow wings and spend a great portion of their lives flying around and searching for a mate. On the other hand, the females do not develop wings or antennae, but rather cluster around with other females, lose their legs, and become completely immobile, waiting for males to come to them. When a male mates with a female, it almost immediately dies. But then, the female is able to produce offspring and start the life cycle over again, beginning a new generation of nymphs. When first seen, groups of females look almost like a white, soft, cottony clump. This is because during their developmental stage, they coat themselves with waxy

lipstick, paint, clothing, food coloring

scales that are used for protection against predators such as ladybugs, rats, ants, and wasps. Their scales also shield them from harsh temperatures and even insecticides. However, under their layer of wax, the bugs themselves are dark purple. This is because they also produce a substance called carmine, which keeps away predators. Because of carmine’s dark red color, cochineals are often harvested and dried to be used as red dye, a tradition dating back to the time of early Mesoamerican cultures. Carmine dye and is used in lipstick, paint, and clothing, though perhaps the most noteworthy example is food coloring. Many red foods, such as strawberry jam and ketchup, contain extracts of cochineal bugs. Despite how unappealing this may sound, there is a very small health risk, unless the consumer is allergic to insects. Although they may not seem to have as much ecological significance as other organisms such as honeybees, cochineal bugs are one of the most significant industrial producers in our society.


Christy Jestin, VI An Exploration of how Night

vision cameras operate

: n o i s i V t Nigh See in Style

Have you ever wondered how thermal night vision cameras work? There has been a new revolution in the way these amazing gadgets are made, called “Cyberwood.” It is made of hybridized tobacco fused with miniscule carbon nanotubes, which work as heat sensors. Its unique feature, however, is that it lasts for a long time. Today, almost all thermal night vision cameras and electronic thermometers work by using materials with electrical conductivity that changes proportionally to the the change in temperature. The new Cyberwood, however, is much more responsive to temperature changes than those other artificial materials used in thermal devices today, being able to detect the body heat of people from 80 centimeters away. It does this by using plants such as tobacco, which research has found to be very sensitive to changes in temperature. However, it would be futile directly implementing it into the device, because after the plant dies, the device would be rendered useless. Instead of directly using the tobacco, the Cyberwood nanotubes partially infiltrate it by taking the place of water and providing living conductive pathways, creating a structure with properties similar to a tree called a balsam fir. A coauthor of the study, Chiara Daraio, said that they strived not to imitate a natural organism, but to create a novel structure similar to it. Researchers call specimen like cyberwood “plant nanobionics.” The scientists say that they

hope to further improve these materials so that they are bendable or even biocompatible. The relationship between humidity and conductivity suggests that even humidity sensors can be made using this technology. Thus this simple plant material may lead to better quality temperature sensors and thermal night vision cameras.

CYBERWOOD

SImple, but may lead to great technological advances

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William Ho, iii Just how much is a single life worth? This question has been a moral issue for centuries, as evidenced by movements to gain human rights, organizations acting against animal cruelty, and even people restricting their diets so as to avoid causing the deaths of animals. Surely, society has now deemed human lives to be precious—but what about those of fish and small marine creatures? How would the public react if it heard that a fish was worth $30,000? And this leads to the greatest question of all: why is this fish worth so much more than the standard seafood that millions consume daily? Aquarists know that even the most standard saltwater fish can be very costly; most of the common types of fish such as angelfish, butterflyfish, and surgeonfish range from $50 to $500 per individual. Even these minimal prices might be surprising to most people. The justifications behind these high prices are the following: the dangers of collection, the risk of fish mortality, the cost of quick transportation for the live fish, and the multiple hands which handle these fish. Many of these fish are coveted because of their coloration, and some argue that they are even better in appearance than some of the rarest, most expensive fish. In addition, the extremely expensive fish are often very closely related in terms of taxonomy to more common fish, so close that they are in the same genus. Furthermore, rare fish pass through just as many hands as normal fish and require equally quick, long distance transportation. So why the huge discrepancy in price between these common aquarium fish and the rarest ones?

Most of the extremely expensive saltwater fish are found in the oceans at depths of hundreds of meters below sea level. At depths like these, the pressure is tremendous, the water temperature is extremely cold, and sunlight is unable to penetrate the water. In addition, when catching aquarium fish, divers cannot simply take a submarine—they must descend in wet suits and catch these fish by using nets. Thus, the chance of death is very high and diving at such depths is only permitted for the most experienced divers and scientists. In addition to such dangers for divers, there is also greater risk for fish themselves that are caught at deeper depths; the difference in pressure between the ocean’s surface and deeper water is significant, and a rapid change in pressure could affect the gases within the fish’s organs. As a result, fish improperly collected from deep waters often are afflicted with what is known as swim bladder disease, a condition in which the fish’s swim bladder becomes bloated, preventing the fish from swimming properly. The common results of this condition may vary from the fish being forced to swim downwards in minor cases, to being unable to stay upright, floating upside down on the surface of the water. The only cure for extreme cases of swim bladder disease is needling: the fish must be stabbed in the swim bladder with a syringe, and the gas must slowly be extracted from the fish. In addition, this treatment can prove lethal because needling frequently results in bacterial infections. Nevertheless, it can still be difficult to comprehend why change in water pressure is such a concern; probably one of the best examples of what can happen when water pressure changes too quickly is the infamous blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus).

Science


William Ho, iii When extracted from its deep water habitat, the blobfish loses its shape and becomes, quite literally, a blob. It is due to this change in pressure that the blobfish has been named the ugliest animal in the world by the general public. However, not all expensive fish are costly because of their depth: others are costly purely due to their limited range. Many, such as the tiger angelfish (Apolemichthys kingi), are found almost exclusively in protected marine sanctuaries, and the few that stray from these areas are the only ones available to the aquarium trade. For these reasons, when these fish do surface alive, it is only a few times a year, and they command massive prices. Finally, the general location of collection is universally a significant factor to higher pricing for all fish: most saltwater aquarium fish are found in unindustrialized locations, often in third world countries or countries undergoing political turmoil, such as islands in the Pacific Ocean and the Middle East, especially around Saudi Arabia and Yemen. These fish require rapid shipping — one day is the norm when it comes to commercial transportation—from their collection points to wholesalers in developed countries, such as Japan, Germany, and the United States. From the wholesaler, the fish must then be transported once more by air to aquarium shops or directly to client homes. The shipping costs alone are very expensive, but mortality rates during shipping are rather high; if a fish dies in transportation, no profit is made. Therefore, prices must be marked up to accommodate for potential losses on every level of handling. Probably the most well known of the expensive fish is the Centropyge boylei, because of its vibrant red coloration and its presence in the public Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

This fish’s unique striped pattern, small range, and deepdepth habitat make it cost about a thousand times more than the most common dwarf angelfish, and more than three times as much as most other extremely rare dwarf angelfish, such as Centropyge joculator and Centropyge interrupta. This little dwarf angel is known to have been sold for more than $20,000 in the past, and boasts a terrible survival rate—it rarely feeds in captivity and wastes away. Another rare angelfish is the Genicanthus personatus. While the most common Genicanthus angelfishes, the female G. lamarck and G. melanospilos, cost less than $100 each, most Genicanthus angelfish and the male counterparts to these common angelfish are priced between $100 and $300. Along with G. takeuchii, G. spinus, and G. semicinctus, which are debatably even rarer, the G. personatus is one of the most rare large angelfish, demanding prices similarly high to the Centropyge boylei, albeit for a pair as opposed to an individual. The G. personatus is a deep water angelfish only found in the Hawaiian islands. The greatest difference between the pricing of the G. personatus and C. boylei is due to identification: all Genicanthus angelfish are sexually dimorphic, while most Centropyge angelfish are not. As a result, Genicanthus angelfish such as the personatus angelfish are collected in mating pairs, which increases their value tremendously. The justification for this raised price has recently gained its payoff: last year, this rare species was bred in captivity. With this occurrence, it is very possible that this species may become more common and less expensive, especially since captive-bred specimens are more durable than their wild counterparts, primarily because they are more likely to feed. Despite this, it will be a long time before any possibility of the G. personatus to be available to the common aquarist. Until then, the whole world, except for perhaps a handful of people, will have to use photography and videos to experience the astonishment that comes from witnessing a single fish worth thousands of dollars.

behind fish in the aquarium Industry

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ERIC WANG, IV

Methuselah, a Californian bristlecone pine tree thought to be almost 5,000 years old, is widely known as the oldest tree in the world. However, in 2004, a research team led by Leif Kullman in Sweden found “Old Tjikko,” a Norway spruce with a root system dating back over 9,550 years, to the end of the last Ice Age. Furthermore, Utah’s Pando is a forest of quaking aspens that are all connected by a single root system. Although it is nearly impossible to accurately measure the age of this tree, with an estimated age of over 80,000 years old, Pando might be even older than “Old Tjikko.” With all of these ancient trees that can live for millennia on end, it raises this question: can trees die of old age? First, the difference between Methuselah and Old Tjikko must be recognized. The main reason why Methuselah is still better recognized as the oldest tree in the world, despite there being many older trees, is that bristlecone pines, unlike Norway spruces, are not clonal. Clonal trees are trees that “reproduce” vegetatively, have identical DNA, and share the same root system. Old Tjikko may have an exceptionally old root system, but the visible portion of the tree is no older than 600 years. Clonal trees like Old Tjikko and Pando can live for a long time due to their ability to resprout trunks from their root systems,

METHUSELAH

even after old trunks die off. Bristlecone pines and other non-clonal species lack this ability. Since clonal trees can potentially live forever, the question of whether trees can “die of old age” should be limited to only non-clonal trees. What “dying of old age” means for many organisms is that they become incapable of fighting off infections because of a weakening immune system and die of disease or other natural causes. The same goes for trees. No living thing truly dies simply from aging; old age is always a secondary agent. By this definition, non-clonal trees do indeed die of old age. As a tree reaches its height limit, it can no longer send water and nutrients to its highest leaves and instead, it starts to grow wider. A wider trunk, however, requires more materials and time to grow. A tree’s main method of fighting off infection is to stop inward spreading by cutting off transport tubes to the wounded area, and then growing new rings around the wound. As the tree grows older, the wider trunk makes the latter become harder to accomplish, and the tree will eventually become infected. A tree dying in this way will still have leaves in its canopy, but the trunk will become completely hollow until the tree topples over. But what about trees without a height limit, like the majestic redwoods? These trees’ height limit is not determined by their structure, but by the atmospheric pressure at the top of the tree that will eventually stop the flow of nutrients. In the end, no matter how tall or how healthy a tree is, just like any other organism, it will still fall victim to the effects of aging, and die of old age.

TREES AND OLD AGE


bill nye

Carol Cao, V

the science guy Bill Nye the Science Guy and a group of seventy other space specialists created a plan for astronauts to land on Mars by 2039. Hosting the Disney/ PBS science show for five years, Nye now states that “we can send humans to Mars without breaking the bank.” Will this plan from our childhood hero finally allow humans to explore the unknown depths of Mars? “Getting humans to Mars is far more complex than getting to Earth’s Moon, but space exploration brings out the best in us. By reaching consensus on the right set of missions, we can send humans to Mars without breaking the bank.” Nye is the CEO of the non-profit organization called The Planetary Society, which established the “Humans Orbiting Mars” workshop from March 31 to April 1 this year. It devised credible strategies to achieve the ultimate goal of building a “long-term, cost constrained, executable program to send humans to Mars.” During the workshop, all of the attendees agreed that an orbit mission around Mars or one of its moons must first happen

before an actual landing. The Planetary Society has determined the cost and probability of having a select group of people orbit around Phobos, one of Mars’ moons: The trip would happen in 2033, lasting for about thirty months. The astronauts would spend eighteen months traveling to and from Phobos, and twelve months orbiting the moon. The organization then predicted a crewed landing on Mars by 2039. When questioned about the future problems with this plan, most crewmembers described them as political, not technical. “I’m not saying the technical challenges aren’t extraordinary and very, very difficult,” Nye said. “And it’s going to take a lot of thoughtful engineers and scientists giving it a lot of thought and science. But the real problem is politics—or the real opportunity is politics.” The fate of this project depends solely on the president’s will to support it. This is not the only mission to Mars. As human technology develops into unthinkable extents, other plans for the red planet are still present. Some of the more popular ones are the Dutch’s one-way trip to Mars and Elon Musk’s Mars flyby schedule that will happen soon. This great effort by Bill Nye the Science Guy, however, might bring back astronauts that have first-handedly experienced and seen the mystery that is Mars.

PLANS FOR MARS

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Sophie Temple, Vi There are rumors that carbonated water, also known as bubbly water, is bad for you. There are also rumors that it is good for you. But first, what exactly is carbonated water? Carbonated water is made by dissolving carbon dioxide in water, a process which creates carbonic acid. People have mistaken carbonated water for tonic water, club soda, and mineral water, all of which add sodium, vitamins, or sweetness. Carbonated water does not add those ingredients and it does not add sugar, calories, or caffeine. The only thing that carbonated water has is bubbles! One negative rumor about bubbly water is that it is bad for your enamel, the thin outer covering of your teeth. The phrase “bad for your enamel� means that it speeds up erosion of the enamel. This is detrimental because once your enamel is gone, it is gone forever. A study taken in 2001, however, states that drinking carbonated water does not affect the erosion of the enamel on your teeth. Another negative rumor about carbonated water is that it is unhealthy

for your bones. This means that it can lessen the density of your bones, which causes your bones to fracture easily. However, there is no evidence that suggests this. A positive rumor about carbonated water is that it is actually better for you than regular water. This is incorrect because carbonated water and regular water are essentially the same thing, except for the fact that one contains bubbles. They have the exact same hydration effect. It does not matter which type of water you drink, carbonated or regular, because they both are hydrating.

mistaken for tonic water, club soda, and mineral water

bubbly water:

good or bad?!


Allegra Rollo, III It all started last year, when Brian O’Rourke, the beloved Yang twins, and I ventured out to Beijing during a week of school in March as BLS representatives. Our mission: to observe the 34th Annual Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition, and to prepare our own projects that we would present the following year. Upon our stay in Beijing, Brian and I realized a number of things. Every morning we would see swarms of crowds using bicycles for their daily commute to school or work. We also knew that the air quality in Beijing was ever more constantly soaring to hazardous levels; the air pollution often reached twenty times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization. Lastly, we realized that there are many projects to reduce personal health damage from air pollution. For example, people have designed masks, but there is no relatively inexpensive way to eliminate air pollution itself. Brian and I wanted to find an easy way by which cyclers in Beijing could clean the air around them. Our goal was to create a system that could be attached to a bike that effectively took out pollutants from the air. If masses of people were able to attach this technology to their bike, it could greatly improve the quality of the air in Beijing.

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Our project consists of a tube attached to the side of a bike. At the front of the tube is a highefficiency filter, made from biodegradable APINAT cloth, and in the middle is an ionizer. As one pedals on the bike and moves forward, air is naturally propelled through the tube by forward motion. The biodegradable material filters out the larger particles in the air, and the ionizer charges the smaller particles, putting these negatively charged particles back into the atmosphere. Once in the atmosphere, they attract positively charged particles (forming molecules too large to remain in the atmosphere, which condense and fall to the ground) and repel negatively charged particles (shooting out to and sticking to nearby buildings and walls). This takes the majority of pollutants out from the air and brings them down to the ground, improving air quality. Not only did we attend the 35th Annual Youth Science Creation Competition and, along with the Yang twins’ project, receive second prize and a creativity award, but we also received first prize at the Boston City Science Fair, and we will be attending MSSEF (Massachusetts State Science Fair) and Intel ISEF (International Science Fair) in May. If you have any further interests, please do not hesitate to contact me at allegra.rollo@gmail.com.

BLS STUDENT SCIENTISTS TRYING TO SOLVE A GLOBAL ISSUE

R E T L I F C I N O ) C I( USING BICYCLES TO REDUCE POLLUTION IN BEIJING


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Ting WEI LI, IV

RETURN OF THE LARG “We can explain the effects and properties of the Higgs and even other theories, such as dark matter...we as humankind can expand our knowledge of the universe.” “The knowledge we gain from these particles is very valuable for our civilization, both now and in the future.”

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the largest and most powerful particle accelerator ever created, is a monumental milestone in engineering. The LHC provides physicists insights of the conditions of the universe in its infancy about 13.7 billion years ago. Built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research or CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), this accelerator consists of a 27 kilometer (16.8 mile) ring of superconducting magnets and many accelerating mechanisms to boost particles, already going near the speed of light, to create collisions. Because of the vast amounts of energy (requiring the equivalent of roughly half the average American family’s weekly power use for) concentrated into a beam of particles, the rings of the LHC are contained in conditions near the vacuum of space. However, for superconducting magnets to work, it must be kept in temperatures around -271.3 degrees Celsius (-456.34 degrees Fahrenheit) with liquid helium, due to the fact that matter shows different properties, such as almost no resistance, at extremely low temperatures. With superconducting magnets, a vacuum as empty as space, a speed that approaches the speed of light, and enough room to collide, the LHC allows the best results in discovering many new concepts in physics. It requires the most state-of-the-art particle detectors and one of the most powerful supercomputer systems ever created for this accelerator to run smoothly and safely.

The LHC is coming back online later in July 2015, with upgraded equipment allowing for even more power and even more powerful collisions. People have long been concerned with the capabilities of the LHC, ever since it was first used in 2008. They fear that LHC can create black holes that will swallow up the Earth, or form stranglets, hypothetical matter that could convert the Earth into a “hulking” ball devoid of life. However, these fears can be alleviated since it is all very unlikely, and black holes that form would disappear due to the their subatomic size. Concerns aside, the project could shed light to many unanswered questions in physics. The Higgs boson (proclaimed “the God Particle” for its possibility of accounting for mass of all particles), is famous for being the last particle predicted by the Standard Model (a theory stating particles that exist). The Higgs is only considered as “tentatively” discovered. With the LHC back in operation after a two-year hiatus, it can finally explain the effects and properties of the Higgs and even other theories, such as dark matter and why it accounts for so much of the matter in the universe. With so many discoveries emerging with the assistance of technology, we as humankind can expand our knowledge of the universe. Just less than a 100 years ago, a scientist could only imagine concepts such as the Higgs boson, dark matter, supersymmetry, etc. Now, these theories could be given life or death with the Large Hadron Collider.


Duy Nguyen, II

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GE HADRON COLLIDER After two years of upgrades, in April 2015, the Large Hadron Collider has returned with a much more powerful 6.5 eV beam. Two students discuss this hot topic in science.

THE WORLD OF VERY SMALL Everything around us is made out of atoms. However, the reality is much more blurry than it seems. In the days of Ancient Greece, people believed that everything was made out of atoms. After all, if you have a knife and keep chopping something in half, at some point, you could not continue. The “thing” that you would end up with would be indivisible. It is an atom. Thousands of years passed by, and the atom was left undivided. Around the beginning of the twentieth century, this notion of the atom changed. The electron was discovered by J.J. Thomson in 1897 and the proton was discovered by Ernest Rutherford in 1919. We then knew that the atom was not a single indivisible block anymore, but that it has a very small nucleus with protons, and that electrons “fly” around it. These discoveries were some of the first in the field of particle physics. Particle physicists study the world of the small particles. Most of these particles are subatomic; they are smaller than the atom. The size of these particles challenges the very best of our microscopes; some particles are so small that their size guarantees that no one will ever be able to photograph their existence. In addition to this, with the wave-particle duality of some particles (the concept that particles also exhibit wave-like behavior), the effort to take an image of these particles seems futile.

THE COLLISIONS Normally, particles are not very interesting. They move around, they decay into other particles, and once in a while, they might interact with something. However, when particles are energetic, things start to become interesting. Like humans, all of the attention is on the energetic ones: they are powerful, they are mysterious, and once in a while, they might do something unexpected.

In order to make particles “energetic,” people use particle accelerators. These are devices that use a combination of magnetic and electric fields to speed up particles. Particle accelerators can be used for many purposes. One of the most well-known uses, however, is as a particle collider. As the name suggests, the purpose of a particle collider is to smash particles together at extremely high speeds and terrifyingly high energy levels. In particle collisions, researchers are able to detect new particles and elements. In fact, most of the elements in the periodic table after uranium were synthesized using particle colliders. The chase for new particles has led researchers to pump more and more energy into accelerators. It seems that the higher the energy used, the more of the nature of mysterious particles is revealed to humans.

THE HUNT FOR ENERGY Before talking about energy, let us look at the unit that measures it. An electron volt (eV) is the amount of energy an electron needs to accelerate across one volt; think of it as how much energy an electron takes to go from one end to the other end of a one volt battery. In the first quarter of the twentieth century, some of the first particle accelerators measured about a few MeV. Now we have the LHC, with its 6.5 TeV beam. It comes with no surprise that with this unbelievable amount of energy, some very interesting things will happen. The LHC recently confirmed the existence of the “God Particle,” the Higgs boson. This is one of the most famous discoveries made by the LHC. The discovery of the Higgs boson, half a century after it was theoretically conceived, shows us what these particle accelerators are capable of in helping us understand these fundamental building blocks of the universe. The LHC and the particles that it produces might be invisible to the human eye, but the knowledge we gain from these particles is very valuable for our civilization, both now and in the future.


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Lily Lu, I

Walk past Room 335 on a Wednesday afternoon, and you just might hear what the flame test color of boric acid is, or narrowly dodge a ping pong ball as a device launches it down the hall. You might even hear the BOOM of one-kilogram weights falling to the ground as someone’s wooden bridge snaps in half, sending balsa sticks flying in the air. And if you walk inside, maybe you will learn from the local entomology expert that cockroaches actually flip over onto their backs when they die because muscle contractions force them to topple over. Weird. This is the headquarters of the Boston Latin School’s very own Science Team, currently composed of students from all grades at BLS. The team competes in the annual Massachusetts State Science Olympiad, the main competition of the year, as well as monthly regional competitions. For the first time this year, the team has also participated in national invitationals hosted by MIT and Yale. In these meets, students compete in individual events—such as Forensics, Bridge Building, Astronomy, Disease Detectives, Fossils, Compound Machines, and many, many more—to earn medals and help the team place higher than the other schools. This March, Science Team celebrated successes in the annual State competition. The B Team (Class IV-Class IV)

won second place overall, the highest it has placed in the history of Science Team at BLS. C Team (Class I-Class III) placed fourth place overall, consistently keeping its position in the top five. Last year it earned third place, which was the first time BLS had ever broken top three at States. It was not always like this, though. Six years ago, the Science Team, formerly known as Science Olympiad, was much smaller, with around twenty members total and only five students on the B team. Nafisa Wara (I), a member of Science Team for six years, recalls this experience from her first year in Science Olympiad as a sixie: “I remember, during the awards ceremony, when all of the schools were sitting in circles on the gym floor, the BLS one looked tiny with just the five of us, compared to these massive armies of students from other schools. It was kind of daunting, haha. But at the same time I felt that BLS could someday be a part of the big leagues, too.” Over the years, the Science Team has been taking many strides to improve. It has expanded its reach, getting more and more students to become interested in and engaged with science through the various events, each and every person finding one that piques their interest. Through the years that passed, Science Team has grown from a team of twenty to becoming a sheer force

SCIENCE TEAM IS A COMMUNITY

SCIENCE


Lily Lu, I in the Science Olympiad community, with around sixty members between the B and C Teams actively participating in invitationals and competitions throughout the year. But there is more to BLS Science Team than just the competitions. Science Team is a place of new experiences, where students can do things they have never done before. “I used an electric handsaw for the first time because of Science Team,” Mindy Wu (I), a member of Science Team for five years, recalls. “It was…interesting. And fun. Maybe a little dangerous,” she laughs. “There was adult supervision though!” In the end, Science Team is a community, where students support each other through late night builds and study sessions, and by screaming each others’ names when they win. It is a place where fun mishaps happen, like accidently gluing fingers together, cracking eggs on the wall, and breaking devices just to rebuild them again. It is a place where teammates get to take silly pictures, have

TEAM

17

pizza parties, dissect a five-pound gummy bear, and laugh until they cannot breathe while playing Apples to Apples. “I’ve made a lot of fun memories in this team, from happy ones to completely ridiculous ones,” says Alice Li (I). “I’m really sad that I won’t be able to be a part of the team next year, but knowing the kind of people who are gonna take over the team in the future, it’s in good hands. Go Science Team, and good luck!”

“GO SCIENCE TEAM, AND GOOD LUCK!”


18

RAMEEN RANA, II

JOURNEY TO THE BE Cherishing friendships

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH) Saturday, March 21, 2015. After months of grueling meetings, last minute stresses, and conference calls lasting hours on end, it was finally time. We were ready to travel to Beijing, China, to compete in the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition. We are all from Class II and III—Victor Yang, Andrew Yang, Brian O’Rourke, Allegra Rollo, Rameen Rana, Jordan Loranger, Luke Zhao and Hannah Schleifer— mentored under the leadership of our faculty advisor, Earth Science Master, Mr. Zack Smith. The main focus of our project was combating the issue of air pollution in China. The first portion of our project regards the role of intermittent hypoxia, a deprivation of oxygen, in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In order to do this, we researched obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which causes hypoxia. OSA occurs when airflow is decreased because of a blockage of circulation while one is

Tou

beau sit

Zhujiajiao, A TOWN where the team toured sleeping. One possible effect of OSA is the active inflammation of the liver, commonly seen in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a subset of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. So, we set out to study this correlation between OSA and NASH. We found that there was a causal link between OSA and NAFLD, which explains the correlation that has already been found. Before competing in the Science Fair, we had the amazing opportunity of exploring Beijing and Shanghai for a few days. Our first two days were spent sightseeing the beautiful city of Shanghai. Waltzing around the Yuyuan Gardens, People’s Square, and Nanjing Road was an absolutely eye opening and lovely experience for all of us. Later, we discovered the beauty that is Zhujiajiao, an ancient style town near Shanghai. Here, we really were able to analyze the culture, residents, and simple but effective ways of life of this city. We all also had the chance to take a tour


RAMEEN RANA, II

19

EIJING SCIENCE FAIR

uring

utiful tes

Winning awards

Beijing no. 8 high school, BLS’ Partner school of the Huangdong Normal University in Shanghai with our very own personal tour guide, an amazing undergraduate student from America who had been studying in China for the past 5 years. Aside from a tour of this university, we learned about the education system of China by shadowing students at BLS’ partner school, the Beijing No. 8 High School. It was extremely interesting sitting in a physics class in a school in Beijing because we could easily make parallels in order to find similarities and differences between ways of life at a high school in China and a high school like BLS. After our sightseeing experiences were over, it was finally time to compete in the science competition. While we set up our booth with our poster and dioramas, we realized that we were surrounded by students from every part of the world. Soon enough, we had become friends with high schoolers from Italy, South Africa, Israel, and many more countries. As the days of the

The BLS TEAM with their award competition chugged on, we developed these cherished friendships and learned about the other competitors’ projects. From projects regarding a glove that could transform sign language into audible words to projects deciphering solar wind, our eyes were truly opened to the innumerable branches of science that we had no idea even existed. It was inspiring to see so many young minds so passionate about science and it made us all want to work harder and harder to achieve advances in this field. Soon enough, the award ceremony came along, and we are proud to announce that we won second place as a team and received the Scientific Creativity Award! It was an absolutely fabulous experience that was both inspiring and educational. Next year, we look forward to going back to compete in the Beijing Youth Science Creation Competition. We are always looking to recruit new members to the squad, so feel free to talk to any of us for further information.


20

Ai Quyen le, VI Glow sticks are fun and kids love cracking them and watching them glow like fireflies. They are safe, as long as the chemicals are kept inside. Cracking a glow stick poses another safety hazard: broken shards of glass may fall out and pierce one’s skin. Keep the chemicals contained, and one will be fine. Glow sticks contain quite safe chemicals; however, one should still handle glow sticks with care. Some glow products use a chemical called dibutyl phthalate, while other glow products contain a small glass vial inside the plastic tube that contains a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and phthalic ester. Outside the glass vial is another chemical called phenyl oxalate ester. When the tube is cracked, the glass inside is broken and the chemicals mix together in a reaction that causes the glow. These chemicals can sting and burn the eyes, irritate the skin, and burn the mouth and throat, if ingested. If ingested or spilled in the eyes or on the skin, it is recommended that the area is rinsed with water and that the local poison control center is contacted.

But how does one actually create a glow stick? To make a glow stick without breaking an already-made glow stick and then shoving its contents into a tube, one must let one’s inner scientist out! First, use goggles for safety. Then, combine 50 milliliters of hydrogen peroxide and a liter of distilled water in a mixing bowl. Use funnels and measuring tubes for safety. Mix 0.2 grams of luminol, 4 grams of sodium carbonate, 0.4 grams of copper sulfate, 0.5 grams of ammonium carbonate and 1 liter of distilled water in a second bowl. It is important not to touch the luminol. Once this is completed, combine equal amounts of the first and second solution in a bottle and stir. Now the glow stick is done! Find a dark place and test out your glow stick. Making glow sticks is fun any season, but perhaps most fun during the summer because one can compare their luminosity to that of fireflies.

FUN FACTs: - originally meant to be used in the military - Has a Shelf Life of up to 2 years

THE LUMINESCENT

GLOW STICK


DAniel Sherman, II

GARDEN CLUB CORNER

Learn what has been happening in BLS’ very own garden

Despite the harsh winter and incessant snowfall in Boston this past winter, the BLS Garden, with a most auspicious commencement, has begun its operations for this year. Since outside temperatures are still rather low and unfavorable for growing seeds outside, the Garden is now growing plants from seed in biodegradable pots inside BLS. This strategy allows the plants to gain strength and establish themselves in soil before being exposed to the capricious climate of New England, which may kill seedlings easily if they are not well established. When these seedlings have grown for a few weeks, the temperature will have increased to a point at which transplanting outdoors can be accomplished successfully. Also, by mid-May, the plants will have developed, gained strength, and expanded their root systems, all of which allow the young plants to be moved outside into the raised beds where they will continue to grow. In addition to the seeding initiative, the Garden’s promising start is also exemplified by the success of its single cold frame, a device that stores heat around a section of one of the outdoor beds and thus protects plants from the dangers of extreme cold. Species enclosed by this cold frame, installed last year, include kale, mint, rosemary, and marigolds. The kale, traditionally an autumn plant, is in fact flourishing now and providing the Garden with an unprecedented supply of kale in the spring. Furthermore, while the mint has died back to the ground, its extensive root system has survived, and now new shoots are originating, in some cases, three feet away from the original plant. This phenomenon is due to the mint’s rhizomes, underground roots that allow the plant to spread and generate new shoots without ever needing to spread seeds.

promoting sustainable, efficient, and urban agriculture Although the rosemary and marigolds are ostensibly dead, new growth may appear on the rosemary, which is a perennial, and the annual marigolds’ seeds were well distributed in the garden last fall. The Garden will be procuring two more cold frames in order to extend the growing season in the beds and allow for plants to overwinter successfully, as has been demonstrated this year. In addition to these two cold frames, the Garden will also be installing an additional bed, which will increase production capacity by 33% and allow for the Garden to expand the variety of fruits and vegetables offered. These additions are all made possible by a $1930 grant, for which the Garden has been recently approved. With these new components, the Garden shall continue to cultivate its influence and to strive to achieve its goals, which are as follows: promoting sustainable, efficient, and urban agriculture; encouraging the consumption of nutritious vegetables to improve people’s health; increasing the availability and convenience of obtaining fresh, free, and organic food for members of the community; providing a more ecologically diverse environment in urban areas; and raising awareness of the importance of sustainable agriculture and nutritional excellence for the future.


Puzzle

SCAVENGER

HUNT INSTRUCTIONS

Send your responses to catapultasciencebls@gmail.com Below is a list of descriptions of certain scientific terms. We have listed a word count and letter count to help you. Be aware of whether the description wants a singular or plural answer. If you get all of the terms correct, you will be placed in a raffle to win a $15 Starbucks gift card! Efforts to save the vaquita When making your own Biology Club’s next speaker have been made here. glow stick, it is recomwill be Dr. Robert Wein(1 word, 6 letters) mended to add 0.4 grams of berg, discoverer of many of this compound. these in cancer research. Only five members were on (2 words, 15 letters) (1 word, 9 letters) the growing Science Team this many years ago. At the beginning of their One of the most well(1 word, 3 letters) life cycle, cochineal nymphs known uses of a particle are known by this name. accelerator is this This is typically released by (1 word, 8 letters) (2 words, 16 letters) the brain as the sun sets. Allegra and Brian used this (1 word, 9 letters) “Old Tjikko” is this type of cloth in their tube. type of tree. Bubbly water is called this. (1 word, 13 letters) (1 word, 5 letters) (2 words, 15 letters) Astronauts will spend eighOnly these type of devices teen months travelling to The LHC was built by transmit EMF. this moon of Mars. this organization. (1 word, 10 letters) N.B. Give the acronym. (1 word, 6 letters) (1 word, 4 letters) The 400 species of manResearchers use this term tis shrimp are divided into to denote specimen Apolemichthys kingi is the smashers and these. like Cyberwood. scientific name of this (1 word, 8 letters) (2 words, 16 letters) (2 words, 14 letters)


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