Negative Feedback Loops

Negative feedback loops eventually revert back to their original state.  They are also known as self-correcting loops.

A system with an overall negative feedback is stable.

Dog Parks

Dog parks are a very common thing in the United States.  They provide a place for people to bring their dogs so that the dogs can exercise and play with other dogs.  However, there are a few downsides.  For one, diseases can be spread easily from dog to dog, so bringing puppies to dog parks is not recommended.  Also, at the Macon Dog Park, we tested the creek water for dangerous chemicals.  These chemicals could be harmful when dogs drink from the creek.

Diversity Among World Peoples

Different people groups around the world exhibit specific physical traits that make them different from others.

Chinese person

Ethiopian person

Russian person

Scandinavian people

Nigerian family

Native American

Irish child

Mitochondrial Eve

Mitochondrial Eve, "The Mother of all humans"

Because mitochondrial DNA is only passed through the mother, scientists have been able to trace everyone's ancestry back to a specific point, about 200,000 years ago.  Know as Mitochondrial Eve, this early human represents the mother of us all.

Burgess Shale

Around 545 to 525 million years ago, the Earth experienced an explosion of new animal species that had not been known before.  This is now known as the Cambrian Explosion.  The Burgess Shale, located in present-day British Columbia, is home to fossils that contain evidence of this Explosion.  Charles D. Walcott discovered the Burgess Shale in 1909.  The large number of fossils found were created in a unique way.  Events like mudslides froze organisms in time, allowing for a glimpse into the past.

The Burgess Shale

Amphioxus

An amphioxus is a small vertebrate that lives in warm waters.  It is believed to be the most primitive example of a vertebrate and the ancestral precursor to all future vertebrates.  Being very small (usually less than 8cm), they spend much of their time at the bottom of the ocean, coming out at night to filter food through their gills.

Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger is found in North America, Asia, and Europe. It grows in rich soils and has a potent ginger smell. We found some of these plants during our hike through the Hitchiti Experimental Forest. Wild ginger, or asarum caudatum, is not related to the ginger root from which Ginger is derived, however. No matter the size, most wild ginger leaves have roughly the same shape.

Canadian wild ginger, found in Canada and the Eastern US

Chinese giant wild ginger

European wild ginger

Panda face ginger

Click here for more info on all the different types of wild ginger around the world.