Diamond particles discovered in candle flames

Candle flames contain millions of tiny diamond particles, a university professor has discovered.

Dr Wuzong Zhou, of St Andrews University, found about 1.5 million diamond nanoparticles are created in a candle flame every second it burns.

The diamond particles are burned away in the process.

But the chemistry professor said the discovery could lead to research into how diamonds could be created more cheaply.

Dr Zhou used a new sampling technique to remove particles from the centre of the flame, which is believed to have never been done, and found it contained all four known forms of carbon.

He said: "This was a surprise, because each form is usually created under different conditions.

"This will change the way we view a candle flame forever."

The first candle is said to have been invented in China more than 2,000 years ago.

Previous research has shown hydro-carbon molecules at the bottom of the flame are converted into carbon dioxide by the top of the flame.

But, until now, the process in between has remained a mystery, with the discovery of the diamond nanoparticles, as well as fullerenic particles and graphitic and amorphous carbon.

Courtesy of BBC News

See the article here with some other interesting links here!!

The BBC news website is a very useful resource when it comes to explaning certain Scientific and environmental phenomenon. Just scroll down through Science/environment articles and you'll find them!

Happy reading and don't burn yourself trying to get those nano diamonds!

Bojos per la…../Crazy about……?

Who is bojos/crazy and what are they crazy/bojos about?

The answer is that Adriana C. (does she seem familiar) and Isabel L. (and her too) have both been accepted onto a bojos course. So what is it about?

Isabel L.  has been accepted onto the Bojos per la Natura program. It takes place two Saturdays a month from February to November 2016. There is both fieldwork and visits to laboratories and research centres throughout Catalunya. Some activities include marine biology, paleontology and going to the Delta del Ebro. The activities are directed by researchers working in the ICTA (Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambientals) which is in the UAB. For more information follow this link: http://ictaweb.uab.cat/natura.php

Adriana C. will be doing the Crazy About Biomedicine program

It's a year-long program directed to students in the first year of baccalaureate and it takes place in the labs at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Barcelona (IRB). The course combines practical and theoretical lessons to cover 12 hot topics in the area of biomedicine, ranging from rational drug design to the study of novel cancer treatments, and allows students to get a taste of what it's like to investigate in an international research institute such as the IRB. 

For more information on this look at: http://www.irbbarcelona.org/en/events/crazy-about-biomedicine-2016

Well done to the both of them again! These ladies will go far in the world of Science!

Cool Science videos

More on the theme of material on you tube.

If you are looking for coll videos to watch, with high production values and accessible learning, check out these two sources:

The Royal Institution. (find out about them here). have their own you tube channel with videos to suit all age ranges and tastes.
Here's a taster, click the Royal Institution icon to access the channel. Find it here!


Interested in Physics? Try out these videos!

Let us know if you have come across any interesting videos or if you have or plan to make any yourself!

Enjoy!!

How wolves changed the course of a river and more....

This is a video recommended by Erik S. in Bachillerato. Well worth watching and a great introduction into the workings of food webs and how a change in one part can affect the other parts (and sometimes in a most peculiar way!).

Thanks Erik!

Experiments in Science

Experiments (practicals) make up a vital component of all of the sciences wherever or however you study them. It is through experimentation that scientists are able to determine the cause or effects of the area which they are studying.

Here at Oak House School, the Science department takes experimentation very seriously. We use a three pronged approach in training our students in the art of experimentation.

The first is getting our students used to being in the lab, getting to know the equipment and how to use it accurately and precisely.

Secondly is getting the students to become aware of the variables that can affect the result of an experiment and how they can be controlled, during experimental design, in order to get a repeatable and reproducible result.

Lastly there is the ability to analyze results to extract meaningful conclusions and also determine the trust with which you can give that result through error analysis.

These three aspects are covered in different ways in different year groups. Whether it's in the weekly practicals in 1st and 2nd ESO, the training for the IGCSE practical exam in 3rd ESO, the Science enrichment afternoons for both cycles of ESO where students can pursue their own projects or the extensive practical training they receive in 4th ESO. All of this training prepares the students to then handle the internal assessment for IB and the research components for both the treball de recerca (Bachillerato) and the extended essay (IB).

None of this would be possible without the dedicated efforts of our lab technicians who are always available for the requests of both teaching staff and students in their practical pursuits.

If you want to know more, please feel free to contact us at r.troy@oakhouseschool.com 

Bottoms up on this wastewater transformed into drinking water! Would you drink it?

This is a tweet from the National Geographic Channel about reusing waste water for drinking water. Would you want to drink this? Then again do you know what you drink normally anyway.

This was supplied by a parent of the school (who shall remain nameless unless she wishes to reveal her identity) who had read the post on the formation of the environmental committee here in Oak House.

More please!!

Enjoy this video

Oak House School Environmental Committee

Oak House School Environmental Committee

We have 7.3 billion people currently living on our planet and that is due to increase to 9 billion by 2050. To feed and entertain this number, non-renewable resources are running out and renewable ones are being used unsustainably. Carbon emissions continue to rise, leading to greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change.

We must do something to slow and stop these changes that we are making to our planet otherwise we and our children will pay the price.

So what can we do? Well it can start with this:

We are currently looking for students and teachers who wish to form an Environmental Committee.

The roles of this environmental committee will be many, including:

·         Environmental assessment of the school and its environs.

·         Development of an environmental action plan.

·         Involvement in projects deriving from this action plan.

·         Transmitting the findings and the work of the committee to the students and wider public.

Who should join this committee?

If you are someone who is interested by the environment and what we are doing to it.

If you are concerned about the nature of consumerism and its negative effects.

If you like the applications of Science.

If you are planning to study IGCSE Environmental Management or IB Environmental Systems.

If you are thinking about a career in the area of environmental sciences.

What should you do?

Contact your tutor.

Contact your Science teacher.

Send a mail to r.troy@oakhouseschool.com

When by?

We need to know who is interested by Friday October 30^th

First meeting: Wednesday October 4^th @ 11am!

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors: we borrow it from our children.”

Why is the ground so white and bright?

With the addition of the new Bachillerato/IB building has come a new colour scheme for the walkways outside the laboratories and going down to the main gate. They say it is in keeping with the colour scheme of the new building, but is there a more environmental reason at play?

Students have said that the surface is too bright and they find it difficult to see. Students and teachers using these walkways have to squint on very sunny days making us all look a little more stressed than we would normally look.

So how is this surface having an environmental impact?

The fact that the surface is reflecting the light (hence very bright) it means that not as much light is being absorbed and converted to heat. The surface is therefore cooler meaning the air above is also cooler. This reflected light should hopefully head off into space and not affect the planet again. The previous surface was red in colour and used to absorb a lot of sunlight energy converting it to heat. This heat would be radiated as infra-red (IR) radiation that would heat the air making it warmer outside the labs. More importantly, this heat would also be trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and increase greenhouse effect and global warming which is a very serious problem we are currently facing. So is Oak House reducing global warming by painting its walkways a very light colour?

A test of the difference in the temperature of the surfaces is to check the light surface and red steps outside the labs. Come and feel the difference yourself to see!

Joves i Ciència

Isabel Lammers (see previous post) had also been selected for the prestigious and select program “JOVES I CIÈNCIA” which runs over three years. Her first installment occurred at the start of July over two weeks and this is Isabel telling us what happened and what she did in order to be selected:

The Experience:

Going to Joves i Ciencia has been one of the most incredible experiences in my life. I chose the project on DNA, evolution and biodiversity. This first year we got to work in a laboratory in the Pyrennees using modern techniques like PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis. We also had lessons taught by some brilliant researchers from the CRG (Centre de Regulació Genòmica). We learned how to track genetic diseases, extract and sequence DNA, check for genetically modified food and lots more including how to use cool lab equipment. But it wasn’t all work; we had lots of fun too! We played games at night, went on an excursion, made great friends, explored species of the Pyrenees, watched an exciting film and even had a hilarious scientific comedy show organised for us.

The Selection:

Since there is a long selection process and a low acceptance rate, I never thought I stood much of a chance of getting in. The first part is written and I had to write about my interests, the reason I wanted to go and answer a long question. Later on I got told I had passed onto the second selection process where in an interview lasting half an hour I had to talk about myself, answer some questions and carry out a simple experiment. I thought it went terribly but after an agonizingly long time I was told I’d been accepted. So I highly recommend anyone interested in science to give it a go!

Well done to Isabel and we look forward to seeing how she develops within this program!

If you are a student or parent and are interested in pursuing any of these programs, please feel free to contact the Science Department at r.troy@oakhouseschool.com or a.raig@oakhouseschool.com or leave a comment below.

Cosmo Caixa Explainers

Maybe of our students pursue extracurricular activities that extend their school studies and one such student is Isabel Lammers.

Isabel had recently applied and been accepted for the youth program “EXPLAINERS” run by Cosmo Caixa, the Science Museum here in Barcelona.

Explainers are, and I quote:  “students, chosen for their enthusiasm, knowledge and diversity, who will explain exhibits on the museum floor and answer questions from visitors”.

The program recognizes a dual purpose in having secondary students work with the public:

• ·         to serve the museum by providing an enthusiastic face to visitors and staff;
• ·         to provide a first professional experience to participants who might not otherwise consider a career in the sciences or museum related fields.

 As part of this program, Isabel will have classes, in  a Business school, in public relations, (a very useful skill to have). She will also be getting a tour of the labs in the IQS (Institut Quimic de Sarria) which is a fantastically equipped third level educational institution.

Isabel is very lucky to get an opportunity like this. Watch this space to see how she got on!

A contented Isabel skiving off from her IB1 Chemistry class.

Welcome back!!

Welcome back to the third year of Oak House Science department blog!

What will be different you ask?

More articles written by students about articles they have read and things they are doing that relate to Science and the environment both inside and outside the school.

Our students in ESO (educación secundaria obligatoria: obligational secondary education as a rough translation) take one afternoon a week to take part in an enrichment program. Various activities are arranged including running, debate and of course a Science club. In these clubs, students have the chance to work on topics that interest them and experiment in a more relaxed environment. At the end of each term, these groups will present their findings to their peers and to you via this blog. Keep your eye out for this in November.

The Environment is of concern to many people in the world. We plan to run a number of initiatives both in primary and secondary that will be reported here in this blog.

Also we plan to show you more of what we do as teachers to help our students to achieve success in the areas of Science.

Finally we ask you, whoever you may be, student, teacher, parent or just generally interested Science enthusiast to send your articles to us for possible publication. 

Send them to r.troy@oakhouseschool.com

Thank you for supporting us and let us know what you think via the comments section.

Amanir l'explicació amb tecnicismes.

La ciència-ficció és una gran consumidora de ciència real, sobretot de la que la majoria de gent no acaba de comprendre. L'utilitzen per fer arguments que sonin sòlids, per agafar paraules tècniques que posar en boca dels protagonistes o per obrir opcions argumentals. En alguns casos s'estira el concepte científic per obrir possibilitats argumentals o per veure móns paral·lels on la natura no és exactament igual que la que coneixem. Per exemple, no hi ha cap evidència experimental de l'existència de les partícules més conegudes de la ciència-ficció, els taquions d'Star Trek , però aquesta sèrie els hi ha tret molt de suc, les mutacions genètiques són la base dels X-Men. 

Però estem parlant de ciència-ficció, i per tant no esperem que sigui un manual de ciència, i de fet, les llicències que s'agafen fan que els arguments siguin més entretinguts, un bon exemple el tenim en Superman quan va fer anar el temps endarrera fent que la Terra girés al revés o la radioactivitat creant superherois com Hulk o Spiderman, ... . Hi ha algun cas, com per exemple Ruins,  en el que es veu què passaria a l'univers de Marvel si les lleis de la natura les apliquéssim també als còmics.

Els arguments utilitzats depenen una mica de la ciència de moda, i a vegades, aquests arguments poc científics es donen a la realitat, i aquí pot ser preocupant. 

Doncs bé, sembla que ara els arguments amb poca base sòlida tenen un nou camp: la neurociència. Amb els termes adequadament escampats pel nostre discurs podem aconseguir que els nostres arguments semblin força sòlids: una mica de plasticitat neuronal per aquí, unes quantes neurones mirall per allí, ... no és que no existeixin aquests termes, és l'ús que se'n fa el que no és adequat. Aquest article en particular és força interessant al respecte, i ens hauria de fer pensar sobre el que acceptem dels arguments amb termes tècnics, no només en el cas d'argumetns científics, si no en arguments econòmics, jurídics, mèdics o quan anem al mecànic. No ens hauria de fer por demanar aclaracions en termes que no ens siguin desconneguts. Igual que quan ens em perdut, sempre és millor demanar ajuda.

Rosetta i el cometa

Avui la sonda Rosetta ha enviat un mòdul per intentar aterrar sobre el cometa 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Aquesta animació feta per la Agència Europea de l'Espai (ESA) explica més sobre la missió.

Contaminating Trees

The predominance of certain trees in a street can raise the concentration of ozone in the air. The presence of ozone at ground level can lead to various diseases in humans such as asthma, bronchitis, and other breathing problems.Trees emit volatile organic compounds (VOC), these substances under the presence of solar radiation react with nitogen oxides given out by the smoke of the traffic to form ozone.

   

    Chimneys and cars emit VOC as a byproduct of the burning of fossil fuels; trees emit VOC, for other reasons, to repel harmful insects and to attract pollinators. Poplars, oaks, willows and tupelo are species which emit the greatest amounts of VOC into the atmosphere.

Barcelona showing the tree-lined (London Plane) Ramblas. 

Are these trees causing more harm than good in an already polluted city?

    But people don't have to worry as for this to happen, many conditions have to be present at once: sun and a warm atmosphere. Cold and cloudy cities have less reasons to worry. But climate change and global warming could all of this to change.

    So, does this mean that we have to cut down all of the trees that emit large amounts of VOC? No, if the city is well arranged and the trees are regularly spaced out there is no problem of having them in a city, but organisations that plan to plant trees as a way to decrease the levels of CO2 should be really careful when choosing the species to plant as they could harm their environment without even knowing it.

    Of course there is another way to prevent this. If we could decrease the emissions of traffic VOC we wouldn't need to be worries about the trees as they will have nothing to react with.

This was written by Pablo Raventós Surroca 

3rd ESO Combined Science

BIGGEST DINOSAUR EVER- DISCOVERED

Researches say they have found the biggest dinosaur ever, in a desert near La Patagonia, Argentina. They have found fossilised bones of a dinosaur and they believe it has been the largest creature ever to walk the Earth.

Based on the fact of  its huge bones, it was 40m long and 20m tall. Researches measured the diameter of load-bearing bones like the femur and humerus and they were able to estimate the size and weight of the dinosaurs. This massive dinosaur was as heavy as 14 African elephants, 77 tones. It’s even seven tonnes heavier than the previous dinosaur discovered, Argentinosaurus.  

But this  gigantic dinosaur was a herbivore. It belonged to the sauropod group of dinasours, which are charasterised by their small heads, thick, pillar-like legs, and long necks and tails. But this one, is twice as long and four times as heavy. Researchers are even classifyng it as a new species of Titanosaur !

Based on the age of the rocks, researchers have conlcuded that this giant hervibore lived in Patagonia forests abour 95 and 100 millions years ago.

They found about  150 bones in total all in "remarkable condition". The dinasour fossils were excavated by a team of palaeotologists , led by Dr Jose Luis Carballido and Dr Diego.

“Such dimensions put the focus on the extent to which these animals may have grown. It's a real paleontological treasure,"says José Luis Carballido

The dinosaurs were found very close together along with a number of carnivorous dinosaurs. So, basically  it is believed that they may have died during a drought. Researches suggest  it could be possible that they died of dehydration or became stuck in the mud. Further analysis of the suggests that the area was different to how it looks today. Rather than a dry, arid land, it is likely that there were trees and and a wide variety of plant-life.

This was written by Paula Palacios, 3rd ESO Combined Science

Kepler-186f

A planet slightly larger than Earth was discovered on April 18th. Some scientists say that it could contain liquid water which is important as water is a key element for life. The only problem is it’s very far away, in fact it’s so far away that light takes nearly 500 years to get there from Earth. This means that the fastest spacecraft would take 15 million years to get just there, so 30 million to go there and back.

This planet is named after the Kepler space telescope which was the first to snap its picture and 186f refers to the star it orbits. Kepler-186f is at the right distance to keep water liquid, if it were further away the extreme cold could freeze the water and if it were closer the sun’s extreme heat would evaporate the water. Since it’s neither too far or too close (it’s in the area some scientists call the Goldilocks zone) water would be kept as a liquid. When scientists look for planets that can be habited they look for planets with water as a liquid since this allows basic processes to happen (such as transporting material in and out of cells). Even though some scientists say this planet would be suitable for life others are not as sure, Barclay says “Just because it’s in a habitable zone doesn’t mean it’s habitable”.

The Kepler telescope stopped working last year but it’s observations have helped massively in the future of planet-hunting. A mission will launch in 2017 which will search for planets near to Earth, and maybe this time they’ll find a habitable planet closer to home.

This was written by Helena Martinez 3rd ESO Combined Science

America’s East Coast on the Sights of Wave of Destruction

The canary islands are great for going on holiday. What most tourists and inhabitants don’t know, however, is that on one of the Canary Islands lies a major global catastrophe, a natural disaster so big it could flatten the Atlantic coastlines of North Africa, United States, Britain and Europe and cause enormous harm to all the sforementioned.

Scattered across the worlds oceans are a handful of rare geological and natural time-bombs, that, once the time runs out, will create an uncommon phenomenon, an enormous tidal wave called Mega Tsunami.

Lately, scientists have known that the next Mega Tsunami will probably originate from one of the Canary Islands, where the wall of water  will move across the  Atlantic ocean at the speed of a jet airliner ready to destroy the east coast of the United States, the Caribbean and Brazil.

The cause?

One fraction of the “Cumbre Vieja” volcano on “La Palma” is unstable and could be engulfed by the sea after cracking and dividing from the fire mountain due to the next volcanic eruption.

Dr. Day said in an interview with the BBC: "

If the volcano collapsed in one block of almost 20 cubic kilometers of rock, weighing 500 billion tonnes - twice the size of the Isle of Wight -. It would fall into water almost 4 miles deep and create an undersea wave 2000 feet tall. Within five minutes of the landslide, a dome of water about a mile high would form and then collapse, before the Mega Tsunami would fan out in every direction, travelling at speeds of up to 500 mph. a 330ft wave would strike the western Sahara in less than an hour. "

Europe would be shielded from the savage force thanks to its remote position, the Iberian penisula would get batteres with 33 ft. waves  reaching La Coruña and Lisbon within 3 hours. 

This was written by Erik Sörensen of 3rd ESO Combined Science

The Antarctic glacier melt is unstoppable

Scientists have been researching into Earth’s Global Warming for a long time. They say that the ice collapse could raise all the Earth's sea levels by more than 4 meters. This means that cities like Barcelona could disappear if this continues; however, they now say it’s unstoppable! Scientists says they are on an irreversible path to melting and that it’s impossible to stop it.

On May 16, Ian Joughin of the University of Washington in Seattle, who used simulations to show  the Thwaites and Haynes Glaciers in the same region, said that they may melt  in the next 200 to 900 years. Once this started, the glaciers could raise sea levels by 0.6 meters and start the melt of the rest of the continent’s ice sheet, which could add another 3 to 4 meters to the world's oceans.

This was written by a students of 3rd ESO Combined Science

Bojos per les Partícules

Els dies 29 i 31 de maig al CCCB dins del programa DOCSBARCELONA  i el 5 de juny als Cinemes Aribau Club de Barcelona es presenta el documental "Bojos per les Partí­cules", un documental on s'explica  el LHC, l'accelerador de partícules que ha detectat la partícula de Gibbs, la màquina més gran creada per l'home, i com són les persones que hi treballen en aquest projecte.  

En aquests enllaços podeu trobar informació més detallada

• Bojos per les Partícules a el Documental del Mes

Is it time for the electric car?

I received a link from one of my students (thanks Bruno) about the plan to introduce electric cars into a Chinese city in order to tackle the awful air pollution they have there.

To read the full article (in Spanish) go here!!

So is it time for other cities to do the same? In China it is Shanghai that are leading this initiative with electric cars being made very much affordable compared to their pollution causing counterparts.....but what about Barcelona for example, we have an air pollution issue here too due to the large volume of traffic (though not on the same scale as Chinese cities). Now the infrastructure is being put into place with charging points throughout the city but what about beyond? Will we now have battery changing stations in place of the common petrol station? And what about battery technology....at the moment the battery takes up most of the mass of the car and they can only get you a limited distance before they need to be fully re-charged....

You'll notice I'm asking a lot of questions whilst giving no real answers but this is the debate that is currently raging over the future of transport and the dwindling supplies of fossil fuels, particularly petroleum...What's you position? Read more and find out for yourself!