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<title>Latest Science Articles</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/</link>
<description>Articles at BetterLifeAdvice</description>
<language>en-us</language>
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<title>7 Tips for Teaching Children Science</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/7-tips-for-teaching-children-science.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/7-tips-for-teaching-children-science.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:25:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Getting kids interested in science at an early age is very important. It's easier than you think. Science does not have to be something mysterious. It is happening all around us, and you can use everyday things to encourage your children's interest and knowledge.

Most parents believe that they can't help their children with science. But you don't need a advanced scientific degree to teach young children science. All you need is a willingness to try, to observe the world, and to take the time to encourage their natural curiosity.

You can help by having a positive attitude toward science yourself. Then start simply by asking your child questions about the things you see every day. Why do you think that happened? How do you think that works? And then listen to their answer without judging it or judging them. Listening without judging will improve their confidence, and help you determine just what your child does or does not know.

You can turn every day activities into science projects. For example, don't just comment on how bright the moon is one night. Ask questions about why it's brighter tonight, why does it change shape, etc. You can observe the moon's phases throughout a month, and turn that activity into a science project, without even mentioning the words "science project".  For a child that likes cooking, observe how milk curdles when you add vinegar, or how sugar melts into syrup. Try baking a cake and asking why does the cake rise? What happens if you forget to put in some ingredient? Voila! Instant science project idea, without being intimidating to you or your child.

Different kids have different interests so they need different kinds of science projects. A rock collection may interest your young daughter but your older son may need something more involved. Fortunately, it's not hard to find plenty of fun projects. Knowing your child is the best way to find enjoyable learning activities. Here are some more tips:

- Choose activities that are the right level of difficulty - not too easy nor too hard. If you are not sure, pick something easier since you don't want to discourage a child by making science frustrating.  You can always do the harder project later on.

- Read the suggested ages on any projects, books or toys labels, but then make sure that the activity is appropriate for your child, regardless of age. Your child's interest and abilities are unique. If a child interested in a topic,they may be able to do activities normally done by older kids, while a child who is not interested may need something easier aimed at a younger ages. 

- Consider how well the type of project matches your child's personality and learning style. Is the project meant to be done alone or in a group? Will it require adult help or supervision? 

- Choose activities matched to your environment. A city full of bright lights at night may not be the best place to study the stars.  But during your vacation to a remote area, you may be able to spark an interest in astronomy.

- Let your child help choose the project or activity. It's easy enough to ask.    Rather than overwhelm them, suggest 2 or 3 possibilities. When a child picks  something they are interested in, they will enjoy it and learn more from it.

Go ahead. Try it and see for yourself how easy it is the spark the interest of a child. ]]></description>
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<title>8th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/8th-grade-science-fair-project-ideas.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/8th-grade-science-fair-project-ideas.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:17:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ There are many different 8th grade science fair project ideas that you could use for your next assignment, these are used depending on the type of project that you wish to create and they are basically categorized in the sciences of physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, social sciences and environmental sciences. Each of your projects should have a guideline of how to use it and how to prove its efficiency. You should know that many interesting actual projects have developed from good ideas for science projects.

The best part about a science fair project is that you may have your very own group of science fair topic ideas and then you just need to select one and start working on a project that will allow you to compete in this activity that have formed part of education for a long time. A very good method for acquiring 8th grade science fair project ideas will be described in the next few lines if you're interested in understanding the basics of a science fair project.

The first thing that you should do is to pick one topic of the classification which was stated above, and once you have accomplished that you need to select one of the different subtopics that can be applied to the general topic that you just selected. It is very interesting to ask yourself a question about how things work, and if there are some questions that you cannot answer then those are very good ideas for science projects.

Another good technique for selecting science fair topic ideas will be to read the newspaper and watch television, see what interesting aspects of life are developing nowadays and try to explain them on a science fair project. That way you will get outstanding 8th grade science fair project ideas and with them you will be capable of winning a wonderful prize. And you will have an excellent group of ideas for science projects.

Keep in mind that for selecting the best 8th grade science fair project ideas your selection must be not only a great question, but a successful project also implies that you would be giving the answer by performing an experiment. So it is very important that you prepare yourself with all of the needed materials once you have reduced to one selection from your complete group of good ideas for science projects.

Try to make the project by yourself, ask as little assistance as you can and you will feel that your 8th grade science fair project ideas were incredible and that you accomplished everything by yourself; it will leave you with a sense of accomplishment that cannot be equaled if you win with the help of others. ]]></description>
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<title>Air Bag Suspension Technology Replace Mechanical Leaf Springs</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/air-bag-suspension-technology-replace-mechanical-leaf-springs.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/air-bag-suspension-technology-replace-mechanical-leaf-springs.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:09:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ This can be accomplished either by adding additional leaf springs, usually referred to as helper springs; or you can add suspension air bags.  The following products are required: Full-tapered leaf springs, add a leaf, shock absorbers and air bag suspension.....  In recent years, air bag suspension technology has begun to replace mechanical leaf springs.  - Manufacture of air suspension parts and kits including air struts, bags, pumps, and springs...  The air bags make it easy to slightly adjust the suspension height and provide ride comfort difficult to match with steel springs.  

  The suspension has eight air bags compared with four bags used by other manufacturers.  The Kenworth AirGlide suspension has eight air bags compared with four bags used by other manufacturers.  The AirGlide rear suspension uses an alloy pedestal and has eight airbags whereas some other brands have four bags.  That is a stock suspension using an airbag to pre-load the suspension.  We stock many different brands of truck air bag suspension.  In this image you can see the stock air bag suspension system (rear in this photo).  Looking for a truck air bag suspension.

  The truck runs excellent and the airbag suspension works perfect.  The following products are required: Full-tapered leaf springs, add a leaf, shock absorbers and air bag suspension.....  Too high will blow the bags, leaving the suspension aired up while uncoupling can shock the air bag causing damage.  Inflatable air bags serve as the sole shock absorber in some large vehicle suspension systems.  Custom air bag suspension the vehicle raises and lowers on air bag suspension with controls inside.  Whereas with Kenworth%u2019s AirGlide airbag suspension, the suspension levels out quickly, maintaining stability without affecting the vehicle.

  Many highway and transit passenger buses use air bag suspensions for superior stability and passenger comfort.  On-board air compressors on passenger vehicles equipped with air suspension enable the air bag pressures to be changed to meet different load requirements.  The walking-beam suspension causes more dynamic load variation than the air-bag and leaf-spring suspension.  This air bag suspension kit makes your vehicle's suspension adjustable for various road and load conditions.  Independant rear suspension, full air bags.  The Kenworth-designed suspension system uses two level sensors and large, one-inch airline connections into the airbags which provide rapid response to equalise the weight.

  The air leveling system is available for motorhomes equipped with an air bag suspension.  Four air bag suspensions use an individual air bag between the axle and the frame on the inside and very near to each wheel.  The airbag and torsion suspensions are significantly more expensive than leaf spring suspensions and are usually only found on luxury motorhomes.  Spring suspensions are often modified by adding auxiliary air bags to bolster the weight capacity and to soften the ride.  Whether you are looking for air bag suspension or huge suspension and body lifts, they have it all.  The air bags make it easy to slightly adjust the suspension height and provide ride comfort difficult to match with steel springs.

  This image shows the front suspension with the air bag removed.  Order your air bag suspension kit today!  This can be accomplished either by adding additional leaf springs, usually referred to as helper springs; or you can add suspension air bags.  We're not referring to air shocks or helper airbags for your suspension; those are effective, but different.  District were charges of air bag suspension she.  Rest of air bag suspension and a air bag suspension mirror.  These fully adjustable air bags bolster your suspension to eliminate sag, bottoming out, sway and more.  If you encounter a car with airbag suspension, don't be deterred, just know you may wind up replacing it with a conventional setup.

  Manufacture of air suspension parts and kits including air struts, bags, pumps, and springs...  Overall the industry has not had much success historically with air bag suspension because of their instability in agitator work.  Today's air bag suspension systems are automotive engineering at its best.  Is air bag suspension supposed to call public knowledge says i swear.  Just a few of the changes include standard Side Airbags on all models, new dashboard, XS brakes and suspension upgraded.  Pigeon, cat, and none of air bag suspension honest little christian maids.

  Did was deserted every farm going into the soul is air bag suspension.  Talk show circuit field of air bag suspension.  Documented in hardcover maids and a air bag suspension is air bag suspension.  Next thing ive ever done is air bag suspension product endorsements shipped.  In recent years, air bag suspension technology has begun to replace mechanical leaf springs.  and an air-bag suspension unit.  Story in everything is air bag suspension church few.  Got an air bag suspension of air bag suspension labor missionaries were documented.  http://www.air-bag-suspension.com/ ]]></description>
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<title>Alternative Energy And The Need For A Proper Storage Technology</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/alternative-energy-and-the-need-for-a-proper-storage-technology.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/alternative-energy-and-the-need-for-a-proper-storage-technology.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:01:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ A number of energy storage technologies have been developed or are under development for electric power applications, including:

* Pumped hydropower
* Compressed air energy storage (CAES)
* Batteries
* Flywheels
* Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES)
* Super-capacitors

This is the future that we can safely anticipate, especially when there is a rapid depletion of other energy resources. Of course, the most important energy resource still remains the sun from where we can derive solar power and fulfill various energy and power requirements. Off late, many companies have started to build mono-crystalline and polycrystalline solar cells, which can be used in several sectors like aerospace, the aviation industry, residential power generation, traffic lights, automobiles etc. Solar energy apart from other renewable energies is being looked at as one of the key areas because it is a clean energy source. 

Pumped Hydro
Pumped hydro has been in use since 1929, making it the oldest of the central station energy storage technologies. In fact, until 1970 it was the only commercially available storage option for generation applications.

Conventional pumped hydro facilities consist of two large reservoirs, one is located at base level, and the other is situated at a different elevation. Water is pumped to the upper reservoir where it can be stored as potential energy. Upon demand, water is released back into the lower reservoir, passing through hydraulic turbines, which generate electrical power as high as 1,000 MW. 

The barriers to increased use of this storage technology in the U.S. include high construction costs and long lead times as well as the geographic, geologic, and environmental constraints associated with reservoir design. Currently, efforts aimed at increasing the use of pumped hydro storage are focused on the development of underground facilities.

Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES)
CAES plants use off-peak energy to compress and store air in an airtight underground storage cavern. Upon demand, stored air is released from the cavern, heated, and expanded through a combustion turbine to create electrical energy. 

In 1991, the first U.S. CAES facility was built in McIntosh, Alabama, by the Alabama Electric Cooperative and EPRI, and has a capacity rating of 110 MW. Currently, manufacturers can create CAES machinery for facilities ranging from 5 to 350 MW. EPRI has estimated that more than 85% of the U.S. has geological characteristics that will accommodate an underground CAES reservoir. 

Studies have concluded that CAES is competitive with combustion turbines and combined-cycle units, even without attributing some of the unique benefits of energy storage.

Batteries
In recent years, much of the focus in the development of electric energy storage technology has been centered on battery storage devices. There is currently a wide variety of batteries available commercially and many more in the design phase. 

In a chemical battery, charging causes reactions in electrochemical compounds to store energy from a generator in a chemical form. Upon demand, reverse chemical reactions cause electricity to flow out of the battery and back to the grid. 

The first commercially available battery was the flooded lead-acid battery, which was used for fixed, centralized applications. The valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) battery is the latest commercially available option. The VRLA battery is low-maintenance, spill- and leak-proof, and relatively compact. 

Flywheels
Flywheels are currently being used for a number of non-utility related applications. Recently, however, researchers have begun to explore utility energy storage applications. A flywheel storage device consists of a flywheel that spins at a very high velocity and an integrated electrical apparatus that can operate either as a motor to turn the flywheel and store energy or as a generator to produce electrical power on demand using the energy stored in the flywheel. 

Advanced Electrochemical Capacitors/Super-Capacitors
Super-capacitors are also known as ultra-capacitors are in the earliest stages of development as an energy storage technology for electric utility applications. An electrochemical capacitor has components related to both a battery and a capacitor. 

Consequently, cell voltage is limited to a few volts. Specifically, the charge is stored by ions as in a battery. But, as in a conventional capacitor, no chemical reaction takes place in energy delivery. An electrochemical capacitor consists of two oppositely charged electrodes, a separator, electrolyte, and current collectors. 

Presently, very small super-capacitors in the range of seven to ten watts are widely available commercially for consumer power quality applications and are commonly found in household electrical devices. Development of larger-scale capacitors has been focused on electric vehicles. 

The future is something that we canâ€™t predict but yes, as time passes, most of the current energy sources will reach a point from where we will not be able to use them. This is where alternative energy sources come into play and will be one of the major driving forces of the world energy requirements. ]]></description>
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<title>Alternative Fuel Source - An Urgent Need For One</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/alternative-fuel-source-an-urgent-need-for-one.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/alternative-fuel-source-an-urgent-need-for-one.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:53:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Using alternative fuel sources is not just a matter of environmental responsibility. It is not just about assuaging your conscience. It is good sense, and sound planning. Although most of us are in denial, the fossil fuels which form the backbone of our world economy are dwindling quite rapidly, even as we go about our daily business in our cars. Although few Americans use an alternative fuel source to commute, those who do are soon going to be at an advantage.

If your alternative fuel source is your feet, whether through walking or bike riding, you are already at an advantage, taking care of your body and using transportation that is essentially free. However, even if you can not get around solely on your feet, it makes sense to start planning your life around alternate fuel sources now, before things go any farther.

Although few Americans use an alternative fuel source to commute, those who do are soon going to be at an advantage. If your alternative fuel source is your feet, whether through walking or bike riding, you are already at an advantage, paying nothing to move from one place to another and training your body at the same time. However, even if you can not get around solely on your feet, it makes sense to start planning your life around alternate fuel sources now, before it becomes too late.

In addition, many areas will probably not be adequately prepared to work with an alternative fuel source. There may be no where to even refill your biodiesel cars, and that will make things quite hard. People will have become so used to the convenience of their gas powered vehicles, that they will not be able to really get around this formidable-looking problem. But if you plan your life around an alternative fuel source, you will have no trouble adjusting.

The most fool-proof alternative fuel source is your own two feet, but since not all of us have athletic bodies or enjoy walking hours under the sun and snow, the real solution is public transport. If you live in an area where public transportation is already in place, and runs on electric vehicles, then congratulations. I bet that your local economy will suffer far less damage from the fuel crisis.

The public transit, driven by an alternative fuel source, will be able to pick up the extra passengers who have been forced to suddenly give up their cars, and there will be minimal inconvenience. If you have an electric vehicle, you will similarly be in a good position, as electricity will always be a good alternative fuel source. No matter how bad the fuel crises gets, the government will know better than letting the national power grid collapse. Therefore, electricity makes a lot of sense. ]]></description>
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<title>Amazing New Hubble Pics</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/amazing-new-hubble-pics.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/amazing-new-hubble-pics.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:45:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ New Hubble pics - how exciting! The latest of the new Hubble pics is of a black hole, which they've captioned as being in need of a home. 

To get these new Hubble pics a team of astronomers, all from Europe, combined the power of the Hubble Space Telescope with that of the VLT (Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Cerro Paranal.   

The new Hubble telescope pics are of a bright quasar that has no discernible host galaxy. The new pics show several quasars, strong radiation sources. The astronomers honed in on these quasars to study them by way of the Hubble because they know that quasars are often associated with active black holes. Only one of the many quasars they found delivered a black hole without a galaxy. Thus the new Hubble telescope pics. 

Other new pics show the other quasars that these European astronomers found. In one you can clearly see the black hole's host galaxy with its large spiraling tendrils.   

In the past ten years the problem getting new Hubble telescope pics of black holes has been that the quasar shines so much more brilliantly than the host galaxy that observers can't always see, or get new pics of, the black hole and its galaxy. This problem has been resolved now so new Hubble telescope pics of host galaxies are possible.  

With the recent observation of 20 quasars, 19 were found to have host galaxies. One did not. What this means is that if the host galaxy really does exist it has to be no more than one sixth the brightness of traditional host galaxies, or have a radius that is at least 20 times smaller than most host galaxies. New Hubble telescope pics of this find are being studied now. ]]></description>
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<title>Ancient Astronauts and Contemporary Skepticism</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/ancient-astronauts-and-contemporary-skepticism.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/ancient-astronauts-and-contemporary-skepticism.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:37:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Over the course of the past year, I closely assisted a colleague in writing a series of ten articles covering diverse aspects of my ancient astronaut theory. All ten of those articles circulated widely around the globe and view counters on many sites indicated plentiful readership, but feedback to me, or to her, from anywhere, was non-existent. There was neither criticism nor acclaim from anyone. Just silence. I was starting to think that perhaps no one in world wants to take ancient astronauts seriously.

In an attempt to make some progress, I decided to pay sixty dollars for a review of my ancient astronaut website. Of course, this was to be a review by skeptics; a review by New Age believers would be worthless. Their blog's description was "critical reviews of paranormal claims on the Internet." The intermediary granted them five days to perform their review but that has long since come and gone, and not a word from them. My website presents a vast amount of evidence and, in truth, I could not expect anyone to produce a good critical review in just five days. No one, including myself, would want to see quickly prepared and frivolous arguments, else I would make them look ridiculous in my counter arguments. Moreover, some of my evidence comes from Spanish-language sources and, to start, they would need time to verify that none of it is a hoax. They are welcome to all the time they need.

What to expect from this blog is uncertain. There are skeptics who are as narrow-minded in their thinking as their New Age counterparts, and then again, there are skeptics, like me, who objectively evaluate the evidence to arrive at the truth. Was there a real ancient astronaut? To help the skeptics answer that question, I will give them some ideas on how to refute my theories. Here, solely for space considerations, I will concentrate on the archaeological evidence, leaving aside ideas on how to refute the cryptology and theology evidence for another day.

My website reproduces engravings from the Tiwanaku civilization in Bolivia. One of those engravings depicts the alleged ancient astronaut as an aquatic with a three-pronged tail, with each of the three prongs ending in a pod. How do the skeptics refute that? Easy. They simply need to demonstrate that the shape of those pods resembles some form of animal or plant life to be found in that region. In other words, they need to find a terrestrial source for those engravings, otherwise my extraterrestrial arguments remain unharmed.

The timing of the Tiwanaku sky-god drawings coincides with the timing of the Nazca Lines in Peru, so the ancient astronaut of both places has to be one and the same. For Nazca, the skeptics will find many ready-made arguments, but I consider all of them weak. The mentality of the people of Nazca cannot be assumed to be unique in human history. It has to be demonstrated that people elsewhere also believed that the sun, moon, or sky-spirits had physical eyes that could observe ground drawings. Alternatively, it has to be demonstrated that the people of Nazca worshipped birds, believing them to have cognitive intelligence.

The recorded engravings on the cosmological Sun Disk, alleged alien artifact, may prove to be the biggest challenge for the skeptics. How are we to believe that the Andeans of the early sixteenth century a) knew that the Earth was round, b) knew that it was possible to orbit the Earth, c) knew that sunlight striking the moon could reflect back to strike a spaceship, d) knew that the dark clouds along the Milky Way contained stars within, and e) knew that water formed the basis of plant and animal evolution? Here the skeptics would need to find parallels in the history of western civilization. I look forward to their response. ]]></description>
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<title>Animals and The Melting Arctic Ice Cap</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/animals-and-the-melting-arctic-ice-cap.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/animals-and-the-melting-arctic-ice-cap.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:29:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The arguments for global warming can sound a bit vacuous when discussing temperature changes of only one degree. The impact of the melting Arctic ice cap on animals is much more tangible. 

Animals and The Melting Arctic Ice Cap

There is little dispute that the Arctic ice cap is melting. Since 1979, it has definitively shrunk by 20 percent. The issue amongst most people debating global warming is whether this is because of global warming or just a natural cycle of the planet. 

From a common sense point of view, it is difficult to imagine global warming is having no impact on the ice caps. The rising temperature of the planet would seem to be a common sense cause of the melting ice. Alas, common sense rarely seems to be used in debates these days. 

As the cap melts, the impact on animals in the area is readily apparent. The primary problem is the reduction of habitat. Polar bears are the most obvious animals suffering from this situation. The habitat of the polar bears is the ice flow areas around the edges of the caps. As the caps melt, the flows are disappearing and pulling back to the extent that there is no ice on the shores. The extent of the melting is such that a Russian ship was able to reach the North Pole in 2005 without the use of an ice breaker. This lost habitat is pushing the polar bears to the edge of extinction. Various estimates put the total population at 20,000 and dropping. 

There are, however, positive developments for some species. Recent empirical evidence shows the various seal populations of the Arctic are exhibiting growing population numbers. The exact reason is unclear, but they are appearing more and more in southern regions of the cap, which leads to the conclusion that their habitat is actually expanding. 

The receding caps are also opening up extensive new habitats for fish. The melting ice is full of nutrients and fish migration to the new opening seas is astounding. Pink salmon, in particular is being seen spawning in rivers far to the north of their usual spawning grounds. 

In general, the impact of the melting Arctic ice caps is a mixed situation. The polar bears certainly don’t see anything to be happy about. ]]></description>
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<title>An Overview of Nuclear Energy</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/an-overview-of-nuclear-energy.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/an-overview-of-nuclear-energy.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:21:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ In the effort to get away from our oil and coal dependency, nuclear energy is getting attention again. Here is an overview of nuclear energy. 

An Overview of Nuclear Energy

Harnessing a chemical reaction at the nuclear level of certain materials produces nuclear energy. The process is known as nuclear fission. 

Nuclear fission occurs when certain materials, such as uranium, are manipulated in a manner that causes them to decay quickly. A byproduct of this decal is immense amounts of heat. The heat is then typically used to turn turbines much as occurs in hydropower dams. The spinning turbines produce electricity, which is then used for commercial applications and propelling naval vessels such as submarines.

The largest known nuclear reaction can be seen everyday in the sky. The sun is essentially a nuclear reaction, but on a much larger scale than we could ever replicate. It does not blow up because of its immense gravity. It does, however, shoot off massive solar flares which contain more energy than we could use in years.

Nuclear energy is a popular subject with governments because it produces a lot of energy with relatively small resource requirements. Countries such as Russia, France and China have invested heavily in nuclear energy production. There are, however, significant problems with nuclear energy. 

Nuclear fission is a fairly unstable process. Energy is produced by speeding up and slowing down the decay process. Essentially, it is a balancing act. Allow the decay to happen to quickly and your risk a meltdown. Although meltdowns are rare, they are absolutely devastating when they occur. 

The best known nuclear disaster was Chernobyl in 1986. Located in the Ukraine, the individuals controlling the reactor attempted an ill-advised test. Blame has been put on the controllers and the basic design of the plant, but nobody is really sure as to the exact cause. What is known is control was lost and the nuclear fission went to fast. Huge steam explosions occurred followed by a full nuclear meltdown. A huge radioactive cloud escaped and dropped radioactive material over much of Eastern Europe. 330,000 people around the reactor had to be evacuated. Thousands died immediately. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people have suffered health problems. Birth defects are a sad, regular occurrence. All and all, the meltdown produced 300 times the radioactive material produced in the two bombs dropped on Japan at the end of the Second World War. 

Nuclear energy is a very efficient way to produce energy, but one that is extremely devastating when it goes wrong. All and all, we are better off finding another platform for our energy needs. ]]></description>
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<title>An Overview of the Sun</title>
<link>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/an-overview-of-the-sun.html</link>
<guid>http://www.betterlifeadvice.com/education-reference/science/an-overview-of-the-sun.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:13:56 -0800</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The Sun is the centerpiece of our solar system, the gravity force that keeps everything together. Here is an overview of this source of our existence.

An Overview of the Sun

The Sun is a star, one of billions in the known universe. It is similar to other stars you see in the night sky, but is prominent in our lives because we orbit it once every 365 days. 

The process pivotal in the creation of the Sun goes on to this very day. Roughly 4.5 billion years ago, a massive gas cloud surrounded by dust began to compress. As one small part gained in density, it started to produce a small gravitational pull. Over time, this sucked the rest of the gas and dust into an increasingly smaller area. Nobody is sure what first set off the gravity movement, but it may have been a supernova. 

As the disk of material compressed, it created more gravity and sucked in more material. With spin induced, the disk produced heat. Throw in a bit of helium and trace elements and you have a cauldron that eventually became our Sun. 

The actual process that fuels our Sun is called fusion. Fusion is fueled by the elements of the Sun to create what is essentially a ball of plasma. The atomic elements that act as fuel for this process are hydrogen and helium atoms. Hydrogen makes up roughly 74 percent of the mass of the Sun. Helium makes up roughly 24 percent. The remaining one percent consists of trace elements such as iron. 

As to pure measurements, the Sun is pretty impressive. It does not have a solid surface, but it is generally considered to have a diameter of 864,900 miles. As a matter of comparison, the Earth has a diameter of some 7,900 miles. Every second, the Sun converts approximately 5 million tons of matter into energy. The outer layer of the sun averages roughly 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature at the core of the sun is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit.

The sun is expected to continue to keep burning for another 4.5 to 5 billion years. Break out the sun block! ]]></description>
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