Glenart College Biology Blog: 2011

Monday, November 14, 2011

Science @ The Movies

Winners of the Junior Science Fact Competition will get to see one of the following science movies on friday....

October Sky
The Right Stuff
Apollo 13
Outbreak

So what are you waiting for....get your class organised and enter the competition....

Saturday, October 1, 2011

see the documentary "Project Nim" in Gorey Cinema.

On Monday26th September, a group of 50 students went to see a documentary called "Project Nim", in Gorey Cinema.

It's the story of Nim, the chimpanzee, who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Following Nim's extraordinary journey through human society, and the enduring impact he makes on the people he meets along the way. The students really enjoyed the documentary.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Thr rise of planet of the Apes!!

Have you seen the film? Wondering whether this kind of science experimentation is possible or even legal...? Watch the following clips to find out.

Rise of the planet of the Apes Trailer.

The science behind the film

Project Nim:
A film documentary about a family that raised a chimpcalled Nim as a human in the 1970's...a scientific project...they taught Nim sign language....watch the documentary trailer...it is currently being shown in Dublins IFI cinema.

Project Nim Trailer

Sunday, April 3, 2011

genetic engineering

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Top 5 parasitic plants

Our top 5 parasitic plants - these freeloaders have ways of getting what they need from hosts that are clever or downright bizarre.

Top 5 parasitic plants

Researchers have discovered that a parasitic plant emits a plastic-like 'perfume' smell to attract small mammals that it uses to pollinate its flowers.

The South-African plant, Cytinus visseri, buries itself into the host scrub in order to obtain its supply of chlorophyll.

There are over 4,000 species of parasitic plants. They all have a special root, called a haustorium, which is used to pierce the host and reach its xylem or phloem. Here are our top five:
1) The Corpse Flower (Rafflesia arnoldii)

Not only does this plant boast the world’s largest flower - at over 1m in diameter - it also smells strongly of rotting meat.

2) Mistletoe (e.g. Viscum album)

Much-sought around Christmas time, these familiar white-berried plants live on the branches of trees and shrubs. They are known as ‘hemi-parasites’ because, though they do feed off their hosts, they can also sustain themselves through photosynthesis.
3) Western Australian Christmas Tree (Nuytsia floribunda)

This is another hemi-parasite and has been known to damage underground cables by attaching its haustoria (root) to them. It gets its name from the bright orange flowers that appear on the plant around the Christmas season. For more information see the Australian Native Plants Society.
Cacti4) Cactus Mistletoe (Tristerix aphylla)

Found in Chile, this bright red parasite thrives on cacti, making a pretty dramatic combination.
5) Bird’s-nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis)

These plants are unusual because they feed off a fungi that is itself feeding off a photosynthetic host, a technique which classes them as ‘myco-heterotrophs’. They live entirely underground beneath Beech trees. The only time you might catch a glimpse of a Bird's-nest Orchid is in summer when it pokes up a yellow flowering stem.