Study-astronomy-biology-ref - Astronomy, Biology, Study References And Science

the other side

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known”

- Carl Sagan

When STEM people have fun.

It’s Surprisingly Easy To Brew Something Like RNA In A Puddle 

One of the biggest mysteries in science is how you could get life in a place where it doesn’t already exist. Scientists have found some clues, though.

The latest is that Georgia Tech chemist Nicholas Hud was able to create something that looks a lot like RNA — a relative of DNA — using ingredients that would have been common on Earth when it was 4 billion years younger.

The study used two common chemicals left alone in what amounts to a mud puddle. The chemicals synced up and started forming that twisting ladder shape we think of when we picture DNA.

Scientists say this looks like a decent candidate for how simple organisms may have gotten started on Earth, and it wasn’t even all that hard.

Earlier studies have shown you can get some of the building blocks of life in the right situation, like extreme heat or lightning strikes. Some have even been found on asteroids.

The Georgia Tech study shows you don’t even need that much excitement. Swirling puddles could potentially have done the job.

By: Newsy Science.

Some websites that I use for geography [lessons + revision] - a mix of summary notes websites, statistics, geo-located data and other goodies :D enjoy! Hope you find something useful! 

I’ve only put my faves tbh but ** = I’ve used this a lot A LOT 

Scribd: honestly some docs on here are so useful for help structuring your own notes etc. [our teacher uses this one for example for the glossary]

**Sporcle: i use this to test my place knowledge! [i’ve linked you to the world one, but you can find other continent specific ones too]

[Alternative to above that I personally haven’t used much but it looks decent so]

World Mapper: Really cool maps and omg countries look so funny distorted heu heu (HONESTLY SO USEFUL AND VISUAL) [i’ve linked to the old site haha]

**Gapminder: I’ve linked you to the program itself [so so so good omg for global trends over time GENIUS] but Hans Rosling is a cinnamon roll go watch the videos too!!

Information is beautiful: I love infographics okay fight me on this. You could have a look at this one and oh here’s the blog and just have an explore tbh [there’s isn’t a huge number of infographics on here tbh it’s a shame but i guess they’re trying to sell the book so fair]

**Datashine (UK centric): UK Census 2011 info geo-located and ahhh it’s so useful 

they also have this one on commuting if you’re about that life

*******CIA World Factbook: ALL THE STATS! LIFESAVER! 10Q America! (that maths pun stop me pls) 

Generally amazing website that is succinct and you could probably find so much on here tbh

Quizlet: really useful resource!! flashcards!! i love this site!! (and there’s an app hehe) test yourself on case studies etc!!

[tip: you can duplicate ppl’s flashcards and edit them if there’s anything you want to add!] 

BBC bitesize ayyy for gcse peeps! (and in general too :) ) 

S-cool [linked again to the gcse site cuz that’s what was bookmarked but they have an a-level section too!] Some real concise notes tbh and may be useful even if you aren’t studying gcses/alevels! :) 

my other masterpost/ramble hybrids are all (there’s like 2 others lol) here and feel free to come rant at me (or just talk lel) if any links don’t work etc! 

in hindsight a better header for this would have been ‘resources i rely on way too much for geography’ (*´◡`) 

The Earth from Russia’s Elektro-L satellite

This image compilation, comprised of images taken by the Russian Elektro-L weather satellite, was taken from a geostationary orbit at a distance of 36,000 km. It shows the changing illumination of Earth as it rotated on the autumnal equinox and illustrate the concept of a geostationary orbit. At this height, the satellite is orbiting at fast as the earth is spinning and stays in the same location relative to the surface of earth.

Credit: Vitaliy Egorov

MARTIAN STORMS - Seen in 1977 by the Viking 2 Orbiter

“Like its predecessor, the Viking 2 mission consisted of a lander and an orbiter designed to take high-resolution images, and study the Martian surface and atmosphere. Both the Viking 1 and 2 landers benefited greatly from their orbiting counterparts, which snapped images that helped mission controllers navigate the landers to safe landing sites.”

This particular image was taken by the Viking 2 Orbiter and shows a massive dust storm on the red planet. This spectacular storm can be seen on a global scale. The Viking 2 mission would end 3 years later on April 11, 1980.

Credit: NASA/JPL

July 22 2015: my art making and study space

Use studying techniques to your advantage:

Got these notebooks for 5 cents so obviously going to buy more than one :D # strongnotebookgameisstrong

There’s a method to my madness I swear!! OK so on avg I seem to use up two of those 80 pg notebooks so I got two for each class. And consequently I needed the 4pack 32pg exercise books. 

The 80 page notebook is used for in class notes. As soon as anything important is said it is scribbled down into the notebook.  The 4 pack 32 pg exercise book is divided to two groups: Feymann technique and Cornell method.

Feymann Technique

Right after class I grab my textbook, my notebooks and two of  my exercise books. I teach myself the lesson primarily with my notes and if I don’t understand something I turn to my textbook. If I am still lost I leave space and note that there is something I need to clarify with my professor. Even while I am doing this, I force myself to decrease the writing and increase the connections between every topic since the 32 pg is quite smaller than the 80 pg. 

Thankfully when I am done with this, my 32pg becomes the go to whenever it seems like I am in need of revising a topic since it contains relevant notes from both my textbook and my notebook in my own words. 

Cornell Method.

When exam time approaches I convert my notes into the cornell notes so that I can easily test myself with the main ideas and key questions.

There is no better way to revise than to try to make connections. That is all you are going to get tested on since it’s not that hard to spit back words on a page. Instead of being asked about photosynthesis for example, you might be told about some chemical that is sprayed on a plant that will block one process and asked about how that affects the growth of the plant overall. See what I mean? 

I usually get a whiteboard and write all of the connections out and in front of me. When THAT  is done I write it down in flashcard mode and quiz myself for the next week using the Leitner system, along with the topics that are basically just memorization.

LEITNER SYSTEM

Label 5 boxes 1-4, where 1 is for cards you don’t know and 4 is for cards you are basically a pro in. You frequently test yourself in box 1 (maybe every 30 mins, you choose) and increase the time in which you test yourself until you reach 4, where you would test yourself just once a day. 

In the beginning all of your cards go in box 1,and as you get a card right it goes up a level and if you get it wrong it goes down a level. That way you are spending more time with ideas and topics you don’t have a strong hold on, rather than spending equal time with all the topics. 

At this point I have rewritten my notes twice in my own words and then converted them into flashcard mode :) I recommend this method when it comes to the sciences or humanities. For the maths I have already done a post about it here. 

Hope this helps for those still looking for study techniques! 

-F 

The circulatory system: dissection of the stomach and intestines, with the arteries and veins indicated in red and blue. Coloured lithograph by Joseph Maclise, 1841/1844.