The Secret of The Blood Falls of Antarctica
From a crack in the Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica flows a curious blood-red colored water. When it was first discovered by geologist Griffith Taylor in 1911, the color was thought to have come from an algae. The source of the red color was later discovered to be an iron-rich underground saltwater lake that was trapped by the encroaching glacier at least 1.5 million years ago. The temperature of the water is -5 Celsius, but it's so salty that it doesn't freeze.
But the Blood Falls houses another secret, which scientists from Harvard University have started to uncover - it's home to an entire ecosystem of bacteria, trapped for millennia in conditions that are extremely inhospitable to life.
Roughly two million years ago, the Taylor Glacier sealed beneath it a small body of water which contained an ancient community of microbes. Trapped below a thick layer of ice, they have remained there ever since, isolated inside a natural time capsule. With no light or free oxygen and little heat, the microbes had no chance of getting energy through photosynthesis. Instead, the microbes started to live off the minerals that were trapped in the lake with them, evolving independently of the rest of the living world.
The existence of the Blood Falls ecosystem shows that life can exist in the most extreme conditions on Earth.
The fascinating secrets that remain locked inside the inaccessible sub-glacier lake will help scientist understand the range of conditions to which life can adapt and to advance assessment of the possibility of life elsewhere in the solar system, in places such as Mars or Europa, an ice-covered moon of Jupiter. Indeed, scientists of the NASA Astrobiology Institute speculate that these worlds could contain subglacial liquid water environments favorable to hosting elementary forms of life, which would be better protected at depth from ultraviolet and cosmic radiation than on the surface.
Source: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2010/11/secret-of-blood-falls-of-antarctica.html
1. Where is the red color come from?
a. It comes from an algae
b. It comes from an iron-rich underground saltwater lake
c. It comes from animal's blood
d. There is a killer behind the waterfalls
e. There is a strange plant beside the waterfalls
2. What is trapped below the layer of ice?
a. Microbes
b. Viruses
c. Algae
d. Corpses
e. Strawberry plants
3. How is the condition below the ice?
a. No light, no oxygen, no heat, no minerals
b. No light, free oxygen, little heat, a lot of minerals
c. No light, no oxygen, little heat, a lot of minerals
d. There is energy from photosynthesis
e. Free oxygen and minerals
4. The statements below are true, except:
a. A blood red colored water flow from a crack in the Taylor Glacier
b. It was first discovered by geologist Griffith Taylor in 1911
c. The temperature of the water is -5 celcius and it freeze
d. An ecosystem trapped for millenia in the glacier
e. Photosynthesis can't occur below the ice
5. What is the conclusion of the text above?
a. Life can exist in the most extreme conditions on earth
b. bacteria makes the water like blood
c. Life can exist as long as there is an energy source
d. Photosynthesis gives us so much energy
e. Blood-red colored water flows from Taylor Glacier
Nola Ochs, World's Oldest Masters Degree at Age 98
Nola (Hill) Ochs (born November 22, 1911) is an American college graduate. On May 14, 2007 she became a Guinness World Record holder as the world's oldest college graduate when she received her diploma at Fort Hays State University (FHSU) in Hays, Kansas. She earned a general studies degree with an emphasis in history, graduating alongside her granddaughter, Alexandra Ochs, who was 21 years old at the time.
From Jetmore, Kansas, Ochs was born in 1911 and took her first college class from FHSU in 1930. Nola and her husband, Vernon Ochs, raised four sons (who have given her 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren) on the family farm. She took college courses again from Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas after her husband of 39 years died in 1972. After learning that she was only 30 hours shy of a bachelor’s degree, Nola moved 100 miles from the family farm to an FHSU university apartment in Hays to finish her degree. During her first year at Fort Hays, Ochs told news reporters that after she graduated, she wanted to be a storyteller on a cruise ship.
Ochs was named the 2007 Kansas Woman Leader of the Year and was given her diploma by Kansas Governor, Kathleen Sebelius. Features on Ochs aired on The Early Show, MSNBC, and CBS News among others. She even earned a spot on The Tonight Show one week after she graduated, sharing a laugh with Jay Leno.
After graduation, Princess Cruises hired her as a guest lecturer on a nine-day Caribbean cruise. She shared the adventure with her granddaughter, Alexandra. After taking time to help with the family wheat harvest, Ochs started pursuing her master’s degree in liberal studies from Fort Hays State University in August 2007. She received her master's on May 15, 2010, making her the oldest recipient of a master's degree at age 98. According to an August 11, 2006 press release from FHSU, Ochs said “I don't keep track of my age, but I can tell you I was born in November of 1911.” She also commented, “I've led a long, interesting life. We went through the dust storms. We had some difficult times in our marriage, financially. But it's been the Lord's will that I've lived this long life, and I thank Him kindly for it.” As of her 100th birthday in November 2011 she was an M.A Student at FHSU and a Graduate Teaching Assistant.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nola_Ochs
6. Why did Nola became one of Guinness World Record Holder?
a. She was the world's oldest college graduate
b. She was the most diligent woman in the world
c. She graduated alongside her granddaughter
d. She took her first college class when she was 19
e. She raised four sons on the family farm
7. Where did she receive her diploma?
a. At Dodge City Community College
b. At Harvard University
c. At Fort Hays State University
d. At Oxford University
e. At her husband's university
8. Who is Kathleen Sebelius?
a. Nola's husband
b. Kansas governor
c. Professor from FSHU
d. Professor from Dodge City Community College
e. Nola's granddaughter
9. What did Nola do after her husband had passed away?
a. Nola Moved to an apartment in Dodge City
b. She took college courses in Dodge City
c. She became a storyteller in a ship
d. She was so sad
e. She was sharing a laugh with Jay Leno
10. The statements below are true, except:
a. Nola's husband died in 1972
b. Nola graduated alongside Alexandra Ochs
c. Vernon and his wife raised four sons on the family farm
d. Nola receivedher master's on May 12, 2010
e. Nola took her first college class in FSHU
On the first day, we went to Tanjung Benoa Beach. Tanjung Benoa is a beutiful place where culture and modern life seem to blend harmoniously. It has sandy beaches lining its coast. Tanjung Benoa was recently appointed the water sports center in Bali. We played some water sports there, like jetski, banana boat, parasailing, diving, and we visited Turtle Island too. Because of my fear of height and because I didn't bring another trouser, I just visited Turtle Island by boat. I was very happy because I met my old friend in Junior High School. We took some photos there. After that, we went to Pudjamandala to pray dzuhur. For your information, Pudjamandala is a place where Mosque, Pura, Vihara, and Church are located in the same area. Then we visited Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park. There is a statue which called Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue. Garuda Wisnu Kencana is a massive, unfinished statue in Bali that exists in pieces. If it is completed, it would depict Dewa Wisnu riding on Garuda's wings. Beside that, we watched Kecak Dance which told about Rama and Shinta and of course a monkey whose name is Hanoman. Then, in the evening we had a dinner at Jimbaran Bay. It was very cozy because we ate while listening to the sound of waves.
