Science Club Newsletter IN THIS EDITION:

 Welcome to the
Third Edition!
December 2020
 Riddles, Jokes, and
Puzzles

 Experiments
December Edition  Articles written by
students
Welcome to the December edition of our monthly newsletter! We hope you
take a look at our selection of science related topics! We’ve gotten so much  Photography
participation this time around! Thank you for your submissions! Submission
For quick updates on club events and meetings please follow our Instagram:  Citations/Sources
@whs_scienceclub_ or our Facebook page: WHS Science Club 20-21

Additionally, if you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to reach
out to scienceclubwhs@gmail.com.

~ Science Club Officers

Have an
interesting topic
you want to share
with likeminded
people?

Well now you

can!
Science Club is looking
for people to share
presentations on topics
that interest them with
the club/likeminded
A photo of a snowflake up close! 😍 😍 peers.

If interested, please use

https://forms.gle/w97HzY
raBT2Md3Ww5 to sign
Quick info about us: Science Club meets on most Tuesdays/Wednesdays. The up!
club itself consists of 2 sections: Science Fair and Community Outreach. Those in
Science Fair utilize the club to get information and advice for participating in the
regional and state science fairs. The Community Outreach aspect of the club
focuses on spreading STEM throughout Westborough. Incentives such as the
Science Club Newsletter are a vital part of this!
Riddles, Jokes, and Puzzles
Answers can be found below!
Riddles, Jokes, Puzzles continued
 What do you do with a sick chemist?
If you can't helium and you can't curium, you might as well barium
 Why can’t you trust atoms?
Because they make up everything
 What is the most uninteresting of all the periodic elements?
Boron
 What two periodic elements, when combined, heal?
Helium and Aluminum (He + Al)
 What period of time has the least weight?
A light year
 I can't be created and I can't be destroyed. I can only change form. What am I?
Energy

Word Search submitted by Brooke O.

Experiments continued
Video experiment on pH conducted by Zoe Z.

Check it out: https://youtu.be/JJPTo2kAOvc

You can easily change the formatting of selected text in the document text
by choosing a look for the selected text from the Quick Styles gallery on
the Home tab. On the Insert tab, the galleries include that are designed to
coordinate with the overall look of your document. You can use these
galleries to insert tables, headers, footers, lists, cover pages, and other
document

You Can Be Exactly Like Ice Queen Elsa via Science! Try It Out!
Anonymous Submission

Here’s how you do it:

First, fill up some plastic bottles of water (you can color it if you want) and seal it tightly. Then, lay
the bottles flat in the freezer!

After approximately 2.5 hours, your water should be somewhat of a slushy consistency—not ice, not
exactly plain water, but somewhere in between.

Get a cup filled with ice cubes up to the top and get ready for the fun part:

Carefully pour the slushy water on top of the cup of ice. Slowly but surely, you should start to see the
ice grow upon the ice cubes in the cup!

There you go! Now you can be a magical Ice Monarch with your super powers! Be careful not to turn
everything you touch into ice now!
Articles Written by Students
The Circadian Rhythm in Teens!

By: Charan B.

Circadian Rhythms are a very intriguing topic. They control our physical, mental, and behavioral
changes in a 24 hour cycle throughout our life. Circadian Rhythms also have a major effect on our immune
function, body temperature, learning, mood, and metabolism. Biological Clocks are found in organisms, and
these “clocks” regulate our Circadian Rhythms. They are made up of special proteins that interact with nearly
all our cells throughout our body. Almost every organ or tissue has a biological clock. Researchers have also
found these biological clocks in other living organisms. You may be confused on how all these biological clocks
operate so well, since there are so many. This is because there is something called a Master Clock located in the
brain, and it keeps all the Biological Clocks in sync. The Master Clock is made up of 20,000 neurons and nerve
cells which form the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is also referred to as the SCN. The SCN is located in the
hypothalamus which is located in our brains, and receives input from our eyes. This is important to know
because Circadian Rhythms are primarily based on how our eyes see the light or dark. An example of a light
circadian rhythm is going to sleep when it's dark outside, and waking up to the sunrise. Circadian rhythms are
also specific to the humans that produce them. For example, if a teen works late at night for too long, the blue
light from the electronic device keeps the melatonin from releasing because the SCN thinks it is daytime. If
this teen continues this habit their circadian rhythm will shift so they would sleep later at night. When
entering adolescence the Melatonin in teens, begins to release later in the night and so they would wake up
later which conflicts with the early start times in High Schools.

Average Circadian Rhythm in Teens

Their energy starts to dip and from 3 AM to 7 AM it is at its lowest. Once they wake up, their energy
will begin to slowly rise from 10 AM to 1 PM, and sometimes they may not even feel fully awake by 11 AM.
This is when a teen’s energy peaks, but after a while the teen may begin to feel tired or begin to crave for food.
This usually occurs from 2 PM to 5 PM. In adults this will mostly occur from 1 PM to 3 PM. From 6 PM to 11
PM (which is the average teen sleeping time), teens will begin to start their work and it will slowly creep into
the night. As aforementioned the blue light from the devices keeps the Melatonin from releasing, and actually
releases Cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is related to alertness or sharpness. This hormone begins to slowly
get released from 10 AM to 1 PM. A Circadian Rhythm is also very malleable, it can change via a plethora of
factors.

Child Trends and Children’s National Health System Survey

Child Trends and Children’s National Health System studied 1,000 students and has surveyed schools
that start at 8:00 a.m. as opposed to a very early 7:20 a.m. in other schools. This later start time resulted in an
average of 17 more minutes of sleep. This change actually had a 9% increase in students said they felt more
awake and they had seen a decrease in daytime tiredness. Ideally, 8:30 a.m. would be the perfect start time
because this time is when Cortisol slowly starts to release making it so you would feel more awake early.
Articles Written by Students continued
What is Chrons Disease?

By: Greg S.

Approximately three million Americans suffer from Chrons disease. This painful and aching disease is a
type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This means that part of your digestive tract inflames, or swells
up. Chrons disease can affect any part of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract which is anywhere from your
mouth to your anus. There are many different types of Chrons disease which can be categorized by the
part of your GI tract that is affected.

Chrons disease is an autoimmune disorder. This is when your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy
tissue/cells. It is chronic meaning it is ongoing and persistent. This IBD can be very painful and cause a
variety of symptoms. These symptoms can include diarrhea, cramping, weight loss, loss of appetite,
vomiting, bleeding, fatigue, and many more. However, the patient may get to remission which is a stage
when you are symptomless. When you are in lots of pain and showing many symptoms due to the disease,
it is called a flare-up, the reactivation of your symptoms. Chrons can lead to serious complications and
surgery if it is not treated.

This disease can affect anyone at any point in their life. It is most commonly diagnosed between ages 20
and 30. Scientists have found that 1.5 percent to 28 percent of people with Chrons have a parent, child,
sibling, or a close relative who suffer from this disease. However, this isn’t the only aspect that increases
the likelihood of people who may inherit the disease. Another thing like ethnicity may increase your
chances of suffering from Chrons. Studies show that Caucasians, Asians, and Hispanics are at higher risk
of getting Chrons. Where you live in the world can also affect your chances of getting this disease.
Developed countries, urban cities, and towns, and northern climates all increase your probability of
getting Chrons.

This chronic disease is quite unique and is saturated with many aspects to it. If you feel that you or
someone you know may relate to the symptoms and signs of Chrons then reach out to your doctor. Many
tests and evaluations can be conducted to see if you may suffer from Chrons.
Articles Written by Students continued
Global Warming
The National Geographic claims, “the Earth is warming up, and humans are at least partially to blame.”
It is essential that we as a human race start to uncover the realities of global warming before it is too late
to save the health of our planet, and now it has become our job.

Global warming is defined as “the long-term warming of the planet’s overall temperature” (National
Geographic). It is caused largely by the increase in fossil fuels released into the atmosphere in more
recent times due to the increase of population. When these fossil fuels are released, it creates what’s
known as the “greenhouse effect”. National Geographic’s explanation of this effect is when the Sun’s Rays
penetrate the atmosphere, but the heat that reaches the earth isn’t able to reflect back into space because
of the gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Thus, the average global temperature has been rising
overtime, which then leads to what we call Climate Change. Global warming and climate change can be
commonly used the same, but they differ. While global warming refers to the overall increase in
temperature of the earth, climate change rather refers to the “changes in weather patterns and growing
seasons”, as well as “sea level rise caused by the expansion of warmer seas and melting ice sheets and
glaciers.” This climate change that scientists are observing is extremely harmful to all life on earth and
we’re already seeing the effects. Even more specifically, it poses threats to humans overall.

Although there is so much left to learn about this growing issue, it is evident that we are society and even
as the globe must spread awareness of this time sensitive issue. The more people are aware, the more
change we’re going to see so that hopefully the fate of our world will change.

Burning of fossil fuels

Articles Written by Students continued
All About Concussions
Concussions are a very common type of injury, typically found among people who play sports. It is an injury
that is caused when the head undergoes sudden, sharp movements, causing the brain to move abnormally within
the skull. These abnormal movements include the brain bouncing against the skull or twisting and stretching within
the skull. Day-to-day movement of the head does not inflict any movement upon the brain, as the brain is
encompassed by a layer of cerebrospinal fluid, which serves a cushion for the brain and separates the brain from the
skull.

A large reason why people who play sports are at a higher risk of obtaining this injury, specifically American
football players and soccer players, is because of the extreme physical contact that are involved in the sports. For
example, when football players make hard helmet to helmet contact, they are almost always at risk of developing a
concussion, because they undergo a severe direct blow to the head, causing the brain to move within the skull.

The symptoms of a concussion vary depending on the person and how the concussion was obtained. The
severity of concussions are separated into “grades”, ranging from Grade 0 to Grade 3:
 A Grade 0 concussion is one in which only minor symptoms are experienced, including a headache and
difficulty concentrating, and heals in only a few days.
 A Grade 1 concussions symptoms include headaches, difficulty concentrating, nausea, and dizziness, and
heals within several days.
 A Grade 2 concussion consists of symptoms that are that of a Grade 1 concussion, except some added
symptoms include amnesia and irritability.
 Grade 3 concussions are more severe, as it includes a brief loss of consciousness, in addition to all of the
aforementioned symptoms.

A common trait among all four Grades of concussions is that the only sure-fire method of treatment is getting lots of
rest. In addition to long term effects, the treatment of concussions is one of the more enigmatic traits of concussions.
A scary aspect of the long term effects of repeated concussions is the deterioration of the cognitive function of the
brain, also diagnosed as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This is a neurodegenerative disease that
progressively worsens. The study of CTE has been performed more recently, in 2017, when nearly all of over 100
donated brains of deceased football players were found to have had traces of CTE. As of now, scientists have learned
that cognitive functions progressively decline as CTE progresses. Depression, memory loss, dementia, and confusion
are all symptoms of CTE.

In recent years, medical strides have been made to prevent things such as the progression of CTE, head
trauma in sports, and scans to diagnose CTE, which can only be diagnosed after death. CTE Prevention Pills are an
innovative advancement towards slowing the progression of CTE, which involves the destruction of the cluster of
proteins that cause CTE. Football helmets have constantly been improved towards player safety, as various
materials have been explored as an alternative that can absorb the impact of a direct hit. Overall, though the
implications of concussions and its treatment are not as clear yet, scientists and the advancement of technology have
found ways to potentially prevent these injuries.
Articles Written by Students continued
Science Behind Dreams
By: Diya S.

Dreams have long been the source of mysticism. For centuries, people have claimed that dreams can
predict the future, be used to analyze a persons’ life, or even be the warnings of the divine. But what are
dreams really, and what purpose do they serve?

Dreaming occurs during the REM sleep state, and typically happens a few times a night. Dreams start
out only being a few minutes in length, but increase in duration as the night wears on. In this state, the
body is paralysed, ensuring we can’t actually carry out our dreams. Curiously, it is easier for a person to
remember their dreams if they have been woken up from REM sleep.

Dreams are a product of mainly the limbic system of the brain. This includes the amygdala and the
hippocampus. Overall, this system is one of the more “primitive” ones, in charge of emotions and
memories. In addition, the visual cortex, the part of the brain in charge of visual information is also
active. Conversely, the frontal lobe, the area that controls logic and reasoning, is relatively inactive
during dreaming, which may point to the fantastical products in dreams.

Scientists are still unsure why exactly people dream, but they have come up with a few theories.
Prominently, that dreams are used to regulate emotion. Dreams take emotions and construct fake
memories out of them. Doing so makes the emotion less active or raw, and thus allows a person to process
the emotion. Another idea is that dreams can prepare us for peril. According to the threat simulation
theory, dreaming about potential dangers can be simulated in dreams to prepare us for the future. A final
idea is that dreaming helps transfer memories from short term storage to long term.

There is no doubt that dreams are important. In fact, it has been shown that a lack of REM sleep can
lead to mental disorders. In a study, when rats were stripped of their REM sleep, most of them died
within four weeks. Whatever the real reason may be for dreams, they are an essential component of
human survival.
Articles Written by Students continued
The Phases of Mitosis
By: Zoe Z.

Mitosis is part of the cell cycle and it is when a cell divides into daughter cells. Mitosis is a five phase
process including (early and late) prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis.

Early prophase is the first phase of mitosis. In early prophase, the chromosomes begin to compress in
order for them to later pull apart. After the chromosomes compress, the mitotic spindle, which is made of
microtubules, forms. The microtubules move the chromosomes around so that they are in the right places
during mitosis. The final step in early prophase is when the nucleolus, a part of the nucleus that produces
ribosomes, disappears. This shows that the nucleus will begin to break down.

Late prophase happens after early prophase and it begins with the chromosomes becoming more
condensed. Also, the nuclear envelope degrades and the chromosomes are released. Finally, the mitotic
spindle grows and the microtubules catch and hold the chromosomes.

Next, metaphase occurs and the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell after being captured by the
microtubules in late prophase. Furthermore, the kinetochore microtubule connects to the spindle poles
that are on opposite sides of the cell.

After metaphase, anaphase occurs. In anaphase, sister chromatids detach and move to opposite sides of
the cell because the protein that holds the sister chromatids together degrades. The cell is made longer
when the microtubules that are not attached to the chromosomes are extended.

The next stage is telophase. Telophase is the stage in which the cell is almost finished dividing into
daughter cells. First, the mitotic spindle breaks down. Then, two nuclei are created and this is for the new
sets of chromosomes. Nuclear membranes and nucleoli are also created. Finally, the chromosomes
unravel.

The last stage is cytokinesis. This stage is when the cytoplasm separates and the cell finally splits into
two cells. These two cells are called the daughter cells.

These are the phases of mitosis. Mitosis is very important because it helps us to grow and mature and it
also creates new cells to take the place of the old ones.
Articles Written by Students continued
The Dangers of Nuclear Waste Storage

By: Sohan

Our country is always striving towards the future. Scientists are always observing and
developing new technologies that could improve our daily lives. One technology that would be
beneficial is nuclear plants. Nuclear plants hold nuclear power and nuclear power is the release
of nuclear energy that can generate heat. There is only one problem that nuclear power has that
prevents our nation from being fully dependent on it, and this problem is a huge one. Where does
the nuclear waste that is produced from these nuclear plants go?

Plutonium, which is used for fuel in these nuclear plants, is actually the most toxic radioactive
chemical element known to man. This element is essentially what is classified as nuclear waste.
This nuclear waste is extremely harmful not only to humans but to the environment as well, and
nuclear waste is hazardous for tens of thousands of years. So what is being done to prevent an
accident like nuclear waste leakage to occur? A process that is deemed a temporary solution to
this problem.

First, radioactive nuclear waste is stored in a fuel pool at nuclear plants so that the waste can
cool down. Then once the waste is cooled down, the nuclear waste is transported to permanent
storage as a dry cask. This is only a temporary solution because the permanent storage that is
supposed to store the radioactive nuclear waste is stalled now because there is too much nuclear
waste. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 says that the federal government would identify a
permanent geological repository for the nuclear waste to be stored by 1998. However, the Yucca
Mountain repository, which was the proposed geological repository, is said to be not big enough
for the nation’s nuclear waste. One solution that scientists came up with is if not land, how
about water.

Deep down in the ocean are repositories that now hold nuclear waste. The waste is in a highly
structured stable cask where it’s unable to move for even tens of thousands of years. This raises
the question, what happens if there is an earthquake? If an earthquake occurs and suddenly
these highly structured stable casks are no longer stable, what happens to the nuclear waste in
the casks? Perhaps the waste will leak and will spread throughout the entire ocean as a result.
With the waste out in the wild, the biological life in the ocean will now be endangered and even
the humans will be endangered. Although there are many solutions that scientists are coming
up with, not many people know about them. This article is not suggesting a solution to the
problem but informing people about how dangerous nuclear waste is and what a problem storing
it is for the environment.
Articles Written by Students continued
Black Holes

By: Sophie J.

Space is one of the biggest scientific mysteries to humans. Because of the vast size and drastic
change in environment, the amount that we can discover is very limited. One of the most
interesting, and also deadly aspects of space are black holes. Unlike the name suggests, black
holes are not holes in space. They are created through a dense amount of matter clustered into
one area. Because of the size of the matter and stars that encompass the black hole, its
gravitational pull is substantial. Not even light can escape them. One of the main reasons black
holes continue to stay such a mystery is because they are invisible. Only using specific scientific
telescopes can they be seen. So much of space remains undiscovered, even as the tools and
materials advance. We will continue to explore it, and who knows, maybe we’ll find some people
out there too.

Photography Submission
Image of a dog stomach secretary taken with a light
microscope and using a scanning lens.
(Magnification is 40x). Submitted by Brooke O.
Citations/Sources
Photo of a snowflake/fossil fuels:

https://www.insider.com/pictures-of-real-snowflakes-macro-2016-12

https://www.irinsider.org/environment-1/2020/2/21/impact-of-fossil-fuels-worse-than-estimated

The Circadian Rhythm in Teens!

Lewin, D. (2018, May 14). The Science of Sleep: Teen Circadian Rhythms Explained.
Date Accessed: (12/4/2020)
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/for-parents/articles/2018-05-04/the-science-of-sleep-teen-circadian-rhythms-explained

National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Circadian Rhythms.

Date Accessed: (12/4/2020)
https://nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/Circadian-Rhythms.aspx

What is Chrons Disease?

https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/what-is-crohns-disease/overview

Global Warming

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/global-warming/

All About Concussions

Hazen, Becky. “Concussions and Brain Health.” SciLine, SciLine, 5 July 2018, www.sciline.org/evidence-blog/concussions.

Pathak, Neha. “Concussion: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatments, & Recovery.” WebMD, WebMD, 25 Aug. 2020,
www.webmd.com/brain/concussion-traumatic-brain-injury-symptoms-causes-treatments.

Colino, Stacey, et al. “The Challenges of Gauging Concussion Severity: Everyday Health.” EverydayHealth.com, 14 Mar. 2018,
www.everydayhealth.com/neurology/challenges-gauging-concussion-severity/.

The Dangers of Nuclear Waste Storage

https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/nuclear-waste
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/radioactive-wastes-myths-and-realities.aspx

Black Holes

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-black-hole-k4.html

https://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html
Citations/Sources
The Phases of Mitosis

“Phases of Mitosis | Mitosis | Biology (Article).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/cell-
communication-and-cell-cycle/cell-cycle/a/phases-of-mitosis.

“Mitosis.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/science/mitosis.

“The Cell Cycle, Mitosis and Meiosis.” University of Leicester, 15 Mar. 2011,
www2.le.ac.uk/projects/vgec/schoolsandcolleges/topics/cellcycle-mitosis-meiosis.

Science Behind Dreams

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-behind-dreaming/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-less-sleep-means-more-dreams/
https://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/what-happens-in-your-brain-while-you-dream/