ScienceIQ.com

Microorganisms: Are they really that bad?

We buy antibacterial hand soaps and cleaners to get rid of microorganisms that we don't want around us or our homes, but can some of them actually be helpful? You may think that they only cause harm, but they are important in many aspects of our daily lives. In fact, there are many more microorganisms that help us than the small number that are ...

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Microorganisms
Biology

Billions and Billions

Nobody really knows how many brain cells anybody has, but typical estimates are around 200 billion. You've heard the late Carl Sagan talk about 'billions and billions of stars' in the universe. Think ... Continue reading

BillionsBillions
Chemistry

What Is Arsenic?

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element widely distributed in the earth's crust. In the environment, arsenic is combined with oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur to form inorganic arsenic compounds. Arsenic ... Continue reading

WhatIsArsenic
Medicine

Protozoa That Cause Disease

Diseases caused by protozoan parasites are among the leading causes of death and disease in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Developing countries within these areas contain ... Continue reading

ProtozoaThatCauseDisease
Geology

The Importance of Cave and Karst Systems

Cave and karst systems are important for two major reasons. First, the overwhelming majority of the nation's freshwater resources is groundwater. About 25% of the groundwater is located in cave and ... Continue reading

ImportanceofCaveaKarstSystems

When This Lake 'Burps,' Better Watch Out!

LakeBurpsNearly twenty years ago, two lakes in Cameroon, a country in Africa, 'burped,' killing hundreds of people. What makes a lake burp? Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun are unusual lakes. They each formed in the crater of a volcano that is dormant but not extinct. Under the lake, the magma, molten lava deep in the earth, gives off gases, including carbon dioxide (the gas that makes soda fizzy). The gases seep into the groundwater, and from there into the lake. Most of the time, the carbon dioxide stays dissolved in the cold water at the bottom of the lake, trapped there by layers of warmer water that lie near the surface. In large, deep lakes, these layers don't mix.

But if something happens to disturb the layers (like shaking the soda can!), the dissolved gas can come rushing to the surface and form a deadly cloud that spreads around the shores of the lake. A landslide, an earthquake, or even a big storm can set it off.

Carbon dioxide is a normal part of the air we breathe, but only a tiny part (0.3%). A cloud of carbon dioxide gas contains no oxygen, so we would suffocate if we breathed it. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so when the lakes 'burped,' the cloud stayed close to the ground, killing the people and animals near the lake shore. Last year, scientists stuck a vent pipe down to the bottom of both lakes. They hope this will let the trapped gas escape slowly and not build up to dangerous levels.