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Spontaneous Combustion

Most of us know if we leave oily rags or papers in an enclosed area, we risk a fire. The process of burning is called oxidation. Oxidation is the same process that causes iron to rust or a banana to turn brown if left exposed to the air. It is the chemical reaction between oxygen and another material in which oxygen atoms replace the atoms of the ...

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SpontaneousCombustion
Biology

The Journey of the Monarchs

The life of Monarch butterflies is an amazing one. They develop as caterpillars from the roughly 400 eggs each mother lays on the underside of milkweed plant leaves. Then they spend their brief lives ... Continue reading

MonarchButterflies
Astronomy

Introduction to Constellations

'Constellation' is the name we give to seeming patterns of starsin the night sky. 'Stella' is the Latin word for star and a constellation is a grouping of stars. In general, the stars in these groups ... Continue reading

IntroductiontoConstellations
Astronomy

Two Face? Absolutely!

During the Viking missions to Mars in the mid 1970s, the planet was imaged from orbit by the Viking 1 and 2 Orbiters. These spacecraft returned images of regions of the planet that, while similar to ... Continue reading

TwoFaceAbsolutely
Biology

West Nile Virus Spreads Through United States

Viruses have been the scourge of humankind throughout history. Our most feared diseases, AIDS, smallpox, rabies and even the common cold, are all caused by viruses. Now, a dangerous Old World virus ... Continue reading

WestNileVirus

The Incredible Capacity Of The Immune System

TheImmuneSystemBy age two, infants in the US can receive up to 20 vaccinations. In view of that, concerns had been raised that too many immunizations could overwhelm an infant's immune system.

However, infants are bombarded with germs every day in the air they breathe and the food they eat, but their immune systems are able to handle these exposures. Vaccination does not overburden a child's immune system; rather, it strengthens even the young infant's developing immune system.

The vaccines that are recommended for all children use only a small portion of the immune system's 'memory.' Scientists estimated that based on the immune system's capacity to respond, a child could theoretically get 10,000 vaccines in one day and still not 'use up' his or her immune response or ability to respond. Although more vaccines are recommended for children today than in the past, children are actually exposed to fewer antigens (the substances that produce an immune response) in vaccines than ever before due to advances in chemistry and vaccine production technology.