What is DNA All About?

DNA is molecules called nucleic acids.

Nucleic acids were originally found in 1868 by Friedrich Meischer. DNA works by four different parts called nucleotides.

The four bases in DNA’s alphabet are:

Adenine (A) a purine                        Purine- double ringed structures

Cytosine (C) a pyrimidine                 Pyrimidine- single ringed structure

Guanine (G) a purine

Thymine (T) a pyrimidine

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/dna1.htm

What DNA does?

DNA carries info for your physical characteristics determined by proteins. 

In DNA each protein is encoded by a gene. A protein is made of a long chain of chemicals called amino acids. DNA is the master molecule of every cell. It gives information that gets passed to each successful generation.

DNA molecules are so long that they can’t fit in a cell unless you tightly form structures called chromosome. We have 23 pairs of chromosomes, found inside the cell’s nucleus.

DNA replication is the process of producing two identical replicas from one original DNA molecule. DNA replication is the process of having twins and forming genes, so some genes go to one twin and some genes go to the other.

By: Dora, Stewart, Aiden, Cody

Colonel Sam McLaughlin

By Abi, Alisha, Mia and Kaydn

    R.S. McLaughlin was born on September 8^th 1871. He died January 6^th 1972. He died in Oshawa Ontario and he died at age 100. He was a businessman and philanthropist. His full name was Robert Samuel McLaughlin. He lived in a big mansion. He was very rich. He had an indoor swimming pool in his house. He had a one lane bowling alley and an indoor tennis court and indoor pong table. And his own indoor library. His brother chemist J.J McLaughlin founded the Canada dry company. After his father's death in 1912 Sam became President of the Company until the company was joined as part of General Motors in about 1917. He has 5 daughters Eileen 1898, Mildred 1900, Isabelle 1903, Hilda 1905, and Eleanor 1908. He has a high school and an elementary school named after him.  He was appointed the honorary lieutenant-colonel of the 34^th Ontario regiment. In 1967 Sam McLaughlin was appointed a companion of the Order of Canada. His love of horses lead to the establishing of Parkwood stables, a thoroughbred horse racing and breeding farm located a few miles north of Oshawa. In 1898 Sam married Adelaide Louise Mowbray. Adelaide was born on February 9^th 1875. One Sunday Sam spotted Adelaide while attending church. Adelaide only had 2 dates with Sam before he proposed (it was love at first sight). After the honeymoon Sam and his Bride set up housekeeping in a home on King Street in Oshawa. Adelaide giving up her teaching career. At the time of the marriage Sam was a prosperous young man working in his father’s company the McLaughlin Carriage company. About 10 years later with his brother George, he started talking to his father into building automobiles. Women like Adelaide were not satisfied to just stay at home. She used skills to benefit society through charitable work. One of the charities that was most important to Adelaide was the Oshawa General hospital. They had a big family and a big mansion. Parkwood was home to the McLaughlin’s from 1917 until 1972. It is now used as a museum. The 55 room mansion has 15,000 square feet. They had a huge backyard. They have a soccer field in their backyard. They produce lots of movies there today. They have a big fountain in their backyard. In their basement they have a huge safe. When they produce movies they have to remove all the artifacts. Most go into the safe. Back then Sam and Adelaide did not sleep in the same bed because they think they would get sick; they had many working maids at their house. Thee is more information but we ran out of time to research and record it all

Why Are Planets Round?

By Caoimhe, Caden, Cameron B., Andrew

 Planets are round because of the gravitational pull.The gravity from the planet pulls everything towards it.  The gravity comes from the middle of the planet. It is round because all of the gravity is pulling in all the rocks and pulling it into the planet. If the planet was to be in the shape of a cube the corners will be higher than the rest of the planet. It would be uneven. The planets are the same as stars because there formed the same way. Solar systems are formed by nebula. Nebula is a cloud gas and dust in outer space. The larger the planet is the stronger the gravitational pull. Even solid rocks will flow like liquid toward the gravitational pull. The gases and dust spread through space and when there is enough dust gathered up and builds a pull called gravity.

Why did the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Not work?

By: Cameron C, Hunty, Zach and Keeshan

Because of the bridges behaviour, they named the bridge “Galloping Gertie.” The length of the bridge was 5,939 feet (1,980 meters). It was open for traffic on July 1^st 1940, linking Tacoma and Gig Harbor by road. The bridge was a very light weight design, and the engineers found out the bridge was very sensitive to high winds. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was a suspension bridge in Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A. The bridge swayed back and forth, left and right, the cars that were crossing it couldn’t see the cars in front of them from time to time. When the bridge collapsed, no people were killed, only 1 dog died. The cords of the suspension bridge snapped, and the bridge collapsed. When the winds were the highest, the right footpath was 9 m higher than the left footpath. The main engineer, Leon Moisseiff, never tested the bridge and he used a solid steel girder for strength instead of the stiffening trusses.  The bridge lacked the stiffness to resist the winds and because of that it collapsed.  The bridge collapsed on November 7 ^th 1940 around 11:00 am. 

Why Do Engineers Wear Rings?

By Olivia, Jaylah, Jaycee and Rheya

Engineers wear rings because the Iron Ring is a symbol of professional duty, and obligation. The tradition started in 1922, when a group of Montreal engineers met to consider the solidarity of the profession, to show that they are engineers.  They proposed that 7 of Canada’s most prominent engineers to be known as a Corporation of 7 Wardens. The ring is also presented to graduates of Engineering programs in a closed ceremony known as the ritual of a Calling of an  Engineer. Accepting of the professional ring is not allowed if you have not done the courses to deserve it.