So, what do YOU know about Alchemy?

Alchemy provided the beginnings of chemistry, and certainly helped to develop the apparati of chemistry. It is part of the history of science, which is the history of human interaction with nature, and humanity's attempts to harness the power of nature for very human needs and wants.

Alchemists acted on the idea that nature had secrets to give and that they could be revealed through laboratory examination and experimentation.

While their knowledge was limited regarding the properties of nature, nonetheless, the work of the alchemists provided the basis of modern laboratory techniques, and they did indeed discover many of nature's secrets. 

Their pursuit for the elixir of life is not so different from modern chemists and natural products researchers who are similarly searching for that one great find which will cure all ills.
Alchemy would not make an appearance in Europe until the 8th century when Muslims finally brought alchemical knowledge with them to Spain.

While Egyptian, Muslim, and European practitioners were certainly interested in the elixir of life, there was a more noticeable focus on creating gold from other substances than was found elsewhere. Gold was perceived to be the perfect metal, with all others being less than perfect. The pursuit of the transmutation of lesser metals into gold was thus also the pursuit of the perfection of the human spirit.

These alchemists were known to dedicate their entire life to this myth hooked on the fact of what if it was real and up to this day there has been no major break throught in the so called science.

Article written by: Darion Sutherland

Flower Series: The Story of the Morning Glory

As the name implies, this incredible flower only blooms in the morning! Its' vine can climb up to 15 feet or more depending on the amount of sunlight it receives. This fast-growing vine produces exquisite blooms in the shades of: blue, purple, pink and white. In some gardens, the morning glory can self-seed continuously, however, it can take up to four months or more to bloom! 

Here is a fascinating timelapse video of this flower blooming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6iSwNfCf3U

Written by: Deanna Miller

Motivational Monday!

Posted by: Meghan Pace 

Did you know that...

Did you know there are more life forms on the surface of your skin than there are people on the Planet? 

Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand while drawing with the other? 

20% of office coffee cups contain fetal matter? Yuck!

Did you know if you were to remove all space from between the atoms that make up every human on earth, the entire world population could fit into a single sugar cube. 

Interesting fact: Caterpillars completely liquefy before turning into moths. 

A hummingbird weighs less than a penny. 

There are more vacant houses than homeless people in the United States.

The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body.

Written by: Maggie Beehler

Ever heard of a 'black hole'?

Black holes are defined as being a region in space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that light is not able to escape. This enigma is known as being similar to a vacuum cleaner, cleaning up debris left behind in outer space, but they are much more complex than this.

            Certain dying stars produce a common type of black hole. A star with a mass greater than about 20 times the mass of our Sun may produce a black hole at the end of its life. Stellar black holes for instance form when the center of a very massive star collapses in upon itself. This collapse also causes a supernova, or an exploding star, that blasts part of the star into space. Incase you were wondering, a supernova is a stellar explosion that briefly outshines an entire galaxy, radiating as much energy as the Sun or any ordinary star because of a catastrophic explosion that ejects most of its mass.

You may be wondering… how could we know such things exist if we can’t see them? Well, a black hole cannot be seen because of the strong gravity that is pulling all of the light into the black hole's center. However, scientists can see the effects of its strong gravity on the stars and gases around it. If a star is orbiting a certain point in space, scientists can study the star's motion to find out if it is orbiting a black hole.

Article written by: Maggie Beehler

Is it possible to get an egg inside a bottle?

By:Beth Eames (Junior Blogger)

How did "Soccer" come to be?

An early Greek soccer player

There are a number of conflicting beliefs concerning the question of who invented soccer. Some suggest that the history of soccer dates back as far as 2500BC, during which time the Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese all appear to have partaken in feet-based games involving a ball.

The most relevant of these ancient games to our modern day ‘Association Football’ is the Chinese game of ‘Tsu-Chu’ or ‘kick ball’ as it translates. Records of the game begin during the Tsin Dynasty (255-206BC) and represent a game in which soldiers competed in a training activity featuring a leather ball being kicked into a net strung between two poles. The main difference between Tsu-Chu and soccer was the height of the goal, which hung about 30 feet from the floor.

Soccer began to evolve in modern Europe from the 9th century onwards and in England entire towns would kick a pig’s bladder from one landmark to another. The use of sticks and hands were often apart of the game. The game was often seen as a nuisance and was even banned for some periods of Britain’s history.

It was finally the Football Association (from which the term soccer derives) who attempted to bring together the different codes and systems across Britain to form one accepted set of soccer rules in 1863. Soon after the FA rules were agreed, the first official soccer match took place in Battersea Park, London, featuring many of the top players. The rules and regulations continued to evolve in Britain and by the 1700s dedicated soccer clubs began to emerge, playing matches against one another.

During this time these sides were still allowed to use their hands during play and were only permitted to pass the ball backwards, meaning there was still quite some way to go in producing the modern game of soccer we see today.

From that point on soccer flourished in Britain, with the Football Association Cup being introduced 12 years later and the foundation of the Football League in 1888.

At the same time soccer clubs began to spread throughout Europe, with Denmark, Belgium and Switzerland all having Association football clubs by 1880.By the turn of the 20th century many European countries had formed their own soccer leagues and competed in international games between rivalling nations.

Article written by: Darion Sutherland