If I was an American Gladiator my name would be "TUNDRA"!

My favorite biome is the tundra. The tundra is characterized by extremely cold temperatures which does not allow flora to develop. The tundra has a lot of ice. Not that many animals can live in the tundra but there are large populations of the species that can actually survive there. The animals that can be found in the tundra are polar bears, snowy owl and artic foxes among others. The human activity is very limited due to the harsh weather conditions, nevertheless there have been a lot of studies, particularly regarding global warming which affects the tundra!. I like this biome because I think it is cool how some species can survive under such harsh conditions. It also reminds me of the Ice Age which I think was the coolest time period!

Is that a giant hamster?? No, it is a Capibara!

One time I was at the Ecuadorian jungle and I got to go to a place where they had exotic animals. One of the animals looked like a giant hamster!! It was for real the weirdest thing I had ever seen because it was swimming in the water as well. It turned out that the animal was called a Capibara. It is the biggest rodent in the world and it belongs to the family of other common rodents such as guinea pigs which are extremely common in Ecuador. I have been fascinated by this animal and that is why I wanted to talk about it! I am attaching a picture so you guys can check it out!!

The ecological niche of the capibara is semi-acuatic. They are found in places that surround lakes and dense vegetation. They are also found in forests and grasslands. The capibara does not take a lot of space when it needs to sleep. It usually sleeps in shallow parts of the the soil

I thought I was mestizo but maybe not? Mitochondrial Eve

When scientists describe the Mitochondrial Eve, the theoretical most fruitful human, it is described with dark skin, black hair and extremely muscular. Eve would have been very fit since she would have had to look for water in far away places. The reason behind her muscles is the need for eating animals that lived in the Savannah where Eve was supposed to live. The scientists believe that Eve was probably not the only woman at that time, however she was the most fruitful since it has been proposed that her genes are in the lives of billions of people that now live on Earth.

Massachussets is not that bad after all

http://www.mbl.edu/about/details/what_edres.html

There is something awesome about the state of Massachussets, and it is that the Woods Hole Marine Biological Lab is located there. It is the oldest private marine laboratory in the United States!! Many people go there to do research because of the amazing biodiversity. The institution is well recognized among scientists and they offer programs the entire year with a variety of topics. Scientists there work in several fields of study and have found some awesome things! You guys should totally check it out, especially if you are a biology major, or if you live in Massachussets! That is it for today guys, but I'll keep you guys posted!

The Butterfly effect

A lot of people know about the movie "The Butterfly Effect" but what does that term mean?. The butterfly effect is famous in the world of science due to a meteorologist named Edward Lorenz. This scientist claimed that when you are dealing with systems that have many complex connections and processes, simple changes can bring devastating consequences in the future. The example he used in order to explain his ideas was to ask "“Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?” Therefore the term butterfly effect. Many people are debating about the claims made by Lorenz because of the environmental changes we are experiencing right now. The environment is being transformed but it could be due to the actions of previous generations, on the other hand, many of the things we are doing today can have radical consequences for the future generations!.

Here is the link where I founf the information if you want to know more about it!http://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/winter06/pdf/editors_note.pdf

From Quito, Ecuador to Macon, GA

Cape of Good Hope- South Africa

Hola panas!, My name is Fernando Armendaris and I am a proud Ecuadorian who is currently attending Mercer University, GO BEARS! Ecuador is an awesome South American country located right on the Equator. It is known as the Land of the Volcanoes. Tourism is HUGE in Ecuador because of how beautiful life in down in America, the south part. I had the chance to go to the jungle this summer while I was back home and it was incredible. I think everybody should go there if they have a chance. Ecuador not only has a jungle but we also have mountains, beaches and most importantly, the Galapagos Islands!. Not that many people know that Ecuador actually owns the Galapagos Islands but it is true. God has blessed us with a wonderful landscape but due to current trends some of the wonders we have are changing. I also had the chance to travel this summer to South Africa and admire the nature over there. It was absolutely beautiful. Because of ignorance and lack of incentives we are destroying the environment. What the man does cannot be compared to the beauty of the nature. I am excited about taking this environmental science class because people in Ecuador are not aware that the environment has to be protected. I'll be posting some picture from Ecuador as well as some other news about what I am going to be learning in class! I hope you all enjoy this blog and feel encouraged to go out there and learn to appreciate the beauty of the creation!