Megabat - Megachiroptera

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Pteropus
Secies: Tokudae

Megabats, commonly known as fruit bats, live only in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australasia, and Oceania.

Megabats range in size from 2 inches to 16 inches. Their wing span can reach almost 5 feet wide. Most bats have large eyes used to obtain light inside caves and forests. These bats do not follow the rule of ecoholocation and instead have an incredible sense of smell. Megabats are also carriers of the Marbug Virus, a disease highly dangerous to humans.

Megabats eat fruits or lick nectar from flowers. The bats often crush the fruit and consume only the fruit juice. They have developed teeth that are able to bite through hard skins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabat

Guest Presenter

Today we listened to a guest speaker named Louise Mead. She talked about evidence of evolution over millions of year and the product of it now. She works for a company that travels around spreading the theory of evolution.

I'm glad to learn about it because i am interested in the evolution theory. It's amazing how different species can have so many similar parts.

Bone Marrow Transplant

December 4, 2007 6:03 PM

A new discovery in bone marrow transplant may help provide an important step in developing artificial nerves. At Kyoto University School of Medicine, researchers published in an issue of Cell Transplantation their discovery. Transplanted bone marrow cells, containing adult stem cells protected by a 15mm. silicon tube supported by bio-engineered materials, help regenerate damaged nerves.

Artificial nerves taken from a variety of cells then transplanted to nerve damaged areas have always been considered as an option other than grafting. Before the discovery of a way to regenerate damaged nerves, scientists have not been able to regenerate axons with sufficient vascularity or length to bridge the nerve gaps.

I feel that this discovery is a starting point for more and more discoveries to be made about nerve damage and regeneration. Many people have nerve damage and never completely recover. This discovery will help set the way for people with those injuries to find treatment in the near future.

Lab

Yesterday, we did a lab experiment in biology class. First we created a gel mold and placed it into buffer. Then we injected different chemicals into each square in the gel mold and turned the electricity. The chemicals moved either to the rite or to the left, determining if it was positive or negative charge.

Snail Experiment

we observed the reactions of vinegar on snails and viewed the bottom of the snail when they moved across the lens. While moving across the lens, we could see the wavey patterns underneath the snail's body.

hi

hi mr. olsen