Science Show

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation%29

Genesis (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Humans devolving





"Genesis" is the nineteenth episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation's seventh season, which first aired on March 19, 1994. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Data return to the USS Enterprise to discover the rest of the crew de-evolved into more primitive forms of life, including spiders, amphibians and cave men.^[1]

Synopsis

The given stardate is 47653.2,^[1] the year 2370.^[5] Worf fires a torpedo that veers off course during weapons exercises, and Picard and Data leave in a shuttlecraft in order to retrieve it from space.^[4] Data leaves his pregnant cat, Spot, with Barclay. Barclay, a hypochondriac, visits Crusher, who gives him a synthetic T-cell to activate one of his dormant genes. However it has the undesired side-effect of activating all his dormant introns. The crew begin to experience strange symptoms.^[5] Worf becomes aggressive and feels hot, while Deanna Troi feels cold. Crusher examines a silent Worf in sick bay and notices a venom sac on his neck, whereupon Worf sprays venom (it is not clear if this is inadvertently or deliberately) at Crusher, injuring her severely. As a result of her injuries, Crusher is placed into stasis.^[3]

When they have retrieved the torpedo from space, Picard and Data return to find the ship adrift, with the main power off-line. One of the bridge officers is dead, torn open in his seat,^[6] and most of the crew are de-evolving. Worf has reverted into an aggressive predator attempting to mate with Troi; Riker a caveman; Troi an amphibian; and Barclay a spider.^[3] Picard is overcome by irrational emotions of fear and anxiety, indicating that he has been infected, and Data suggests he might soon de-evolve into a primate similar to a lemur or marmoset. Picard and Data return to Data's quarters and find Spot and her kittens. Spot herself has changed into an iguana, however the kittens are normal.^[7] Data recommendeds that they locate Nurse Alyssa Ogawa who is recently pregnant. While in sickbay, Worf attempts break through the doors searching for Troi. Data concocts a pheromone spray from one of Troi's sebaceous glands, and Picard uses it to distract Worf and lead him off through the ship, so Data can work on the cure. Worf eventually catches Picard in a narrow crawlspace and the Captain uses a power cable to incapacitate him. Meanwhile, Data finishes the construction of the modified retro-virus and releases it into the air which returns everyone to their original state. At the conclusion, Crusher names the condition 'Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome', after its first sufferer.^[3][5]

Battledawn1 thought for winter break!

Are there aliens within are society?

Science Qustion

Is ufology part of science?

Science show

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chase_%28Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation%29

The Chase (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

[ Plot] About Genetics

Four competing expeditions — Federation, Klingon, Cardassian, and Romulan — attempt to solve a genetic puzzle that proves to be the key to why Star Trek's version of the galaxy contains so many humanoid life forms.

Picard has always been a student of archeology, and in this episode he is contacted by his former mentor Professor Richard Galen. The professor, who Picard said is "like the father who understood me", states that he has come across something in his travels which could be the most profound discovery of their time. Galen, however, will not tell him about what he has found unless Picard agrees to go with him, which means leaving the Enterprise and his career in Starfleet behind. Picard ultimately refuses, although he is torn about disappointing his former mentor. Shortly after angrily leaving the Enterprise, Galen's transport vessel is attacked and boarded. When the Enterprise arrives, Galen is beamed to sickbay and has just enough energy before he dies to apologize for his earlier rude remarks. Picard is fueled by this event and decides to assume Professor Galen's research. An investigation of Galen's ship yields no results other than a series of seemingly random number blocks. After studying the ambiguous number blocks for hours, the discovery is made that these fragments are compatible DNA strands which have been recovered from different worlds all over the galaxy. The crew eventually believe that they have discovered an embedded genetic pattern that is constant throughout many different cultures, and it is speculated that this was left by an early race that pre-dates all other civilizations. This would ultimately explain why so many races are humanoid. Picard resolves that the answer to the 'puzzle' will be revealed when the remaining DNA samples are obtained, and so the Enterprise travels to a remote, uninhabited planet that Galen had mentioned was his next destination. They encounter Klingon and Cardassian ships that appear to be on the same trail as themselves. These two groups believe, respectively, that the puzzle will yield the design of a formidable weapon and the secret of an unlimited power source.

The Enterprise hosts representatives from the Cardassians and the Klingons, and they all agree to combine the DNA samples that they have found so far, since all three parties have pieces of the puzzle that the others cannot find. Using the shared information, they determine a pattern in how several planets were aligned millions of years ago and extrapolate the position of a final planet. The Cardassians warp off ahead of the others, firing at both ships to disable them. However, Picard had already learned of the Cardassians' attempt to sabotage the Enterprise's defenses; the ship is fully functional, and he takes the Klingon captain to the last planet.

Upon arrival, they discover that almost all life is extinct, but scans by the Enterprise detect a small fragment of algae located on a fossilized sea-bed, and they beam down to investigate with their tricorders containing all previously known information. The Cardassians arrive, as well as an undetected Romulan force, creating a standoff. Reasoning that the sea-bed may not be completely fossilized (and thus still containing some DNA), Picard and Dr. Crusher scan the sea-bed with their tricorder while the other parties argue. They locate the final DNA fragment, which completes and runs the program. The program reconfigures the tricorder's emitter to project a holographic message. The recorded image of an alien humanoid is projected to the assembled company, and it explains that its race is responsible for the presence of life in the Alpha Quadrant. When the alien race first explored the Alpha Quadrant there had been no life other than themselves, and so they had populated various planets to create a legacy and to try to maintain their way of life after they had gone. The alien ends its message by saying that it hopes that the knowledge of a common origin will help produce peace.

The Cardassians are outraged at this (considering themselves a superior race), as are the Klingons (who hate the Romulans and are disgusted to be related to those "without honor"). Only the Federation representatives seem optimistic. The episode ends with all parties diverging, but one of the Romulan party contacts Picard and hints that "One day..." [there may be peace].

Science

Class Response

The unit we studied in class in class is ecology. I have learned a lot about ecology. But the most interesting thing I learned in this unit was about food webs and food chains. I have learned that all animals in a habitat are interrelated. I learned that if you take out an animal from a food chain and a food web then the prey it feeds on will increase and the food the prey eats will decrease. My favorite activity of learning about food webs and chains is when we did a simulation on how Yellowstone national park was like before and after the wolfs were reintroduced. Another interesting thing that I learned was that there are different levels in a food chain. A piece of information I learned from the internet is a word called trophic level. This word means the different levels or steps in the food chain. So the producers, the consumers, and the decomposers are trophic levels. In conclusion the most interesting thing I learned in ecology is the food webs and food chains.