Mark+Folta

**BAD SCIENCE MOVIE: The Day After Tomorrow:**
Refer to Probe #20: "Global Warming" from volume 4

Every year, my students ask me, "Can that really happen?" referring to the abrupt changes in the atmosphere as depicted in the movie. I ensure them that it can't and that climate change is slow, except in the case of some catostrophic event like a mile-wide asteroid hitting the earth. While there are some scientific truths to the movie, the key fictional aspects of the film revolve around 2 adjectives: **exaggerated** and **abrupt**. If global temperatures continue to increase, scientists predict many or all of the following concerns can and will become a reality:
 * Melting of Glacial Ice, most importantly the Greenland Ice Sheet and Polar Ice Caps, leading to…
 * Global sea level rise due to warm water expansion and incoming fresh water from melting glaciers resulting in…
 * Coastal flooding and erosion.
 * An increase in precipitation, especially at middle and high latitudes, with an increase in river runoff.
 * A decrease in ocean salinity and a subsequent change in ocean current circulation patterns.
 * Major shifts in ocean currents would affect both climate and species survival and possibly result in the extinction of many species, especially marine life. It is estimated that more than a million species may become extinct by the year 2050.
 * Declining crops resulting in global starvation.
 * Drinking water is less available.
 * Changes in weather patterns including an increase in violent storms, winds, hurricanes and tornadoes and extreme El Niño events.
 * Climate shifts - Droughts in areas that once experienced measurable rainfall amounts and higher than normal precipitation for other locations.
 * Higher death tolls from:


 * Malnutrition
 * Heat stress
 * Widespread disease

Here are some of the facts surrounding Global Warming: In 2005, the all-time greenhouse gas record and levels continue to spiral upward.3 Scientific data shows that present-day changes, caused by increased temperatures, include the following:
 * A substantial decrease in ocean salinity has been recorded over the last 30 years. This may be caused by the following…
 * Polar sea ice has thinned by 40% over the last 40 years.
 * The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet has accelerated to the point equivalent to a .13mm/year rise in sea level.
 * Warm water expands and so sea levels have risen 4 to 8 inches (10-20 centimeters).
 * Precipitation and river runoff have measurably increased 7-12% over the last 100 years, mainly between the 30°N and 85°N latitudes.
 * Sea levels have risen 0.3 to 0.7 feet over the last century.4

When scientists speak about **abrupt** climate change they mean within five or ten years up to a century. In The Day After Tomorrow, climate changing events were compressed to a couple of days to weeks. Ice Ages do not occur, nor do they retreat, overnight. Climate change has happened a couple of times over the last 13,000 years but, unlike in the movie, never in a few days time. A complete shut down of the Gulf Stream is possible and is believed to have happened in the geologic past however, it is not expected to occur within the 21st century. It would require a 9°F (5°C) average global temperature increase to create all the conditions necessary for a complete stoppage of this ocean current. Can Global Warming lead to Global Cooling? Yes it can, but not over several days as depicted in the movie. Over geologic time Earth has gone through several ice ages followed by inter-glacial warming periods. One possible cause of major periods of glaciation is a change in the tilt of Earth's axis. There are other possible hypothesis to explain the onset of an ice age.

**The Bee Movie:**
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**see Probe #14, from Volume 4: "Talk about Forces"**
The worst error is at the absolute beginning of the film. They begin with a black screen and type that old canard about “[|science says bees can’t fly]“. It’s really more of a mathematical/engineering misunderstanding– the calculations don’t work **if** the bee wing is fixed and rigid, like an airplane wing. But bee wings flex, and flap. So applying regular aerodynamic calculations used for airplanes aren’t appropriate Several papers have addressed this issue; you can find [|a list of some of them here]. The other really glaring error is The Male Bee Thing. Also, all the bees that collect pollen and honey in this movie are male bees, which is [|incorrect]. Male bees have one function–to pork a queen–and are tolerated by the (all female) worker bees. Hives are normally 95% or more female in composition. (Too many males is a sign of poor colony health!) The only other rather glaring biological error annoying enough to point out was the relationship between pollination and plant health. When the bees stop pollinating, all the plants start to die. Including trees, indoor houseplants, and plants that are wind-pollinated. The pollinating doesn’t keep the plants alive–it’s just what lets them reproduce! The plants are later “saved” by introduction of pollen from…one kind of plant.

Hi - I'm Mark the Biology Teacher at Lakota. When I started teaching over 20 years ago (man that makes me feel old), I taught Health and pretty much had to learn how to teach Biology. I now consider Biology to be the most fascinating subjects to teach! On a personal side, I am married (to a former Biology teacher!) and I have 2 lovely daughters as well as 2 stepsons who are already married, with kids, which makes me a grandpa... now I really feel old! I started kayaking last year and I am entering my first race next weekend! I enjoy the sport and find that it stimulates many areas of the brain, since it involves exercise, response to stimuli, and nature. I think I am addicted to the sport! I like frogs and green things. Hehe.

Here is a link to my school's website:

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 Here's a few of my favorite Teacher Links:
 * http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ (need an account to access some features)
 * http://www.nettrekker.com/us/overview
 * http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/ (for elementary students)>
 * http://www.pbs.org/teachers/
 * http://www.newyorkscienceteacher.com/sci/pages/movies/list.php
 * http://www.teachersdomain.org/login/ (create a free account and access to videos and other great resources for science)

Stayed tuned... my wife is working on a special website for teachers. She is a technology consultant...'comes in handy :)