In remote Venezuela, a previously unknown catfish has been discovered. Scientists say that this species will shake the evolution tree. The new catfish has two families, Loricariidae and Astroblepidae. These fish have body armor that protects its head and tail. It also has a grasping pelvic fin that can grab vertical surfaces such as rocks. The strange fish caught the attention of the team 20 years ago. They took food samples and the fish to the Instituto de Zoologíca for identification. It took them years to pin point where the fish originated. They believe that the fishes ancestors most likely inhabited the upland Amazon streams and Orinoco river basins. Now the question is if the fish grasping pelvis and climbing behavior came from evolution or if it was independently acquired.
I believe that this is an amazing discovery. If we learn more about evolution we can learn about our own evolutionary process. We then can learn more about our ancestors and about ourselves. I found this article at http://www.livescience.com/animals/090122-climbing-catfish.html
On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama began his new presidency before an estimated 2 million people which is the biggest crowd in history, on the National Mall with sad yet very confident tones saying that under his command he will overcome its challenges and problems. It was prophesied by Martian Luther King that one day everyone of each race would come together. It made many citizens to tears. Obama’s address came before a crowd that had been getting bigger and bigger since 4 a.m. People danced, sang and waved flags as his swearing- in approached. Obama repeated the oath of office, his hand on the Bible used by President Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration. After swearing in and Obama’s speech was given there were celebrations around the country and even the world! "Greatness is never a given. It must be earned," he had said. Many people are very hopeful of Obama. They believe that he will be the change that they needed. "This is America happening," said Evadey Minott, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who witnessed the inauguration. The author believed that Obama’s inauguration is one of the most extraordinary moments in history. Obama has a big job ahead.
More than one million people gather in the National Mall in Washington DC, to see President Obama take the oath of office. The new leader said in his inaugural address that he would vow to begin the work of remaking America. He made a reference to the scale of his achievement at being the first black American elected to the White House. In his speech the part that stood out was, "This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed... why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath." When taking office, using his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, he his on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his inauguration in 1861. He repeated the oath of office then he became the first African American president of the United States of America. "The challenges we face are real," President Obama said. "They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. America now hopes that he can get the job done.
After reading these articles I am very proud to be living in America. Obama's story is an inspiration to others. I now know that in America if you put your mind to it anything is possible.
The overview of this story is that Obama became president of the United States of America. He gave his speech to millions of people who came to see the first black president. He is a great inspiration to others. If he could become president anyone can become anything they put their minds to. I believe that America is the place to start a new life and become someone somebody will look up to.
In the Sahara Desert, paleontologists believe that they have unearthed a new type of pterosaur, a giraffe-sized dinosaur, and a previously unknown sauropod dinosaur. The pterosaur was identified by a fragment of beak from the giant flying reptile. The sauropod, an herbivore, was represented by a long bone measuring more than a yard long, which they believe indicates an animal nearly sixty-five feet in length. Paleontologists believe that both lived almost 100 million years ago. They found the fossils southeast of Morocco, near the Algerian border, during a month long expedition. Nizar Ibrahim, a University College Dublin graduate student said that finding the two specimens in one expedition is remarkable, especially as both might well represent new species. Ibrahim will undertake an analysis of the sauropod bone, which he expects is a new species and genus of sauropod. He will also examine the pterosaur remains. The team also discovered rare dinosaur footprints, including some that record several animals walking along the same trail, as well as hundreds of dinosaur teeth, bits of giant crocodiles and some new species of fish. The fossils will return to Morocco for display after a study in Dublin. I believe this team found an amazing discovery. The more fossils we find the more we can learn about the age of the dinosaurs. I found this article at http://www.livescience.com/animals/081217-sahara-bones.html
