Research questions Asked, answered, and how I got there

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Research questionsAsked, answered, and how I
got there

• By Diane Hutchinson

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How does sun block work?
Why do leaves change color in the autumn?
What are goose bumps? What causes them?
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My three questionsthe research process

• type keywords in the search engine of your
  choice.
• Ex
• read the small excerpts to determine if the pages
  have relevant information
• click on, and explore, different websites
• bookmark relevant pages, and continue to explore
  different sites.

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Sunblock. . .and how it works

• Melanocyte produces melanin which creates the tan
  in the summer months
• Ultraviolet light stimulates melanin production,
  in turn melanin absorbs ultraviolet light. This
  protects the melanocyte (which are the known
  producers of skin cancer cells).

Wearing sunglasses may increase the likelihood of
a sunburn.
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My results with Leaves

• Photosynthesis is the process where trees
  make the sugar they need to grow and live.
• As the amount of sunlight begins to
  decrease, the trees begin to shut down their
  food-making process.
• As the chlorophyll amount diminishes then
  the green color begins to disappear. The yellows
  and reds that appear were always in the leaf, but
  with the lack of green the colors are now
  visible.
• Purple? Comes from having glucose left in
  the leaf and the cooler nights. The combination
  creates variations of the darker red, and purple.
  
• Brown? This color is found in Oak trees,
  and is just waste.

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Horripilation, and what it means

• Horripilation is the big word for goosebumps (the
  medical word is cutis anserina).
• It is caused by tiny muscle contractions in the
  skin that are caused
• by fear, excitement, or cold.
• Scientists are still unsure of what
• use gooseflesh was to our
• ancestors.
• (photo courtesy of Wikipedia.com)

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Resource websites

• http//www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.
  htm
• http//www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html
• http//www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?art
  iclekey6842
• http//www.aptf.com.au/how_a_sunscreen_works.asp
• http//travel.howstuffworks.com/sunscreen.htm
• http//www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/sunscreen.
  html