Wednesday's Current Event.

PARIS — The rugged landscape created by volcanic eruptions and tectonic plate shifts in east and south Africa millions of years ago may be what prompted our human ancestors to start walking on two legs, a study said Friday. The research published in the journal Antiquity challenges the commonly-held theory that early hominins (members of the broad human family) were forced onto two feet on the ground because climate change reduced the number of trees they lived in.

Brain Stimulation Can Boost Math Skills

Administering high-frequency electrical noise to the brain can actually boost math skills up to six months later, according to a small study at the University of Oxford. The finding was published in the journal Current Biology and outlines a technique that consists of placing electrodes on the scalp of the head and administering random electrical noise to stimulate parts of the brain - causing nerve cells to fire. During this study, the electrodes were placed on the head to aim at hitting regions of the brain known to be involved in doing math. Opinion: I really need help with math, and this might possibly work....

2 posts

U.S. lost track of two with known or suspected terrorists: Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Marshals Service lost two former participants in the federal Witness Security Program "identified as known or suspected terrorists," according to the public summary of an interim Justice Department Inspector General's report obtained by CNN. The Marshals Service has concluded that "one individual was and the other individual was believed to be residing outside of the United States," according to the summary. A Justice Department official said in response to follow up questions about the matter by reporters on Thursday that the pair had left the program years ago and had been accounted for. Opinion: I think that this is scary because they aren't anywhere to be found. Ancient water here on Earth keeps hope alive for life on Mars: Billions of years ago, pockets of water became trapped deep underground on Earth. Having just found some of these water pockets, scientists have discovered that they contain not only water, but are also abundant in life-sustaining chemicals. What's more, the rocks that have been holding this primordial water hostage for billions of years are reminiscent of the sort of rocks that scientists have observed somewhere else in the solar system. Mars. This has the scientific community looking to our little red neighbor with renewed hope: if Earth can be home to such ancient, watery time capsules then maybe — just maybe — Mars is too. Opinion.I think that this is a new experience and that this will bloom to new findings about Mars.

Education Opinion

My opinion on education is that I don't really see how teachers tell you to go for what you want to be in life and to express yourself, but in reality they don't teacher about what we should be learning for our goal. Like, what if we wanted to be a chef but they don't teach us about cooking or restaurant management. How is Biology suppose to help us with Culinary?

Mother's Day Shooting Opinion.

My opinion on the shooting on Mother's Day is that nobody really knows why the people did what they did, we can only assume that maybe the shooters are in cohorts with each other and they had the same problem that had something to do with their moms, so they chose Mother's Day to do something and go after the Mother's Day parade. Honestly, nobody should even think about doing that, especially on Mother's Day.

Thursday's Post: Mars One applicants exceed 78,000: Would you take a one way ticket to Mars?

Mars One applications have only been available for two weeks, and already over 78,000 people have submitted video applications to be part of the one way trip to the red planet. Scheduled for 2022, the Mars One mission, imagined by the Dutch non-profit of the same name, aims to establish a self-sustaining colony on Mars. According to Time, the physiological change to the human body after an extended stay on Mars would mean no chance of returning to Earth for would-be astronauts. While the initial flood of applications has led Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp to call the mission "the most desired job in history," Mars One colonists would face trying conditions that could make it difficult for the organization to find its desired 500,000 applicants. Opinion: I would like to be part of the Mars One mission.

Wednesday's post:Time-lapse images let you witness 28 years of Earth's changes

The pictures, captured by the series of Landsat satellites and released in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, and Time magazine, show several startling examples of how humans and natural processes have changed Earth from 1984 to 2012. You'll see the depressing decline of the Columbia Glacier in Alaska, the blossoming of Dubai's epic cityscape, and Las Vegas' urban explosion. There's also an alarming look at the deforestation occurring in the Brazilian Amazon forest. Opinion: This is cool being able to see the Earth change from 28 years ago to now.

Tuesday's Post: 2 truths and a lie

Pets may help cut heart disease risk: American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) issued a scientific statement on Thursday saying owning a pet may help to decrease a person's risk of suffering from heart disease and is linked with lower levels of obesity, blood pressure and cholesterol. Amazon Is Developing Smartphone With 3-D Screen The Seattle e-commerce giant has recently been developing a wide-ranging lineup of gadgets—including two smartphones and an audio-only streaming device—to expand its reach beyond its Kindle Fire line of tablet computers, said people familiar with the company's plans. Its said to be the greatest new technology and also has a high price. Flu In Pregnancy Increases Child's Risk Of Bipolar Disorder Women who catch the flu during pregnancy may put their child at increased risk of bipolar disorder later in life, according to a new study in JAMA Psychiatry. In the past, studies have demonstrated a link between gestational influenza and schizophrenia in offspring, showing that a mother's flu during pregnancy may increase a child's risk of schizophrenia.

Monday's post: Cleveland man could face aggravated murder charges.

Ariel Castro is accused of separately abducting two teenage girls and a young woman and holding them in his home for about 10 years. One of the victims, Amanda Berry, escaped with her 6-year-old daughter. Castro is set to undergo a paternity test to confirm he is the girl's father. Another victim, Michelle Knight, alleges she became pregnant five times and that each time Castro starved her and punched her in the stomach until she miscarried, according to a police report reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Opinion: This is scary and it could happen to anyone, also, I'm glad that they escaped.

Crash

A 16-year-old suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being impaled in the chest by a piece of fence after crashing a car Thursday afternoon, Salem police say. The driver was with three other 16 year olds. The other teenagers sustained minor injuries. All four are from Sprague High School. This is sad and I wish their families the best.

Bad man.

A Salem man walked into the Marion County Jail on Thursday morning and confessed to sexually abusing a young girl, according to a Marion County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. Eddie Luter,35, told a deputy at the jail that he had been sexually abusing a 12 year old girl who lived with him and his wife, sheriff’s spokesman Don Thompson said. The girl had been staying with Luter and his wife since 2010 while her parents live and work in Micronesia. This is sad and I hope he gets punished.

Options

Students, parents and teachers marched and pleaded with the Gresham-Barlow school board to keep a program off the budget chopping block. The Options Program is at risk of being cut from the school budget after 26 years of helping students graduate who are struggling at school and home. The school district is short about $5 million and needs to find a way to save money, but students, and their teachers, don't want this program to go. Here are some of the statements they made before the school board Thursday night. I think this is a amazing story and that students care for a program so thoroughly.