Can you solve this week's challenge from the New Phila Science Club?
The New Philadelphia Science Club is back with another science question in The Times-Reporter. Each week a new science-related question will be given. Everyone is invited to participate by either mailing the answer to the club at the address below or simply emailing your answer to the address given. At the end of the school year several winners will be chosen from all the correct entries submitted and will receive a prize. To participate in this drawing, please send your answer to:
New Philadelphia High School-Room 331
343 Ray Ave. NW
New Philadelphia, OH 44663
Email answers to: Houmards@npschools.org
Last week’s answer
The correct answer to last week’s question is C. If you start with 60=2 times pi times the square root of L divided by 9.8, you can divide both sides of the equation by 2 times pi to get 9.55 equals the square root of L divided by 9.8. By squaring both sides you end up with 91.2 equals L divided by 9.8. Finally you multiply both sides by 9.8 to get L equals 893 m.
This week’s question
As snowflakes fall in the Tuscarawas County, mosquitoes are far from our immediate concerns. However, Jan. 8 in PLOS Biology, researchers reported the ability to genetically disrupt a protein in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This protein is produced only by Aedes, Anopheles and Culex mosquito species. These species are varieties that transmit diseases such as malaria, Zika, dengue, and West Nile virus. The ability to disrupt this protein may be useful in preventing disease transmission. The disrupted protein is known as EOF1. What is affected by the disrupted protein?
A. The protein is essential to male sex determination in mosquitoes. Without the normal protein, all offspring will be female leaving future generations lacking the ability to reproduce.
B. The protein is essential to the wing formation in mosquitoes leaving flightless mosquitoes.
C. The protein is found in the eggs of mosquitoes. The disrupted protein leads to eggs that are porous and collapse which prevents development from embryos to larvae that can hatch.
D. The protein is necessary for mosquitoes to sense chemicals that attract them to their prey. The disrupted protein prevents them from finding blood meals.