**Why do I have a 40,000 year old tooth in my backpack? **I'll need to answer that question later in this journal entry.
Seriously though, I was sitting in an orthodontist office in the middle of a beautiful Kansas City spring day fully prepared to write a journal entry when a baby mammoth walks into my life for the second time since I became a Polartrec teacher.
My son William's mouth fresh from the orthodontist
I have to admit to all you students out there that I really was trying to avoid writing my journal entry. I just couldn't think of a topic. SOOOO I was looking over the same old selection of magazines you find in every doctor's office when I found Lyuba ,the cover girl, on the May 2009 edition of National Geographic. Let me tell you she is more captivating than any super model.
Covergirl strutting her stuff
Lyuba was discovered in May of 2007 on the Yarnal Peninsula in northwestern Siberia by a Nenets reindeer herder, not your typical way a cover girl model is discovered. Today she is studied by scientist around the world looking for clues about her life, her tragic death, the environment in which she lived and how she came to be so well preserved. You can read more about Lyuba at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070711-mammoth-picture.html Lyuba, however, led me to other articles in National Geographic. These articles' mere existence, in this magazine treasured for bringing the world to our doors, point to the importance of scientific research at the poles of our planet. There were articles about how the ice shrinkage in the Arctic is encouraging nations to stake claims to parts of the globe that in the past were frozen sea ice. Data and pictures taken from the ship the Healy, the same ship that is and has been home to two of our Polartrec teachers this year already, were used in this article. Additionally, in a section called "Visions of Earth" a beautiful photograph at South Georgia Island near Antarctica showed animals that live and raise their young on the ice. This picture reminded me of a scene in the movie Happy Feet. Why so much interest in poles of our planet? Since I was named a Polartrec teacher people have initiated conversations about the poles, global climate change, and global warming. They have told me what they believe to be true, and what they believe to be false. Sometimes their beliefs are based on facts, sometimes fears, yet other times they are quoting what they "heard". When they ask me what I think I usually turn the question around and ask them what they think is the purpose of scientific research. That question makes everyone stop and contemplate. SOOOO, I ask you. What is the purpose of scientific research? Let me know what you think in the "Ask the Researcher" part of my virtual base camp.
A 40,000 year old molar I keep in my backpack.
Now, why do I have a baby mammoth tooth in my backpack? Well, this molar was found in Alaska after it was released by the permafrost that had incased it, discovered by a gold miner, preserved by the owner of a unique shop in Fairbanks Alaska, and purchased by me in February of 2009. My baby mammoth tooth travels in my backpack so I can pull it out when anyone wants to talk to me about scientific research. If our paths cross in the future ask to see it. The baby that gave up this molar could lead us to discover great things too just like Lyuba. Seeking Discoveries, Gary