Oil platforms can cause major environmental disasters. Problems with the drilling equipment can cause the oil to explode out of the well and into the ocean. Millions of barrels of oil can be released before the well is plugged. When oil spills in the ocean, it floats on the water. Its presence causes enormous damage to local animal populations. Birds, fish and marine mammals are all threatened by oil spills. Crude oil does not always have to be extracted through deep drilling. It sometimes seeps all the way to the surface and bubbles above ground. Bitumen is a form of petroleum that is black, extremely sticky and sometimes rises to Earth's surface. (National Geographic, 12-14) William

The Arctic Ocean is not only ranked the smallest in size, at 10 times smaller than the Pacific Ocean, it's also the shallowest. The average ocean depth, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is 2.3 miles, or about 12,100 feet. The Arctic Ocean average depth, meanwhile, is much shallower — around 0.65 miles, or 3,407 feet. That's like water sloshing in a kiddie pool when compared to the deepest regions of the Pacific Ocean. These have been measured to around 6.85 miles, or 36,200 feet deep. (Onion, 3) William

King was already familiar with the idea of peaceful protest. He liked Gandhi's idea that people could use truth or love to fight for justice. However, he didn't find a practical use for it until he became involved in the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 and 1956. At that time, the bus system in Montgomery, Alabama, was segregated. African-Americans were forced to ride at the back of the bus. To protest this, King and others organized a boycott. For over a year, African-Americans refused to ride on Montgomery buses. (Biography.com, 6) William

“Beach helped write a report about the new discovery. The other experts working on the report looked at old painting guides. They wanted to figure out how the woman got blue spots in her teeth. They believe she would lick the tip of her brush while painting to make it into a fine point for detailed work. In recent years, scholars have found other pieces of evidence that suggest that women created illuminated manuscripts. For example, one 900-year-old German letter grants permission for a religious book to be produced by someone called "sister 'N.'" The scientists arrived at the latest discovery by accident. The German woman's remains were dug up in 1989. Then, in 2011, experts decided to study the skeleton in a new way: they would look at the teeth. Bacteria from food leaves behind tartar on teeth, which can give scientists information about what the person ate. Scientists were hoping to find clues about the woman's diet. Instead, they found the blue spots.” (Associated press- 13-14-15) Amelia

“If a child cries "Ow!" how much pain do you think he or she is feeling? As it turns out, for American adults, it depends whether the child is a he or she. That is what a new study says. The study was just published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, a science journal.In the study, researchers got 264 adult participants together and showed them each a short video. In it, they saw a 5-year-old child getting a medical test at school. The child had shoulder-length hair and wore a red T-shirt and gym shorts. Some of the participants were told the young patient was a boy named Samuel. The rest were told that the patient was a girl named Samantha. The doctor in the video stuck a needle briefly into the child's finger, who cried "Ow!"The people were asked to rate how bad the child's pain was. On a scale from 0 (no pain) to 100 (the worst pain), what did they think? On average, those who understood the subject to be a boy said the pain was 50.42. Those who believed the child was a girl rated the pain at 45.90. The researchers discovered something. The adults assumed that boys do not show pain as much as girls. So if a boy yells "Ow!" they thought it is worse pain than if a girl yells "Ow!" This bias in the adults led them to not take girls' pain as seriously. A bias is a belief about something or someone that is not based on facts and is often unfair or wrong.” (Washington Post, 1-2-3-4-5.) Amelia