The Biosphere Essays - Superorganisms, Biological Systems

The Biosphere The Biosphere: The biosphere is part of the earth in which life exists. It is 20 km thick from the bottom of the ocean to the lower atmosphere. It consists of three layers: the lithosphere, which is the land on the surface of the earth; the hydrosphere, which comprises of the water on the earth as well as water vapor in the air; and the atmosphere, which is made up of the air that surrounds the earth. The living organisms in the biosphere interact and affect each other in many ways. This is called a biotic factor. Similarly, there are non-living elements that have an effect on living organisms, these are considered abiotic factors. Examples of abiotic factors are air, temperature, water, soil, light, and minerals. In a biosphere, organisms live in special groupings. For instance, a population consists of all individuals of a species living in a general area. A community is a population located in a certain area living among different species. An ecosystem is yet a larger conglomeration of a population, a community, and abiotic factors. Ecosystems can be aquatic or terrestrial. The earth's aquatic ecosystem makes up about 75% of the earth's surface. This aquatic environment is divided into marine and freshwater environments. The earth's terrestrial ecosystem is mainly made up of forests and deserts, which make up for 25% of the earth's surface. The role or function of an organism in a community is that organism's niche. An organism's niche is an area picked by that organism based on physical factors such as temperature, light, oxygen and carbon dioxide content and biological factors such as food, competition for

What Would Mark Zuckerbergs Resume Look Like if Facebook Failed

What Would Mark Zuckerbergs Resume Look Like if Facebook Failed We all spend so much time fretting about what is and what is not on our resumes. We also spend a great deal of time idolizing tech billionaires and entrepreneurs who went an unorthodox route and really made career magic happen for themselves. But what does a carefree, â€Å"I made it on my own† resume really look like on paper? It’s important to remember that the risk takers and innovators often have resumes that look a little out of balance. And hey, it worked out for them. No matter what your past looks like, there’s proof that a lot of hard work (and sure, a smidgen of luck) can combine to bring you great success.Here are a few bullet points from Mark Zuckerberg’s would-be resume if his Facebook gamble had failed and he had found himself out on the post-grad job market with the rest of his Harvard class.Mark ZuckerbergEducationHarvard University, Psychology and Computer Science    (Sept 2002 – ongoing)Phillips Exeter Academy, Classical studies and Science    (May 1999-2001)   Ã‚  GPA 4.0Software Development ExperienceFacemash   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Oct 2003 – ongoing)Internal social media website allowing visitors to rate their classmates at Harvard University as â€Å"hot† or â€Å"not.† Hugely popular and experienced such a spike in numbers as to overwhelm the Harvard servers.CourseMatch    (2003 – ongoing)Mini-social medial, the first of its kind, allowing university students to choose their courses based on the choices of their classmates, and to form study groups and meet-ups.Synapse Media Player (2000 – 2001)App using artificial intelligence to learn the listening preferences of the user, then recommending appropriate music. Featured on the SlashDot, rated 3/5 by PCMag, and reached more than 1000 downloads in the first month alone. Attracted significant interest from Microsoft and AOL.AchievementsFounded two of the most popular apps at HarvardWon over 10 prizes in Math, Physics, Astronomy, and ClassicsProficient or advanced proficient in six languages (English, Mandarin Chinese, French, Hebrew, Latin, Ancient Greek)Developed first software application at the age of 12Captain of prep school fencing teamTech Skills StrengthsProduct DevelopmentArtificial IntelligenceHTML CSSPHPAtari BasicSoftware ApplicationsZuckNet (1996 – 1997)Dental practice software, designed at age 12 using Atari Basic, allowing family computers to communicate with those of family dental practice.Computer versions of Monopoly Risk (1995-1996)Digitized versions of two popular board games for up to 6 players.MembershipsAlpha Epsilon PiKirkland House  PassionsThe Odyssey The Iliad, Tennis, Rowing, Fencing, and Programming  Verdict? Not really all that impressive. Keep this in mind as you build your own resume. Make sure to view your career goals and accomplishments with a healthy amount of perspective.