Science News for Kids articles from June 2006

Science News for Kids archives from June 2006

Extra strings for new sounds.(tritare, new music-making device by tweaking the standard concept of a stringed instrument)
June 7, 2006... You've heard of pianos, violins, and guitars. Now, make room for the tritare (rhymes with guitar). Canadian mathematicians have invented the new music-making device by tweaking the standard concept of a stringed instrument. Instead of...

Pumping up poison ivy.
June 7, 2006... It itches and oozes. With its red bumps, a poison ivy rash can make you miserable. The potential for misery might get even worse. A new study suggests that rising levels of the gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could make poison ivy...

Snow traps.(Erica David's scientific work)
June 7, 2006... Erica David was 11 years old when she discovered the scientific wonders of snow. Now, when even the biggest blizzards strike her area, she'd rather be out measuring wind gusts than sipping cocoa by a fire. "Some kids call me crazy," says...

Firefly delight.
June 14, 2006... Summer is a magical time. I love the vivid flowers, the brilliant sunsets, and, perhaps most amazing of all, the bright flashes of fireflies dancing in the night. In my fascination with fireflies, I'm not alone. "When kids see...

Not slippery when wet.
June 14, 2006... A gecko has amazingly sticky feet (see "How a Gecko Defies Gravity"). In fact, if you pull hard enough on a gecko stuck to a glass plate, you might break the plate. A tree frog's foot doesn't have so powerful a grip, but it still must allow the...

Spotting the world's leggiest animal.
June 14, 2006... Although their name literally means "thousand legs," most millipedes have no more than 300 legs. The record holder is a millipede named Illacme plenipes, which has nearly 750 legs. It's the most legs ever observed on any animal. You'd...

An ancient spider's web.
June 28, 2006... A spider's silk web is strong enough to snare insects, but usually too delicate to withstand harsh weather and the ravages of time. So, even though spiders have lived on Earth for millions of years, few of their webs have lasted that long. ...

Fishy cleaners.
June 28, 2006... Coral reef fish don't take showers. Instead, they swim over to tiny "cleaner" fish, which nibble off their crusty skin deposits. Everyone wins. The little fish get a meal, and their visitors get rid of bothersome parasites. The...

Pollution detective.(Kelydra Welcker, 17 year old scientist)
June 28, 2006... Kelydra Welcker's neighbors have an invisible problem. Kelydra, 17, lives in Parkersburg, W.Va. Nearby, a DuPont chemical plant makes a variety of products, including the nonstick material Teflon. Tiny amounts of an ingredient used to...