Science World articles from April 2001

Science World archives from April 2001

Grease Mobile.(using cooking grease to fuel a converted diesel engine)
April 9, 2001... On their two-month road trip last summer, recent college grad Justin Carven, 23, and pal Skill) Wrightson, 22, refueled regularly at fast-food restaurants. They loaded up on burgers, fries, and a tank of grease--yes, grease--for Carven's...

Sweet Rat Dreams.(study indicates that rats may dream of daily events, such as running through a maze)
April 9, 2001... Ever dream you're lost in a maze of hallways at school? If so, you're a lot like a rat. While rats sleep, new research shows, they replay events from their lives much like people do. And these dreams may help them learn from the past. ...

TAGGED TUSK.(trying to save the Atlantic walruses)
April 9, 2001... The Atlantic walrus is one mammoth marine mammal (animal that nurses its young with milk): An average adult male weighs a hefty 3,500 pounds! The walrus's torpedo-shaped body, streamlined for swimming, stretches up to 3.7 meters (12 feet) in...

Short Takes.
April 9, 2001... * PLUTO NOT A PLANET? Poor Pluto has always been the runt of the litter. Of the nine planets in our solar system, it's both the smallest and farthest from the sun. Now some scientists question whether the scrawny ice ball should be...

Megadeath.(cause of the Great Dying)
April 9, 2001... More than 250 million year's ago, something--until now, no one knew what--wiped out more than 70 percent of Earth's land dwellers and 90 percent of its ocean species. This included trilobites, soft-shelled sea creatures that crawled on the...

IS AMERICA TRASHED?(excess garbage)
April 9, 2001... Not enough energy? Too much garbage? What if there wasn't enough electricity to power the lights in your house, your TV, computer, CD player? That happened in California last January. Or what if the landfill that holds your family's trash...

CALIFORNIA UNPLUGGED.(energy crunch)
April 9, 2001... The New Energy Crunch Imagine sitting huddled in a jacket and blanket, using candles or flashlights to study in a cold, dark classroom. That eerie scenario turned real last January for 3,700 students at Fontana High School in Southern...

RECYCLING POWER!(saving energy by recycling)
April 9, 2001... Sure, recycling saves landfill space--but it also saves energy. Creating a new aluminum can from melted recycled cans consumes just 5 percent of the energy it takes to make one from scratch! What would you do with the energy leftovers?...

What a DUMP!(landfills across the U.S. are crammed full)
April 9, 2001... The garbage in your room is out of control. And burying your mess under layers of clothes is no longer a disguise--the heap is too big to ignore. So you start another pile in your sister's room. Guess what? Sounds like a U.S. landfill. ...

Eating TRASH.(bugs that eat garbage could help clean up the environment)
April 9, 2001... To you it's a disgusting lump of trash--to a microbe it's bon appetit! Learn how garbage-eating bugs help clean up the environment. What happens to the banana peel, empty cereal box, and milk carton you threw away after breakfast this...

ROT THIS!(try test showing decomposition of biodegradable trash)
April 9, 2001... Biodegradable trash can decompose with the help of a few natural elements--bacteria, water, light, and air. How will each affect your lunch leftovers? DECOMPOSITION TEST To Do: 1. Divide the banana peels into 5 strips about the...

FAST FACT.(recycling newspapers could save trees)
April 9, 2001... FAST FACT: Americans use 50 million tons of paper each year. It takes more than 17 trees to make one ton of paper. If everyone in the U.S. recycled their Sunday newspaper, half a million trees would be spared weekly.

It's Your Earth.(simple ways to save the Earth)
April 9, 2001... HERE ARE 30 SIMPLE WAYS TO SAVE IT! REDUCE GARBAGE 1. Precycle--buy things in packages that can be recycled or are made of materials that have already been recycled. 2. Wash, reuse, and recycle glass bottles and jars in the...

TRASH TRENDS.
April 9, 2001... This chart shows the increase in total waste generation (broken line) from 1960 to 1996. It also shows the changes in individual daily trash generation (solid line). Why do you think we produce more trash today? [GRAPH OMITTED] After...

Science in the News Quiz.
April 9, 2001... Directions: Read the late-breaking science news stories in our Science News section on pages 4-6. Then, test your knowledge by answering the questions below. Circle the correct letter. 1. Justin Carven and Skip Wrightson drove cross-country...