Science World articles from April 2004

Science World archives from April 2004

No clowning around.(Life/Brain)
April 5, 2004... No joke: Learning to juggle can cause changes in human brain structure, say researchers at the University of Regensburg in Germany. At the start of their study, the scientists performed brain scans on 24 volunteers with no juggling ability....

Sneaky squid.(Life/Adaptations)
April 5, 2004... It's no secret: Many fish can glow using bioluminescence (light made by a chemical reaction in living tissue). But now, researchers have discovered special tissues that make the built-in nightlight of one tiny squid extraordinary. The...

Taxing sacks.(Graph It/Environment)
April 5, 2004... Shoppers might think twice before trashing their plastic grocery bags. That's because the non-profit group Californians Against Waste Is lobbying for a two-cent fee on the flimsy plastic sacks. The vote on the tax would take place in 2005. ...

Scratch and sniff.(Physical/Chemistry)
April 5, 2004... Scouring the produce section for that perfect, mouth-watering fruit? Squeeze and sniff no more. New Zealand scientists have invented high-tech packaging with color-changing labels to show when fruit is ripe. Plants produce fruit as a way...

Out of whack.(Earth/Atmosphere)
April 5, 2004... Ever know the world was cockeyed, but couldn't explain why? University of Illinois scientists have had that problem since 1999, when they first discovered that clouds above Earth's South Pole float miles higher than those above the North Pole....

Environmental alert: the good news, the bad news, and how you can help the planet.
April 5, 2004... Earth day was celebrated for the first time more than 30 years ago, in 1970. And to help you celebrate Earth Day on April 22, Science World delivers an update on how the environment is faring. Some good news: Sewage-treatment laws have cleaned...

Tomorrow's weather: in the movie The Day After Tomorrow, twisters topple buildings, waves wash out cities, and snow blankets streets. Could rapid climate change really happen?(Earth: climate change)(Cover Story)
April 5, 2004... Thunderous tornadoes demolish Los Angeles. Bowling-ball size hailstones rain down on Tokyo. Why the sudden onslaught of deadly weather? Global warming has triggered a series of natural disasters--including a monster storm that's racing south...

Back from the brink: the world's last truly wild horses had disappeared from Mongolia. Now scientists are returning the animals to their native land.(Life: endangered species)
April 5, 2004... Thirty-five years ago, the people of Mongolia caught what they thought was their final glimpse of a wild takh, the world's last remaining species of untamed horse. To some people, the horse became just another species on the long list of...

Buy a better earth: Science World goes shopping for the environment.(Physical/earth: energy/resources)
April 5, 2004... How much cash did you burn through at the mall last weekend? Each year, young people spend $170 billion on food, clothing, and entertainment. But all that stuff costs more than you think. "A lot of consumers don't realize the hidden costs...

Gross out?(You Can Do It)
April 5, 2004... Walking along any city street, you're likely to stumble across some stinky garbage. But shoppers in Tainan, Taiwan, ran into something a lot more unexpected last January: whale intestines. After the body of a dead sperm whale exploded, blood...

Explain this!(Activities & Oddities)
April 5, 2004... What's with these taillights? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This elephant in New Delhi, India, sports a new safety feature: custom-made rear end and leg reflectors. Speeding trucks have occasionally crashed into working elephants at night and...

Tease your brain.(Activities & Oddities)
April 5, 2004... Can you trace this figure using one continuous line? You can't retrace or cross your line at any point. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Hans-on science: (no lab required).
April 5, 2004... Check out these hands-on experiments after you've read "Tomorrow's Weather (p. 8) and Buy a (p. 16), They're fun and foolproof! PERSONAL RECYCLE MILL In "Buy a Better Earth" you learned recycling saves trees. Find out what kind of...

Science in the news.(Check For Understanding)
April 5, 2004... Directions: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 6. Then test your knowledge by circling the letter of the correct answer, below. 1. German researchers found that learning to juggle can cause a(n) a. improvement in concentration...

Mongolian Safari.(Research Skills and Language Arts)
April 5, 2004... After reading "Back From the Brink" (p. 12), you're eager to explore the wild regions of Mongolia. So you go on a summer expedition--a Web expedition, that is. Since Mongolia is large--two times the size of Texas--you won't be able to cover the...

Meltdown.(Vocabulary Builder)
April 5, 2004... First read "Tomorrow's Weather" (p. 8). Then solve the clues below to complete this crossword puzzle. To spell out the bonus words, unscramble the letters in parentheses. A "*" on the crossword grid indicates the bonus word. [ILLUSTRATION...

Green machine.(Critical-Thinking Skills)
April 5, 2004... In "Buy a Better Earth" (p. 16), you learned about some cool technologies--like the reGen yo-yo--that promise to help protect the planet. Now try your hand at inventing an Earth-friendly gadget. To Do: 1. Select one product that you...

Table for two.(Physical/Chemistry)
April 26, 2004... Chemistry class just got more complex. Thanks to U.S. and Russian scientists, the periodic table has two more squares. The periodic table is a systematic list of Earth's elements--substances made of just one atom. "In chemistry, you can't...

Eureka!(Space/Mars)
April 26, 2004... This March, one of NASA's twin Mars rovers found what it was searching for: evidence that a lot of liquid water--an ingredient thought to be necessary for life to form--once existed on the Red Planet. While exploring Meridiani Planum, an...

Scummy hideout.(Life/Bacteria)
April 26, 2004... A scrub-a-dub in the shower makes your body squeaky clean, right? Think again. Researchers have found that shower curtains are home to loads of bacteria that may cause disease. Scott Kelley, a microbiologist from San Diego State University,...

Say ouch!(Graph It/Health)
April 26, 2004... Five billion people worldwide suffer from tooth decay, says a new study by the World Health Organization. That means more than 80 percent of the world population needs to work on their smile. Tooth decay happens when bacteria living In your...

Tricky sticks.(Physical/Forces)
April 26, 2004... Does U+C = M, where U = you, C = chopsticks, and M = mess? If so, rest assured: You're not alone. An Uncle Ben's company survey revealed that three out of every five British citizens avoid using chopsticks and suffer from consecotaleophobia...

Paradise lost: can Earth's oldest rain forest be spared from total destruction?(Earth: rain forests)
April 26, 2004... When ecologist Roman Dial first read about Borneo, he was one amazed middle-school student, eager to hop on a plane and explore the island. "It was portrayed as one of world's wildest jungles," says Dial. The Southeast Asian island houses...

Bug off! First, it sickened birds. Then, it struck humans: The mysterious spread of the West Nile virus.(Life: viruses)
April 26, 2004... Veterinarians are used to treating a wide variety of animal patients. But when a woman carrying a black crow walked into John Charos's waiting room in June 1999, the Queens, New York, doctor was surprised. "It looked so comfy," he says. Crows...

Good vibrations: whether it's a croaking frog or a foot-stomping elephant, many animals use sound waves to keep in touch.(Physical: sound waves)
April 26, 2004... Noisy neighbors are keeping many residents of the Big island of Hawaii from getting a good night's sleep. And it's not a new rock band playing until the wee hours of the morning. Rather, it's a tiny frog--no bigger than a quarter--that's...

The thrills of a lifetime: the teen brain is wired for thrills, chills, and adventure. Here's how to make the most of it.(Close-up: teen brain)
April 26, 2004... "It's really scary," says 16-year-old Que Walker. "You're nervous and shaking. Then afterward, you get that same feeling you get coming off a roller coaster. You want to go again!" Is Que talking about the effects of a drug? Other articles...

Brain change: two very different ways.(Close-up: teen brain)
April 26, 2004... Teens who experience real thrills often feel satisfied afterwards. But in the search for a kick, some teens make the dangerous turn to drugs. People who use drugs may feel depressed and crave more drugs. To understand why, you have to look...

Help when you need it.
April 26, 2004... For teens in emotional pain--feeling angry, hurt or depressed--drug use may seem like a way out. But using drugs makes every situation worse. Every teen should know that real relief is available. New research shows that psychotherapy can lift...

Hands-on science (no lab required).
April 26, 2004... Check out these hands-on experiments after you've read "Good Vibrations" (p. 15) and "Paradise Lost" (p. 8). They're fun and foolproof! FEEL THE RHYTHM In "Good Vibrations" you learned that elephants communicate by transmitting sound...

Gross out?(Activities & Oddities)
April 26, 2004... Get this guy a tissue! Last fall, Manohar--nicknamed Snake Mano--from Chennai, India, threaded a live snake up his nostril and out of his mouth. How did Mano pull off the slithery feat? "The nasal passage and mouth are connected in the...

Explain this!(Activities & Oddities)
April 26, 2004... What's with the big head? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWERS Explain This Anyone peeking out the window of this Swiss chalet would have gotten an eyeful of artist Vincent van Gogh's head. The head is actually a hot-air balloon....

Tease your brain.
April 26, 2004... Can you figure out what number should replace the question mark? ANSWERS 65. Multiply numbers in boxes diagonally opposite one another. Then subtract the smaller product from the larger product: (17 x 7) - (9 x 6) = 65

Science in the news.(Check For Understanding)
April 26, 2004... Directions: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 7. Then test your knowledge by circling the letter of the correct answer, below. 1. A superheavy element is: a. an atom that weighs more than 45 kilograms (100 pounds). b. an...

Rain-forest explorer.(Research Skills And Language Arts)
April 26, 2004... In "Paradise Lost" (p. 8), you learned that rain forests teem with plant and animal life. Now, a world-famous natural-history museum is sending you on a Web adventure. Your mission: Collect critical information to help the museum set up a...

Fewer teens use drugs.(Heads Up Real News About Drugs And Your Body)
April 26, 2004... Teenagers are getting the message that drugs are a dead end. Fewer teens today are fooled into thinking that abusing drugs can help solve problems or is a the way to spend time. To see the downward trend in teen drug use, look at the bar graph...