Science World articles from April 2008

Science World archives from April 2008

Kite powered cargo.(GRAPH IT/ENVIRONMENT)(Brief article)
April 21, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Being dragged along a beach by your kite is a rough way to find inspiration. But having that experience as a 15-year-old led Stephan Wrage, an engineer from Hamburg, Germany, to invent a supersize kite to help pull...

Golden touch.(PHYSICAL/LIGHT)(Brief article)
April 21, 2008... With the touch of a button, scientists can make shiny gray aluminum appear gold, blue, or even black. Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York recently discovered that blasting metals with an ultrapowerful laser could change the...

Medical miracle.(LIFE/IMMUNE SYSTEM)(Brief article)
April 21, 2008... Demi-Lee Brennan, a 15-year-old Australian girl, got a life-saving liver transplant six years ago. Doctors expected her to require special medicine for the rest of her life. But Demi-Lee's body had something else in mind. Shortly after the...

Color showdown.(LIFE/CAMOUFLAGE)(Brief article)
April 21, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chameleons are famous for their ability to change their skin color to match their surroundings. But for these quickchange artists, color has a more important purpose: communication. Chameleons can turn from green...

Numbers in the news.(Brief article)
April 21, 2008... 6,300,000 gallons of salt water fill the ocean exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium. Visitors can now pay to swim and scuba dive at the world's largest aquarium, [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 250,000 people pass through Stockholm, Sweden's main...

Fight or flight: can a tiny bird that breeds in greenland win the battle against climate change? Teens at a California school get the scoop from their adventurous science teacher.(EARTH: CLIMATE CHANGE)
April 21, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Would your science teacher go to the ends of the earth for you? Mary Anne Pella-Donnelly, a teacher at Chico Junior High in Chico, California, did just that as she bundled up in a puffy parka and hopped aboard a...

Planet protectors: in celebration of Earth Day, museum scientist and Science World readers share their plans to help the planet.(LIFE: CONSERVATION)
April 21, 2008... April 22 is Earth Day--a good time to reflect on the health of the planet. What environmental issues do you think are most pressing? In the October 8, 2007, issue of Science World, we asked you to go online and vote in Science Explorations'...

Paper or plastic?(PHYSICAL RECYCLING)(effects of paper bags and plastic bags to the environment)
April 21, 2008... This question often leaves grocery shoppers wondering which to choose. Is one bag better for the environment than the other? Last year, San Francisco, California, became the first American city to ben its supermarkets and pharmacy chains from...

Beached bananas?(YOU CAN DO IT)
April 21, 2008... EXOKAIN THIS!

Ask ScienceWorld.(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
April 21, 2008... Why do our teeth only grow back once after we Iose our baby teeth? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your first set of teeth grows in when you are approximately 6 months old. These baby teeth, or deciduous teeth, grow in at a size that fits your...

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
April 21, 2008... Imagine a clock face with an hour and a minute hand. Between the hours of 5 am and 5 pm, how many times will the hands cross each other? [ILLUSTRATON OMITTED]