Science World articles from December 2002

Science World archives from December 2002

Dino-mummy: in the flesh. (Life/Earth News).
December 13, 2002... For a paleontologist (fossil scientist), nothing beats digging up dinosaur bones--except when the bones are still covered in skin! "The odds of finding dino skin are way out there," says paleontologist Nate Murphy at the Judith River Dinosaur...

Move over, Pluto. (Space News).
December 13, 2002... It's a fact of life, right? The solar system contains nine planets. Don't be so sure. A growing number of scientists think it's time to scratch Pluto from the lineup. "Scientifically it makes sense," says planetary astronomer Mike Brown of the...

Sleeping giant stirs. (Freeze Frame).
December 13, 2002... Spectacular Kilauea (KEE-lah-WAY-uh) may be the volcano that won't quit. It's been erupting nonstop for 19 years oil the island of Hawaii, ejecting streams of lava (erupted molten rock) at a searing 1,100[degrees]C (2,012[degrees]F) into the...

Flourishing frogs. (Life News).
December 13, 2002... While alarmed biologists struggle to understand why frogs, toads, and other cold-blooded, egg-laying amphibians are declining worldwide, one research team is scrambling to identify more than 100 just-found frog species. They were discovered in...

Tearless onion. (Short Take).
December 13, 2002... Cry more over sliced onions! With a little tinkering, scientists may be able to disarm nature's tear bombs. Japanese researcher Shinsuke Imai recently pinpointed the eye-irritating chemical that cut-up onions release: It's called...

The fish that ate everything (and other true tales); ravenous fish, noxious weeds, wild hogs, and deadly germs: Can anyone stop invader species? (Life science: food chains/invaders species).
December 13, 2002... Biologists slip on yellow protective suits and ease into aluminum skiffs, which rock in the murky water. It's just after daybreak in Crofton, a quiet Maryland town of 20,000 not far from the nation's capital. Scientists usually come to rural...

The Core: what his smack in the center of Earth? Two new theories could spark a fiery debate. (Earth science: earth's core/elements/nuclear energy).
December 13, 2002... In the upcoming sci-fi flick The Core, Earth stops spinning in its tracks. The planet's magnetic field--a protective bubble of magnetic and electric currents generated from the planet's core to its poles--shuts down cold. Deadly cosmic rays rip...

Name that element! It's the world's most powerful element, fueling both nuclear weapons and power plants. Our mystery element is softer than steel, denser than lead, and has existed for more than 6.6 billion years--longer than Earth itself. Can you name it? For help, grab a periodic table and follow these eight clues. Then turn the page to test your "element IQ." (Physical science: chemistry).
December 13, 2002... CLUE 1 A ROCK START The element's silver-white metal is found nearly everywhere--soil, plants, water. But it's most abundant in rocks, where it combines with other elements to form crystals of naturally occurring chemicals called minerals,...

Gross out? (Activities & Oddities).
December 13, 2002... Say you're in the mood for a plump, ripe papaya. But what you find inside is a big orange mush--and it's wriggling! Fistfuls of fruit fly larvae (wormlike developing young) are digging tunnels all over the sweet flesh. Turned off? Not...

What is it? (Activities & Oddities).
December 13, 2002... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWERS pine cone

Explain this! (You Can Do It).
December 13, 2002... Why is he taking a train ride? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWERS Guess this coyote really enjoys traveling. Last February, it hopped onto a light-train stationed at the Portland International Airport in Oregon. No one is sure how it...

Tease your brain. (You Can Do It).
December 13, 2002... VI - IV = IX This equation in Roman numerals is incorrect. Can you rearrange one toothpick to correct it? ANSWERS VI + IV = X

Thanks for your feedback!
December 13, 2002... Your fall surveys have been pouring in, and we greatly appreciate your feedback so that we can better serve your need. In overwhelming numbers, you've told us you want more of our new feature "Name That Element!" in which we turn the periodic...

Get a half-life. (Hands-on Activity and Math Skills).
December 13, 2002... A radioactive element is an element with an unstable nucleus that decays over time. And half-life is the time it takes for a radioactive substance to lose half its radioactivity. Uranium has a half-life of 4.5 billion years--meaning if you...

What's it made of? (Diagram-Reading And Critical-Thinking Skills).
December 13, 2002... New theories are challenging the traditional view of what composes Earth's core. Below are cross-sectional diagrams of what scientists generally believe to be the structure of each planet in the solar system. Study each one to answer the...

Quiz. (Science In The News).
December 13, 2002... DIRECTIONS: Read the late-breaking news in our Science News section on pages 4 to 7. Then test your knowledge by answering the questions below. Circle the correct letter. 1. Why might scientists conclude that hadrosaurs were ...