Science World articles from December 2004

Science World archives from December 2004

Bundle of joy.(Life/Endangered Species)(Cincinnati Zoo rhinoceros baby)
December 6, 2004... Last July, Cincinnati Zoo veterinarians celebrated a special delivery. A Sumatran rhinoceros named Emi gave birth to her second baby--a 34 kilogram (75 pound) female named Suci (SUE-chee). That made Emi the first of her species to produce more...

Zapping zits.(Health/Bacteria)(acne)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... It you're like 850 percent of teens in the United States, you've had pimples--and probably wished you could make them disappear. Now, scientists are closer to making that wish come tree. Researchers in Europe have figured out the complete...

Walloping waves.(Earth/Oceans)(large waves)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Sailors have long told tales of 10-story-tall waves rising from calm seas. Now, scientists have finally proved these walls of water exist. Using satellites (objects orbiting Earth that send and receive signals), the European Space Agency...

Clean ride.(Graph It/Physical)(Ford Escape Hybrid)
December 6, 2004... Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are known for guzzling gas. And burning gas to power cars spews harmful pollution into the air. Could the new Ford Escape Hybrid, the first such SUV in the United States, start a greener motor trend? "The...

Chillin' chipmunks.(Earth/Ice Ages)
December 6, 2004... No amount of snow could send ancient chipmunks packing. Scientists have found that most chipmunks living in Wisconsin and Illinois are related to ancestors that toughed out a cold spell. Kevin Rowe and Ken Paige, biologists at the...

Dream maker.(Life/Dreams)(Dream Workshop, program your dreams)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Want to choose your nightly dreams? Makers of a new gadget called Dream Workshop claim you can. Before bedtime, record dream descriptions into the machine. During Rapid Eye Movement (REM), the sleep cycle when you dream most, the gizmo...

A world without color: life is full of hidden dangers for animals lacking hue.(Life Genetics)
December 6, 2004... Last spring, a zebra born in Africa's Nairobi National Park caused quite a stir. That's because the newborn foal was stripeless. Unlike others in its herd, the knobby-kneed newborn had pink eyes and an all-white body--a sure sign it was an...

One bizarre trip: a spacecraft will soon plunge into Titan, one of the strangest moons in the solar system. What will it find?(Space Solar System)(Cover Story)
December 6, 2004... It's been a long piggyback ride. For seven years, a dish-like probe named Huygens (HOY-gens) has been riding through space on a bus-size spacecraft named Cassini. Following a 1997 launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the duo cruised more than...

Sea notes: navy ships send sounds into the sea to hone in on underwater objects. Could the noise be harming ocean life?(Physical Sound)
December 6, 2004... Last July, Hawaii residents discovered roughly 200 melon-headed whales swimming fewer than 30 meters (100 feet) from the beach. The animals, which rarely strand (swim into shallow water or onto the beach), were swimming in tight circles....

Name that element!(Our Popular Mystery Series Returns)
December 6, 2004... Which element on the periodic table can make some crystal goblets sparkle, "glues" computer circuit parts together, and dust the mountain-tops on Venus? Follow these eight clues to find out. Then turn the page to test our chemistry IQ. ...

The periodic table.(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... The periodic table is a systematic way to organize Earth's elements, substances that consist of atoms of only one kind. Today, there are 112 known and named chemical elements. Elements are arranged according to their increasing atomic number....

It's your choice.(chemical elements)
December 6, 2004... Test your chemistry IQ! Answer the following questions about elements and the periodic table. 1. Name that element! -- 2. Venus's "metallic snow" is a mineral made of the mystery element and sulfur. A mineral is A a compound with...

Stinging stunt.(Gross Out)(scorpions)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Nur Malena Hassan from Malaysia had trouble getting any shut-eye this fall. It wasn't caffeine that was keeping her awake. Rather, Hassan was holed up in a glass enclosure crawling with more than 6,000 stinging scorpions. Nicknamed "Scorpion...

Explain this!(Activities & Oddities)
December 6, 2004... Follow the leader? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWERS Last spring, a man took his fluffy goslings for a walk in Taiping, China. How did he get the baby geese to line up? Most likely, they followed him because of behavioral imprinting....

Tease your brain.(Activities & Oddities)
December 6, 2004... Can you trace the entire figure with one continuous line? Rule: You may not retrace or cross over your line at any point along the figure. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWERS [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Science news.(Check For Understanding)
December 6, 2004... Name: -- DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 7. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letter of the correct answer below. 1. Fewer than -- Sumatran rhinos exist in the wild. (A) 300 (B) 500 (C)...

Underwater noise.(Math And Diagram-Reading Skills)(Brief Article)
December 6, 2004... Name: -- Directions: Read "Sea Notes" on pp. 16 to 17. Then use the diagram on p. 17 to answer the questions below. 1. When a ship uses sonar to pinpoint a submerged submarine, which step occurs first? a. Whales hear the...