Science World articles from December 2006

Science World archives from December 2006

Bionic woman.(Claudia Mitchell)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Claudia Mitchell lost her left arm in a motorcycle accident in 2004. Now she has a new "bionic" arm that she can control with her thoughts. Mitchell's high-tech prosthetic moves in response to brain signals. So when Mitchell thinks "close...

Shocking rocks.(found at Sequoia National Park)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Explorers in Central California's Sequoia National Park have stumbled upon a crystal-filled cave that lay hidden from view for more than one million years. More than 240 caves exist in the region, but this one is unique. "The caves [in the...

Hot shot.(archerfish )(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... How does a water-dwelling fish nab prey that's on land? Archerfish spew carefully aimed streams of water at prey perched on branches or leaves, knocking the prey into the water. Scientists have recently discovered that the fish precisely...

Power gauge.(XPower to measure the power of a bull )(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Rodeo riders experience a bucking bull's power firsthand. A new device gives fans a way to gauge it as well. Before a bull enters the ring, the puck-size "XPower" device is glued to its back. As the bull bucks and spins, XPower measures...

Health habits.(washing hands properly)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... With flu season in full swing, scientists say it's more important than ever to regularly wash your hands. But according to the 2006 Clean Hands Report Card, many Americans don't follow that advice. Of the 1,008 people surveyed by the Soap...

Face of the past.(skeleton of a young girl discovered from Ethiopia)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Scientists in Ethiopia have unearthed the 3.3-million-year-old skeleton of a young girl. The discovery is the oldest and most complete fossil of a child that has ever been found. Studies of the fossilized teeth suggest that the girl was...

Far-out fashion: discover the latest trends in space style.(new space suit designed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology )
December 11, 2006... The way we view the solar system has changed since the last time humans set foot on the surface of the moon in 1972. Last August, scientists labeled Pluto a "dwarf planet"--shrinking the number of planets from nine to eight. As people around...

On thin ice: drowning polar bears? Stranded walrus calves? A Science World editor travels north to report on the effects of global warming.
December 11, 2006... Ring. Ring. I'm awakened by the tinny sound of a phone. Disoriented, I look around in an attempt to figure out where I am. A faint light shines through a nearby porthole, gently illuminating my surroundings--metal bunk beds that are crammed...

Big changes in the Bering Sea.(global warming)
December 11, 2006... Global warming is causing the Bering Sea to heat up. Warmer waters mean that ice is melting earlier and faster than in the past. Look at the diagram below to see how a decline in sea ice is affecting life in the Bering Sea. A FROZEN WORLD...

Vicodin and OxyContin.(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Legal but Dangerous Addiction can occur with many drugs, not just "street drugs" like heroin. Painkilling drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin may seem safe because they're available by prescription, but many teens don't realize that they...

The science of addiction: what brain research tells us about drug addiction.(HEADS UP REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)
December 11, 2006... How serious is drug addiction? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drug addiction is "a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, and by neurochemical and molecular changes in the...

Cover up? A teen's effort to expose what's ugly about cosmetics.(LIFE: PUBLIC HEALTH)(Jessica Assaf)
December 11, 2006... Grab a bottle of hair gel or a tube of lipstick and read the ingredients label. Having trouble pronouncing the chemicals? Jessica Assaf, a 16-year-old from San Rafael, California, is suspicious of cosmetic chemicals that have complicated names....

Should you be concerned about the chemicals in your shampoo, lotion, makeup, and other cosmetic products?(COSMETICS DEBATE)
December 11, 2006... Yes! Think of all the personal-care products that you used today. Did you use shampoo, deodorant, or makeup? on average, women use 12 products a day, and men use 6. But did you know that nearly 90 percent of the ingredients in these...

Stuffed snake.(eating habits of pythons)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... After eating a big meal, you might feel too stuffed to move. That's what happened to this 18-foot-long snake found on a road in Kampung Jabor, Malaysia. The reticulated python managed to swallow a pregnant sheep--whole! The snake was so...

Out of this world.(YOU CAN DO IT: EXPLAIN THIS! Wash and Go)(puzzles)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... ACROSS: *1. Today's spacesuits would weigh 100 pounds on--. *4. U.S. space agency (abbr.) *8. On Earth, -- molecules create a pressure of 1 atmosphere. 9. The star that Earth circles 10. Wedding phrase: I-- 13....

Tips for using Science World in the classroom.(Teacher to Teacher)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Gary Pinkall, a science teacher at Great Bend Middle School in Great Bend, Kansas, suggests using this demonstration prior to reading "Far-Out Fashion" (p. 8) to show how air pressure affects an object: Take an empty soda can and fill it...

Thaw out.(GRAPH-READING AND MATH SKILLS)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Name: -- Thaw Out In "On Thin Ice" (p. 12), you read that sea ice has been declining due to global warming. Below is a graph comparing Arctic sea ice coverage in each September from 1979 to 2005. Study the graph to answer the...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
December 11, 2006... Name: -- DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 7. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letters of the correct answers below, 1. How is Claudia Mitchell's bionic arm unique? (A) It's made entirely of...

Space thread challenge.(making a space suits)
December 11, 2006... In "Far-Out Fashion" (p. 8), you learned that astronauts need sturdy spacesuits to help protect them from the harsh environments in space. But the protective gear could be bulky, limiting an astronaut's ability to move around. Here's a...

The science of addiction.(teachers can save childrens from drug abuse)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Dear Teacher: The National Institute on Drug Abuse and Scholastic realize that teachers can have a major impact on protecting children from becoming addicted to drugs of abuse. That is why we continually strive to provide you and your...

Lesson plan & reproducible.(teaching about drug addiction)(Brief article)
December 11, 2006... Preparation: Before displaying the lesson, make two photocopies of the Student Activity Reproducible for a pre- and post-lesson quiz. Lesson 1: Heads Up: What Do You Know About the Science of Addiction? OBJECTIVE To test students'...