Science World articles from December 2008

Science World archives from December 2008

Head count.(LIFE/ECOSYSTEMS)(giant kangaroo rats)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a high-tech first, scientists plan to spy on an endangered species from space. Giant kangaroo rats live in the desert grasslands of California's Carrizo Plain, where they gather grass seeds by harvesting the...

TV goes digital.(PHYSICAL/TECHNOLOGY)(televisions)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In February 17, 2009, television will undergo the biggest change since color pictures first aired in 1953. If you're not prepared, the change could turn your television screen to static. For more than 60 years,...

Toy story.(EARTH/GLACIERS)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... NASA scientists have turned to a children's bath toy to help them study Greenland's fastest moving glacier. They released a fleet of 90 rubber duckies into a moulin, or hole, in the Jakobshavn Glacier to learn how melting water moves through...

Snack attack.(GRAPH IT/NUTRITION)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... Trying to decide between a healthy or unhealthy snack? The sight of a sweet treat may overpower your best intentions. Researchers at the Netherlands' Wageningen University showed people a list of snacks. Nearly half said they'd choose fruit...

Numbers in the news.(SCIENCE NEWS)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... 4,280,000,000 years old is the estimated age of the oldest rocks on Earth. These remnants of Earth's earliest crust, or outermost layer, were discovered in Quebec, Canada. 7,700 meters below the surface of the ocean is where scientists...

Light flights: solar planes are taking off in search of a fuel-free flight.(PHYSICAL: SOLAR POWER)(Zephyr-6)
December 8, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On a scorching summer day this past July, British engineers launched what looked like a large model airplane into the sky above the Arizona desert and set an unofficial aviation record. The unpiloted aircraft, called...

Hands-on science: (no lab required).(solar energy)
December 8, 2008... After reading "Light Flights" (p. 6), try this activity to learn about other ways to harness the sun's energy. PREDICT To run on solar power, solar planes must convert the sun's rays into electricity. A device called a solar oven can...

I want that job! James Shultz is a disaster epidemiologist. When a hurricane strikes, Shultz works to prevent a whirlwind of health problems.(CAREERS)(Interview)
December 8, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT'S AN EPIDEMIOLOGIST? An epidemiologist studies patterns of disease in a population and tries to figure out why those patterns occur. Epidemiologists analyze health problems like infectious diseases, heart...

Built to swim: Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in this summer's Olympic Games alone. The only swim-savvy feature Phelps seems to lack is gills!(LIFE: HUMAN BODY)(Cover story)
December 8, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With an Olympic gold-medal count that exceeds the tally for most countries (14), many people have crowned Michael Phelps the greatest athlete in Olympic history. In Beijing this summer, Phelps broke swimmer Mark...

Fossil finds: a fossil find offers clues about ancient Earth's geography.(EARTH: PLATE TECTONICS)
December 8, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The muddy landscape of Seymour Island, Antarctica, is harsh and unwelcoming. It is summertime, but it's 0[degrees]C (32[degrees]F) and the only signs of green are the specks of lichen, or moss-like plants clinging to...

Why do we have fingernails?(ASK SCHOLASTIC ScienceWorld)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... All mammals, including humans, have claws or clawlike structures such as fingernails or hooves. According to Blaire Van Valkenburgh, a biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, mammals use their claws to catch prey, climb trees,...

Explain this!(YOU CAN DO IT)(cake-shaped hot-air balloon)(Brief article)
December 8, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Colossal Cake? ANSWER Last January, this birthday cake-shaped hot-air balloon floated over the Swiss Alps to mark the International Balloon Festival's 30th anniversary. What kept the giant cake afloat? Hot...

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)
December 8, 2008... How many triangles can you find in this drawing? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWER 14

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
December 8, 2008... DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 3 to 5. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letters of the correct answers below. 1. How do scientists plan to learn more about California's Giant kangaroo-rat population? (A)...