Science World articles from February 2008

Science World archives from February 2008

Moon bounce.(SPACE/MOON)(artificial habitat for the moon)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What do the moon and the South Pole have in common? They're both extremely remote and harsh places in which to live. That's why NASA chose McMurdo Station in Antarctica to test a new inflatable habitat similar to one...

Celebrity sighting.(LIFE/HUMAN BODY)(King Tutankhamen )(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] King Tutankhamen has left the coffin. For the first time, tourists visiting his tomb in Luxor, Egypt, can view the mummy of this 19-year-old pharaoh face-to-face. In the past, King Tut rested inside a...

Out of gas.(GRAPH IT/ELEMENTS)(helium)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Helium may be the second-most abundant element in the universe, but here on Earth we're in short supply. A high demand for the gas and a dwindling stash are making it scarcer than ever. "Worldwide demand for helium...

Thieving foxes.(LIFE/ANIMAL BEHAVIOR)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... To survive hard winters, it helps to be as clever as some Arctic foxes. These foxes' favorite food is the collard lemming. But in case these tiny rodents become scarce, foxes also keep a stash of snacks on hand. A team of scientists from...

One big bug.(GRAPH IT/FOSSILS)(sea scorpion)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... There's no way you could have squashed this giant bug--a 390-million-year-old sea scorpion. Scientists recently discovered one of the creatures' fossilized claws in Germany. Judging from the huge size of the preserved pincher, they estimate the...

Starry nights.(EARTH/ASTRONOMY)(Deerlick Astronomy Village)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... You can't be afraid of the dark if you visit Georgia's Deerlick Astronomy Village. In this 96-acre community filled with astronomy buffs, artificial white outdoor lighting is off-limits. The "no-white-light" rule helps to combat light...

Numbers in the news.(NEWS)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... 25,000,000 acres of Canadian wilderness will soon become a national park and separate wildlife areas. The total land area is 11 times larger than the United States' Yellowstone National Park. 400,000 15-year-olds from 30 countries recently...

Jumbo toothaches: vets hatched a creative plan to lure an elephant to surgery.(LIFE TEETH)(veterinarians)(Cover story)
February 4, 2008... How do surgeons treat a patient who is considered too dangerous to approach? Last February, veterinarians at the Oregon Zoo faced this dilemma. Tusko, a 35-year-old Asian elephant at the zoo was suffering from a chronically infected tusk...

I want that job: interested in helping animals? How about becoming a zoo veterinarian?(CAREERS)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] WHAT IS A ZOO VETERINARY? A zoo veterinarian is an animal doctor who is specially trained to care for animals that reside in a zoo. These vets look after the health of a wide variety of animals, from birds and...

Beyond fun and games: video games are changing how hospital patients heal and teens exercise.(PHYSICAL TECHNOLOGY)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With a step of her foot and a swing of her arms, Rosie Lawrence, 12, hits a baseball. "Crack!" The ball soars into the bleachers--it's a home run! But Rosie isn't actually playing baseball. She's not even...

Hands' on science: (no lab required).
February 4, 2008... After reading "Beyond Fun and Games" (p. 12), try this activity to compare playing virtual sports to real ones. When you play a virtual sports game such as tennis or baseball on the Nintendo Wii, you must time your actions with those...

In the shadow of a volcano: Mount Vesuvius is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. If it erupts, it could threaten the lives of more than half a million people.(EARTH VOLCANOES)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Near the city of Naples, on Italy's western coast, millions of people live at the foot of a sleeping giant--Mount Vesuvius. The mountain is one of the world's most infamous and dangerous volcanoes. Even though it has...

A heart healthy dinner date: want to wow your Valentine? Serve up this nutritious meal from the nation's Best Teen Chef.(LIFE NUTRITION)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With peak date season (aka Valentine's Day) upon us, you might be searching for a surefire way to impress that special someone. How about whipping up a delicious, healthy dinner? If you're clueless in the kitchen,...

Pain in the leg.(GROSS OUT)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] That had to hurt! While Christopher Neiff of Norway ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, last year, one of the bulls tried to run through him! The running of the bulls is a tradition that occurs every summer during...

Mystery photo.(YOU CAN DO IT)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT'S THIS? Hint: It's a sweet treat you might give your friends this month. Chocolate

Explain This!(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This puppy was born last May in Northern Japan. Upon seeing the heart-shaped patch of fur on the male Chihuahua, his owner named him Heart kun Dogs have many genes that determine the colors on their coats. They also...

Why do we get Goosebumps?(ASK ScienceWorld[R])(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... Stand outside in the cold or watch a horror movie, and you might see the skin on your arms look bumpy as the hairs stand up. We call this "goosebumps," but the medical name is cutis anserina. Goosebumps happen when the tiny muscles in each hair...

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... To make a snowflake, fold a piece of paper in fourths and snip out shapes. When unfolded, which paper (1-7) will look like the snowflake below? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 4

Teacher to teacher.(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... Tips for using Science World in the classroom Bill Fager, science teacher at Transfiguration School in New York City, suggests using this activity to gauge students' comprehension of a lesson. To enter the science classroom, students...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
February 4, 2008... DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 3 to 7. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letters of the correct answers below. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. A new inflatable habitat being tested in -- may show scientists how...

Teeth vs. teeth.(CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... In "Jumbo Toothache" (p. 8), you learned about elephant teeth. How different are elephant teeth from human teeth? Complete this activity to find out. INSTRUCTIONS: Visit the Web sites in "Teeth Researcher" (below) to learn about elephant...

Food label know-how.(CHART-READING SKILLS)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... The nutritional facts on a food label can help you make wise choices to maintain a healthful diet. Study the food label at right to answer the questions below. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. How many calories are in a single bag of...

Caught on camera.(LIFE/ENDANGERED SPECIES)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... Small cameras called Crittercams captured the secret lives of emperor penguins in the film March of the Penguins. Now, the gadget is gathering clues on how to save endangered Hawaiian monk seals. Scientists at the National Oceanic and...

Medical breakthrough.(LIFE/STEM CELLS)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cells formed during the earliest stages of human development can morph into any of the 220 types of cells in the body. These stem cells someday could cure a long list of illnesses by replacing diseased tissue. But...

Robo helper.(PHYSICAL/TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... There's nothing special about making a piece of toast--unless a robot is doing it for you. Twendy-One, a human-size, 111-kilogram (245-pound) robot designed to help people with dally tasks, not only makes toast, it's powerful enough to lift a...

Catching the wind.(GRAPH IT/ENERGY)(Kansas Wind for Schools)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... As Wizard of Oz fans know, Kansas can be windy. To tap into this energy source, five school districts in the Sunflower State are erecting wind turbines this spring to kick off the new Kansas Wind for Schools program. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Power plant.(GRAPH IT/ENVIRONMENT)(United Nations Plant for the Planet project)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was an ambitious goal: Plant 1 billion trees around the world in one year. But that's just what the United Nations' "Plant for the Planet" project urged people to do where forests have been cut down for farming or...

Spotlight on the sun.(EARTH/SOLAR SYSTEM)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... Last fall, an air balloon the size of a jumbo jet carried a solar telescope high above Earth. The unmanned balloon snapped photos of the sun during a 10-hour test flight over the South Pole. In the summer of 2009, scientists hope to launch...

Numbers in the news.(SCIENCE NEWS)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... 2,407,899,893,032,210 is the answer to a math problem that it took 27-year-old Alexis Lemaire only 70 seconds to work out. He broke the record for the fastest mental calculation. $330,000 is the price paid for a 1.5 kilogram white truffle,...

Saving Hubble: a famous space telescope gets an out-of-this-world tune-up.(EARTH: SPACE)
February 18, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the Hubble Space Telescope's 18th birthday approaches, officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are planning to send astronauts to visit it. No, the reunion won't be for a birthday...

Lobsters in a pinch: teens dive in to help lobster conservation.(LIFE: CRUSTACEANS)
February 18, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last October, high school students decked out in red survival suits dove into the chilly waters of Long Island Sound (see map, right). Bobbing in the water in their oddly shaped garb, the teenagers looked like giant...

I want that job! Enjoy the ocean? Consider a career in marine biology.(CAREERS)
February 18, 2008... WHAT'S A MARINE BIOLOGIST? Oceans cover 71 percent of Earth's surface and are home to countless plants and animals. A marine biologist studies marine species or the marine environment. Some study live animals while others focus on...

Building the world's biggest wheel: engineers use tricks of the trade to construct an over-the-top ride.(PHYSICAL: STRUCTURES)(Ferris wheels)
February 18, 2008... Engineers at the Great Wheel Corporation are on a roll. They're busy constructing the biggest wheel the world has ever seen--a giant observation wheel in Beijing, China. When it's completed in 2009, the Great Beijing Wheel will lift passengers...

Animal keeper: meet the caretaker of a museum's living exhibits.(LIFE: CAREERS)(Hazel Davies of the American Museum of Natural History)
February 18, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Hazel Davies goes to work, she is greeted by leaping lizards, curious snakes, and tortoises that mistake her green sneakers for snacks. Although it might sound like Davies works at a zoo, she's actually in...

Dental disaster.(GROSS OUT)
February 18, 2008... The tooth decay seen here didn't happen from eating too much candy. "Meth mouth" is just one of the many harmful side effects caused by abusing an illegal drug called Methamphetamine (aka meth, speed, ice, and crystal). Methamphetamine can be...

Mystery photo.(YOU CAN DO IT)
February 18, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT'S THIS? Hint: Monkeys go ape for this. Bananas

What are the chances of finding life on another planet?(ASK SCHOLASTIC Science World[R])(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... "We don't know what the chances are [that life exists on other planets], because we haven't found any," says Seth Shostak, senior astronomer with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute. To support the kind of life we...

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)
February 18, 2008... Can you move one of the sticks that make up the house below, then add one more stick to create two matching houses? [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

Brawny bird?(EXPLAIN THIS!)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Explain This! This parrot in a Chinese Zoo shows off his brawn, but it doesn't really need to exercise to beef up its beak. To crack open hard seeds and latch on to branches, parrots' beaks are naturally strong....

Tips for using Science World in the classroom.(Teacher to Teacher)(Brief article)
February 18, 2008... Melinda Mills, this issue's contributor, suggests introducing this activity after students have read "Building the World's Biggest Wheel" (p. 16): [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Ferris wheel is a simple machine. This physical science...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
February 18, 2008... Name:-- DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 3 to 7. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letters of the correct answers below. 1. Scientists are studying Hawaiian monk seals because they are --; their populations...

Seafood menu.(CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS)
February 18, 2008... Name: -- In "Lobsters in a Pinch" (p. 12), you learned that lobsters prey on crabs and other small marine animals, but what do the prey eat? Complete this activity to learn more about the food web of the Long Island Sound. ...

Great wheels.(MATH AND GRAPHING SKILLS)
February 18, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Name:-- After reading "Building the World's Biggest Wheel" (p. 16), study the chart below to compare four well-known wheels. Answer the questions that follow. Comparison of Amusement Wheels ...