Science World articles from January 2008

Science World archives from January 2008

Moonlight romance.(LIFE/REPRODUCTION)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Moonlight's soft glow inspires poetry and romance. It also triggers the largest spawning event on Earth. Following a full moon in November, countless brightly-colored coral colonies in Australia's Great Barrier Reef...

Fire hazard.(GRAPH IT/CHEMISTRY)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last October, firefighters battled mega-size blazes in California that forced about 500,000 residents to flee their homes. Extra-dry conditions in western states have resulted in larger wildfires than those in the...

Time for a face-off.(LIFE/BRAIN)(reacting to displays of emotion)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Which grabs your attention first: a happy, a neutral, or a fearful expression? A new study found that people react to scared faces the fastest. When David Zald, a psychologist at Vanderbilt University in...

Shipping shortcut.(GRAPH IT/OCEANS)(the Northwest Passage)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Meltdown: A trip from Europe to Asia through the Northwest Passage would be 7,408 km (4,000 nautical mi) shorter than one through the Panama Canal. For centuries, explorers sought the Northwest Passage as a...

Turtle tricks.(PHYSICAL/FORCES)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How do turtles that end up on their back turn themselves upright? Some, like the. turtle pictured at left, may succeed by pushing against the ground with their long necks or rocking back and forth. But researchers...

Lunar explosion. (SPACE/EXPLORATION).(eruption of Io's volcano Tvashtar)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Picture a volcanic eruption so big that it spews a fountain of lava 350 kilometers (220 miles) high--40 times the height of Mount Everest, That's what astronomers saw recently when NASA's New Horizons space probe snapped photos of the volcano...

$8,000,000,000.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... $8,000,000 is wasted each year to power energy-draining appliances, Many of these devices consume electricity even when turned off, Unplugging these electronics can help save energy.

142,000,000.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... 142,000,000 freshwater fish top the list of most common pets in the U.S. A recent survey of pet owners showed cats came in second place at 88.3 million. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

10,700.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... 10,700 kids are hospitalized each year due to bike-related accidents, with one third suffering from a head injury. Wearing a bicycle helmet can reduce that risk by 85 percent.

400.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... 400 years alive on Earth makes one quahog clam the oldest living creature on the planet. Scientists determined its age by counting growth rings on its shell, [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

32.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Futalognkosaurus dukei height)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... 32 meters is the height of a newly discovered dinosaur species. The neck of a Futalognkosaurus dukei skeleton was 10 times longer than a giraffe's.

12.46.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Rubik's Cube World Championship)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... 12.46 seconds is the average time it takes Japan's Yu Nakajima to solve a Rubik's Cube. The 16-year-old won the 2007 Rubik's Cube World Championship. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

7.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... 7 feet was the length of a python that swam out of a toilet in Brooklyn, New York, No one is sure how the snake got Into the plumbing system.

Air force: the new U.S. women's ski jumping team is taking off. Learn how understanding physics helps these young pioneers soar.(PHYSICAL: AERODYNAMICS)(Cover story)
January 14, 2008... SUPER FLY: Team member Lindsey Van holds the North American record for the longest jump. As a ski jumper, 15-year-old Avery Ardovino gets to experience something few people ever will-the feeling of flying. In this extreme sport, Avery...

Splash down! Master freedivers explore the ocean's depths without the help of oxygen tanks.(LIFE: HUMAN BODY)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With a sharp inhale of air, Tanya Streeter plunges into the ocean. She holds her breath and tightens her grip around a weighted device that pulls her deeper and deeper beneath the water's surface. Eventually,...

Hands-on science: (no lab required).
January 14, 2008... After reading "Splash Down!" (p. 12), try this activity with a partner to discover one reason why freediving is so challenging. PREDICT Will a balloon deflate faster in air, or under water? Explain your reasoning. MATERIALS ...

Way to go: follow a teen on a record-breaking climb to the top of the world.(EARTH: PLATE TECTONICS)(Samantha Larson)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last spring, 18-year-old Samantha Larson got to see the world from an unusual angle: She was standing atop its highest point. On May 17, 2007, after four days of skilled climbing, she reached Mount Everest's summit....

I want that job! Enjoy the outdoors? Consider a career in geology.(CAREERS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... WHAT'S A GEOLOGIST? The prefix geo- means "earth," so a geologist is someone who studies the earth. Some geologists study the properties of rocks. Others study how rocks interact to form the surface of our planet, or the causes of...

Rock star.(CAREERS)(geologist Mike Searle )(Interview)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... When Mike Searle was a kid, he lived in Oman in the Middle East. "We used to camp in the mountains," he says. "We were surrounded by an incredible moonlike landscape and there were fossils all over!" That got Searle hooked on rocks from a very...

Scorpions: friend or foe? Do scorpions deserve their bad reputation? One scientist finds out.(LIFE: INVERTEBRATES)(Lorenzo Prendini)
January 14, 2008... Scorpion researcher Lorenzo Prendini has had more than his share of death-defying experiences. But surprisingly, most have had nothing to do with the scorpions he collects. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scorpions are found on every continent...

Fish fry.(GROSS OUT)(drying up of Rey Lake)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fishermen wouldn't have much trouble catching their fill in this Brazilian lake. The only problem is, all of these fish are dead. What has caused Rey Lake to become jam-packed with belly-up fish? In the Amazon...

Mystery photo.(YOU CAN DO IT)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT'S THIS? If you're out for a ride, you should wear this protective item. ANSWERS bike helmet

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Rafael visits a sporting goods store that sells the items shown to the right. After paying for his purchases, Rafael gets a receipt for exactly $29. What did he buy from the store? (Note: He did not buy any more than one of each item.) ...

Explain this!(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Space Invader? ANSWERS This giant head spotted floating over Ceroux, Belgium, is actually a hot-air balloon. Designed to look like the character Darth Vader from the movie Star Wars, the balloon lifted off...

Why do we have earwax and where does it come from?(Ask Scholastic Science World)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Earwax comes from glands, or organs that make and secrete chemicals, in the skin of your outer ear canal. The fancy word for earwax is cerumen (suh-ROO-mun). This waxy substance is made of fatty acid molecules. According to Dr. Douglas Van...

Teacher to teacher.(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Tips for using Science World in the classroom Kim Wiens, this issue's contributor, suggests using this activity to help students get excited about the article "Air Force" (p. 8): To illustrate Bernoulli's Principle and help students...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
January 14, 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. Each year, corals in the Great Barrier Reef experience a mass...

Jump off.(HANDS-ON ACTIVITY)
January 14, 2008... After reading "air force" (p. 8), build a miniature ski-jump ramp to test the force of friction YOU NEED: 1 cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels * scissors * pencil * meter stick * textbooks * 20 pennies * clear tape * aluminum...

Lofty peaks.(CHART-READING SKILLS)
January 14, 2008... In "Way to Go" (p. 16), you read about Samantha Larson, the teen who set a world record by becoming the youngest person to climb all of the Seven Summits. Complete this activity to learn more about the highest peaks on each of the seven...

Lesson plans.(Down Below and Up Above poster)
January 14, 2008... Dear Teacher: Join us on a tour of the layers that make up Earth's oceans and atmosphere. Science World is proud to present its newest poster "Down Below and Up Above." To help your students understand the different layers of Earth's...

The water cycle (part 1).(DIAGRAM-READING SKILLS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... What do the oceans and atmosphere have in common. Both are vital to Earth s water cycle, or the continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back Look at the diagram of the water cycle below. Follow it to...

The water cycle (part 2).(DIAGRAM-READING SKILLS)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Look at the water cycle diagram. Then take this quiz. 1. Most evaporated water in the atmosphere comes from Earth's A large bodies of water. B vegetation. C falling ice crystals. D garden hoses. 2. Water on Earth...

Shipwrecked!(MAPPING SKILLS)
January 14, 2008... Look at the surface of the ocean and you'll see a lot of ships: passenger ships, trading ships, and even military ships. Dive a little deeper, though, and you'll find more ships--ones that sunk to the ocean floor. These shipwrecked vessels took...

So many layers.(VOCABULARY BUILDER)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... You can find all sorts of information about the layers of Earth's atmosphere's and ocean zones on this poster. Use these facts to solve the clues below and complete this crossword puzzle. To spell out the bonus word, unscramble the letters in...

Fog project.(HANDS-ON ACTIVITY)
January 14, 2008... Clouds form in the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, called the troposphere. Whether puffy or foreboding-looking, all clouds form when the temperature cools and there is sufficient humidity, or water vapor, in the air. Fog, which is basically...

Going up.(GRAPH-READING SKILLS)(the Earth's atmosphere)(Brief article)
January 14, 2008... Scientists define the different layers of Earth's atmosphere based on the temperature variations in each one. Humans live in the troposphere, which is warm near Earth's surface but gets colder the higher up you go. Near the top of this layer,...

Resources.(science books)(Book review)
January 14, 2008... Web Links As tough as life can be in the deep ocean, some animals have adapted to survive there. Check out some of the extreme life forms at this PBS Web page: www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/abyss/life In 2004, Robert Ballard went back to...