Science World articles from March 2004

Science World archives from March 2004

Heads up!(Technology)
March 8, 2004... Former race-car driver Dominic Dobson's company, Motion Research, has invented a safety device that keeps cyclists' eyes on the road--even as they check their speed. The "heads-up" display hangs next to your eye on motorcycle and bicycle...

Mars update.(Space/Mars)
March 8, 2004... After more than six months in space, NASA's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity bounced onto the Red Planet in January. Their task? To explore Martian rocks for evidence of past water--a main ingredient of life. Already, the rovers have...

Solar sweeper.(Space/Comets)
March 8, 2004... How far would you take your spring cleaning? Since its launch in 1999, NASA's Stardust satellite has traveled 3 trillion kilometers (2 billion miles) just to collect dust particles from a comet's tail and bring them back to Earth. Why go...

Whale of a find.(Life/Species)
March 8, 2004... Remains from eight unidentified whales had been sitting in a museum since the 1970s. Intrigued, Yamada Tadasu from Tokyo's National Science Museum and colleagues set out to identify them. Clues? The remains were from a type of baleen whale....

Holy cow! What now? Mad cow disease has hit the U.S. How worried should you be?(Life: mad cow disease)(Cover Story)
March 8, 2004... Until last year, mad cow disease wasn't high on Americans' list of worries. The disease had struck only in other countries, such as the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, and Japan. That changed on December 23, when a cow in the state of Washington...

Could you survive an avalanche? Learn the science behind surviving one of Earth's deadliest natural disasters.(Physical/earth: forces/weather)
March 8, 2004... It starts with a muffled "whoomphf"--the sound of snow collapsing deep under your feet. Somewhere below the white blanket is a crack that spreads in an invisible wave through the snow all around you. Before you realize what's happening, an...

Deep seas, dark worlds: deep-sea vents create cozy homes for some of Earth's weirdest life forms.(Earth: hydrothermal vents)
March 8, 2004... There's barely enough room for three people to fit. But marine scientists Richard Lutz and Peter Rona of Rutgers University crammed themselves into Alvin, a tiny submersible vehicle made for exploring the deep seafloor. Unlike scientists who...

Crushed dreams: doctors use drugs to heal, but in the wrong hands, drugs can wreck lives.(Close-up: medications)
March 8, 2004... While 17-year-old Ryan Curry slept, visions of OxyContin danced in his head. Ryan was thrilled to see Oxy pills scattered under the bed, until unbearable cravings jarred him awake. New, he could see that there were no pills. Drenched in cold...

Gross out?(You Can Do It)
March 8, 2004... Professional weight lifter Hossein Barkhah's performance took a serious turn for the worse at the 2003 World Weightlifting Championships. While trying to lift a 157.5 kilogram- (347 pound-) weight over his head, he wrenched his arm out of its...

Explain this! What's with this cornfield?(Activities & Oddities)
March 8, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last October, an environmental group assembled this strange-looking cornfield in front of the parliament building in Berlin, Germany. The "cornstalks" were signs wearing scary-looking masks. The purpose? The group...

Tease your brain.(Activities & Oddities)
March 8, 2004... Can you move (or remove) two lines to make six squares? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This is the sixth square.

Hands-on science (no lab required).
March 8, 2004... Check out these two hands-on experiments after you've read "Could You Survive an Avalance?" (p. 10) and "Deep Seas, Dark Worlds" (p. 14). They're fun and foolproof! LOOK OUT BELOW! As you discovered in "Could You Survive an Avalanche?"...

Science in the news.(Check For Understanding)
March 8, 2004... Directions: Read the late-breaking news in our Science News section on pages 4 and 5. Then test your knowledge by answering the questions below. Circle the correct letter. 1. How does Motion Research's helmet keep cyclists safe? a. It...

Look out!(Math And Graphing Skills)
March 8, 2004... As you learned in "Could You Survive an Avalanche?" (p. 10), avalanches are dangerous. How deadly are they? Here are some U.S. statistics. Study the data to answer the questions that follow. U.S. Avalanche Fatalities By Activities,...

Cross the deep seas.(Vocabulary Builder)(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... First, read "Deep Seas, Dark Worlds" on p. 14. Then solve the clues below to complete this crossword puzzle. To spell out the bonus words, unscramble the letters in parentheses. A "*" on the crossword grid indicates a bonus word. ...

Leftovers again?(Earth/Ecosystems)
March 22, 2004... Your parents may nag you to clean your plate, but scientists at Yellowstone National Park are happy when wolves leave behind half-eaten meals. That's because gray wolves' messy leftovers help feed the 3.8-million-acre park's ecosystem...

Writer's block.(Physical/Chemistry)
March 22, 2004... Graffiti artists trying to make their mark on the world could soon face a new challenge. High-tech antigraffiti paint, called Deletum 5000, can make that mark drip off a wall. Once Deletum is brushed onto a building's walls, it repels all...

Butt out!(Graph It/Health)
March 22, 2004... Think smoking is gross? More and more teens agree. A 2003 survey by the University of Michigan shows the percentages of teens in grades 8, 10, and 12 who have tried cigarettes have declined since the 1990s. Why? The students surveyed...

Slow motion.(Life/Physiology)
March 22, 2004... It's almost impossible to catch a fleeing cockroach: A young roach walks four to five steps a second, and runs about two to three times faster. The good news? New research shows that, like other animals, these six-legged insects slow with age....

Superpoopers.(Physical/Forces)
March 22, 2004... Penguin parents never leave their nests--not even for a bathroom break. They must stay home to protect thin-feathered chicks from Antarctic temperatures. So what's a penguin to do when nature calls? "A penguin stands up, moves to the edge of...

Another lunar leap? Humans visited the moon more than three decades ago. Now U.S. leaders want us to return.(Special report: space moon)
March 22, 2004... In 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong propelled himself into history books when he became the first person to set foot on the moon. It's been more than 30 years since Earth's dusty satellite (body that orbits a planet or star) had its last visitor....

Flesh-eating killers: assassin or ally? Scientists get the dirt on the relationship between predatory plants and their victims.(Life: plants)
March 22, 2004... The world is a dangerous place--especially for insects. Beyond the reach of plastic flyswatters, these six-legged critters still need to watch where they land. Hunting for a place to rest its weary wings, an unsuspecting fly may settle upon...

Slum dunk science: Smash! When a backboard shatters, who should take the penalty-the slam dunker or science?(Physical: forces)
March 22, 2004... Nigel Dixon is a big guy with a monster dunk. During a game against Arkansas State last January, the 6'11", 320-pound center for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers slammed the ball through the hoop. CRASH! The glass backboard shattered into...

Hands-on science (no lab required).
March 22, 2004... Check out these two hands-on experiments after you've read "Another Lunar Leap?" (p.8) and "Slam-Dunk Science" (p.14). They're fun and foolproof! SPLITTING WATER According to the article "Another Lunar Leap?" astronauts could use...

Name that element!(Our Popular Mystery Series Returns!)
March 22, 2004... This element Explodes on contact With water. It Can save lives. And it helps Athletes recover from a Tough workout. Can you name that element? Grab a periodic table (next page) and follow these eight clues to figure out the answer. Then flip...

Gross out.(Activities & Oddities)
March 22, 2004... What's for dinner? At this restaurant, you can choose from chicken, beef, or... rat. Residents of Guangzhou (gwong-JOH), a city in southern China, often feast on exotic dishes, including wild animals like snakes and civet cats (weasel-like...

Explain this! What's with the frosty building?(You Can Do It)
March 22, 2004... Last January, firefighters battled more than the burning Masonic Hall, a historic building in Bangor, Maine. Sub-freezing temperatures of -25.56[degrees]C (-14[degrees]F) caused the spraying water to freeze, blanketing the hall in a...

Tease your brain.(You Can Do It)
March 22, 2004... Color the rid with four green, three red, three blue, three orange, and three yellow squares. Rule: No two square in a horizontal, vertical, Or diagonal line can be of the same color. Brain Teaser (13 b) Here is one of many possible...

Science in the news.(Check For Understanding)
March 22, 2004... Directions: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 6. Then test your knowledge by circling the letter of the correct answer below. 1. Which of the following statements about wolves in Yellowstone National Park is not true? a....

Lunar survival.(Critical-Thinking Skill/Language Arts)
March 22, 2004... It's the future, and people--including your family--are living in bases on the moon. One weekend, your family sets off for the Giant Crater Amusement Park. Eager for the fun to begin, your parents take the family's moon buggy on a shortcut....

Slam dunk!(Math And Graphing Skills)
March 22, 2004... Basketball fans were treated to hours of excitement at the NBA 2004 All-Star Game. The Western Conference team beat the Eastern Conference team 136-132. Below is a chart filled with data about the starters and reserve players for the two teams....

Gone fishing.(Hands-On Activity)
March 22, 2004... You read in "Name That Element" (p. 18) that freshwater fish pump sodium ions (charged particles) into their bodies to survive in their aquatic habitat. The ions help prevent too much water from entering their bodies. But saltwater fish require...