Science World articles from March 2008

Science World archives from March 2008

Dating scene.(LIFE/ANIMAL BEHAVIOR)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ever try to impress a date with flowers? Instead of giving a dozen roses, male Amazon River dolphins court their sweethearts by bringing them clumps of twigs and weeds. When scientists first witnessed the act,...

America's next top scientists.(LIFE/TEENS IN SCIENCE)(Isha Jain, Janelle Schlossberger and Amanda Marinoff)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... What does it take to be a teen science whiz? The winners of the 2007-08 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology for high school students know it takes curiosity and persistence, but it also doesn't hurt to be a girl. For the first...

Feeling louse-y.(GRAPH IT/OCEANS)(sea lice)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Commercial fish farms are a booming business. But the practice of raising fish in underwater pens is spreading a pesky parasite that's decimating wild salmon populations. A study by Canadian biologists recently...

Ecofriendly chips.(EARTH/ENVIRONMENT)(Frito-Lay's plans to help the environment)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two years from now, sunshine will actually help make a bag of crunchy FritoLay SunChips. The snack company plans to revamp its chip factory in Arizona so it produces zero waste and uses energy from renewable...

All aglow.(LIFE/GENETICS)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You don't see kittens like this in the pet store! Last winter, scientists from Gyeongsang National University in South Korea produced kittens that glow red when placed under green light. The glow comes from a...

Cooking with C[O.sub.2].(GRAPH IT/CHEMISTRY)(carbon dioxide)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... Coal-burning power plants may soon find themselves in the baking business as well as the energy business. A Texas-based company called Skyonic has found a way to get rid of carbon dioxide (C[O.sub.2]) pollution released during the burning of...

Number in the news.(SCIENCE NEWS)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... 1,000,000,000 is the number of PCs Microsoft predicts will be in use around the world in 2008. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 100,000 cell phone ringtones featuring the sounds of endangered animals were downloaded last year from Arizona's...

Safe haven: schoolkids, scientists, and a President join in the fight to protect monarch butterflies.(LIFE INVERTEBRATES)(Felipe Calderon)(Cover story)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Each year, millions of monarchs spend the winter roosting in forests in central Mexico. When March arrives, the butterflies, warmed by the spring sunlight, spread their wings and take to the sky to begin a northward...

Name that element! Our popular mystery series returns.(PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY)
March 10, 2008... This element is a friend of lifeguards and bridges, but an enemy of bad breath. It powers portable gadgets, but weakens a cold. What is it? Follow these eight clues to find out. Then turn the page and test your chemistry IQ. CLUE 1 ...

It's your choice.(PHYSICAL CHEMISTY)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... Test your chemistry IQ! Answer the following questions about elements and the periodic table. 1. Name that element! -- 2. Which of the following does NOT describe copper (Cu)? A It is in the fourth period. B It has 29 protons....

I want that job! Want to help build faster planes and sturdier bridges? Consider a job as a metallurgist.(CAREERS)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT'S A METALLURGIST? Metallurgists study the properties of metals. They figure out how to make everything from doorknobs to skyscrapers as good as they can be. WHAT SORT OF WORK DO METALLURGISTS DO? ...

The great debate: should New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward be rebuilt following hurricane Katrina?(EARTH/FLOODS)
March 10, 2008... Last winter, Brad Pitt threw a block party of sorts in a neighborhood filled with pink pretend houses. Although it looked like a movie set, this time Pitt wasn't acting: He was asking for donations to help hurricane victims. The pink...

Hands-on science (no lab required).(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... See how wetlands protect against floods. MATERIALS large pan * clay * spoon * dirt * measuring cup * water * carpeting or sponge * scissors PROCEDURE 1) Cover half of the pan's bottom with clay, forming a hill that slopes...

Poor devils.(GROSS OUT)(Tasmanian devils )
March 10, 2008... Tasmanian devils are known for their bad tempers, hair-raising cries, and ability to eat just about anything--bones, fur, and all. The animals' wild behavior even inspired the whirling, snarling Looney Tunes character Taz. Despite their tough...

Talking with your doctor: follow these tips to get the most from your doctor visit.(HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If there's one word that best sums up the teen years, it's "change." Your body grows more between ages 13 and 19 than at any other point in life besides infancy. Think about it. While change can be exciting, it...

Mystery photo.(YOU CAN DO IT)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What's this? Hint: Flick this on for a bright idea. Answer Light bulb

Explain this!(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... Which is the fake? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Answer These baby hedgehogs are snuggling up to a cleaning brush because they think it's their mother Last summer, Mary, Mungo, Midge, and Slappy were sent to a wildlife park in England...

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... Can you exchange one block from each of the three stacks with a block from a different stack so that the sum of the numbers in each stack is equal? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Answer [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Is sitting too close to the television bad for your eyesight?(ASK SCHOLASTIC ScienceWorld)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Television has been around for 80 years. And in that time, there's been no evidence that gluing yourself to the TV set causes any permanent damage to your vision, says Dr. Alberto Martinez, an ophthalmologist in...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
March 10, 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. 1. Scientists studying Amazon River dolphins did NOT observe which of the following behaviors? ...

Build a periodic table.(RESEARCH SKILLS)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... Teachers: After reading this issue's "Teqacher to Teacher" (TE 1), copy the template below and distribute it to your students to help guide them through the activity. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Teen health: talking with your doctor.(SCHOLASTIC: TEACHER'S EDITION)(National Institute on Drug Abuse)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... --A message from Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of NIDA Dear Teacher: As you know, life can get pretty complicated for teens given the range of physical and emotional changes they go through. Getting teens to talk about what's going on...

Lesson plan & reproducible.(SCHOLASTIC: TEACHER'S EDITION)(Brief article)
March 10, 2008... PREPARATION Make copies of the activity reproducible (on the other side of this page) for each student. OBJECTIVE Students will learn that taking control of their own health includes de, doping effective relationships with doctors and...

Creating a personal health journal.(HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)
March 10, 2008... Face it: As a teenager, you're going through more changes now than at any other period in your life outside of infancy. A personal health journal is a great way to keep track of all that's going on with you as you learn more about yourself and...

High flyer.(PHYSICAL/AERODYNAMICS)(space tourism offered by Virgin Galactic)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Imagine your body flattened against your seat as you rocket high above Earth at about 4,023 kilometers (2,500 miles) per hour. That's what it will feel like to blast into space aboard SpaceShipTwo (SS2)--the first...

One-ton rodent.(GRAPH IT/FOSSILS)(fossilized rodent skull discovered in South America)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you're scared of mice, you'd be terrified of the prehistoric rodent that lived 4 million years. ago in South America. Its recently discovered fossilized skull revealed that it was the size of a bull! Based on...

Slippery trap.(PHYSICAL/FRICTION)(pitcher plants)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most plants get all the nutrients they need from sunlight, air, and soil. But not carnivorous pitcher plants; these meat-eaters capture small animals that fall into the plants' liquid-filled, bowl-shape leaves. Then,...

Veggie power.(GRAPH IT/NUTRITION)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... Last January, scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, souped-up a carrot to make it more nutritious. By inserting a foreign gene (factor that controls traits), the researchers were able to genetically engineer a carrot that...

Bay blues.(LIFE/MARSUPIALS)(on Frankie, the world's first known blue-eyed koala)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Koalas have more in common than a hankering for eucalyptus leaves--their sole food source: They all have brown eyes. That is until Frankie, the world's first known blue-eyed koala, was born recently at Australia's...

Bacteria builders.(EARTH/MINERALS)(thermophilic bacteria help in travertine production)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... Yellowstone National Park has long fascinated geologists. The area's geothermal activity produces shooting geysers, stinky sulfur emissions, and gurgling mud pots. But a new discovery reveals that heat rising from deep within Earth isn't the...

Numbers in the news.(trivia)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... 5,000,000,000 hours a year is the time kids collectively spend playing with Legos. The blocks turn 50 this year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 40,000 years ago, humans sported footwear. Examining skeletons' toe bones helped scientists figure...

Down in the dumps: residents of a city in Italy find out what happens when the landfills fill up.(EARTH LANDFILLS)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your school may have been canceled due to a snow day, but what about a trash day? That's what happened this winter to students in Naples, Italy. Some kids stayed home from school because mountains of trash had...

Hands-on science (no lab required) After reading "Down in the Dumps" (p. 8), try this activity to learn how you can reduce the amount of garbage you produce.(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... PREDICT How do you think your lunchtime food choices could help reduce trash? MATERIALS pencil * paper * Teachers: See p. TE 2 of this issue's Teacher's Edition for information on station setup. DIRECTIONS 1 At the...

The chemistry of art: teens don goggles and get schooled in the chemical processes behind the ancient art of metalworking.(PHYSICAL CHEMICAL REACTIONS)
March 31, 2008... High school students in Philadelphia are getting an unusual art lesson-from a chemist. To some people, art and chemistry may seem like oil and water: They don't mix. But that's not the case at all, says chemist Tami Lasseter Clare. Artists...

Monkey see monkey do: at a unique college, education is serious monkey business.(LIFE LEARNING & BEHAVIOUR)(training of monkey helpers)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Paul is getting ready for college. But he isn't your average university-bound student: He's not taking SATs or shopping for textbooks. He's just hanging out with his best friend and watching TV. What gives? Paul is a...

Other unusual helpers.(animal helpers)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... Capuchin monkeys aren't the only species that can lend a hand. Check out some other animal helpers. OH, RATS! In Africa, Gambian giant pouch rats sniff out buried land mines, and then scratch the ground to alert their handlers. The...

I want that job! Want to work with animals? Consider a career as a service-animal trainer.(CAREERS)(Assistance Dog Institute)
March 31, 2008... WHAT'S A SERVICE-ANIMAL TRAINER? A service-animal trainer teaches animals to perform tasks for people with disabilities. Monkeys can become service animals, but the most common species to work as a service animal is the dog. WHAT DO...

Blown-up whale.(CROSS OUT)(ship collision - possible cause of death of a humpback whale found in Alaska)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last July, a ferry near Juneau, Alaska, reported a whale of a sight--a male humpback whale with a tongue swollen to the size of a car. When scientists arrived on the scene, the whale was alive but struggling to keep...

Teens and decision making: what brain science reveals: do you ever act before thinking? Have you ever wondered why? Do you worry this might create problems? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, read on.(HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Picture this: Your finger is poised on the send button, your eyes scanning an angry e-mail you've dashed off to a friend who has upset you. Some things you've written are a little harsh. In your brain a little red...

Vocabulary Match each word in Column A to its meaning in Column B.(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... Column A 1. synapse 2. myelination 3. prefrontal cortex 4. limbic system 5. synaptic pruning Column B A. brain area important for thinking ahead and sizing up risk and reward B. process in which axons...

Mystery photo.(YOU CAN DO IT)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT'S THIS? Hint: 19th century sailors ate this to prevent scurvy.

Explain this.(YOU CAN DO IT)
March 31, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pudgy Pet?

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)(puzzles)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... The names of eight animals are hidden in this puzzle. The letters In each name are connected by black lines. Can you find all the animals? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why does breathing in helium change your voice?(ASK ScienceWorld)(Brief article)
March 31, 2008... When you talk, air travels out of your lungs and past your vocal chords causing these flaps of tissue in your throat and the air around them to vibrate. Those vibrating air molecules generate the sound waves you form into words. If you inhale...