Science World articles from March 2009

Science World archives from March 2009

Health hazards.(GRAPH IT/NATURAL DISASTERS)
March 16, 2009... Which natural disasters pose the biggest threat to Americans' lives? The answer might surprise you. "If you asked people what causes the most deaths from natural hazards, they'd probably say earthquakes and hurricanes," says Susan Cutter,...

Unfair play.(LIFE/ANIMAL BEHAVIOR)(dogs)
March 16, 2009... Dogs seem to have a nose for detecting unfairness. In a recent study, two dogs sitting side by side were each asked to "shake" paws with a researcher. For completing the trick, one dog received a tasty reward while the other got nothing. In...

Toxic spill.(EARTH/POLLUTION)
March 16, 2009... Last December, residents of Kingston, Tennessee, got a surprise when they looked outside. Nearly 4.1 million cubic meters (5.4 million cubic yards) of coal ash (a by-product of burning coal to generate electricity) had flooded their yards. ...

Why we yawn.(LIFE/HEALTH)
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A team of scientists has a new theory to answer an age-old question: Why do we yawn? All vertebrates (animals with a backbone) yawn--even birds. So to study the role of yawning, biologists at Binghamton...

Blocked calls.(GRAPH IT/TECHNOLOGY)(Key2SafeDriving blocks cell phone signal while driving)
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Teen drivers may want to stay connected to friends even when behind the wheel, but chatting on a cell phone while driving can be a dangerous distraction. Enter the Key2SafeDriving (K2SD)--a device that parents can...

Pedal power.(PHYSICAL/ENERGY)(exercise bike that can generate electricity while you get into shape)
March 16, 2009... An exercise bike is great for burning calories, but what if you could also generate electricity while you get into shape? That's just what the Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon, is doing. The gym already had solar panels, which turn the sun's...

Numbers in the news.(SCIENCE NEWS)(Statistical data)
March 16, 2009... $42,000,000 is the cost to exhibit one of NASA's three soon-to-be-retired space shuttles. The fee includes prepping the craft for safe display and a ride atop a jumbo jet to its new home. 285,511 dogs and cats up for adoption on...

Happy 50th birthday: this year, ScienceWorld turns 50. Check out the issues we've pulled from our vault to see how science has changed over the last five decades.(SPECIAL SECTION)
March 16, 2009... 1961/1968 Space Invaders [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1957, Russia launched the first artificial satellite into space. The spacecraft, named Sputnik, hurtled around Earth at 29,000 kilometers (18,000...

Weight & switch: a Massachusetts teenager educates anglers about the unforeseen consequences from lead fishing weights.(PHYSICAL: ELEMENTS)(Michael Browne )
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most people who have gone fishing have a story about "the one that got away." Such tales prompted Boy Scout Michael Browne to wonder: What happens to lead fishing gear when a fish gets away--hook, line, and sinker?...

Freed from the ice: around the world, glaciers are melting--revealing human remains and artifacts that have been trapped in ice for thousands of years.(EARTH: GLACIERS)
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In August 1999, three Canadian schoolteachers were trekking along the edge of a glacier in British Columbia in search of wild sheep. Instead, what they found was the body of a dead man trapped in ice. The...

Hands-on science (no lab required).
March 16, 2009... After reading "Freed From the Ice" (p. 14), try this activity to learn more about how a glacier's snout, or leading edge, moves. PREDICT Due to their great size and weight, glaciers erode mountains and soil in their path. What will...

I want that job! Frank Cantelas is a maritime archaeologist. He scours the seafloor searching for artifacts.(CAREERS)
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHERE DO YOU WORK? I am a maritime archaeology program officer in the Office of Exploration and Research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland. I explore maritime, or...

DNA detective: when crime threatens rare animals, a scientist turns sleuth to crack the case.(LIFE: GENETICS)(George Amato)
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer was at the crime scene: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. He'd just seized a shipment of handbags and shoes he suspected were made from skins of a...

Flock attack!(GROSS OUT)(droppings of the starlings)
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Get out the soap: These vehicles are caked in bird droppings! Each fall, millions of starlings migrate to Rome, Italy, causing a commotion. These tiny birds (each weighing about 71 grams, or 2.5 ounces) fly in...

Mystery photo.(YOU CAN DO IT)
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT'S THIS? Hint: Each item in this stack was made from oil.

Why do we have mucus, and where does it come from?(ASK SCHOLASTIC SciencWorld)
March 16, 2009... Mucus is very important to our bodies. Its job is to protect the respiratory system, says Dr. Jordan Josephson, a sinus and nasal doctor in New York. "Mucus traps particles that we breathe into our nose," he explains. The slippery substance...

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)
March 16, 2009... It takes 50 coins to buy a $1 chocolate bar from this zany candy machine. If you use at least one quarter, one dime, one nickel, and one penny, how many of each coin will you need? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Explain this!(YOU CAN DO IT)
March 16, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Invisible Man?