Science World articles from May 2004

Science World archives from May 2004

Is summer heating up?(Earth/Climate)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Can't wait for summer? Teens in Europe might not share your enthusiasm. That's because last summer, they sweated through three months of a record-breaking heat wave. Across Europe, nearly 20,000 people died when temperatures topped 40[degrees]C...

Super-fly ball.(Physical/Aerodynamics)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Move over Wiffle, there's a new practice ball on the mound. While the traditional Wiffle ball tends to shift direction in mid-flight, the new "Quickball" flies straight. "It behaves more like a regular baseball," says Chris Mackie, inventor of...

Shark lesson.(Physical/Forces)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... A new suit designed by Speedo may help swimmers like Michael Phelps shave time off their race. That could mean snagging gold at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Called Fastskin FSII, the two-textured bodysuit imitates the skin of...

Ray ban.(Life/Health)
May 10, 2004... Before you hit the beach, remember. Overexposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays (invisible energy waves) can cause skin cancer. But scientists at Boston University School of Medicine are developing a new lotion to help your body defend...

Killer habits.(Graph It/Health)
May 10, 2004... Poor eating habits combined with a lack of exercise are gaining on smoking as the top cause of preventable deaths (not caused by Inherited diseases) in Americans, says a new study. Deaths from illnesses related to poor diet and physical...

Medical milestone: South Korean scientists have cloned human cells to help treat disease. Find out how, and why it could change the future.(Life: reproduction/cloning)
May 10, 2004... Since Dolly the sheep was born in 1996, scientists have produced a virtual zoo of cloned animals: pigs, cows, horses, goats, mice, cats, and even the cattlelike banteng--one of the first endangered species to be cloned. Now, researchers are...

Shark-bite science: turn the page to learn about the forces behind shark bites.(Physical: forces)(Cover Story)
May 10, 2004... When surfer Bethany Hamilton hit the waves off Hawaii last October, a shark lunged out of the water, bit the 13-year-old, and tore away her left arm and a chunk of her surfboard. Luckily, Bethany's surfing buddies towed her ashore to seek help....

Could you survive the tropics? Lost in the jungle? Discover how to hang on until help arrives.(Earth: ecosystems)
May 10, 2004... Finally, it's summer! And your stellar family trip to the tropics has arrived. You decide to bike up the mountain near the lodge where you're vacationing. But a few hours later, you're deep within the jungle--lost. Can you survive this tropical...

Gross out?(Activities & Oddities)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Why is this guy trying to pass as a human pincushion? To secure a spot in the Guinness World Records 2003, Garry Turner of Lincolnshire, England, clipped 153 clothespins to his face. Turner can out-clip his competitors because of a rare...

Explain this!(You Can Do It)
May 10, 2004... Why the hard hat? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWER This tiny hermit crab sports a miniature hard hat and poses on a toy tractor--all to compete in the Miss Crustacean Beauty Pageant in Ocean City, New Jersey. Hermit crabs may...

Tease your brain.(You Can Do It)
May 10, 2004... Can you arrange all the fruit so that each bowl contains an odd number of cherries? Rule: Each bowl must hold more than three cherries. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWER Here's one solution: Put five cherries in the first bowl and...

Hands-on science (no lab required).
May 10, 2004... Check out these hands-on experiment after you've read "Shark-Bite Science" (p. 13) and "Could You Survive the Tropics?" (p. 16). They're fun and foolproof! SUCTION SCIENCE You learned in "Shark-Bite Science" that the blind shark uses...

Science in the news.(Check For Understanding)
May 10, 2004... Directions: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 6. Then test your knowledge by circling the correct answer, below. 1. A new climate model suggests that in the future a. extreme heat waves will occur every 46,000 years. b....

Clone science.(Diagram-Reading Skills)
May 10, 2004... Directions: Read "Medical Milestone," pp. 8 to 12. Then study this diagram to answer the questions that follow. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CREATING A CLONE Recently South Korean scientists became the first team to create a stem cell...