Science World articles from May 2009

Science World archives from May 2009

In the pink.(LIFE/HEREDITY)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Seven hot-pink katydids recently made their debut at the Audubon Insectarium in New Orleans, Louisiana. Katydids are usually green, and not much is known about what causes the hot-pink variety. But Jayme Necaise, the...

One giant leap.(GRAPH IT/MOON)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the first time astronauts successfully landed on the moon. On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neff Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the...

Sky lights.(PHYSICAL/LIGHT)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Is this town in Idaho the site of an alien invasion? These" strange light beams aren't extraterrestrial; they are actually a phenomenon caused by cold, moist weather. The source of the colorful columns, called...

Sweet remedy.(LIFE/HUMAN BODY)(research on blood vessels)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Think pink poufs of cotton candy are found only at carnivals and fairgrounds? At Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, scientists are churning out the confection in the lab. They hope the sweet treat will help them...

Toughing it out.(GRAPH IT/MINERALS)(on wurtzite boron nitride and lonsdaleite)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... Step aside diamonds, there's a tougher material in town. Using computer simulations, researchers have found two minerals that beat diamond as nature's hardest substance: wurtzite boron nitride and lonsdaleite. Like diamonds, these...

Australia ablaze.(EARTH/WILDFIRES)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last February, deadly bushfires raged across southern Australia. While many people and animals perished in the flames, one injured koala, now nicknamed "Sam," was saved, thanks to a brave firefighter. The fires...

10,000,000.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... 10,000,000 miles per year is the rate that NASA's recently launched Kepler spacecraft will drift away from Earth, The craft's mission: searching for Earthlike planets. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

1,250,000.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(years ago, when water is thought to have flowed on Mars)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... 1,250,000 years ago, water is thought to have flowed on Mars. That's according to scientists who recently dated the age of gullies that once carried the water.

195,000 to 257,000.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... 195,000 To 257,000 years old is the age of the oldest-known human hairs. The strands were found in fossilized hyena droppings. The hyena probably scavenged human remains. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

5,000.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)
May 11, 2009... 5,000 years ago horses were first domesticated. That is about 1,000 years earlier than previously believed, in comparison, dogs were domesticated 15,000 years ago.

45.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... 45 feet of northern Alaskan coast are disappearing each year into the ocean. Warm temperatures are melting the area's permanently frozen earth, leading to increased erosion.

27.(NUMBERS IN THE NEWS)(percent increase of recycled products)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... 27 percent is how much the recycling of plastic bags and plastic wrapping increased from 2005 to 2007. Bag recycling at supermarkets has boosted collections. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Star Trek tech: how close are we to reaching 23rd-century technology?(PHYSICAL: TECHNOLOGY)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The crew from tile Starship Enterprise lands in theaters this month in a prequel to the famed Star Trek series. For the first time, fans will see how James Tiberius Kirk became Captain Kirk and how the rest of the...

It's your choice.(atoms, mass spectrometer)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... 1. Approximately how many atoms are in the human body? (A) 10 trillion (B) 10 quintillion (C) 10 septillion (D) 10 octillion 2. Scientists in Austria managed to instantaneously transport which two particles? (A)...

Sea breeze: students in Cape Cod harness the wind to power their school.(EARTH: RENEWABLE ENERGY)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Reading, writing, and arithmetic have dominated teens' course-loads for years. Now, some schools are mixing things up by adding studies of wind energy, solar energy, and alternative fuels. Students at Upper Cape...

Hands-on science.(on wind farms)
May 11, 2009... (No Lab Required) After reading "Sea Breeze" (p. 12), try this activity to learn how much the location of a wind farm matters to its performance. PREDICT In this activity, you'll make your own wind farm. If a turbine is relatively...

I want that job! Phillip Tong has one sweet job. He's a dairy scientist who whips up frozen treats.(CAREERS)(Interview)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT DOES A DAIRY SCIENTIST DO? Dairy scientists deal with every step of the science and technology of milk products. This ranges from caring for the cow that produces raw milk to delivering dairy foods to...

Revved-up athletes: race-car drivers train on the tract and in the gym to get their bodies in peak physical condition.(LIFE: BODY SYSTEMS)
May 11, 2009... Gearing up for the grueling 805-kilometer (500-mile) Indy 500 requires more than just skilled driving. Drivers must endure intense speeds, high heat, and crushing forces. "It's one of the most rigorous, stressful situations I can think of,"...

Extreme mammals: meet some amazing animals--from the past and present.(LIFE: MAMMALS)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some hunt with fangs, some glide through the air, and still others sport impressive body armor. Are these mythical monsters? No--just a few examples of some extraordinary mammals. Mammals have backbones and hair,...

Got milk?(GROSS OUT)(squirting milk out of an eye)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This performer at a Chinese New Year celebration in Beijing wowed spectators by squirting milk out of his right eye. What made the milk spout possible? First the man snorted milk through his nose. The pressure of...

Mystery photo.(YOU CAN DO IT)
May 11, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT'S THIS? People who collect and study these are called conchologists. Answer Clam

Explain this!(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... Citrus City? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Answer You would get more than your daily dose of vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, if you were to eat this castle made of lemons and oranges! It was built to celebrate the Lemon Festival in Menton,...

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)
May 11, 2009... What number completes the pattern? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Answer 20

How much salt is in the ocean?(ASK ScienceWorld)(Brief article)
May 11, 2009... Seawater contains about 35 grams of salt per kilogram of water, says Dean Roemmich, an oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. That means a 2 liter (.5 gallon) bottle filled with seawater...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
May 11, 2009... Name: -- 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. Katydids on display at the Audubon's Insectarium are pink instead of the usual...

Safety first.(GRAPHING ACTIVITY)
May 11, 2009... In "Revved-Up Athletes" (p. 16), you read about what race-car drivers do to keep physically fit for the Indy 500. But how do they keep themselves safe? In the last 100 years there have been many changes to the cars, engines, tires, speeds, and...