Science World articles from November 2001

Science World archives from November 2001

Does the world want genetically modified food? (Map it!).(Brief Article)
November 12, 2001... A global food fight is sizzling as farmers and governments split over genetically modified (GM) crops, in which individual genes (hereditary material) are transplanted from one organism to another. Example: a gene from a bacterium that kills...

Mini-bull. (Physical News).(10 micron sculpture)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2001... Sculptor Satoshi Kawaka has never been to art school, nor will his work ever appear in a museum. In fact, it won't appear anywhere at all, unless you look under an extremely powerful microscope. That's because Kawaka's sculpture is no bigger...

Eye spy! (Life News).(how the brittlestar sees)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2001... How does an animal with no eyes see? Scientists studying a bizarre sea creature called the brittlestar, cousin to the starfish, have pondered that question for decades. Finally they've found the answer: The brittlestar doesn't have eyes--it is...

Science to the rescue: on September 11, 2001 two hijacked planes crashed into New York City's World Trade Center, collapsing the 110-story Twin Towers and claiming more than 5,000 lives. The disaster site became known as Ground Zero. (Special Report).(Cover Story)
November 12, 2001... At Ground Zero, elite rescue teams sprang into action with help from "man's best friend" and cutting-edge technology. 1. Every Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) has 62 trained specialists, 4 dogs, and 16,000 pieces of equipment. But...

Beneath ground zero: the World Trade Center collapsed with a force equal to 600 tons of dynamite. Did the 16-acre, 70-foot-deep foundation survive the implosion? Engineers investigate.(attack on America, 2001)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2001... When construction of the World Trade enter (WTC) commenced in 1967--two 110-story towers surging 1,250-feet skyward--it was the tallest building project ever attempted in the world to date. (The record was broken in 1974 with the construction...

Coping with disaster: two months after the terrorist attack on America, people are still trying to come to terms with the disaster and its implications. Here is advice from Dr. Bruce Perry, a specialist in helping youth cope with trauma. Learn how you can ride out what may be a roller coaster of emotions. (Special Report).(Brief Article)
November 12, 2001... Spend time with your friends. When we talk with each other about tragic events, it helps us. Studies show that retelling traumatic events--whether witnessed or experienced--decreases the risk for long-term emotional and physical problems. ...

Stem cells: the next cure? (Life/Tech Science: Stem Cells * Disease).
November 12, 2001... Several years ago, brothers Blayke and Garrett LaRue desperately needed a miracle. The boys, ages 6 and 9 years, were born with a rare and lethal disorder of the immune system, the body's disease-fighting machinery. Their genetic (inherited)...

Tales from the ice: each year scientists venture south to Antarctica, Earth's most desolate continent. They bore deep into glaciers to draw out long rods of ice. Why? Clues to the mysteries of global warming are frozen within. (Earth Science: Global Warming. Ice).
November 12, 2001... When it comes to America's weather, things are heating up. In 2001, the U.S. sizzled in the fifth-hottest summer on record. Residents of the Central Plains sweltered through record-breaking daily temperatures--higher than 32 [degrees] C (90...

Gross out? (You Can Do It).(keeping Fido forever)(Brief Article)
November 12, 2001... Buddy, a cocker spaniel, looks the picture of health with his lustrous coat and manicured paws. But, sadly, he's dead. Rather than part with his beloved pal, Buddy's owner had him freeze-dried--a technique usually used to preserve food. ...

Harry Potter challenge! (You Can Do It?).
November 12, 2001... Win tickets to the new Harry Potter movie for your entire class! You could take your class to the movies! And win a Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone video game from EA Games. And Harry Potter posters for your entire class. Just answer...

Make DNA visible. (Hands-On Activity).(Brief Article)
November 12, 2001... Stem cells contain all the genes (hereditary information) needed to give rise to any of the body's 200 different tissue types, including skin, bone, and heart cells. Where are genes stored? Along a double-stranded molecule called DNA, which can...

Science in the news quiz. (Reading Comprehension).
November 12, 2001... Directions: Read the entire issue of Science World. Then, test your knowledge by answering the questions below. Circle the correct letter for each answer. 1. Supporters say GM foods can help a. protect the environment. b. alleviate...

Anthrax: facts, not fear. (Special Report).
November 26, 2001... A new threat has struck the heart of the U.S.: bioweapons, deadly germs dispersed to make people sick or kill them. The threat began when a photo editor in Boca Raton, Fla., died in October from inhaling the rare but deadly germ anthrax. As...

Blue alert. (Freeze Frame).(how the Shingleback lizard from Australia protects itself)
November 26, 2001... Some tongues get blue from illness, others from blueberry suckers. But the tongue that jabs from the mouth of this Shingleback lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) is blue to ward off dangerous predators like snakes, birds, and bigger lizards. Also called...

Kid rock. (Earth News/Graph It).(students jump for one minute as part of science experiment)
November 26, 2001... What happens when one million kids jump at once? They cause an earthquake. That's exactly what happened on September 7, 2001, when thousands of British schools asked kids to jump repeatedly for one minute. The study, dubbed Giant Jump, set...

Animal intelligence: how brainy are they? Scientist are learning how animals talk, think, and feel. (Life Science: Animal Behavior * Intelligence).
November 26, 2001... A policeman in Vancouver, Canada, feels a duck tugging at his pants. She yanks repeatedly, then waddles to a sewer drain. Following her, the officer finds her trapped ducklings below the street. In Scotland, safari-park wardens answer their...

Why Mars? New polls show that Mars is students' favorite planet. Why the fuss over our next-door neighbor? (Earth Science: Space Exploration * Planetary Science).
November 26, 2001... An alien spacecraft shaped like a massive dog dish hovers over a bustling city, flashing like holiday tree lights at warp speed. Baffled pedestrians freeze. Traffic stalls. The floating disc extends tripod legs, anchoring in a busy...

Techno food: genetically modified crops cook up a sizzling debate. (Life/Tech Science: Genetic Engineering * Food Safety).
November 26, 2001... Stroll down a supermarket aisle pick up any of your favorite munchies--corn chips, soda, ice cream. Sounds good. But how would you feel if you knew these foods contained microscopic bits of fish, or even bacteria? Hard to believe? Today...

Explain this! What are these strange things? (You Can Do It).(how farmers grow square watermelons in Japan)
November 26, 2001... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Crossword [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What is it? Monopoloy money Explain This Farmers in Zentsuji, southern Japan figured out a way to grow square watermelons. Why? A round watermelon takes up too much...

Tease your brain. (You Can Do It).(interesting facts about Anthrax)
November 26, 2001... Divide the remains of this pizza into four equal and identically shaped slices. The cuts must be straight [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Bacillus anthracis is the scientific name of the bacteria discovered by Dr. Rober Koch hi 1876. 2....

Gross out? (You Can Do It).(how some people can attract bees and not get stung)
November 26, 2001... Musician Norm Gary sports the latest in risque fashion: a skintight hooded robe of swarming honeybees. How does he carry a tune without getting stung? "Honeybees become harmless when taken away from their honeycomb [mass of waxy hexagonal cells...

Preventing violent behavior: understanding self-regulation.
November 26, 2001... EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY, DOZENS OF SYSTEMS IN OUR BRAIN AND BODY MONITOR OUR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT. When they sense something is wrong--if the body needs to produce more glucose, or blood sugar, for energy, for example--they...

3,500 years of anthrax. (Chart-Reading Skills).(important dates in the history of anthrax research)
November 26, 2001... Anthrax is currently headline news, but there's nothing new about the deadly disease. Anthrax has plagued the world--killing humans and animals--for thousands of years. For much of that time, anthrax was called "woolsorter's disease" because...

Impact! (Hands-on Activity).(science project about the craters on the surface of Mars)
November 26, 2001... The surface of Mars is covered with craters, or depressions caused by meteorites (space rocks): How are craters formed? And why does each look unique? Follow this experiment to find out. YOU NEED: shallow box * 1 large bag of flour * 1...