Science World articles from November 2005

Science World archives from November 2005

Walk this way.
November 14, 2005... Missed the school bus? Why not walk instead? Scientists found that teens who walk to school are more active all day long. Leslie Alexander, a public-health scientist at Edinburgh University in Scotland, compared the daily physical activity...

Sporty chill pill.(body heat of football players measured)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... When competition on the football field heats up, so do the players--sometimes too much. Now, a temperature-tracking device can help players avoid becoming dangerously overheated. "During intense exercise in the heat, body temperatures [can...

Got gas?(air pollution due to dairy cows)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... It's not just cars and factories that spew air-polluting gases, A recent report says that dairy farms, and the cows that live there, may be the main source of air pollution in California's San Joaquin Valley, How could cows create such a...

Ships ahoy.(designing of viking boat )(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... This is one monster arts and crafts project. "Captain Rob" McDonald, a sailing enthusiast who lives in the Netherlands, built an exact replica of an 8th century Viking boat--using 15 million Popsicle sticks. Don't underestimate the power...

Cool blast.(volcanic eruptions in planets)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... When a volcano pops its top, it ejects masses of gases that can alter Earth's weather for years. Now, research shows that a volcano's climate-changing power depends on its location on the planet. How does a volcanic blast affect the...

Laser tag.(technology used for permanent tags)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Say goodbye to hard-to-remove identification stickers often attached to fruits and vegetables. New technology is replacing them with etched-on "tattoos." To create the permanent tags, a laser bombards the produce with infrared rays, says...

Rockin' gems: find out how your birthstone transforms from a diamond in the rough to a dazzling gem.
November 14, 2005... JANUARY GARNET SYMBOLIZES: LOYALTY Several different kinds of garnet can be found in rock all over the world. The most common garnet is mined from within a gray rock called garnet schist. Sometimes weathering (wearing down by wind or rain)...

Hands-on science (No lab required).(crystal structure)
November 14, 2005... After reading "Rockin' Gems" (p. 8), find out how crystals grow and what makes these sparklers look different from each other. MATERIALS safety goggles * * 2 spoons (teaspoon size) * alum (10 ml, or 4 tsp) * 6 disposable plastic bowls...

Ancient secrets: scientist use high-tech methods to search for ancient treasures.(PHYSICAL MATTER)(Teotihuacan)
November 14, 2005... A giant pyramid looms above the ruins of an ancient city in central Mexico. The monument--called the amid of the Sun--was once the center of a bustling metropolis. But 1,500 years ago, the residents of Teotihuacan (TAY-oh-tee-hwa-KAHN) suddenly...

Bug hunter: follow a lifelong bug enthusiast as he journeys into the world of wacky insects.(LIFE INVERTEBRATES)(Randall Toby Schuh of American Museum of Natural History)(Interview)
November 14, 2005... Randall Toby Schuh, an entomologist, leans over a tangle of wildberry vines. There, this insect scientist, from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, spies his research subjects: green stinkbugs clinging to the berries. ...

Undersea story: discover how the decline of a tiny creature could spell trouble for Antarctica's under-ice community.(LIFE FOOD WEBS)
November 14, 2005... One. Two. Three. The penguins launch headfirst off a pancake-shaped slab of ice and into the frigid Southern Ocean below. Each propels itself downward by paddling its flipper-like wings back and forth. At a depth of about 20 meters (66 feet),...

Winning looks.
November 14, 2005... With milky eyes, splotchy skin, and jagged teeth, this dog--named Sam--wooed judges at the annual "World's Ugliest Dog" contest at California's Sonoma-Marin Fair. And even though Sam faced unsightly competition, he nabbed the ugly title. ...

Explain this!(horsepower)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... Horse and buggy? ANSWERS Last July, a Volkswagen Beetle was abandoned after it caught fire on a road in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil A horse draw cart, not a tow truck, was summoned to haul away the 907 kilogram (2,000 pound) wreck. Horses...

Tease your brain.(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... This frog fell to the bottom of an 11-foot well. Each day, it jumps up 3 feet. At night it slides down 1 foot. At this rate, how many days will it take the frog to reach the 11-foot mark? ANSWERS On the fifth day, the frog jumps to 11...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
November 14, 2005... DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 7. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letter of the correct answer below. 1. Scottish scientists found that teens who walk to and from school tend to (A) make more...

Puzzling rocks.(gemstones)
November 14, 2005... DIRECTIONS: First, read "Rockin' Gems" (p. 8). Then, solve the clues below to complete this crossword puzzle. To spell out the bonus word, unscramble the letters in parentheses. ACROSS 1. A rock from space that lands on Earth: --. ...

Diving champions.(emperor penguins)
November 14, 2005... In "Undersea Story" (p. 18), you learned that emperor penguins dive deep into the Southern Ocean to prey on krill. But do you know how deep these birds can dive? The emperor penguin actually holds the world's record for the deepest dive by a...

The Antarctic food web: the food web is an interconnected system in which organisms eat other organisms to obtain the energy they need to survive. Generally, smaller creatures are food for larger animals. Explore the Antarctic food web to see how each orange arrow leads from food to its predator.
November 14, 2005... PHYTOPLANKTON At the base of the food web are phytoplankton, or tiny plants and plantlike organisms that drift through the ocean. Phytoplankton obtain energy through photosynthesis: They convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide gas into...

Visit the Antarctic.(map study)
November 14, 2005... There's more to Antarctica than freezing temperatures and its location at the "bottom" of Earth. Use the chart (below) to learn about this amazing place. Then, study the map (see part 2). Use the information to answer the questions that follow....

Feast on this.(Krill)
November 14, 2005... Krill are a vital part of the Antarctic food web (see SW 11/14/05). The shrimplike crustacean--or animal with an external skeleton, segmented body, and paired, jointed legs--is the primary food source for many Antarctic species, including...

Resources.(Web sites, books)(Bibliography)
November 14, 2005... WEB LINKS Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is the world's largest, private non-profit research institution for marine sciences. Meet two of its researchers: Biologist Laurence P. Madin is the director of the Ocean Life...

Who eats whom?
November 14, 2005... All organisms in an ecosystem, or a system of interactions between living and nonliving things, play a part in the food web. In this interconnected system in which organisms eat other organisms to obtain the energy they need to survive, the...

Dive in!(insulation experiment)
November 14, 2005... How do penguins and whales cope with the extreme cold in the icy Antarctic region? They have an adaptation (trait that helps an animal survive) called insulation. Try this experiment to find out how insulation works. You Need: 3...

Seafood menu.(vocabulary builder)(Brief Article)
November 14, 2005... The front and the back of this poster are swimming with vocabulary words. Use them to solve the clues below, and complete this crossword puzzle. To spell out the bonus words, unscramble the letters in the parentheses. Across: 1. Tiny...

Meltdown.(GRAPH IT/EARTH)(ice melting on lakes)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... Beware of thin ice! Scientists have learned that many lakes in North America are thawing earlier each spring. Barbara Benson, a limnologist who studies inland waters at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and colleagues tracked the timing...

It's alive!(LIFE/ANIMAL BEHAVIOR)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... For more than 140 years, scientists have been on a quest to spy a giant squid in its deep ocean habitat. The wait is over: Researchers have snapped photos of one of these enormous creatures alive. To locate the behemoth, a team of Japanese...

Big wheels.(PHYSICAL/FRICTION)(jumbo skates)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... They may look strange, but new skates with oversize wheels promise a speedier ride. How do the jumbo wheels on LandRollers help you skate faster? When a wheel rotates, its central axle also rotates. This spinning causes friction to build...

Night hunter.(LIFE/ADAPTATIONS)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... Beware, insects: An African clawed frog can home in on prey even when its eyes are closed. These pond-dwelling frogs, Xenopus laevis (ZEE-no-pus LAY-vis), hunt after dark. But their nighttime vision is too poor to spot a tasty insect. They...

Shell shocker.(LIFE/REPRODUCTION)(two-headed turtle found)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... Last September, a two-headed turtle was spotted on a riverbank in Havana, Cuba. The rare condition was likely the result of defects that affected the turtle's development in its egg. Despite its odd appearance, the week-old North Antillean...

House of straw.(EARTH/ENERGY CONSERVATION)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... A newly built house is fit for one of fairy tale's three little pigs. Mick Womersley, an ecologist at Unity College in Maine, constructed an energy-saving home from 200 straw bales. Compared with materials such as wood, straw bales are...

Farewell fog.(PHYSICAL/LIGHT)(fog on eyeglasses)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... Soon you may be able to say goodbye to the mist that covers eyeglasses when it's warm and steamy. Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a coating that keeps glass surfaces fog-free. When warm water vapor in...

Meet your new neighbor: it treks around the sun, and it's large than Pluto. Find out if a newly spotted object could be the 10th planet.(SPACE/PLANETS)(Cover Story)
November 28, 2005... DID YOU KNOW? * Generally, the farther a planet is from the sun, the cooler the planet's temperature. Exception: Venus is surrounded by a thick atmosphere, which acts like a greenhouse to hold in solar heat. Temperatures on Venus reach...

Hands-on science (no lab required).(planets density)
November 28, 2005... After reading "Meet Your New Neighbor" (p. 8), try this hands-on activity to learn how a planet's density, or measure of the amount of matter in a given volume, affects its shape. Most planets aren't perfectly round. Rather, they are...

The race for survival: can cheetahs beat extinction with the help of guard dogs?(LIFE: ENDANGERED SPECIES)
November 28, 2005... DID YOU KNOW? * The word "cheetah" means "spotted one" in the Hindi language. The cat's spotted coat helps it blend in with the tall grasses of the African plains. This camouflage helps the cheetah hide from predators. * Many large...

Burp, rumble, toot! How your lunch can turn you into a one-person band.(LIFE: DIGESTIVE SYSTEM)
November 28, 2005... DID YOU KNOW? * The world record for the loudest burp registers 118.1 decibels. The noise--emitted by Paul Hunn of London, England, on April 5, 2001--was more intense than the sound of a power mower (107 db) or a power saw (110 db). *...

Name that element! Which element on the periodic table helps brighten your smile, adds flavor to soda pop, and lights up your television? Follow these eight clues to find out. Then, turn the page to test your chemistry IQ.(OUR POPULAR MYSTERY SERIES RETURNS!)
November 28, 2005... DID YOU KNOW? * Phosphorus is commonly found in fertilizers. And runoff of fertilizers from farms into rivers and lakes can cause harmful algal blooms. Algal blooms can decrease the amount of oxygen in a waterway, causing some marine life...

Worm fare.(GROSS OUT)(humans eating worms)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... Can't stomach the thought of slurping down even a single earthworm? Manohar, a man from India, has set a Guinness World Record by swallowing 200 of the slimy critters in 20.22 seconds. Earthworms may make you queasy, but they can be safe to...

Peak performer?(EXPLAIN THIS!)(tallest player)(Brief Article)
November 28, 2005... ANSWERS At 7 feet 5 inches, Margo Dydek is the tallest player in the Women's National Basketball Association. Last August, the Connecticut Suns' center towered over 5 foot 6 inch Becky Hammon a guard for the New York Liberty. How unusual...

Tease your brain.(Activities & Oddities)
November 28, 2005... Above, toothpicks have been used to create an equation in Roman numerals. Rearrange one toothpick to make the equation correct.

Science news resources. (LESSON PLANS).
November 28, 2005... Science News Resources For more information related to this issue's news stories, check out the following Web sites: Meltdown For activity ideas on the thawing of lake ice, see: http://tiee.ecoed.net/vol/v3/issues/data_sets/...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
November 28, 2005... DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 7. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letter of the correct answer below. 1. Scientists discovered that the lakes in the Great Lakes region are A freezing earlier each...

You are not from this planet.(MATH SKILLS)(age calculation for different planets)
November 28, 2005... Humans measure Earth's complete rotation on its axis as 24 hours, or one day. And when Earth completes one orbit around the sun, the measure is 365.26 days, or one year. But not all planets in the solar system rotate or orbit at the same rate....

Can we be neighbors?(RESEARCH/CRITICAL-THINKING SKILLS)
November 28, 2005... In "The Race for Survival" (p. 12), you learned that cheetahs in Africa are at risk of extinction because other animals and farmers are constantly outcompeting the cats for a limited supply of resources, including food and living space. To find...

It's elemental!(VOCABULARY BUILDER)
November 28, 2005... First, study "Name That Element!" (p. 18). Then, solve the clues below to complete this crossword puzzle. To spell out the bonus words, unscramble the letters in parentheses. Across 1. The--found in toothpaste scrubs clean the surface...