Science World articles from November 2007

Science World archives from November 2007

Scuba spider.(LIFE/ANIMAL BEHAVIOR)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most spiders spin webs in midair, but not Argyroneta aquatica. This spider weaves an air-filled sack, called an "air bell," underwater. Scientists at the University of Bern in Switzerland recently showed that these...

Smell this.(PHYSICAL/CHEMISTRY)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... This September, The Los Angeles Times ran the firs ever newspaper advertisement using scented ink to promote the Fox-Walden fantasy film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, which is due in theaters on November 16. When rubbed, the ad gave off the...

Animated effort.(GRAPH IT/HEALTH)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some popular cartoon characters will soon disappear from junk food packaging in your supermarket's aisles. The Cartoon Network's characters have joined those of Nickelodeon and Discovery Kids in endorsing foods and...

Smooth move.(EARTH/EARTHQUAKES)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Geologists have long puzzled over why ground-shaking quakes occur in some earthquake-prone spots and not in others. Now they may have found the secret: talc--the main ingredient in some baby powders! Diane Moore, an earth scientist at the...

Sandblasted.(EARTH/EROSION)(Great Wall of China)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Great Wall of China was built more than 2,000 years ago to defend against foreign invaders. Now, the wall itself is under attack. Frequent sandstorms are blasting sections of the wall in northern China,...

No slowpoke.(GRAPH IT/MOTION)(Tyrannosaurus Rex)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... The T. rex may not have been the swift car-chaser portrayed in Hollywood films like Jurassic Park, a new study shows. Still, the fearsome predator could outrun today's top athletes. Biologist Bill Sellers of the University of Manchester in...

Numbers in the news.(SCIENCE NEWS)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... $20,000,000 will be awarded to the first private group that lands a robotic craft on the moon as part of the Google Lunar X Prize. 15,600 ton of synthetic sand may be added to Florida's coastline each year by government officials. The tiny...

What's your type? To find out how your personality affects your future, forget horoscopes. The answer could be in your blood type.(LIFE BLOOD)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many people in the U.S. believe that your astrological sign can reveal your personality traits and that reading your horoscope can predict your destiny. But many Japanese believe that the clues to people's character...

I want that job: want to help save lives? Consider a career at a blood bank.(CAREERS)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... WHAT IS A BLOOD BANK? A blood bank is a place where blood collected from volunteer donors is stored for later use in medical procedures. Blood banks can be part of a hospital, or a separate facility in your community. WHO WORKS AT A...

A voice for autism: Taylor Cross has autism. Doctors once said he might never walk or talk. Now he's a teenage filmmaker, proving them all wrong. Here, Taylor shares his story.(LIFE AUTISM)
November 12, 2007... I can't even describe autism that well to myself, let alone to someone else. But I know it's a disorder affecting the brain, social skills, and how people connect with the world and the people in it. It could be a part of anybody you know, and...

Wireless waste: most Americans keep their cell phones for only 18 months. Find out what that means for the environment.(EARTH RECYCLING)
November 12, 2007... MINING MATERIALS 1 Cell phones are made of numerous materials that deplete Earth's natural resources. For instance, cell phones contain precious metals, like gold and silver, which have to be mined from the earth. Many materials that go...

Dangerous obsession: for people with eating disorders, a focus on food can be a recipe for disaster.(HEALTH EATING DISORDERS)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At age 14, Kristin was a champion gymnast. But behind the scenes, she was in a battle for her life. She'd become so obsessed with her weight that she counted every calorie that went into her body. Her weight--and...

Acne fact or fiction: face it: Blemishes can be a real pain. But so can the mounds of advice for acne remedies. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about your skin. Then, get the true scoop on acne.(HEALTH ACNE)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Zit Zapping Quiz 1. Teen years are jam-packed with social events--just the time when you want pimples least! Thankfully, as you get older you'll grow out of acne. True False 2. You've tried...

Wired nation: many teens are guzzling canned caffeine. What effect does this hyped-up habit have on the body?(LIFE CAFFEINE)
November 12, 2007... Matt Thomas plays on his high school s football team. Before each game, the 17-year-old from Dobson, North Carolina, guzzles at least one can of energy drink. "I use them to give me energy to play till half-time," he says. Matt is not alone....

The lowdown on hydrocodone: the active ingredient in many prescription pain relievers such as Vicodin[R] is a powerful drug--and dangerous when not used as prescribed.(HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There is great news from the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) Study, a survey that tracks teen drug use from year to year: Overall drug abuse is down among teens. Unfortunately, there's some bad news too: Abuse of...

Dance, dance, revolution: tired of tripping on two left feet? Physics can help you master the dance floor.(PHYSICAL FORCES AND MOTION)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You've laughed at celebrities grooving out of sync on Dancing With the Stars. You've seen contestants answer So You Think You Can Dance? by falling flat on their faces. As these popular TV shows demonstrate, not...

The incredible bulk.(GROSS OUT)(Wendy the dog)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For a human to attain a muscular physique like this dog, the person would have to put in long hours at the gym. But for Wendy, a whippet--or breed of dog closely related to the greyhound--the look comes naturally. ...

Mystery photo.(YOU CAN DO IT)
November 12, 2007... WHAT'S THIS? Hint: Although this animal has eyes, it relies on senses other than vision to detect prey. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWERS Mystery Photo Lobster

What do flamingos eat?(ASK ScienceWorld)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Wild flamingos eat algae, small insects, and small crustaceans like shrimp. These foods are rich in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is the pigment that gives carrots their orange coloring. It also tints flamingos' feathers pink. According to...

Explain this!(ASK ScienceWorld)(why goats love to climb)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Repairman? ANSWERS Explain This! Josie, a LaMancha goat, lives with a family in Bayfield, Colorado. It's not unusual to see Josie perched on top of a ladder That's because goats are adapted for...

Tease your brain.(YOU CAN DO IT)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Four coins are positioned at the corners of a square. Try to change the positions of only two coins so that you form a smaller square. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWERS Tease Your Brain [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Tips for using Science World in the classroom.(Teacher to Teacher)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... To help kick-start classroom discussions, Priscilla Chan, a science teacher at Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies in New York City, suggests: Prepare an anticipatory guide: a three-column table, labeled "Statements," "Disagree," and...

Science news.(CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING)
November 12, 2007... 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. Argyroneta aquatica is the only species of spider that (A) breathes oxygen. (B)...

Talk it up.(CHART-READING SKILLS)
November 12, 2007... In "Wireless Waste" (p. 14) you learned that trashed cell phones could leach harmful substances into the environment. While cell phones are small, their environmental impact can be large because there are so many of them. Complete this activity...

The truth about hydrocodone.(HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... --A message from Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of NIDA Dear Teacher: While there is good news from the most recent Monitoring the Future Study showing the steady decline in the use of illicit drugs by teens over the past six years,...

Lesson plan & reproducible.(HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY)
November 12, 2007... Preparation: Make copies of the activity reproducible (on the other side of this page) for each student. OBJECTIVES Students will learn about hydrocodone and the risks associated with its abuse; they will also learn about the dangers of...