Science World articles from September 2004

Science World archives from September 2004

Making waves.(Physical/Forces)(Rinspeed Splash, amphibian )
September 6, 2004... A novel car gives new meaning to the word "convertible." The Rinspeed Splash is the only car that can drive, swim, and "fly." The Splash floats, thanks to a lightweight and watertight body. The big surprise? With the press of a button, a...

Stalking seals.(Life/Animal Behavior)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... For the first time, scientists are learning how rescued seals released back into the ocean fare compared with wild seals. Researchers at England's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) raised six orphaned harbor...

Just passing by.(Graph It/Space)(asteroids)
September 6, 2004... A giant space rock is headed our way. Is Earth doomed, or is the threat of impact just a false alarm? On September 29, a city-size asteroid (space rock that revolves around the sun and is smaller than a planet) named Toutatis (too-TAH-tiss)...

Stamping out spam.(Technology/Computers)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Overloaded by junk e-mail? One company plans to lick spam by charging mass e-mailers for an electronic version of the old-fashioned postage stamp. "The 'stamp' would be an encrypted [coded] string of data hidden in the text," explains...

Doggie diet.(Life/Health)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... Following the low-carb diet craze, the pet-food company Pedigree has introduced an Atkins-style dog food. With more than 30 percent of U.S. dogs severely overweight, Pedigree hopes the new diet will shrink canines' bulging waistlines. How...

Poor baby.(Life/Reproduction)
September 6, 2004... This red bellied tamarin, Sanguinus labiatus (sahn-GWY-nus la-bee-AH-tus), was abandoned by its mother last April. But don't worry: Zookeepers cared for the 10-day-old. "Sometimes, a mother tamarin rejects her infants when she's in poor...

Masters of the sea: believe it or not, you couldn't live without plankton. From jellyfish to tiny plants, these drifters power the planet.(Life: plankton)
September 6, 2004... You may know Plankton as SpongeBob's TV rival, the grouch who's always scheming to steal a top-secret formula. But beyond the cartoon town of Bikini Bottom, real-life plankton play a different role. First, TV Plankton is a loner: But real...

Blazing forest: what's sparking the infernos?(Earth: forest fires)
September 6, 2004... This May, wildfires churned out columns of billowing smoke, signaling an early start to California's fire season. For firefighters, they were a burning reminder of last year, when forest fires torched a total of 3,000 square kilometers (750,000...

Ride of his life: BMX-bike superstar Mat Hoffman uses physics to break world records.(Physical: forces and motion)
September 6, 2004... Pro biker Mat Hoffman speeds up the ramp and rockets into the sky. He lets go of his bike, does a flip in midair, and then quickly grabs on again before plummeting back to Earth. A 10-time world champion BMX biker, Hoffman is known for his...

Hands-on science (no lab required).
September 6, 2004... PREDICT Suppose you wanted to design a U-shaped ramp like Mat Hoffman's half-pipe. Your goal: Release your "biker"--a marble--from one side of the ramp, and have it roll as high as possible up the opposite side. Should you release the...

Name that element! which element on the periodic table makes ultra light tennis rackets, brews up decaf coffee, and is the most important element for life on Earth? Follow these eight clues to find out. Then turn the page to test your chem IQ.(Physical: chemistry)
September 6, 2004... (CLUE 1) AIRHEAD Like all elements, this is rarely found in nature as single atoms, or the basic building blocks of matter. Instead, it forms molecules, two or more atoms joined together by a chemical bond. In Earth's atmosphere, the...

Bee got your tongue?(Gross Out)(Brief Article)
September 6, 2004... The thought of munching on a rotting toad carcass may turn your stomach. But for the stingless vulture bee, the decaying flesh makes for a healthy meal. Why such an appetite for animal corpses? Like most adult bees, the vulture bee,...

Activities & oddities.(You Can Do It)
September 6, 2004... CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Ding, --! 4 27th U.S. President's last name * 8 A blue whale has a baleen filter in its-- * 9 Photosynthesis captures energy from the-- 10 Calcium...

Welcome to a new year of Science World.(Editorial)
September 6, 2004... As always, we'll be bringing you exciting stories on earth, life, and physical sciences. But we also have some additions. For starters, we're offering readers free access to two of Grolier Online's databases--The New Book of Knowledge and The...

Science news.(Check For Understanding)
September 6, 2004... 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. The Rinspeed Splash floats, thanks to (A) drag and hydrofoils. (B) hydrofoils and...

Don't sweat it!(Life/Adaptations)
September 20, 2004... No antiperspirant could mask a hippopotamus's sweat. Turns out, that's a good thing: Japanese scientists discovered that the hippo's stinky, sticky, blood-red sweat contains red and orange pigments (colored chemicals) that kill deadly germs and...

Bed head?(Life/Genetics)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Do you ever suffer through bad-hair days? Blame your parents. Scientists have discovered that those annoying wisps of hair that defy hair gel may be inherited. While studying mice, Nini Guo--a biologist at Johns Hopkins University in...

Rocky road.(Earth/Geology)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Geologists have just added a new chapter to Earth's lengthy time line, called the geologic time scale. This scale divides Earth's history into eras (long units of geologic time) and periods (subdivisions of eras). These divisions are based...

Sneaker smarts.(Physical/Forces)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... They can't do your math homework, but the new Adidas 1 shoes claim to be the world's smartest sneakers. An on board computer customizes the shoe's cushioning to match your step. When you pound a mile, Newton's third law of motion explains...

Spaced out.(Physical/Flight)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Look out NASA! For the first time ever, a privately funded spacecraft, called SpaceShipOne, carried a human into space. On June 21, pilot Michael Melvill briefly entered suborbit. That means he popped up to the fringe of space--100...

Wanted: winning project: how can you tap into your interests to create a stellar science project? Judges offer you their advice.
September 20, 2004... Every day is a good day for science! At least that's what Dexter, the boy genius on TV's Dexter's Laboratory, would say. But unless you're like the brainy cartoon character who spends his days in the lab, the thought of choosing a topic for...

Alarming twisters: a tornado can cut a deadly path. What if you can't hear the alarms that alert you to take cover? Four budding scientists designed a lifesaving solution.(Earth: scientific method)(Cover Story)
September 20, 2004... Spring and summer spell the return of swimming pool weather. But if you live in "Tornado Alley"--an area in the U.S. considered to be the twister capital of the world (see map, p. 11)--these seasons also bring screaming whirlwinds that could...

Tangled webs: one teen discovers the harmful health effects of tobacco smoke on spiders.(Life: write a procedure)
September 20, 2004... Since the day she was born, 15-year-old Sarah Gerin has lived around the smoke from her parents' cigarettes. She often wondered if the environmental tobacco smoke (cigarette smoke breathed in by someone who isn't smoking, but is around a...

The scoop on sunscreen: one student uses charts and graphs to find the best way to block harmful sunrays.(Physical: organize your findings)
September 20, 2004... Like most teens, 15-year-old Bryce Melton spends summer days outdoors, whether it's camping with the Boy Scouts or taking a hike. But five years ago, he learned a tough lesson: The sun's rays could be harmful. When Bryce was 10, his grandfather...

Super bull.(Gross Out)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... Mooooove over Incredible Hulk! This Belgian blue bull weighs around 640 kilograms (1,400 pounds). That's 25 percent more muscle mass than is found in other breeds of bulls. What makes this breed so bulky? Like you--or any vertebrate (animal...

Feathered fugitive.(Explain This!)
September 20, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ANSWERS Last May, police were sent on a wild-bird chase! The fugitive was an ostrich that had escaped from a children's petting zoo in Taipei, Taiwan, The cops tailed the bird on motor scooters. Even so, the...

Tease your brain.(Activities & Oddities)
September 20, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It takes this hopper 10 seconds to get from the 10-inch mark* to the 5-inch mark. How long will it take for it to hop from the 5-inch mark to the 1-inch mark? ANSWERS The answer is 8 seconds. Since it takes...

Science project success guide: designing and conducting experiments.(Lesson Plans)(Brief Article)
September 20, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SCIENCE FAIR RESOURCES Were your students inspired by the young scientists featured in this issue? Encourage them to enter these two national awards programs: * Christopher Columbus Awards This program...

Science news.(Check For Understanding)
September 20, 2004... Name: -- DIRECTIONS: Read the Science News section on pages 4 to 6. Then, test your knowledge by filling in the letter of the correct answer, below. 1. How do sweat pigments protect hippos from sunburn? They (A) reflect sunrays...

Your guide to a winning display. (Tables, Charts, and Graphs.(1)
September 20, 2004... Name: -- You've found a science project idea and you're ready to run experiments to test your hypothesis. But how do you keep track of your data? And how do you turn the collected information into something visually interesting, like...