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01. NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK
 In case it could possibly have escaped your eagle-eyed notice, National Science Week begins today. And as ever, there's something-for-everyone, wherever you are in the UK. From forensics, to neanderthals, to brain science, to trees, to Charles Darwin and the science of music, NSW is a celebration of science and there's more going on around the country than you can shake even an industrial-sized high-technology stick at. So you have a duty to visit the NSW's nervecentre at www.the-ba.net to find out what's going on in your area. It'll take you to a colourful map of the UK, where you can click on your area to bring up a list of what's going on where you are.... Go forth, and have a good time!  |
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02. RIBBIT RIBBIT QUIZZIT Step aside Kermit, the best news this year for frog fans has to be the Planet Science Amphibian Quiz, launched just this week. It's wet, it's wild and it's the best chance you've had for a while to win an underwater camera and an inflatable pool shark. Repeat: inflatable pool shark - "not actual size" as they say in the colour supplements, but big enough to give you a fright if you didn't see it coming! Where oh where can such a great competition be lurking? Right there - in amongst the swamp grass. No flies on us! |
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03. DNA POETRY Dr Judith from the Planet Microorganism Interaction Group has been in touch with a please for your to flex your quill on the subject of DNA... She says, "I wondered if you would bring our Poetry competition to the attention of your subscribers and encourage them to write and submit their poems about DNA? We are painfully aware how few poems there are about science in general, but we this year we want to encourage poetry about any aspect of DNA e.g. its discovery, structure, stories and how the developing technology affects our daily lives." They're looking for poems from both children and adults of all ages, to culminate in a poetry competition later in the year. Judith says, "We are keen to receive contributions from schools across the UK. If we get enough high quality poems, we may be able to publish a selection of them." To find out more, check out their website at: http://www.iger.bbsrc.ac.uk/igerweb/schools/schools-top.html |
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04. ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK This week, from the Planet Science Magic Box: amaze your friends and family with your ability to change the colour of a liquid at will... All you need is: • 1 small red cabbage • knife • hot water • bowl • sieve • sodium bicarbonate (or baking soda - NOT baking powder!) • clear vinegar • kitchen towel • 3 glasses What to do:
You should now have three glasses - one with the magic purple liquid in it and two with clear liquid in them. Now for the magic colour-changing stuff - just by pouring the clear liquids, one at a time, into the purple magic liquid you will be able to change its colour from purple to red to blue to purple again! If you remember which glass contains the sodium bicarbonate solution and which contains the vinegar solution you will also be able to predict what colour the magic liquid will change and hence look like a master magician... And that's magic Debbie! |
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05. WEIRD WORLDS If you're in or around the Plymouth area, you should be visiting Weird Worlds! This is a new and interactive science & technology exhibition which has just been opened at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition has been devised so that during each of the first six weeks, there will be a specific theme featured: • 4-8 March: Robots on the Move • 11-15 March: Earth, Air and Water • 18-22 March: Marine Worlds • 25-29 March: Awesome Earth • 1-5 April: Shocking Physics • 8-12 April: Bugs Alive A fortnight of highlights will then follow during the schools' Easter vacation, giving visitors a second chance to get involved. 'A feast of edible bugs' is just one of the highlights that's promised so what are you waiting for? And it's free entry too, before you ask! Weird Worlds promises something for everyone, with hands-on activities ranging from building and racing robots to sampling a feast of edible bugs! Find out more at the Weird Worlds website http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/weirdworlds or give them a ring on 01752 232765. |
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06. COUNTING MOLES Back in the great outdoors, conservationists this week have been discussing the huge increase in the numbers of moles in the UK - and a simultaneous and worrying decline in the numbers of voles... But how do scientists ever manage to calculate numbers of particular species? Science Line have been finding out, and you can read all about it here: http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/slup/CuttingEdge/Mar03/moles.html |
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| 07. RECOMMENDED WEBSITES OF THE WEEK If you're an frog fan, stick your tongue out and say 'ah-ha!' because we've found two good sites for you. Firstly, and especially for younger herpetologists: we recommend... FROGLAND http://www.allaboutfrogs.org  This is a colourful site that aims not only to celebrate all things frog-related, but also to enourage frog-conservation, and to make education fun and interesting for young people. It's won a number of awards for its efforts, and you can see why once you start exploring. The jokes are chronic, but there are great pictures and loads of facts, links, teacher's resources and above all, it resonates with frog-love! On a slightly less zany note, check out UK SAFARI http://www.uksafari.com  This is another great site, this time with information not just about frogs but about all aspects of the UK's wildlife, from trees to butterfies to mammals - including job opportunities in the sector. Very handily, Amphibians are top of the navigation list (what with beginning with the letter A) so it's very easy to track down what you want on this occasion... ie frog facts and photos. And finally, SMILE IT'S A SUNBEAM http://westudent.tripod.com/page1.html  Again, this is aimed at younger children, but hey everyone can do with a bit of sun at this time of year. Here you'll find a store of information about the Sun and our relationship with it, now and throughout history. Also lots of pictures, a quiz, games and all in all enough to have you reaching for your shades. Enjoy - only two more weeks til equinox... |
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08. JOKE OF THE WEEK A frog goes to a fortune teller for find out what the future holds for him. "Aha..." says the fortune teller, looking into her crystal ball, "you are going to meet a beautiful young human girl, who will want to know all about you..." "FANTASTIC!" croaks the frog, "Where will I meet her? At a party or what?" "No, stupid, in a biology class!" And that's enough on the frog-front ... unless YOU know a better frog joke? Fortunately, Richard Cooper, a science teacher at Churchdown School in Gloucester has come up with something to get the weekend off to a good start. Here goes: "Last night a friend of mine had a real disaster.... he got his phone card mixed up with his donor card, made a long distance phone call and got charged an arm and a leg for it!" Fab. |
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| 09. AOB And that's all for this week. If you have any contributions for next weeks news, please send them to Anne McNaught on anne@planet-science.com. Have a great week! |
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