What have a red-footed booby and a warty sea cucumber got in common? They can both be found on the Galapagos Islands.

This month we celebrate Galapagos Day on 27 September. The Galapagos Islands nestle together on the equator off the west side of South America and are where Darwin started to develop his theories of natural selection. If you select all the right answers, naturally you go into the draw to win a cuddly Galapagos tortoise and a map of the islands.
So

Galapaready?
Galapaset?
GalapaGOs!

Remember Issue No. 196 on 18 August when we dedicated the newsletter to physics? Well it seems that not everyone is as enamoured with the subject. In fact one of our readers put finger to keyboard and stated that ‘Biology is an application and physics is an explanation. Maths is a tool. The only true science is Chemistry.’ Naturally, Planet Science promotes all science and couldn’t possibly comment on this. But it does seem worthy of throwing open to debate. What do you think? Anyone wish to say a few words in defence of their science? It’s great to have some feedback. What about you agricultural botanists at the back! Anything to say? If so, drop us a line at planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk with ‘NOBLE GAS’ as the subject. The reader did suggest we dedicate the next issue to stamp-collecting… come now, philately will get you nowhere.

You will need:

• an old sock
  
• a shoebox
  
• plastic bag
  
• potting soil
  
• scissors
  

What to do:

1. First, find an old, fuzzy, worn-out sock that will fit over your shoe.
   
2. Go for a walk in the garden, the park or the country.
3. Walk back and forth through an area where plants are growing. Don’t trash the flowerbeds!
   
4. Take the sock off and examine the kinds of seeds that are stuck to the sock.
   
5. Now, to plant your sock. Line a shoebox with a plastic bag.
   
6. Fill the shoebox with potting soil.
   
7. Cut a slit down the side of your sock.
   
8. Then flatten your sock and plant it with the seeds pointing up. Cover it with a thin layer of soil and then water it.
   
9. In a week or so, the seeds should begin to sprout.
   
10. Try different environments because you get something different every time.
    

What's going on?

The seeds caught on the sock will germinate and grow. Some seeds attach to the sock more easily than others. These are the types of seeds that catch on the coats of animals and are then transported to other areas. Plants such as burdock have hooks to which the seed is attached. These hooks easily get caught in the fur of mammals as they pass by the plant. At some point the seed will fall, often a considerable distance from the parent. If conditions are right the seed will germinate and grow into a new plant. For more information about seed dispersal see the Offwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust website.

Since we’ve come over all rural this week we’d better continue the theme with our giveaway.

How do you feel about wiggly worms? Fascinating creatures. A worm has no arms, legs or eyes but can sense light at its anterior (front end). Plus they are hermaphrodites. And their waste is high in nitrate, potash, phosphorus and magnesium, which are all necessary for plant growth. So if this has spurred you on to get up close and personal with worms then you’ll be wanting a worm world. And we’ve got two Worm Worlds to give away!

To get into the draw, send an email with your name and address, and the words WORM IT OUT OF US in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.

The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 7th September.