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Making a Mint
  Newsletter readers! We are giving you a week’s head start to sign up for our free thing 2007. The Making a Mint pack won’t be linked from the site anywhere else til Next week, officially Science and Engineering Week.
The idea is that we send you seeds, a wall chart of growing and other info, a balance sheet, a letter of introduction and make a mini mint site on Planet Science, and you and your 7 – 14 year olds grow the mint. Then if you want to enter the competition, you go ahead and make as much dosh out of your mint as you can! A combination of the most money made with the best ideas could win you £1000 worth of vouchers for your school/guide hut/other garden. (£250’s worth for the four runners up.)
 Posted packs and prizes only for UK people! (But if you’re overseas (hello!) and would like to do the project anyway you can download everything you need and get yourself some seeds. If you ‘make a mint’ we’ll give you a big honourable mention!)
We had a bit of a go at coming up with ideas for mint businesses at NESTA HQ yesterday, and some truly amazing, crazy, brilliant, weird and well, quite bad ideas were formulated. As a test run for how stimulating the project is (mintily and mentily) it all went very well. Whilst we don’t want to overdo the ideas sharing to start with (we wouldn’t want to stifle your own creativity) here’s a few of NESTAs.
 Mint Toilet Paper, Mint Lightbulbs, a book and seed packet called 101 uses for mint, Bring Your Mint Plant To Work Day (a growing competition and mint plant selling idea), Celebrity Kid Growing Mint TV franchise and spin-offs type thing, paper making with mint, Minty bin bags, Mint Hedges (hireable for brush-past freshness at corporate events), organic dog deodorant, using images of mint on wrapping paper and other goods, and last but not least, an idea pitched in front of our understandably bemused CEO by the bravest bloke in NESTA, ‘Poo Mint’ a mint leaf device for making the toilet experience nicer. (Snorts of laughter all round).
Commercial? You decide!
 We had a great time, we hope you do too. To read all about the project and to sign up for a pack please click here:
www.planet-science.com/outthere/mint
(Mintportant Mintformation: Make sure your spam filter/email programme knows @nesta.org.uk and @planet-science.com addresses aren’t spam before you sign up, you’ll need to get that important confirmation email from us. Only ONE mint pack per email address – if you need more than one pack you’ll need to put in another different email address. Mint packs will start to be posted out on the 12th March.)
If you need to get in touch about any aspect of Making a Mint: makingamint@nesta.org.uk
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2. The Astronomy of Astrology: Cancer
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 We thought it was a bit nippy round here. That’s because it’s the sign of the crab and here is Alison Begley, Astronomer-in-residence, to tell us all about it.
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Cancer (June 22 - July 22)
 Time for a challenge… if your birthday falls in July it's your turn to do some spotting. Thankfully Cancerians are not afraid of a bit of work.
How to find Cancer… This is the dimmest constellation in the zodiac, so if it is a very cold night, wear a hat, you might be out for a while. Cancer lies to the left of Gemini. Look along the line of Orion's shoulders, from right to left, watching out for a slightly disappointing empty bit of sky.
If you are somewhere dark you should be able to see the Beehive Cluster as a fuzzy patch in the middle of Cancer. There are thought to be more than 200 stars in the Beehive.
Star clusters are bigger than a star system and smaller than a galaxy, and they come in two varieties. Open clusters are spheres of a few hundred stars all held together by their combined gravity. They are mainly found in the disk of the galaxy, so most appear along the Milky Way. Then there are the rather unromantically titled globular clusters, spheres of tens of thousands of stars lurking in the galactic halo that surrounds our galaxy.
It can be hard to tell which stars belong to a cluster and which just lie on the same line of sight, but stars that make up an open cluster have formed from a single cloud of gas. They all tend to be the same age and same composition and be orbiting the galactic centre at around the same speed.
Larger stars use up their hydrogen more quickly and, despite starting with more fuel, their lives are considerably shorter, around 100 million years, compared to 10 billion years for a star like the Sun. Because of this, a single open cluster will have a range of stars at different stages in their lives, but all with the same original chemistry: perfect for watching how stars grow old.
Open clusters themselves don't live very long (in cosmological terms)…the stars are only weakly held together. A trail of lost stars is left in the cluster's wake as it orbits the galactic centre, within two circuits the cluster can have broken up entirely and disappeared.
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Next month… Leo… how to see the invisible.
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3. Stump the Scientist
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 Do you remember when Anne Brown wanted to know why day length in the UK changes asymmetrically: In December, Sunset starts to get later from 19th Dec, i.e. BEFORE the shortest day, but sunrise doesn't get earlier until 5th Jan?
Well John Stolarski (science teacher) says
”The answer is that it's due to the variation in the Earth's orbit, and this is detailed on the following web pages:
www.sundials.co.uk/equation.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equation_of_time”
And John Morgan has treated us to this magnificent explanation:
"The key thing to understand here is the difference between using a clock to tell the time, and using the Sun. An accurate clock runs at exactly the same speed throughout the year. However, although we use the Sun's movements in the sky to define our day and night, and keep track of the days, the way the Sun moves in the sky is much more complicated than a simple regular clock.
The problem is that the solar day (the day as measured by a sundial) isn't the same length throughout the year. The day that we measure with our clocks is pretty much the same as the average length of a solar day, taken over a whole year (that's where the 'mean' comes from in Greenwich Mean Time). This means that the time measured by a sundial doesn't always match the time on our clocks. At certain times of the year it's up to 15 minutes early, and at other times up to 15 minutes late.
It just so happens that a week or two before the winter solstice, sundials are ahead of clocks. This means that sunrise and sunset are both occurring early. However in this part of the year, the solar days are longer than average, so by the time the winter solstice is over, sunrise and sunset will be occurring late.
In the summer the same thing happens. Sunrise and sunset occur early before the summer solstice, and late after the summer solstice. Because both solstices are pretty much the same in this respect, the same thing also happens in the southern hemisphere."
Of course we haven't talked about why the Solar day changes length at different times of year. That's a bit more complicated but to find out more you can google 'equation of time' or visit this website“
Thank you for that. On this occasion the scientist was definitely NOT stumped!
This week’s question is from Charlie Ekin (Science teacher, Hampshire). He says
“We're supposed to teach our pupils that both water and oxygen are needed but the standard experiment is a dismal failure. The one where you boil up a clean nail in a boiling tube of water. After it’s boiled away for several minutes, supposedly to drive out the dissolved oxygen, you then place a layer of paraffin oil, followed by a stopper to prevent the influx of any further oxygen and then, you, well, wait. Hey Presto! it rusts, sometimes spectacularly-even more than the wet nail exposed to the air. Please explain why this happens and what can be done to prove that oxygen is needed, conclusively. (Any ideas for a version of this that makes it a little more interesting than watching paint dry would be great!)
Many thanks”
If you can help or have a burning question of your own then send us an email with STUMP THE SCIENTIST in the subject line to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk
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4. Activity of the Week: Water trick
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 Here’s something to do for National Science and Engineering Week 2007!
Now before we start we have a confession. We tried this out and it didn’t work. Distilled water yes, freezer at minus 11.5 degrees C hmmmm, maybe (didn’t measure it at the time). So here we are flinging down the gauntlet to anyone who wants to give it a go. Send us a photo of your ice spike with your name on a piece of paper next to it while you’re about it. Just so that we have proof y’understand – yes those Google Images are soooo useful at times aren’t they? All those entering will be put in a draw for a pack of AQA GCSE Sciences Flashcards courtesy of Hodder Murray.
www.hoddereducation.co.uk
Water Spikes
You will need:
- Distilled water (you can get this from a petrol station)
- Ice cube tray
- Freezer
What to do:
- Fill the ice cube tray with distilled water.
- Place in a freezer whose air temperature is at least -11.5 degrees C.
- Leave for an hour and a half.
- You should see a short spike of ice protruding from each cube.
What’s going on?
The short explanation is this: as the ice freezes fast under supercooled conditions, the surface can get covered except for a small hole. Water expands when it freezes. As freezing continues, the expanding ice under the surface forces the remaining water up through the hole and it freezes around the edge forming a hollow spike. Eventually, the whole thing freezes and the spike is left.
But you may find fuller explanations in the following websites:
Method and explanation
You, too, can grow ice-cube spikes in your own freezer!
Ice Spikes
Got Spikes on Your Ice Cubes?
See video
Diagram of how spikes are formed
Fancy having a go? Send your photos in an email with your name and address, and the words ICE SPIKE in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 21st March.
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5. Mouses at the Ready
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You won’t believe what we’re giving away this week – and just in time for National Science and Engineering Week too!
Two copies of 'Dr Mark's Magical Science Book 2 ', a large-size, spiral-bound "recipe book" with instructions and illustrative cartoons for 45 fun and novel experiments about physical processes, properties of materials and ourselves. Science with the wow bits left in! If you want to know more about it then checkout the website at http://www.dr-mark.co.uk/
If you’d like one, send an email with your name and address, and the words SCIENCE IS MAGIC in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 7th March.
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Lunar Eclipse – March 3rd – SATURDAY NIGHT!
Get ready for the total lunar eclipse on March 3rd. The greatest eclipse is at 11.20 pm GMT. We should see it all (if it is a clear night.)
For more details check this site.
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Schools Bioethics Essay Competition 2007 – Y10-13
Funded by the Wellcome Trust, this competition is open to all UK secondary school students in Years 10-13. The aim is to encourage younger students to think about and engage with bioethical problems. The theme is broadly 'Bioethical Concerns'. Essays (with a word limit of 1000 words) will cover a wide range of current and potential bioethical concerns (e.g. stem cell research, reproductive technologies, and medical testing).
The winners will be invited to present their essays at the conference in June at Kings College, Cambridge, as well as receiving a monetary prize. There will also be the opportunity for a tour of the University of Cambridge, and to talk about University life with undergraduates and the admissions team.
Travel expenses for winning essayists will be paid for.
Further information about the competition can be found here.
Closing date: 15 May 2007
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March Military Quiz
Our New quiz for March was inspired by Mars, the god of war and agriculture. Strange combo you might think, until you remember who goes back to his ranch for the summer. Anyway, lots of inventions have come out of military need and the other way round too, so we’ve rounded a few up and made them into 10 questions for you. Two model speedy speed boats with a stealth look about them to be won if you get all the question correct.
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sciencehorizons – free discussion pack
sciencehorizons is a national series of conversations about new technologies, the future and society. This pack will help people start a group conversation about the future and submit their views. It contains stories about what life might be like in 2025, on paper and on an interactive cd-rom, and a series of questions to kick-start the discussion. There is also a step-by-step guide to using the pack, and response forms to help summarise the group's discussions and send the feedback.
Visit www.sciencehorizons.org.uk or call 0208 683 6602 for more information.
In addition, sciencehorizons are still accepting applications to the enabling fund so there is money available to help you run an event.
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7. Recommended websites of the week
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Here’s one for mini-scientists!
www.sciencewithme.com is a free website that offers educational animations, movies, games, colouring pages, worksheets and stories to help young children learn science the fun way.
The National Centre for Biotechnology Education have a series of illustrated instructions for almost 70 practical investigations, most of which can be used as starting points for open-ended work. The NCBE's policy is to make all of its publications available free-of-charge, on-line (usually as Adobe Acrobat PDF files).
Nature Detectives Springwatch free download
Download stickers, a season planner and a fantastic woodland log book amongst many other great resources for under 11’s.
Thanks to Catherine for this one - Join the BBC nest box challenge by putting a box in your garden, school or workplace. Register your box and help the British Trust for Ornithology with its wild bird survey by telling them if any birds move in!
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So who won copies of Flipside magazine? Well they are Mr. B.W.Davies of Dorset, Gay Hoban of Leek, W Woodburn of Essex, Clare Maltby-Wehner of Leicestershire, Anne Johnson of Dunstable, Sue Blake of Cheshire, Kim Knappett of London, Andy Eastwood of Altrincham, Stephen Burrowes of Kendal and Christine Whitmarsh of London. Congratulations everybody!
The Febricopter Quiz winners are:
Ryan Cooke of Chester, Gareth Earls of Bodmin, Iain Madden of Kilmarnock, Richard Foinette from near Bristol.
And the microwavable Teddies Lurve Quiz prizes go to:
Rachel Stone of Sedgley, Mel Heale of the Wirral, Adele Saville from Saffron Walden, and Dominic Oakes from Norfolk.
Well done all.
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9. Joke of the week
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A retiring farmer in preparation for selling his land, needed to rid his farm of animals. So he went to every house in his town.
To the houses where the man is the boss, he gave a horse. To the houses where the woman is the boss, a chicken was given.
He got toward the end of the street and saw a couple outside gardening. "Who's the boss around here?" he asked.
"I am." said the man.
"I have a black horse and a brown horse," the farmer said, "which one would you like?"
The man thought for a minute and said, "The black one."
"No, no, no, get the brown one." the man's wife said.
"Here's your chicken." said the farmer.
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PS if you would like to unsubscribe from the newsletter please reply to this email nsonawane@nesta.org.uk with unsubscribe as the subject line.
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