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1. Spurious Science
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 This week our resident science expert Ben Craven discusses how he’s not paraskevidekatriaphobic in any shape or form. How do you even pronounce that anyway?
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 The number 13 gets a bad press. For no apparent reason, people think it’s unlucky. They do things like pointing at Apollo 13, which suffered an explosion en route to the Moon (though everyone survived). They conveniently forget Apollo 1 (which killed all its crew before launch day), or the fact that the two disastrous Space Shuttle missions were the 25th and 113th flights, whereas the 13th flight went off without a hitch.
Even more unreasonably, people live in unfounded dread of Friday the 13th. Let’s put superstition aside, and ask – how often does a Friday 13th come along? At first, it seems quite a coincidence for a day to be both a Friday and the 13th. But there are only 7 different days of the week, so we’d expect roughly one 13th-of-the-month in every 7 to be a Friday. As there are twelve 13ths-of-the-month in a year, it seems likely that there will be at least one Friday 13th every year. Actually, it turns out that we are guaranteed at least one Friday 13th every year.
Exactly how many depends upon which day of the week New Year’s Day falls. If it’s a Wednesday, a Friday, or a Saturday, you get away with only one Friday 13th in the year. But it’s a bad year that begins on a Thursday, for there will be three Friday 13ths, in February, March, and November. Best to hide under the duvet on the morning of Thursday January 1st, and stay there until autumn. Just to be on the safe side.
And leap years? Have nothing to do with one that starts on a Sunday.
Of course, I don’t believe in any of this “unlucky 13” business. No intelligent person does. After all, it’s bad luck to be superstitious.
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Thanks Ben! Mind that ladder as you go out…
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2. Stump the Scientist
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 No answers for Nick Baker so far. His question was:
“Why don't plants get cancer, or do they?” Come now, surely someone has got something to say?
This week the question comes from Caroline who says:
“My son has been given some old science exam papers to practice with over the Easter holidays, he has common entrance exams in June.
One question was: How do you extract vinegar from a salt and vinegar crisp?
He knows how to extract the salt but not the vinegar. I have searched over the Internet but cannot find anything relevant. Could you please help to answer that question for a science mad boy who is stumped?”
Aha scientists! Something to get your teeth into at last.
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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Activity of the Week
Have you planted your mint yet? Whaaaaaaat? You mean you haven’t sent off for your Making a Mint pack? With that fantastic poster, balance sheet and not forgetting the mint seeds? Quick, click here straight away, there’s no time to lose. Even if you don’t want to enter the competition it’s still a great activity to do with children. Tell everyone you know!! Go absolutely mint-al!
Now we know what you’re thinking – who wants to have a bath in mint sauce? True. But people put flower petals, oatmeal and all sorts (not liquorice obviously) in their bath bombs so why not mint?
Minty Bath Bombs
You will need:
- Food colouring
- Chopped mint
- Sweet almond oil
- 150g Bicarbonate of Soda
- 50g Citric Acid (you can buy this from your local pharmacist)
- Sieve
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 small glass jar
- Rubber gloves
- Spoon
- Old fairy cake tray (you won’t want to make cakes in it again after this!)
Note: Citric acid can irritate your eyes and skin, and also the lining of your lungs if you inhale it. Wash your hands carefully after you have used it. If you get any in your eyes rinse well with cold water.
What to do:
- Pour a small amount of the sweet almond oil onto a sheet of greaseproof paper. Use this paper to grease the sides and bases of a large fairy cake tray.
- Into a large bowl sieve all the citric acid and bicarbonate of soda. Mix the ingredients together well to form the base mixture.
- Add a handful of chopped mint and stir thoroughly.
- Take about half a cup of this mixture and put it into another bowl, setting it aside. This will make one or two bath bombs (depending on the size of the dimples in your fairy cake tray).
- In a small glass jar, mix together 6 drops of lavender oil, 5 teaspoons of sweet almond oil and about 10 drops of your favourite food colouring.
- Put on rubber gloves and gradually pour the liquid from the jar into the half cup of base mixture.
- Use your gloved hands to quickly mix it all together. The mixture will be ready when it stays together in your hands without easily crumbling.
- Use a spoon to fill a mould with the mixture. Press it down firmly.
- Leave the bombs to set in the mould overnight.
- The next day, carefully up-end the moulds on a flat surface to release your bath bombs.
- Run a bath, get in and drop a bomb. Watch it fizz!
What’s going on?
The citric acid reacts with the bicarbonate of soda producing thousands of bubbles of carbon dioxide, which makes it fizz!
The sweet almond oil helps to keep the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid powders together. When the bomb reacts in your bath, the oil will form a thin layer on your skin which can help to moisturise it.
This recipe is taken from 'Sugar Science' - Science for cyber-girls from Planet Science and Sugar magazine. The bath bomb recipe was sent to Planet Science by Kim Barnes.
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4. Mouses at the Ready
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 Fancy doing something a bit different in your GCSE Science lessons? What about using some Topic CueCards or maybe some Flashrevise cards? We have a set of three packs of cards from Hodder Education to give away. Follow this link if you’d like to see more about the fantastic resources Hodder Education have to support GCSE Science.
If you want to win the three-pack then send an email with your name and address, and the words GIVE US A CUE in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 18th April.
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April Quiz
"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink” is from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - when the Ancient Mariner is stuck in the middle of the sea. Which reminds us, did you try last week’s activity The Solar Still? If so you could have given the Ancient Mariner a few tips, eh?
On the subject of water – this month’s quiz is the April Aquifer Quiz since it’s April when, traditionally, it rains a bit. This is enough of an excuse for making the quiz about water. If you get all the answers right then you go into the hat for one of three water battery powered clocks – water powered? Yes you heard right.
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Science Museum Space Display
An exciting new space display at the Science Museum will celebrate the ingenuity of British space scientists and engineers that have worked on missions from the 1960s to the present day. The updated Exploring Space gallery opens on 26 April, 45 years to the day since the launch of Ariel 1, the UK’s first satellite. The gallery will highlight some of the many space missions the UK has participated in and examine the stories of some of the scientists behind those missions.
For more information visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk or call 0870 870 4868
From 26 April
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Scicast Workshop at The Deep, Hull - free
Sorry for the short notice on this one.
How would you like to spend the day at The Deep filming one of your favourite science experiments or demos then editing them to make a short film?
You might be a secondary school teacher with a great idea for a short video, or maybe a primary teacher looking to improve video and editing skills. You don’t have to be a science teacher to take part so if you’ve got a brilliant idea for a demo and want to send along a teacher and someone else to help (e.g. a technician or science student) then send an email to scicast@nesta.org.uk
Places are limited.
Thursday 26 April
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Communication in Science Workshop - Bradford
Tuesday 11 April
A European funded project (Leonardo da Vinci programme) is focusing upon communication in science across Europe. There’s a workshop on the 10th of April in Bradford at the National Media Museum. This should provoke thoughts and ideas about good and bad practice in scientific communication. There will be an opportunity after the meeting to visit the National Media Museum, etc.
If you are interested and/or are interested in completing a questionnaire for us as part of our training needs analysis please contact:
Andrew Shorey
Careers Europe
Tel: 01274 829601
E-mail: andrew.shorey@careersb.co.uk
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6. Recommended websites of the week
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Have you come across any good websites lately? Maybe some fun games or interactives or perhaps something that has been useful for a lesson? If so, let us know and we can include it in our RWW section. Send the details with RWW in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
Science UPD8 is aimed at secondary schools and translates the latest breakthroughs and science behind the news into inspiring activities. It was piloted with sponsorship from Planet Science and IBM and since then has gone from strength to strength. See www.upd8.org.uk/ Best of all it’s free!
Alas the primary version, Primary Upd8, is suscribable. However, there are a couple of activities that are freely available e.g. Shark Attack (pdf).
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 Last week we were offering ten March Flipside magazines to give away. The lucky winners are Andy Rees from Deeside, Helen George from Henlow, Liz Shaw from Warrington, Kirsty Miller from Glasgow, Diane Murray from Newcastle, Shona Colaco from Surrey, Jean Temple from Northallerton, Scott Smith from Wishaw, Claire Brady from Sheffield and Emma Willing of Huntingdon. Phew what a lot of winners! Well done everyone!
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8. Joke of the week
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Bubba was bragging to his boss one day, "You know, I know everyone there is to know. Just name someone, anyone, and I know them." Tired of his boasting, his boss called his bluff, "OK, Bubba how about Tom Cruise?"
"Sure, yes, Tom and I are old friends, and I can prove it." So Bubba and his boss fly out to Hollywood and knock on Tom Cruise's door, and sure enough, Tom Cruise, shouts, "Bubba! Great to see you! You and your friend come right in and join me for lunch!"
Although impressed, Bubba's boss is still sceptical. After they leave Cruise's house, he tells Bubba that he thinks Bubba's knowing Cruise was just lucky. "No, no, just name anyone else," Bubba says. "President Bush," his boss quickly retorts. "Yes," Bubba says, "I know him, let's fly out to Washington."
And off they go. At the White House, Bush spots Bubba on the tour and motions him and his boss over, saying, "Bubba, what a surprise, I was just on my way to a meeting, but you and your friend come on in and let's have a cup of coffee first and catch up." Well, the boss is very shaken by now, but still not totally convinced.
After they leave the White house grounds, he expresses his doubts to Bubba, who again implores him to name anyone else. "The Pope," his boss replies. "Sure!" says Bubba. "My folks are from Bavaria, and I've known the Pope a long time."
So off they fly to Rome. Bubba and his boss are assembled with the masses in Vatican Square when Bubba says, "This will never work. I can't catch the Pope's eye among all these people. Tell you what, I know all the guards so let me just go upstairs and I'll come out on the balcony with the Pope" and he disappears into the crowd headed toward the Vatican. Sure enough, half an hour later Bubba emerges with the Pope on the balcony. But by the time Bubba returns, he finds that his boss has had a heart attack and is surrounded by paramedics.
Working his way to his boss' side, Bubba asks him, "What happened?" His boss looks up and says, "I was doing fine until you and the Pope came out on the balcony and the man next to me said, "Who's that on the balcony with Bubba?"
See you on the 20th April!
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