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Stardate Friday 24th August 2007 Issue 245
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Tie up your onions and jar up your chutney. It’s time for the Planet Science and District 245th Annual Horticultural Show. Don’t mention last year. ‘Doughy’ she said. We could have wept. Do you know how long it takes to knock up a 2lb wholemeal loaf? Never mind, this year will be a completely different kettle of fish. Oh yes. Two little words – Genetic Modification. The Arthur P. Bonemeal Trophy for the Largest Marrow in Show is as good as ours. Meeeyahahahahahah (manic laughter).
The line-up this week:
- Creature Feature: Daubenton’s bat. This weekend will drive you batty!
- Activity of the Week: Pressurised Plastic
- Mouses at the Ready: Symmetry and the Monster
- Noticeboard: FYI
- Recommended websites of the week
- The Winners’ Enclosure
- Joke of the Week
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1. Creature Feature: Daubenton’s bat
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 © Mike Lane / www.nhpa.co.uk Did you know this is European Bat Weekend 2007! Spread the word! But what do we know about this little creature?
There are 17 species of bat in the UK, all of which are protected by law because their numbers have decreased so dramatically.Let’s look at the Daubenton’s bat which is a medium-sized to small species. The fur has a fluffy appearance, is brownish-grey to bronze on the back, and silvery grey on the belly. The ears, which are held folded at right angles if the bat is agitated, and the wing membranes are greyish brown in colour; the nose and face is reddish pink, and there is a bare area around the eyes. Juveniles are darker in colour than adults. The large feet are bordered with long bristles. It has a steady flight, often within a few centimetres of the water surface and is reminiscent of a small hovercraft. They take insects from close to the water surface and have even been seen taking prey directly from the water surface, using their large hairy feet as a gaff or the tail membrane as a scoop. Daubenton’s bats fly at about 25kph (15mph).
The bat ultrasound calls range from 35 to 85kHz and peak at 45 to 50kHz. On a bat detector the calls are heard as a machine-gun-like series of regular clicks for bursts of 5 to 10 seconds. This is called echolocation.
Despite severe loss of and damage to wetlands and waterways, Daubenton’s bat seems to be increasing in parts of its range. This may in part be associated with the increasing number of artificial water bodies, including gravel pits, reservoirs and flooded quarries. Also a low level of pollution may encourage a more consistent supply of certain insects.
If you are interested in finding out more about bats why not checkout the Bat Conservation Trust website.
Or how about attending an event?
Things That Go Squeak in the Night
We’re going on a bat hunt! A short walk to learn about, look and listen for bats living in Holyrood Park. Part of European Bat Night
Meet: Holyrood Park Education Centre, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
Time: Saturday 25th August 20078 pm – 10 pm
Bring: Warm clothes, torches, anything batty
Booking: Essential
Suitable for 8 yrs to adult
For more batty events in your local area.
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2. Activity of the Week: Pressurised Plastic
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You will need:
- Metal bowl (thick ceramic works too - the idea is to have something strong)
- Plastic bag that is slightly bigger than the bowl
- Thick elastic band
What to do:
- Open the bag up and use it to line the inside of the bowl. (You want the opening of the bag to go round the bowl's rim and you want as little air as possible between the bag and the bowl.)
- Then pull the elastic band securely around the edge of the bowl to seal the plastic bag to the bowl's rim
- Now try to pull the bag out of the bottom of the bowl. Can you do it? You’re a better man than us then!
What’s going on?
Any attempt to do so produces very low air pressure between the bag and the bowl. This is opposed by the pressure outside the bowl, so it is very hard to pull the bag out. This experiment shows the strength that air pressure can have. It can be hard to think about air pressure, because you can’t see it and it’s always there. Among other things, aeroplanes couldn’t fly if it weren’t for air pressure.
This experiment came from Planet Science’s Little Book of Experiments.
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3. Mouses at the Ready
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 Run out of reading material? Then have we got a good book for you!
Symmetry and the Monster
The Story of One of the Greatest Quests of Mathematics
by Mark Ronan (Oxford University Press).
Ronan describes how the quest to understand symmetry really began with the tragic young genius Evariste Galois, who died at the age of 20 in a duel. Galois, who spent the night before he died frantically scribbling his unpublished discoveries, used symmetry to understand algebraic equations, and he discovered that there were building blocks or "atoms of symmetry." Most of these building blocks fit into a table, rather like the periodic table of elements, but mathematicians have found 26 exceptions. The biggest of these was dubbed "the Monster"--a giant snowflake in 196,884 dimensions.
If you’d like to win it then email us with your name and address, and the words MONSTER OF A BOOK in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 29th August.
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The August Picnic Quiz
Time is fast running out for the August Picnic Quiz. Get all the questions right and you'll be in with a chance to win a clever picnic set and a drink bottle that's also a solar light, in case you linger over your picnic til dusk. Any scotched eggs left?
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Institute of Physics' Public Engagement Grant Scheme 2008
Are you a great communicator? Do you have a fantastic idea for making physics accessible? Can you inspire other people with your enthusiasm? Do you need some support to make your outreach activity happen?
If you answered yes to all these questions, then why not apply for a Public Engagement Grant from the Institute of Physics? The grants are worth up to £1000 and aim to support physics-based outreach activities throughout 2008.
Follow the link or email physics.society@iop.org for more details.
Closing date: 2 November 2007
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Amazing Asian Animals – 16 September
For London Open House, the Grant Museum is running free hands-on activities with its incredible animal specimens from across Asia. Tickle a tiger, caress a crocodile and pet a panda. Have a go at fantastic interactive games with amazing creatures living everywhere from Turkey to Thailand. You have the chance to get your hands on skulls, skins and skeletons from some of the world’s rarest creatures.
Grant Museum of Zoology, Darwin Building, University College London, Malet Place, WC1E 6BT.
020 7679 2647
Sunday 16th September 2007
Drop in between 10am and 4pm
Free
Family activities, but the Museum is suitable for all ages
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SciCast workshops, October, for the ‘250’ Leaders
Are you leading one of the 250 After School Science and Engineering Clubs? Or do you work for STEMNET or a SETPOINT and have an interest in these clubs in your area? We would like to run some more Planet SciCast workshops for you to attend as we think that the After School Clubs might be just the place for the white heat of science and filmmaking creativity to fuse into new films for SciCast.
First though, we need to gauge interest and availability.
We are thinking of running workshops in the following three areas, Bromsgrove (for the West Midlands and environs), Chelmsford (for the East of England and connected parts of London) and At the Centre for Life in Newcastle for the North East.
If you are a club leader, STEMNET or SETPOINT person and would be able to take a week-day out in October for a workshop, please email us at scicast@nesta.org.uk with either Bromsgrove, Chelmsford or Newcastle in the subject line, (tell us any dates you would NOT be able to attend in October) if we get enough interest we’ll arrange the workshops, which will be free to attend, and get back to you with details.
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5. Recommended websites of the week
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 Checkout your bat knowledge with this handy leaflet What bat is that? (PDF)
Plus we’ve trawled Planet Science for some of their RWWs – had you forgotten these little gems? No harm in reminding you, is there?
Sea and Sky
www.seasky.org/sky.html
Choose to investigate the last two great frontiers — the sea or the sky. Take a trip aboard the Starship Sagan for an exciting voyage through the Universe or join the Seasub Cousteau for a journey to the depths of the sea.
Lipstick and much, much more
www.catie.org.uk/barefacts
What’s the science behind all the soaps, creams and cosmetics we pour over ourselves? Barefacts is an amazing website that gives great explanations of many products from lipstick to deodorant, from both a science and a design viewpoint. There are quizzes and external links if you want or need more info. The site is aimed at KS3 students and the teacher’s notes let you know where it all fits into the curriculum. There are even worksheets and activities with instructions to actually make some of the products.
Atoms Club
www.atomsclub.co.uk
For younger children, a colourful website which aims to get children hooked on science through games, activities and scientific oddities. Four cartoon atoms, known as Maximo, Eco, Spook and Jet, host the site, and introduce visitors to all the activities available. The site has been developed jointly by four science centres in Scotland, with the specific aim of trying to halt in their tracks any children who think science isn’t for them.
Nobel Pursuit
Print off this cosmic boardgame, assemble it, and voyage through the wormholes and black holes of space. All in the name of science.
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Remember last week when we were offering a free family pass for the Dr Who Up-Close exhibition, the largest exhibition of props, costumes etc. in the UK? The lucky winner is Angela Clowes of Leeds. Congratulations, you will not be exterminated!
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7. Joke of the week
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The Original Shaggy-Dog-Story
In the days of yore, a knight was on his way to do something terribly important, riding his horse into the ground to get to his destination as fast as possible.
After being ridden too hard for too long, his horse became lame, and seeing a small town ahead he headed straight for the stables there.
"I must have a horse!" he cried "The life of the King depends upon it!"
The stablekeeper shook his head. "I have no horses," he said. "They have all been taken in the service of your King."
"You must have something - a pony, a donkey, a mule, anything at all?" the knight asked.
"Nothing..... unless.... no, I couldn't"
The knight's eyes lit up. "Tell me!"
The stablekeeper leads the knight into the stable. Inside is a dog, but no ordinary dog. This dog is a giant, almost as large as the horse the knight was riding. But it is also the filthiest, shaggiest, smelliest, mangiest dog that the knight has ever seen.
Swallowing, the knight said "I'll take it. Where is the saddle?"
The stablekeeper walked over to a saddle near the dog and started gasping for breath, holding the walls to keep himself upright. "I can't do it." he told the knight.
"You must give me the dog!" cried the knight. "Why can't you?"
The stablekeeper said "I just couldn't send a knight out on a dog like this."
Groan!
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