 |
|
|
1. Making a Mint 2008 – Another Year of Mint Puns – Hooray!
Yes, that’s right, Making a Mint rides again, and this time we’ve had the benefit of your experience from last year – hence launch next week. We’ve had many complimints (thanks) but your main beef …(beef and mint – nah, that’s just wrong)…your main disagreemint was with the timing of the project, needing more time to plan and plant and so on, so we will open our Database in Enterprise Week for your addresses, on Thursday 15th, (and remind you again in next week’s newsletter of course) and send you out the packs as soon as we can.
Here’s where you can read more about last years experiminters.
|
|
|
|
 |
2. 11 MILLION Takeover Day
|
 |
|
 Teachers - how do you fancy putting your feet up and letting your students take over for a lesson for 11 MILLION Takeover Day on 23rd November? You never know, they might appreciate you a little more afterwards. We can but dream.
If just letting them loose to teach whatever seems like a bad idea, nudge them towards something more structured that we have put together:
A lesson on forces for 11 - 14 years olds
Or a lesson in insulation for older primary aged children
Lavishly illustrated and with fun homework and everything! They can't go wrong! (Well, you'll be lurking in a corner if they do, right?)
11 Million Take Over Day, where 11 Million Children have a chance take over from the Adults.
|
|
|
|
|
|
3. SciCast Tip of the Week
 Good News from the Prize Front! We have arranged that teams winning a SciCast Category will get £250 in Amazon Vouchers, and the overall winning film will get another £250's worth. Also, if you send your film in to us before the end of November you'll get five free cinema tickets for you and your team to see a movie of your choice. Go on submit a film to Planet SciCast.
Now, enough about money! What we really care about is ‘Art’ (and ‘Science’ obviously). So here with some more of the best tips in town for making your film is Jonathan Sanderson. This week, how to prevent unwanted nausea in your audience
Keeping the Camera Still!
|
|
<<< Back to Top |
|
|
4. Stump the Scientist
|
|
|
 Last week Jenny in Herts asked
“We have been learning about the circulation system with my Year 5 class. On discussing the components of blood, one lad observed that blood looked blue inside his body (seen at his wrist). On explaining that blood looks so red when it is outside the body as the red blood cells have absorbed oxygen from the air, he asked whether, if you were an astronaut and cut yourself in outer space would your blood still look bright red as there was no oxygen in the atmosphere to absorb or would it be more blue?”
Well that certainly got everyone talking.
Kay Budge replies
“Blood is red, because of the red haemoglobin pigment in your red blood cells.
When it is oxygenated by your lungs, it turns from dark red (without oxygen), to bright red (with oxygen). It does not turn red because of atmospheric oxygen.
Blood vessels under your skin have a bluish tinge, because the light filtering in and out of your skin makes them look that colour. White light is a mixture of colours. The layers of skin & blood vessel inside them absorbs less energetic red light, leaving the more energetic bluer components to reflect out. Their appearance is not caused by blue blood.
If you cut a vein, the blood coming out is deoxygenated, i.e. dark red.
If you cut an artery, the oxygenated blood spurts out bright red.
In space, your blood would still come out dark red or bright red.
The absence of oxygen in space would not turn it blue ...
You may turn blue though.... as the sudden pressure release when you cut yourself, could prove disastrous ;)“
Hannah Josiah agrees and adds that
“Your blood would probably be a rusty colour perhaps instead of bright red.”
Sarah Strong comments
“The reason veins look blue is because of the colour of the tissue they are made from and not from ‘blue blood’ running through them.”
Declan Fleming has the following to suggest
“This has been the topic of much discussion on the TES science forums recently. Venous blood is in fact a dark red / maroon colour whereas arterial blood is a lighter red. In space, if you opened a vein you would bleed dark red / maroon coloured blood – much like you do on Earth! It is of course reasonable to assume that in space the blood would remain darker than it would on Earth.
The explanation for the blue appearance for veins is available in this document (PDF), the link to which was posted by “greatthat” on the forums (credit where it’s due!)“
Ben Courtney states
“When you look at the veins in your wrist, the light you're seeing has had to filter through your skin twice: once on its way to hit the surface of your vein, and once more on the way out. In each direction, some of the lower-wavelength red light is scattered and doesn't make it back to your eye. If you subtract red light from the original dark purplish colour, you get blue, so the vein looks blue.”
Alan Glaze joins in
“Blue blooded?
Unless you're a mollusc, blood is always red. Sometimes a very deep shade, but always red. Snails are indeed blue-blooded! And not only snails, but all the molluscs (like clams, slugs, snails, squids, octopuses) and some arthropods: horseshoe crabs and a few others.
All these animals have in their blood respiratory proteins called haemocyanins. Like the haemoglobin, the other type of respiratory protein, which gives the red colour of the blood in vertebrates, some worms, and some insect larvae, haemocyanins are metalloproteins, but instead of iron, their molecule contains copper atoms!”
and finally Jane Canning sent us a long email on the subject. She ends with
“Finally, let’s talk about the astronaut. I have not got the means to check this experimentally, but if he is in space without an oxygen supply he will be dead. So the issue is less will his blood be red or will it flow? I think it will not flow but it will be dark red.”
Thanks to all our scientists who have proved that, once again, the scientist was NOT stumped! Your replies were so interesting that we have created a document with the responses detailed in full.
This week Jackie Rea asks
“I need to teach momentum to myself before I teach it to students!!
On the moon mass (kg) is the same but weight (N) is 5/6 less - no problem with that!
BUT If I kick a 1kg block of stone, will it move the same distance as on Earth and if I have bare feet, would it hurt as much as on Earth?? I think it should but cannot find any confirmation in text books or on the web!”
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
|
|
|
|
|
5. Activity of the Week
|
|
|
Attack of the Enzymes
 You will need:
- A hard-boiled egg.
- Two jam jars.
- A tablespoon of biological washing powder.
- A tablespoon of non biological washing powder
- Some water.
What to do:
- Cut the hard-boiled egg in half and remove the yolk.
- Put one half of the egg white in one jam jar and the other half in the other jar.
- Add enough water to cover each egg white.
- Add a tablespoon of biological washing powder to one of the jam jars, and a tablespoon of non-biological washing powder to the other. Put the lids on and give the jars a bit a swirl to dissolve some of the powder.
- Wait for a couple of days.
What’s going on?
Enzymes are catalysts; they speed up chemical processes without being used up in the process. In laundry detergents they speed up the breakdown of stains. Different enzymes work on different types of stains; proteases work on proteins, lipases work on fats and amylases work on starches.
The egg white is a protein and it is broken down by the action of proteases in the biological laundry detergent. The protease breaks the bonds in the long protein molecules which result in a white eggy goo. The non biological detergent has no enzymes, so the egg remains intact.
When used for washing clothes, the biological detergent's cocktail of enzymes breaks stains down so they are easier to remove from the clothes' fibres by the detergent molecules. Non biological detergents rely on the detergent molecules to attract both greasy dirt and water, extracting the greasy dirt from the clothes.
Special safety advice
If you have very sensitive skin you might like to wear gloves while handling the detergents, and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
Attack of the Enzymes can be viewed at Planet SciCast.
Keep checking back for new films and how about submitting one of your own?
|
|
|
|
|
6. Mouses at the Ready
|
|
|
London Children's Film Festival
 With events for families, schools and young people at 11 venues across the capital, audiences all over London can experience a unique slice of new cinema from all four corners of the globe, along with an exciting range or activities, events and free drop-in workshops so you can get creative on the way!
From film making and animation to sing alongs to super sleuthing there is something for everyone! The film festival runs from the 17th till the 25th of November.
For more information on the festival, films, venues and activities follow the link.
Why are we telling you this? On Sat the 17th of Nov at 1pm in the Barbican, London, join in with the LCFF Super Sleuths Treasure Hunt workshop (featuring Planet Science!) and then settle down to watch the exciting detective mystery Hide-n-Seek on the big screen!
To have the chance to win a pair of free tickets for this event, email your name, phone number and address together with the words ‘SUPER SLEUTHS’ in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 14th November.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
The Sticky Quiz
More questions than you can shake a stick at in the Planet Science November Sticky Quiz. Are you up for it, or stuck for time? Stick around and find out.
Answer all ten questions correctly and you could win a set of floor/garden/park/beach sized pick up sticks!
Ready? Steady? Get stuck in!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Free training and consultancy
The Vocational Learning Support Programme delivers high quality, customised training and consultancy to schools, colleges and other learning providers.
Visit the website of the Vocational Learning Support Programme for resources, materials, publications and information. The site provides information and ideas on high quality vocational learning, including vocational GCSEs, the new A levels and other work related learning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Make Your Mark in 60 seconds
This is the main way to get involved in Social Enterprise Day (15 November 2007). The competition aims to inspire young people to pitch their enterprising ideas for social and environmental change...in 60 seconds.
There are two stages:
Step 1: Watch four short films featuring young social entrepreneurs pitching ideas, with feedback from Glastonbury's Emily Eavis, Peter Jones of Dragons' Den and The Apprentice's Tim Campbell. From November 8 you can watch the films, download a 'how-to' toolkit and vote for who should win up to £5,000.
Voting closes at 5.30pm on November 15 2007.
Step 2: Using the 'Make Your Mark in 60 Seconds Toolkit (PDF)', you are challenged to develop your own enterprising ideas for social and environmental change...and to submit it online in just 60 seconds, with the chance to win up to £5,000!
The closing date is 8 February 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8. Recommended websites of the week
|
|
|
Remember the ‘Make Your Mark with a Tenner’ campaign from last year? Well this site has all the details of the 2007 winners, and some of their ideas are inspiring. Also there’s a Special Awards category where Make Your Mark with a Tenner Founder Oli Barrett picked out his favourite entries in terms of the most imaginative, eye-catching, crazy, honest and those who gave the best account of their pure bad luck. Download the 2007 highlights brochure (PDF) to find out more about the special awards.
Andrew Reynolds, who is donating the money for Make Your Mark with a Tenner, said: “We need to stop being afraid of our young and stop putting them down all the time. I want to prove that they're far from being the worst in Europe, with the right encouragement they have the potential to be the best.”
An announcement regarding future plans for Make Your Mark with a Tenner will be made on Social Enterprise Day (15 November 2007) in Enterprise Week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remember last week when we were offering you a PERSONALITY book? Not that we are suggesting for a moment that you are lacking personality you understand. The lucky winner is Naomi Grayburn of Stockport. Congratulations Naomi. Now are you a Wanderer or a Worrier?
|
|
|
|
|
|
10. Joke of the week
|
|
|
The shopkeeper was dismayed when a brand new business much like his own opened up next door and erected a huge sign which read 'Best Deals'.
He was horrified when another competitor opened up on his right, and announced its arrival with an even larger sign, reading 'Lowest Prices'.
The shopkeeper panicked, until he got an idea. He put the biggest sign of all over his own shop - it read... 'Main entrance'.
|
|
|
|
|
