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01. NEW QUIZ: SPRING GREENS
It's springtime and nature's green cloak has settled across not just our countryside and gardens but also the newly veridescent Planet Science home page. Have a look, it's gorgeous! Along with the new homepage we have the new April Dragon Quiz, in honour of St George and his famous slaying. Of course, we know dragons aren't real, but as JK Rowling has rather dragged them back into fashion, we can only salute their fiery roaringness... As usual, it's a 10 question multiple choice challenge, and if you get all the answers correct, you could win one of six fabulous Dino Dig kits and chip your very own dino skeleton out of a block of plaster. Ideal for your inner child or any outer children in your life. Swords at the ready then: click here for the quiz. PS if you're into dragons (or reptiles to be more precise) look out for 'DRAGONS ALIVE' on Wednesdays, 8pm on BBC One. The first episode has already been screened, but there are two more to go, and the website can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/tv/dragons_alive/  |
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| 02. THANKS TO ASTRAZENECA SCIENCE TEACHING TRUST Planet Science owes The AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust a big thank you this week for stepping in and funding the site for several valuable months, and minding the gap for us between its old patron, the DfES, and its new home at NESTA. The AZSTT is devoted to enhancing science teaching in primary schools, and if you want to have a look at what they do, check out their own website at http://www.azteachscience.co.uk. Alternatively, you could remind yourself how many fab experiments and activities there are in our own 'Little Book of Experiments' - which AstraZeneca also helped to fund. THANK YOU! |
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| 03. ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK: MUMMIFICATION FOR BEGINNERS Q: Why don't mummies take holidays? A: They're afraid they'll relax and unwind. Q: Why were ancient Egyptian children confused? A: Because their daddies were mummies! Q: Why did the mummy leave his tomb after 1000 years? A: Because he thought he was old enough to leave home! Everyone loves a mummy. And here's an activity that allows you to roll up your sleeves and try the process for yourself. On a piece of fruit anyway (dead pharaohs are too messy, and there's an awful lot of red tape nowadays.) You will need: * An apple * A tub of salt * A tub of bicarbonate soda * Two plastic cups * A jam jar you don't need again * A set of scales * Rubber gloves What to do: 1. Cut the apple into eighths, you will only need two bits, so you can eat the rest! 2. Weigh two of the eighths and keep a record. 3. Add 4 tablespoons of bicarbonate to one of the plastic cups and 4 tablespoons of salt and mix them up together. 4. Pour a little bit of this mixture into a second cup, add one of the apple bits and cover with the rest of the mixture. If you don't have enough to completely cover the apple you will have to mix up more. 5. Pop the second bit of apple into the jam jar, close it and leave it like that. What to do: You will need to leave your apples like this for a week or two to really notice the difference but even after a day the weight of the mummified fruit should have dropped dramatically compared to the non-mummified apple. Once ready, put your gloves on and take out the mummified apple, scrape - don't wash - off the salt and weigh it. No need to weigh the non-mummified one, you'll be able to see what has happened to it! What's going on: What you get at the end of this process are two very unappetising bits of apple ... One will be rotten while the other will be hard, dry and dark. Neither are edible (so don't be tempted) but the mummified dried apple will have no rotten bits... The key to successful mummification is the removal of as much water as possible. So you need to put your apple in something which is very good at drawing out water. The salt and sodium bicarbonate are great desiccants (drying agents). Without water, bacteria and fungi find it hard to live on the fruit so the fruit does not rot. But the salt does something else too - bacteria and fungi don't survive well in very salty conditions, mainly because the salt dehydrates them too. So this also prevents the apple from decaying. NB If you get bored with apples at the end you can try this with loads of other bits of fruit... |
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| 04. MOUSES AT THE READY: 'SCIENCE OF SPORT' IN LONDON Ever find yourself watching sport on TV thinking to yourself, as you polish off your second Cadbury's Miniroll and inspect the tin for more, "What a load of hopeless donkeys, I could run / dribble / do a throw in / hit that ball better myself." Ever think that? Or, do you instead sometimes scratch your chin in awe of the achievements of modern sports technology and how they've influenced the performances and record-setting abilities of athletes around the world? Either way, the Science Museum in London has a new hands on exhibition that will appeal to anyone with an interest in the world of sport - whether active or passive. It's called 'Science of Sport', and is supported by both UK Sport and Sport England. We've been given two four-person family passes to give away to Planet Science readers. So if you're interested: wait for the flag to go up, you'll have a chance to get in the draw in a minute. Meanwhile, we just want to highlight firstly that the exhibition is not just interactive, but really, really interACTIVE. Visitors will have the chance to try their tennis, rock climbing, sprinting, throwing and footie skills for themselves. Other aspects of the exhibition look at the effects of exercise on the body, how muscles work, reaction times, vision and the development of sports equipment - and needless to say this makes the exhibition a gold mine curriculum resource for both PE and Science from Key Stage 2 upwards. (Educational groups wanting to pre book should call 020 7942 777.) Full details of the exhibition - including video clips of kids 'having a go' can be found at: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/sport/site/index.asp, and educational resources can be found at: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/sport/site/education-001.asp . OK, fancy a free family pass? Just send an email to anne@planet-science.com with the words IN WITH A SPORTING CHANCE in the title and a note of your name and address. The draw will be made next Thursday at 5pm. Please note that the tickets will not be sent out until a week later. NB Tickets normally cost £6.95 for individuals with a discounted rate for pre booked education groups of £4.25 per person, but all children are being admitted FREE on 13th April, so long as they bring an Easter egg with them - and surrender it at the door. The EASTER EGG AMNESTY day is all about educating young people about the effects of diet on health, and workshops are being run throughout the day by the British Dietetic Association. Eggs will be given back, but once you've been to the exhibition, you may prefer to walk away... |
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| 05. THIS WEEK IN SCIENCE HISTORY: THE BRITISH MUSEUM On April 5, 1753 the British Museum was founded, with the aim of allowing the public free access to the art and history of cultures from around the world, both ancient and living. With these antiquities comes the responsibility of conserving and restoring them as well as authenticating treasures that could be thousands of years old. All of this means there are a large number of scientists working behind the scenes. Artefacts can deteriorate for a number of reasons, too much or too little moisture can damage them, as can heat and light. However, careful research allows each item to be stored in its optimal conditions, with minimal touching! Restoration can mean cleaning and reassembling broken items, which requires very careful research, but it's not all about conserving artefacts, the scientists at the museum can also find out their age, composition and where they come from. Dating is one of the most important jobs. By comparing other items found near an artefact, a rough estimate of the age can be made. For a more precise date, radiocarbon dating is the answer. Living things all have a certain amount of radioactive carbon 14 in them; when they die they don't absorb any more and the carbon 14 begins to decay. This means that the older they are the less carbon 14 remains, so a calculation of age can be made. Radiocarbon dating is destructive, as small parts of the artefact have to be ground up for analysis, but not all types of research are. Radiography allows scientists to study what is inside an object without having to break it open. Radiation, such as X-rays, can reveal cracks and flaws and, depending on the type of radiation, can be used to examine both large thick objects and thin paper objects inside and out. Of course the science is not all behind the scenes, in the 1880s the natural history collection at the British Museum was moved to what became known as the Natural History Museum - now famous for its enormous Diplodocus in its Central Hall. But it's at the British Museum that art and history meet science to create one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. Have a look around the British Museum website: http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/ Find out more about how radiocarbon dating works: http://science.howstuffworks.com/carbon-14.htm Take a look through the Natural History Museum, or plan your visit! http://www.nhm.ac.uk |
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| 06. RECOMMENDED WEBSITE OF THE WEEK FUNOLOGY at http://www.funology.com/index.cfm is a very colourful (or 'colorful') American site full of activities for younger kids to do. Some are recipes, and some are crafts, and some are just really terrible jokes that you can tell your friends. But the two areas of the site we like the best are: THE LABORATORY at http://www.funology.com/index.cfm ABRACADABRA at http://www.funology.com/abracadabra/index.cfm Both of these contain lots of easy activities - very much like the sort we favour at Planet Science. In fact some of them are rather similar, but very nicely presented we'll give them that! The Laboratory ones are expressly science-based, but Abracadabra, ie. magic tricks, are often scientific too. Plus you may get a round of applause at the end, so well worth a go. Meanwhile, just a quick mention of the BBC's 'Nature Near You' site which will help you explore the joys, and the organised events, of spring right on your own doorstep. Here's the url: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/nature_near_you/ |
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| 07. AWKWARD QUESTION OF THE WEEK Last week's question went like this: Trevor works on the tenth floor - he takes the lift every day. One day, on his way up in the lift, he hears a crack and suddenly the lift is plummeting back to the ground. With only seconds until the lift hits the ground floor he has to decide what to do. Is it possible for Trevor to avoid the impact by jumping off the floor just before the lift hits the ground? Can he survive? Have you worked out your answer? OK, here's the bottom line: Trevor thinks he can jump just before the lift hits the ground, but unfortunately for him he doesn't quite grasp the physics involved. For a start when Trevor is in free fall he is weightless - just like the astronauts on the International Space Station. For a short while he will be floating around inside the lift - something that he might enjoy were it not for the imminent splat! Assuming that Trevor can somehow anticipate the instant before the collision and manage to get himself into a jumping position on the floor of the lift...what would happen? When we jump up and down we land with pretty much the same speed as we jumped with. If Trevor managed to make a small jump he would only delay his own collision, he wouldn't reduce it, he would still be falling at the same rate as the lift. Unless Trevor can jump with the same speed as the falling lift, taking him back up to the tenth floor, he's is wasting his time on this one. So is there anything he could do? Impacts are not instantaneous - they take time. The longer Trevor decelerates during the impact the smaller the force he will feel - it's like having a large crumple zone on a car. If he can take off his clothes, rip out any padding in the lift and pull up and fold the carpet and stuff it all underneath him while he lies on the ground he will slow down more slowly. Whether he survives or not depends on the speed of the lift and amount of padding... Fortunately the previous person in the lift had left a couple of large beanbags and a king size duvet in there by mistake. (Sorry just added that bit on so as not to spoil the weekend.)  And so to this week's question. It's a seasonal one: Today was the very last snowfall of winter and the weather forecast for tomorrow is bright, warm sunshine. Pete desperately wants to build a snowman that will last but he's not sure what to do. He has to make some quick decisions before the snow is gone. Should he build a short fat snowman or a tall thin one - and what about clothes - should he put a coat and hat on it? Answer next week! |
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| 08. PS. CALLING ALL AWKWARD CUSTOMERS ... By the way, we have nearly depleted our stock of Awkward questions and answers, but we'd like to know if you've enjoyed this series of brainteasers. If so, we may do more in the future... Also, as we have run out for now, we'd appreciate any ideas YOU have. All Awkward Questions used in the newsletter will be rewarded with a £20 book token or CD vouchers, so get scratching! (Your head that is.) All comments or ideas to: anne@planet-science.com. Thank you! |
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| 09. JOKE OF THE WEEK David Barlex, from Nuffield Design & Technology has one for you, a Bond joke written by a Year 10 student doing creative writing about reduction of metal ores... "Hi, my name is Bon, Car Bon!" And a beautiful explanation of why you need to heat the reaction... "That's when things started to hot up. But I didn't sweat. I just got stronger!" Uh-oh. Mike Ryan and his colleague and joke-meister Adam, purveyors of the 'cyclepath' joke from a couple of weeks' ago, have been in touch again. Here's their latest one: An inflatable Headmaster calls an inflatable boy into the office of his inflatable school and says, "Not only have you let me down, you have let the school down and you have let yourself down". The boy says nothing. "Now give me that drawing pin!", says the Headmaster. Mike admits that that's a rubbish joke but says hopefully, it's "probably excusable given the impending pressure of A-levels". Ah, emotional humour blackmail... ! Thanks to you all for sending jokes in at all, few people do, so (virtually) all contributions are more than welcome. That's the end of another newsletter, except to say thanks very much to Alison Begley for compiling last week's edition (as well as contributing greatly to most other ones!) If you have any news snippets, offers, recommended websites or even good jokes for inclusion in a future newsletter, please send them through to anne@planet-science.com and we'll sort them out this end. Have a great week! |
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