SCIENCE YEAR NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 64 Week ending Friday, 26th April 2002 Welcome to another newsletter, this week with a distinctly bodily theme. We have free entry to a cadaverous new exhibition, skin and bones on the web, and an explanation as to why you may not have received last week’s newsletter… Too many rude words that’s why. Like b**b* and s**w**r* and t****s***r**. (Even more intriguing than the Guardian crossword huh?!) Anyway, all will be explained - and revealed - as we go along. So get your kit on – because here’s what we’re up to this week. • Win a DIGITAL WAVEFINDER • Extra help with our INVENTORS QUIZ • MEET THE TEAM and no sniggering you at the back • The BODY WORLDS exhibition • RUDE WORDS? - not guilty, your Honour • QUESTION OF THE WEEK - funny bones • Skinny, boney RECOMMENDED WEBSITES • JOKES of the week • A.O.B. YOUR CHANCE TO TUNE IN TO A DIGITAL FUTURE First of all, what's weird-looking, superb quality and holds the key to 21st Century radio-listening? A digital wavefinder of course... Our very kind friends at Psion have given us 10 of these brilliant gadgets to give away for use in schools. To find out more about what this cool item can do for you and to have a play on a simulated demo, check out the website at: http://www.wavefinder.co.uk/intro.asp And if you think you’d like to win one, all you have to do is answer ten brain-boggling questions. That is, ten questions about the brain. To do the quiz click here - and remember you can probably find all the answers on the web if you do a bit of surfing, so don't worry if your neuro-general knowledge is lacking! AND TALKING OF TRICKY QUIZZES... We're usually stunned at the number of correct and almost-correct answers to our online quizzes, but for some reason we've only had ONE such 10 out of 10 entry to the current Brainwave City quiz all about inventors and inventions. (Congratulations Mike Robbins your ice-cream maker will be in the post to you asap!) So far, however, the other two icecream-makers will be going to members of the Science Year staff, which we don't mind of course, but it's not very community minded is it? So - we've cleared the decks and invite you now to HAVE ANOTHER GO at the quiz. And just to make things interesting, here are a couple of extra hints, Millionaire-style: Question 4 - we have 'phoned a friend for you' and that friend has told us (correctly) that the answer is B. Question 6 - we've done a 50/50 for you and can reveal that answers B and C are incorrect... (And we couldn't ask the audience, so that's all the lifelines you're getting!) Now all you need's the quiz, and it can be found at here Back to top UGLY MUGS ON PARADE Wooops sorry meant to say, the new Science Year team pages have now been added to the website... And it's no mean feat considering that for the last three months people have been coming up with colourful excuses daily as to why today/tomorrow/next Thursday it's not going to be possible for them to have their photo taken. But we're all there now, and looking friendlier than a bunch of smiley smiley Carol Smilies. So if you've ever wondered what we SY staff look like and what we're supposed to be doing all day (or you just fancy a right good laugh), here's where to find out... Click here. Back to top AND TALKING OF THE WONDERS OF THE HUMAN BODY... Body Worlds is an anatomical exhibition of real human bodies which is currently on show at The Atlantis Gallery in London's East End. The aim of the exhibition is for visitors to learn more about the human body and how it functions both when in blooming health and when compromised by disease. The exhibition features ‘plastinates', or in other words, anatomical specimens preserved and prepared using the new technique of plastination. If you’ve not heard of this before, it’s a process was first displayed in Germany in 1997/98, and has apparently made a huge impact on ideas surrounding the human body since then… Sounds ghoulish? Well, the organisers say that teachers who have visited the exhibition found that the encounters with the plastinates did evoke strong emotions, but unanimously agreed that most of the students' initial voyeurism gave way to real fascination at the marvel of the human body, leading to highly involved class discussions afterwards... Here's what the Times Educational Supplement said a few weeks ago: "I admit I went reluctantly to Body Worlds. The "posing" of dead bodies in aesthetically pleasing arrangements smacked of unpleasant exploitation but, despite publicity, which raises questions about death as art, this is enlightening exploration of anatomy: science pure and simple". Fancy going? Fancy not paying to go? Well, the organisers are currently inviting school children up to and including 18 years and teachers from across the country to visit the exhibition FREE in a special promotion which will run for two weeks on school days from the 29th of April to the 10th of May. And there are free teaching materials you can get your hands on too. They include an exhibition video, a 100-page guide to the exhibition, posters and leaflets. These can be ordered at the exhibition, by faxing 020 7053 0020, or by sending an email to exhibition@plastination.com. To book your class in for their free visit, call the Body Worlds hotline on 020 7053 0010. (NB Children up to and including 18 years and teachers showing proof of status will gain free entry even when not involved in school group during the promotional period.) Back to top THOSE RUDE WORDS Hmmmmmm – never realised until last week that science was skating on such thin ice with the parental censors. Quite exciting to be so ‘edgy’ without even realising it... If you didn’t receive last week’s newsletter, that’s probably because your system’s filter detected some language it did not feel was appropriate to pass on to you… And if that’s got you intrigued or even excited, you can find out exactly the sort of "offensive" material that caused all the trouble by checking out the newsletter as it appeared on the website last week. Don’t worry (if you were worried) you won’t find anything particularly dodgy – we’re not that inventive! Quite the reverse. And what’s happened to society and the English language these days if you can’t even describe the latest developments in smart textiles manufacturing or research into baldness without a filter thinking you’re talking p**n*-f**t*? Time perhaps for a strongly worded letter to the Daily Express? **a* * ***d ** b****** . That’s what we say to that! Back to top SCIENCE LINE QUESTION OF THE WEEK Science Line. How come they’ve never been censored? They have LOADS of medical terms on their site that could presumably be interpreted darkly as dangerous innuendo…? Anyway, here’s a bodily Q&A that’s no laughing matter. There are 206 bones in the human body, but what one of their enquirers wanted to know is: What's the "funny-bone" ? (And why is there absolutely NOTHING amusing about cracking your funny-bone eg. off a doorframe??) The answer can be found on the Science Line website at: http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/ Have a look around while you’re there and you’ll find all sorts of other questions and answers. And remember you can send Science Line any of your own queries so long as they’re sciencey. It’s a completely FREE service and the staff are super-enthusiastic and helpful and will not laugh at your query no matter how mad or thick you may worry it sounds. So, what are you waiting for?! The phone number is 0808 800 4000 (open 1pm - 7pm weekdays) and the website can be found at http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/ Back to top RECOMMENDED WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Dem bones, dem bones, dem dino-bones… BBC Online have created a great edutainment type of game in their Fossil Fun area in which all you have to do is reassemble a dinosaur skeleton against the clock… There are various levels: Junior Fossiller, Amateur Palaeontologist, Professional Anatomist and YOU’RE HAVING A LAUGH!! Or ‘Superchallenge’ as they call it on the site. Here’s the link for Fossil Fun: http://www.bbc.co.uk/beasts/fossilfun/skeletal_jigsaws/index.shtml And if skeleton-jigsaws are your cup of tea, how about a human version? The ‘Virtual Body’ on US site Medtropolis not only has a build-your-own skellington but loads of interactive information on bones, the brain, the digestive tract and the human heart. It’s designed for kids and adults alike – and is bilingual too, English / Spanish. Check it out at http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp Hola! And finally, what do you make of this … new research which has reportedly led to the development of transparent flesh – at least for a moment or two. The headline ‘Creating the Invisible Man’ is rather deceptive but it’s an interesting story all the same. See-through skin anyone? Here’s the link: http://www.howstuffworks.com/news-item174.htm Back to top JOKES OF THE WEEK For these we affectionately blame Sophie Duncan! Q What happened to the skeleton that was attacked by a dog? A The dog ran off with a couple of bones and didn't leave him with a leg to stand on! Q What's a skeleton's favorite vegetable? A Marrow! Q Why couldn't the Skeleton go skydiving? A He didn’t' have the guts. Q Why don't skeletons play music in church? A They don't have an organ between them Q Why didn't the skeleton go the dance? A He didn't have any body to go with! Q What did the Skeleton order with his beer? A A Mop! Back to top ANY OTHER BUSINESS Just to say, please send in any news of events, projects or activites to us at: anne.mcnaught@scienceyear.com . We’d still like to hear about any inspirational science activities for teachers, and we’re also looking for a new creativity challenge for the newsletter so any ideas, let us know, and you could win a very attractive prize! That’s all for this week. Bye for now – and have a great *ee**n*! Back to top