Randomised Friday 27th February 2009 Issue 23 Welcome to another Randomised! We were reading how plants can send texts asking their owners to water them. Plants sending texts? Whatever next? Hang on a minute – we’ve got a text... Whaaaaat?!! Bloomin’ geranium! Planet Picks - New quiz Planet Super Powers Gear Giveaway - Two-packs of Flipsides Winners - Evolution Revolution book

1. Planet Picks - Come and visit us!

Prepare yourself for the latest instalment of the Planet Science romance. Will Hannah and Mason overcome their conflict of botany v geology? This year it’s a bubbling, steaming story set in bubbling, steaming Iceland. Your job is to sort the silly answers from sensible science ones as you read through the tale of love, loss and, well, don’t want to ruin the ending by finishing that sentence! Get all the answers right and you’ll be in the running for a bunch of lurve related, (and vaguely science related), stuff. Take the Lurve 2009 quiz here

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2.Planet Super Powers

YOIKS! Will Methane Man be able to stop the unknown creating chaos in the Chemistry Quarter? Read issue 4 here Carbon capture Sol-Nano-Tech is a carbon dioxide (CO2) capture plant that uses solar energy and hollow titanium dioxide nanotube catalysts to convert CO2 into methane. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming of the Earth. Scientists and engineers are exploring ways of capturing and storing CO2. One method involves compressing the CO2 into liquid form and storing it deep in the ocean or underground. A more inventive approach is to turn the CO2 into commercial products, such as sodium bicarbonate. No villains to catch? Capture CO2 in this honeycomb candy superhero snack. What you will need: • 12 tablespoons sugar • 2 tablespoons honey • 2 tablespoons water • 11/2 teaspoons baking soda (a.k.a. sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda) • small amount of butter or oil • tablespoon • teaspoon • baking sheet • whisk • saucepan • cooker Warning! This activity involves heating the ingredients up to very hot temperatures. Wear kitchen gloves and keep skin covered. Always take care in the kitchen and be very careful when handling hot items to avoid splashes and spills. 1. The final steps must be carried out quickly. Before you start cooking have everything ready. 2. Grease the baking tray with butter or oil. 3. Measure out 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda and place in a cup/glass. 4. Measure out 12 tablespoons of sugar and spread it out evenly in the bottom of the saucepan. 5. Add two tablespoons of honey to the sugar in the saucepan. 6. Add two tablespoons of water to the sugar and honey in the saucepan. 7. Cook the sugar, honey and water mixture on a high heat, you do not need to stir, until the mixture starts to change colour. [You should first observe the sugar dissolving and the mixture turns clear. Next small bubbles form then larger bubbles form. Finally the mixture (syrup) starts to caramelise (the process of heating sugar until it browns and starts to burn) and changes colour from clear to orange/amber.] 8. When the mixture turns orange/amber immediately remove it from the heat. 9. Quickly add the baking soda and whisk for about 15-30 seconds until the baking soda is mixed in. 10. Then, in one quick motion, turn the saucepan upside down and dump the foaming mixture onto the greased baking tray. 11. Do not spread or disturb - it will deflate if you do! Just leave it to cool down. 12. When it is cool enough to touch, about 10 minutes, break or cut into pieces and eat. 13. Transfer any remaining pieces to an airtight container to keep it crisp. [If your honeycomb candy has a really burnt taste it has been heated for too long. The mixture is still being heated in the saucepan immediately after it is taken off the cooker.] What's going on? When the sugar dissolves the mixture turns clear. At this point the solid sugar reaches its melting point and turns into a liquid. The water in the mixture starts to boil and the water turns into steam. The number and size of the bubbles increase as the mixture gets hotter. On further heating it undergoes a chemical change and changes colour to orange/amber. When the sodium bicarbonate is added to the mixture it heats up and the following chemical reaction takes place releasing carbon dioxide gas: 2NaHCO3(s) ? Na2CO3(s) + CO2(g) + H2O(l) The carbon dioxide gas creates bubbles in the syrup, which are trapped as the mixture cools and turns back into a solid. Try comparing this recipe with the Cinder Toffee recipe in the Planet Science Diner that uses vinegar and heat to release the CO2. News Flash... Viewing of Planet Super Powers! Picture Gallery delayed by launch of a new competition! Hmmm.... If Earth is in the Milky Way galaxy, what galaxy is Planet Science in? If Earth's space station base is called the International Space Station, what is the superheroes' space station base called? If you are aged 5-14 enter the competition by sending us your ideas for: a) the name of the galaxy that Planet Science is situated in and b) the name of the superheroes' space station base. Two lucky prize winners will not only be naming the galaxy and space station base in the soon to be released Planet Super Powers! online game, they'll also be naming a star. Yes. Planet Science will name two stars after the winning entries. How to Enter Send your idea for the name of the galaxy and/or the superheroes’ space station base in an email with your name and age to mizingenuity@f2s.com before 5 pm on Monday the 16th of March. Next week on Planet Super Powers! Can Methane Man survive the pressure explosion and save the day?...

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3. Gear Giveaway - You’ve got to be in it to win it...

This week we’ve FIVE copies of the January and February Flipsides to give away. Send us an email with your name and address, and the word ‘FLIP-UARY’ in the subject line, to randomised.news@nesta.org.uk The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 11th March.

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4. Winners - Has your name been picked out of the bag?

Last time we were offering a copy of The Evolution Revolution. The lucky winner is Beverley Podmore of Sussex. Well done Beverley! We hope you enjoyed it!

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THAT'S ALL FOR NOW

You've been Randomised!

Send any questions, comments, jokes or experiment ideas to: randomised.news@nesta.org.uk

Bye for now!