Randomised Friday 9th October 2009 Issue 34

Greetings Randomisers! Have you heard of the Ig Nobel Awards? They are given to scientists for bizarre research. The Public Health prize went to Elena Bodnar of Hinsdale, Illinois, for patenting a bra that, in an emergency, can be converted into a pair of gas masks, one for the owner and one for a needy bystander.
  1. Sooo Random - The Ig Nobel Awards
  2. Gear Giveaway - Horrible Science books
  3. Over 2U! - Skewered
  4. Winners - iTunes vouchers

1. Sooo Random - Science news straight to your Inbox...

2009 Ig nobel awards ceremonyConsider the scene: sixty years ago the mother of Donald L. Unger, of Thousand Oaks, California, USA tells him that cracking his knuckles will give him arthritis. Hmmmmmm...thinks young Donald... I wonder...Fast forward sixty years and he wins an Ig Nobel for his research on for investigating a possible cause of arthritis of the fingers, by diligently cracking the knuckles of his left hand - but never cracking the knuckles of his right hand - every day for more than sixty (60) years. And if you think that’s unbelievable you should check out the other winners. From making diamonds out of tequila to researching whether a full or empty beer bottle would do the most damage if cracked over someone’s head - the judges certainly had a task on their hands!

The Ig Nobel Prizes honour achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honour the imaginative -- and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology.

Got any ideas for a potential award? Is it possible that eating your crusts WILL make your hair curly? If so, let us know by email with ‘IG’ in the subject line, to randomised.news@nesta.org.uk


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

booksBrain Training

This week we have TWO sets of Nick Arnold’s Horrible Science books. A double pack of Bulging Brain Experiments and Beastly Body Experiments.

Here’s the blurb on the back:

Bulging Brain Experiments: Experiments with the squishy bits left in! What's going on between your ears? Why not try these brain-baffling experiments and find out? Find out how to trick your brain! Test your rotten reflexes! Look at some scary and sinister illusions! Over 20 brain-bending experiments to blow your mind!

Beastly Body Experiments: A horrible handbook stuffed with yucky experiments to make your skin crawl. Pop an eyeball! Create a sickening sneeze! Make a shrunken head! You probably thought biology was boring, but no! Learning about your beastly body is sickening fun! What’s more, it’s all in foul full colour too.

To win a pack, send us an email with your name and address, and the words ‘BRAIN AND BODY’ in the subject line, to randomised.news@nesta.org.uk The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 21 October.

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3. Over 2U! - Science experiments for you to try at home...

plastic bag full of waterFancy trying a trick to impress your mates?

Skewered

What you need:

• One plastic bag, a ziplock or one that you can hold tightly shut
• Wooden skewers, or sharp pencils
• Water

What you do:

1. Fill the bag with water and seal or hold it shut. Leave some air at the top.

2. Hold the bag by the top. Do this over a sink, outside, or over an unsuspecting friend

3. Push a skewer into and through the bag, leaving them in place. You might need to practice, driving it in firmly and carefully and try not to wiggle the skewer too much.

4. Keep adding as many skewers as you can.

What’s going on?

The plastic bag is made of polymers. Polymers are long chains of molecules, all linked together. When the skewer pierces the bag, these polymer chains move and stretch around the skewer. The result is that the plastic bag forms a light seal around the hole that the skewer has made. As long as the skewer stays in place the water is sealed in the bag.

Special safety advice

You are dealing with sharp sticks so be careful not to stab yourself. Stab only the bag.

This activity came from the Skewered activity on the Planet SciCast site.

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

i tunes vouchersLast time we were giving away TWO £15 iTunes vouchers. The lucky winners are Sebastian Currie from Barningham and Scott Dunn from Southport. Well done and happy downloading!

THAT’S ALL FOR NOW

You’ve been Randomised!

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

P.S. If you wish to unsubscribe from Randomised then reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE as the subject.

Bye for now!

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