If you cannot see the html version of this email then you can view it online at: http://www.planet-science.com/wired/wiredNL/index.html
randomised heading
17th December 2004 Issue: 16

Welcome to the Wired-Up Christmas Countdown – your complete guide to putting a little science into your Christmas festivities!
With 7 days to go...

...Christmas is just around the corner, which means the party season is in full swing! It’s the time of year when no one is interested in getting any work done, they just want to party, party, PARTY!

And we all know what late nights mean. That’s right – even later mornings, but did you know that lie-ins are actually good for you? Scientists in the US have discovered links between lack of sleep and obesity. Their research suggests a chemical released during sleep, called leptin, controls body fat by signalling when we’re full. In their study of 500 volunteers, leptin levels were far lower in volunteers who were deprived of sleep, and those who put on the most weight slept for less than six hours a night.

Now, there’s an excuse for turning your alarm to ‘snooze’ in the morning!
6 days to go...

Getting more sleep could be your first new year’s resolution, but how about getting fit as another resolution? Thanks to the way our bodies are designed it may be harder than you think!

In December’s New Scientist magazine, a university put 742 people through a 20-week exercise program – only to find that some of the volunteers benefited far less from the exercise than others. Some improved by 40%, but others showed no improvement at all.

If you’re thinking of giving up your sports clubs at lunch or gym after school or college then DON’T! The research merely shows exercise affects different people in different ways, so following a tailored exercise program will help you get the maximum benefit. Certainly don’t be put off exercising – that way you can treat yourself to that second helping of Christmas pudding!
5 days to go...

Are you having a white Christmas this year, or a green one instead? Christmas means rubbish and lots of it at that. Wrapping paper, Christmas cards and cardboard boxes make up some of the waste thrown out at this time of year.  In fact, the average household throws away between 3 and 10 EXTRA bags of rubbish. Answer the questions below and find out if you’re a Christmas waster!

1. You buy your brother a Christmas present. How do you wrap it?

a) You don’t need wrapping paper because you’ve (legally) downloaded him the new Green Day album – cheaper than actually purchasing the CD and no waste involved at all!

b) With recycled wrapping paper.

c) With a roll of wrapping paper, ribbons and at least ten bows on top!

2. Your mum buys you the most horrific jumper you have ever seen. Do you?

a) Take it to your local charity shop.

b) Keep it in a drawer. It could come in handy for a ‘bad taste’ fancy dress!

c) Lose it as soon as possible!

3. You’ve still got half a plate of Christmas dinner, but you’re full. What do you do with the leftovers?

a) Put it on the compost heap.

b) Pile it on your Dad’s plate.

c) Throw it in the bin.

HOW DID YOU SCORE?

Mostly As

You have such a green Christmas that I’ll bet your friends are green with envy! Well done.

Mostly Bs

You making an effort but make it your new year’s resolution to be more environmentally friendly!

Mostly Cs

What a rubbish attempt! You waste far too much so try to trim down your Christmas ‘waste-line’ next year!
4 days to go...

What better way to have a green Christmas than to win a super piece of environmentally friendly kit...

Up for grabs this week is a wind-up radio from Freeplay. It is without a doubt the coolest radio around this Yuletide because it can be powered by three types of energy – solar energy, kinetic energy and electrical energy.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is send an email with your name and address to: randomised.news@nesta.org.uk with ‘DON’T WIND ME UP’ as the subject. Good luck!
3 days to go...

Ahhh...It’s not long now until the end of the year so it’s about time you took a sentimental look back at 2004. Have you a favourite event or memory of the past year? What about a favourite word? According to a US dictionary publisher, the top word of 2004 was a technological one.

2004’s top word was in fact, BLOG! It is short for the word ‘Weblog’, which (in case you don’t know your blogs from your blags) is a website that contains an online personal diary with comments, and sometimes photographs. It is estimated there are over 4.8 million blogs on the Internet at present, with the number growing every day.

It’s the Diary of Adrian Mole for the 21st Century!
2 days to go...

With just 2 days to go, pass the time with this Christmas quiz. Answer TRUE or FALSE to the following questions:

1. If Santa’s sleigh could travel faster than light, he’d arrive home at the North Pole before he’d even set off.

2. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage cannot be digested by the human body 100%, which is why they make us fart!

3. The American scientist, Benjamin Franklin, wanted to make the turkey the national bird of the USA.

4. Reindeer live at the North Pole.

5. The inventor of the Christmas cracker blew himself up whilst trying to show people how it worked.

Here’s the answers:

1. TRUE   2. TRUE   3. TRUE   4. FALSE   5. TRUE
1 day to go...

All that’s left to say is have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us here at Planet Science.

The first Wired-Up of 2005 will be hitting your inbox on Friday 14th January when Wired-Up will be coming to you fortnightly instead of weekly. But don’t worry because there’ll still be all the usual science news, facts, fun and frolics!

SEE YOU IN 2005!