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Friday 6th April 2006 Issue: 44

Hooray for that wonderful Friday feeling! It’s Wired Up time again. Easter is coming and we need to exercise those chocolate-munching muscles.  So whilst you are indulging, take a little time to browse this week’s offerings.

  1. The Wire  – is ur mble grn? Phones made from lasagne and potatoes? Eh?
  2. Try This! – Cover your eyes – it’s the naked egg!
  3. Make a Date – Calling all science writers and photographers!
  4. Gear for Grabs – Family passes for the Life Centre
  5. Planet Picks – Easter Eggology Quiz
  6. Winners – Flipsides a-go-go!
1. The Wire  – Science news straight to your Inbox…

We all love to have the latest mobile technology - so much so that every hour in the UK, 1,712 people upgrade their mobile phones. However, nearly half of our old phones are just abandoned, while only one in 10 is recycled.  Shame on us! So not very mobile at all then? Maybe we should call them static phones.

That's not good news for the environment - apart from being a big waste; the plastics and batteries in phones can contain poisonous chemicals which leak out if they're left in rubbish tips. At the moment, recycled phones are shredded, the precious metals extracted, and the plastic is burnt - again, not the best thing for the environment. So, mobile manufacturers are coming up with odd new ways to go green - including phones made of sheets of lasagne! Hang on – what’s the date?  It’s not April Fool’s Day is it?

In fact new plastics, made from things like corn and potatoes, have been invented that will rot away to nothing if you bury them, and these are being used in mobiles. One phone cover even has a sunflower seed embedded in it, which feeds off the rotting plastic when it's planted in the ground. Scientists have come up with a working circuit board made of lasagne, and another made of old chicken feathers and soya beans - although at the moment it's rather smelly. And - here's where it gets a bit sci-fi - special metals have been developed that allow phones to take themselves apart when they're heated, making them easy to recycle.

Dead Ringers is a new show at London's Science Museum which highlights the advances that are being made. It’s on from 29 March until 30 September 2006.

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2. Try This! – Science experiments for you to try at home...

Hide your eyes! The egg is naked.  Yes really. Have a go and you’ll see for yourself. Talk about setting a bad egg-zample…

You will need:

  • 2 eggs
  • 500 mL (2 cupfuls) vinegar (and some extra… just in case)
  • 1 clear jar (clean jam jars work) or glass
  • Clock or timer

What to do:

  1. Being careful not to crack the eggs, carefully place them in the jar or glass.
  2. Pour enough vinegar over the eggs until they are completely covered (if 500 mL of vinegar is not enough, add more until covered).
  3. Watch the eggs for about five minutes. Observe the bubbles of gas that are formed on the surface of the eggs; you'll notice that lots more will appear with time.
  4. Let them sit overnight.
  5. The next day, remove the eggs from the jar or glass and rinse them under a trickle of water in the sink while gently rubbing the shell with your fingers. If the shell does not come off completely, return the eggs to the jar or glass, and try again to rinse them the next day. It may take two or three days to remove the shell completely.
  6. Once the shell is gone, examine the eggs carefully. Hold the eggs up to a bright window or light. You will see the yolk as a dark blob inside. Turn the egg upside down. Can you see the yolk "sinking" to the bottom of the egg?

What’s happening?

Eggshells contain something called "calcium carbonate." This is what makes them hard. Vinegar is an acid known as acetic acid. When calcium carbonate (the shell) and acetic acid (the vinegar) combine, a chemical reaction takes place and carbon dioxide (a gas) is released. This is what the bubbles are made of. The chemical reaction keeps happening until all of the carbon in the shell is used up - this takes about a day. When you take the eggs out of the vinegar, they are soft because all of the carbon escaped out of the shell in those little bubbles. The egg still stays together and doesn't fall apart because it has an "invisible membrane on the surface of it which does not react with the vinegar.

Now you know how to remove the eggshell without breaking it!

For more egg-citing egg-speriments click here.

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3. Make a Date – Things to see and do…

Do you like competitions? Fancy yourself as a writer? What do you think will be happening in science in fifty years time?  If you can turn your ideas into a 700 word feature then you might be in with a chance. The Cancer Research charity has launched a competition 'The Science of Tomorrow', targeted at 11-18 year olds with an interest in science and a flair for writing. Background information on the competition website may help authors shape their ideas, but ultimately the organizers are looking for imagination, insight and a good read. For more details click here.

Maybe you prefer photography? In that case, can you create an image using digital or film cameras, with the theme of showing how technology and engineering enhance our lives today?  If so, you need to enter the 'Shape the Future' competition. The Royal Academy of Engineering has launched a photographic competition for young people. Details and entry forms are available online, and the closing date is 24 April.

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4. Gear for Grabs – You’ve got to be in it to win it...

Look at Life differently this Easter! Where can you find shelter in the desert? What would you have to wear to survive in the Arctic? How do people live in different cities around the world? Are we alone in the Universe? You can answer all of these questions and more by visiting the Life Centre as the first stage of a £4.5million redevelopment opens on 8 April 2006. And we have two family passes to give away!

Our World is a new exhibition all about you and the world we live in! From the frozen arctic to the scorching desert and life in a busy, modern city, discover how people cope with extreme climates and habitats and explore the things that we all need to survive through more than 20 interactive displays. Also new is The Dome. Using state-of-the-art digital technology to present breathtaking images onto a 360° domed ceiling, The Dome is a totally immersive experience. The first show to be screened in the Dome is called Lifeseeker. Enter. Sit back and prepare for a journey to some of the most extreme environments on Earth and beyond in the search for Life... but maybe not as we know it!

To enter, answer the following question:

What is the name of the first show to be screened in The Dome?

Email us with your name, age and address to: randomised.news@nesta.org.uk with ‘THAT’S LIFE!’ as the subject. The winner will be picked at random at 5pm, on Thursday 13th April.

If you’re not lucky, or if you’d like more information then contact Information Line: 0191 243 8210 www.life.org.uk

Good luck!

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5. Planet Picks – News from the world of Planet Science…

Hands up who likes choccy easter eggs?  Silly question really.  Well 12 of you stand to win a Fairtrade choccy egg if you get all the answers right in the Planet Science Easter Eggology Quiz! Think you might be a bit of an egghead?  Have a go and good luck!

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6. Winners – Has your name been picked out of the bag?

Remember issue no. 43? We were giving away five copies of Flipside magazine. The winners are Faith Millward (13) from Cowplain, Craig Stevens (12) from Boston, Mary Palmer-Smith (7) from Cardiff, Zoe Vincent (13) from Cornwall and Bahadhur Sandhu (8) from Leicester. Well done everyone!

And the winners of the Planet Science Mad March Quiz who each won a game of N-tropy are James Allen (11) of Golspie, Sutherland, Joan Stevenson of Wigan and John Parker (17) of Torquay.  Hope you like the game!

And remember, keep entering ‘cos next time –it could be YOU!

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THAT’S ALL FOR NOW

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