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1. PLANET PICKS – News from the world of Planet Science...
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Did you know that spaghetti grows on trees? Or that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is about to topple over? Or how about that the BBC are now screening programmes that you can actually smell in your own living room? It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
If you believed those tall tales then you must be more gullible than a goat, but we ‘kid’ you not, people have actually fallen for these science ‘fiction’ stories! Spaghetti trees, the toppling Tower of Pisa and smelly television were all hoax news stories to try and fool people on April Fool’s Day. But, April has been and gone and now we’re in the month of May so it’s time for a new Planet Science quiz based on scientific inaccuracies. First, we give you a statement, which ‘MAY’ or ‘MAY NOT’ be true. Get it? Then it’s down to you to sniff out the science FACTS from the science FICTION.
Here’s the link:
http://www.planet-science.com/
wired/comp_quiz/05_05_OrMayNot/index.htm
Answer all ten questions correctly and you’ll be entered into the draw to win a 'Magic Clock', which mysteriously creates a hovering time display and messages before your very eyes... (Seriously, we’re not having you on here!)
You could ask your parents to give you a hand with the quiz, but beware! According to the next news story, your parents might not know a computer screen from a fish tank!
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2. THE WIRE – Science news delivered to your inbox...
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A survey, carried out by the London School of Economics, has revealed that nearly 20% of parents don’t know how to use the Internet. However, teenagers are far more switched on, with 98% saying they have Internet access at home, school or somewhere else. Here at Wired-Up, we’ve put together some top tips, that will help you spot if you have an ‘Internet-Not-So-Know-It-All-Parent’ or as we like to put it – an I-N-S-K-I-A-P!
You know you have an ‘Internet-Not-So-Know-It-All-Parent’ when:
- You mention the word ‘Byte’ and your mum quickly rustles up some food for your computer to eat!
- You mention the word ‘Net’ and your dad promptly gets out his fishing equipment to hand you a fishing net!
- Even worse, you mention the word ‘Mouse’ and your dad jumps on a chair and starts screaming at the top of his voice!
- Or you mention the word ‘Web’ and your mum won’t go near your computer for fear a big spider will jump out!
- Other signs of an I-N-S-K-I-A-P is that your mum has been using the CD ROM tray as a coaster for her mug of tea and your Dad has been trying to feed your aquarium screensaver with fish food!
So what can you do with an I-N-S-K-I-A-P? It’s simple! Sit them down in front of the Planet Science website (http://www.planet-science.com) and show them around it. Your I-N-S-K-I-A-P will be so impressed by our site that they’ll want to learn more and more and you’ll soon have an I-K-I-A-P on your hands (that’s an ‘Internet-Know-It-All-Parent’ for those of you still working it out!!)
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3. MAKE A DATE – Science things to see and do...
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One thing your parents will know their facts about is the new film, ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. It is based on Douglas Adam’s 1978 radio series of the same name, which tells the story of Arthur Dent and his journey through the galaxy after he escapes the destruction of the Earth.
Visit the BBC website for more info: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/
Not only is the film screening at cinemas near you, but you can also catch a Hitchhikers Guide family exhibition at the Science Museum, London. The futuristic exhibition recreates Arthur Dent’s voyage across the galaxy and also looks at some of the ways in which science shapes the world and the universe, so there’s plenty of fun to be had for all the family.
The exhibition will run from 28th May until 27th November and if you’d like to get your hands on a family ticket then you’re in luck because Wired-Up has one to give away! All you have to do is produce a guide to the Earth in 5 words or less. For example, you could have:
Watery place inhabited by humans
OR:
Don’t go there – too cold!
Once you’ve come up with your guide, all you have to do is send it along with your name, age and address to: wired-up.news@nesta.org.uk with ‘I’M HITCHING A HIKE!’ as the subject. The guide that impresses us the most will win the family ticket and will be featured in the next issue of Wired-Up.
Now, for another competition that’s out of this world...
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4. GEAR FOR GRABS – You’ve got to be in it to win it...
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You may have seen in the news that scientists think they have photographed a planet outside the Earth’s Solar System. The pictures were taken last year, but it’s taken until now to confirm that the red spot in the photograph is actually a planet.
The new planet is five times bigger than Jupiter and is more than 200 light years away. But don’t get too excited just yet because other scientists are arguing that because the planet didn’t form like the planets in the Solar System then it isn’t really a planet! Find out more and keep up-to-date with space news on the Space Now website here:
http://www.spacenow.org.uk/index.cfm?
code=expluni&subcode=article&recID=598
What Wired-Up wants to know is that if you discovered a new planet, what would you call it and why? Send your entries along with your name, age and address to: wired-up.news@nesta.org.uk with ‘NAME THAT PLANET!’ as the subject. The entry we like best will win a fantastic Dorling Kindersley book entitled ‘Night Sky Atlas’ which is the essential sky-watching guide for all budding star spotters.
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5. WINNERS – Has your name been picked out of the hat?
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In the last issue of Wired-Up we offered 10 lucky readers the chance to win a copy of the latest edition of Flipside magazine – aimed at 11-15 year olds with an interest in science and technology, music and films, and sport and adventure. You can’t buy Flipside in the shops so this was a top giveaway and the subscribers who will be receiving their copy in the post soon are:
Jack Madgwick, Cornwall,
Sally Thurlow, Swindon,
Jaspreet Sandhu (age 9), Leicester,
Nick Pratley (age 10), Watford,
Christine Waterworth (age 11),
Liam Batten (age 11), Swindon,
Ryan Bradley, N.Ireland,
Kit Warren (age 13),
Antony Parry (age 12), London and
Balkar Singh-Hayre (age 10), Nottingham.
Congratulations to you all!
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