Thank Planet Science for that Wired-Up Friday feeling! Here’s what’s coming up: 

1. PLANET PICKS – Stop Press! Scientists are in danger of becoming extinct...
2. THE WIRE – What’s been going on in the world of science, lately?
3. SCINET – Get even closer to the headlines!
4. SPOTLIGHT ON – Mae Jemison. She’s out of this world (well, she’s back now!)
5. TRY THIS! – Who told you never to play with your food? Don’t listen to them!
6. WINNERS – Boo, hoo! Goodbye last Air Hog...
   
   

SHOCK HORROR and SHOCK HORROR AGAIN! No, it’s not another Beckham scandal (yawn!) nor have I just found out that there are actually going to be celebrities in the next series of ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!’ What I’ve just discovered is that Britain may run out of world-leading scientists in the future!

Professor Colin Pillinger, who led the Beagle 2 mission to Mars, is worried that there is such little interest in science in high schools that pupils will not go on to be leading scientists. He says, “You really need a lot of people doing science in order to get a proportion of Nobel Prize Winners in the future.”

So for the rest of Wired Up, we’re going to give you some TOP SCIENTIST TIPS to keep you on the science path and to help you become a leading scientist or astronaut, or engineer, or marine biologist. Hold on, I can feel a tip coming up...

TOP SCIENTIST TIP: Visit the Planet Science Website

The list of science careers is endless so before we start, perhaps you’d better take a look at the Meet Your Match section on the Planet Science website where you’ll find profiles of some of the most exciting careers in the science sector. Here’s the link: http://www.planet-science.com/nextsteps/start.html

TOP SCIENTIST TIP: Take an interest in exciting discoveries and developments in the world of science around you...

...like curry toothpaste, for example. It might not be your flavour of choice, but a new report looking at innovations for the future thinks it could be on the shelves in Britain soon (along with banana mayonnaise, an alarm clock that wakes you up with a smell and crisps with words printed on them!).

Click here for the full news story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3717846.stm

If curry toothpaste isn’t your thing then how about clothes that keep you warm AND cool depending on the weather? Scientists have been studying the way in which pine cones react to moisture by opening up. They are using the information to develop clothing with tiny spikes that will ‘open up’ when the wearer is hot and then ‘close down’ when the wearer is cool.

If you want to find out more about clever clothing then visit the BBC Newsround website.

TOP SCIENTIST TIP: Use the Internet for research. A good place to start is the Why Files at http://www.whyfiles.org

If you like to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in the news (and we know Wired-Up readers do) then this website is the one for you. The Why Files explain the science behind the news with more personality and punch than your average news site. It’s a great antidote to scare stories, bad reporting, and under-explained science coverage in the general media.

The In Depth section looks deep into the murky waters of science, such as Twister: The Tornado Story, and not only does it give you the news in detail but all the scientific facts are explained too. There are lots of great interactive things for you to do too, like the interactive twister – change its diameter and pressure difference and watch it fly!

As the name suggests, the In Brief section serves up little snacks in the world of scientific discovery. Hot topics include biology, sport and environment. If you’re looking for something in particular then a straightforward search of the archives will bring up everything from ice on Mars to shipwreck mysteries. Or visit the wacky science section where you can get to grips with MAD Science, goats that spin spider silk and ODDBALL Science where you’ll discover alien jellyfish and freaky frogs!

So if the television or newspapers don't always satisfy your scientific curiosity, visit The Why Files and dig deeper into the science, maths and technology that increasingly influence your everyday lives.

TOP SCIENITST TIP: Be inspired by scientists from the past.

Mae Jemison was the first black female in space and she celebrates her 48^th birthday on Sunday, so here’s her profile as part of our Black History Month Wired-Up specials:

Mae Jemison was born in Alabama, USA, in 1956. She was the youngest of three children. A few years later, the Jemison family moved to Chicago and it was here that Mae was introduced to the world of science by her uncle. Throughout Mae’s childhood she was interested in anthropology, archaeology and astronomy and when she was 16, she enrolled at Standford University to study chemical engineering and Afro-American studies. Later, she received a Doctor of Medicine degree, which took her to places like Africa and Thailand where she practised medicine as a volunteer in refugee camps.

In 1985, Mae returned to the USA and worked as a doctor in California. She began attending classes in engineering and applied to NASA for admission to the astronauts program. Her first application was rejected. Undeterred, Mae applied again and she was picked as one of 15 from over 2000 applicants!

Mae completed the astronaut training in 1988 and in September 1992 her role was Mission Specialist aboard the shuttle, Endeavour. During the eight-day mission, she conducted experiments in space sickness and carried out research into bone loss in micro-gravity environments. She resigned from NASA in 1993 and now works on, among other projects, improving healthcare in Africa.

Mae has her very own website, so why not visit it at: http://www.maejemison.com/

Now for something a little different...

TOP SCIENITST TIP: Um, always play with your food?!

Here’s how to make bouncy custard balls in your kitchen, but please ask an adult for their permission first!

STUFF YOU NEED:

• Custard powder
• PVA glue
• Borax (ask for this at your local chemist*)
• Water
• Plastic teaspoon
• Tablespoon
• 2 plastic cups

Please note: People with sensitive skin should wear rubber gloves as the borax can be a mild irritant.

* the more old fashioned your chemist the more likely you are to find them stocking borax, if all else fails you can ask someone nice with a card to order it online for you!

WHAT TO DO:

1. In one plastic cup make up a borax solution by adding a half a teaspoon of borax to two tablespoons of water and stir until dissolved.
2. Pour one tablespoon of PVA glue into the plastic cup.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of borax solution to the cup with the PVA glue.
4. Add 2 teaspoons of custard powder. Stir everything together. Add more custard power until the mixture is not too sticky. Knead the solution until it becomes elastic. This can be a bit messy but keep going – try rubbing the mixture between your hands. It should soon start sticking together and become drier and more pliable.
5. Roll the mixture into a ball and bounce it! When you're not using the ball, put it in a sealed plastic bag.

YOU WILL NOTICE:

The glue is a polymer (long chain molecule) called polyvinyl acetate (PVA), and the custard powder contains cornflour which is a starch. Starch is also a polymer, this time made up from smaller glucose molecules. The borax acts as a crosslinking agent and binds the two polymer chains together.

If your ball is:

• Too brittle then you have added too much borax.
• Too soft and does not stretch, then you haven’t added enough borax.
• Too dry then add more water.
• Too wet then add more custard powder.
  
  

TOP SCIENTIST TIP: Er, always enter competitions because you might win?! Okay, we’re running out of decent tips now!

Another anniversary, which took place yesterday (14^th October), was the anniversary of ‘breaking the sound barrier’. In 1947, Chuck Yaeger became the first human to fly faster than the speed of sound, called ‘supersonic’. So if supersonic means ‘faster than sound’ then subsonic means ‘slower than sound’. The correct answer to last week’s question, therefore, was that an aeroplane is flying SLOWER than sound if it is flying at subsonic speeds.

Congratulations to Matthew and Laura Hankins who were chosen from the draw. The Air Hog will be making its way in the post to you soon. No arguing over who can test it out first, though!

Got Wired-Up? Got clued up!

See you in seven...

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