Scientific Literacy with Ms. Ghazarian 2012-2013: 2013

Friday, May 17, 2013

Engineering the $325,000 In Vitro Burger

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/science/engineering-the-325000-in-vitro-burger.html?ref=science

Dr. Mark Post displayed samples of in-vitro meat at the University of Maastricht in 2011.

Francois Lenoir/Reuters

Math Electric Shocks to Brain May Help Students Solve Math Problems

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/may/16/electric-shocks-brain-maths-scientists

Scientists at Oxford University said brain stimulation could be routinely used to help those who fall behind in maths. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA

Honey's Hidden Helper

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/05/scientists-identify-a-substance-in-honey-that-helps-bee-bodies-fight-poisons/

A new study identified compounds in honey that help bees fight off germs.

Credit: Jack Dykinga, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Light Dancing on Glass

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/05/new-type-of-material-lets-light-travel-across-its-surface-without-interruption/

This image, taken with a powerful microscope, shows tiny, individual crystals of bismuth telluride. A new structure made from this material lets light travel easily and without interruption along its surface.

Credit: A13ean/Wikipedia

American Cannibals

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/05/skull-fragment-from-jamestown-settlement-suggests-starving-colonists-may-have-eaten-one-of-their-own/

Artists and scientists worked together to create this sculpture that shows what Jane, a colonial American, might have looked like. A study of the teen’s remains indicates she was cannibalized after she died.

Credit: StudioEIS, Don Hurlbert/Smithsonian

Pee is for Power!

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/05/the-water-in-urine-can-be-a-source-of-hydrogen-for-electrical-generators/

Adebola Duro-Aina (left), Oluwatoyin Faleke (center) and Zainab Bello (right) designed a system that uses urine to produce a fuel. Generators that run on this fuel, rather than gasoline, would avoid spewing carbon monoxide, a toxic pollutant.

Credit: Patrick Thornton, SSP

Here Comes Swarmageddon!

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/05/this-spring-and-summer-trillions-of-cicadas-will-emerge-in-the-eastern-united-states/

Two adult cicadas size each other up on a wooden railing.

Credit: rbmiles/iStockphoto

Water Trapped For 1.5 Billion Years Could Hold Ancient Life

http://www.npr.org/2013/05/16/183950854/water-trapped-for-1-5-billion-years-could-hold-ancient-life?ft=3&f=1001&sc=nl&cc=nh-20130516

This map, from the United States Geological Survey, shows the age of bedrock in different regions of North America. Scientists found ancient water in bedrock north of Lake Superior. This region, colored red, was formed more than 2.5 billion years ago.

Credit: United States Geological Survey

Monday, May 6, 2013

Two-Headed Shark Foundation by Fisherman

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/26/two-headed-shark-found-by-fisherman/?source=hp_dl3_newswatch_two_headed_shark_2130327

http://www.geekosystem.com/two-headed-bull-shark/

Hubble Sees the Remains of a Star Gone Supernova

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130506161618.htm

SNR 0519.

(Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Acknowledgement: Claude Cornen)

Parents' Saliva On Pacifiers Could Ward Off Baby's Allergies

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/06/180817114/parents-saliva-on-pacifiers-could-ward-off-babys-allergies

Sucking may be one of the most beneficial ways to clean a baby's dirty pacifier, a study found

iStockphoto.com

Boneworms' Secret Revealed

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/science/boneworms-secret-revealed.html?ref=science&_r=0

Chris Gash

The Stuff of Dreams

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/04/the-stuff-of-dreams/

Scientists recently used a computer program to decode patterns of brain activity displayed during a dream. They found that a certain object was linked with a particular pattern, and that pattern was similar whether the object was seen while awake or asleep.

Credit: iStockphoto

New Life for Used Organ

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/04/scientists-transplant-a-rebuilt-kidney-into-a-rat/

A rat kidney was stripped of its cells and repopulated with human and rat cells. Researchers transplanted the organ into a rat, where it functioned to produce urine and filter impurities from blood.

Credit: Ott Lab/Center for Regenerative Medicine/Massachusetts General Hospital

Back to School, Use Music to Help You Memorize

Brought to you by Izzy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-cardillo-phd/music-studying_b_1909425.html

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan10/articles/studioheadphones.htm

'Print' Almost Anything

Brought to you by Izzy

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/04/3-d-printers-allow-people-to-build-almost-anything-they-can-imagine-from-toys-to-food-buildings-to-body-parts/

For Valentine’s Day this year, a Japanese company used a 3-D printer to produce chocolate copies of people’s faces. Credit: FabCafe/Think 3D/K’s Design Lab

Friday, April 26, 2013

Microscopic Caffeine Fiends

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/04/researchers-create-a-bacterium-that-cant-live-or-reproduce-without-caffeine/

Scientists tweaked the genes of a bacterium so that it requires caffeine to live and reproduce. Now, they can use this microbe to measure concentrations of caffeine in beverages such as soda, coffee and energy drinks. When the microbes are added to a water-weakened version of one of those drinks, the bacteria grow and the liquid turns cloudy — but only if the drink contained caffeine. In caffeine-free Coke (top left), no cloudiness appears.

Credit: Barrick Lab/University of Texas at Austin

Giant Dry Ice Bubble Experiment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tHOVVgGkpk

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/dry-ice-crystal-ball-bubble

Einstein's Gravity Theory Passes Toughest Test Yet

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130425142250.htm

Superdense neutron star, emitting beams of radio waves as a pulsar, center, is closely paired with a compact white-dwarf star. Together, the two provide physicists with an unprecedented natural, cosmic "laboratory" for studying the nature of gravity. The grid background illustrates the distortions of spacetime caused by the gravitational effect of the two objects. (Credit: Antoniadis, et al.)

Deadly New Flu

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/04/new-kind-of-influenza-h7n9-that-started-in-birds-is-now-taking-a-toll-on-humans/

Infectious Animals

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/04/infectious-animals/

Jonathan Epstein studies how diseases are transferred between animals and people. This bat, Pteropus giganteus, commonly carries Nipah virus. The germ killed hundreds of people and more than one million farm animals.

Credit: EcoHealth Alliance

Cool Jobs: The Science of Secrets

Brought to you by Sabina

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/10/cool-jobs-the-science-of-secrets/

Chick-a-dee-dee-dee. The chickadee gets its name from its distinctive call. The greater the danger, the more “dees” a chickadee adds to the call’s end.

Credit: Christopher N. Templeton

Secret Signals

Brought to you by Sabina

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/01/secret-signals/

Chemicals called pheromones act as messengers between individuals. Many plants and animals — including squid — respond to such secret chemical signals.

Credit: Roger T. Hanlon

Amazing Mystery Liquid!

Brought to you by Annie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeDhaWEEvfg&list=SP968ED56DA875D222

http://science.wonderhowto.com/how-to/classic-chemistry-colorize-colorless-liquids-with-black-magic-aka-iodine-clock-reaction-0139128/

Friday, April 19, 2013

Kepler Telescope Spots Two Planets in Life-Friendly Orbit

Brought to you by Mr. Brennan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/kepler-telescope-spots-two-planets-in-life-friendly-orbit/2013/04/18/3702721a-a86c-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html

This handout artist concept provided by Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics shows the newly discovered planets. The year in space: In 2013, scientists captured stunning images of the planets, a galaxy, a planetary nebula and more from space.

Amazing Water & Sound Experiment - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uENITui5_jU&playnext=1&list=PL968ED56DA875D222

Worms, Your Unlikely Allies

Brought to you by Jahan

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/09/worms-your-unlikely-allies/

Although hookworms, shown here in the intestines, didn’t lessen the symptoms of people with asthma in a recent study, scientists are finding that other parasitic worms can help people with immune disorders.

Credit: CDC

Getting a Grip

Brought to you by Jahan

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/01/getting-a-grip/

Immerse your hands in water for a while, and wrinkles will form. Those wrinkles improve a person’s grip on wet, slippery objects, says a new study.

Credit: Mitchio/Flickr

Amazing Science with Steve Spangler - YouTube

Brought to you by Izzy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur8DZnjlhPw

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/who-is-steve-spangler/steve-s-march-2009-ellen-visit

Bad for Breathing

Brought to you by Jahan

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/03/study-connects-pollution-to-several-common-diseases-that-affect-the-lungs-and-airways/

Strawberry DNA - YouTube

Brought to you by Izzy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCu7T_1_WLo

http://unschoolgirls.blogspot.com/2011/05/science-fair.html

Sound Cloak

Brought to you by Jahan

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/04/new-device-hides-objects-from-sonar/

Caption: This strange-looking cage can hide an object inside it from being detected by sound waves.

Credit: L. Sanchis et al

Friday, April 12, 2013

These Ants Boast Mighty Grip

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/02/asian-weaver-ants-boast-strong-sticking-power-and-quick-reaction-time-helps-them-hold-onto-trees/

This Asian weaver ant can dangle a weight more than 100 times heavier than itself without losing its grip on the surface above it.

Credit: © Thomas Endlein

This Shrimp Packs a Punch

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2013/03/mantis-shrimp-colorful-marine-creatures-possess-deadly-weapons-and-complex-vision/

The peacock mantis is colored olive green, orange and red, with leopard spots on its deadly forelimbs. Adult members of this species can chip or even smash the glass of an aquarium.

Credit: Roy Caldwell

Life Found Deep Below Antarctic Ice

Brought to you by Faith

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/348007/description/Life_found_deep_below_Antarctic_ice

Under hundreds of meters of ice lies Antarctica’s network of lakes and rivers. Three research teams have attempted to sample the subglacial lakes Ellsworth, Whillans and Vostok.

Credit: WISSARD/NSF

Britain Is Testing An Amphibious House That Rises Along With Floodwaters

Brought to you by Faith

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-11/britain-building-amphibious-house-rises-along-floodwaters

Britain's Amphibious House Concept

Baca Architects

3-D TV Without Glasses

Brought to you by Faith

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2011-03/how-it-works-3-d-tv-without-glasses

3-D Without Glasses

MediMation

Emily's Subaru Saved Her Life - YouTube

Brought to you by Jahan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIL0VSzT0JQ&list=PLuW4g7xujBWd_09YmJquqJpOO9VcrmB8w&index=1

http://gsmtweet.com/car-safety-standards-today-are-excellent-but-that-wasnt-always-the-case/

A Warming World Will Further Intensify Extreme Precipitation Events

Brought to you by Andrew

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130408190938.htm

Percent maximum daily precipitation difference (2071-2100) - (1971-2000).

(Credit: NOAA)

Octopus Walks on Land at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

Brought to you by Izzy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjQr3lRACPI

An octopus walks (awkwardly) over land, courtesy of YouTube/tuantube

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/octopus-chronicles/2011/11/24/land-walking-octopus-explained-video/

Friday, March 15, 2013

How Weather Sparks The Flu: It's All About The Humidity

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/08/173816815/flu-risk-and-weather-its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity?ft=3&f=121027244&sc=nl&cc=hh-20130311

Flu peaks in temperate zones when the humidity is low. In the tropics, it surges when it's humid and rainy.

PLOS

Natural Gas Dethrones King Coal As Power Companies Look To Future

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/01/173258342/natural-gas-dethrones-king-coal-as-power-companies-look-to-future?ft=3&f=122101520&sc=nl&cc=sh-20130309

American Electric Power's natural gas-burning plant in Dresden, Ohio, is one of the energy company's new investments in alternatives to coal-burning plants.

Michael Williamson/The Washington Post/Getty Images

Starbucks Admits Its Strawberry Drinks Are Colored with Crushed Parasitic Beetles

Brought to you by Elle

http://inhabitat.com/starbucks-admits-its-strawberry-drinks-are-colored-with-crushed-parasitic-beetles/

Bad News for Big Bird

Brought to you by Jahan

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/07/lead-poisoning-which-nearly-killed-off-california-condors-still-threatens-the-birds/

Humans have tried to save the California condor, but a new study reveals that lead poisoning remains a threat to the endangered species.

Credit: Susan Haig, U.S. Geological Survey

Watch Liquid Bounce Off Amazing New Superomniphobic Material - Video

Brought to you by Faith

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-01/video-liquid-bounces-new-superomniphobic-material

Quadrocopter Pole Acrobatics - YouTube

Brought to you by Weston

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp89tTDxXuI

http://loyalkng.com/2011/03/31/quadrocopter-ball-juggling-eth-flying-machine-area-by-mark-muller-sergei-lupashin-raffaello-dandrea/

Bees Learn the Electric Buzz of Flowers

Brought to you by Faith

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/348490/description/Bees_learn_the_electric_buzz_of_flowers

On the right-hand halves of flowers, a dusting of electrically charged particles (color in adjacent rectangle) reveals natural patterns. Bees can sense at least simple patterns in floral electrical charges, new research says.

Credit: D. Clarke et al./Science 2013