Science Buddies Blog

Mummification Science: Weekly Science Project Idea/Home Science Activity Spotlight

May 30, 2013 4:27 AM

In this week's spotlight: a pair of projects that bring the science behind Egyptian mummification into the kitchen or classroom. In these hands-on human biology projects and activities, students (and families!) simulate the process of mummification with a hot dog and baking soda. What does a mummified hot dog look like after seven days? After fourteen? Better yet, how does it smell! Experiment to find out what's really going on when something is mummified. Minding your Mummies: The… Read more

Lazy River? No Such Thing!

May 29, 2013 8:00 AM

Photos: Wikimedia Commons (top); Science Buddies (bottom). Bringing a River Down to Size What does the Grand Canyon photo (top) have to do with the jug and sand set-up shown in the second photo? Modeling a river at home is a great way for students to explore, hands-on, how a river shapes surrounding land.Scientists tell us that rivers have formed some of our most fantastic landscapes—think Grand Canyon! Explore the power of rivers to shape surrounding terrain with this fun… Read more

Science History: Mary Anning

May 23, 2013 1:00 PM

Born on May 21, 1799: Mary Anning, fossil collector who found her first complete skeleton, an ichthyosaur, as a young girl in Lyme Regis. What "type" of fossils did Mary Anning find—and why? In the new "Fantastic Fossilization! Discover the Conditions For Creating the Best Cast Fossils" geology Project Idea, students learn about four types of fossils and get hands-on making cast fossils in different kinds of soil. Fossils and the possibility of finding something prehistoric encased… Read more

Girls at After-school Program Science Event Explore Paper Airplanes

May 21, 2013 11:00 AM

Hands-on engineering doesn't always require high-tech materials. Armed with a stack of paper and the steps to folding a basic dart airplane, a volunteer leads a paper airplane station at a local science exposition and realizes, with surprise, that folding planes isn't something all kids know how to do! With guidance, paper airplane folding can lead to some far-flying—and fun—aerodynamics exploration. Above top: Mary Raven demonstrates folding a basic dart paper airplane at a… Read more

Reading List: Brilliant Blunders

May 17, 2013 11:40 AM

Starting your summer break reading list? A new release from Mario Livio highlights notable "missteps" from well-known scientists. Today in TIME Science & Space: "Science's Brilliant Blunders: How Oops Moments Became Eurekas", discussion of Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein - Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists That Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe by Mario Livio, author of The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number. The… Read more

Family Math: Making a Geodesic Dome from Straws

May 16, 2013 7:00 AM

The above photos were taken during the creation of a geodesic dome as a family math and science activity over spring break. The dome resembles the dome created in the "Dome Sweet Dome" math Project Idea, but we used straws instead of newspaper, a different assembly process, and threw in some duct tape customization for visual effect. A model dome like this can be made in any size (as long as you figure out the relative lengths of the struts). This one is pretty… Read more

Exploring Engineering with Hands-on Building Systems

May 15, 2013 8:56 AM

Born on May 15, 1863: Frank Hornby, an inventor whose "toys" included Meccano, an engineering construction set of nuts, bolts, and strips of sheet metal. Hornby first devised the system for his children. When he moved on to mass produce Meccano, he marketed the product as "Mechanics Made Easy." Meccano sets, introduced for sale in 1902, resemble Erector sets, and today Meccano owns the Erector brand. Whether beams and bolts or brick-based, toy building systems give kids (and tinkerers of… Read more

Student Creates Science Alliance Network to Increase Science Mentoring

May 13, 2013 11:50 AM

Christina Ren, a high school junior and founder of Science Alliance Network believes student-to-student mentorship is key to keeping young kids excited about science. By Kim Mullin Above: Christina Ren at the 2012 Intel Inernational Science and Engineering Fair where she presented her project on the bioactive properties of deer antler and its therapeutic potential on wound healing. Look for Science Alliance Network at Intel ISEF! Christina and her mentor, Patti Carothers, are presenting a… Read more

Flower Pigment Science: Weekly Science Project Idea/Home Science Activity Spotlight

May 9, 2013 11:00 AM

Use paper chromatography to explore the colors that make up flowers! In this week's spotlight: a pair of flower power projects, perfect for spring and Mother's Day! Paper chromatography is used to help separate a solution into its components. In these hands-on science activities, paper chromatography lets students see what makes up the "colors" of flowers. Are all red flowers the same in terms of pigment? Pluck a few petals and find out! … Read more

Running for Science—Not from It

May 7, 2013 8:00 AM

A swarm of "scientists" ran the streets of Chicago in celebration of science and science education, thanks to Astellas Pharma US, Inc. Bystanders in the Chicago area a few weeks ago may have caught an unusual site—a swarm of scientists out of their labs and spilling through Grant Park in downtown Chicago. If you spotted a bunch of swift-footed scientists in lab coats running through the streets, you might have thought something was up, something of epic scientific proportion. You… Read more

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