Science Buddies Blog

January 31, 2012 1:01 PM

The 2012 Google Science Fair is underway. Google points students to Science Buddies Project Guide resources for assistance in preparing their step-by-step Project Submissions. A Global Science Success With over 10,000 student entries from around the world, Google's inaugural 2011 Science Fair was a resounding success. Students in 91 countries uploaded their science projects to take part in the virtual science fair. The top fifteen entries were then showcased at a… Read more

Approaching Solar Max

January 25, 2012 6:34 AM

The image above shows predicted rise and fall of sunspot activity during a Solar Cycle. Image source: NASA. Born on January 24, 1882: Harold Delos Babcock, an astronomer who studied sunspot cycles and the sun's magnetic polarity during each approximately 11-year cycle. That the orientation of the sun's poles changes, routinely, may come as a surprise, but, right now the sun's poles are upside down. The sun looks the same, but every 11 years or so, things flip over again as the Solar… Read more

Licorice Root, Please

January 24, 2012 10:45 AM

Licorice root may help fight cavities and other oral health problems, but most "licorice" candies are actually flavored with anise. Image source: Pikaluc, Wikipedia. Willing to try a licorice-based toothpaste? When it comes to candy, certain flavors fall into a category that tends to require a more sophisticated palate. That's my decidedly non-scientific assessment having watched my own kids and their love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with all things "mint," something to which… Read more

Field Work: Gorillas, Lions, and More

January 20, 2012 10:21 AM

Our "science history" notes this week at Facebook included mention of both Dian Fossey and Joy Adamson. Both women left behind inspiring legacies and volumes of experience gathered from living with, observing, and interacting with animals. Born on January 16, 1932: Dian Fossey, a famed zoologist whose study of gorillas in Rwanda, Africa is chronicled in Gorillas in the Mist. The book is her own account of thirteen years spent living in an African rain forest and was also later made into a… Read more

Find a Feather, Pick It Up?

January 16, 2012 1:26 PM

The feathers showcased in the photo accompany a recent essay in Audubon Magazine (screenshot above) are breathtaking to look at. But how safe are feathers to pick up? We're out for a rare walk around one of my favorite spots in the Bay Area, Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. We've fed the geese and practiced our aim as we tried to toss bits of salvaged and saved bread to them and the mallards. We know the gulls will swoop in, loudmouthed and pushy, to steal away our stale but doughy… Read more

A Wolf Story in California

January 12, 2012 10:44 AM

News of a lone wolf roaming through California made SF Gate headlines today. The gray wolf's movements are being monitored, but according to reports, the nearest companion is hundreds of miles away—the other direction. Why is this wolf wandering alone—and away from the nearest known female (and the potential of creating a pack)? Students interested in patterns of animal movement—or wolf behavior—can learn more by using available radio telemetry wolf movement… Read more

Green Tiles: Renewable Energy One Step at a Time

January 11, 2012 9:14 AM

Pavegen's research into green technology, sustainable energy sources, and clean, renewable energy alternatives led to the development of Pavegen tiles—and an exploration of the potential offered by kinetic energy harvesting. Image: Pavegen, used with permission. The 2012 Olympic Games are being held in London, England, this summer. It's an event for which athletes spend years preparing and training. For competitors, the quest to bring home the gold is a driving force, but for… Read more

Looking Back: Science in 2011

January 3, 2012 6:23 AM

A look back at science news from 2011 opens up exciting angles for student research and investigation. Despite the exacting nature of "science" and the scientist's quest for cut and dried, statistically sound results, science is constantly changing. There are always new questions being asked and new answers being found, engineered, or developed. New research, new findings, new accidents, and new discoveries happen every day. This spirit of "what if" and "what next" and "why not" makes… Read more

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