Science Buddies Blog (Page 101)

Philo Farnsworth: The Student Who Invented TV

August 19, 2011 9:49 AM

Farnsworth invented the TV and landed on a U.S. postal in stamp in 1983. In later years, Farnsworth's widow, Pem, reportedly explained Farnsworth's relationship to the history of TV this way: "You take Farnsworth's patents out of your TV and you'd have a radio." Born on August 19, 1906: Philo Farnsworth. Philo Farnsworth? A household name? Maybe not. But if you have a TV in your house, you are using something Farnsworth envisioned as a high school student and spent many years… Read more

Slingshot Science: The Physics in Angry Birds

August 16, 2011 3:54 PM

It's hard to believe that a year ago I wasn't yet wise to the squawking, oinking, glass-shattering, wood-breaking, and highly addictive cacophony of Angry Birds. Slingshot a little bird through the air to knock down a structure that seems like a house-of-cards rendition of the Three Little Pigs? When it comes right down to it, that's exactly what you've got... a modernized and mobilized twist on the tried and true fairy tale story of the pigs who each tried a different building material to… Read more

Rowing in Icy Waters: An Extreme Challenge

August 11, 2011 9:05 AM

Screenshot from the Row to the Pole website for Day Thirteen of their multi-week row to the magnetic North Pole. The "Day Thirteen" update on the Row to the Pole website reads: "The crew fight against turbulence during a 20 hour row..." When the part-sledge, part-boat vessel pushed off on less than two weeks ago from Resolute Bay in Canada, four hundred and fifty miles of ice-riddled water stood between the six-man crew of the Old Pulteney Row to the Pole expedition and the magnetic… Read more

Inspired by Neil Armstrong

August 5, 2011 5:19 AM

Born on August 5, 1930: Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon. The story of Neil Armstrong's historic Apollo 11 mission captivates and inspires many young moon watchers. With the right science projects, they can turn their enthusiasm into an exciting hands-on astronomy project! (Image: Wikipedia. In 1966, Armstrong was part of the NASA Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was his first spaceflight, followed in 1969 by the historical Apollo 11 moon landing mission, during… Read more

Science Buddies Webinar

August 2, 2011 5:24 AM

Professional Development Webinar for Teachers Join us for a free webinar on September 14 Space is limited! Reserve your webinar seat now! Science Buddies is offering a free online webinar on September 14, 2011, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. PDT (6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT). We will provide a comprehensive, guided tour of the Science Buddies website and will highlight ways in which you can use Science Buddies resources and Project Ideas with your students. We will also introduce a new set of video and… Read more

Summer Science Fellows Lend Fresh Energy to Science Buddies

August 1, 2011 6:26 AM

Science Buddies is getting a burst of summer energy from a group of top science students This summer, Science Buddies welcomed its first set of Summer Science Fellows, a group of six entering college freshmen, all of whom competed at the Intel ISEF during their senior year in high school. These six students have been working on projects at Science Buddies in various areas of the organization, ranging from market research and analysis to the testing of Project Ideas in the Science Buddies… Read more

An Herbicide Goes Awry

July 29, 2011 5:19 AM

Eastern White Pines are among the types of conifers included in recent reports of widespread tree loss that may be linked to the commercial herbicide IImprelis. Image: Wikipedia. Sometimes, becoming more environmentally-friendly is a one-step-forwards, two-steps-backwards process, a reality that can be both frustrating and costly, despite good intentions. In the case of recent widespread reports of dying conifers like Norway Spruces and White Pines, the "cost" of using an approved… Read more

The Artful Side of Bacteria

July 27, 2011 2:48 PM

It's a strange reality when you realize that bacteria can be beautiful. One Science Buddies' Science Mom finds art at the Exploratorium. The photo above shows a portion of one of the two Winogradsky bacterial panels at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. A few weeks ago, we moved from a quick stop at Crissy Fields (and an unplanned ocean dunk for one) across the street to the Exploratorium for a few hours of mesmerizing hands-on science exploration. Our small ad-hoc group… Read more

Women's World Cup and Soccer Science

July 18, 2011 9:09 AM

Photo: Screenshot from FIFA headline coverage of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup outcome. The U.S. Women's Soccer Team didn't win in the finals of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup on Sunday against Japan, but for women's "football" fans, getting to the finals was an excellent show for the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking leaders. Fans of the team, including those with roommate connections like our own Product Design Engineer, were buoyed last week when then U.S. topped France to… Read more

"Standing Up" for Your Health

July 5, 2011 12:33 PM

The choice between standing and sitting might be as important as choosing to eat better or exercise more. An infographic is titled "Sitting Increases Risk of Death Up To 40%" and includes a chart of average physical activity for a person. The chart shows that an average person is sedentary for 9.3 hours a day, walking or standing for 6.5 hours a day and running or playing sports for 0.7 hours a day. Sitting for over 6 hours a day makes you 40% likelier to… Read more

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