Science Buddies Blog (Page 97)

The Nighttime Sky Offers a Rare Treat This Week

March 1, 2012 9:04 AM

By Kim Mullin Sky gazers will find the night skies especially rewarding in coming days. Image source: NASA. Five planets can be viewed at various times without a telescope, but catching them all in the same night is rare! If you're interested in a closer look at Mercury, NASA is holding an online chat on Monday, March 5. The night sky is offering up a rare show this week: five planets so bright that you can see them with the naked eye! Also for your viewing pleasure, Earth's moon… Read more

Arsenic and Rice

February 27, 2012 11:49 AM

If you think arsenic poisoning is something relegated to the pages of mystery novels, think again. Arsenic may be in foods you routinely eat—but it's undetectable by taste or smell. How much arsenic in your diet is safe? Number 33 on the periodic table, arsenic is a naturally-occurring heavy metal—and a much-used poison throughout history. Because it appears in the soil, arsenic may be lingering in foods you and your family frequently eat. Recent research raises questions… Read more

Success Story: From Newspaper to Fuel

February 22, 2012 6:00 AM

A student's investigation into biofuel finds support and mentorship in the Science Buddies Ask an Expert forums. Assistance from a Bio-Rad Expert helped fuel this student's interest in environmental science and led to a successful advanced science investigation. Summary Having utilized Science Buddies resources in previous years, Naima Raza was no stranger to science fairs or to Science Buddies when she consulted Experts in the Ask an Expert forum… Read more

Science Buddies Helps Scientific American Bring Science Home

February 20, 2012 9:02 AM

Image: Wikipedia Visitors to Scientific American's Bring Science Home section are treated to an exciting array of activities that encourage families to explore hands-on science. Thanks to an ongoing content partnership between Science Buddies and Scientific American, many of these activities have been created by Science Buddies as fast, family-friendly guided explorations based on our longer science Project Ideas for students. Note: STEM activities can now be found in a dedicated… Read more

Success Story: Family Health History Sparks Student Project

February 14, 2012 12:04 PM

By Kim Mullin Devon won a blue ribbon with her 7th-grade science investigation of the relationship between CO2 output and exercise. To read about other inspiring student and teacher science project successes, visit the Science Buddies in Action page! Science Buddies in Action Science Buddies' Topic Selection Wizard zeroes in on the perfect project for a student curious about the pulmonary illness affecting her family. While completing her project, this student… Read more

Head's Up!

February 10, 2012 11:37 AM

Ahhh.... the allure of the marshmallow shooter... I know it captivated my young Maker Faire attendees last spring... I know adult family members who send marshmallow launcher kits, right along with RC helicopters, model rockets, circuit kits, and solar-powered electronics projects. As this video from President Obama's tour of winning Google Science Fair projects shows, there's something innate to the seemingly timeless fascination with what happens when you combine air pressure, marshmallows,… Read more

Google Asks: What's Your Question?

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

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