Tag: science

Lighter Science

Mummies With Hair Gel

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The Ancient Egyptians probably used hair gel to style their hair, new research on mummies shows.

Scientists at the University of Manchester, UK published an article in the Journal of Archaeological Science that said, “…in cases where the (mummies’) hair was styled, the embalming process was adapted to preserve the hairstyle.”

In other words, when the bodies were turned into mummies, the embalmers made sure their hair didn’t get mussed.

The researchers studied hair from 18 mummies who lived around 300 B.C. in Egypt.

Under a microscope, the scientists noticed that the hair on nine of the mummies had a coating on it. When they analysed it, it turned out to be made of plant and animal fats.

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Science Technology

Space Junk Re-Enters Earth’s Atmosphere

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A bus-sized chunk of space trash fell out of the sky on Friday or Saturday, and NASA isn’t quite sure where it landed.

They say it likely landed in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States. They are fairly certain that it didn’t cause any injuries.

The space junk was made up of fragments of a 6.3 tonne satellite that is no longer in use.

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) was sent into space in 1991 and hasn’t been used since 2005. Its job was to collect information about chemicals in the atmosphere.

As many as 26 pieces of the satellite weighing up to 135 kilograms likely survived re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Most fragments burned up before reaching earth.

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Science Technology

Faster Than The Speed Of Light

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How fast does light travel? Scientists have known for a long time that light always travels at the same speed: 299,792,458 metres per second.

The speed of light is the fastest speed that all energy, matter and information in the universe can travel.

The speed of light is very important in science. Because it is always the same – it is a known constant – it defines many things, including the length of a metre.

Using the speed of light scientists calculate many things. The speed of light is part of Einstein’s famous theory of relativity, E=mc2.

That is why there was such a shock within the scientific community this week when it was announced that a group of scientists has been recording some particles going faster than the speed of light.

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Animals Lighter

Rare Albino Hummingbird Seen In Colorado

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A rare albino hummingbird may have been spotted in Colorado.

Albino hummingbirds have a genetic condition that prevents their body from producing a natural chemical called “melanin.” Melanin is a chemical that gives most birds their beautiful colours.

Because Albino hummingbirds aren’t coloured, their feathers are white. They have pink bill and whitish or pink legs and feet. They may either have red or pink eyes.

The pink or red colour is caused by the red of their blood vessels.

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Lighter Science

LEGO Figures In Space

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In August, a rocket was sent to deliver a space probe, called Juno, to Jupiter to study the planet.

The probe carried three unique stowaways.

Three special LEGO figures, made of aluminum, are accompanying Juno on its five-year mission. The figures look like the Roman god Jupiter, his sister Juno and the Italian astronomer Galileo.

Jupiter carries a lightning bolt. Juno has a magnifying glass to help her search for truth. And Galileo carries a telescope and a model of the planet Jupiter.

People at NASA approached LEGO and asked them to design the special minifigs, which cost about $5,000 each. They had to build them very carefully so they didn’t interfere with any of the probe’s sensitive instruments.

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Animals Environment Science

“Extinct” Rainbow Toad Found In Borneo

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A colourful, spindly-legged toad was recently spotted by scientists in Borneo.

The last time anyone had seen it was 1924, when it was reported by European explorers.

The bright green, purple and red toad is known as the Sambas Stream Toad, or the Borneo Rainbow Toad.

Many people had assumed it was extinct.

In July, three of the toads were found on three separate trees in Borneo, Indonesia which is an island off the coast of Southeast Asia. Borneo is the third-largest island in the world.

A professor at the Sarawak Malaysia University led the expedition to look for the toads.

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News Science

Scientists Discover Water On The Moon

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Scientists recently found out there is 100 times more water on the moon than they thought there was.

Scientists discovered the water when they looked at some pieces of moon rock.

They found water in tiny samples of magma, which was trapped in crystal. Magma is a rock made from cooled lava.

Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield told Teaching Kids the News that the water is a very valuable discovery.

“It’s like finding diamonds or gold in a remote frontier,” Hadfield said.

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Science

The Vesta Asteroid… Er, Planet… Er, Object?

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When you want to know more about something, you check it out, right? That’s exactly what scientists at NASA are doing.

They want to know more about an object in space they call Vesta. Is it an asteroid? A planet? What exactly is it?

Two months ago, they launched the Dawn spacecraft. Its job is to orbit and observe Vesta.

Vesta is officially listed by NASA as a “minor planet,” which means that it is an object orbiting around the sun.

But Vesta isn’t really a planet at all. It’s simply an object in space.

It has also been called an asteroid, a dwarf planet (a tiny planet), and a protoplanet, which is an object that started the same way as other planets, like Venus and Mercury, but never fully developed.

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Health Science

High School Student Working On Cystic Fibrosis

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Thousands of young students across Canada take part in science projects to learn about the world around them.

Marshall Zhang, 16, in grade 11 in Richmond Hill, Ont., earned first place in a national science competition this year. He discovered something amazing while doing research on a disease called cystic fibrosis.

Marshall used a supercomputer network called SCINET. He had never used the network before, but quickly learned how to use it because he was already good at using computers.

“Marshall applied his interest and skills in computer graphics, which he developed while in Grade 5 and 6, to solve problems presented by cystic fibrosis,” said Tony Legault, the Toronto co-ordinator for the Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge science competition.

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Lighter

Coke’s Secret Recipe Revealed?

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Want to whip up a batch of Coca-Cola?

You’ll need some vanilla, lime juice, caramel, cinnamon, coriander, 30 pounds of sugar, alcohol and the extract of a coca leaf–which is found in the illegal drug cocaine!

Fortunately, Coke doesn’t contain coca (or alcohol) any more, but it’s included in the original recipe and is where Coca-Cola got its name. Coke was created in 1886 by U.S. pharmacist John Pemberton.

The recipe for Coca-Cola is a closely guarded secret. If the recipe ever got out, everyone would know how to make the drink and that would mean that the company would likely go out of business.

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