Inhaltsverzeichnis für October 2024 in Brainspace

botany Have you ever admired the beautiful colours of autumn leaves on trees and wondered why they look the way they do? Well, you wouldn’t be the first! This question has been on scientists’ minds for decades, and they still don’t have a complete answer! Here’s what we know so far about the colours of leaves in fall. Green chlorophyll is the part of a leaf’s cell that allows it to make energy from sunlight. Chlorophyll absorbs all colours of light except for green, which it reflects. This is why leaves appear green to us in the summer. But in winter, plants go into dormancy and drop their leaves, so they no longer need chlorophyll. In the tall, plants allow their chlorophyll to decompose back into smaller molecules, some of…

climate Launch Zappar to watch this video Tornadoes are one of the most destructive weather events on Earth. These rotating columns of air can uproot trees, flatten buildings, and create winds up to 480 km/h (300 mph). Just seeing one of those whirling, funnel-shaped clouds is awe-inspiring. Tornadoes are also one of the most difficult weather events to study or predict. They develop suddenly and most only last a few minutes, so just being at the right place at the right time is a challenge! Plus, it’s dangerous to get close to them. So it’s no wonder that how, exactly, tornadoes develop has been a bit of a mystery. Recently though, advances in radar technology have discovered that while it looks to us like tornadoes start up in the clouds…

The word “weather” in Old English means wind or breeze, but if you look closely at it you can find the word “water” hidden within. Scientists and meteorologists discover a lot about weather by observing how ocean water behaves. Over 70 percent of planet Earth is covered in water and almost 97 percent of that water is in our ocean. So it comes as no surprise that ocean currents - the movement of water through the ocean - have a significant impact on weather across the planet. A great amount of the Sun’s heat is absorbed by the ocean. In the tropical waters around the equator, the ocean acts as a gigantic solar panel by capturing and storing the heat of the Sun. This heat can then be distributed to…

food Eat Sardinia is a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is home to thousands of nuraghi - mysterious Bronze Age stone ruins shaped like beehives. One of the largest and oldest nuraghi is Su Nuraxi di Barumini, dating to 1,500 B.C. What Sardinia is less known for is its cheese named Casu Marzu. Launch Zappar to watch this video No, it won’t likely top a burger or pizza at any local fast-food chain. But in Sardinia, this cheese is a traditional favourite. Like any other cheese in the world, Casu Marzu undergoes the fermentation (rotting) process. However, it is also left outside for long periods of time until it becomes home to thousands of insect eggs. The larvae (maggots) that hatch add a unique texture and flavour…

MATERIALS Plastic cup Water Paper towel String (cotton twine works best) Scissors Nail Paper clip Launch Zappar to watch this video METHOD 1. Ask an adult to use the nail to puncture a hole into the bottom of the plastic cup. 2. Cut a long piece of string and tie one end to the paper clip. Push the paper clip up through the hole in the cup and bend the paper clip to secure it. 3. Fold the piece of paper towel and dip it in the water to dampen it. 4. Hold the cup firmly in one hand, and wrap the damp paper towel around the string with your other hand. While squeezing the string with the paper towel, pull down quickly so the paper towel slides down the…

history New discoveries are the backbone of science, and sometimes, the discovery of a few bones can alter its course forever. Here are some of the skeletons that have taught us surprising new things about our planet and ourselves! Launch Zappar to watch this video ARCHAEOPTERYX In 1861, a strange new fossil was discovered in alimestone quarry in Germany. The small skeleton had a shocking combination of bird and reptile features. The imprints of feathery wings were clearly visible, but its body looked like that of Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus. The fossil was approximately 150 million years old, which made it the oldest thing with feathers ever uncovered at that point. For this reason, scientists named it Archaeopteryx, which means “ancient wing”. The discovery of this fossil was an amazing revelation:…

craft Launch Zappar to watch this video MATERIALS Large rimmed hat (such as a sombrero, cowboy hat or sunhat) Foam board Bubble wrap (cut into sheets) Large piece of lightweight fabric Variety of coloured ribbon Glue gun and glue sticks Clear packing tape Battery-powered twinkle lights (2 packs) Scissors Marker X-acto knife METHOD 1. Trace the crown of the hat on the foam board. Ask an adult for help to cut out the traced shape. Mark each corner of the foam board to cut and remove. The crown of the hat should fit inside the cut out. 2. Ask an adult for help to glue the foam board to the hat brim. 3.Cut long strips of the different ribbon, about 60-90 cm (2-3 feet) in length. You can cut all…

botany Launch Zappar to watch this video In this experiment, you will remove the oxygen from the leaf and watch it regenerate its own oxygen and carbon. WHAT YOU NEED: 1 Medium glass mason jar Water 1/8 tsp Baking soda Hole puncher 1-2 Spinach leaves 1 Medium to large syringe (ask a pharmacist) WHAT TO DO: 1. Fill a glass jar with water and baking soda. 2. Punch 8-10 holes in the leaves using the hole puncher. 3. Place leaf circles from the punched leaves into the syringe. 4. Suck up some of the baking soda water with the syringe. Carefully push out all the air from the syringe. 5. Place your finger over the tip of the syringe and pull back on the top of the syringe. Release your…

A special type of thunderstorm, known as a supercell, can lead to a tornado. These storms require two environmental conditions:  1. Instability, where warm, moist air is located at the ground, with cold air above it. That causes the warm, less dense air to rise freely into the colder, denser upper levels. This creates a strong updraft of air that feeds the storm. 2. Wind shear, meaning winds change in both speed and direction as you go from the ground up through the atmosphere. Put very simply (in reality the process is more complex), the clashing winds create a horizontal rotation (like a rolling barrel of air), and the updraft pulls it into a vertical column. The final ingredient: The updraft starts to pull in some of the storm’s precipitation on…

biology Your brain and gut are connected both physically and biochemically through the vagus nerve. This is the main nerve of your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which controls involuntary body functions such as digestion, heart rate and the immune system. The vagus nerve is considered the body’s ”highway”, carrying commands from the brain to the organs, and sensory information from the organs to the brain. There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain. These nerve cells communicate with each other and other types of cells through chemical and electrical signals. They gather information about the world around us and help us understand and interact with it. It was long thought that with all those neurons, the brain inside your skull was the only one calling the shots via…

Several organisms play a crucial role in breaking down and consuming dead organic matter. These organisms are vital for recycling nutrients in ecosystems, by returning key elements to the soil and beneficial gases into our atmosphere. BACTERIA are among the first to colonize decaying matter. They break down organic compounds into simpler substances, contributing significantly to decomposition. Saprotrophs, such as bacteria and fungi, are decomposers that secrete enzymes to obtain nutrients by external digestion. These decomposers break down dead organic matter such as plant litter and animal waste. The process releases carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen, which benefits plants and animals. FUNGI, including moulds, yeasts, and mushrooms, are essential decomposers. They are nature’s vacuum, ridding the forest floor of rotting trees, decaying plants and dead animals so that new seedlings can…

chemistry MATERIALS ½ CUP WATER 1 TBSP BAKING SODA ½ CUP RUBBING ALCOHOL 1 TSP TURMERIC POWDER 2 PAINT BRUSHES PAPER METHOD 1. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to ½ cup of water in a small bowl, and mix together. 2. Think about what message you would like to write! Dip a paint brush into the water and baking soda mixture and write your message on the piece of paper. Let this dry completely, about 1 hour. 3. Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder to ½ cup of rubbing alcohol in a small bowl, and mix together. 4. Once your message on the paper is completely dry, dip the second paint brush into the turmeric and rubbing alcohol mixture and paint over your message. You should start to see…

history Ophidiophobia is the extreme and overwhelming fear of snakes. Even thinking about a snake makes most people feel uncomfortable. However, most snakes do not pose a big threat in many parts of the planet. Scientists suggest that fears such as these maybe hardwired into us from a time when snakes may have presented more of a risk. For example, if humans had lived during the Palaeocene epoch, their fears would have been well-founded. At that time, 58 to 60 million years ago, slithered an absolute monster of a snake: Titanoboa! About 14 metres (45 feet) from the end of his nose to the tip of his tail and weighing around 1,100 kg (2,500 pounds), Titanoboa is considered the biggest snake to have ever existed. While a full skeleton of…

craft MATERIALS Wooden board Paint and paint brushes Small sticks Pine cones and small acorns Glue gun and glue sticks Launch Zappar to watch this video METHOD 1. In a forest, park or your backyard, collect small sticks, acorns and pine cones. 2. Cut some of the pine cones into smaller sections, depending on the size of the pinecone; for smaller pine cones cut into 2 sections, for larger pine cones cut into 3 sections. 3. Break the sticks into smaller pieces. 4. Paint the wood board; this is an optional step. 5. Ask an adult for assistance to hot glue each stick to the wooden board. Arrange the pine cones on top of each “stem” or stick, then hot glue into place. Glue the acorns onto the board. Let…

physics WHAT YOU NEED: Clear glass dish Glass mason jar Large tea light candle Water Food colouring (optional) Perfume spray BBQ lighter WHAT TO DO: 1. Pour about 5 cm (2 inches) of water into the glass dish. 2. Add 1 or 2 drops of food colouring to the mason jar. It’s just for colour and won’t affect the end result of your experiment. Spray at least 4 sprays of perfume into the mason jar. 3. Place the candle in the glass dish of water, making sure the top of the candle is above the water. 4. Have a grown-up light the candle for you. DO NOT attempt this on your own. 5. Carefully but quickly, place the mason jar upside-down to cover your candle. 6. Observe until the flame…

chemistry Did you know that there is a monster that can help you bake? Keeping a monster in your fridge can be the start of some very tasty treats. Monster Dough is a type of yeast leavening agent. It’s fun to grow and use in baking. Many of us enjoy chewy bread, fluffy cakes and crunchy cookies but don’t think about what makes these treats just the right texture. It comes down to using the right leavening agent a substance that produces bubbles that bakers add to their doughs and batters to lighten and soften them. Leavening agents are substances that cause expansion of doughs and batters by the release of gases. They make it rise and give baked goods their porous structure. Common leavening agents are yeast, baking powder…

All living things eat. And poop. And eat again. Living things constantly consume nutrients for energy. You would think that with this continual consumption, our soils would become depleted of nutrients for food. Thankfully, nutrients are forever recycled. It’s an incredible system. Detritivores, are the organisms responsible for eating dead stuff! Wilting plants, poop, pee, and dead animals are part of the buffet. When detritivores chow down, nutrients are cycled back into the soil, and gasses such as ammonia, phosphorus and nitrogen are released back into our atmosphere. Nutrient cycling is one of the most important processes on our planet. It converts all matter to forms that sustain living organisms at various stages of the process from life to death and life again. For example, detritivores break down dead organic…

culture The Snarly Yow (United States) Reports of this apparition date back to the late 1700s, when it was claimed that the Snarly Yow, a large, black dog, would haunt South Mountain, close to Hagerstown, Maryland, terrorizing travellers. Recorded accounts say that the Snarly Yow would spook horses, and then vanish after the rider had been thrown off. Many attempted to throw rocks at the dog to scare it away, and some even tried shooting it, but it didn’t matter - it all went right through him! The last recorded sighting of the Snarly Yow was in 1975. Launch Zappar to watch this video Knockers (England) A form of goblin known for living in the mines of Cornwall, Knockers are said to be both helpful and harmful to the humans…

zoology FETCH THE BALL! Pet dogs can learn a lot of words, and we can tell they understand them because - unless they’re distracted or stubborn - they probably do the asked-for action. But what about words like “ball,” “frisbee” or “leash”? Do dogs understand what the words for objects mean? Researchers out of Hungary and Norway tested this, and discovered that they do. In fact, their minds bring up memories of objects when they hear the objects’ names, just like in humans. In dogs and humans alike, brain cells communicate to each other through electrical impulses. To read these impulses during the study, the researchers brought dog owners into the lab along with their pets, which were a range of breeds: border collies, toy poodles, Labrador retrievers and more.…