Notebook
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Science Future
May 28, 2008 – June 1, 2008 The World Science Festival, an event-filled celebration and exploration of science in modern life, in New York City. See www.worldsciencefestival.com. August 1, 2008 Total solar eclipse, visible in Asia. Visit NASA’s site for more at eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov
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Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary . . .
How does her garden grow? From fertile dirt with rusty nails, beer, and bacteria. At least according to the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Now that spring has arrived, green thumbs are itching to get out and get planting, and this hands-on science museum in California has put together a Web site for experienced and budding […]
- Humans
From the April 9, 1938, issue
Mining limestone to make steel, a bright little bulb, setting a new record on the sun and finding buried thermos bottles.
- Earth
Sense of Wonder Contest
Rachel Carson aficionados will recognize The Sense of Wonder as the title of one of that environmentalist’s books. The Environmental Protection Agency is using that title to invite people young and old—literally and collaboratively—to explore that sense in poetry, essays, and photography. It’s inviting submissions from intergenerational teams “that best express the ‘Sense of Wonder’ […]
- Humans
From the April 2, 1938, issue
The science of tall tales, a fluorine-spouting volcano under ice, and viruses show signs of life.
- Humans
From the March 26, 1938, issue
Ambitious plans for two World Fairs, helium replaces hydrogen as flying gas, and slowing down a fabled insect speedster.
- Humans
Sing a Song of Science
These children’s tunes, produced in the late ’50s and early ’60s have a certain nostalgic innocence. At least some are traditional tunes given new expository lyrics. They deal with astronomy (like the “Constellation Jig”), energy (“Ultra Violet and Infra Red”), experimentation (“Vibration”), weather (“Warm Fronts, Cold Fronts”), and nature (“What Is a Mammal?” and “How […]
- Humans
From the March 19, 1938, issue
A unique, parabolic motion picture, an aircraft pioneer contemplates the future of flight, and a formula to link large and small.
- Earth
Floral Cues to Climate Change
Phenology may not be a word that trips off your tongue, but it may be one you want to consider adding to your vocabulary. It has the same root as phenomena, and in fact deals with biological events linked to climate—such as bird migrations and plant germination. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research has set […]
- Humans
From the March 12, 1938, issue
An extinct cinder cone captured from above, a mystery gland's connection to male virility, and growing fodder indoors for winter feeding.
- Agriculture
Switchgrass Science
A native prairie grass shows promise as a substitute for corn in the production of fuel ethanol—an additive to stretch fossil-fuel resources for transportation. University of Tennessee researchers have produced a video on the science and prospects of switchgrass ethanol that is available in a 26-minute version and an abbreviated form. For those who don’t […]
- Humans
From the March 5, 1938, issue
Shoes that give silent testimony for safety measures, ten moons and counting for Saturn, and finding oil in impossible places.
