My Fair Ladybug
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009I love ladybugs!
Far from being the docile “cows” of the insect world, these polka-dotted wonders are more like leopards! They are voracious predators that benefit the garden by devouring destructive insects called aphids. The picture below captures a ladybug munching on an unfortunate aphid.
Not only are they beneficial, ladybugs are a joy to behold! They come in many designer [...]
Fission vs. Fusion
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009As is the norm, my 11-year-old Science Junkie poses a question that requires some work on my part to answer correctly and succinctly…
What is the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion?
Nuclear Fission
The word fission means to split apart. When the nucleus of an atom is split apart, a tremendous amount of energy is released. [...]
Is there a Feline Pesematologist in the house?
Monday, February 23rd, 2009This goes to prove that for every occurrence in nature there springs up a science to study it - and probably a government grant to fund it!
Pesematology is defined as the scientific study of falling objects. Feline Pesematology is devoted specifically to the physics of falling cats. And yes, there really is enough data to merit [...]
A/C for your brain
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009There is still so much that science does not understand about human physiology and behavior.
Up until a new study was released last month, it was still undetermined what purpose yawning served. Now it seems that based on controlled observations of Australian Parakeets (they have relatively large brains), it has been theorized that the function of yawning seems to [...]
Catch a Wave
Thursday, December 11th, 2008While watching the NatGeo program, Journey to the Edge of the Universe, my 10-year-old asked several questions that I thought were well worth answering here on ScienceJunkies.
The program takes us on a virtual tour of the Universe, beginning in our own solar system and moving ever farther away to the outer edges of the Cosmos. As [...]
Turkey Science
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008Impress friends and relatives at your Thanksgiving table with some fantastic facts about our favorite feastable fowl; Meleagris Gallopavo…
Kidzone provides an excellent page that includes turkey facts, a turkey slide show & even turkey puzzles in honor of the great bird. To go there CLICK HERE
Happy Thanksgiving!
A Sea of Nothingness?
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008I ran across this YouTube video the other day and thought is was really cool. Take a look at this amazing demonstration of “invisible water”. What do you think is going on here?
As you probably guessed, there is no water in the tank. It is filled instead with a colorless, odorless (and non-toxic) gas [...]
All That Glitters
Friday, November 7th, 2008My young Science Junkie is fascinated with precious metals and gems. When we visited the Smithsonian this last summer, his favorite exhibit was the hall of gems. He was particularly awed by the Hope Diamond. Well, who wouldn’t be?
Over time he has asked me many questions about gold. Some I could answer off the cuff, others I [...]
Making Scents
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008When we think of perfume, flowery and fruity scents come immediately to mind, but did you know that the aromas of tar, tobacco and even sweat are also common scent elements in many of the world’s finest and most popular fragrances?
The scent profile of a perfume is made up of components called “notes”. Typically, each perfume is made up [...]
La Cucaracha, La Cucaracha
Wednesday, October 22nd, 200810 interesting facts about the humble yet resilient cockroach…
Like Humans, cockroaches are omnivores - they will eat anything organic including but not limited to dead things, grease, crumbs, discarded human skin cells, their own eggs and glue off the back of postage stamps and book bindings (glue is usually derived from animal protein).
Cockroaches can truly [...]
