Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Brainspace

science IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ANGLE The Earth is tilted on its axis (the imaginary line running from the north pole to the south pole). As it journeys around the Sun, it spins around its axis, giving us day (when we are facing the Sun) and night (when our part of the world is turned away from the Sun). But even with all this spinning and orbiting, the angle of the axis stays the same. So the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun in the summer months, and away from the Sun in our winter. (For the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite). This tilt of the Earth’s axis is what gives us the seasons. When we are tilted towards the Sun, we have more hours of daylight and more…

biology Lichen is a remarkable life form that has been around for hundreds of millions of years. It’s very likely you've seen this superhero of nature with your very own eyes without giving it a second thought. Here is why you should: Lichen is everywhere. It can be found underfoot on the surface of rocks or up in the air clinging to trees. It grows on walls, roofs and gravestones. Some look like carpets, while others resemble like little bushes. This remarkable life form is actually the result of two very different organisms working together. A fungus provides a structure on which the species can live, and an alga provides food by turning moisture and sunlight into starches and sugars through photosynthesis. This symbiotic relationship works so well that neither…

space It's been 7 years since OSIRIS-REx was launched to collect a material sample from the asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth. As of September 24, 2023 at 7:42 a.m., scientists are eagerly studying the contents which may offer our first-ever glimpse of what types of gasses, elements and materials the universe provided to form our solar system over billions of years. WHY BENNU? Many asteroids were considered as potential candidates for sampling. But it was BENNU's proximity to Earth, its size (half a kilometer) and speed of orbit, that made it the winner. BENNU takes about 4.3 hours for a full rotation – not too fast – and has plenty of relatively smooth surface areas to land on. The next asteroid scheduled for sampling is named Apophis. HIGHLIGHTS…

A sleigh is larger and is usually pulled by horses. A sled is smaller and is usually ridden by kids or racers or pulled by dogs. Qamutiik: a traditional Inuit sled made by attaching cross slats to two parallel boards. Sometimes they froze peat to the underside of the runners to reduce friction. Troika: A Russian passenger sled pulled by teams of three horses. Toboggan (ubagaan in Cree): A long flat sled that is curled up at the front, invented by First Nations people of Eastern Canada to pull cargo and people, and later used by kids to slide down hills. Cutter: a horse-drawn sleigh with metal runners – you know, like the one-horse open sleigh in Jingle Bells.…

biology Think about when you’ve stood outside on a cold winter day. Did your teeth chatter? Did your nose run? That’s your body working hard to maintain homeostasis. Goosebumps are caused by the contraction of the muscles attached to your body hairs. When this muscle – called the arrector pili muscle – tightens, it causes the hair on our body to rise. Although this reaction might seem totally useless to us now, it was very important to our much hairier ancestors! For them, raising the hair on their body meant creating an insulating layer of warm air around themselves. This doesn’t work so well for us anymore, but we still have the reflex to fluff up and keep warm. Homeostasis is a word that means “same state,” and it refers…

Thanks to a different technology, scientists know there is a superplume (a very large mantle plume) in the very same area. As it nears the surface, this super– plume is expanding to the north. And it’s mapped quite precisely, thanks to seismic tomography. “It’s kind of like ultrasound, that’s used for some medical tests,” says Dr. Rajaonarison. Ultrasound creates images from the different speeds at which sound waves bounce off different structures in the body. Seismic tomography measures the speed at which seismic waves (energy from earthquakes) travel through the earth and then return back. “The waves move slower through hot and weak material than through cold and strong material, so that allows us to create an image of the plume.” They hypothesized that the plume, flowing roughly northwards, was…

science YOU WILL NEED • Borax • 1 white pipe cleaner • String • Scissors • Glass jar, about 500 ml • Boiling water (adult assistance) • Pencil or chopstick • Food colouring (optional) • Tablespoon • Stir stick or spoon JUST LIKE PLANTS, YOU CAN GROW YOUR OWN CRYSTALS. THIS PROJECT IS SIMPLE AND SAFE, AND IT’S A GREAT WAY TO LEARN ABOUT CRYSTALS WHILE MAKING A SUPER GIFT OR ORNAMENT. 1) Cut a white pipe cleaner into three equal pieces. 2) Twist the three pieces around each other at the centre to make a 6-point snowflake shape. The snowflake should easily fit in the jar. 3) Cut a piece of string 20-25 cm long. 4) Tie the string to one end of the snowflake. Tie the…

en français Ce qu'il vous faut 1 paquet de pépites de chocolat mi-sucré 1 paquet de pépites de chocolat blanc 1 tasse de cannes de Nöel broyées, divisée ÉTAPE 1 Chauffer le chocolat mi-sucré dans un bol micro-ondable, à intensité MOYENNE, de 1 à 2 min ou jusqu’à ce qu’il ait presque fondu; remuer jusqu’à ce qu’il ait complètement fondu. ÉTAPE 2 Répéter les opérations dans un bol séparé pour le chocolat blanc. ÉTAPE 3 Incorporer ½ des cannes de Nöel broyées au chocolat mi-sucré et l’autre moitié au chocolat blanc. ÉTAPE 4 Déposer en alternance des cuillerées combles des mélanges de chocolat sur une plaque à pâtisserie tapissée de papier ciré. ÉTAPE 5 Marbrer délicatement avec la pointe d’un couteau. ÉTAPE 6 Réfrigérer 1 h ou jusqu’à fermeté. Briser…

geography Winter Solstice is coming up on December 21! After this day, the days begin to grow longer again even though the weather is cold. Winter solstice celebrations involve lights and greenery, to remind us that the Sun is returning and the world will turn green again. Here are some ideas: Write your intentions and hopes for the coming year, and sleep with it under your pillow. Burn a candle (or light a fire if you have a fireplace) to symbolize the light coming back (only with an adult!). Have a family feast and eat by candlelight. Make a centerpiece with oranges (a symbol of the Sun). MAKE SOME DECORATIONS WITH EVERGREEN BOUGHS KEEP ON CELEBRATING! Celebrating solstice and equinox days is fun – who doesn’t like an extra reason…

biology What if your phone case or your plant pot were… alive? And if it broke, you could just toss it in your compost bin, where it would not only grow again, but also help your composter work? It could happen! In fact, researchers in Sydney, Australia, have successfully made a number of items using mushroom mycelium (the mushroom equivalent to plant roots). To find out more about this fascinating project, Brainspace talked to project co-leader Dr. Phillip Gough at the University of Sydney. He researches how designers can make things out of sustainable materials. WHY MUSHROOMS? “Things made out of plastic often end up in a landfill for a lo-o-o-ong time, so we want to find ways to use less plastic and make less garbage. Mushrooms are the world’s…

technology HOW DO YOU BECOME AN AS TRONAUT? First: Work hard at math and science. Both are essential subjects for would-be astronauts. When the Canadian Space Agency needs new astronauts, they launch a recruitment campaign. Between 3,700 and 5,000 people apply each time. But only a few are chosen for the final selection process. Second: All astronauts do something else first. Canada’s astronauts started out as pilots, engineers or – and this might surprise you – medical doctors. Before she was selected for Canada’s astronaut program, Dr. Sidey was a university teacher and combustion engineer, trained to design, install, fix and troubleshoot engines and machines that turn fuel (gasoline, oil, rocket fuel etc.) into energy. Joshua Kutryk was a test pilot and fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force.…

chemistry 95 americium 92 uranium 34 selenium DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT THE NOBELIUM? ? HOW ABOUT THE ONE ABOUT SODIUM? ? IF YOU WANT TO IMPRESS YOUR SCIENCE TEACHER OR GET A CHUCKLE OUT OF YOUR LAB PARTNER, BOWL THEM OVER WITH THESE AWESOME CHEMISTRY JOKES! Some giggles are about chemists: What is a chemist's favourite holiday song? Oh, Chemist-TREE! Why are chemists always happy in the lab? They are in their element! What kind of dogs do chemists have? Laboratory Retrievers! The optimist sees the glass half full. The pessimist sees the glass half empty. The chemist sees the glass completely full, half in the liquid state and half in the vapour state. Some zingers are about the science of chemistry: Don’t trust atoms, they make up everything. The proton is not…

geology The Earth’s outer shell, or lithosphere, is made up of huge slabs called tectonic plates. These plates are solid rock at their base, supporting all the varied landscapes and bodies of water on the surface. One hundred km or more below the surface, the plates, in turn, “float” on the Earth’s mantle, a thick layer of hot, flowing rock. These plates are in constant motion – slow, geologic-time motion. They gradually shift against each other, pull away from each other, or push into each other. Up at the surface, this motion can cause earthquakes, form volcanoes and mountains, or create deep valleys. WHAT IS A RIFT VALLEY? When plates break apart and move away from each other, the process is called rifting. A valley is gradually formed as the…

coding When watching your favourite cartoon or the latest superhero blockbuster, it’s tempting to think that the characters on screen are actually moving. Everything just looks so fluid! In reality, video is a clever deception. It’s actually a series of still images flashed so quickly that our brains are tricked into thinking that the images are one smooth sequence. Of course, the difference between neighbouring images has to be very small, or the motion looks jerky. There also have to be enough images – or “frames" – per second for the illusion to hold. Twenty four frames per second (FPS) is the industry standard, but research suggests that our minds can create a smooth video out of as little as 16 FPS. Let's make a simple animation with Python! Setup…

geometry Use these geometric shape templates to create 3D containers as wrapping for small objects, such as homemade jewelry, or give a friend a special message inside. Use these as decorative table ornaments and place a treat inside. Or make these just for the fun of it. All you need is the template, scissors, and glue or tape. Try to design your own shapes! Suggestions Colour each square – on both sides before folding it into a box. GO BIG by enlarging sections of the templates on a photocopier. Cut and tape the pieces together to form bigger boxes. DIY your own "square box" template with a ruler and pencil. CLUES can be written on the inside of the box for a scavenger hunt.…

engineering Our take on the German Windrädchen, or pinwheel, the candle carousel is believed to have been inspired by windmill technology. Often seen during the holidays, this easy-to-make whirlygig is a great science demonstration of how hot air behaves. MATERIALS *download template brainspacemagazine.com METHOD 1. Cut the edge off one of the metal pie tins using scissors. 2. Tape the printed windmill template to the aluminum circle. 3. Cut along the solid lines using scissors. 4. Fold down along the dotted lines of the template. Remove the template from the aluminum. Flip the windmill over so that the curves are facing upwards and flatten the non-curved pieces. 5. Mark a dot in the centre of the windmill. 6. Cut the straw so that it measures 5 cm long. 7. Insert…

biology BY DESIGN, WE ARE SOCIAL CREATURES AND OUR BRAINS CRAVE HUMAN CONTACT. TO BE EXCLUDED FROM SOCIAL ACTIVITIES MAY, IN FACT, BE PAINFUL. WHEN SOMEONE FEELS LIKE THEY ARE NOT INCLUDED, THE AREA OF THE BRAIN THAT REACTS IN RESPONSE TO PHYSICAL PAIN IS ACTIVATED. Birthdays, holidays, achievements and milestones: there is no shortage of reasons or occasions for people around the world to get together and celebrate. What we celebrate and how we celebrate may differ but most of us can agree that it is important we do so. Celebration can take different forms, but it tends to be a break from the usual routine of life. It is also a time where those gathered experience elevated happiness. And there are usually special foods and treats, and music…

history Henry Bates loved beetles. As a boy he often collected beetles and other bugs in the countryside near his home in Leicester, England. That passion for insects helped Bates become a famous naturalist: he is the one who found the most powerful evidence of Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection. One bug is not like the other Bates’ most famous insect mimics were butterflies. He noticed that one type of butterfly flew so slowly that he could easily catch them in his hand. But birds never ate these slow fliers. Why not? Bates figured out that they were toxic and bitter tasting. Here’s where it gets interesting. Bates noticed that some of these butterflies had six regular legs, while others had very short front legs. They were entirely different…

history Do you love sledding in the winter? Have you ever wondered how long kids have been speeding down hills on sleds? We may never know for sure. But the earliest archeological evidence of sleds was found on Zhokhov Island in the Eastern Siberian Sea. Archeologists uncovered wooden sled parts along with the jawbone of a 9,500 year-old dog that was later found to be very similar genetically to modern sled dogs. People who lived in the Arctic probably used sleds to move people and later, cargo as well. According to the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, an organization that represents Canada’s Inuit people, elders tell of people using polar bear skins to haul things over the snow, possibly before actual sleds were invented. But, guess what? Almost 5,000 years ago, huge…

engineering What’s the coolest thing in farming? Icicles! But they’re not for eating, of course, they’re for building ice castles – think of real-life versions of Elsa’s castle in Frozen. But while Elsa used her magical freezing power to build her chilly fortress, Brent Christensen, founder of Ice Castles, figured out a way to grow icicles as the building blocks of his cool creations. Here's how it works. 1 Once a castle location is confirmed, Christensen and his team set up their icicle farm on the site. The farm consists of 40 to 50 wire-grid racks, laid flat and resting on four-foot legs. “At night, we spray water on top of that, and where the wires cross, water drips and forms icicles,” he explains. “By morning, on each rack are…

geography The East African Rift system stretches from the Red Sea south through most of eastern Africa, creating some pretty dramatic landscapes: lakes, narrow valleys, and deep cracks in the earth. Millions of years from now, it’s expected that the valley created by the rift at its northern end will sink low enough that the Arabian Sea will flood it and the Horn of Africa will become an island! But what’s going on in the East African Rift is not just your everyday rift activity. Scientists studying the rift have discovered some unexpected movement, and figured out just what is causing it. Brainspace spoke to Tahiry Rajaonarison from The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, who is the principal researcher involved in this project. He’s been studying the rift…

art YOU WILL NEED • Styrofoam plate • Scissors • Paint brush and foam brush • Acrylic paints • White school glue or tacky glue • Pencil • Ruler • Tape • Cereal box cardboard (front, back, and one side pieces of cereal box) • A printed photo of you, your family, or a pet! 1. On a protected work surface, paint the styrofoam plate using acrylic paints and a paint brush – the messier you paint, the more of a marbled effect you will end up with on each tile! Blend the colours together using a foam brush, dabbing to add texture. Let dry completely. 2. Place the photo on one of the larger pieces of cardboard and measure 2 cm from each side.Connect your measurement lines to create…

botany INTERESTING FACT: The precious cacao bean inside this seed pod is protected by caffeine, which animals dislike. CACAO, COCOA: What’s the difference? Cocoa powder is raw cacao that has been roasted at high temperatures! Deep in the Amazon basin lies a treasure: the Theobroma cacao tree. This wonderful tree was given its name by the Greeks. Theobroma means “food of the gods.” The History Pre-Columbian civilizations dating back to 900 BC believed that the feathered, snake-like god Quetzalcoatl (illustrated above) gifted cacao to the people, who were created by the great goddess Xmucane. The Aztecs praised the god Quetzalcoatl, who found cacao on a mountain abundant with cacao and other plant foods. Though we may not share the same beliefs with these early Mesoamerican civilizations, cacao is used today…