Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2020 i Ask Science and Arts Magazine for Kids and Children

Pink Flamingos Are Meaner Your skin won’t turn green if you eat a lot of broccoli. But a flamingo does get its color from what it eats. Flamingos slurp up algae, tiny shrimp, and other tidbits from water. Many of these foods contain carotenoids, a natural molecule that gives veggies and shrimp an orange-red color. And when flamingos eat it, they grow pinker feathers. Researchers studied groups of flamingos eating together. They saw that dark pink flamingos were more aggressive than light pink ones. The darker birds were more likely to shove or peck, or grab other birds’ feathers with their beaks. Mean, pushy flamingos are also stronger. They can get as much food as they want. And with plenty of carotenoids, they turn more pink. A BRIDGE THAT SINGS…

How far can you go with one sheet of paper? Have you ever tried origami, the Japanese art of folding paper? Maybe you made a crane, or a frog. But what about something even bigger, like a full-sized kayak that floats? Or a telescope the size of a football field? The First Fold The name origami comes from two Japanese words: oru, to fold, and kami, paper. Nobody knows who first started folding paper into shapes, but the oldest known origami instructions (for a paper crane) are from Japan, about 200 years ago. From there, origami spread all over the world. In traditional origami, an object must be made from a single sheet of paper. No cutting or tearing is allowed—only folding. Simple shapes can be made from a few…

Dear Elvis, The birds at my bird feeder aren’t scared of me or my cat when we’re inside, looking out the window, but they flew away when I went outside. Sincerely, Ramona B., Pennsylvania Dear Ramona, We have an old bird saying: Kids and kittens Are fine behind glass But flee when they’re prowling On the grass. Nothing personal! Gotta fly, Elvis Dear Marvin, I have a good prank! Grab some bottles of water and trail the bottles from the bathroom. Say, “Plush, there’s water coming out of the bathroom!” Prank on! Teagan K., Maryland Dear Marvin, I love pranks. Here is one for you: squeeze out Plush’s toothpaste and fill the tube with water, so when she brushes her teeth, she gets sprayed by water. From Sylvie H., California…

Hi. My name is Thor, and I’m an artist. People ask me all the time, “Thor, you just have a pencil—how can you make me think I’m looking at a mountain, or a fishpond, or a raccoon?” We artists have lots of tricks. And because I like you, I’ll share some of my favorites. How to Make Flat Things Look Solid Get a ball. Put it on the table in front of you. What do you see? Now try to draw it. Yes, it’s round. But if you draw a circle, it doesn’t look like a ball. Look at the ball again. See how it looks darker on one side and underneath? Those parts are more in shadow. Draw some shading on your flat circle, around the sides. You can…

Deep in the forests of New Guinea, the superb bird of paradise sports a black feather coat that is almost as dark as Vantablack. Under a microscope, its black feathers look like tiny brushes. These feathers trap light in a way similar to the carbon tubes of Vantablack. Light bounces around until almost none escapes. The feathers capture up to 99.95% of light. Birds of paradise put on elaborate dances to attract mates. Their super black probably evolved to make their other colors pop. Raja Brooke butterflies also wear a very dark black. Up close, their wing scales are covered in deep ridges and gaping holes. The scales drink in light and can rival the best nanotechnology scientists have to offer. These photos show extreme close-ups of a normal feather…

Every great artist has their own favorite tricks. What’s yours? For this month’s contest, we invite you to show us the best thing you ever made. It could be anything—a sand castle, a painting, a cupcake, a sock, or an amazing invention. Send us a photo of your very best creation, and we’ll host a gallery of the most glorious in an upcoming issue of Ask. Contest Rules: 1. Your contest entry must be your very own work. Ideas and words should not be copied. 2. Be sure to include your name, age, and state on your entry. 3. Only one entry per person, please. 4. Your entry must be emailed by a parent or legal guardian, saying it’s your own work and that no one helped you, and that…

Han van Meegeren was a Dutch painter, but he is best known for faking art. He was a forger, an artist who copies famous works of art and sells them as the real thing. Between 1923 and 1945, van Meegeren forged many paintings that he sold for millions of dollars. He was finally arrested in 1945 for selling a painting that he claimed was by Jan Vermeer, a famous Dutch artist who lived 300 years earlier. At the time, selling national treasures was a crime punishable by death. To escape this harsh fate, van Meegeren confessed to painting the picture himself. A fake would not be a national treasure. But no one believed him! To convince them, he was forced to make one of his fake paintings while police watched.…

Your eyes help you see the world. But they don’t tell you what you’re looking at. That’s the brain’s job. To decode what the eyes are seeing, the brain uses clues like light, shadow, size, and position. If one object is blocking another, for example, it means that the first object is in front. And if you see a small object that your brain knows is really big (like a tree), it tells you the object must be far away. But artists can use these cues to play tricks. In a drawing, anything is possible! Two for One Do you see many cats, or one cat face? Your brain likes to choose just one interpretation. But if you stare for awhile, your brain may switch between views. Loopy Legs If…

The Challenge Can you draw a dot in a circle (with no other lines), without once lifting the pencil from the paper? Do your friends say it’s impossible? The Secret Now, show them how it’s done. First, make the center dot on the paper. Then, leaving your pencil on the dot, fold a corner of the paper up to meet the dot, like this. Now, draw over on the back side of the paper (the folded-up part) to the place you want to start your circle. Then slide the pencil back to the front side. . . Unfold the corner and finish drawing a circle around the dot! Presto! A dot in a circle, and the pencil has never left the paper. What’s going on? Just clever thinking! No one…