Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Ask Science and Arts Magazine for Kids and Children

Ice Fish Fest What’s cooler than finding a fish nest at the bottom of the ocean? How about finding 60 million of them? Scientists were using underwater cameras to explore the sea near Antarctica when they found a surprise: a huge field of icefish nests. Icefish are about half a meter (20 inches) long, and are built for life in frigid waters. They make nests by scraping away a circle on the seafloor and laying eggs there. The scientists estimated there were about 60 million icefish nests in this part of the ocean. Each nest held about 1,700 eggs or more. Most nests were guarded by an icefish dad. It’s the largest collection of fish nests that’s ever been found. Don’t Let the Goldfish Drive the Bus We’re not sure…

Students at the Calhoun School in New York City have much more than a roof over their heads. They have a rooftop garden, with lush grass, colorful flowers and fragrant herbs. Roofs covered in plants, or “green roofs,” are sprouting up all over, from schools to city skyscrapers. And roofs aren’t the only things going green. Architects are finding all sorts of new ways to build buildings that are easier on the environment. These schools, homes, and offices are called “green buildings.” Green buildings: ■ Use less energy ■ Save water ■ Are friendly to plants and wildlife ■ Are built with recycled or sustainable materials. At first glance, green buildings might not seem any different from regular buildings. But let’s take a closer look. Stay Cool (and Warm) It…

Building a Better Tomb King Djoser, who reigned around 2660 BCE, gets credit for the first pyramid. Before him, Egyptian kings were buried under mud-brick platforms called mastabas. Djoser, however, wanted something better. He told his architect, Imhotep, to build a mastaba out of stone. Stone would better protect the king’s mummified body and belongings, which were needed for his afterlife. We don’t know why, but during construction, Imhotep added a layer to the mastaba. Then he added another, and another, each smaller than the last. The result was a tomb with six giant steps. Later kings improved the design to be smoother and more pointy. It took a few tries to get it right. About 2565 BCE, workers began a pyramid for King Sneferu. The pyramid started out with…

Beavers Building A beaver lodge is a familiar sight on many ponds. Beaver couples begin by damming up a river. Domes Why are beaver lodges round? A dome is a very strong shape, which will not easily collapse or crush. A curved roof doesn’t need to be supported by lots of columns or walls inside, like a flat roof does. Human igloos, camping tents, and church roofs are curved for the same reasons beaver houses are—a dome is the strongest, lightest way to cover a large open space. Layers Like beavers with their many twigs, human builders also use layers of materials to make walls and roofs. How many layers does your house have? Each adds strength and traps heat. Inside the wall might be a layer of insulation. Seen…

Sleeping! Adrita M., age 6, Maryland Relaxing music Andrew, age 10, Pennsylvania Audrey L., age 7, Texas Bella P., age 9, China This is nom nom, who “noms” on everything. I give him my finger to nom when I feel sick. Gemma F., age 9, Washington Dream controller Avni G., age 9 My brother has been having bad dreams and I don’t want him to be scared. So I made him this dream controller. It has lots of buttons and switches to do things like remove weapons, fly, and open a portal to another place. Cuddling with my dog Libi, age 7, New York The best way to get better Gabriel L., age 11 Hugging my sister makes me feel better. Emma L., age 8, New York Cassidy F., age…

The year 1172: In her will, widow Berta leaves 60 gold coins for building a bell tower in Pisa. 1173: Town officials decide where to build the tower. During construction, one side of the tower sinks into the soft ground. Builders add more weight to the other side and use wedges and stones to try to straighten it. 1178: Building halts after three stories. No one knows why the tower wasn’t finished. Maybe they ran out of money or stone. Perhaps war broke out or the ground shifted. No one knows who the architect was, either. 1272: Nearly a hundred years later, work resumes. New architect Giovanni de Simone plans to fix the tower by tilting the top the other way, creating a “banana” shape. But the extra weight of…

Bryan Berg is a master card builder. He holds the world’s record for the tallest structure built entirely of playing cards. He’s built houses, stadiums, capitols, and castles. Bryan’s buildings have nothing in them but ordinary playing cards. There’s no glue, tape, or clips. How does he do it? He’s discovered a way to build sturdy structures using a trick from nature. The secret is cells. Plant cells have stiff walls and fit together tightly. Rows and rows of cells form a grid that helps leaves and stems keep their shape. Bees use the same kind of repeating pattern to create sturdy honeycombs. Bryan borrowed this idea to invent a repeating pattern of card cells. He begins by balancing four cards to form a box with arms sticking out. Then…

Building Big by David Macaulay Have you ever looked up at a huge building, or bridge, or dam, and wondered, how did they ever build that? This amazing book will show you exactly how, with great drawings that take you along as everything gets done and fits together. Macaulay has drawn many books about buildings—if you want more, check out Pyramid, Mill, Mosque, and Unbuilding. Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects by Andrea Beaty The irrepressible Iggy Peck, who can’t help building things, is back with a big book of work pages and projects for you to try. Design a house for Mars, build a bridge out of spaghetti and marshmallows, or design the perfect zoo. A lot of fun for any time you just get that urge…