Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Ask Science and Arts Magazine for Kids and Children

ROBOT MAKES MARS ART The planet Mars is covered in red dust, rocks, and—hey, is that a face? This design on the surface of Mars was made by the robotic rover Perseverance, though not on purpose. Perseverance dug the two holes to collect samples of Martian dirt. The scuff mark underneath came from one of the rover’s wheels. After the rover had taken its samples and snapped a picture, some people noticed that the marks looked like a face. (The face doesn’t seem very happy. But you wouldn’t be either, if you were stuck on Mars.) Ape Buddies In central Africa, researchers have been observing apes for a very long time. They recognize individual animals and track what they do over many years. Scientists know that gorillas and chimpanzees often…

Magic with a Twist A simple twist can turn a strip of paper into an amazing object. Tape together the two short ends of a long strip to form a loop. You can see that the loop has an inside and an outside and two edges. Nothing weird here. Try it again with another strip, but this time flip one of the ends over before taping the ends together. You end up with a twisty loop. Use your finger to follow the edge. You find that you keep on going and going. This loop seems to have just one edge! This weird, twisty loop with just one side and one edge is known as a Moebius strip. Magicians use them to play tricks on people. And you see it every…

We’re surrounded by faces! The human brain has such a strong liking for faces that we tend to read any slightly face-like pattern as a face, even if it’s just a wall plug. This odd brain trick is called pareidolia. Here are some spotted by past alert Ask readers!…

When artists draw a face, they follow some simple rules about how human faces are shaped. That helps them get the nose in the right place. 1 Human heads are egg shaped. 2 Eyes sit just below the middle. 3 The nose is about as wide as the eyes are apart. 4 The mouth is as wide as the center of the eyes. 5 Ears line up with the eyebrows and nose. Still, every face is different. Your face might have a longer nose, or a sharp chin, or high eyebrows that make it all yours, and no one else’s. And that’s a good thing! Without even thinking about it, our brains read many tiny clues in faces to tell people apart. Computers are learning to do this too. Face…

Send your letters to Ask, 1 East Erie Street, Suite 525, PMB4136, Chicago, IL 60611, or have your parent/guardian email us at ask@cricketmedia.com. Dear Ask, I have 2 pet snails at my house, and I can’t wait for them to lay eggs! So is there a way to tell if a snail is going to lay eggs soon or not? Sincerely, Mikaella, Massachusetts Dear Mikaella, It can be hard to tell—snails don’t look or act differently when they are about to lay eggs. But watch for sticky patches on plants or the sides of the aquarium (if they’re water snails)—that’s an egg mass. Then it’s time for new little snail pals. Avery Dear Bone Pony, What happens when two stars collide? David L., Arizona Dear David, It’s rare, but sometimes…