Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Ask Science and Arts Magazine for Kids and Children

BARF-O-MATAIC When this machine projectile-vomited in the lab, scientists were thrilled. They’re hoping it will help them figure out how germs spread. They are particularly interested in a stomach bug called norovirus. Norovirus makes lots of people sick every year. But scientists weren’t sure whether norovirus can fly through the air after someone throws up. To find out, they built this machine. It has a miniature head, mouth, throat, and stomach. The scientists filled the machine’s stomach with fake vomit made of vanilla pudding. Instead of dangerous norovirus, they added a virus that’s harmless. Then they pumped up the stomach to make the machine hurl. It made a mess. It also made viruses fly through the air, showing that norovirus might be able to fly too. Sleep More, Sneeze Less…

Every few weeks, someone gets the silent treatment. We all pretend they don’t exist. I don’t know why we do it—but we all do. No matter what, we don’t break our silence. We cut them out. Then, after a week or two, it’s over. It’s someone else’s turn. When it’s your turn, it’s awful. No one to walk with to school. No one to hang out with. No one texting you. Lots of crying. Parents totally not understanding. Mom says, “If they do that, then they’re not really your friends.” But they are, and I want them back! No one does anything to make it stop. It’s just the way things are. But then one day, everyone starts to ignore Eric. Don’t say Hi to Eric, CiCi—we’re ignoring him. But…

Dear Marvin, Do your pranks really work? Sometimes I try pranks on my brother and they never work. For example, on April Fools Day I put a creepy spider in the fridge and when he opened the fridge he didn’t even see it! Love, Apple B., age 8, California Dear Apple, Brothers can be obtuse sometimes, so keep at it! Maybe you need a bigger spider? That sounds like an excellent project for my new lab. If it works, I’ll send you one. Arachnistically, Marvin Dear Whatson, A good book for you is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. It’s by Kate DiCamillo. It is about a china rabbit. Why are the fairy tales in the 3000s at the library? From, Leah S., Connecticut P.S. When is your birthday? Dear…

Run Away The first line of defense is pretty simple—run away! Of course, it helps to have a speedy body, or wings. Thomson’s gazelles are fast—they can run 40 miles (65 km) an hour. Cheetahs like to eat gazelles and are just a bit faster. But cheetahs can’t keep running for as long as gazelles can, so the gazelles often get away. It also helps to have plenty of friends around to keep an eye out for prowling carnivores. To get a head start on your escape, why not leave behind a decoy, like, say, a tail? Some lizards can drop their tails and keep on running. The tail tidbit distracts the predator long enough for the lizard main course to escape. Later, the lizard simply grows a new tail.…

Look closely at a fire hydrant and you’ll see something odd. The knob that firefighters turn to let water out has five sides. Doesn’t that make it hard to open? The jaws of an ordinary wrench are made to fit around a shape with opposite sides that line up evenly. This happens if the shape (the bolt head) has an even number of sides: four, six, eight, etc. A five-sided knob can’t be opened with the kind of wrench you have in your house. But that’s a good thing. It stops people from fooling around with hydrants. Firefighters want to keep hydrants closed so that there’s enough water pressure to get the water into their hoses. When they need to turn on the water, firefighters use a special tool with…