Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2019 i Muse: The magazine of science, culture, and smart laughs for kids and children

WHEN PEOPLE ARE DRIVING, their sense of fear helps keep them safe. A “watch out!” from an alert brain can make someone tap the brakes just in time. But computers don’t get scared. So scientists tried using fear to teach a computer program how to drive better. The researchers asked four people to play a computer game where they steered a car through a virtual maze. While they drove, participants wore a sensor on one finger. The sensor measured the blood flowing through the skin. This let researchers see when people had a “fight or flight” response—for example, if they had to steer around a sharp corner or ran into a wall. Then the researchers used this information to teach an artificially intelligent computer program which parts of the maze…

In Wisconsin, a drinking fountain isn’t called a drinking foundation. It’s a “bubbler.” But the Bubbler is also an amazing makerspace at the public library in Madison, Wisconsin. Why the weird name? Because the Bubbler is where great ideas bubble up in people’s brains and burst out into the world as amazing art, contraptions, and more. Let’s visit the Bubbler to see what it’s all about and to see what kids like you are making. Meet the Bubblerarian Rebecca Millerjohn is the Bubbler’s Youth Services Librarian. She also goes by “Bubblerarian.” That’s Bubbler + librarian, in case you’re wondering. Millerjohn comes up with ideas for maker projects and helps bring them to libraries and other spots all over Madison. (Her job also requires cutting lots of felt, which is her…

Q: Has the periodic table of elements been completed, or is it being extended? —Tanmay G., age 11 A: All the easy-to-discover elements were added to the periodic table a long time ago. These days, if you want to discover an element, you must make it yourself. To create a new element, “we have to take two atoms and slam them together hard enough so they stick,” explains Dawn Shaughnessy, a nuclear chemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. “As long as that can keep happening, we can keep moving up the periodic table.” Shaughnessy was part of the team that discovered elements 113 through 118, and she’s on the hunt for more. But she and her colleagues think they will hit a limit somewhere in the 120s. At that point,…

What do camera filters, artificial intelligence, and a hardware store have in common? They all come up in discussions with top finishers in 2019’s Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS). This competition, run by the Society for Science & the Public, is for young scientists. Each year, around 2,000 high school seniors enter. The winners celebrated at this national competition have gone on to start international companies, preside over top research universities, and even win Nobel Prizes! Three of this year’s 40 finalists share how they used the design process and their scientific research to engineer new technologies to help solve some of the world’s most difficult problems. Eshika Saxena, 17, Biomedical Engineering In 2016, Eshika was frustrated with an experience of food poisoning, so she decided to investigate a solution.…

What in the world is Whoopensocker!? It’s another wacky Wisconsin word that means “something extraordinary.” Just like “bubbler,” it also lends its name to a creative maker program for kids. Whoopensocker! is a program created by Erica Rosenfield Halverson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She’s an expert on how art-making helps kids learn. In 2018, the Bubbler hosted its first Whoopensocker! workshops. During a Whoopensocker! workshop, teaching artists encourage kids to come up with goofy story ideas, write them down, and even act them out. (But first, everyone has to agree that “every idea is a good idea.”) Then the teaching artists gather all those ideas together and turn them into a performance. Even kids who feel extreme stage fright can participate, because while the kids…

HAVE YOU EVER wondered why some 3D prints look smooth while others have lines, bumps, or dents? Why some prints work and others break? You might get different results using the exact same printer. One of the main reasons is edge flow. What Is Edge Flow? Computers generate objects onscreen by placing points in 3D space. You may have seen examples of these points, called vertices. But like constellations or connect-the-dots, these vertices don’t always look right without lines linking them together. In 3D graphics, lines that connect vertices are called edges. They are the frame for 3D objects. Edges connect the vertices using straight lines, like digital Tinkertoys or GoldieBlox. Edges don’t bend. 3D objects with curves generate vertices close together. The edges that connect these vertices gradually change…

NEW CONTEST Where the Work Happens If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that makerspaces can look like just about anything. And they can produce just about anything: robots, videos, clothing, flippers, costumes, and sculptures galore. We want to see your own makerspace! Draw or take a picture of the area that you use to create your masterpieces and send it to us. Do you have your supplies neatly organized? Or maybe a messy desk is the sign of a genius at work. Whether it’s your kitchen table or a carefully crafted workbench, we’re excited to see your creative space. CONTEST RULES 1. Your contest entry must be your very own original work. Ideas and words should not be copied.2. Be sure to include your name, age, and full address…

ABOUT 23 MILLION YEARS AGO, this creature was the biggest meat-eating mammal in Africa. Researchers dug up its bones decades ago in Kenya. But back then, they didn’t know what the bones were. A new analysis revealed that the fossils belong to a new species—with some serious chompers. Scientists named the new species Simbakubwa kutokaafrika. That’s Swahili for “big lion from Africa.” And this lion really was big: It had canine teeth up to 4 inches (10 cm) long. The researchers estimate the creature weighed as much as 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg) and may have been bigger than a polar bear. This would have made it a fearsome predator in ancient Africa.…

IN ANTARCTICA, poop is precious. That’s what scientists discovered when they trekked around part of the Antarctic coast and studied places where seals and penguins live. The researchers looked at groups, called colonies, of elephant seals and three penguin species. They found that near these colonies, the diversity of other life forms was higher. Looking at the plants and soil around the colonies, the researchers found lots of insects, including mites and roundworms. These critters were up to eight times more abundant at sites near seal and penguin colonies than in other parts of Antarctica. The scientists think life thrives in these Antarctic hotspots because of chemicals in penguin and seal poop. Namely, ammonia from the animals’ waste floats through the air, carrying the element nitrogen to all the soil…

Young visitors to the Yonkers Riverfront Library face a big dilemma: choosing what they’ll do first. The public library branch, located just up the river from Manhattan in Yonkers, New York, boasts a dedicated Maker Lab, Tech Central hub, a Media Lab with recording equipment, and virtual reality technology. Children and teens can register for classes on 3D printing or coding, learn how to make fajitas, or book time in a studio to record a podcast. And that’s just a small sampling of programs and offerings available. “It’s a tool that lets kids be creators themselves.” The first lending libraries in America gave citizens access to books—relatively expensive technology back in the 1700s! Unfortunately, at that time in American history, women, black people, and other people of color were excluded…

Some people know Star Wars; some people like Star Wars; some people love Star Wars. The STOMP Troopers of New Orleans, Louisiana, represent all three groups. But Star Wars, Mardi Gras, and autism bring them together for a common goal. In 2019, 20 kids and young adults on the autism spectrum worked alongside mentors, creating stormtrooper-inspired costumes. The STOMP Troopers showed off their creations when the group marched in a science fiction–themed Mardi Gras parade. They also made Star Wars doubloons. During Mardi Gras, doubloons are small party favors that marchers throw to the crowd. Working Together The STOMP Troopers attend an after-school program for students on the autism spectrum. It’s run by Kate Lacour, an art therapist at the nonprofit organization NOLArts Learning Center in New Orleans. Lacour has…

WELCOME to our game-building maker’s lab, where you’ll turn ordinary materials into DIY amusements. But each one conceals a special secret. These “simple” games are based on not-so-simple math and science. ARE YOU READY TO PLAY? GAME 1: MAGIC SQUARES Sum Real Fun You’ll need Paper Writing utensil Scissors Paint, markers, and colored pencils, optional Make It 1. Draw a tic-tac-toe grid on your paper. 2. Write the numbers 1 through 9 on each square in the grid. 3. Then cut out the nine squares (They don’t have to be perfect.) Now Play Arrange the number squares in a 3x3 grid, so they add up to 15 in every row, column, and diagonal. Sounds easy. It isn’t. Fun Fact Founding Father and pioneering scientist Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) was an expert…

Make it from gold. Make it from cake. Make it from clay; frost it then bake. Makers use all kinds of materials. Today, creative entrepreneurs are using technology to build and test new ideas quickly and inexpensively. What technology is that? Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing. With some software and a machine that can print layers of plastic or metal, glass or ceramic, or even cookie dough, anyone can design and print almost anything and become a maker. WHAT CITIES ARE MADE OF Make it from concrete? Why not! Concrete is an inexpensive, rock-like building material. It is the most-used human-made material on Earth. For every person on the planet, roughly one ton (2,000 lbs) of concrete pours into projects each year. All of this concrete helps people build infrastructure.…

HEART. LUNGS. LIVER. KIDNEYS. These organs and many others keep your body going. But sometimes, sickness or injury messes one up. If doctors can’t fix it, then you need a replacement. But there aren’t nearly enough donors. In the US, more than 113,000 people are waiting for organs. The distressing truth is that many of them will die before an organ becomes available. Thankfully, scientists are hard at work on new ways to produce replacement organs. One method is organ farming. The idea is to grow organs inside an animal, often a pig or sheep. These animals naturally have organs that are the same size as a human’s. But the parts aren’t all the same—a human body will attack and reject a pig lung. Some scientists are working on treatments…