Muse: The magazine of science, culture, and smart laughs for kids and children January 2016

Yes: Stay Tuned Could you do an issue on CRISPR? It’s an amazing new gene-altering technology. —KAI B. P.S. I send no threats with this letter. I probably won’t even open the cage of the editor-eating laser cats if you put it in the FMP. Weird in a Good Way Could you do an article on synesthesia? I think it is interesting how two of the five senses can be combined to make one and how it’s related to autism. By the way, to prove how awesome your magazine is, my mom (who is an English teacher) reads Muse before I do, and whenever I read Muse to my college-aged sister, she gives me an I-did-not-know-that weird look (which is a good sign). —ADELINE, THE UKULELE, PIANO, AND FLUTE MANIAC…

Dear Muse Namely the Nine New Old Muses, and Whatsi, O, and Aarti. And the Editors, but they aren’t as important until the end. I am just wondering what happened to the Nine New Old Muses! I don’t know why they would leave, but my best guess is that they were able to create each of their paradises and went to them and never came back. Oh well. Welcome, Whatsi, O, and Aarti. I like S.T.E.M. and all, but S.T.E.A.M. is MUCH better! Because there’s art! NEVER LEAVE OUT ART! Editors, it would be nice if you guys could do an article on different emotions and how to deal with them. Also, I would be very thankful if you guys did an article on Latin and the Ancient…

HEALTH Friends Keep You from Feeling Blue SURE, YOU can catch a cold from your friend, or the flu from your lab partner. But can you catch feelings? Researchers in the United Kingdom say yes: friends with healthy moods can protect you from becoming depressed. After teens answered questions about their moods, researchers rated each teen as having either a healthy mood or symptoms of depression. The teens answered the same questions again 6 to 12 months later. They also listed their friends at school. By looking at the results from every student within a school, researchers were able to map whole networks of friends. They saw that depression doesn’t spread like a disease. But healthy moods do. Depressed teens have a better chance of recovering if they have a…

Time is ticking deep inside a sweltering mine in Mexico. If Dr. Juan Manuel García-Ruiz lingers longer than ten minutes, the extreme heat and humidity could kill him. Beads of sweat trickle down his face. When his steamed-up glasses clear, his eyes widen with astonishment. The light from his headlamp shines on a spectacular site—enormous crystals! Some are as tall as telephone poles. CRYSTALS GALORE García-Ruiz is a researcher and professor at Spain’s National Research Council at the University of Granada. He studies crystals. “The main challenges were to measure the temperature and rate at which these crystals grew,” says García-Ruiz. Crystals are three-dimensional solid objects constructed from repeating patterns of molecules. They come in many different shapes, colors, and sizes. For most people, the word “crystals” conjures up images…

Dr. Juan Manuel García-Ruiz is a geologist and an expert crystallographer. The main focus of his research is studying crystal formation—the orderly patterns they make in minerals and in living things. He is the founder and director of the Laboratory of Crystallographic Studies in Granada, Spain. García-Ruiz would like to see the Cave of Crystals listed as a location with outstanding value to humanity. Nations around the world agree to help protect these locations, known as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Q What fascinates you about your job? A I fell in love with geology because I was very interested in crystals and minerals. I wanted to know how they formed and how I could make them in the lab. Q What is crystallography? A Crystallographers study crystals: their growth and…

There are two ways to tell. One is the relative age based on fossils found in the area. For example, Tyrannosaurus rex lived from 66 to 68 million years ago, so any rock discovered above the fossil layer is less than 66 million years old. The second method is to use radiometric techniques such as carbon dating that measure radioactive decay. All rocks contain trace amounts of radioactive elements that are unstable. They break down over time into more stable forms. By precisely measuring the stable and unstable elements, geologists can determine the age of the rock.…