179842135 Science for Kids

JAI SRI RAM

SCIENCE FOR KIDS

Compiled by S.Geethapriya Price – Rs. 22.00 Published by

Sri Aanjineyaa Pathippagam
1849, P.K.N ROAD, MUTHU CYCLE COMPLEX, BYE PASS ROAD, SIVAKASI-626 189 CELL : 9 !4 - "8#22

CONTENTS
1. 2. (. +. -. 6. 0. '. 2. 1*. 11. 12. 1(. 1+. Ginger, the New Wonder Medicine Pe er!int to Ch"#e Mo#$%itoe# Aw"& The S!"rt Po))%ter# ,r& C)o%d# ,i#tre## Sign")# the .e"/& W"& Ro"d o/ J%te Shirt th"t i# " Mo1i)e Phone When " C"t Pre&# /or .%nch 3o%r Mo1i)e Phone 4"# " 5%g The 4otte#t w"& to C"tch Croo6# .ogging on to A)ien# The 7)ower th"t C)e"n# it#e)/ A Tr"in o/ 8i))"ge# on the Net A S!e))& New Wor)d on the 6 ' 1* 1+ 10 2* 2( 20 (* (( (6 +* ++ +' -1

CONTENTS
16. Scienti#t# 7ind More on the E%re6" M"n 10. P)"net#9 P)"net#9 And !ore P)"net#9 1'. J% iter:# New Moon 12. ;nderw"ter Ter!in"tor 2*. 4igh Per/or!"nce, .ow 21. 22. 2(. 2+. 2-. 26. Po))%tion A New W"& to 7ight Age< And Now, Schoo)1"g# On)ine E=ergreen C)othe# 4ow .i>"rd# ,e/& Gr"=it& S6&roc6eting 4o)id"&# Thi# One i# /or &o%r E&e# -+ -2 62 66 6' 01 0+ 06 0' '2 ''2 21 2+

On)& 20. J%r"##ic P"r6 II 2'. The Coo) "nd C%nning ."r6 22. The Scent o/ "n Ene!&

We1 1-. 4ot ,og9

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1. Ginger, the New Wonder Medicine
Ginger has always been an essential part of most Indian kitchens and grandmothers' medicine boxes. This spice has been used to treat the feeling of vomiting and indigestion. Now the Western world has also discovered the wonderful
Science features for kids brings to you

ualities of ginger. They see it as a powerful medicine against nausea across the world.

exciting discoveries and inventions across the world, from path-breaking to the unusual, written with the objective of making science accessible to children. We carry news about research on weather, animals, science, environment, earth, health, living beings, astronomy, and more. From roads of jute to new moons and mobile phone bugs . Fun science for children at its best .

In India! grandmothers have known all along that the "uice s uee#ed from ginger mixed with lime "uice can stop one from feeling like vomiting. $ince the taste is not very appealing!

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especially to children! "aggery or gur is often used to mask the strong taste of ginger. Then it is no longer a medicine! but a sweetmeat that everyone likes to eat% &nd now! 'ritish scientists are conducting six studies on the spice's effect on various types of nausea! including seasickness and sickness caused in the treatment of cancer. &lready! the studies have begun to show results. $cientists have found that those who took a tablet containing the "uice of ginger every day! felt much better than those who took allopathic medicines that are available in chemist shops. &fter the results are made final! companies will manufacture it as a herbal medicine.

2. Peppermint to Chase Mosquitoes Away
(adma )asudevan! a scientist from India's capital! *elhi! has made an important discovery. +er team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology! has found that peppermint oil chases away mos uitoes. It can also kill the mos uito larvae ,-arvae are the wingless forms that hatch out of insect eggs.. The best news of all is that it is very effective against the &nopheles mos uito! which spreads malaria.

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The scientists did an interesting experiment. They first took out oil from the peppermint plant called /entha piperita. Then they poured some of that oil on top of water that contained mos uito larvae. The next day they found that the larvae had been killed. $everal people decided to test the ability of the oil to chase away mos uitoes. They rubbed the oil on their bodies and slept out in the open. 0ight out of 12 people said they did not have mos uitoes biting them.

3. he !mart Po""uters
+ealth officials in 3anada are very busy these days. They are placing chickens at fixed points all along their border with the 4nited $tates of &merica. That's an enormous distance of 5!622 km.

It's not a practical "oke! nor have the 3anadians gone mad. They are using these chickens to see if the deadly West Nile virus is lurking around. The virus infects birds! so they think that the chickens have a good chance of catching the virus. 7r the virus will catch the chickens.

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The 3anadians are worried because the West Nile virus is transmitted to humans by mos uitoes. It killed seven people in New 8ork last year. 3ountries around the world are reali#ing something important. That it may "ust be possible to stop certain kinds of people from entering their land! but it is very difficult to try and stop viruses that travel from one end of the earth to another. When they travel to new places! they ad"ust very easily to those climates and sometimes start destroying the local plant and animal life. These biological polluters are called smart polluters. These smart polluters can be carried across borders of countries unknowingly. 9ust as we humans are travelling across the globe more often than earlier! these biological polluters have also started "ourneying much more. They travel in the ballast of tankers. They slither into aircraft through their wheels. They bore their way into ob"ects that air travelers may be carrying from one country to another. There are some good examples of how these polluters work. The water hyacinth of $outh &merica is choking lakes in 3hina and &frica. Tree snakes from (apua New Guinea are busy eating up bird varieties in the country of Guam! which is uite far away. Tiger mos uitoes from &sia are busy biting &mericans. $uddenly! a lot of things become clearer. -ike why the customs officials in many foreign countries prevent you from bringing in a small plant! or a decorative item made of wood that is in its natural form: They tell you that its in the rules.

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They have these rules because they know that these varieties of plants that are special to specific places have the power to spread new diseases among native plants and animals. They are called biological polluters and they always create problems in places where they do not belong. They could be special varieties of plants! bugs or even animals.

#. $ry C"ouds
It is that time of the year when all of us look to the sky! waiting for the first drops of rain to fall on our faces. We wish the monsoon would come soon. 'ut for people who live in polluted cities like *elhi or Tokyo! there's some bad news. Israeli scientists have discovered that air pollution may actually stop rain from falling. To know how pollution may prevent rain from falling! it is necessary to know how and when rain falls. The sun beats down on the earth and heats up the land and water.

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When the land and water have absorbed as much heat as they can! they throw the rest back! and that heats up the air. The air warms up and rises. It contains water vapor! or water in the form of gas. &s the air rises! it becomes cooler. The water vapor hits particles of dust that are always present in the air. It condenses! or gets changed into a dense or thick form. It forms droplets. When these droplets become too big and heavy! they fall back to the earth as rain. Now! the smoke released by cars! trucks! buses! scooters and factories adds to the particles in the air around us. 'ecause there are so many of these particles! many small droplets form! but they are not big enough to fall down as rain. These clouds are called dry clouds. 3louds that contain no rain. The Israeli scientists took many pictures of these dry clouds caused by air pollution. They showed water droplets half the si#e of those present in clean clouds. The only way to get back good rains is by cleaning up the environment. ;actories and traffic must not release too much of smoke and trees must be planted wherever possible. 7r! a time may come when clouds will form but no rain will fall.

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%. $istress !igna"s the &ea'y Way
Wondered how plants talk to each other< They do not have the same language as humans but they have their own ways. =ecent research by scientists at >yoto 4niversity! 9apan! describes how the -ima bean plant protects itself and its neighbors from the spider mite or the red spider. It sends out clear distress signals. Its not like they make weird noises to attract attention! though. It does it very silently. The -ima bean plant emits chemicals to send the message of a troublesome intruder to all its neighbors. That is the signal for all the plants to get their defense mechanisms working. (lants all over the world have ualities! which make then special in their own ways. $ome plants produce chemicals that give the leaves and stem a strong taste or smell of chilies! spices and herbs used for cooking.

These substances either discourage or even kill insects and other animals that might try to eat the plant. $ince plants cannot escape from creatures that feed on them! many have evolved features to protect them against herbivorous or plant eating animals. The two main defenses that plants use are armor and poison.

In the Galapagos Islands cacti grow a thick stalk more than two meters tall putting the tender leaves well out of the reach of the giant tortoises.

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9apanese a#aleas produce toxic chemicals that let them survive even among hungry deer. $ome of these chemical substances may even prevent the growth of nearby plants. ;or example! radishes produce a chemical substance! which slows the growth of spinach similarly! walnut and apple trees cannot grow together because chemicals released from walnut tree kill the apple tree. $o it is not "ust a self?survival instinct that plants have. They also have an instinct for community feeling! as the -ima bean plant shows. Nature is full of unending surprises%

(. )oad o' *ute
8ou must have seen "ute rugs! "ute dolls! even "ute clothes. 'ut! have you seen! or even heard of "ute roads< & research centre in 3alcutta! the National Institute of =esearch on 9ute and &llied ;iber Technology ,NI=9&;T.! is planning to make a road with "ute. It will be 5@ kilometers long.

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The scientists at the centre say the road will be stronger than normal roads. They can talk with such confidence because they have tried it out earlier. &nd! the road they made was indeed stronger. It did not develop holes after the monsoons got over. /ost of the roads in the country need repairs after the rains. They actually look like they have broken bones after the beating they receive at the hands of the monsoons. NI=9&;T made a road in a village called Guptipara! which is about 122 kilometers from 3alcutta. When they were making the road! they used a thin layer of "ute between the gravel! or small stones used in making roads! and the soil. This ensured that the rainwater! which collected by the roadside! was drained much faster than usual. &s a result! the road lasted much longer. The scientists say the thin layer of "ute also helps keep the gravel in place.

This was reported in the The Times of India recently. The report mentioned a scientist as saying that by using "ute! a road's life can be increased by three to four years. The research centre is planning to make wide rolls of "ute! which will be used to make these roads. &nd! eventually when it does degenerate! it will become a part of the soil. ;or "ute is biodegradable.

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+. !hirt that is a Mo,i"e Phone
3lothes that can make phone calls! play music! dial your pal's number! keep you snug during cold weather! operate your computer:

This

is

not

fantasy.

&

'ritish

company!

called

0lectrotextiles! has created a da##ling range of clothes ?? clothes that have a mind of their own% $cientists! working for the company! have invented a fabric that can be blended with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The result is electronic garments. If you think the wearer has to be wired to different gadgets! think again. These designer clothes are wire?free! soft to touch and washable%% -ike any electronic device! these high?tech clothes have to be powered. 3urrently! a tiny nine?volt battery serves the purpose. 'ut the researchers hope that in the near future! the clothes will generate electricity by using body heat. These clothes are 122 per cent shock proof! they say. The 0lectrotextiles team has also created the world's first cloth keyboard. This keyboard can be sewn into your trousers or skirt. To use this device! you will have to sit down and tap on your lap% These 'lap?tap' gadgets

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are all set to take over laptop computers%

The ski?"acket is also programmed to send signals to a satellite. This technology is known as global positioning and can be used to track lost skiers and wandering kids. +aving completed the cloth keyboard! scientists have already started work on a new pro"ect ?? a necktie that can be used as a computers' mouse. What next< *o you have any ideas<

&nother useful garment is the shirt?cum?mobile phone. This handy invention enables drivers to chat comfortably ?? with both hands on the wheel% 7ther popular electronic wear include the denim "acket ,with flexible ear?phones stitched into the hood. and the electronic ski?"acket with a built?in heater.

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-. When a Cat Preys 'or &unch
/any people have always believed that animals hunting for prey always catch the ones that are young! old or sick. ;or it would be difficult for those creatures to escape a predator's hold. Till now there was no actual proof of this fact. 'ut latest research by ;rench scientists in (aris! ;rance! has proved that it is true. & report on their research came out in 'The 0conomist' maga#ine recently. +ow did they do it<

The scientists studied the hunting habits of domestic cats. &nd they studied the health of birds that were killed by cats with those killed in accidents. They made a detailed study of one organ or part of the birds' bodies which was an indication of its good health. That organ was the spleen. The scientists chose the spleen because of a particular reason. 'irds that are healthy have larger si#ed spleens than those which keep getting infections. The spleen greatly helps in strengthening the birds' immune system or their capacity to fight disease. $o from the si#e of the spleen the ;rench scientists could find out if the birds killed by domestic cats were healthy or sickly. They examined more than 622 birds from 1A different species and made very interesting discoveries. The spleens of birds killed by cats were much smaller than those killed in accidents. It means that they were not very healthy. This was true of 1B out of the 1A species they studied. 'y and large the spleens of birds

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killed in accidents were three times larger than the spleens of birds killed by domestic cats. &lso most of the birds killed by the cats were young. 7f those that died in accidents! half were young and half were adult. $o while it is true that the young and the sickly birds are at a greater danger of becoming a cat's lunch or dinner! old birds are able to take care of themselves.

.. /our Mo,i"e Phone 0as a 1ug
When people talk of a virus these days! chances are that they are talking about computer viruses that have the power to wipe out all the valuable work they may have stored in their computers. Imagine! this virus has the power to make military systems! giant banks! airports! hospitals and traffic systems come to a halt%

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The softer the name of the virus! the deadlier it may get. =emember the recent -ove 'ug virus which created such trouble all over the world< It came as an 'I -ove 8ou' message and anyone who opened that love?filled e?mail! was caught in the virus trap. What does a computer virus do< It targets electronic ob"ects that are programmed. The virus spreads through connections between these electronic devices. ;or virus spreading experts! e?mail is a favorite method of unleashing their destructive weapon. 'ut scientists warn that this is not the worst that can happen. There is more. ;or people are also connected through phones. The next virus may actually target mobile phones! especially those that are programmed to do many tasks apart from "ust communicating. It would then be easy for a virus to infect those programmes and create ma"or disorder.

;or example! these viruses may have the power to record your phone conversations and make others hear them. They could create problems with your electronic money accounts! or they could create a mountain of telephone bills for calls you never made. &nd that would be a disaster. & report on this was published in the 'New $cientist' recently. 7ne way out would be to have simpler phones with not so many different functions. That way there would be fewer programmes for the virus to attack. 'ut mobile phone manufacturers are in a fix. (eople no longer want an electronic item to perform "ust one task. They want more and more functions added on. That would mean more software programmes to make the mobile phone perform all those functions. &nd that means the possibility of more viruses.

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12. he 0ottest way to Catch Croo3s
&ll of us know how crooks are caught. We have seen it in film after filmC the police inspector matches the fingerprints on the scene of the crime with the suspect's fingerprints. &nd the culprit goes to prison.

;ingerprinting has remained one of the best ways to catch a person with a criminal record. The techni ue was foolproof! for no two people have matching fingerprints ?? even identical twins. 4nfortunately! things are not so simple any more. 3rooks have become smarter and are very careful not to leave fingerprint traces. While some wipe all the surfaces they touch! others prefer using gloves. 'ritish police are now using different ways to nab or catch offenders. +ow do they do it< They try to identify individuals by the heat patterns of their bodies. There are lots of blood vessels in our body and all of these emit heat in the form of infra? red radiation. The temperature of skin over blood vessels is thus more than that of the surrounding area. 7ne s uare inch of skin contains up to 16 feet of blood vessels% ,If all the blood vessels of an adult were to be laid in a straight line! it would cover more than 1B2!222 kilometers%.

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4sing gadgets that detect infra?red radiation patterns! 'ritish police can now identify a disguised crook even in a crowded area% $pecial video cameras programmed to detect infra?red radiation record the heat pattern generated by the person. This infra?red pattern is then fed into a computer which picks up a match instantly from its records. The suspect is identified. With the police hot on their trail! criminals are going to find it rather tough to escape undetected%

11. &ogging on to A"iens
*o you believe that there might be life on other planets< Would you like to be the first '0arthling' to make contact with an alien< Well! you can start your search from home. &ll you need is a computer and Internet access! and you can "oin the pro"ect of the 4$?based National &eronautics and $pace &dministration ,N&$&..

N&$&

launched

the

$earch

for

0xtra?Terrestrial

Intelligence ,$0TI. pro"ect! eight years ago. 'ased at the 4niversity of 3alifornia! $0TI's goal is to examine the radio signals coming from nearby stars. =esearchers involved in the pro"ect believe that a large number of

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stars in the universe could have planets orbiting around them. &nd they want to know if these planets have conditions suitable to sustain life forms.

$0TI computers. The telescope has a bowl?shaped dish which is 1222 feet in diameter. That makes it the world's largest stationary radio telescope. The researchers have to analy#e thousands of radio signals daily. They are looking for signals whose patterns would show the existence of hydrogen or water molecules that sustain life on 0arth. They could be at it for years before showing a single positive result% 7f course! even the researchers know that they cannot do a fast "ob on their own. $o they are distributing the workload. &nd they want as many helpers as possible. 0ven you% If you want to "oin the search for extra?terrestrial life! then download $0TI's free software ,$0TIDhome. from httpCEEsetiathome.ssl.berkeley.eduE. What happens next is fun. While you are away from your computer! the $0TI programme downloads a small segment

+ow does the pro"ect work< There is a huge radio telescope at &recibo! (uerto =ico. It catches these radio signals! which are then fed into

of the information on radio signals received by the radio telescope.

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It analyses the data and sends the result back to the 4niversity of 3alifornia. There are other benefits too of having the $0TI pro"ect software in your computer. When you leave your computer unattended! instead of seeing the usual screen saver! you can feast your eyes on a spectacular three?dimensional graph! flickering on the screen. This indicates that your computer is busy analy#ing $0TI data and searching for signs of alien life% /ore than 1!A5@!622 people around the world are currently participating in the $0TIDhome programme and more are "oining in every day. It's a slim chance! but wouldn't it be fantastic if your computer were to be the first to detect an alien signal%

12. he 4"ower that C"eans itse"'
+ow will you explain the meaning of purity to someone< Well! many people do it by giving the example of the lotus ?? it grows in muddy waters but the flower remains spotless. It is not surprising that the lotus has a special or sacred place in world religions like +induism and 'uddhism. It is a symbol of purity! and many a time gods are shown seated on lotus thrones. Now a group of German $cientists has discovered that the lotus plant is truly spotless. It does not allow any dirt to remain on its surface. &nd there is a clear reason for it. -otus leaves are round and large and it is almost impossible to get them wet. 8ou may splash as much water as you want on a lotus leaf! but the droplets immediately roll off. What makes this water plant's leaves water repellent<

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perfectly clean. This phenomena has been named the '-otus 0ffect' and works best on rough surfaces. & report on the scientists' study was published in the "ournal '(lanta'. 3ontrary to popular belief! lotus leaves are not smooth at all. When examined under a powerful microscope! the leaf cells show a bumpy surface. That makes the surface rough. &s a result! dirt particles rest only on the tips of wax $cientists have always known that a uatic leaves secrete or give out wax crystals. These crystals help prevent the leaves from getting flooded with the water around the leaves. They also help the leaves retain the re uired amount of moisture. The leaves are able to do this because wax repels water. Now the scientists have discovered that these leaf surfaces have an ama#ing ability to clean themselves. $cientists at the 4niversity of 'onn carried out extensive research to show that the water droplets rolling off a lotus leaf carry away dirt particles leaving the surface crystals coating the leaf surface. The roughness reduces the contact area between the particles and the leaf surface. & rough surface structure with wax crystals makes it impossible for water to stick. *ue to the friction! the water contracts at once. It forms spherical droplets to minimi#e the contact area with the rough! waxy leaf surface and runs off the leaf very uickly. $ince the dirt particles only rest on the tips of the wax crystals they stick more strongly to the water droplets than to the leaf surfaces.

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They are washed away when the water falls on the leaves. 7n smooth leaves! the dirt particles are pushed from one part of the leaf to the other. This is because the dirt particles have a larger contact area where they can rest comfortably on the flat surface. We must also keep in mind that water usually spreads and only partially runs off the leaves ?? that too! only if the leaf is tilted% The dirt particles may get dislodged! but they are mainly displaced from one side of the leaf to the other. $cientists say that the -otus 0ffect is particularly beneficial for it helps to protect the lotus leaves from harmful bacteria. The dirt particles on the leaves often contain tiny disease causing fungi and bacteria. While most of the bacteria get washed off! the few that remain eventually perish since they do not get the water they re uire for survival and growth.

13. A rain o' 5i""ages on the Net
/ost people have fond memories of train "ourneys! though some have unpleasant ones of being left behind at a station! while they waited for a steaming cup of tea or coffee. /any film directors! too! have been fond of shooting action? packed or emotional scenes at railway stations. The famous action scene at the end of the +ollywood Western '+igh Noon' showed the cowboy hero! Gary 3ooper! silencing the villain. In one Indian film after another! the hero and the heroine have rushed across a crowded station to meet each other never to be separated. Now the Indian =ailways has stepped in to make a more effective use of its F!222 stations all over the country. If the plan succeeds! the stations will connect hundreds of villages to the World Wide Web! according to a report by the 'ritish 'roadcasting $ervice ,''3..

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to villages on the rail routes. This would make the Internet connections very cheap. Telephonic conversations are digitally coded into light and transmitted very! very uickly! over great distances through
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fibre optic cables.

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In India! the stations are located at an average distance of seven km! and each station will be set up to enable wireless Internet connection to more than a hundred households in the vicinity. The pro"ect is being tried out in a small area first. The It's very simple! really. These stations cover all the ma"or railway engineers are using the cable connection along @2 cities! towns and villages. km of railway track that links the southern towns of &ll these stations are connected through cables that )i"aywada and Guntur. The track has five stations and each maintain telephonic communication between the stations. of the stations will also provide wireless Internet & team of railway engineers is planning to use the existing connections for 12 to 16 participating households within a cable network to provide Internet connections on rail 12 km radius. routes. If the pro"ect succeeds! it would be a feather in the cap of This way they can avoid the time and money re uired to lay the Indian =ailways. 'ut! it will still have to deal with the a fresh cable network to provide Internet connections problem of fre uent power cuts. The result may well be battery?operated computers! or perhaps computers powered by solar panels%

These cables have a much larger capacity than copper cables that is normally used. & single pair of light? transmitting optical fibres can carry over three thousand conversations simultaneously. 0very time you blink! someone is forming an Internet 7ne single cable contains such fibre pairs% company somewhere in the more world.than That62 is the pace at which The Indian fever =ailways plans to the existing copper the Internet has caught on replace with people. They could be cables with these high?tech optical &fter that or is young college students with dreams offibres. making a fortune done! opportunities for Internet increase middle?aged individuals trying connectivity to lure the will goddess of tremendously. wealth. 0ach one is searching for the one great idea that This pro"ect also includes up &nd of cyber couldInternet make his web company click the in asetting big way. they cafes in stations local people who do not towards own a are trying all sortsfor of gimmicks to attract people computer system. The engineers involved in the pro"ect are their websites. also thinking of developing low cost Internetand monitors to While some websites offer sounds! animation da##ling make the on computer affordable to them. graphics screen more to make their sites almost a movie?like experience for the viewer! others provide free downloads and contests. & company based in 3alifornia! 4$! has decided to offer online smells to people who visit its website. That is! if a pi##a image comes on screen your nostrils will catch the

1#. A !me""y New Wor"d on the We,

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smell of baked bread and gooey cheese%

activate the 'i$mell' device. The device will use the software to reconvert the digital signal and release the correct smell. This gadget reads the digital scent code from the website and creates the corresponding smell from its store of chemicals. This smell is then made to waft in the direction of the user with the aid of a small fan. To ensure that the correct smell is released! the company has created a '$cent =egistry!' which contains a digital index of thousands of scents. The company plans to permit website developers to integrate the appropriate smells ,in digital code. to their games and images. The company is also hoping that +ollywood filmmakers will incorporate the smell technology in their movies. Imagine audiences getting the smell of rocket fuel as a spacecraft takes off on the cinema screen% 7f course! filmmakers will have to be careful not to shoot in dirty neighborhoods! which has a lot of rubbish lying around.

&ll you need to do is attach a device called 'i$mell' to your computer. This smart little device! created by the company! contains some chemicals! which when combined in different proportions! can create a huge variety of smells. The company has invented software that converts the complex chemical composition of different smells into digital signals. &n onscreen image! which is programmed with the appropriate digital signal! will

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1%. 0ot $og6
+ave you ever run out of coffee powder and had to settle for tea< ;ound no eggs in the tray< No salami for the sandwich and the nearest shop is too far away< $ettled for less< /ade do with leftovers< =anted and raved< Well all that can change in the future. If all goes well! intelligent futuristic kitchens will soon help solve all your problems. The kitchen of the future will give wise advise on planning your menu for the day. 3onscious of your weight< ? it will tell you the right diet and what is good for your health. It will even keep in mind your likes and dislikes% 4nder design by the /assachusetts Institute of Technology! this smart futuristic kitchen promises to keep a weather eye open for all your needs plus some. =adio transmitters are fitted on minute tags attached to each edible food item. The kitchen's computer system is linked to these tags. &nd will help keep an 'eye' on the larder% If you are all thumbs in the kitchen! the kitchen?mate computer system will spell out the ingredients needed for each dish and indicate how to mix them% The recipe is downloaded by the 'smart' kitchen from the Internet after checking the ingredients in the larder. Want to bake the rich! scrumptious! creamy chocolate cake<

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The kind that mother or grandmother makes< 8ou have it. 'ut beware of nightly raids on the fridge for it will scold you and make you feel guilty for overindulgence% $o what happens if the larder is empty like old /other +ubbard's< The kitchen will automatically call and place an order at the local supermarket.

1(. !cientists 4ind More on the 7ure3a Man
Why do ships float on water when in fact they should sink< Why does paper float on water and a paperweight sink< The answer to these uestions was accidentally discovered 5522 years ago by the Greek inventor and mathematician! &rchimedes. 7ne day! while getting into his bath he noticed water spilling over the sides. In a flash! &rchimedes reali#ed the relation between the water that had fallen out and the weight of his body ? in other words he discovered why some ob"ects float and some sink% &rchimedes was so excited with his discovery that he hopped out of the bath! and rushed naked into the street yelling triumphantly! '0ureka%' '0ureka%' ,Greek word for 'I have found it%..

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area and the steel displaces water e ual to its weight. $o a heavily laden ship floats because its total weight is exactly e ual to the weight of the water it displaces. It is this weight that exerts the buoyant force supporting the ship. &rchimedes is also known for his extensive work in geometryG and the invention of the lever and pulley. +e also created a range of mechanical devices for the defense of his homeland ? the catapult and a mirror system ,for focusing &rchimedes discovery! now popular as the &rchimedes' principle! explains why steel ships! weighing thousands of tons! float. 'ut what is &rchimedes' principle< When a body is immersed in water! it experiences a force ,known as the buoyancy force.. This force is e ual to the weight of the water displaced by the body. ;or instance! a lump of steel will sink for it is unable to displace water that e uals its weight. 'ut steel of the same weight but shaped as a bowl! will float. This is because the weight gets distributed over a larger the sun's rays on an enemy's boat causing it to catch fire.. In a rare find! scientists have recently managed to unearth a manuscript! the only surviving copy that contains &rchimedes' theory of flotation and some mechanical theorems. (articularly interesting is the fact that in many parts of the manuscript! &rchimedes gives detailed explanations using diagrams. =esearchers now hope to get a valuable insight into how &rchimedes' mind worked and how he went about devising his

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abstract theorems. &ccording to historians! &rchimedes probably wrote his manuscript on papyrus scrolls! fragile in nature. &bout a 1!222 years later! the documents were copied onto leather sheets and bound into a book form! to prevent their deterioration. In the /iddle &ges about 1222 years ago! in 0urope! 3hristian monks fre uently recycled parchment works. The contents of the parchment held little interest for the monks! but they needed writing materials! so they tore apart the original manuscript. The writing was erased by scraping the skin and the pages were cut in half and recycled into a 3hristian book of religious instructions. The new words were written sideways across the original text. $uch works became known as 'palimpsests' ,Greek for 'scraped again'.. The manuscript that is currently under study at a university in New 8ork is called the &rchimedes (alimpsest. ;or F22 years! it remained in (alestine and

3onstantinople! cities that were once centers of learning. In 1H2B a *anish scholar discovered the barely legible original text underneath. The book disappeared again around 1H52 only to surface in an auction house as recently as 1HHA. Now scientists are piecing together the cut pages and are using ultraviolet and infrared filters to capture images of the original words. 'oth infrared and ultraviolet light penetrate the surface text and get reflected. The reflected text is recorded on camera and reveals details that aren't evident to the naked eye. The "ob is uite complicated! but scientists hope to decipher the writing soon.

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1+. P"anets6 P"anets6 And more P"anets6
&stronomers working at 'erkeley and Geneva have found nine new planets circling nearby stars. With this discovery! we now know of 62 extra?solar planets! also called exoplanets. That is a big increase from @1 planets last known five years ago. &ll these individual planets move in an orbit around a star! which is called their parent star. The astronomers estimate that the 'eta (ictoris star has a planet ten times the mass of 0arth. It orbits at a distance of about 12.6 billion kilometers! more than ten times the distance of the earth from the sun. &nd )ega! one of the brightest stars in the sky appears to have a planet twice the mass of 9upiter! the largest planet in our solar system. This planet is A billion kilometers from its parent star. In comparison! our solar system seems almost tiny. The distance between (luto! the farthest planet in our solar

system and the sun is I"ustI 6.H billion kilometers%

'esides these two planets! there are two others! which are as big as $aturn. These two orbit very close to their parent star. What is surprising is that one of them takes "ust 5.HA days to complete a round and the other takes 5H.A days. Now the astronomers have to put on their thinking caps to figure out why one circles the star exactly ten times faster than the other% $ince many extra solar planets are too far away to see directly! astronomers must detect extrasolar planets by carefully watching the stars to see if they Iwobble!I or slightly shift their center of mass. 9ust as the moon has gravitational effects on 0arth! and each of the solar

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system planets has a slight effect on our sun! any large ob"ect orbiting a star will tug at the star! causing the star to move slightly. When searching for extrasolar planets! astronomers see a slight shift in a star's light as an alert that some ob"ect ?? perhaps a planet ?? may be orbiting it. $everal of these stars now seem to show unexplained wobble behavior! a condition that many scientists think is evidence for second and even third planets orbiting them! according to a report in The +indu. Geoff /arcy of $an ;rancisco $tate 4niversity told the ''3C IThe planets we are finding around other stars! all orbit in elongated! elliptical orbits. It's uite frightening that virtually all planets that we have found orbit close to their stars where they heat up and then move out to where they cool down!I as reported in *eccan 3hronicle. In such a case! water! if it did exist on these planets! would boil and then free#e% In such a situation! would life ?? as we know it ?? exist on these planets<

1-. *upiter8s New Moon
*oes 9upiter! the largest planet in the solar system! have a 1Fth moon< &stronomers seem to think it does. -ast year! astronomers at the 4niversity of &ri#ona and a /assachusets 7bservatory discovered what looked like a new moon around 9upiter. They had been scanning the skies for comets and asteroids as part of a spacewatch programme. In fact! when they saw the new moon! they thought it might be a comet or an asteroid. & comet is a small body of ice and dust that orbits the $un. When it approaches the $un! the ice in it vapori#es and forms a head and a tail. This ob"ect around 9upiter looked nothing like one! though it moved in an elongated orbit like a comet. It looked even less like an asteroid! which is a small rocky body that orbits the $un. In the solar system! asteroids exist in a wide belt between /ars and 9upiter.

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When the scientists made the orbital calculations of the new ob"ect! they reali#ed it was not an asteroid! nor was it a comet. It was actually a new moon around 9upiter that had not been noticed before. 'ut! the scientists are still not sure! and they will not be for a few more months. ;or! 9upiter and its moons are too close to the $un right now. &nd! that is why the scientists have not assigned a If the new ob"ect was neither a comet nor an asteroid! what was it< The scientists were in a fix. They reali#ed what it was only last month when they observed its orbit. The orbit is the path that every ob"ect in the solar system takes while revolving around another ob"ect. &nd every ob"ect has a particular kind of orbit. &steroids have one. /oons have another. (lanets have yet another. It is possible to say what exactly an ob"ect in the solar system is by calculating the number of days it takes to go round its orbit. permanent name for the moon. It is still known by the number it was allotted when it was first discovered ?? $E1HHH9. The new moon has a diameter of only 6 km! which means that the walk from one end of the moon to the other is only 6 km. It is 9upiter's smallest moon. &ctually! it is the smallest moon in the solar system. 'efore the new moon was found! the 9upiter's smallest known moon was -eda! which is about A to 1B km. in diameter.

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This is not the first time that one of 9upiter's moons is causing a stir. $ome time ago! it was found out that one of its biggest moons! Io! actually does a lot of stirring and shaking. In the entire solar system! it is the only moon which is more volcanically active than earth. ;or all we know! the new moon may not be the last of 9upiter's moons. There may be many others hiding out there! "ust waiting to be discovered.

1.. 9nderwater erminator
It is not an animal or disease. It is a collective name given to plants! which live underwater. &lgae do not have speciali#ed body parts such as roots! stems and leaves. They range in si#e from very tiny cells to J2 meter long weeds. & special characteristic of algae is that they multiply very fast.

4$ researchers recently identified the algae! which has caused large?scale destruction of 0uropean sea habitats ? almost @!262 hectares of sea habitats along the

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/editerranean coast! according to a report in '*own To 0arth' maga#ine. This algae destroys underwater plant and animal life. 'eing toxic it forces the fish to seek new homes. 3aulerpa Taxifolia ,3 Taxifolia.! was found in &gua +edionda near $an *iego! 4$. =esearchers feel that the algae may have ended up in the sea probably after someone emptied the contents of their a uarium into a lagoon. & lagoon is a shallow water body like a pond! which ultimately gets connected to a larger water body. *ue to this reason! the sale of algae was banned for a uarium use in 4$1HHH. &ll algae are not harmful but some like 3. Taxifolia can cause a lot of harm to the other creatures living in the sea. 'right green and feathery! 3 Taxifolia grows fast! and poses a big threat to the delicate balance in the sea environment.

22. 0igh Per'ormance, &ow Po""ution
With the number of vehicles and industries growing at an alarming rate in India! pollution levels are also shooting up. /ost of us go about our daily lives feeling the impact of pollution in smarting eyes and asthmatic sighs! but we do not do much beyond talking about it. 'ut there are some people who are actually thinking of ways in which to preserve a green environment so that we can all breathe cleaner air. They are employees of a thermal or coal?based power plant in 3hittorgarh! =a"asthan. The ama#ing fact is that they have been running a 62?year? old power plant without polluting the environment. What is an image of a thermal plant in your mind ??

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so that there is minimum pollution. The most polluted area in the plant is the one where coal is dumped from the trucks. It is here that the workers control coal?dust pollution by sprinkling water on the coal. /any trees have also been planted in this area to prevent the spread of the coal?dust. In the area where the conveyor belts carrying coal and ash separately! are situated! coal?dust pollution is controlled black soot coming out from the chimneys! coal dust and ash all around< 'ut! in the power plant here! the scenario is different. There are many trees around the plant. The land around it is green and there is no soot coming out of the chimneys. There is a good reason for this! according to a report in '*own to 0arth' maga#ine. &s soon as the coal is dumped into the yard! the workers sprinkle water on it. 'y doing this they ensure that there is no coal?dust arising to envelop the surroundings. They also make sure that the coal is burnt little by little through other commonsensical methods such as providing covers on the belts. The water that is used in the boilers is also treated for impurities. This water is then used for spraying in the coal yard. If there is extra water then it is used for gardening. 'y recycling! the plant has reduced its water consumption needs to a great extent.

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21. A New Way to 4ight Age:
We can stay young forever. That is the message *r $hen Kiyin wants to give the world. &nd the 3hinese doctor claims that he has found an answer to the problems of ageing. +is solution is a herbal medicine to slow the process of aging.

&nd! he has been working for the past forty years to put together the best of both and find a cure for aging. +e has taken a hint from the ancient 3hinese medicine system called 'shen'. &ccording to $hen! it is the kidney which regulates the functioning of the body as well as its ageing process. It is responsible for the level of activity that the human bodies go through. $tudies conducted by *r $hen show that herbal medicines based on the $hen system slow the ageing process! says a report in 'The Telegraph' newspaper. What do we mean by ageing< It is the beginning of a stage where the body starts losing its ability to fight disease and infections. We notice that when people grow old! they have reduced strength! loss of hair! backache! weakness in general! and wrinkles! among others. This happens because when people grow old! their bodies produce T?cells. These T?cells contain a particular substance called ;as. ;as makes the cells in the body

*r $hen Kiyin has been trained in Western medicine. &t the same time he has access to the knowledge of traditional 3hinese medicine.

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destruct themselves. $o the only way to slow down aging is to slow the production of T?cells in the body. This can happen if people eat low calorie food. Then the body is not active enough to produce extra T?cells. 'ut! is going hungry all the time a good price to pay for staying young< This is where *r $hen's herbal medicine comes in. 'ut how effective it will be! only time can tell.

22. And Now, !choo",ags ;n"ine
Who wants to carry a bulky bag to school< Not children. Nobody wants one shoulder to be lower than the other! and paining too. In India! most of us would look at the reduction of textbooks as a way out. 'ut in a country like &merica! there are always more options. & company called go=eader has created a Ischool bagI which is the si#e of a laptop computer! weighing about 5.6 kg. The go=eader has a color screen and can IholdI all the textbooks that a student may need! says a report in 'The &sian &ge' newspaper. The company plans to work closely with the publishers of textbooks so that these books can be supplied on the internet. &ll the students will have to do is download their text? books. /aking notes and highlighting important parts of a lesson can be done "ust as generations of students have done on their textbooks.

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23. 7<ergreen C"othes
There is good news for those who love splashing around in rain puddles and don't want to get their clothes dirtied. 7r those who play soccer but don't want their shirts to get soiled or wet with sweat. 'ritish scientists have created a fabric that never gets dirty or wet% &t present! the pro"ect is being tested out in a university. =ichard >at#mann! the founder of the company is having his creation tested at 3hicago's *e(aul 4niversity! where he studied. *oes that mean it is goodbye to the crackle of brand new paper! and the smell of the black ink<

The cloth is treated with a special non?sticky chemical that repels grease and water. This ensures that the clothes remain s ueaky clean.

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'ut the scientists are not yet ready to make public the formula of this ImiracleI chemical! says a report in 'The Times of India' newspaper. & well known ;rench company recently launched a new range of "ackets that have Teflon in them. Teflon is the plastic coating on non?stick pans that we use in our kitchens. The material has a special characteristicC it does not react to anything. It does not form bonds with other molecules! like grease or water. &s a result! dirt and water slip away from the teflon fabric! as easily as a parantha slips out of a Teflon?coated pan. &merican scientists have gone a step further. They have integrated insecticide in the textile fibre that kills mos uitoes on contact. This new anti?mos uito fabric found immediate buyers. &ccording to reports! several mos uito net manufacturers are trying to outdo each other in the bid to 'net' a contract with the company for use of this new technology.

2#. 0ow &i=ards $e'y Gra<ity
-i#ards slithering up walls or dangling precariously from overhead lights are a common sight in tropical countries. These slimy creatures #ipping up walls are called geckos. They are the only li#ard species that make any sound! other than hissing ?? in fact they make a loud clicking noise that sounds like IgeckoI! hence the name.

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=ecent studies show that the gecko's ability to cling on to surfaces could well lead to the creation of the world's first non?sticky! self?cleaning adhesive% &ccording to scientists at the 4niversity of 3alifornia! gecko feet function a bit like the tape we use for sticking. 7f course a gecko's tenacious hold is far! far stronger than any earthly tape. $cientist have often analy#ed the feet of geckos in order to understand the li#ard's sticking prowess. ;or years scientists assumed that the pads on the li#ard's feet created suction. This idea was discarded when experiments proved that li#ards continued to cling on to surfaces ?? even in a vacuum. =esearchers have only recently discovered what really enables geckos to scuttle across ceilings and walls without losing their grip. 'y carefully examining the tiny hair that cover a gecko's toes! the team discovered that the microscopic hair split up into even tinier pads called spatulae. These spatulae are incredibly minute

,each is about a lakh times smaller than an inch.. The combined adhesive property of these pads is a gecko can dangle from the ceiling by one toe% 'y filming geckos! running up walls! the scientists discovered that geckos carefully uncurl their toes as they take each step. &nd when they take their feet off the wall they simply reverse this process ? an act similar to the peeling off of tape from a surface. The tiny hair on the toes rolls out to stick to the surface! as the gecko walks! and then peels off as the gecko lifts its toes. 3uriously enough gecko feet do not contain any gummy substances! so the li#ards do not use glue or li uid to grab on. Nor do they need a special surface to cling on to ? like )elcro re uires. The fact that gecko hairs function very! very differently from a regular adhesive ,or )elcro. is of great interest to scientists. uite impressive ?? in fact the adhesive power is so effective that

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=esearchers are now keen to use gecko hairs to make the world's first dry adhesives% $cientists also noticed that gecko hairs are self cleaning ? apparently! the teeny hair! on the gecko's toes! always remain ultra?clean and springy. $cientists have yet to figure out why! and when they do ? we can get rid of messy glue and opt for a dry! self?cleaning alternative.

2%. !3yroc3eting 0o"idays
*o you wish for an IunearthlyL vacation< &merican astronaut 0dwin 0. &ldrin! famous for being the second man to land on the moon! is one of the few people working to promote tourism in space. 'ut if the thought of a holiday in space is mind?boggling! the cost of that thought is even more so ? almost M522 million for an out?of?the?world experience% =eali#ing the need to make space travel as normal as buses or trains! an &merican company called the N (ri#e ;oundation is trying to cut down the cost of space travel. If the company succeeds! one lucky human could be heading for a space vacation at the cost of a bus ticket% The foundation is organi#ing a lottery for a seat on the rocket that will #oom up in space. ThereOs a slight catch! though. The rocket is yet to be designed.

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122 km high into space. While none of the contestants are ready with their designs! a few are confident of creating the ideal spacecraft by the year 5225. The N (ri#e ;oundation was founded in 1HHB! by a group of &merican businesspeople intent on creating low?cost space travel vehicles. The N (ri#e is formulated in the style of early aviation pri#es. In the 1H22s! hundreds of aviation pri#es inspired different aircraft designs. The pri#es also motivated pilots to set records which were hitherto thought of as impossible. $ince its inception in 1HHB! the N (ri#e ;oundation has attracted several sponsors. It is now offering M12 million ,about =s @2 crore. for the best rocket design. $eventeen international teams! including a few amateurs! are competing to build the safest and most affordable passenger rocket. The ;oundationOs officials say that for a craft to be eligible for the pri#e! it must fly twice within a 1@?day period with three passengers on board. It must fly 3harles -indbergh! was one such contestant! who became the first person to fly nonstop across the &tlantic alone. -ike the organi#ations of yore! the N (ri#e ;oundation officials are hoping that their efforts will change the way people view space flight ?? and tourism.

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2(. his ;ne is 'or your 7yes ;n"y
&ny mention of the word '#ari' may remind you of the heavily embroidered 'anaras silk sarees that your mother! sister or aunts may have. 0mbroidering silk sarees with #ari! or golden and silver wrapping on silk threads! is an old and well known art in India. & sari with #ari work is a dream come true for most Indian women. 'ut if you mention #ari to Ieye doctorI or optometrist *r /ohan =am! he will probably remember a patient's retina. ;or this optometrist from the -) (rasad 0ye Institute! +yderabad! has pioneered a new! cheap and efficient method of testing the retina. No pri#es for guessing what the replacement is ? it's the good old #ari% & report on *r /ohan =am's path breaking achievement was published in 'The +indu' newspaper recently. 7ptometrists spend a large part of their daily routines looking into the eyes of patients. They do so to check whether the retina is working properly. +ow it is done is interestingC they throw a beam of light on the retina and measure the electrical signals that the retina sends to the brain. It sends the signal through the optic nerve. These signals are called electroretinograms or 0=G. They are measured with a special instrument called the *T- electrode.

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There is nothing wrong with this procedure except for one thing. The *T- electrode costs are on the higher side. 7ne metre of electrode fibre costs about =s 5!622. This increased *r -.$. /ohan =am's determination to find a cheaper and e ually efficient method of measuring 0=G. +e succeeded! and in a spectacular way. 4nlike the traditional #ari! which was made of silk thread! the modern #ari is made of nylon threads that are covered with some metallic wrapping such as gold! silver or copper. Thin and flexible! it is a good conductor of heat and electricity. It can also be easily sterili#ed. *r /ohan =am decided to check out the efficiency of #ari on 1@ normal sighted people. +e measured the 0=G of one eye with #ari and the other eye with *T-. &nd the patterns of 0=G obtained with #ari compared favorably with the *T- patterns. Kari had another great advantageC it cost =s 62 a metre and was easily available locally.

The young optometrist has received a number of honors for his path?breaking achievement. &t a meeting in $ydney! &ustralia! recently! the International $ociety for 3linical 0lectrophysiology of )ision ,I$30).! spoke of *r /ohan =am's innovation. /eanwhile! the optometrist is busy at work. +e is working with research laboratories to introduce a particular standard in #ari! so that it can be used without any problems.

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2+. *urassic Par3 >>
The film 9urassic (ark is peanuts compared to thisC -ast month! &rgentine scientists found thousands of dinosaur eggs in hundreds of nests at (atagonia. & report in the "ournal New $cientist says that it is the biggest nesting site of dinosaurs found thus far. 0ach nest contained 16 to J2 eggs the si#e of a grapefruit each. The eggs contained bones of titanosaurs which would have weighed about 16 tonnes when fully grown.

-ike several birds today! the dinosaurs also had communal nesting sites! or nests at the same place.

The scientists say that the IvegetarianI dinosaurs had large families but very few of their children would have reached adulthood. The carnivorous dinosaurs would have found it easier to chase the little ones than the big plant?eating adults.

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2-. he Coo" and Cunning &ar3
The very mention of summer and heat makes us think of
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If you are smart like the desert animals! you would probably sleep during the day and move about at night. &nd! like these animals! you would make a hole in the ground and wait till the sun goes down. 'ut! birds do not
94 have the ability to dig burrows. They have to think of other

desert land. 3ountless films have shown thirsty travelers lost in the desert! uttering the words! 'Water% Wa?a?ter! waaa...I 'ut then what do you do if the temperature even in the desert shade is as high as 62 degree centigrade! hot winds almost cut you up into pieces! and there is no water! or even saliva in your mouth< 7ut in the sun! the hoopoe lark's body rapidly loses water ?? almost 12 per cent of its body weight in one hour in direct sunlight. 0ven in the shade! it loses about 1.@ grams of water an hour. It saves itself by lying flat on the ground. 'ut the lark is not a bird that believes in sharing and caring! as the scientists found out. They took out a lark from one burrow and placed it in another which was already occupied by another bird. That one was not willing to share its space with the outsider and fought with it. Which is rather strange! for the li#ard burrow has enough space for many of them. It is almost three to four metres long. 'ut then that's the way the lark is.

means to escape the sun! by thinking smartly. The desert lark! found in the &rabian desert! is one such creature. 'orrow or steal another animal's burrow is its philosophy. It its days in burrows made by the 0gyptian spiny? It spends seems the fish were always a smart lot. 7nly! humans tailed li#ard. time to reali#e the fact. $ome years ago! took some 7ften! thehad original owner of they the house! the li#ard! also is scientists discovered that identify family members found in the burrow. 'ut scientists since the li#ard is a vegetarian and with their smell. Now! in Glasgow 4niversity! uite discovered happy to something have company! the bird to is asafe. The have new! according report in 0conomist has reported these fascinating facts the "ournal maga#ine 'New $cientist'. They have discovered that the discovered scientists the actually desert near $audi salmon fish by go two a step further. in They keepTaif! a nose out &rabia. for fish that smell like outsiders and not like family. Then The scientists havethem. found that there are as many as J2 they get tough with burrows in every s uare of desert land. out &ndtheir that The reason may be that kilometre they use smell to mark probably the lark's life.&nd so! when they get a very territory! saves the scientists feel. strong smell of outsiders! they feel threatened. +ow did the scientists discover this< They brought up @@ salmon from two different families and kept them in several water tanks. &ll the water tanks had members of both families.

2.. he !cent o' an 7nemy

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$cientists feel this discovery will help people who raise wild fisheries. ;or! now they know that if they put salmon belonging to the same family in a fast flowing stream! they will not develop very strong bonds. 'ut if they put them in pools they will grow together and multiply.

In some tanks! water was let in and let out. In other tanks they kept circulating the same water. When that happened the fish scents also got stronger. ;or water gathers more and more of the scent with time. The results were very interesting. In the tanks where water was let in and let out! the fish did not get very strong smells of family or outsiders. 'ut in the tanks where the same water was circulated again and again! the fish scents were much stronger. The salmon in these tanks could easily distinguish the smell of family from outsiders. They got nasty! their fins became erect! they attacked and bit the latter.