Joan's Blog

July 14, 2008:

All right guys, time to hang out with girls for a while. It might make you a better student. A study by psychologist Arlen Moller of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania shows that preschool boys do better in school when they are in classes that have more girls than boys in them.

There is lots of debate about what's better for learning: classes with boys and girls together or classes that are only boys or only girls. Other studies have shown that in high school, girls may do better in all girl classes. But the results aren't as clear in junior high or grade school.

In this study, the researchers looked at 70 preschool classes over a school year. They looked at the students' motor, social and thinking skills. They found that boys in majority-girl classrooms developed these skills more quickly. Boys who were in majority-boy classrooms didn't develop as fast.

And what did they find for girls? It turns out that the number of boys in a classroom didn't affect how the girls learned. What do you think of that!

July 7, 2008: Mercury is shrinking! That's a headline you don't see too often. We usually think of the planets in the solar system as staying pretty much the same.

But scientists at NASA say Mercury's diameter, that is the distance around the planet, has shrunk by about a mile over time. Scientists think the planet is shrinking because its core, the planet's center, is cooling. The core of the planet is made up of hot liquid. When it cools, it doesn't take up as much space; hence the whole planet is getting smaller.

Scientists are learning more about Mercury because the Messenger spacecraft flew by the planet last January. Messenger, by the way, stands for "Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging." This spacecraft will fly by Mercury three times as it prepares to settle into an orbit around the solar system's smallest planet in 2011.

If you want to learn more about planets, check out our D4K Planets website, or watch one of our videos on planets.

June 16, 2008: Old Faithful is the world's most famous geyser. A geyser is a hot spring that erupts a burst of steam and hot water. Old Faithful goes off once every 50-to-90-minutes. Now scientists think that the length of the period between eruptions has to do with the annual rainfall. Researcher Shaul Hurwitz and other scientists from Yellowstone National Park have discovered that when there is less rain, the length of time between eruptions gets longer and when there is more rain, the duration is shorter. Watch Old Faithful erupt.

Just so you know, there are less than a thousand geysers worldwide, with more than half of them in Yellowstone National Park. Old Faithful was named in 1870 and was the first geyser in the Park to be named.

May 27, 2008: Who would have thought that Idaho and the planet Mars have something in common? Researcher Michael Lamb at the University of California at Berkeley does. Lamb and his colleagues studied Idaho's Box Canyon and have decided that it may tell us how water shaped the landscape on Mars.

Geologists had always thought that Box Canyon was formed slowly, with groundwater seeping through the canyon walls and wearing the rocks away in a process called erosion. These canyons are stubby and end with a round steep wall. They are called "amphitheater-headed" canyons. Geologists assumed other, similarly shaped canyons, including canyons on Mars, were formed in the same manner. But Lamb and his colleagues have decided that a massive flood formed Box Canyon about 45,000 years ago. The water probably came from melting ice sheets and would have blasted through the canyon at an incredibly fast speed. If this is the case, Lamb says it is likely that megafloods occurred on Mars and created similarly shaped canyons there.

If you want to learn more about rocks and minerals in Idaho, be sure to check out our most recent broadcast show. You can also find out more on our rocks and mineral site. And just a reminder, even though we won't have any new broadcast shows until September, there will be new postings here on my blog. There are also lots of interesting things to find on this web site, so check out a topic, watch a video short, a web-only show, or a full 30-minute program. Send me an email for the "Watt's up" section. School may be out, but D4K is always here!

May 12, 2008: While I wouldn't recommend having anything to do with an alligator, you might someday need its blood. Chemists Dr. Mark Merchant, Kemit Murray and Lancia Darville are working on ways to use alligator blood to create new antibiotics. Doctors use antibiotics to kill germs that make us sick. If you get a cut, and the cut gets infected with bad germs, it can turn red and puffy. But these chemists noted that when alligators get cut, they don't get this kind of infection even though they live dirty, germ-filled water. Why?

It turns out alligator blood contains materials that work like antibiotics. In laboratory tests, gator blood seems stop a number of the Earth's worst infections, so the researchers hope to turn the proteins in alligator blood into new medicines.

One more roundup of scientific news in honor of Mother's Day. It turns out that scientists have concluded that if you have a good Mom, you will probably live longer and healthier and be smarter and happier. Researchers found that good mice Moms, the ones who licked and groomed their pups, turned out pups that did better on mouse IQ tests. Researchers at the McGill University in Montreal found that mouse pups that were canoodled by their mothers grew into less anxious, more self-assured adults.

Scientists at the University of Tampere in Finland found human Moms are important too. Researchers videotaped infants 8 to 11 weeks old and their Moms and noted how much each parent and child interacted. Two years later, they found that those children who did not interact with their Moms tended to be sicker and had more chronic illnesses. So science proves good kids need good Moms! By the way, this research doesn't mean you don't need good Dads. Moms (especially mice Moms) tend to be the primary caregivers, so Moms were the focus of the research. But Dads can be primary caregivers too.

Be sure to send in your questions about rocks and minerals. We have a new broadcast show next Tuesday, May 20th. Email me or plan to call in live 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT. You can watch the show on Idaho Public Television or here on your computer. The show and the Web Extra will be archived here on the Web site shortly afterwards.

May 5, 2008: Scientists have found what they think is the biggest animal eye. The eyes of the colossal squid measure eleven inches across. The human eye is only about an inch across. So this lady could really see! The scientists think that when the animal was alive, the eyes were probably even larger.

By the way, the squid itself is no small creature. It is about 34 feet long. A fisherman caught this one in the Ross Sea near Antarctica last year. Scientists don't know too much about this type of squid because only ten have ever been caught. They are dissecting the rare specimen in hopes of learning more about the animal.

Our next broadcast show is coming up soon. We'll be talking about rocks and minerals. Check out the show's Web site, and send in your questions.

April 21, 2008: A 'bionic eye' may give sight to those left blind by a hereditary disease. Scientists at London¹s Moorfields Eye Hospital are testing an artificial eye on two men who lost their sight to the disease retinitis pigmentosa. The 'bionic eye' is implanted in the back of the eye and is connected to a camera on a pair of glasses. The camera sends a wireless signal to a very thing electronic receiver and electrode panel. That panel is implanted in the eye and attached to the retina. Learn more about the eye from one of our previous D4K shows. Initially, doctors hope the men will be able to see light and dark outlines. They aren't sure if everything will work, but the doctors are hopeful. If perfected, the bionic eye may give sight to thousands of Americans.

If you want something to look at, check out our program with Idaho's Teacher-in-Space, Barbara Morgan.

One other note of interest, D4K received two (2) Emmy nominations! The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Northwest chapter nominated D4K in the Children/Youth program category, and the D4K "Web Extra" was nominated for best Children/Youth/Teen Advanced Media. This Emmy is given for programs designed exclusively for the Web. The Emmys for the Northwest region will be presented on June 7, 2008 in Seattle. Yippee!

April 14, 2008: Have you felt the ground moving? You might have if you lived in central Oregon. Scientists have detected an unusual number of earthquakes in that area. Using underwater microphones, the scientists picked up more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin deep within the earth about 150 miles southwest of Newport, Oregon.

Researchers aren't quite sure what these quakes mean. This type of quake usually happens before a volcanic eruption, but there are no volcanoes in this area. Scientists think that molten rock is moving away from recognized earthquake faults off Oregon shores. They hope to send research ships into the ocean to take water samples. They want to look for evidence that sediment has been stirred up. That might show that magma is on the move.

Speaking of moving, it's time for you to get moving and send in a question for this week's new broadcast show. Teacher-in-Space Barbara Morgan will be our guest for a one-hour special. That show airs at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT on Tuesday, April 15th.

Send in your questions via email or call in during the live show. You can watch it on Idaho Public Television or here on your computer. We will archive the show and the Web Extra shortly afterwards. Remember, when you send in a question, you and your class are entered into a drawing for a DVD player, DVDs and other prizes. I hope to hear from you.

April 7, 2008: DNA extracted from, well, poop, is making news this week. Scientists found some fossilized feces in a cave in Oregon. It shows that humans lived in North America more than 14,000 years ago, 1,000 year earlier than previously thought.

Researchers also learned that these ancient peoples were related to humans living in Siberia and East Asia. This suggests that these peoples came to North America from Asia over a land-bridge between Alaska and Siberia.

The ancient poop also gives scientists an idea about what these early humans ate. How's this for a diet: squirrels, bison, fish, grass, sunflowers, birds and dog.

Scientists call fossil feces coprolites. The oldest bit of coprolite being studied is about 14,340 years old.

If you are more interested in space than coprolites, here is your chance to talk with a real astronaut. Idaho's Teacher-in-Space, Mission Specialist Barbara Morgan is our guest on next week's D4K. She will be joining us from Houston for a one-hour special. Send in your questions now or call in live during the show. Check it out at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT on Tuesday, April 15th on Idaho Public Television or here on your computer. We will also archive the show afterwards AND do a Web extra with Barbara. So check it out!

April 1, 2008: For years, everyone thought that a recording of "Mary Had A Little Lamb" by Thomas Edison was the oldest known recording of the human voice. But scientists have discovered a song recorded 17 years earlier. In 1860, Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville, a Parisian inventor, recorded, sort of, a bit of the song "Au Clair de la Lune." I say "sort of" because the recording isn't like any modern day recording. The French inventor used a "phonautograph." This invention scratched lines onto a piece of paper covered in soot from a burning oil lamp. The lines came from a needle attached to a diaphragm that responded to sound. The BBC has more on the story. You'll also find a link there to listen to this ancient piece of music.

I hope you had a chance to see our show on Amphibians. While you're there, you can also watch our web-only or video short pieces. Our next program is a one hour special with Education Mission Specialist, Idaho's Teacher-in-Space, Barbara Morgan. If you have a question for her, send it in soon. We are expecting more than a thousand questions. You can also call-in during the live show.

We are starting to decide what subjects we will feature next season. Do you have any suggestions? Send me an email.

March 24, 2008: Sorry I missed last week. We had a new show. Check out our program about amphibians, including facts and links as well as our Web-only video.

We are starting to build up to our next broadcast show with Barbara Morgan. If you have a question for her, get it in early. Last time Barbara was on, we had more than a thousand questions. Send in your question here.

My favorite science story of the week comes out of Harvard. Researchers there were testing the idea that good guys finish last. It turns out they were wrong. Being nice and fair helps you succeed.

Researchers watched 100 college students play the same game over and over. The theory was that punishment makes two equal players cooperate rather than compete. But when played over and over, punishment didn't seem to work as well. Working together, being nice, was the way to win.

The author of the study, Marin Nowak said, "We find that those who used punishment are losers." Those who escalate the conflict, or push punishment, often wound up 'doomed.'

So when playing the game of life, science seems to think, that they best way to play is to be nice.

Be sure to check out the amphibian pages. For those of you on Spring Break, have a great time!

March 10, 2008: Rats and frogs are not necessarily the best of friends, but they share one thing in common, the year 2008. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2008 is the year of the Rat. But starting February 29th, it is also officially the year of the Frog. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is promoting 2008 as the Year of the Frog because, they say, frogs are going extinct. The World Conservation Union estimates that at least one-third of known amphibian species are threatened with extinction.

If you want to learn more about why amphibians are in trouble, tune into next week's live broadcast show. Scientists will be in the studio to answer your questions about amphibians. You can see it here on your computer or on Idaho Public Television on March 18th at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT. You can also catch the web extra or the full half hour show after that here on the D4K site. Be sure to email your questions or call in live.

March 3, 2008: You are what you drink, or at least your hair is. Scientists have discovered that they can figure out where you live and where you have been based on the chemical makeup of your hair. And they can do this because of the water we drink.

Remember, water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. These atoms can vary in how much they weigh. Different forms of a single element like hydrogen or oxygen are called isotopes. And scientists know that tap water in different parts of the world contain unique proportions of heavier and lighter hydrogen and oxygen isotopes.

Now, water makes up more than half of an adult's body weight. Our bodies break down water as part of the digestive process and parts of the water we drink end up in our hair. So environmental chemist James R. Ehleringer from the University of Utah wondered if he could learn where you live based on the amount of isotopes found in your hair.

He and his colleagues collected hair samples from 65 cities in 18 states and found that hair from a specific spot matched the concentrations of isotopes found in that spot's water supply.

Even if you drink bottled water, Ehleringer and his team say your hair will still give you away because you probably use tap water for your cooking and because milk and soft drinks contain large amounts of water from within a local region.

Now, Ehleringer says the technique can't pinpoint a person's exact location because similar types of water can be found in rather broad regions. But it can help narrow down the search, especially for police who use hair samples to investigate criminals or to help crime victims.

These maps illustrate how the concentrations of certain hydrogen isotopes (top) and oxygen isotopes (bottom) in water differ throughout the United States. Red areas are where concentrations of these isotopes are highest. Blue points to regions having the lowest concentrations.[From the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences].

February 25, 2008: The frog from hell, that's quite an introduction. Scientists have unearthed a fossil of a frog believed to have weighed in at about nine pounds. They call it Beelzebufo, or "frog from hell." It was apparently quite different from frogs today. Its body was about 16 inches long, with short legs and a big mouth. Scientist Susan Evans, from the University College of London, believes the frog from hell might have been a scary predator. "Its diet most likely [would] have consisted of insects," she said, but it might have also eaten small dinosaurs. If you want to learn more about frogs, be sure to tune into our next broadcast show. We'll be answering your questions about amphibians on March 18th. You can send in your questions now, and you and your class will be entered into a drawing for a DVD player and DVDs.

Did you have a chance to watch the lunar eclipse last week? Here are a couple of pictures I took of the event. The next lunar eclipse we can see will be in 2010.

You don't have to wait that long if you missed last week's broadcast show on teeth. Take a couple minutes to look at the "Video Short" or the "Web Extra" programs.

February 18, 2008: Ever been head-butted? Apparently head-butting was the weapon of choice for one dinosaur. Paleontologists (scientists that study dinosaur bones) found the bones of two new meat-eating dinosaurs in Africa. The first was named "Kryptops palaios" or "old hidden face." Scientist Paul Sereno called it that because of a horny covering over its face. Sereno and his other fossil hunters named the second new dinosaur "Eocarcharia dinops," which means "fierce-eye dawn shark" for its razor-sharp teeth and bony brow.

Both dinosaurs were about 25 feet long and stood 7 feet tall. By studying the dinosaurs' teeth, scientists think Kryptops was a scavenger. His short snout was better for gnawing its food. They think Eocarcharia used its head to butt its rivals.

Scientists can tell a lot about a creature by looking at its teeth. Do you want to know how? Well, tomorrow, Tuesday, February 19th, I have a new broadcast show all about teeth. Check it out on Idaho Public Television or here on your computer at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT or watch it here afterwards on this website. Be sure to send in your question about teeth (link) so you can win a DVD player and DVDs for your classroom.

February 11, 2008: Researchers have come up with a new power source for your iPod or cell phone, and it is as close as your knee. Maxwell Donelan of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and his colleagues have invented a device that looks like a knee brace. It converts the energy from a moving leg into electricity. When we walk, we generate energy. The hamstring muscle slows our knees, absorbing energy with each step. Donelan's device "harvests" the extra energy and converts it into electricity.

Volunteers wore the brace walking slowly on a treadmill. They found they could walk with the device without much bother and without much effort. But the payoff was pretty good. They could generate about five watts of electricity. That's enough power to run ten cell phones or twice the power needed to run a computer. That's good news for the millions of kids who live in places without electricity. Just think, some day you may take a walk around the block to check the Internet!

Two more things: if you are giving your Valentine a bunch of roses this week, be sure to also give a can of lemon-lime soda. Scientists at the University of Missouri report that lemon-lime soda can extend the life of cut roses.

Here is the whole recipe: 12 ounces of lemon-lime sofa (regular, not diet), 12 ounces of water, and half a teaspoon of bleach or mouthwash. If you have hard water, add a drop of dishwashing liquid. Once your Valentine gets his/her roses home, have them re-cut the stems under running water (very important to be cut under running water) and put them into your lemon-lime formula. That should do it. Science can make your love last — or at least your love's flowers!

Finally, remember we have a new D4K broadcast show next Tuesday, February 19th. Send in your questions about teeth! See the show on Idaho Public Television at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT or here online afterwards.

Happy Valentine's Day!

February 4, 2008: Happy Year of the Rat! This Thursday, February 7th, is the beginning of the lunar year in China. The Rat is the first of 12 animals on the Chinese Zodiac. People born in the year of the Rat are supposed to be leaders and pioneers and to like order. It is all based on an ancient Chinese philosophy.

Check out this chart and find out what animal you are. Remember, if you were born in January or early February, you are probably associated with the prior year's animal. That's because the Chinese New Year happens in early February, not on January 1st. I am an Ox.

I am also a fan of roses. And Japanese researchers worked for 14 years to develop a new blue rose. They created the rose by implanting the gene that makes blue pigments in pansies into a rose. The company says it will start selling them in Japan next year. They aren't saying how much they cost. So if you want a blue rose for your valentine this year, make it out of paper!

Be sure to send in your questions about teeth for our next D4K broadcast show. That program airs on Idaho Public Television on February 19th at 2:00/ 1:00 p.m. MT/PT.

January 28, 2008: What did the dentist see at the North Pole? A molar bear. What was the dentist doing in Panama? Looking for the Root Canal? What did the tooth say to the departing dentist? Fill me in when you get back.

Dental humor might or might not be your thing, but scientists now believe humor might help you learn more and might help your parents cope with difficult jobs. Researcher Melissa B. Wanzer, a professor of communication studies at Canisius College in Buffalo New York, wondered how health care providers for very sick people managed to go to work each day. The answer: humor. Workers who approached their job with a sense of humor coped better in tough situations. She also found that if a manager or teacher used humor appropriately, they were generally viewed as doing a better job. She reports that students also learn more when their teachers use humor effectively.

Now this is not to say your teacher should start each day with a stand-up routine, but a joke now and then and a good sense of humor can make everyone's day a bit better.

What does the dentist of the year get as a prize? A little plaque.

If you have a question for the dentist who will appear on our next broadcast D4K, send it in. The show airs on Idaho Public Television on February 19th and will be here on the D4K website after that.

One more thing — D4K was just honored with the Best Instructional Program (small market) award from the National Education Telecommunication Association (NETA). Yippee!

January 21, 2008: I hope you had a chance to see last week's show on Force and Motion. If you missed it, you can see the whole show, the video short, or the web-only extra from the show's video archive page. Check it out!

I've been doing lots of reading about teeth leading up to our show next month so this bit of science news caught my eye. Scientists think they may have come up with a better way to cure bad breath.

Halitosis, or bad breath, can be caused by germs that grow in your mouth. The germs live on the bits of food left on your teeth. If you don't brush and floss regularly, the germs grow. They excrete waste, using your mouth as a, forgive the term, toilet. Those waste products leave you with bad breath.

But scientists in Illinois report that breath mints made with magnolia tree bark extract kill the germs in about half an hour. Minmin Tian and Michael Greenberg tested the magnolia bark using spit taken from volunteers. They found the magnolia tree bark extract mints killed more than 61 percent of the bad breath making germs. That's 15 times better than your average breath mint.

They also found that the extract mints helped kill the bacteria that cause cavities. The scientists say the best way to stop bad breath and cavities is still brushing and flossing regularly, but any new weapon in the war against bad breath is important. There is one thing news reports about this discovery doesn't say. It doesn't say what the magnolia tree bark extract mints taste like!

Be sure to check out the Force and Motion videos and send in a question for February's broadcast show. It is all about teeth. Maybe the dentists coming on the show know what magnolia tree bark extract mints taste like!

January 7, 2008: Okay, I have a few more weird science stories of 2007 to report. MSNBC polled its readers and came up with its own list. Here are my favorites from their list:

• Glowing cat clones: Scientists in South Korean transferred genes into cloned cat embryos so the cats would glow under ultraviolet light.
• See-through frogs: I did report this on my blog when it made the news. Japanese scientist developed these frogs to study internal organs without having to dissect the frog.
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• Checker champion computer: Researchers at The University of Alberta in Canada have developed a computer program that figured out every single possible move in checkers. So, don't play against this guy. This computer will win every time.
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• Monkeys with good memories: Experiments with young chimps found they could perform memory tests faster than human and do them just as well. Hmmmm, maybe we should have the monkeys play the computer?

Now, time to look forward. We have a new broadcast show all about force and motion for January 15th. Send in your questions now and be entered in our contest for a DVD player and DVDs for your classroom.

December 31, 2007: Happy 2008 to you all! Before we jump into the New Year, let's look at some of my favorite science stories of 2007. Here they are, in no particular order:

* The weather was a big story in 2007. January was the warmest first month on record worldwide at 1.53 degrees above normal. And 2007 was shaping up to be the hottest year on record in the Northern Hemisphere. We here in Idaho felt the heat. Chilly Barton Flat (in Central Idaho) was singled out for its record high temperatures of 100 degrees for four days in July and August.

* Astronomers spotted the brightest supernova of a star ever observed in May. The star was 240 million light years away. A supernova is a star that explodes. This one was located in the galaxy NGC 1260SN. It burned for more than 250 days.

* Scientists all over the world discovered thousands of new species including:

• a rat the size of a cat in New Guinea
• a deep-water squid with fins like elephant ears and with 10 arms
• a black toad with purple rings in Suriname
• a new variety of clouded leopard on Borneo and Sumatra
• a medium sized, tree-dwelling primate call a highland mangebey in the mountains of East Africa

But, scientists also say that if global warming continues, 20% of the world's plant and animals may vanish. That's not good news.

* Archaeologists in China discovered the remains of a feathered, 16-foot-tall, 3000-pound flightless dinosaur. The 70-million-year-old Gigantoraptor erlianensis was found in Mongolia.

* Scientists learned that Neanderthals might have been redheads. Hey!

* Experts have found a way to make Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) brighter and use less power than regular bulbs. This may mark the end of incandescent lights. Actually, that's good news because we all need to use less energy and this way, we will still be able to see in the dark!

* By the end of the year, the world's population will top 6.6 billion — that's 100 million new people since last year. Wow.

My thanks to Lisa Stein at Scientific American and Elizabeth Weise at USA ToDAY for their help with today's blog. If you have a minute, scroll down this page and check out some of the other science stories I highlighted over 2007. They include more about giant ancient scorpions, why you like chocolate, the oldest living creature (a clam), and a web of millions of spiders that covers acres in Texas, just to name a few.

Have a great 2008 and keep checking back here for fun science news!

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