DiscoveryBox 146

£ 4.15 - N. 146 – September 2010

issn 1366-9028

World

History

Science

Nature

Egypt

Tony and Alberto, n.9 by Dab’s © Glénat Editions

How long

do you think lions sleep?

12 hours a day 20 hours a day 36 hours a day?

Chamo

What do a dress and the nose of a high-speed train have in common?

They’re both made from

To find the answer go to

Face to face with lions

Fabrics of the future page

page

12

Do you know

2 million tonnes

your family?

That would be the hominids or ‘great apes’. Other members are chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orang-utans. We’re all related!

That was the weight of stone needed to build an Egyptian pyramid.

The chimp who knew he was going to die page

4

Find out more about the

Egyptians

20

page

25

Travel

to the middle of a Russian forest and learn all about

To throw a boomerang you must be:

Russia in the time of the tsars

Australian facing into the wind twisted

page

To find the answer go to

29

Boomerangs page

38

This panel M o re in DIY sends you to the DIY section at the back of DiscoveryBox where there will be an activity for you to do. r

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:

website

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le www. bayard-magazines.co.uk

blog

Bonusstuff Sometimes we will have extra to look at or download. Go to: www.bayard-magazines.co.uk and click on DiscoveryBox Extras.

DiscoveryBox is printed on chlorinefree paper from managed forests.

M o re in

DIY

Va sur

le blog

M o re in

DIY

M o re in

DIY

Va sur

le blog

Labo

DiscoveryBox is a 2010 winner of a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award.

www.bayard-magazines.co.uk

Photo: Thomas Louapre. Photo of cover: Anup Shah.

Look out for these symbols:

48

Face to face

LIONS

Here we are on the savannah in Kenya, Africa, with some lion cubs. A camera at ground level brings us these amazing shots of a pride of lions.

Nature

5

with

Family group Mother She looks like a big pussy cat

but she’s an awesome hunter. She uses her powerful muscles, jaws and claws to catch zebras and wildebeest.

Cub Isn’t he cute with his big, brown eyes?

This lion cub is growing up in a pride (family) of two males, six females and a dozen cubs.

Father His huge mane is a disadvantage

for hunting because it can be seen from far away. So it’s the lionesses who hunt for the pride. But the male always gets to eat first and he can happily gorge on 30kg of meat a meal!

6

7

Nature

Text: P. Bouchié. Photos: Anup Shah

Smile, you’re on camera!

Lions don’t like getting into the water but they will lap up water like cats. These five little cubs play together all day long. They chase and jump all over each other.

It’s good practice for when they start hunting. But what they love best is napping. Lions sleep for around 20 hours a day! r

Go to ou

:

website

Nature

www. bayard-magazines.co.uk

Ch

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g mop for wipin What is this? A Better not the floor? Er… omondors! make fun of k oking, woolly These funny-lo ginally from ori sheepdogs are ungary. They the plains of H to 80kg and are can weigh up very strong!

P

T. A. Clary/AF

Crazy!

P rickly golf

An American comic book published in 1938 has been sold for a record $877,631!

It contains the first episode of the adventures of Superman.

n rto eu

The Ariz o home to na desert in the U N a lot of c ative American SA used to be actuses s, cowbo .T y there bu t the Na he plants are st s and t ill the cowb ive Ame ric o by… gol ys have been re ans and fe p picture, rs! But from this laced g in Arizon olf tournaments a are pr ickly affairs!

Eyepress News/AFP

D. Carrol

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B M.

218,792

This is the number of cards used to make the biggest card castle in the world.

It stays together without a single drop of glue! It’s an exact replica of a hot el and casino in Macao, China.

Miss Harriet, where’s the shin bone belonging to the diplodocus?

In the kitchen, Professor…

They needed a marrow bone for the stew!

10

Competition Frid ay 24th September is FSC Frid ay, for more information go to: ® FSC AC All Rights ReservedFSC-SECR-0068

www.fsc-uk.org

Look out for the FSC tick tree logo when shoppin g for wood and paper products.

By choosin g FSC products, you are supporting the responsible man agement of the world’s forests.

FSC forests are man aged with care for the environment, wildlife and the people who live and work in them.

Three great prizes to be won!

Three lucky winners will be chosen at random to receive an FSC goody bag, which includes FSC t-shirts, pencils, books, footballs and more (the contents may vary).

WHA

T TO DO Use the leaf alphabet to w ork out what the me ssage Send your an says. swer by 15 th Bayard, 1st O ct ob er to: floor, 2 Kin g street, Peterb Don’t forget to write your orough, PE1 1L na me and ad T, UK . dress and th e na

me of your m ag azin e.

___ ___ _ __

___ ___ _ __ ___ __ _ ___

___ ___ _ __ ___ __ _ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ _ __

___ ___ _ _

___ ___ _ __ ___ __ _ ___

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Terms and Con and others pro ditions: Entry into this compet fessionally ass ociated with the ition implies acceptance of Winners will the Bayard Presse be notified within 28 days of magazine and their immediate se rules and conditions. Ope the competitio n to all reader families. The entry per compet reserves the right to substit ute the prize forn. The prizes are subject to prizes are as stated and wil s, other than employees of ition per househ availability. In Bayard Presse one old. In enterin of equal value. the unlikely evel be awarded at random on the g this compet No cash Winners’ names ition the entrant is agreeingalternative is available. No cornt of stated prizes being una draw date. may be publish vai to receive e-mails respondence wil ed in a future issu l be entered intlable, from Bayard Pre o. One e of the magaz sse and carefully ine. selected partne rs.

in

FABRICs

12

of the future

What do a station roof, the nose of a high-speed train, the suit worn by a triathlon champion and a fireman’s jacket all have in common? They’re all made of fabric.

Science

13

Fabrics are flexible materials made of fibres or threads that are woven together.

Nowadays all sorts of things are made of fabric: suitcases, advertising hoardings, even bikes and parts of electricity sensors on high-speed trains. Some fabrics are very flexible and others are ultra-resistant or very hard.

Fabrics are everywhere.

You can’t get away from them! Turn the page to follow the thread of our enquiry…

Fire-resistant The external coating on their suit protects firefighters from flames as hot as 400°C! But inside the suit, they get very hot.

Their job can be very demanding physically.

suit Today’s jacket made of aramid fibres and Kevlar = 2kg Leather jacket used in the past = 3kg

Transmitter box

Fabric antenna Flexible battery woven into the fabric so it doesn’t get in the firefighter’s way.

Temperature, sweat and heartbeat sensors

Sensors woven into the firefighters’ t-shirt record their body temperature, breathing rate and heartbeat.

They even analyse their sweat!

Reflective fabric strips

The antenna transmits the information about the firefighter by radio waves to a base station.

The information tells the commander of the unit whether he should order the firefighters to leave the scene of the fire.

From weaving to knitting 30,000 years ago,

prehistoric people wove ropes and nets using plant fibres.

12,000 years ago,

humans invented weaving by twisting together two threads.

This was the start of fabric.

Soon, fabric was used instead of animal skins to make clothes.

900 years ago

The Arabs invented knitting.

This was a way of making fabric using only one thread. n More i

DIY

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DIY

p.4 4

14

Lightweight

bike

Frame = 3km of carbon fibres

This train follows its nose!

Cycling champions Goodbye metal bike! of fabric. now ride bikes made a long tube using e av Manufacturers we ey heat the tube in carbon fibres. Then th cky, glue-like a mould with resin (a sti ur later they have substance). Half an ho e same frame in an 800g bike frame. Th . steel would weigh 1.7kg Fork = 1km of carbon fibres

The nose of this high-sp eed train is made of woven glass fib res that are heated to 50°C. Fibreglass can be mad e into any shape that engineers need. It’s also lighter and stronger than steel . Most importantly, in a fire, fibreglass does n’t burn. This means firefighters and passengers are less exposed to danger ous fumes.

Science

15

Its aerodynamic shape means it has less resistance to the air, which means it uses less electricity.

Dress fit

for a princess

The colour of this dress changes, just like in a fairy tale! When it was ma de, micro-capsules were attached to the fibres of the fabric. The capsul es contain a coloured chemical that becomes transparent when the temperature rises above 22°C. So in the summer, a pink dress with blu e capsules stays blue in a cool house.

Outside in the sunshine, it turns pin k!

Fragile capsules release perfume to mask the smell of sweat Strong capsules change colour in the heat

Light

rvoeor f

o our heads

stations Today architects build stadiums and must be both it using fabric. But not any old fabric: ough. Some strong and light and let sunlight thr winds of more fabrics are also designed to resist lding in areas bui than 360km/h. They’re ideal for uakes. where there are cyclones or earthq

Curved surface so rain or snow run off it Valleys where water can run down Steel tension cables keep the roof stretched tight

16

Triathlon

suit

Sponsor’s logo

This triathlete’s suit was made using the latest technology. l After swimming, it dries in 5 minutes. l D uring running or cycling, it lets sweat escape. l I t supports muscles and makes them more powerful.

All of these help the athlete run faster.

No more seams that rub against the skin!

The different parts of this suit are glued together.

Fabric around the thighs is woven in such a way as to grip the muscles so that they shake less and are stronger.

Text: M. Beynié. Illustrations: P. Hart and D. Grant.

From hemp thread to spider goats

Humans first wove fabric using plant fibres and then animal hairs (such as wool). Today researchers have discovered that spiders make silk that’s stronger than steel. They have genetically engineered goats to produce hair that can be made into a silk thread as strong as a spider’s but in much greater quantities!

Surgeons will be able to use this thread to sew blood vessels in humans.

Science

Ch am

o

What is...

a hendecagon?

DR Triangles have three sides, squares have four sides, pentagons have five sides and hexagons have six sides…

All these geometrical shapes are polygons. A hendecagon is a polygon with 11 sides.

Who was...

Marie Curie?

.E

va ns

She was a Polish chemist and physicist who isolated radium in 1898 with her husband. Radium is a metal that gives off rays that can cure cancer. Marie Curie received two Nobel prizes for her work with radioactivity (she invented this name) and she was the first female professor at the University of Paris.

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Words Michel Beurton

Crocodile tears

If we say someone is crying crocodile tears, it means th ey’re pretending to cry but aren’t really sa d. When crocodile s eat their prey, tears ru n out of their eyes just as the saliva runs out of their mouth .

It happens autom atically and has no thing to do with them be ing sad.

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When it’s time for the class photo, the snail is always asked not to smile!

close your mouth!

Not because it has bad teeth…

ay…

Look this w

Marion Montaigne

Got it?

Ready, children?

aaand… smile!

… but because it has 20,000 teeth on its tongue!

18

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     

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  

  

  

    

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  

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       

     

 

  

19



   

© J. V. Stanek

Life

The chimp

who (maybe) knew

he was going

chimpanzee, Hurvinek the 6 aged

to die

his story starts in 1950 in the rainforest in Guinea in Africa.

Some chimpanzees were moving from branch to branch up in the trees. Two men watched them from the ground. One man had a gun.

“Be careful not to shoot the baby…” said the other man.

The hunter was aiming at a mother chimpanzee whose baby was clinging to her tummy. He fired. Pow! The mother had been hit and fell to the ground, protecting her baby with her arms. She fell on her back with a thud.

Chimps are intelligent Scientists have been studying chimpanzees for 300 years. They now know that chimps can learn to understand the meaning of up to 250 different signs.

They can give their keepers short orders, such as, “Give banana”. Today, by hitting the keys on a special computer, chimpanzee X can communicate with a human being and respond to complicated orders, such as, “If X gives the soft toy an injection and puts it on the second shelf, Paul will give him a banana.”

© Cyril Ruoso

T

20

old boy called Vilem visited the zoo with his parents. He liked the apes best, especially Hurvinek.

In the chimp’s big cage there was a door a few metres off the ground that led to a smaller cage where he could sleep without being seen by the people visiting the zoo. Sometimes Hurvinek grabbed the edge of the door, pulled himself up a nd disappeared.

“See, Mum,,” said Vilem. “Even a gymnast couldn’t do that!”

Nature

Science

21

“Good shot! She’s dead,” said the first man. “The baby is groggy but alive. Look, it’s a male. See his face with those sticking-out ears?

He will be fine for the order from the Czechs! Put him in the bag.”

That’s how, three months later, the little chimp arrived at Prague Zoo in Czechoslovakia. He was called Hur vinek after a puppet with funny ears on Czech television.

Two or three years passed.

Almost every Sunday, a 10-year-

in gl

W hen the young ape thought the crowd was big enough, he collected rubbish and threw it at them. Then they all started shouting, which he seemed to find funny.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to,” thought Vilem smiling. “I’m sure you keep One day Hurvinek a little stash of threw an apple core peelings so you at Vilem, hitting him have things to on the chest. throw!”

Then one day, Hurvinek’s fur suddenly bristled as he grabbed an apple core and threw it at Vilem, hitting him on the chest.

People in the crowd burst out laughing. The boy was really

P. E

hen Vilem was 14 he went to the zoo so often that all the keepers and even the director knew who he was. He was allowed in for free.

He still loved the apes and wanted to understand them and be able to communicate with them…

But Hurvinek ignored Vilem, despite all the boy’s attempts to make friends.

Vilem complained, “I know he recognises people because he greets them by shouting ‘oohooh’. He’s so annoying!”

The chimp may have been annoying but he was also a clown!

When there was a crowd of people he would do a dance.

“He’s so funny!” laughed the visitors.

©

W

22

pleased. “He aimed at me, straight at me. He recognises me!” thought Vilem happily.

That was how their friendship began. Vilem visited the chimp often. Hurvinek started greeting him with little ‘ooh-ooh’ sounds.

Vilem thought he was saying, “I know you, but I’m not really interested in you!”

When Vilem was 18 he was still really interested in apes. He got the chance to do a student work placement over the summer at the zoo. By this time, Hurvinek had become an adult. He was 1.20m tall and weighed 75kg. But he had contracted tuberculosis.

Great apes can easily catch human respiratory (breathing) diseases. Although the vet treated Hurvinek, the chimpanzee didn’t get better.

All summer long, Vilem fed him, looked af ter him and cleaned out his cage… But he never forgot that he was dealing with a powerful wild animal. He had noticed that the keepers

Chimp language

never took hold of the chimps’ hands through the bars. They only stroked the back of their hands so the chimps could not catch hold of theirs. In zoos, more serious accidents happen with chimpanzees than with wild cats.

One evening in August, Vilem found Hurvinek lying in his cage.

He was almost completely still.

The young man was worried about him and he went back to see the chimp before going home.

To his surprise, Hurvinek stood up, walked slowly towards Vilem on all fours and… put his hand through the bars.

Fear

”Hello“

Laughter

Mo

Orang-utans

Gorillas

in

DIY

p. 42

sur

log le b Va

s Bonu

Bonobos

Chimpanzees

© Rudolf Pucholt/DR

Humans and apes: same family

Tailed apes

re

Chimps’ hands are longer than ours. Chimps are four times stronger than humans.

Humans

2 million years ago

25 million years ago

12 million years ago

10 million years ago

Nature Science

23

6 million years ago

We’re mammals of the order of primates. Among primates, there are simians, which include old world monkeys (or tailed apes), and great apes or hominids (who don’t have tails) including orang-utans, gorillas, chimps, bonobos and human beings.

24

Nature Science

was still in the same position but he was no longer breathing.

Fifty years have passed. Vilem left his country a long time ago.

He became a journalist and a recognised expert in great apes.

He still wonders about He gave the boy Hurvinek’s last a last look and lay gesture. “Did down on his back. he k now he was dying? Did he want to say goodbye to his friend? Would a chimp be capable of such a thing?” He often thinks about what happened and tears trickle down his face.

“

”

oso

he young man looked at the hand and then at the chimpanzee who was gazing at him. He hesitated… but then decided to take hold of it. His heart beat fast as Hurvinek’s hand was very strong.

For a second, Vilem thought, “He’s going to pull my arm into the cage! He will get me in the end.”

But the sick chimpanzee just held the young man’s hand for 20 seconds or maybe a minute.

Vilem lost count. Then Hurvinek gently let go of his hand, looked away and lay down on the ground again.

Vilem switched off the lights and went home. But he didn’t sleep a wink. He tossed and turned in his bed. At dawn, he hurried back to the zoo.

When he got to the monkey house, he switched on the lights a nd heade d st ra ig ht for Hurvinek’s cage. The chimpanzee

© Cyril Ru

Text: M. Beynié. Illustrations: J. Brasseur. Thanks to Vilem Bischof for his memories and his documents.

T

Turn the page and pull out your poster

Tutankhamun Famous pharaoh Nemes, pharaoh’s headdress with blue and gold stripes

Fact sheet Name: Tutankhamun,

which means ‘living image of the god Amun’.

Rearing cobra and vulture to protect the pharaoh and destroy his enemies Eyes made of obsidian (volcanic glass)

Age: became pharaoh

when he was 9. Died when he was 18 in 1327bce.

Height: 1.65 metres

False beard, symbol of authority

Famous for: treasures found in his tomb

Necklace made of 12 rows of stones

First coffin made of wood covered in gold leaf

1922 Howard Carter, an English archaeologist, discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor.

3, 500 10 kilos

Third coffin made of solid gold. It weighs 11kg Tutankhamun’s mummy with gold mask Pink stone sarcophagus

This is the weight of Tutankhamun’s gold mask.

Huge treasure for a small king…

Tutankhamun’s reign was not long – only ten years.

But the many treasures found in his tomb were fabulous. Imagine what must have been in the tomb of a great pharaoh, such as Ramses II… Unfortunately, thieves knew what was in there too and everything was stolen over the years, starting in ancient times.

Pyramids around the world We know a lot about the pyramids in Egypt that were tombs for the pharaohs. But pyramids were built in other countries too…

China: 4500bce Egypt: 2650bce Peru: 2600bce Mexico: 600ce Canary Islands: period unknown, but probably relatively modern

History

25

Photo poster: Araldo de Luca. Illustrations: L. de Reyniès and B. Veillon (pyramids and mask), J. Torton (sarcophagus).

This is the number of amazing items found in the tomb. They’re in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Second coffin made of wood, decorated with gold and glass

Tutankhamun’s burial mask

LuisOrteo/hemis.fr

P. Deubelbeiss

Chamo

EGYPT 700

The Nile, Egypt’s highway

This is the number of gods worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians. Some were more important, such as the gods linked to nature.

Re represented the Sun, Horus, the sky…

The gods helped the Egyptians in their daily lives. Taweret protected pregnant women and Serket kept scorpions away…

The river Nile flows throu gh Egypt, which is a dry, desert country. Ma ny boats carry goods up and down the river. Fa rm water. Crops only grow aft ers depend on it for er the Nile floods each year. The water spreads mud across the land and fertilises the ground.

You will need: the Nile a site on the west bank of 25,000 workers 2 million tonnes of stone heave Cut huge blocks of stone and n sleds. ode wo on p ram a up m the until Polish the external blocks of work, rs yea 20 er Aft ne. shi y the have a big celebration for the opening of the pyramid!

eum

• • •

The Bri tish Mu s

The Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. Their bodies were mummified to preserve them after they died. Rich people also had their cats mummified so they could . follow their owners into the afterlife in ’ ‘cat for d wor the w kno Did you u’.

Ancient Egyptian was ‘miw’ or ‘ma ! ow’ ‘mia d wor It sounds a bit like our

ion

This is the Eye of says that the god Horus. The legend in battle and thenHorus lost his eye The eye symbolis found it again. good over evil. es the victory of

Ca t m um m y

Brilliant!

How to build a pyramid P. Svarc/Digital Vis

DR

What’s this?

Demotic: a simplified form of hieroglyphics

Hieroglyphics

Br

it i sh

Mu

s eu m

In 1822, a French archaeologist called Jean-Francois Champollion managed to decipher hieroglyphics.

For centuries, nobody had been able to read this Ancient Egyptian writing. How did he do it? He used a piece of stone found in the town of Rosetta in Egypt. The same text was written on the stone in three different scripts: hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek. Champollion compared the three and after two years of work, he solved the mystery!

e

Th

28

Greek

Pics

Russia in the time of the tsars

& c ts Fa

A long time ago...…

ed an old ... there lihvo e only couple w was s called daughter. Her mother Vassilisa ut

d was abo became ill an e Vassilisa v to die. She ga said... d n a ll o d ll a sma

After Vassilisa’s mother died, her father remarried. Unfortunately, her new step-mother had two nasty daughters.

Vassilisa! Go and milk the cows…

Make the dinner, Vassilisa!

My child, take care of this doll! If you get into trouble, give her something to eat and ask for her advice.

She will help you.

Drink, little doll and help me solve my problems…

One autumn evening...

This is our very last candle…

Oh no!

History

29

Text: P. Bouchié. Illustrations: A. Abolivier.

With the help of her doll, Vassilisa was able to obey all their orders...

Baba Yaga was a witch who lived in the forest...

Vassilisa, go and fetch a light from Baba Yaga!

Vassilisa walked on, trembling with fear. Suddenly...

Later, a second horseman galloped by.

Vassilisa was terrified and could go no further.

Baba Yaga will eat me!

Nothing will harm you while I’m with you, Vassilisa.

Vassilisa walked all day.

As night fell...

30

As she stood there, a third horseman rode by.

Baba Yaga was coming home!

Hmmm, I smell the smell of a Russian…

Who’s there?

Then the earth shook as if there was an earthquake...

It’s me, grandmother…

First, you must stay and work for me.

If your work is no good, I will eat you!

I have come to ask you for a light.

At dinner, the witch ate 20 chickens, 40 ducks, and two pies. She drank beer, mead and vodka.

Here, take this crust of bread.

Then sort this wheat.

If you have not finished when I wake up, I will eat you.

Unlock, my solid locks!

Open, my wide gates!

In the morning, Baba Yaga was in a rage...

Little birds, help Vassilisa!

Already?

Impossible!

Now sort these peas and be quick about it!

History

31

Dry your tears and sleep…

Little doll, can you help me again?

Little mice, help Vassilisa!

That evening...

Argh!

How did you do it?

My mother’s blessing helps me, grandmother.

So that’s it, is it? Well, I have had enough of you.

Get out of my house!

And here is your light, since that’s what you came for…

Thank you, grandmother.

What if one of the horsemen catches me?

They will not hurt you.

The white one is the day, the red one is the sun and the black one is the night.

Vassilisa ran all the way home.

What’s happening…

Help! Fire!

You took your time!

The stepmother and her daughters tried to escape. But in the morning they were burnt to a cinder.

32

Vassilisa was all alone.

She buried the skull and suddenly...

Then she moved in with a neighbour.

I’m bored, grandmother. Buy me some flax so I can spin.

She spun the flax and wove a piece of cloth as fine and as white as snow.

You can sell this cloth, grandmother…

It’s too beautiful to sell. I will take it to the tsar as a gift!

The tsar admired the cloth...

The young girl made a shirt and decorated it with pearls. The old lady took the shirt to the palace.

It was Vassilisa who wove this wonderful cloth.

My tailor would never dare to cut such fine cloth.

Make me a shirt with it.

Then let her sew me a shirt!

The tsar wanted to meet Vassilisa so he asked to be taken to her house...

As soon as the tsar saw the beautiful Vassilisa, he fell in love with her.

Stay with me and be my wife!

Where is this great seamstress?

Vassilisa accepted and they were married without delay.

Turn the page to find out more about Russia in the time of the tsars.

History

33

Vassilisa lived happ ily with the tsar.

She kept her doll with her always.

T HE END

Russia under the tsars Scary tsar!

This is Ivan the Terrible, the first tsar of Russia, in the 16th century. He ruled by terror and added Siberia to the Russian empire. Other famous tsars were: Peter the Great in the 17th century,

Catherine II in the 18th century and Nicholas II, the last tsar.

He was assassinated in 1917.

The communist revolution in Russia marked the end of the tsars.

M

The word tsar comes from ‘Caesar’, as in Julius Caesar.

In Ancient Rome this word meant Emperor.

ore…

Saint Petersburg

Moscow

S

i

b

e

r

i

a

R U S S IA

Huge empire

Vladivostok

Russia under the tsars was the biggest country in the world. It still is today. The Russian Federation, as it’s called, is about 80 times the size of the UK. It stretches 10,000km from east to west. Hundreds of different ethnic groups live there including Tatars, Uzbeks, Latvians, Tadjiks and… Russians of course!

Harsh climate Winters in Russia are very cold but travelling in a troika is fun!

These sledges are pulled by three horses. In Russian, troika means three. People wrap up in warm furs and glide over the snow. But the spring thaw and the autumn rains make the roads muddy so this is only a good way to travel when the snow lies deep on the ground.

Sable fur is warm and light.

These animals (a kind of marten) were hunted so much in the 17th century that the species almost disappeared.

Mo

re…

Mo

re…

The longest railway in the world is in Russia.

It’s the train line that has linked Moscow to Vladivostok since 1904 and is called the Trans-Siberian Railway.

34

All peasants were slaves

Peasants in Russia were called serfs. They belonged to the nobles and lived on their estates.

They weren’t allowed to leave. Their children were sometimes sold and separated from their parents.

Russia was the last country in Europe to abolish slavery in 1861.

Women wove cloth to make clothes.

They wore sarafans, brightly coloured dresses with thin shoulder straps.

re…

Wood everywhere This is an izba, a Russian peasant’s house made of wood.

Izbas had one room with a large wood-burning oven which people could sit on or even sleep. In Russia, buildings, musical instruments and dishes were made of wood. re…

Mo

n More i

DIY

n More i

DIY

n More i

DIY

The word izba means ‘heated room’ in Russian.

Va sur

le blog

Christianity

Bonus

Va sur

le blog

Va sur

le blog

Labo

For the last 1,000 years, the main religion in Russia has been Orthodox Christianity. This is Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow.

It’s covered in colourful onionshaped domes. People worshipped icons in tsarist Russia. These were paintings of saints and other religious figures. Anyone entering a house would bow to the icon before greeting the people in the house.

Saint Nicholas is the Russians’ favourite saint.

He’s the protector of their country.

History

35

M

ore…

p.

46

Text: P. Bouchié. Illustrations: A. Abolivier. Photos: Roger-Viollet (p. 34), Imagestate/GHFP/Eyedea.fr (p. 35)

Mo

Ch a

m o

Discovery

(splash)

(crack)

The ruins of a house built in Roman times have be en discovered in Nazareth in no rthern Israel.

Nazareth was where Mar y, the mother of Jesus, lived. M aybe Jesus, w ho Christians cons ider to be the Son of God, once visi ted this house!

(boom)

These grannies know how to keep fit. Despite their age, they are taking a martial arts course so they can defend themselves against anyone who might attack them. They live in one of the most dangerous slums in Kenya, in Africa.

P ro f e ss o r B a tt y ’s mad machines

Patrick Cerf

Meet the machine that adds colour to life.

FP

Super grans

will have ay this robot Maybe one d Cup? d rl in the Wo its own team have y a m tall so it It’s only 60cm . But o ld a ckling Ron pitch. a problem ta ll a tb on a foo y p p a h e it u it’s q e lines ct to the whit a re rs so n Its se re and where they a so it knows ion. ct e e right dir can kick in th

T. Karumba/A

Be urt on

Robot of the month

S. Gallup/Getty Images/AFP

ch Mi

el

Getty Images/A FP

After 20 years of research, scientists are now sure that dinosaurs disappeared 65 million year ago because of a meteorite 15km wide.

When it crashed into Earth, the explosion released hot, deadly gases that killed half the species living on the planet.

It must be really sad today!

36

Tusko Livingroom Leopold By corcal

Stanley

Tarzine

So, Leopold, how did your first day go?

Her name is Tarzine.

She is the great Tarzan’s daughter!

Hi!

Jungle school

Great!

And this is my new friend…

Woah!

Mind the school pick-up mammoth!

Pleased to meet you!

Leopold, you should really tell your friends not to hold hands…

Hold hands, children.

It’s safer.

Because my dad will be picking me up…

A aa ee e a aaa eee!

So?

H e eeel

p!

Hey, Tarzine, your school bag is really heavy today!

37

mph Galu mph Galu

Why?

L

K

Boomerangs work on the same principle as planes and helicopters. They were first invented in prehistoric times in Australia.

Fine-tune your boomerang throwing technique on the beach this summer!

4

Boomerang returns Your boomerang loses speed and is pulled back towards the ground. At the same time, with each rotation, it flies more and more horizontally.

Curved side towards you

Text: M. BeyniĂŠ. Illustration: M. Roussel

5 D

WORL

ang omer o b r fo : flight 44 ute 1 mionr e i nnds M co se DIY

Landing

Your boomerang comes towards you in a horizontal position.

To catch it, stand sideways on‌ never face on! Stretch out your hands in front of you and when the boomerang reaches you, n n n i e r catch it between M o r e i the palms Mo More i DIY D I Y of your hands.D I Y

p.

48

38

3

Boomerang turns The forces on the two sides of your boomerang are not equal. Your boomerang is unbalanced and banks (leans to one side) like an aeroplane turning.

2

Boomerang gains height Air moves faster over curved surfaces than over flat ones. The same principle is used for the blades of a helicopter.

Your boomerang is pulled towards the curved edge and rises towards the left.

Flat side facing away from you

Release the boomerang with a downwards flick of your wrist.

Take-off Stand facing the wind. If you’re right handed, turn a little towards the right and tilt your boomerang slightly to the right.* Hold it between your thumb and index finger. Throw it firmly, aiming at the horizon. *if you’re left handed, turn to the left and tilt your boomerang to the left.

Science

39

1

Next month e Scienc y Histor

The secrets of Mona Lisa

Nature World

Treetop expedition

in the Amazon rainforest ©RMN

© Philippe Psaïla/DoubleVue

Nature

y

Olivier Nadel

Histor

Lascaux

Meet the Cro-Magnon people

+

great bear poster

Nature ©DR

And lots more funfacts from me!

The true story of a dolphin that lived among people

Managing publisher: Christine Auberger. Editorial Manager: Elena Iribarren. Editor in Chief: Simona Sideri. Art Director: Pat Carter. Text and research: Liz Shepherd.

Editor: Caroline Pook. Sales and promotion: Andréa Chhan. Budget Controller: Vincent Delorme.

For editorial queries please contact: Bayard, 1st Floor, 2 King Street, Peterborough PE1 1LT. For a subscription in Switzerland: Edigroup SA - 39, rue Peillonnex - 1225 Chêne-Bourg (Switzerland) - tel: (0041)22 860 84 02 - fax: (0041)22 349 25 92 - e-mail: abobayard@edigroup.ch DiscoveryBox is published by Bayard Presse S.A, a Limited Liability company with a board of Directors and Supervisory Board and a capital of 16,500,000 Euros and having its principal place of business located at 18 Rue Barbès, 92120 Montrouge, France. Board of Directors and Management Committee: Georges Sanerot (Board President and Publication Director), Hubert Chicou, Alain Auge, André Antoni (Managing Directors). Main Shareholders: Assomption, Saint Loup Ltd, N.D.S. Association.

Printers: Varoprinter, c/Artesania, Madrid, Spain and Allion printing co. Ltd, Hong Kong. Under law n°49956 of 16/07/1949 relating to youth publications. All rights reserved to the publisher © Images Doc, Astrapi – Bayard Presse. CPPAP: 0514 K 78793. ISSN 1366-9028 The name, surname and address of our subscribers are passed on to our in-house departments and all organisations under agreement with DiscoveryBox unless we receive a formal instruction not to do so from the subscriber, in which case the above information will only be used to carry out the subscription.

Such information may be accessed or modified by the subscriber as specified by the law.

40

41

PUTS THE FUN INTO DISCOVERY is!

ut! o t i t c A

th Watch

Talk like a chimpanzee!

Interesting websites to visit and books to read

it!

Make a boomerang and learn to throw it

Recipes from around the world

Games Games and quizzes Extra k at l to loo materia ownload d and t: a

Send us your artwork, jokes, animal questions and any other contributions by post to: DiscoveryBox, 1st Floor 2 King Street, Peterborough PE1 1lT, UK or by e-mail: contact@bayard-magazines. co.uk

www. bayard-magazines.co.uk

Photo: Thomas Louapre.

Make

t!

Cook i

Nature

42 l

“Talk” chimpanzee You will need

l

1 zoo where you can watch monkeys in action 1 big mirror to watch yourself practise

Can you act like a chimpanzee and make yourself understood?

HM Ra H !

Concept and text: M. Beynié. Photos: Thomas Louapre

Easy

Anger Stand up, leaning slightly forwards, with your arms by your sides, palms open but fingers bent. Look menacing. Then through closed lips make a deep growling, barking noise.

ter

Laugh

Open your mouth and show your bottom teeth, while covering your top teeth with your upper lip.

• Chimpanzees don’t make any noise when they laugh.

EE! EEE E! EE!

”

“Hello

it down with your back S straight. Push your lips out in an “O” shape. Say “Hoo, hoo” in a deep voice. You can raise one arm above your head or stretch it out in front of you with the hand facing down.

Fear

Stand up with your knees bent and stretch out an arm with your palm facing up.

Open your mouth wide, pull back your lips to show all your teeth. Cry “eee, eee” in a high-pitched voice.

Can monkeys talk?

Mini-Quiz

Act it out!

Find out in Life story: The chimp who (maybe) knew he was going to die, pages 20 to 24.

G. Chapron

Text: N. Tordjman and S. Sideri.

With a friend, go to a park or woods – anywhere where there are trees. One of you covers their eyes with a scarf so they can’t see. The other stands behind with their hands on the blindfolded person’s shoulders. They then guide the blindfolded person to a tree.

The person in the blindfold explores the tree’s trunk with their hands, touches and prods the bark, feels for moss, tries to reach the branches… Then the guide leads them back to the starting point, removes the blindfold and asks them to find “their” tree just by looking and remembering what they felt.

Swop places and try this again with another tree.

Try this!

Tropical glasshouses Kew Gardens in London was started over 250 years ago to study plants from around the world. nn The glass and iron Palm House was built in 1848. It’s heated to create a tropical climate and is filled with exotic palms. There’s lots to see and do at Kew and it’s definitely worth a visit.

Throw away old batteries!

But not with your ordinary rubbish.

Used batteries can leak the dangerous and toxic materials that are inside them. Throw them into the special collection bins in most supermarkets and electrical shops as well as at local recycling centres.

When you buy new batteries get rechargeable ones l still have loads of energy! l’m so tired… as well as Ooh… a charger. this is C. Perret

Trees at your finger tips

Visit

DR

Green idea

nice!

Visit: www.kew.org

Date to remember!

Friday 24 September is FSC Friday The Forest Stewardship Council is an international organisation that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests. Its logo is used on wood products from well-managed forests so that consumers can make better choices when they buy timber and other wood products, such as paper. This year, FSC day will be marked internationally with events and promotions, raising awareness and understanding of FSC and celebrating the world’s forest.

If you would like further information visit FSC’S website. www.fsc-uk.org FSC UK is our partner in this month’s competition.

Turn to page 11 to win some great prizes.

® FSC AC All Rights ReservedFSC-SECR-0068

43

44

Make it!

l

l l l l

Become a weaver Learn to weave a fabric from two threads!

You will need

l

4 sticks or pieces of bamboo about 25cm long 4 lengths of wool to tie the corners of the frame 2 .10m of thick orange wool 2 .10m of thick purple wool 1 pen with a lid 1 m ribbon s cissors

Warp

1 Tie the corners of the frame with 4 bits of wool.

Wrap the orange wool around the frame as in the picture. This is the warp.

Concept and text: M. Beynié. Photo: Pascale Desmullier.

Weft

Frame

3 Pass the pen under the first thread and over the next one, and then under and over each thread until the end of the row.

2 Poke the end of the purple wool into the pen lid and then put the lid back on the pen. This thread is the weft. You will pass it through the orange wool to make your fabric.

4 Do the same thing coming back the other way but make sure you’re going over a thread you went under before, and so on…

5 When you finish one row, pull the threads of the weft tight against each other using the pen to push them up. When you have done about 10 rows, cut the orange threads along the top and bottom of the frame. Your fabric is ready!

Weaving was invented

Mini-Quiz

l

Difficult

30,00 years ago 12,000 years ago

Find the answer in Zoom in: Fabrics of the future pages 12 to 17.

Look at this!

Read this!

Find out more

Science on the internet

Why is snot green?

Green fabrics

If you’re interested in science and want to learn how to do simple, safe and fun science, then visit this site. There are ideas for experiments on all kinds of subjects from volcanoes and magnetic cars to homemade slime! There are games and quizzes as well as all sorts of other subjects, such as crafts, magic, cooking…

The Science Museum Question and Answer Book Why is snot is green? Do rabbits fart?

What is space made of? Where does all the water go at low tide? Can animals talk? What are scabs for? Will computers ever be cleverer than people? Discover the answers to these and an awful lot of other brilliant questions frequently asked at the Science Museum in this wonderfully funny and informative book.

Discover 12 weird, unexpected and surprising green fabrics on this great site about everything green. You may have heard about organic cotton, wool and bamboo. Ingeo, made from corn, is something you might be able to imagine. But chicken feathers? Used fishing nets? Milk? Cigarette butts?

There are some offbeat sustainable materials shimmying down the catwalk these days, and this is just the start of a whole new trend.

Go to: www.activitytv.com

Why is snot green?, by Glen Murphy, Macmillan’s Children’s Books.

Visit: www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/weird-ecofabrics.php

Illustration: S. Telleschi. Text: S. Sideri.

Game Cling-clang… Boom!

Look at this strange machine with lots of wheels and cogs. Which way does the boy have to pull the lever to push the red ball off the wall? Does he move the lever to the left or the right?

Answer in Readers’ DIY on page 51.

45

46

Make it!

A 4 sheet of thin card or paper lp aint or felt-tip pens l scissors l sticky tape l

r

Go to ou

:

website

You will need

You can download a template.

Activity

Make a set of Russian nesting dolls

www. bayard-magazines.co.uk

Russian nesting dolls or matrioshkas

These dolls are usually made of s, doll 20 to wood. There can be up ng fitti t, nex one smaller than the inside each other. Traditional oldmatrioshkas are women wearing es. tum cos t san fashioned Russian pea like look to e mad But sets have been Russian presidents, characters from fairytales or animals. &facts: Find out more about Russia in Pics Russia in the time of the tsars on pages 29 to 35.

at the picture 2 1 Look

below and draw the three templates (or download them and cut them out).

Choose the sides 4 Now you can

3 Bend

a theme for back and stick slide your dolls, your dolls and them together one inside decorate them. with tape. the other!

Game

Check it art!

Watch this!

Journey to the Moon!

On this site you can relive the journey of the Apollo 11 space flight, which landed the first people on the Moon in 1969.

DR

Visit: www.wechoosethemoon.org

Play this!

Mini-ninjas Ninja’s were warriors and spies in ancient Japan who specialized in all kinds of martial arts.

Discover their world on this great website, which has games, screen savers to download and lots more fun…

RMN/H. Lewandowski

Visit: www.minininjas.com

Find out more Prepare a body for mummification like the Ancient Egyptians

Van Gogh’s room at Arles, painted by Vincent Van Gogh in 1888 What to do: Find these details. Which one isn’t in the painting?

1

2

3

4

5

Play this game and learn everything you ever wanted to know about mummifying bodies the way the Egyptians did it.

Can you get all the steps right?

Go to: www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/launch_gms_mummy_maker.shtml

Answer in Readers’ DIY on page 51.

47

48

logo to work out; frame will be orange

Make it! box

l scissors

pen l 1 30cm ruler l 1 stapler You can download a template. r

Go to ou

You will need

l 1 felt-tip

Build a boomerang and learn how to throw it!

:

website

A boomerang can fly:

Write your name here to help you remember how to hold the boomerang

www. bayard-magazines.co.uk

Mini-Quiz

l 1 cereal

Easy

1 Open out the cereal box and cut two strips out of it. Each strip must be 25cm long and 2.5cm wide. Round the ends of the strips with the scissors.

For left handers

2 Use the ruler and a felt-tip pen to mark the strips as shown in the picture.

If you are left handed, follow the small pictures on the right.

old down the darker bits of 3 F the strips by bending them against the edge of a table. Then staple the two strips together in the middle to make a cross.

more than 1 minute more than 10 minutes more than 1 hour Find the answer in Quick look, Boomerang, pages 38 to 39.

4 To fly your boomerang: Hold it by the end of one of the blades, between your thumb and index finger.

The side of the boomerang facing you must be the one with your name on it and the blades folding down. Tilt the boomerang a little to your right (or to your left if you’re left handed). Throw it with a sharp snap of the wrist. Aim for the horizon.

If your boomerang flies towards the ground, hold it by the middle, your name facing you and with one of the blades pointing upwards.

Reader art

Read this!

Japanese dress

Time-travelling cat

Isabella Godwin Coury sent us this wonderful picture of a Japanese woman in a kimono, a traditional dress.

Topher’s cat, Ka, can time travel and Topher often ends up following her on these adventures. So far Ka has led Topher to Tudor England, where they meet Queen Elizabeth I, to Ancient Egypt, to visit the Aztecs in South America, the Romans and the Vikings. Follow their adventures in this great series.

Next out: Time-Travelling Cat and the Great Victorian Stink Autumn 2010 from Andersen Press

Cook this!

Spanish toast Rub a clove of garlic and a piece of tomato over a lightly-toasted slice of bread. Pour on a little olive oil. A tasty snack for breakfast or tea-time!

Look at this!

Street art or… rubbish?

Send us your artwork, jokes, animal questions and any other contributions by post to: DiscoveryBox, 1st Floor, 2 King Street, Peterborough PE1 1lT, UK or by e-mail: contact@bayard-magazines. co.uk

New Yorker Joshua Allen Reynolds makes fantastic street art using plastic bags and dustbin liners. His amazing inflatable creatures are fixed to the air vents in the city’s pavements that lead to the underground rail system. Hot air rises and blows up the plastic creatures and makes them move as if they were alive.

Find them on the internet!

Go to: www.dailymotion.com/video/x79tqd_ street-art-joshua-allen-harris_creation

49

50

Competition

Results

Here are some of the winners’ drawings from our Alice in Wonderland competition (DiscoveryBox 141).

Well done to everybody who took part!

The winners are: (from Europe) Manuela Amey, Alvaro Aranzana, David Chipakupaku, Lucy de Cort, Charlotte Croft, Kira McMinn Loughlin, Caroline Pooler, Olivia Tynan, Mayu Uematsu, Natasha (from Hong Kong): Max Ciafardini, Tanja Klooss Kitty and Ann Kwan, Chloe K.L. Salva, Danielle Tandjung, Ellie Tse Wan Tseng

;QWT OCKN

What can you see?

Answers

weaver worms 2 Velcro™ fabric seen through a microscope 3 potato shoots coming through a cloth bag 1

Contents page • Lions sleep 20 hours a day.

• To throw a boomerang you must be facing into the wind.

Nature DIY page 42 • Chimpanzees don’t talk as we do, but they can communicate with sounds, gestures and by using signs they have been taught.

Science DIY page 44 to 45 • Weaving was invented 30,000 years ago.

• Game: Cling–clang… boom!

The boy has to push the lever to the left.

History DIY page 47 • Game: Check it art!

The detail that isn’t in the painting is no.4.

Find the answers to What can you see? and the back cover Mega-Quiz on our website from 1st October

www.bayard-magazines.co.uk

Steve Gschmeissner/SPL/ Cosmos

The answers will also appear in your next issue.

To subscribe call + 44 (0)1858 438898 or visit our website: www.bayard-magazines.co.uk

51

18, rue Barbès 92128 Montrouge Cedex www.bayard-magazines.co.uk

Collect your pull-out cards every month!

In your

6 more Greek and(104more more pre-historic animals continuing:nethe cards), Beforegods mammals cards; coming soon: planets issuegods (6 more xt Greek

Pose ta question à

Prehistory – Animals

History

Prehistory – Animals

Before mammals

Greek gods

Before mammals

Birds are descended from dinosaurs.

The oldest known bird lived 130 million years ago…

Apollo

Dinosaurs appeared 225 million years ago.

They ruled the earth for 155 million years.

Archaeopteryx

He was the god of light, truth and music. He was Zeus’s son and he was very handsome.

Despite his good looks, he was unlucky in love.

Archaeopteryx was descended from small, carnivorous (meateating) dinosaurs. It had teeth, claws and wings. To fly, it probably climbed trees and took off clumsily into the air.

Symbols: bay laurel, bow, lyre, dolphin

Ankylosaurus This dinosaur was a herbivorous (plant-eating) quadruped (four-legged animal).

It had hard plates and spines protecting its body.

Its tail had a bony club at the end.

Jean-Benoît Durand illustrations: Robin Gindre © éditions Actes Sud, 2009

© text: C. Loizeau Illustration: F. Rébéna

Jean-Benoît Durand illustrations: Robin Gindre © éditions Actes Sud, 2009

History

Prehistory – Animals

History

Greek gods

Before mammals

Greek gods

Athena

Only a few prehistoric animal species have survived until now…

Aphrodite

She was the goddess of war and the arts. She was Zeus’s daughter and came out of her father’s head fully grown and carrying her weapons.

Symbols: spear, olive tree, owl

Nautilus This mollusc (a kind of shell fish) appeared 360 million years ago.

It has hardly changed at all.

It lives in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

She was the goddess of love and beauty.

She was Zeus’s daughter.

Symbols: rose, swan and dove

© text: C. Loizeau Illustration: F. Rébéna

Jean-Benoît Durand illustrations: Robin Gindre © éditions Actes Sud, 2009

© text: C. Loizeau Illustration: F. Rébéna

Prehistory – Animals

History

Prehistory – Animals

Before mammals

Greek gods

Before mammals

Only a few prehistoric animal species have survived until now…

Demeter

Only a few prehistoric animal species have survived until now…

Coelacanth Coelacanth (you say see-ler-can-th) is a fish with a bony skeleton.

It appeared 400 million years ago.

Coelacanth were first observed in the Indian Ocean in 1938.

Jean-Benoît Durand illustrations: Robin Gindre © éditions Actes Sud, 2009

She was the goddess of the Earth, agriculture (farming), harvests and fertility.

She was Zeus’s sister and she brought joy and happiness in the spring.

Symbols: ear of wheat, poppy, pig © text: C. Loizeau Illustration: F. Rébéna

Horseshoe crabs This crab was already on Earth 500 million years ago. It can be found in the Pacific Ocean.

It’s an invertebrate (animal without a backbone) with a shell like a turtle.

Jean-Benoît Durand illustrations: Robin Gindre © éditions Actes Sud, 2009

History

Greek gods

Hermes He was the god of merchants and travellers. Son of Zeus, he carried his father’s messages and protected thieves.

Symbols: a winged hat and winged sandals, a wand with two snakes wound round it, called a caduceus. © text: C. Loizeau Illustration: F. Rébéna

We want to hear from our readers!

Send us your artwork, jokes, animal questions and any other contributions. Tell us about interesting books you have read and films you have seen or websites you have found…

By post to: DiscoveryBox 1st Floor, 2 King Street, Peterborough PE1 1lT, UK or by e-mail: contact@bayard-magazines.co.uk

N. 146

MEGA-QUIZ 1. A fabric is a flexible material made of:

2. Lions live in family groups called:

A

woven threads

A

schools

B

thin layers of plastic

B

prides

C

stone or clay

C

gaggles

3. Chimpanzees, like human beings, are:

4. The first tsar of Russia was called Ivan:

A

primates

A

the Great

B

rodents

B

theTerrible

C

invertebrates

C

the Magnificent

5. Boomerangs were invented in:

6. Tutankhamun lived:

A

modern times

A

more than 300 years ago

B

ancient times

B

more than 3,000 years ago

C

prehistoric times

C

more than 30,000 years ago

7. Peasants in the tsars’ Russia were generally treated:

8. In a fire, fibreglass:

A

okay

A

melts

B

very well

B

evaporates

C

extremely badly

C

doesn’t burn

Answer this Mega-Quiz by 1st October at www.bayard-magazines.co.uk