Bsp spring 2018

EN FRANÇAIS : Au clair de la Lune et les phases lunaire

Brainspace Brain space LAUNCHING YOUNG MINDS INTO BIG THINKING

AUGMENTED REALITY + FASCINATING CONTENT FOR KIDS 8-12

RAINING FROGS AND OTHER ODD WEATHER EVENTS IN HISTORY

PLANTS ARE LISTENING

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FANTASTIC SCIENTISTS

WHO HAVE CHANGED THE WORLD FOR GIRLS

PUBLICATION AGREEMENT NUMBER 42642027

MAKE A TERRARIUM

Watch how plants & water behave

HILARIOUS SCIENCE

A look at what makes us ticklish

USE THE FREE BLIPPAR APP TO WATCH THIS COVER IN AUGMENTED REALITY

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Brainspace is fully interactive.

Enjoy the extra digital content on the pages of this magazine. First,

download the free Blippar App at the App Store or at Google Play. Once the app is downloaded, simply tap the app to scan pages with the symbol and enjoy. Read, listen, watch, experiment and think.

EDITING HOLLY BENNETT GRACE BUELER COLLETTE YVONNE ROB PRINCE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS HOLLY BENNETT PASCALE BIDER GRACE BUELER JOHN HOFFMAN BEN MAYCOCK FACT CHECKING JENNIFER ALEXANDER ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN GALEXY STUDIO VIDEO & ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORES ALEX MIDDLETON PUBLISHER BRAINSPACE PUBLISHING INC. PRESIDENT AND CEO NICOLE MIDDLETON

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SOCIAL MEDIA / SEO Leah Witherspoon ACCOUNTING SERVICES Karen Eriksen LEGAL SERVICES Zaldin and Fine LLP Brainspace magazine is published four times a year

by Brainspace Publishing Inc., 394 Ontario Street, Newmarket ON, L3Y 2K4 PHONE (905) 830-4314 Toll-free (844) 330-4314 EMAIL brainspacemagazine@bell.net

WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO OUR PARENT/CHILD ADVISORY COMMITTEE Laurie and Kenny Weeden; Christine Bhumgara and Tia Nguyen; Rachel and Audrie Meredith; Catherine, Jill and Delia Jansen; Valerie and Alex Brown; Julianne and Michael McKall.

Periodical postage paid at Canada Post, Ontario Canada.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Brainspace Publishing Inc. 394 Ontario Street, Newmarket ON, L3Y 2K4 brainspacemagazine@bell.net

MISSION Brainspace magazine endeavours to produce intelligent and engaging articles for students ages 8 to 14 in a format that bridges the gap between print and digital technology to expand literacy and promote optimal learning.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Canada $25 • US $33 • International $65 Bulk rates for schools and libraries available

NOTE The opinions expressed herein are those of the respective authors and not necessarily those of Brainspace magazine or of Brainspace Publishing Inc. Brainspace magazine and Brainspace Publishing Inc. will not be liable for any damages or losses, howsoever sustained, as a result of the reliance on or use by a reader or any other person of any of the information, opinions or products expressed, advertised or otherwise contained herein. Where appropriate, professional advice should be sought.

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If you would like to contribute to Brainspace magazine, please email brainspacemagazine@bell.net

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c ntents page 18 Tallulah goes underground

GOOD TO KNOW: Academia 4 5 12 14 30 34

MAKE SENSE OF YOUR CENTS: FINANCIAL LITERACY PAYING FOR PUPPY: THE FINANCES OF PET OWNERSHIP SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS OUR OCEAN NEEDS LOVE: HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE: LES PHASES LUNAIRE TRIQUET ISLAND: UNCOVERING NORTH AMERICA’S ANCIENT PAST

InTERCOnnections: PLANTS 16 18 20 21 22

GOOD VIBRATIONS: HOW PLANTS RESPOND TO SOUND TALLULAH: GROUND WATER, WATER TABLES AND AQUIFERS TERRARIUMS: MAKING IT RAIN HOW TO MAKE A TERRARIUM BOTANY EXPERIMENTS: HOW PLANTS EAT, DRINK AND BREATHE

FasCINATING Randomness 06 08 10 24 27 29 32

OUCH: WHY PAIN IS PAINFUL WHAT MAKES YOU TICKLISH FANTASTIC FIVE: AMAZING FEMALE SCIENTISTS BACTERIA BEASTIES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY FLY AWAY HOME: BIRD MIGRATION MEET THE CHAMPION MIGRATORS WEIRD WEATHER: ODD METEOROLOGICAL EVENTS

STEM for fun 36 37 38

SCIENCE ENGINEERING MATH

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money

Make Sense of Your Cents Holidays. Birthdays. They bring about greeting cards that often have $20 or more slipped inside so that you can “buy yourself something.”

What do you want? All of a sudden, you have money, options and decisions to make. There are many more decisions than just the “spending” kind.

There are also decisions about how to get or earn money. Do you get an allowance? How much is it and what do you do to earn it? Can you recognize opportunities to make money? For instance, is a neighbour interested in hiring you to rake leaves?

Shovel snow? Some people may want to pay to have

their recycling bins and waste containers hosed down after the weekly collection. There may be something you need or want but can’t afford with the money you have. That’s where saving comes into play.

Lastly, if you are like most young people today, you want to look for ways to help others. Charities and fundraisers are opportunities for us to be responsible global citizens. You may want to contribute some of your money to a worthy cause. As responsible citizens, we help each other out!

You have decisions to make: how to get, spend, save and invest money you have.

budget

Money comes into play in many ways in your life: bus fare, snacks, sporting events, movies, apps, music, video games and the list goes on. So many things to buy, so few dollars! How do you get the most out of your money? Have you considered the tax that needs to be added to your purchase?

Consider your options. Why not buy a gently used tablet from a reputable source rather than brand new? A smoothie at the mall sounds great, but how much would you save if you made it at home instead?

Spending money is inevitable, and even fun.

Choosing how to best spend your money is just plain smart.

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save

Saving involves not using money today but setting it aside, so you can use it in the future. Other decisions then come up. How much can you save? Where do you save it? Do you want a savings account? What are the interest rates?

How much do you need to save for what you hope to get later? What do you do with the money that you save?

invest

Are there ways to make the money you are saving grow over time to increase your “purchasing power” in the future?

This last decision brings up the option of making “investment” decisions. If you put your money in a jar or box, the value of that money is certainly not going to increase as it can in an account or a fund. Make a call to set up an appointment at a local bank. List the questions you’d like to ask before your meeting. Ask about interest, monthly fees, Interac fees and the best way to help your money grow. When you understand your options, you can make decisions to protect the “purchasing power” of your money. Bank employees are happy to help. Just ask!

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paying puppy

for

ringing a dog into your family is usually an emotional decision. When asked why someone wants a puppy, the answer is usually, “Because it’s cute and I want to love it and take care of it,” not “Because it’s going to cost about $22,000 over 15 years and I want to spend a lot of money.” Realistically, you must think about that financial reality as part of your decisionmaking. You likely didn’t get that much money in your birthday card. Work for it? You’d have to do chores until you’re a grown-up to make that kind of coin. Would you be willing to pitch in to help with the cost? What kind of financial commitment can you make? When might your

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parents expect your financial contribution? Once?

Weekly? Monthly? Do you save first and buy later, or are your parents willing to lend you the money (credit)? Money decisions need to happen.

Let’s consider the typical costs of bringing a cuddly canine into the family. Maybe it’s free from a neighbour, adopted from a local pet shelter or bought from a professional licensed breeder. The cost will vary from free to $2,000 or more. Here are some expected costs for the care of the dog once the pup is part of your family.

UP-FRONT COSTS: Spaying or Neutering: $200 Medical Exam: $70 Collar/leash: $20 Crate: $60 Carrying Crate: $100 Training: $110

YEARLY COSTS: Food: $730 Medical Exams and Vaccinations: $250 Toys and Treats: $50 License: $15 Pet Health Insurance: $250 Grooming: $120 Miscellanious: $50 Food is the biggest expense. Your new pooch’s food can cost approximately $.99 to $3.00 per day depending on the quality of food you choose.

Let’s pick a cost of $2.00. That is $2 x 365 = $730 a year. If your dog lives a long, full life to 15 years old – which we all hope for – the cost for food will be $730 x 15 = $10,950!

In the end, the love, joy and companionship a pet brings is worth the price. Demonstrating some consideration for the cost of a new furry friend will show your parents that you are potentially a dedicated and conscientious pet owner. brainspace SPRING 2018

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biology

WHAT MAKES PAIN PAINFUL?

BY JOHN HOFFMAN

W

hat is pain? It’s all in your head. “Pain is a signal from the brain,” says Dr. Christine Chambers, of the Centre for Pediatric (children’s) Pain Research at IWK Health Centre in Halifax. “Pain is the body’s alarm system, a signal that something is wrong so you should stop what you’re doing and get help.”

When you step on a nail (or touch something hot or get whacked on the shin), nerve endings called nociceptors are activated. They connect to nerve fibres that send instant messages to the spinal cord and then to the thalamus – the brain’s sensory relay station. From there the signals go to the parts of the brain that interpret sensory information. The brain quickly evaluates how dangerous the event (stepping on the nail) is and decides whether or not it’s painful. So the damage is in your foot, but the brain is telling your foot how to feel.

Can you have pain without cuts, or tissue damage?

Definitely. Some headaches do not involve tissue damage or injury. The same is true for the burn of spicy food. Capsaicin, the compound that produces the heat from hot chili peppers, binds to the same nociceptors that are activated when you touch something hot or are cut by a knife. “It sort of excites those nerves, causing that burning feeling, even though no tissue damage is taking place,” says Dr. Chambers.

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Can you have tissue damage without pain?

Yes. Have you ever twisted an ankle or bruised your tail bone? When muscle or nerve tissue is damaged, the pain can be eased with heating pads or even by sitting in a warm bath. Ice can also temporarily block feelings of muscle pain. @BrainspaceMag

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How does pain medicine work?

Pain medicine can’t repair the tissue damage that causes pain. Instead, the medicine works by blocking the messages that go to your brain.

Ibuprofen, for example, stops damaged and injured cells from releasing prostaglandin, a compound that causes inflammation and helps relay pain messages to the brain. Acetaminophen does not reduce inflammation. Experts think it also blocks prostaglandin, but they are not exactly sure how.

Being brave or tough about pain is not good for you Although we sometimes need to be brave to get through painful moments, the bottom line is that pain should be managed. “You’re not doing yourself any favours by being tough,” says Chambers. “The most important thing I’ve learned in my career is that poorly managed pain can change the way the pain system works in ways to make you more sensitive to pain. In some cases it can cause chronic pain problems later on.” In other words, if you’re really hurt or injured, reducing the pain will help you get better faster. So take your pain medication, use heat or cold packs if they help, do things that distract you from thinking about the pain, and take it easy on the injured area. But remember that moving around also helps you heal. So do the kinds of movement and activity that you can do without pain. If it hurts too much, your body is telling you something and you need to listen.

Three weird facts about pain Capsaicin is sometimes used as a pain reliever! It is an ingredient that comes from hot peppers. Scientists think capsaicin works by reducing pain messages to the brain. Capsaicin affects the neurotransmitter (called substance P) which is a pain messenger to the brain.

Even though pain happens in the brain, brain tissue itself does not have pain receptors. However, the scalp, the skull and the meninges (thin layers of tissue located between the skull and brain tissue) do have pain receptors. So, if you get hit in the head, it can really hurt. But it’s not your brain that hurts.

Emotions are part of pain. At the same time as your brain is interpreting a signal from pain receptors, a separate brain system is determining the emotional part of the pain you will feel. Positive emotions – feeling relaxed or safe – can make pain less intense. Negative emotions – like fear and alarm – can make it worse.

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biology

by Ben Maycock

What is hilarious to do to others, unbearable when they do it to you, and impossible to do to yourself?

Give yourself a gold star if you guessed “tickle.�

From a very early age, most of us are familiar with tickling. From the beginning of human history, scientific minds from ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to modern day researchers, have been challenged with the question: Why are we ticklish?

There are two types of tickling:

Gargalesis Knismesis

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is the type of tickling that happens when someone digs their fingers into your ribs or other ticklish spots and makes you laugh uncontrollably. is the sensation you get on your skin similar to when you feel a feather run along your arm. This irritating feeling makes you want to brush away whatever is touching you.

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Research into the science of tickling is not limited to human subjects. Primates, such as chimpanzees, have aided in the study of laughter. When engaged in the rough and tumble play associated with tickling, the chimps vocalized with a panting sound or “ha-ha” that indicated they were playing rather than attacking. Even rats have served as good study participants. In one such study, rats recognized the big tickling hand as a playmate and “giggled” as they chased it.

Regardless of why we are ticklish, for most of us tickling is actually physically rewarding. It causes laughter for both the tickled and the tickler and laughter releases a chemical called dopamine that produces feelings of happiness. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

This theory is also backed up by the fact that tickling is mood-dependent. Biologist Charles Darwin observed that children tickled by a stranger would scream rather than laugh.

Laughter might also be a learned response.

Tickling is a form of social bonding and one of the earliest interactions between parent and child. Happy play between the two often involves smiling and laughter and, when tickling is introduced, the child associates the activity with the play response. This social development is taken one step further as it becomes a way that children play and interact with each other.

Tickling may have initially played a part in human evolution as a tool to teach children to defend themselves. Our ticklish spots tend to be our most vulnerable ones, like our stomachs or necks. When someone tickles us we are compelled to protect those areas as if we are facing a threat. In fact, when scientists look at the brain of someone being tickled they see that the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that is responsible for our “fight-or-flight” response, is stimulated.

So why laugh if we are under attack? Some researchers have suggested that laughter acts as a defense mechanism. It indicates to the “attacker’” that we submit to the tickling in an effort to stop any further tickles.

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fantastic five Women scientists who did something amazing

by Holly Bennett

IN THE PAST, WOMEN INTERESTED IN SCIENCE DID NOT HAVE AN EASY ROAD! IN SOME CASES SCIENCE EDUCATION WAS NOT CONSIDERED “SUITABLE” FOR WOMEN. SOMETIMES IT WAS HARD FOR THEM TO GET HIRED OR PUBLISH THEIR FINDINGS. DESPITE THESE ODDS, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY FEMALES THROUGHOUT HISTORY WHO MADE HUGE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE. TAKE THIS QUIZ, AND USE THE BLIPPAR APP TO SCAN EACH PHOTO FOR THE ANSWERS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE FIVE SCIENCE SUPERSTARS.

1. JOCELYN BELL BURNELL: ASTRONOMY Burnell was a graduate student when she discovered the existence of a dense, rapidly spinning neutron star.

What is this kind of star called?

2. ROSALIND FRANKLIN: BIOCHEMISTRY Franklin used a technique called x-ray crystallography to take the very first photograph of this “mystery molecule” that carries the genetic code of all living things.

photo credits: Jocelyn Bell Burnell By Roger W Haworth - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index. php?curid=37003823 Rosalind Franklin Jewish Chronicle Archive/Heritage-Imageshttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topicart/217394/99712/Rosalind-Franklin, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24959067

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3. MARY ANNING: PALEONTOLOGY Though entirely self-taught, Mary Anning was one of the most important fossil finders of the early 1800s. She discovered the first nearly complete skeleton of this marine dinosaur, which scientists first thought must be fake because of its “impossibly long neck.”

4. LENE HAU: PHYSICS How do you stop something that travels 186,000 miles per second? Most scientists thought you couldn’t, but Danish physicist Lene Hau discovered a way to slow down, and even stop, something we thought must always travel at a constant speed. What was it?

5. ALICE BALL: MEDICINE Alice Ball was only 23 years old when she developed the first effective treatment for this disease that had been feared since ancient times.

Before that, people who caught the disease were sent to an isolated community where they had to stay until they died, so her work changed a lot of lives for the better!

Mary Anning “Mr. Grey” in Crispin Tickell’s book Mary Anning of Lyme Regis (1996) Lene Hau Photo courtesy of Justin Ide/Harvard News Office - http://www.wpafb.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123133604, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index. php?curid=23881324 Alice Ball Unknown - http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/bor/distinction.php?person=ball, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10635615 brainspace SPRING 2018

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biology

SYMBIOTIC re re r ellaattiioonnsshhiiipppsss!!!

by Grace Bueler

If you have intestines, a pet dog or eyebrows, you are in a symbiotic relationship. Originating in biology, the term symbiosis comes from the Greek “syn” meaning “together” and “vios” meaning “life.” It was coined by botanist Anton de Bary in 1870 to describe his discovery that fungi-dwelling algae produce a composite organism, lichen. “Symbiotic” now describes any partnership developed through close proximity in order to ensure food, shelter and ultimately survival.

Anton de Bary

sym or syn = together bio or vios = life

Having a pet dog implies a symbiotic relationship because of the give-and-take involved. You provide food and shelter in exchange for the companionship, protection, and physical labour (if you’re a farmer with a herding dog) your pup provides. But what kind of symbiosis is this? The classification of any symbiosis depends on three things: proximity, need and beneficiary.

Because you and your dog live outside each other’s body, your symbiosis is ectosymbiont (ecto meaning outer). While a relationship with E. coli bacteria living inside your intestines is endosymbiont (endo meaning inner), and depends on the shelter and nutrition your body gives while the bacteria helps you absorb vitamin K and digest certain foods.

This dependence also classifies this symbiosis as obligate (meaning one or both partners would die without the other), while your relationship with your dog is most likely facultative, or nonessential for survival.

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E. coli bacteria

intestines

endosymbiont relationship @BrainspaceMag

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TYPES OF SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS Next we identify the beneficiary, to determining into which of this classification’s four main types a partnership falls.

Mutualistic relationship: species working together in a mutually beneficial way.

Commensalism relationship: one species benefitting while the other is unaffected (like you and the bacteria living on your eyebrows!).

Parasitism partnership: consists of a parasite (like a tick) living off of and harming its host.

Synnecrosis: results in the death of the species involved.

Symbiosis is just one way that an organism can try to assure its survival. Through the evolutionary process of natural selection, animals develop ways to thrive and survive. For instance, the way a species fulfills its needs for food and protection becomes instinctive, as those traits are passed on to future generations by those who’ve survived because of this adaptive behaviour.

See how the Lesserblack tarantula and its pet frog live in perfect harmony.

Courtesy of Discovery Canada. For more Discovery Canada videos, click on subscribe at the end of this augmented reality.

A particularly unusual symbiosis involves the Lesserblack tarantula of Bogota, Colombia. This spider protects its eggs by keeping a dotted humming frog as a pet. In return, the tiny frog is protected from predators and eats the insects that feed on the spider’s prey. See if you can determine the three classifications of this relationship.

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biology

Our Ocean Needs Love Written by Laura Walton, Grade: 8, Age: 13

O

cean pollution is a problem that almost everybody is aware of, but the true stats and facts honestly made me sick. I had the pleasure of taking part in the 2017 Brainspace Innovation Challenge. The participating teams were asked to create a hypothetical solution to ocean pollution. My group immediately agreed that to solve a problem, we must understand it. I, personally, was astonished at the terrifying facts that we found.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), approximately 1.4 billion pounds of trash enters the ocean each year. Studies done by the NOAA Marine Debris Program have shown that it takes approximately 450 years for a plastic bottle to deteriorate, 1 million years for a glass bottle to deteriorate, and 600 years for fishing line to deteriorate, meaning that these substances can pass through and kill many animals within their time.

In oceanography, a gyre � any large system of circulating ocean currents, particularly th�e involved with large wind movements.

There are five gyres in the ocean, and according to the ocean crusaders, each of these gyres contain several million pieces of plastic. These gyres are the feeding grounds for many animals, meaning many animals are feeding on this plastic.

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INSTANTLY HELP: • Use tap water. Plastic bottles take hundreds of years to deteriorate.

• Pick it up. Litter is careless and dangerous. Dispose of your trash properly.

• Say “no thanks” to drinking straws.

• Use cloth or paper bags. Plastic bags aren’t recyclable and can harm the environment.

Each year appr�imately 1,000,000 seabirds, 300,000 dolphins and porpo��, 100,000 green sea turtl�, and 100,000 other sea mammals die due to pollution.

Pl�tic do�n’t d�integrate

When an animal consumes plastic, it will stay in its stomach until the animal dies. The animal will always have the illusion that it is full because its stomach will always be full, but it won’t be getting the nutrients it needs, so potentially it will starve to (Source: death on a full stomach. oceancrusaders.org) In recent studies done by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, it’s been discovered that in some areas, like the California coast, plastic outnumbers ocean life six to one.

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) aren’t naturally occurring in living

creatures. These have negative biological effects such as decreased fertility in birds, mammals, and marine animals, decreased hatching rates in animals that lay eggs, abnormal behaviour in animals, and weakened immune systems in birds and mammals. (Source: WDC Foundation) Studies done by the BlueVoice Org have found

that nine of the ten species with the highest polychlorinated biphenyl levels are marine mammals. The nine animals are: bottlenose dolphins, orca whales, Risso’s dolphins, harbour seals, beluga whales, Mediterranean monk seals, common dolphins, gray seals, and polar bears.

The PCB levels in these animals are so high that there have been cases where the animal’s carcass was considered toxic waste and had to be stored in a contained environment.

About two thirds of the here is no gesture too big or too small when population of it comes to helping the fish in the ocean environment. Whether you create suffer many an idea to clean the world once �su� because and for all, or you pick up a water of pl�tic. bottle you see on the ground and

T

(Source:

put it into the recycling, you are oceancrusaders.org) helping. I hope these facts help you better understand the problem at hand and motivate you to want to do something about it.

Laura’s passion and commitment to improving the quality of marine life is inspiring. If you would like to write an article about an issue you are passionate about, please send an email to brainspacemagazine@bell.net.

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Good Vibrations Have you ever heard people say that if you talk to your plant, it will grow better?

Scientists still don’t know if this is true, but what we do know for certain is that plants can sense sound and even respond to it!

by Pascale Bider

When we humans hear sound or noise, what we are actually doing is sensing vibrations in the air through specialized organs in our ears. Plants don’t have the same specialized organs, but they are still able to detect vibrations and use them to get information about what is happening around them. Although they may not seem like it, plants are very in tune with their surroundings. They are able to listen to many dierent sounds, and they use this ability in a variety of ways.

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Plants hear bees

Plants hear caterpillars

Some plants only release their pollen when pollinators make specific buzzing noises at them.

When these flowers sense a bee making the right vibrations, their anthers open and release pollen.

This kind of pollination, called “buzz pollination,” ensures that only the right pollinators will be able to access the flower’s pollen.

When caterpillars munch on plants’ leaves, they make a distinctive sound. When plants sense these vibrations, they produce chemicals like anthocyanins that help protect them against predators. Scientists have recorded the sound of caterpillars crunching and played it back to plants when no insects were nearby.

They discovered that the sound of the recording alone was enough to make the plant produce defensive chemicals!

Plants communicate with chemicals Plants are not only good listeners, they are also chatterboxes! Plants have developed a complex language to talk to other living organisms using chemicals. For example, when a plant is attacked by an insect, it releases chemical compounds that send a signal to nearby plants to tell them that danger is near. Thanks to this warning, the surrounding plants can release protective chemicals and avoid getting eaten as well. In addition, plants that are under attack by insects can release chemicals that send signals to attract predators of that insect. When the predator receives the chemical message, it comes to eat the attacking insect and saves the plant. Plants also communicate by releasing chemicals into the soil. They send signals to attract soil microorganisms, which help the plant get the nutrients it needs to grow.

Sound makes plants grow Sound can be used to improve the crop of edible plants like sweet peppers, cucumbers, spinach and wheat. These plants produce up to 30% more when exposed to sounds of specific pitch compared to when they are grown in silence!

Plants produce sound Recently, scientists have learned that plants also produce sound.

For example, the roots of young corn plants produce short and sudden bursts of sound vibrations.

We still don’t know why or how plants produce sound, and we don’t know how their hearing system works either. When it comes to plants’ hearing and communication, there are still a lot of discoveries to be made!

Plants hear water Plant roots usually grow towards water, be it streams, lakes or moisture in the ground.

Scientists have recently discovered that plants can even detect water running in underground pipes using only the sound of rushing water as a guide!

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Maker Space

Terrariums: Making It Rain

Do you like dirt? If you do, this kind of science is for you. A terrarium is a popular way to observe how water, gas, roots and plants behave. Eventually the seedlings can be moved to an outdoor garden when it gets warmer.

How it works: The terrarium is created in a glass container to allow light and heat to come in. It is usually in a sealed environment that creates its own water cycle. Find a warm sunny spot to park your terrarium. After a few days, you’ll observe that condensation from the soil and the plants forms on the “roof” of the jar.

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The light and warmth in the jar create a perfect environment for photosynthesis.

Plants don’t eat like we do but, as living organisms, they need food in the form of energy.

Plants transform – or synthesize – the light’s energy into chemical energy to use as food.

A terrarium can have layers of mixed growth materials like stones, moss and dark soil.

You can be creative or keep it simple. When a terrarium gets too wet, simply open the lid for a few hours to let some moisture escape.

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How to make it: Materials: glass jar with a lid (the larger the better) water seed starter potting soil seeds (grass, sprouts, marigolds are a few easy and fast growers) egg carton sunshine Start by cutting the egg carton into individual cups. Figure out how many will fit in your jar (on its side).

Put some soil in each egg carton cup and sprinkle it with seeds: grass, sprouts and marigolds all work very well.

Pour or spray some water on the soil.

Carefully place the egg cups in the jar, and put on the lid.

Then put it in a warm, sunny spot. We placed the jar in the lid of the egg carton so that it wouldn’t roll around.

Observe the jar every day. Within 24 hours, there will be fun stuff to see. Moisture will start to collect inside the jar. The seeds will sprout within a week or sooner depending on your choice of plant.

Open the jar and feel the warmth inside. It smells and feels like a spring day!

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Maker Space

Botany EXPERIMENTS Find out how the Plant Kingdom eats, drinks and gives back.

Yummy Chlorophyll: it s a plant s food. Extract it to see it.

Materials

• mortar and pestle or hammer and cutting board • green leaves (geraniums work extremely well) • a glass • rubbing alcohol

Place the leaves on a cutting board. Using a hammer, smash the green leaves into a pulp.

Pour some alcohol into a glass. Put the pulp in the glass.

Let sit for several hours, preferably overnight.

Observe what happened.

The green colour in the plants comes from a green substance called chlorophyll, which is necessary for producing food in plants. The process by which the chlorophyll produces food is called photosynthesis.

Bonus step:

Dip a strip of coffee filter paper in the chlorophyll solution. Leave it in for about 20 minutes.

Lay the paper to dry on a flat suface.

After a few hours, observe.

What do you see?

This colour separation is the result of chromatography, a process that isolates each of the compounds in a mixture.

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Use Blippar to watch this video for a step by step demo of the experiments below.

Root Behaviour:

plants seek out liquid to drink and thrive.

Materials

• deep clear glass baking pan • paperback novel • planting or seed starter soil • small potted herb plant like basil or parsley • stones • spray bottle full of water

Gently transplant your tiny herb plant. Tip it sideways and coax it out of its container. Place it upright in the middle of the pan.

Fill the pan with soil. Gently pack down the plant to secure it in the new soil.

Plants Sweat:

plants release oxygen and moisture too.

Materials

• plant with many green leaves • large transparent plastic bag • elastic or piece of string • watering can • water

Water the plant.

Find a sunny area to locate your pan for a few weeks! Make sure you don’t need to move it.

Cover a stem and its green parts with the plastic bag. Option: you can cover several stems if you choose to.

Tilt one side of the pan higher. Take that paperback novel and wedge it under the end of the pan.

Tie off the bag around the stem(s) so that no air can enter or escape the bag.

Water the soil at the lower side of the pan only.

Repeat every few days. For the sake of the experiment, do not water the soil at the high end of the pan.

Place the plant in a well-lit area but not in direct sunlight.

After a week, look under the glass pan. What do you notice about the roots?

Roots seek out and find the water they need.

Let it sit for a day.

Observe. What do you see inside the bag?

The inside of the bag is covered with moisture emitted from the plant’s leaves, proving that plants emit moisture. brainspace SPRING 2018

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Far, far away, down the glass and metal tubes of a microscope, live the inhabitants of ancient and little-known but widely studied kingdoms of the single-celled organisms.

Using our unique plasma-shrinker, Sam Microman, our intrepid Brainspace professor, caught up with some of these reclusive and elusive characters in the depths of the oceans and in the bodies of living things near you. Some are wise and beautiful; others deadly and scheming – but all of these outsiders of the animal world are fascinating.

Prokaryotes and the Big Bad Bacteria I started my journey in the oldest living place in the world: the Prokaryote Kingdom. It’s a big place and there are plenty of inhabitants here. Every single-celled animal you can imagine lives here.

They are different from other singlecells because they have no separate compartments to hold their parts. The nucleoid (not a real nucleus), along with its other parts, are held in only by the cell membrane.

Hmmm. Maybe this is why there are so many different types of prokaryotes and why they have lasted so long.

The most famous prokaryotes are bacteria.

Most bacteria are harmless but some of these guys are nasty and can make us sick.

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Little-known fact about E. coli:

E. coli

You may have heard of E. coli (short for Escherichia coli). These little single-cells hang out in our digestive tracts. Most of the time, our bodies can protect themselves from them, but sometimes they can cause us to be pretty ill. It’s not much fun having E. coli camp out in your body, so the best way to prevent an unexpected visit is to wash your hands regularly and avoid foods that are unpasteurized and beef that is not fresh or fully-cooked.

Goliath

Meet Goliath, a large colony of bacteria that forms a mat or blanket living on the sea floor. These mats, which can reach the size of a large country, are made up of filaments of bacteria 2 to 7 centimetres in length and unlike their miniscule cousins are big enough to see with the naked eye.

Goliath does not live on oxygen but rather on hydrogen sulfide. “We are happy here covering thousands of acres of sea floor, miles away from the hustle and bustle of life on the surface of the earth,” says one Goliath found in the Indian Ocean.

“We have no taste for oxygen but prefer to live on a gas that would be deadly to others.” We finished our interview but before I left he confessed, “I am not very popular with other bacteria so it’s good that I am made up of so many tiny creatures. This way I don’t get lonely.”

I decided to put on a mask and rubber gloves and go talk to some E. coli hanging out on some unwashed fruit. I said, “Hey, don’t you guys have something better to do than hang out here waiting to make some kid sick?”

One of the ringleaders answered back, “Whoa there, mister! You may not know this, but we are helping scientists make reusable fuel! They figured out how to re-engineer us so we poop out propane gas!” Wow! Who knew?

Thermophiles

Thermophiles, the daredevils of the microbe world, are a type of extremophile – the name says it all! Thermophiles thrive where most creatures would perish. Extremely hot and acidic environments are paradise to these zany folk.

Scientists have found evidence of their spores in rocks over 40 million years old! I couldn’t get near enough to the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, where Thermophile is said to live and provide some amazing colour to the geysers there. But at the single-cell gift shop, I managed to get a rare photo of Thermophiles that live in Oregon.

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Eukaryotes We have the nucleus to prove it! The single-cell eukaryote has a nucleus and can reproduce by cell division. Human and other animals are eukaryotic.

Xenophyophore Moving on, I was fortunate to meet a

delicate and frilly Xenophyophore, a quiet and unknown member of the single-cells. His crowd lives on the ocean floor over 10 kilometres deep! Very little is known about them except that they are thought to be one of the largest single-cells in existence. One species is 20 centimetres in diameter – now that’s a large cell!

When I asked the quiet but beautiful creature about life in the depths, she answered, “It’s okay I guess. Humans first thought I was a sponge, then a Protista and now that they’ve discovered I have a nucleus, they have put me in the Eukaryote category.”

Kingdom Protista If you don’t belong in any other kingdom, come and join us!

Protista are single-cells that are hard to classify. So, they became a kingdom all their own. The citizens are as different from one another can be, but being different is what makes them the same!

Blue-Green Algae

I moved on to meet the ancient seer of the singlecell-set, Master BlueGreen Algae himself.

Quite attractive in his spiral blue and green pattern, he shared what he has learned over the years.

“My ancestors date back to the beginning of the Earth when it was a boiling mass of gasses with very little moisture. We were the true pioneers of life on this planet. We are the first organism to use photosynthesis!” Then I asked him if he had any tips for younger single-cells making their way in the microlands of today. Here is what he said: “Don’t bother other organisms – try to survive without invading other species and becoming a target for destruction. Respect life.”

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Dog Vomit Slime was looking

for a moist area or a place with a lot of dead vegetation. Dog Vomit Slime, (to my dismay, he said, “Please call me Dog Vomit!”) certainly lives up to his reputation. Yellow and slimy but otherwise not harmful to humans, he explained that for a long time he remained a mystery to the human world. He didn’t fit into any of the usual categories, or kingdoms, so along with other misfits of the single-cells, he landed in the Protista Kingdom. Dog Vomit and his over 900 slime mould cousins feed on the microorganisms found in dead plant life, fungi and yeasts.

Dinoflagellata Travelling through this strange and won-

derful kingdom, a flash in the dark caught my eye. It turned out to be Dinoflagelatta, a single-cell shapeshifter that comes in many forms.

Part of the Kingdom Protista, this alluring creature can produce its own light though bioluminescence, the same process that makes fireflies glow. These tiny protists can be deadly.

Preferring the warm waters of the ocean in the summer months, they can “bloom” in such large numbers that they turn the water around them gold or red. They are toxic to fish and sea creatures that eat them. @BrainspaceMag

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Fly Away

Home Spring is migration time for thousands of birds by Holly Bennett

Over most of Canada, the return of the robins is a sure sign of spring. But where have they been all winter? And how do they know how to find their way back? Bird migration is an amazing, complex behaviour!

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WHAT IS MIGRATION? Migration is the large-scale movement (usually seasonal) of a whole population of animals.

Monarch butterflies migrate.

So do pronghorn antelope and zebras. But birds are the champions: worldwide over 4,000 bird species migrate!

WHY DO THEY DO IT? You might know some humans who migrate south in the winter to escape the cold. Cold affects birds too, but birds migrate primarily to find more plentiful food. There are fewer insects and other foods available in winter, so some species head south.

But it’s nice year-round in the tropics, so why do they bother coming back each spring? One theory is that our long spring and summer days allow them to raise more young.

HOW DO THEY FIND THEIR WAY? Some birds cover thousands of miles every year, following pretty much the same course each time. Others take different routes coming and going, to take advantage of seasonal patterns in weather (e.g. prevailing winds) and food. We still don’t fully understand how they manage it, but it seems that birds combine several senses when they navigate. They get compass information from the sun, the stars and earth’s magnetic field. They also use visual landmarks to find their way.

How Can We Help?

Providing birdfeeders in the fall helps birds fatten up for the long trip ahead, and in spring it helps them recover from their hard journey. Some people worry that providing food in the fall will make birds wait too long to begin migrating but that’s not true.

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WHAT ARE THE DANGERS? Migrating is hard on birds. It’s as tiring as running a long, long marathon, and natural hazards like lack of food and bad weather add to the danger. To prepare, birds “bulk up” before their flight, eating as much as they can to store up fat.

Humans have created new dangers.

Migrating birds often fly at night.

They are attracted by the lights of tall buildings, and many die when they fly into the structures.

Some populations of birds have favourite stopover places where they rest and feed. If new building developments destroy that habitat, these birds can have trouble finding enough food.

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FASTEST FLYER: This award goes to the great snipe. Snipes don’t look very aerodynamic, but during migration they fly around 6,500 km at speeds of up to 95 km per hour!

LONGEST M I G R AT I O N : The arctic tern is not a very big bird, but it is a world-class traveller! It flies from its breeding grounds in the Arctic, all the way to Antarctica for the winter (though it’s Antarctica’s summer). That’s a round trip of around 80,000 km! An arctic tern can live 30 years – can you figure out its lifetime migration distance?

Meet the

Migration Champs SMALLEST MIGRATOR: Hummingbirds are tiny and look fragile, but they migrate all the way to Central America. The rufous hummingbird travels the farthest – about 3,200 km – between Alaska and Mexico.

SLOW AND STEADY AWARD: Adélie penguins can’t fly, but they walk – er, waddle – 13,000 km per year between their breeding grounds and the ice floes where they spend the winter.

LONGEST NONSTOP FLIGHT: Could you travel for eight days and cover 11,000 km without resting or eating? The bar-tailed godwit can.

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frança�

Au Clair de

la Lune

Au clair de la Lune, Mon ami Pierrot, Prête-moi ta plume Pour écrire un mot.

Ma chandelle est morte, Je n´ai plus de feu, Ouvre-moi ta porte, Pour l´amour de Dieu.

LISTEN AND LEARN: use Blippar to scan this page and hear how to sing the French song Au clair de la lune. Read along with the words on the right side of the picture.

FOR MORE GREAT FRENCH SONGS AND STORIES VISIT COMPTINES ET CHANSONS OR CLICK SUBSCRIBE AT THE END OF THIS VIDEO

KEY WORDS:

au clair de la Lune > in the light of the moon plume > feather (or pen) écrire un mot > write a word

pas de feu > no fire, flame chandelle, morte > candle, dead Ouvre, porte > open, door lit > bed voisine > neighbour cuisine > kitchen briquet > lighter L’aimable > likeable, lovable frappe > knock, hit chercha > look for

En 2018 , la pleine Lune apparait sur les dates suivantes : 30

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Au clair de la Lune Pierrot répondit : “Je n´ai pas de plume, Je suis dans mon lit.

Va chez la voisine, Je crois qu´elle y est, Car dans sa cuisine On bat le briquet.

Au clair de la Lune, S’en fut Arlequin Frappe chez la brune, Ell’ répond soudain : — Qui frapp’ de la sorte ?

Il dit à son tour : — Ouvrez votre porte Pour le dieu d’amour !

Au clair de la Lune, On n´y voit qu´un peu : On chercha la plume, On chercha le feu.

En cherchant d´la sorte Je n´sais c´qu´on trouva, Mais j´sais que la porte Sur eux se ferma.

JANVIER FÉVRIER MARS AVRIL MAI 2 2 , 31 30 29 @BrainspaceMag

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AI

La phase lunaire désigne une portion de Lune illuminée par le Soleil et vue à partir de la Terre.

The lunar phases are defined by the parts of the moon we see from Earth. They are visible because they are illuminated by the sun.

Un cycle lunaire dure environ 29,5 jours.

A lunar cycle lasts approximately 29.5 days.

La Lune est en orbite autour de la Terre alors les phases lunaires changent d’une journée à l’autre.

The moon orbits the Earth so we see a new phase each day.

La Lune présente toujours la même face envers la Terre.

The moon’s face is looking towards the Earth.

Les phases lunaires sont: These are the lunar phases:

Le Premier Quartier (demi-lune)

First Quarter La Lune Gibbeuse Croissante

(half-moon)

Le Premier Croissant

Waning Gibbous Moon

First Crescent

La Nouvelle Lune

La Pleine Lune Full Moon

The New Moon

Le Dernier Croissant

La Lune Gibbeuse Décroissante Waxing Gibbous Moon

Last Crescent Le Dernier Quartier (demi-lune) Last Quarter (half-moon)

JUIN 28

JUILLET 27

AOÛT 26

SEPTEMBRE OCTOBRE 25 24

NOVEMBRE 25

DÉCEMBRE 27

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climate

Weather Phenomena The incredible natural light show known as aurora borealis is often described by its spectators as spiritual. In fact, some have referred to the mysterious lights as large finger ghosts. Weather can produce natural events that inspire a sense of awe. It can also create some odd, even unbelievable, events. Throughout history, there are stories of balls of lightning (St. Elmo’s fire) that appear from the ground. There are tales of a singular, massive, freak wave on an otherwise calm body of water.

Australians can witness a rare sighting of a morning glory cloud, which is described as a giant ropeshaped cloud that stretches as far as the eye can see across a clear blue sky. Meteorologists have been able to scientifically explain why some of these events happen. Some phenomena remain a mystery and some occurences are in question despite the numerous sightings and reports.

IT’S RAINING CATS AND

?

For centuries, people have reported “rain” in the form of frogs, fish or objects like stones. In the fourth century, fish fell on a town in Greece for three days. Nearly 2,000 years ago Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian, reported a shower of frogs. In England, a storm in 1939 produced so many frogs that witnesses were afraid to walk outside for fear of squishing the amphibians. In Yoro, Honduras, locals speak of Luvia de Peces, a shower of fish that happens every summer. This rain of flightless animals is referred to as a skyfall.

Though scientists have never witnessed this rare meteorological event, French physicist André-Marie Ampère suggested a theory that tornadoes or waterspouts sucked up the animals and carried them great distances before they fell to the ground again. Frogs are most commonly sucked up, but there have been skyfalls of snails, maggots, pebbles and even sheep! It has not, according to records, ever rained cats and dogs.

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UFO OR LENTICULAR

?

Unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings are commonly reported in mountain ranges. Uncertainty often surrounds the reports and many believe that a lenticular cloud formation is the logical explanation. The saucer-shaped cloud is a naturally occuring event where moist air currents are interrupted by objects – like mountains. When moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, a group of large stationary wave-shaped bands of air form on the downwind side like the crest of a wave. Condensation occurs if the temperature is cold enough (having reached dewpoint) to form a cloud. As the moist air moves back down into the wave, the cloud may evaporate back into vapour, creating a formation known as a lenticular or wave cloud.

LIGHT A single beam or pillar of light, that seemingly shoots straight up to the sky, is caused by the reflection of a light source through countless microscopic ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. The light source might be the moon, streetlights or the sun. Nocturnal light pillars are a nighttime phenomenon. However, you may have seen a sun pillar at dawn or sunset, when the sun is slightly below the horizon. A light pillar is an atmospheric phenomenon. brainspace SPRING 2018

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h�tory

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a that i b m u ol tish C i r red in B e f v o o c t stly gical coas o o l e o m h t e s i a ff t arch sland and o i l u s e i B . e Th t w o o e. s a rem t or seaplan ives there n s of years. i d slan hed by boa nd nobody l r thousand I t e u est Triq only be reac og forests, a inhabited fo the old atf o e om av can and b it was rthed s t am exc f s a e a g e t n h o e t u b tly a. Th er o peat ggests d recen orth Americ find a numb and u n s a l e s I c t n rique d in N and peat to h hooks, a h te evide r foun ts on T l s e

Triquet Island

e i s l eologi ettlement ev ny feet of so s including fi place, comp h c r a , t l a s e c o r st m n a o fi f a a In f hum ully through ed wooden t a hearth, or oal was at le s! o e c n mid and harc car v evide y and caref tools, t fires, ed that the c ’s Great Pyra l e h n w g i o o l l t s s o ed ypt ed t cts: how t artifa have been us bon dating s lder than Eg n e i c n a ld es o Car at wou ee tim rcoal. drill th ents of cha ore than thr agm ’s m with fr rs old! That yea 14,000

ool T g n ti n u H h c e T tAncien an atlatl – ologists found was

e artifacts the archae the world before th of s rt pa y One of the coolest an m in socket rower. It was used a stick with a small lly ca an ancient spear th si ba is tl la at the invented. An of a small spear into d bow and arrow was en e th t fi ld ou w ers to Hunters tlatls allowed hunt A r. ea sp opening at one end. a w ro th hand. ping motion to than they could by r socket and use a flip he rt fa d an er rd h faster, ha throw a spear muc

34

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land during

quet Is it all along living on Tri re e w le p o eet. e They knew p roves that a huge ice sh

p d by ditional ese artifacts da was covere le, whose tra a p n o a e p C f k o u The age of th ll ts a on, told il y r y of the He uk First Nati to ts when virtuall is il , h e e l g H ra A e o e e th a, Ic f th o e th is confirms nd in that are y, a member Th la st f u t? o o a h H p w ri m ss a st e li a u il And g talks of land. W ring the tsuk histor y ver froze du des Triquet Is il e e lu n c H t “ a in s, y th w r , e o d n e it terr CBC ors flocked to ation occurr st v a e c c x n e a e r u th o e re plac whe that it was a Ice Age, and for sur vival.”

By land or by sea?

This finding is an important clue to the myster y of how the first people came to North America.

There are two competing theories. One is that they walked over a land bridge – or isthmus – that once connected the eastern edge of Asia with Alaska. The other is that they came by sea. Alisha Gauvreau, a University of Victoria student and scholar with the Hakai Institute, was involved in the research at this site. She told Smithsonian

Magazine that many archaeologists thought that the northern Pacific coast of North America would have been uninhabitable at the time, leading them to favour the land-bridge theory. But these artifacts clearly show that people lived on the coast.

The team also found evidence that the ancient inhabitants’ diet included large sea mammals such as walrus and seal. This tells us that they likely had seaworthy boats – so it’s possible they did come across the ocean!

However they got here, it’s amazing to think that there were people living on a remote island off the BC coast so long ago!

What is carbon dating?

By measuring the level of decay in one of the kinds of carbon that all living things are made of, scientists can tell how old fossils and ancient artifacts are.

Use Blippar to watch Scientific American’s explanation and subscribe to their Instant Egghead YouTube channel for more great science.

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Watch these with Blippar to try more experiments.

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To celebrate the publication of Holly Bennett’s

Casting Lily (available NOW),

we are having a giveaway!

For a chance to win a copy of

Casting Lily,

email jencameron@orcabook.com ISBN 9781459814509 • Ages 11-14 • $9.95 pb

*You must be a resident of the USA or Canada to enter. *Deadline to enter is May 1, 2018.

Ava is thrilled to land a role at an outdoor summer theatre. But she struggles with the demands of a professional production, her own insecurities, and an annoying castmate. Then just as it’s all coming together, one bad move jeopardizes Ava’s chances of being able to perform on opening night.

“Casting Lily is more than a story about a play. It is about family, friendship, doing a job well and being authentic…A good read. Highly Recommended.” —CM Magazine

www.hollybennett.ca brainspace SPRING 2018

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WHERE BRIGHT YOUNG MINDS GO TO GROW

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WHERE BRIGHT YOUNG MINDS GO TO GROW

MILKY WAY

A look at our galaxy.

Butterfly Kisses And dairy farms!

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