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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 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS HOLLY BENNETT PASCALE BIDER GRACE BUELER STEPHANIE GIBAULT ELIZABETH MACCOLL HUSS 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
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c ntents page 4 Tallulah is a hero for life
GOOD TO KNOW: Academia 12 14 16 20 21 25 32 34
SPACE: METEORS, COMETS AND ASTEROIDS MATH: FIBONACCI IN EVERYTHING MONEY MATH: NEED VS WANTS AND CHOICES BIOLOGY: TYPES OF LEAVES BIOLOGY: THE PLANT KINGDOM TECHNOLOGY: HOW TO CREATE AUGMENTED REALITY > CONTEST ZOOLOGY: THE BENEFITS OF INSECTS EN FRANÇAIS: LES BIBITES
InTERCOnnections: Sonograms
6 ALIEN LIFE: SONOGRAMS USED TO DETECT EXTRA-TERRESTRIALS 8 TALKING DOGS: SONOGRAMS HELP DECODE YOUR PET’S LANGUAGE 10 THE SOUND OF SCIENCE: PROTONS CREATE SONOGRAMS FOR MUSICAL ALGORITHMS
FasCINATING Randomness 18 22 26 28
FRECKLES: WHY DO WE GET THEM? A TURTLE’S LIFE: THE WORK OF SAVING MARINE LIFE CALMING DOGS: WHY THEY HELP PEOPLE WITH STRESS EATING CRICKETS: GOOD EATS FOR GREAT REASONS
STEM for fun 36 37 38 39
SCIENCE: EXPERIMENT TECHNOLOGY: CODING ART: FOSSILS MATH: TRICKS
brainspace SUMMER 2018
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brainspace SUMMER 2018
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space
ALIENS ON OTHER PLANETs? by Stephanie Gibeault
Do you think we’re alone in the Universe or are alien life forms just a few planets away? Aliens were once the stuff of science fiction, but now the search for extraterrestrial life, meaning life on other planets, is a serious field of science. Many researchers agree that we aren’t alone in the Universe.
Radio Waves Some modern methods of communication, like cell phones and radio, can be picked up in outer space. In theory, if aliens have the right technology and our signals have travelled as far as their planet, aliens should be able to hear us. The same concept should apply in reverse. In fact, since 1960, we’ve been listening to space, hoping to discover radio waves from alien civilizations. Although we’ve been searching for over six decades, we’ve heard nothing so far. 6
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Radio waves, even naturally occurring ones, are extremely weak by the time they reach Earth from outer space. In fact, a signal from your cell phone is actually billions of times more powerful. So we use radio telescopes to listen to space. Radio telescopes are like optical telescopes for looking at the stars, except instead of finding light from far away, they capture and intensify radio waves.
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AR Contest! What to do YOU think an alien might look like?
Will Aliens Look Like Us? What if extraterrestrial life is nothing like us? For example, rather being dependent on water like we are, aliens might have adapted to different elements. If life exists on other planets, will it be easy to detect? It may consist of single-celled beings. Or maybe alien life will be very large and with very little intelligence, similar to Earth’s prehistoric reptiles. After all, the dinosaurs ruled the Earth for millions of years, but they never invented TV or satellite radio.
Alien gases Studying the gases around promising exoplanets is another way to look for signs of alien life even if these aliens aren’t communicating with radio waves. Because these planets are so far away, we can’t collect actual gases, but we can study the light that passes through the atmosphere. Certain gases, such as oxygen and water vapour, may be expected if life forms are present. Or we might be able to detect pollution in the atmosphere if there are advanced civilizations.
Whether or not we find signs of extraterrestrial life depends on three things: 1. the number of life forms that are out there, 2. whether we are able to detect their unique signs of life and luck. 3. A planet developing life forms might be common, or life on Earth might have been as rare as winning the lottery. But with so many potentially habitable exoplanets, there could be many other lottery winners out there waiting to make contact.
Read the technology feature on page 25 “How to Create AR,” then watch this video for contest details and win great prizes!
The Search for Exoplanets The search for aliens has expanded into identifying exoplanets. Exoplanets are those planets orbiting stars other than our Sun.
Recent reports from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft show that out of the approximately 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, one in six has an orbiting planet that could possibly support life. That’s a lot of potential for extraterrestrial life! brainspace SUMMER 2018
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technology
by Stephanie Gibeault
W
hat if a computer could help you understand what your dog is saying with his woofs and growls? Your pet might be telling you that he wants his dinner or that his paw is sore. And if you could bark back, think of the conversations you could have. Dr. Con Slobodchikoff, an expert in animal communication, is working on a dog-human translation program to allow you to do just that.
Prairie Dog Alarm Calls
Dr. Slobodchikoff spent decades studying Gunnison’s prairie dogs. Prairie dogs use alarms calls to alert other members of their colony to nearby predators. These warning sounds give the rodents time to scurry to safety in their underground tunnels. The alarm calls sound like bird chirps or the distant yipping of dogs, which is where these animals get their name. But when you use a computer to digitally analyze the sounds, things are far more interesting. Dr. Slobodchikoff recorded prairie dog alarm calls in many different situations. For example, the pitch may change when a coyote is approaching from what it what it is if a hawk is flying overhead. You might expect all these alarm calls to be the same but there’s a different alarm call for each predator. In fact, when the computer analyzed the sounds, Dr. Slobodchikoff realized the calls also contain information about the size, speed and colour of the predator. So when a human walks through the colony, a prairie dog’s alarm might say, “Small, slow, human wearing blue.”
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Computers to the Rescue
Without computers, one prairie dog “yip” sounds like another. Sonograms and mathematical analysis can reveal so much more. Sonograms are pictures of sounds that show the changes in frequency (how high-pitched or low-pitched the sound is) over time. By using sonograms, scientists can see how sounds made in various situations differ from one another. In other words, how the alarm made for a coyote is different from the alarm made for a hawk. Dr. Slobodchikoff created a computer program that translates prairie dog calls into English by comparing calls to previous recordings and their meanings. When the computer finds a match, it knows the prairie dog is saying the same thing this time around.
Dog-Human Translator
If a computer can translate the calls of prairie dogs, it can do the same for our pets! By creating sonograms of dog sounds and looking at which sounds are made in which situations, Dr. Slobodchikoff can discover the meanings of the various barks and growls. When the computer learns which sounds mean what, it will be able to translate any sound it hears. In as few as two years, Dr. Slobodchikoff hopes to let us know exactly what our dogs are saying. The program could even allow us to bark back. All you’ll have to do is point your cell phone at your dog and it will tell you exactly what he’s thinking or feeling. He can tell you he loves you and, best of all, you can say you love him back.
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music/art
BY GRACE BUELER
:%^^%%%%%%%%%%%* Located about 150 metres underground at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, the 27-kilometre long Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator blasts protons, a kind of particle (tiny pieces of matter), toward each other at the speed of light (299,792,458 metres per second!) until they smash together.
T
his may seem like a topic only for those dressed in lab coats, but one physicist wants to change that stereotype. Michael Hoch, a physicist working at CERN, founded art@CMS in 2011 because of a camera. The CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) is a camera the size of a four-storey building that captures particle activity within the LHC. Admiring this hulking machine’s strange beauty, Michael began photographing it to showcase its intricate, colourful, and satisfyingly symmetrical appearance.
What is art@CMS?
THE INSIDE OF A CMS (COMPACT MUON SOLENOID) CAMERA FROM A VIEW THAT IS USUALLY ONLY SEEN BY PHYSICISTS.
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Art@CMS now gives schoolchildren, university students, and artists from around the world the same chance to interact with High Energy Physics. Whether someone wants to work with the CMS itself or the data it collects, no creative interpretation is too strange: dances @BrainspaceMag
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You can try your hand at sonification with Scott’s web-based app, IPSOS (Interactive Physics Sonification System).
have been choreographed to mimic the ways particles move in the accelerator, images of the CMS have been projected onto the walls of a bouncy castle, and one musician transforms the data extraction from the CMS into music.
truly awesome. He matches sequences from different collisions, collecs especially unique sounds, and experiments with speed to make endless combinations of unique audio.
How do you turn data into music?
“Often I look for a unique or surprising character,” Scott says. “Once I have that, I can create electronic music.” “Art and science spring from the same place,” Hoch stated in a speech at “Cultural Collisions” this past April, an exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre that displays art inspired by CMS. He hopes this similarity will encourage people to learn more about high energy physics and inspire curiosity in the science and beauty of clusters of matter being flung at one another – in other words – particle acceleration.
What inspires you?
“It’s a bit abstract and hard to understand,” Canadian musician Scott Wilson told Brainspace. Working with art@CMS and the BEER (Birmingham Ensemble for Electroacoustic Research) laptop ensemble, Wilson uses just his laptop, SuperCollider© (composition software he helped develop), and images the CMS captures to isolate a single collision and convert each of its events to audio bits. He concentrates on the locations of the particles, how far they travel, and in which direction they fly, and starts by matching the distance from the centre of a collision to a musical pitch. “So for example, a particle that is farther away from the collision point would produce a higher note than one closer.” This process is known as sonification. Scott uses an algorithm to turn these sounds into sequences, testing this algorithm against different particle collisions to find what events trigger the most pleasing combination of pitches. Since each collision is different, the amount of sequences He can SCOTT WILSON’S SCIENTIFIC IMAGERY AND MUSIC ACCOMPANIES THE produce from an initial mapping are TAIKO PLUS! ORCHESTRA AT THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC.
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science
METEORS COMETS AND ASTEROIDS by Stephanie Gibeault
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM FORMED ABOUT 4.6 BILLION YEARS AGO, LEAVING BEHIND RUBBLE AND DEBRIS THAT STILL TRAVELS THROUGH SPACE TODAY. IF YOU’VE SEEN A SHOOTING STAR, YOU’VE SEEN SOME OF THIS DEBRIS. THE LARGER FRAGMENTS ARE KNOWN AS COMETS AND ASTEROIDS.
Comets and Asteroids
Comets are often described as dirty snowballs because they are made of ice, dust particles, and rock fragments. Hale-Bopp, one of the most famous comets, is 10 times larger than the average comet with an icy core that is 40 kilometres wide. When comets pass by the Sun, the ice and frozen gases on their surface heat up creating a giant, glowing head and a long, bright tail of dust and gas. Asteroids are chunks of rock orbiting our Sun that can be smaller than 10 metres across or larger than many kilometres. An asteroid named Vesta, is about 530 kilometres across. That’s one big hunk of rock! Asteroids were formed either bydamage. space dust lumping together or One of the roles of melanin is to protect our skin from sun by larger bodies intoto bits after smashing into other pieces of The sun’s ultraviolet radiation causes breaking melanocytes produce more melanin that then absorbs or space debris. reflects the sun’s harmful rays. The increase in melanin production causes freckles to appear darker. So your freckles are actually working as a natural sunscreen to protect you. But don’t stop using the SPF 50 because you still need that too! 12
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Meteoroids
Future Collisions
Do we need to worry about a collision in the future? There are probably billions or more comets orbiting the Sun, and of the millions of asteroids, thousands cross Earth’s orbit. Scientists are tracking these asteroids with tools such as radar. The chance of a large asteroid or comet crashing on our planet is very unlikely. So relax and look to the stars with curiosity and enjoy the awesome show they provide.
When comets shed dust or asteroids collide, they produce smaller bodies known as meteoroids. These meteoroids become shooting stars, or meteors, when they fall through Earth’s atmosphere. As the meteor’s outer layer heats up, it forms the spectacular bright tail of a shooting star. A meteor shower happens when Earth travels through the dusty trail of a comet and hundreds of thousands of tiny stones rain down through the sky. Most meteors burn up as they fall. Those that make it to the ground are called meteorites.
When Comets and Asteroids Fall to Earth
Comets and asteroids can cause serious problems when they hit the ground. In fact, they have shaped the evolution of our planet. In Earth’s early days, collision with a body as large as Mars could have created the Moon. And it might be thanks to comet strikes that our planet first developed life as these comets could have brought water and other building blocks of life with them. Mass extinctions throughout our planet’s history are the result of comet and asteroid collisions. Scientists say that about 210 million years ago, impacts killed almost half of all reptiles. This paved the way for the rule of the dinosaurs. Then 65 million years ago, one or more huge asteroids or comets struck the Earth again. The dinosaurs became extinct, along with about three quarters of all other species of animals and plants.
brainspace SUMMER 2018
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math
mathematics
Fibonacci Naturally
0,1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34...
please view this video of the fibonacci sequence in nature by It’s Fibonacci, 0+1=1, 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+2=5, 5+3=8, 5+8=13, 13+8=21, launching21+13=34 the Aurasma App and following Nicole Middleton Channel as indicated on page 4 of this issue. Naturally Leonardo Fibonacci made brilliant discoveries about the It’s summer and it’s a great time to observe the living world around us. Would you believe that while observing nature, you’re doing math? It just so happens that we can estimate, predict, and count numbers and patterns in nature using the Fibonacci numbers. Do you remember Fibonacci? He is another famous mathematician whose brilliant discoveries about number patterns gave us the code to repetitive numbers in nature. Flowers, pineapples, seashells, pinecones, tree branches and countless other natural phenomena grow in patterns we know as the Fibonacci sequence. They have shown up before in Brainspace (Summer 2013). Here is the Fibonacci number sequence:
number patterns in life. The code to many elements in nature like flowers, pineappples, seashells, tree branches and countless other natural phenomena demonstrate patterns that are true to the Fibonacci sequence. It is the pattern of sums that begins with 0 and then 1 and adds itself to the preceeding number. 1 + 0 = 1 thus the first numbers of the sequence are 0,1, 1 then 1 + 1 = 2, thus 1,1,2 then 2+1=3, thus 1,1,2,3 then 3+2=5, thus 1,1,2,3,5 and so on.
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 33.... Fibonacci in Biology 1+1=2 1+2=3
2+3=5
3 + 5 = 8 5 + 8 = 13
8 + 13 = 21
13 + 21 = 33....
Bees’ family trees reflect a Fibonacci number sequence - but only if the bee is male. Fact Queen Bees are born from the mating of a Queen with a male.
Male bee 1 Queen bee 1
Fact Male bees are born from a Queen without mating with a male. See below for a male bee’s family tree:
Male bee Queen bee 1 2 Queen bee + Male bee Queen bee 1 2 3 Queen bee + Male bee Queen bee + Male bee | Queen bee 1 2 3 4 5 Queen bee + Male bee | Queen bee | Queen bee + Male bee | Queen bee+ Male bee | Queen bee 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1
1
2
3
5
8
male bee has parent, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, and great-great-great grandparents. nature is pretty amazing isn’t it? Try a family tree for a Queen bee’s family. does her tree also exhibit fibonacci numbers?
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Fibonacci in Language “Numbers,” says mathemagician Arther Benjamin, “are poetry in motion.” And to demonstrate how true this is, let’s look at a limerick’s rhythm or meter. LIMERICK DI DUM SYLLABLES di-dum di-di- dum di-di dum 5 3 8
There once was a princess named Jinx,
Who was asked what she thought of the Sphinx,
di-dum di-di- dum di-di dum 5 3
8
She said with a smile,
di-dum di-di dum
3
2
5
“That fraud by the Nile?
di-dum di-di dum
3
2
5
I really do think that it stinks!”
di-dum di-di- dum di-di dum 5 3
Fibonacci in Play 8
}
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16 se view this video of the fibonacci sequence in nature17 by ching the Aurasma App and following Nicole Middleton nnel as indicated on page 4 of this issue. 5
3
} } 2 1 1
21, 33....
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21 13
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Fibonacci Hopscotch Fun Using the Fibonacci numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8, here is a hopscotch to try out. Note that the last 8 squares are broken up into 3, 2, 1, and 2 to make the game easier to play.
What you need
18
13
TOTAL
8
15
Rules
Rules Throw a hacky sack, puck or chain of safety pins onto
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8
9
10
5
6
7
} 3 4 } 2 } 1
• Bare pavement approximately 4 x 2 metres in area • Sidewalk chalk in two colours • An easy-to-throw object that will not bounce or roll: a puck, hacky-sack, or safety-pin chain will each work well.
Throw a hacky sack, puck or chain of safety pins onto the board beginning at square 1. Pick up your object the board beginning at square 1. Pick up your object and, carrying it with you, complete the board: and carrying it with you, complete the board. Hopping on one foot to start, jump from 1 to 2. You are Then move on to square 2 and so on. allowed to land on two feet on squares 3 and 4, 5 andHopping on one foot to start, jump from 1 to 2. You 7, 8 and 10, 11 and 12, 13 and 15, 16 and 17, 19 are allowed to land on two feet on squares 3 and 4, 16 and 20. You must hop on one foot on all the other and 17, 19 and 20. Follow the arrows for direction. squares in order. Note that cannot on square the square Note that youyou cannot hophop on the where where your your object is sitting - you must hop over it once you object is sitting – you must hop over it once you have have retrieved the object. retrieved the object. This return is a great develop Then to thegame start ofto the board, balance, throw youagility, strength and hand-eye coordination. object on square to and start again. You can play it on your own or with friends. This is a great game to develop balance, agility, strength and hand-eye coordination. You can play it on your own or with friends.
The beauty of math isSUMMER that2018 it 15 is like brainspace
money
Spoiler ALERT Have you ever heard someone say, “You are so spoiled!”? Maybe they meant that you have much to be grateful for. But what if they meant that you have way more than you need?
What Is Spoiled vs. Not Spoiled?
It’s essentially the difference between having what you need, and, getting everything you want without any financial consideration. Weighing your choices by thinking about what you need versus what you want is financially smart. For instance, realizing that the new cell phone upgrade you want isn’t necessary because the phone you have suits your needs.
Needs, Wants and Choices
Living according to your needs doesn’t mean not getting to do anything. It may surprise you to discover that having fun is a basic human need (see the chart at the top of the next page). Social outings with friends are important to our mental health. However, a picnic is an excellent outing and an economical choice. It costs less if you pack your own meal. The same mindfulness applies when selecting clothing. Being trendy can make responsible financial decisions difficult when the latest footwear is clouding our judgment. Paying a reasonable $40 - $60 for sneakers you need is smarter than paying $140 or more for bragging rights.
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Some of Our Basic Human Needs and Tendencies MENTAL
FRIENDS
EXPLORATION
PHYSICAL
FOOD
CLUBS
CLOTHING
COMMUNICATION
Budget Your Choices
We need stuff. Based on the chart above, many of the needs you have are your parents’ expenses. But every time you are given the option to choose, you impact your family’s finances. Consider the choices you have made in the recent past. We’ve listed a sample of needs and what the average cost should be. If your choices exceed the average cost listed under “Needs,” then write what you actually spent under the “Want” column. For example, if you didn’t pack your own lunch for school and used the lunch program instead, list that cost under the “Want” column. Total up the “Want” column and compare with the “Needs” total.
Food:
Needs
Want
• bicycle • skateboard
$150 $ 90
$ $
Clothing: • jeans • shoes
$ 60 $ 60
$ $
$100 $ 40
$ $
• lunch per week (i.e. bought or lunch program is a want) • water per week (bottled is a want)
Transportation:
Communication:
• cell phone (unnecessary upgrades are wants) • data usage (overage charges are wants)
Total
make it tap
$520
$ $
$
SHELTER
TRANSPORTATION
Are You Economical?
Using the chart on the left is a great way to understand your financial behaviour. Determine if you are on the right track or if you are ruled by your “wants.” There are times when you may choose to spend more than necessary to treat yourself. But if you regularly choose the higher price tag instead of demonstrating financial restraint you could be behaving in a financially irresponsible – or spoiled – manner. Considering your expenses is an important step in becoming a mature and financially responsible person. Budgeting, saving and earning the finer things in life is both rewarding and smart! brainspace SUMMER 2018
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biology biology
BY BEN MAYCOCK Few of us can resist the urge to get outdoors once the sun starts shining. And during these lazy, hazy days of summer, there is one sun worshipper we are sure to see an abundance of: freckles! Of course anyone with freckles will tell you that they exist throughout the year, but they are more prominent in the summer months when there is more sunshine.
What are these brownish or rusty-coloured spots that appear darker than the rest of our skin? In every human body, skin cells called melanocytes produce a natural substance or pigment called melanin. Melanin is responsible for the colour of our eyes, our hair and our skin. In many people, melanin is distributed evenly throughout the skin but in people with freckles it is distributed Melanocyte unevenly. Clusters or clumps of melanin appear on the surface of our skin as freckles. One of the roles of melanin is to protect our skin from sun damage. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation melanocytes to produce more melanin. is the causes sensation you get on your skin similar to when feelharmful a featherrays. run along This melanin then absorbs or reflects theyou sun’s The increase in your arm. This irritating feelingSo makes melanin production causes freckles to appear darker. youryou freckles are want to brush away whatever is touching you. actually working as a natural sunscreen to protect you. But don’t stop using the SPF 50 because you still need that too!
Knismesis
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FACT: MC1R is a gene that scientists have identified as a
Freckles will fade over time and with less exposure to the sun.
likely cause of freckles. It sits upon the melanocytes and controls the balance of pigment or colour in both hair and skin. When MC1R is active, any pigment the body produces is converted into eumelanin, which is responsible for black and brown hair and skin colours. If the MC1R gene is not active, it leads to a rare type of human pigment called pheomelanin. Pheomelanin causes red hair and freckles. However, that doesn’t mean that all people with red hair will have freckles or vice versa! The complicated world of genetics is the reason why there are so many wonderfully diverse people in the world. While scientists have not identified all the genes that cause freckles, they do know they are genetic (passed on from parent to child). Parents not only pass on the likelihood of freckles to their children, but even where they may appear on their children’s bodies.
FACT:
Babies are not born with freckles. It is only after exposure to sunlight – and only if they are genetically disposed to them – that an infant will begin to show freckles.
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botany
spotting Leaves Get your camera, head outside and challenge your friends to a botanical scavenger hunt. Snap pictures of the leaves you find. Compare and classify with the chart below. The classification of names for these leaves typically refers to their shape. NOTE: Do not remove leaves from their natural environment. Respect nature and stay safe by avoiding contact with potential allergens, pests and invasive species.
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OVATE
OBOVATE
SAGITTATE
HASTATE
OBCORDATE
CORDATE
ACICULATE
LINEAR
RENIFORM
SPATULATE
LANCEOLATE
OBLANCEOLATE
TRIANGULAR
ORBICULATE
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The Plant Kingdom Non-Flowering
BRYOPHYTES
Conifers
GYMNOSPERMS
THALLOPHYTES
Mosses
FERNS
Fungi
Gingkos
FeRnS:
non-flowering vascular plants that reproduce from spores
GYMnOSPeRMS: non-flowering plants that reproduce from unenclosed seeds (e.g. pinecones)
Cycads
Liverworts
bRYOPHYTeS:
Hornworts
Algae
Lichens
THallOPHYTeS:
simple plants that live in water or high moisture.
non-flowering, non-vascular plants that reproduce from spores
Flowering
ANGIOSPERMS
Monocots
single-leaf seedlings
petals bloom in multiples of 3
Dicots
2-leaf seedlings
petals bloom in multiples of 4 or 5
anGIOSPeRMS:
flowering plants that reproduce from enclosed (shelled) seeds
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brainspace SUMMER 2018
zoology
X-ray of a fishing lure in a turtle
The Work of Saving a
BY ELIZABETH MACCOLL HUSS While on vacation in Florida, I spotted something that had washed up on the beach. Curious, I went to check it out. I was surprised and concerned when it turned out to be a sea turtle. Just the day before I had visited the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet. So, I knew just what to do: tell a lifeguard or contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission. If a turtle needs to be saved in the Daytona Beach area, it will likely end up in the care of the Marine Science Center. Odds are, the turtle might have been one of their previous patients. The center could be tracking it just like they do with other turtles that have been released back into their natural habitat. Since opening in 2002, the center has saved thousands of turtles. Melissa Ranly, a biologist and manager of the turtle hospital at the Marine Science Center gave us a behind-the-scenes tour. “What The staff document their findings can we do to help turtles?” I asked Melissa. just like a crime scene investigation. “Helium balloons are terrible,” she told us. Many items such as fishing hooks, “So many people use balloons and don’t nets, even oil can be sometimes be think twice about releasing them into the traced back to the source and charges sky.” Often, the deflated balloons end up can then be laid against the person on water and this shiny garbage attracts or company responsible for polluting marine life such as turtles. I learned that and the results of the pollution. drinking straws are also a deadly problem
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This turtle is being prepared for an ultrasound to determine why it may be sick. for marine life. Balloons and straws commonly end up inside a turtle’s stomach or intestines. It’s an epidemic problem that many people aren’t even aware of. The turtle can starve, or become very sick and suffer a long and painful death. Hundreds of turtles are brought to the center every year. Sadly, they can only save approximately half of them. Research is a critical part of what the Marine Science Center does Dr. Craig Pelton smiled as he recalled one patient named Tabasco. When he arrived, Tabasco couldn’t even lift his head. It seemed hopeless. It took a lot of work, but as months passed, he started to gain strength and surprised everyone with his recovery. “Their heartbeat gets so low,” Dr. Pelton told us. Tabasco’s got down to four beats per minute.” In some ways, the centre was similar to a human hospital. Instead of hospital beds, there were small pools; some
Inserting a feeding tube into the turtle. It needs nutrition once the object is removed from its stomach. brainspace SUMMER 2018
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The Kemp’s Ridley is a rare, critically endangered marine turtle. We were lucky to see one while visiting the Marine Science Centre. They are named after Richard Kemp, an avid fisherman from Key West. In 1947, someone filmed close to 40,000 of them on the beach in what’s called an arribada, which means arrival in Spanish. This is when large numbers come onto the beach to nest. Only two types of turtles in the world do this. Check the video using the Blippar app. turtles had private pools while others were able to share. Very tiny samples of blood were taken to check glucose levels; feeding tubes along with other supplies were turtle sized. Staff and volunteers at any given time were recording data, measuring, doing X-rays, preparing food
The gender of a hatchling is determined by the temperature of the sand the egg is in. Hotter sand produces females while males develop in cooler sand. In recent years, there are many more females. This creates another challenge for already endangered turtle populations.
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or medications. A team conducted a checkup on a rare Kemp’s Ridley (a critically endangered marine turtle); a vet tech gently held the patient as the veterinarian inserted a needle. Dr. Pelton brought up an image of the heart with an ultrasound machine. They took great care to document every detail for each turtle. Recording the data in individual patient files allows them to monitor medical progress as well as track items found in, or on, the patient. The center cares for a variety of animals. We saw groups touring the bird rehabilitation area, admiring the aquariums, even feeding stingrays. I’ve already stopped using plastic bags, but now I’ll never look at balloons or straws the same way. When you’re done with a helium balloon, pop it and put it in the recycling bin. You could be saving a life. For more about how to help marine life, visit www.marinesciencecenter.com.
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technology
What do Pokémon Go!, Harry Potter, Snapchat and Brainspace magazine have in common?
Augmented Reality C TO
REAT
E AU G M E N T E D
REA
LIT
AR
W HO
Augmented reality is a very cool technology. It superimposes an image, animation or video onto a page or over a landmark in a geographic locations. There are so many fun opportunities for augmented reality use. We think you might enjoy trying it out for yourself.
Alien AR Contest
(see page 7) What do you think a life-form from another planet might look like? We challenge you to draw, build a model, explain or act out what you think an interplanetary neighbour might look like. Film it and send us your AR! The winner will receive a pizza lunch and Brainspace magazine for everyone in his/her classroom.
Y
You will need: • a photo that you’d like to “augment” (jpeg files are best) - this is the image that will come to life • an mp4 file of a video you have created - this is what will be superimposed onto the image • a free account with an augmented reality provider - check these out and pick your favourite one: HP Reveal, Blippar, Layar (ask your parent for help) • a printer - if the photo isn’t printed, you need to print it Either black and white or colour work WATCH THE DEMO on this page for a demonstration of how to create using Blippar. brainspace SUMMER 2018
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zoology biology
BY BEN MAYCOCK
He wears his uniform with dignity and his hospital identification badge with pride. And as one of the IWK Health Centre’s newest employees, Dorado has been training to be on staff since he was four days old. Dorado*, a yellow Labrador Retriever, is one of approximately 30 Accredited Facility Dogs working across Canada. At the IWK, a children’s hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he specializes in providing comfort and support to children, youth and their families. He works to reduce stress and trauma during very difficult times in their lives. The kids that Dorado helps are very much in need of a friend. He doesn’t judge them, but provides them with a safe, quiet space and loves them for who they are. His temperament and training equip him with the skills needed for just such a time. He can stay calm even when others become distressed, he can lie quietly for a long period of time, and he does not approach a person unless he is invited to. * You can follow Dorado at facebook.com/PADSDorado/
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FAST FACT: In a K-12 school in Whippany, New Jersey, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Cali greets the children as they arrive each day. If she finds that one of the kids is stressed the teachers are able to help that student.
Doctors are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of including a dog as part of a therapy team. They know that when a patient pets a dog, that patient’s levels of stress hormones decrease, their breathing becomes more regulated and their blood pressure lowers. They also have seen that petting a dog releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and affection. And that hormone is released not only in the patient, but in the dog as well.
Doctors may even get help from the dogs when determining if a patient needs help. When the human body experiences stress it secretes a hormone called cortisol. Because of their keen sense of smell, dogs like Dorado are able to detect that cortisol on breath or sweat and know when a child is in need of comfort or help – even if those children are too shy to ask for help from an adult.
FAST FACT: We humans have about 5 million smell receptors in our noses while dogs have at least 300 million. Hound dogs like beagles and bassets have up to four billion! it
Facility dogs usually wear vests to indicate they are working, but that vest is much more than a uniform. It indicates to both the dogs and the people around them that they are focused on the job at hand. It is important to note that while stress is reduced for the people these dogs are there to help, it is still work for the dogs. Their high level of concentration during these times means they are in need of breaks, just like anyone with a job. So when the vest comes off, is time to run and play.
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by Holly Bennett
Would you like a few honey-mustard crickets sprinkled over your salad? How about a tasty taco filled with spicy fried chapulines (grasshoppers)? Gabriele Curcio, age 11, voted “No thanks” when his family ordered a plate of roasted crickets at a restaurant in Mexico. “I didn’t like the idea of eating something that had been jumping around in the dirt,” he says. But his mom, dad, and five-year-old brother Simon all tried them – and liked them! “Simon said they tasted like corn,” says Gabriele. His dad, Dave, says, “They were crunchy and the taste reminded me of seasoned peanuts.”
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In many parts of the world, eating insects is nothing new – but it’s not common in North America and Europe. That may be starting to change. A few years ago, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that raising and eating insects has a lot of benefits and should be encouraged.
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What’s so great about insects?
“Edible insects are healthy for you and healthy for the planet,” says Stacie Goldin, Community Manager of Entomo Farms in Norwood, Ontario. They raise and roast crickets and mealworms for human food. Crickets, for example, are a great source of protein, fibre, vitamin B12, essential amino acid, calcium and more. And compared to raising animals for food, raising insects uses fewer resources, is better for the environment, and causes less animal suffering.
Efficiency
What insects can we eat?
Insects require less space, food material, and water than animals. For example:
10 kg
of feed
to produce 1 kg of cow
(and only half of that can actually be eaten)
to produce up to 9 kg of insects
There are about 1,500 species of insects known to be edible! Some of the most common are:
(and nearly all of that can be eaten)
Greenhouse gas emissions
grasshoppers and locusts
beetles
caterpillars
Raising livestock is a major source of methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Most insects don’t produce any methane at all. ants
Animal welfare It is much easier to raise and kill insects humanely than it is animals. At Entomo Farms the crickets live free-range in cardboard “cricket condos” until near the end of their six-week lifespan.
crickets
Don’t eat wild bugs that you catch yourself, though! They may have been exposed to pesticides or other harmful substances.
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Ew Yuck Mmm But aren’t they… ew? Not at all, says Stacie. “Roasted crickets have a consistency like puffed wheat and they taste like sunflower seeds.” She does a lot of food demos, and says, “The reaction is nearly always the same. People scrunch up their face and are really hesitant. Then they take a bite and go, ‘Oh. Crunch crunch crunch. Oh. OK. That tastes like… food!” Still not convinced? Even if you’re not ready to pop a whole mealworm into your mouth, maybe you’d be open to eating familiar food with some cricket powder mixed into it. Ground-up crickets can give baking, smoothies or stews a nutrition boost.
Blech Whu? Yum
We have a lot of people to feed on this planet, and the number is growing every day. Adding insects to our diets could be an important and sustainable way to feed the world.
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Nut Free Protein Bites These Nut Free Protein Bites are the perfect back-to-school snack to pack in your lunch bags. They are full of so many delicious ingredients, and thanks to the cricket powder, they will help keep you going all day long.
Directions
1. I n a medium-sized bowl, stir together the oats, chia, coconut, cricket powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. A dd chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and dates.
Stir again, making sure to separate the date pieces.
Ingredients This recipe yields between 25-30 Nut Free Protein Bites 1 cup quick oats 1 tsp chia seeds ¼ cup shredded coconut 3 tbsp cricket powder ½ tsp ground cinnamon pinch sea salt ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
3. A dd the No Nut Butter, honey, and vanilla. 4. U sing a mixing spoon or spatula, work the ingredients together until well combined.
5. O nce combined, roll into bite-size 1-inch balls using your hands.
6. P lace them on a parchment lined baking sheet or dinner plate.
7. P lace the baking sheet into the freezer for about 20 minutes or so, until the balls are firm.
8. S tore in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
¼ cup sunflower seeds ¼ cup finely chopped dates ½ cup no-nut butter* ¼ cup honey 1 tsp vanilla extract * can be substituted with peanut butter
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A
garden is more than just some pretty plants! From the bottom of their roots to the tops of their flowers, plants are part of – and benefit from – a complex network of living things that support their reproduction, protect them and help them bloom. Next time you’re out in a garden, look closely to see if you can spot some of these other gardendwelling organisms!
Ants
Think twice before you squish an ant. These little guys are helpful to many flowers. Peonies. for instance, are lucky to have ants as their guards. Before they bloom, peonies release sugars that ants feast on. The ants protect the buds and help the peonies bloom. In general, ants are hard workers that gather food. While transporting food back to their colony, ants pollinate plants in their path. Ants are predators of insects that attack plants in the garden. They are garden heroes!
Good Bugs
Worms
In any garden, earthworms are always hard at work in the soil! Worms are detritivores, which means they eat and decompose the remains of other organisms. They eat fallen leaves and dead twigs, and digest them to make soil. Worm activity helps aerate the soil, which is important for plant roots. It also increases water retention in the
by Pascale Bider
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Bees When you think of bees, what colours come to mind? Like many people, you
might think of bees as black and yellow fuzzy things, but in reality, bees come in all kinds of colours and sizes! North America is home to some very diverse bee populations. For example, Agapostemon bees are shiny and green, while Osmia bees are a metallic blue colour. Some are over a centimeter long, while others are barely bigger than a speck of dust. Diversity is important in a bee population because different bees are able to pollinate different flowers. Some species of bees only pollinate flowers that bloom at certain times of day, and other species can only digest pollen from certain flowers.
Butterflies and caterpillars
Butterflies are a beautiful addition to any garden, and they pollinate flowers that bees are not able to. But all butterflies start off as caterpillars that feed on plant leaves, which can be very destructive to the plants. Eastern tent caterpillars, for example, can build massive nests of silk on a tree before stripping it of all its leaves. But plants are not defenceless: when they detect a caterpillar chewing on their leaves, they emit chemical signals that attract predators like wasps that come and eat the caterpillar.
soil so that the plants don’t need to be watered as often. In eastern North America, many of the species of worm in the soil are originally from Europe. When settlers came to Canada and the USA from across the Atlantic, they brought soil that contained worms. These European worms have since spread across the continent, and can now be found as far West as Alberta.
BAD BUGS: Aphids’ Galls
You might see a plant with strange lumps and bumps on its stem, leaves, or buds. These bumps are called galls, and can be caused by parasitic insects such as aphids, mites, wasps, or plant lice. When these insects feed on the plant or lay eggs at its surface, they deposit chemicals on the plant’s surface that cause the plant to grow abnormally at that spot. The plant will grow around the insect or eggs, providing them with a protected shelter away from predators. Galls can be bad for plant health, because they use up a lot of nutrients and energy, which means the plant has less to spend on growth, reproduction, and defence from predators.
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français la sauterelle
Les
bibittes
la fourmi
Le jardin est plein de vie ! Évidemment, les fleurs et les légumes mais aussi les mauvaises herbes. Et les bibittes qu’on trouve dans nos jardins ne sont pas tous mauvaises. Ainsi, la plupart des insectes qui habitent le jardin sont bénéfiques. La fourmi protège les pivoines, l’abeille tracasse le pollen partout et le ver de terre creuse des tunnels pour aérer le sol. Désormais, la moustique ne sert a rien que nous faire gratter tout l’été!
la moustique
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l’abeille
le papillon
la libellule
la chenille
le ver de terre
la coccinelle
le puceron
la mouche brainspace SUMMER 2018
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Watch these with Blippar to try more experiments.
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brainspace SUMMER 2018
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Watch these with Blippar to try more experiments.
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SubSCRIbe SubSCRIbe
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Butterfly Kisses Crocodile Tears
INTERACTIVE & EDUCATIONAL FOR KIDS 8-14
WHAT MAKES THIS BEAUTY AND BEAST DUO UNLIKELY FRIENDS?
Make this butterfly come to life. Download the free Blippar app. on your mobile device. Scan this cover. Watch the butterfly fly around the page.
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WHERE BRIGHT YOUNG MINDS GO TO GROW
MILKY WAY
A look at our galaxy. Butterfly Kisses And dairy farms! Crocodile Tears
FUN WITH TAXES
Play the board game and learn why they’re so important to your health and safety.
WHAT MAKES THIS BEAUTY AND OLYMPIC BEAST DUO UNLIKELY FRIENDS? MATH
Make this butterfly come to life. Download the free Blippar app. on your mobile device. Scan this cover. Watch the butterfly fly around the page.
Measures of great success.
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MILKY WAY
FUN WITH TAXES
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Play the board game and learn why they’re so important topages yourof fun learning and experiments including math, science, music, health and safety. zoology, french, tech, geography, history,
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La chanson des Jeux Olympiques : J’IMAGINE
pages of fun learning and experiments including math, science, music, zoology, french, tech, geography, history, paleontology, astronomy and much more
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