The Extreme Issue by HIP 2B2

think. what you can be

February 2009/Issue 26

s hy black hole

Y IK E S ! W SHOC K!

suck

The truth about adrenaline

ose-ups and other crazy cl ot fo ’s er id sp a , k skin W o w ! Shar HORROR ! Your fa ce without skin

(it’s the extreme issue) The hottest, fastest, smelliest, smartest, highest, lowest and coldest stuff on Earth (and beyond). Winner of the MPASA Pica Award 2007 & 2008 for Publishing Excellence

Sport sc ience: e xtreme highs an d lows _ Sci D p 28 IY: m ilk + Sm vine art gar ma = pl ths asti : bu c _p 30 nge Bo eb yn dy um sm ber ar s_ t: p3 ad 5 re na lin e_ p 36

Deconstruction: the human face _p 12

d an 6 s _p ew 8 n 0 ur 20 yo ng i : r e ip mb fH me o e r _p 8 ty rs: ce? ni o n e d u i a c in s ass mm new mb s Co ’ A t nd Wha Bra 0 gy _p 1 echnolo t t r a m S

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B e y o n d the nak ed eye: A ex t b r e s m olut e photos e _p 23 l y sma shin g : t h e LH C lo w d own _p 3 2

48 _p ? e l ho ck a l b

up re fi a or rs: NT gf te n s i l ME l N a I bu A n e: f RT ai TE enc i N Br c s T E ply EN LIG Sim L E ge _p 7 nowled INT k l a r e n your ge rt: test Get sma

Extreme careers: jaw-dropping jobs _p 20 A 15 SM d _p ecor he r or t es f trem f: ex stuf ? _p 18 good at reat G remely you ext hat are Quiz: w RT

PHOTOGRAPHS: gallo/gettyimages.com, COVER CONCEPT: NATASHA JOHNSON, ILLUSTRATION: ANTON PIETERSEN

e os th

_p s! n o ur ne

h challenge NILEADEANR Place your index finger (not your thumb, which has its own pulse) over the vein on your wrist, in line with your thumb. Can you feel your blood pumping? Count the beats per minute, then check your pulse again next time you get a fright. The scrambled 10-letter word above is the reason your heart rate increases. Email the right word to <win@hip2b2.com> to win a HIP2B2 Bass on Tap.

Be there – B2: what’s hot _p 38

Music: w hat’s

set to t op 200 9’s char Mov ts? _p 3 ies: 9 the scie nce beh Ga ind me stun s: a ts _ l Bo ter p 40 nat ok er s: eal se ity cre rul ts es oc _p ie 42 ty se cre ts _p 44

Editor Janna Joseph Art Director Anton Pietersen Managing Editor Nastassja Hendricks Junior Writer Nicklaus Kruger Copy Editor Sally Rutherford Proofreader John Linnegar Contributors Nikki Benatar, Ellen Cameron, Erin Classen, Simon Crundwell, Michelle Minnaar, Ambre Nicolson, Este Otto, Linda Pretorius, Mark van Dijk Educational Consultants Wordwise

CHAT ROOM

Publisher Helena Gavera Executive Editor Ami Kapilevich Editorial Director Stefania Johnson BSQUARE COMMUNICATIONS EDITORIAL BOARD Communications, Marketing & Sponsorship Manager Lauren Terras <lauren@hip2b2.com> HIP2B2 pioneered by Mark Shuttleworth ADVERTISING & MARKETING Sales Executives Nick Armstrong +27 (0)21 417 1188 Michael Daly (JHB) +27 (0)11 263 4804

Published on behalf of BSquare Communications by New Media Publishing (Pty) Ltd +27 (0)21 417 1111 • <www.newmediapub.co.za>

There you were, quietly minding your own business, when BLAM! The new year hit you. After all last year’s challenges, the 2008 you’d worked so hard to conquer just rolled over and sent reinforcements. That’s where 2009 came in. But don’t worry. Despite the picture on this page, I’m not going to get all soppy and say that the new year will bring new mountains to conquer and blah blah blah. Instead, let’s talk about real mountains. The ones so high that they make your brain swell when you climb them (don’t try it – turn to page 34). Or how about discussing the tallest

man of all time, who was 2,72 metres tall and weighed a scale-breaking 220 kg (see page 17). From light to dark, from north to south, from the enormous to the almost completely invisible, the world is defined by extremes. And sitting here on this hot summer’s day, I can only imagine how boring life would be without the variety and excitement they bring. So here’s to a year (and 48 pages) of extremes, with all the awesome highs and lows that make life so worthwhile. Have a good one …

Janna

Advertising Director Aileen O’ Brien New Business Development Martha Dimitriou +27 (0)21 417 1276 Creative Director Crispian Brown Production Director Lucrezia Wolfaardt Digital Manager Helaine Lindsay Finance Manager Mark Oaten EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Editorial Development Director Irna van Zyl Business Development Director John Psillos Managing Director Bridget McCarney All rights reserved. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of information, neither the editor, publisher nor New Media Publishing can be held liable for any inaccuracies, injury or damages that may arise. ABC 90 731

Photographs: DENVER HENDRICKS; gallo/gettyimages.com

PRODUCTION, CIRCULATION & SYNDICATION Production Manager Shirley Quinlan Subscriptions John Pienaar +27 (0)21 417 1218 Subscriptions Call Centre 0860 103 662 Syndication Manager Glynis Fobb Repro by New Media Repro Printed by Paarl Print

ip h

16, Grade 10 My favourite subject is Xhosa – it’s my home language, and you need to keep in touch with your roots. The one extreme thing I’ve always wanted to do is jump out of a plane – with a parachute, of course.

Mawande Milela

Zimkhitha Makhu

18, Grade 12 My favourite subjects are English and Physics. They raise more questions than answers, and I’m a very curious person. Bungee jumping is better than skydiving– it would exercise my mind more and still give me a thrill. If they made a movie of my life, it would be called Never give up.

15, Grade 10 I enjoy Physics, because if you want to be a scientist you need to know how the world works. Skydiving or bungee jumping? Skydiving all the way for me – maximum fun and excitement! If they made a movie of my life, it would be called High on Life.

a ma

18, Grade 10 My role model is Shakespeare – he tells a lot of true-to-life stories. The best part of this event was the taste test, because I got to do an experiment on my own tongue.

zi m

Zizipho Molikili Mpumelelo Tokwe

Photographs: DENVER HENDRICKS gallo/gettyimages.com; istock photos

16, Grade 10 My dream career would be anything in Chemistry, because the world is full of chemicals. Climbing Kilimanjaro would be amazing for me – it would allow me to conquer my fear of heights and prove I can push myself all the way.

Sisonke Notununu

We spoke to learners at the 2008 Fun With Science event in Hermanus, Western Cape.

YOU SAID it

2us@hip2b2.com>. or idea? Email <talk ion nt ve in g in nn Got a wi

Don’t you just love being rewarded for doing something really well? As it turns out, so do we, and 2008 was a year to love. Why? For the second year running, HIP2B2 was recognised as the best educational publication in South Africa, and was awarded the MPASA Pica Award 2008 for Excellence in Customer Publishing.

won!

forum

y o u sh o t i t

T A LK

Had a brainwave? Got something on your mind? We want to know … SMS ‘HIPCOM’ followed by your thoughts to 34978 (R2 per SMS), or comment free of charge on our MOBISITE at <mobi.hip2b2.com>. SENT IN BY Joanne Nel, Grade 8. WHY THIS PIC? After reading your microwave story in the Wheels issue, I guess I should have thought twice before nuking this lasagne without piercing the layer of plastic on top. Not only was my mother completely furious, but – even worse – my delicious dinner was ruined!

EMAIL <talk2us@hip2b2.com> or <hip2b2@newmediapub.co.za>. WRITE TO HIP2B2, PO Box 440, Green Point 8051.

s r e umb n

Hey there, all you future scientists … We’re glad you appreciate the work we’re doing, but believe me, we appreciate the work you’re doing even more! We’d love to recognise smart people, so please email any ideas, inventions, experiments, photos or any cool experiences you’ve had with Science to <talk2us@hip2b2.com>. – Janna

Hi guys i have to say i love your magazine and try to get it every month at school. Could you feature something about neurosurgeons, like where you can study to be one? – ZINTLE, GRADE 10 Hey Zintle! Neurosurgery is a medical specialisation, so you can study it at all major universities. For more, check out the extreme careers on page 21. – Janna

Hey guys! We’re writing all the way from Paarl and are in Grade 11 at New Orleans Secondary. We as future scientists appreciate the work you are doing. Every year during Science Week, the teachers leave it up to the learners from grades 10 to 12 to arrange everything. When I sit in Physics, I can see how energetic the kids are about science – every month’s issue of HIP2B2 has them talking. We always talk about being part of an issue … can you help us scientists to be recognised? Keep up the good work, guys! – MUCH LOVE FROM 11A

computers are hooked up to SETI@home, an Internet project that allows home users to help researchers search for extra-terrestrial intelligence.

2 533

objects were removed from the stomach of a Canadian woman in 1927 after she complained of a ‘slight abdominal pain’. The objects she had swallowed included 947 bent pins.

50 kN

is the hardest you could theoretically punch without shattering the bones in your forearm. 3 kN is the estimated force of the toughest punch ever made, by boxer Max Baer in a fight with Ernie Schaff (who died six months later).

1 billion gold

atoms are in every drop of sea water.

ON THE MOBISITE

320 000

Y OU W ROTE

y o u sms e d

tubes of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s favourite goats’-milk cheese were placed in his tomb when he died, so he could have nourishment in the afterlife and also offer them as gifts to the gods.

photograph the world of science around you and email them to <talk2us@hip2b2.com>. 5

brand ambassadors

Being a Brand Ambassador was a great learning experience and a lot of fun. Through the tasks and experiences, I gained perspective on my (and our) future in South Africa, and found (even) more reasons to be positive about the years ahead. Among other things, I learnt how to handle the media, how to communicate a message successfully and how to work with others to realise a common goal. My best experience was the Brand Ambassador weekend at the end of 2007. We had fun and were treated like celebrities. My advice to future Brand Ambassadors is that imagination is more important than knowledge (credit to Albert Einstein). Seeing an opportunity’s potential is what determines success. Science, Maths, Entrepreneurship and Technology can open up a world of opportunity. They’re not just limited to formulae and theory – they’re about asking, ‘Why?’.

HAYLEY MINTER-BROWN  I loved my year as an Ambassador. It was great to work with so many amazing people who came from different backgrounds but had a similar mindset. My best experience was the live TV appearance on the first BA weekend. I was extremely nervous, but being in studio with the cameras rolling and me in the spotlight was definitely a defining moment in my life. My most valuable experience was organising the Sisters in Science day for Durban. I was shocked to learn how few resources some people have, and it encouraged me to work harder and dedicate more time to those less fortunate.  I’ve realised that I should take all the opportunities that come my way. Also, sometimes I need to make my own opportunities – when life throws you lemons, you need to make lemonade. Maths, Science, Entrepreneurship and Technology are the subjects of the future – they can get you really far in life.

HIGHS AND LOWS WITH HIP2B

SENALY SINGH As a Brand Ambassador, I got to make new friends, meet new people, interact with learners from different backgrounds, show other kids that maths can be cool, and learn a lot about the world as well as about myself. I learnt how to create a podcast, speak in public, handle video-editing and deal with the media, as well as what it takes to coordinate a fun, educational youth event. I also learnt a lot about responsibility, interviews and meeting deadlines – essentials for the working world. The most priceless moment was when we were leaving the Umlazi Maths & Science Symposium. We weren’t sure whether we’d made a difference to the kids when a little boy looked at us wide-eyed and whispered to his friend, ‘It’s HIP2B2!’ He left us feeling that we’d done a good job! My personal motto is always reach for the moon … that way, even if you fall short, you’ll be among the stars.

Four Brand Ambassadors look back on their year in the spotlight.

ASHLEIGH WATERSON Being a Brand Ambassador is not about serious discussions on Einstein and Pythagoras – it’s about meeting cool people who share a passion to change our world and have fun at the same time! I learnt that the greatest power you have is the power to be heard, because you can change the perceptions of your peers. I’ve also learnt more about my skills and about the amazing technological world out there. My most valuable experience was going to Durban to talk at the King Goodwill Zwelethini stadium. I got to interact with people I would never have come across in my life. My advice to future Brand Ambassadors is you can achieve anything you want in life – all it takes is commitment. Science, Maths, Entrepreneurship and Technology are the most interesting subjects that can also be the most helpful in everyday living. I have a soft spot for maths – I love the challenge and the workout it can give my brain!

By Nicklaus kruger ∙ PHOTOGRAPHS: denver hendricks

JOHANNES JONKER

Get

smart

tv quiz

Think you’re the general-knowledge king? Test your royal brain with these questions.

1. What is paper made from?

Salt crystals. b Trees. c Calcium. d Sand.

5. In which country was the

earliest historical record

2. What is your career if you make lipstick?

Beauty therapist. Extreme-makeover artist. c Materials engineer. d Cosmetic scientist. a

of make-up found?

China. b South Africa. c Egypt. d America.

6. Which of the following items cannot be recycled?

3. What is a carbon footprint?

T he marks your shoes leave on tennis courts and mom’s carpet. b The effect something or someone has on the environment. c The black stuff between your toes. d A style of abstract art.

PHOTOGRAPHS: istock photos

4. What does DNA stand for?

Deoxyribonucleic acid. b Dioxyribonucleic acid. c The Democratic National Alliance. d Depressed News Anchors.

Light bulb. b Glass bottle. c Aluminium soft-drink can. d Plastic ice-cream container. a

7. What is origami?

Singing along to backing music. A type of sumo wrestling. c The art of folding paper. d A type of sushi.

Unlucky. A reporter.

9. What is the chemical formula for Methane?

MH4 CH4 c H4O d O3 a b

10. Which of the following iS NOT unique to an individual?

Fingerprint. b Tongue print. c Retina. d Blood type.

a b

8. If you often find yourself

at the scene of a crime, what are you? a b

A forensic scientist. A murderer.

Don’t know all the answers? To learn more about cosmetics, a paper mill, forensics and your carbon footprint, watch the HIP2B2 TV show every Monday on SABC2 at 16:30.

What’s New in Science?

ONE SMALL SHOCK FOR MAN

OF MICE, MEN AND MEMORIES

In 1969, man first walked on the moon. Since then, only 11 other human beings have done the same. NASA is planning to increase this number by 2020, but they’ve just learnt that it could be a shocking experience. Astrophysicists have recently discovered that the lunar surface becomes electrified during each full moon. Once a month, for six days, the moon passes through the Earth’s magnetotail – a long ‘tail’ that forms when the highly charged particles of the solar wind* whiz past Earth and mix with its magnetic field. For those six days, the moon’s surface becomes highly charged, and any astronauts walking on it would feel a static shock. It wouldn’t be deadly, but it would be painful, a bit like walking across a carpet and then touching a doorknob. NASA plans to investigate other effects of the magnetotail when they send their electroshock-therapy patients – sorry, astronauts – up there again. Of course, none of that will explain why we can put a man on the moon, but we still can’t make a decent cup of instant coffee …

Memories are mysterious things. And often they’re not very pleasant. How many of us can say we have no regrets and that there’s nothing we’d rather forget? Well, you’re in luck – the ability to erase memories may seem like science fiction, but it’s on its way. Researchers from the Medical College of Georgia have managed to erase both new and old memories in mice. Using protein engineering and organic chemical synthesis, they found that by increasing the levels of the brain enzyme alpha-CaMKII before recall of a memory they could erase only the specific memory being recalled. In addition, the memory vanished rapidly and without causing physiological damage. As yet, the researchers haven’t tested their technique on human beings, but our brains work in much the same way as those of mice, so they don’t anticipate real difficulties. They hope the technique will be useful in treating conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and for generally making life a little more bearable, at least after the fact.

*The solar wind is a stream of high-energy electromagnetic radiation and charged particles emitted by our Sun. The Earth’s protective magnetosphere shields us from the Sun’s harmful effects.

If you could, would you erase any of your memories? Why (or why not)? Email us at <talk2us@hip2b2.com>. MEMORABLE MOVIES

Looking for a list of all the world’s moonwalkers (except for the guy who did that Thriller thing and is not Billie-Jean’s lover)? Check out <www.infoplease.com/askeds/moon-walkers.html>.

Some of the most famous movies about memory manipulation include Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Mnemonic (fun), Jim Carrey’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (thought-provoking), and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Total Recall (an Arnie movie – ‘nuff said).

By Nicklaus Kruger • photographs: istock photos

sci files

Superheroes make for some entertaining movies and comic books, but some of them are just a little lame (look up The Red Bee or Purple Man if you have the time). Sometimes we can’t help but think that we could create much cooler heroes ourselves. Well, Marvel Comics (of Spider-Man fame) is giving you the chance to do exactly that. Just head over to Marvel Kids (<http://marvelkids.marvel. com/create_your_own_superhero>), set up a free account and try your hand at creating the next superhero sensation. If that doesn’t grab you, try <www.ugo.com/channels/comics/ heroMachine2/heromachine2.asp>. It’s a bit more advanced, but you’ll end up with a hero you can really call your own. Oh, and the guy pictured to the left of these words? That’s Captain Awesome, and he doesn’t like the way you’re eyeballing him …

WARP SPEED: THE BLOODHOUND SSC Everyone likes a fast car – and nothing’s faster on land than the Bloodhound SSC, a pencil-shaped car powered by both a jet engine and a rocket. The developers intend it to break the land-speed record by the largest-ever margin by 2011, and construction should be complete by the end of 2009. The Bloodhound will accelerate from zero to 1 689 kph (mach 1,4, or 1,4 times the speed of sound) in 40 seconds. Airbrakes will deploy at around 1 300 km/h THE FINAL and parachutes at around 950 km/h. The acceleration will expose driver FRONTIER Andy Green to a g-force of 2,5 g and a sudden rush of blood to the Despite its rocketlike shape and head, while deceleration will whack him with a wicked 3 g and drain powerful engine, there’s no worry that the the blood to his feet, possibly knocking the poor guy out. Bloodhound will launch itself into space, even Still, he says it’s all worth it to prove he deserves the if it hits a ramp and goes airborne for a second. title of Fastest Man Alive ... at least for a while. Escape velocity – the speed needed to get off this little mudball – is about 11,2 km per second, or more than 40 000 km per hour – which is just a little faster than the Bloodhound will go.

By NICKLAUS KRUGER • Photographs: istock photos, bosske, husqvarna, bloodhound ssc project

smart technology clever, cool or crazy

THE HERO IN YOU

smart technology HANGING GARDENS They say the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) were really something to behold. Since then, hanging plants have gone out of fashion, but New Zealand-based Boskke is set to bring them back with its Sky Planter pots for upside-down houseplants. The planter is not only a space-saver (assuming you don’t already have a lot of stuff hanging from your roof), but it’s also ecofriendly. It locks in the soil so there’s no mess and feeds water directly to the roots without leaks or evaporation, using up to 90% less water than ordinary pots. That means you have to water your plant only once a month, which is great for those of us who’re a little forgetful. HISTORY OF HANGING

Not sure what the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were all about? Find out more information at <www.hanginggardensofbabylon.org>.

BECAUSE EYE SAID SO How do you communicate if you can’t speak or move? This is the question that Dr Paul Gnanayutham has been asking for years, in an effort to help people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. Finally, he has a solution: a system that uses patients’ brainwaves and eye and muscular movements to move a cursor on a laptop. The system is simple: probes on a headband detect brainwaves and facial movements. The only actions patients need to be able to do is move their eyes from side to side, and raise and lower their eyebrows. The cursor can point to words (‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘thank you’) and prearranged phrases and sentences. The system can also be used to turn on electrical appliances, skim through Internet pages and perform many other target functions.

the constant gardener Summer means sunny days and blue skies – and grass growing like crazy, and parents making you mow the lawn when all you want to do is hit the beach. Luckily, Husqvarna has devised the perfect (albeit pricey) solution: a robotic mower that’s happy to do the job for you. The Automower is emission free, solar powered and a lot quieter than a normal mower. It cuts to your preferred length, follows your set lawn boundaries and keeps its own hours, heading back to the charging station whenever it’s feeling pooped. And don’t be too worried about having a solar-powered robot with rotating blades in your garden: it weighs less than 10 kg and is unlikely to maul any people (or pets).

PLASTIC COMES EASY It’s been said that anything we can do, bacteria can do better. Biotechnology company Genomatica has taken this to heart, and developed strains of Escherichia coli that can make plastic without using oil or natural gas. E. coli is best-known for its ability to cause intestinal diseases. But with sugar and water (and a few other nutrients), these bugs can produce butanediol, which can be made into plastics, fibres and anything else that can be made from oil. Genomatica estimates that the process will soon be cheaper than the far more energy-intensive (and ecounfriendly) oil- and natural gas-based process. Which is good news for pretty much everybody (except the oil companies). To make your own plastic, turn to page 30.

deconstruction Frontalis (1) Corrugator supercilii (4)

we take it apart

clover fact

Milk is a natural moisturiser and can also tighten wrinkles and refine pores. To make your own milk face mask, check out <www.ehow.com/ how_2108018_make-milk-face-mask.html>.

Procerus Temporalis

Orbicularis oculi (2) Supraorbital margin (8) Levator labii superioris

Zygomaticus major (5)

Nasalis (3)

Masseter Orbicularis oris (6)

Levator anguli oris

Buccinator Depressor labii inferioris

Platysma Mentalis Depressor anguli oris (7) Thyrohyoid Sternocleidomastoid Sternohyoid Omohyoid Scalenus medius Trapezius

Cricothyroid

Images courtesy of Dorling Kindersley/penguin Books

Risorius

Deconstruction: face Facial muscles in action

the Inner workings Place your fingers on your forehead and raise your eyebrows. Notice how your hands move upwards too? Well, you’ve just said hi to your frontalis muscle (1), a fibrous sheet of voluntary muscle that you call upon whenever you’re shocked or surprised. See, beneath that protective layer of skin, you’re more than just a pretty face. Whether you’re happy, sad, frustrated, annoyed, amused, embarrassed or angry, your face is the billboard that broadcasts your emotions to everyone you want to tell (and anyone you don’t). Equipped with 44 muscles, 14 bones and a snaking network of blood vessels and nerves, your face conveys thousands of expressions every day. Sandwiched between your skin and your bones, these muscles can twist and tweak your face into more than 5 000 different expressions. Every time you wink, for example, you have your orbicularis oculi (2) to thank. Flare your nostrils when you’re angry and then blame your nasalis muscle (3) if someone ends up in tears. And next time Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall goes for a Botox injection, spare a thought for her corrugator supercilii muscles (4), which will soon be unable to move. Have a look at the pictures on the right for some visual examples of your facial muscles at work. Want to see more images like these? Email your name, school and grade to <win@hip2b2.com> and you could win a copy of Dorling Kindersley’s mindbogglingly graphic Visual Dictionary (distributed by Penguin Books).

Corrugator supercilii (4)

Orbicularis oris (6)

Zygomaticus major (5)

Depressor anguli oris (7)

DID YOU KNOW?

Your facial structure can help forensic scientists determine whether your skeleton is male or female (assuming that’s all that was left of you). Males have a larger lump of bone behind each ear, and a ridge of bone running across the forehead above the eyes. Females can be identified by their supraorbital margin (8), which is sharper than males’ more rounded ones. To test this, feel the upper rim of your eye socket (above your eye) with your thumb. If you need to assess someone else’s supraorbital margin for comparison, make sure no-one loses an eye.

Great stuff

extremes

By Mark van Dijk • PHOTOGRAPHS: gallo/gettyimages.com, INPRA, Dean Conger/CORBIS/Great Stock

The highest, lowest, tallest, shortest, hottest, coldest and smelliest things on planet Earth.

Biggest Wave ever surfed

On 28 January 1998, 45-year-old surfer Ken Bradshaw rode an enormous 26-metre monster wave (about as high as 14 men) at the Outer Log Cabins reef break in Oahu, Hawaii. A wave of that size travels at around 80,5 km/h (comfortably over the average city’s motoring speed limit), compared to a surfable head-high wave at the beach, which travels towards the shore at just 9,6 to 12,8 km/h. How are surfing waves formed? When the wind blows on the ocean, it creates peaks in the water’s surface. These peaks move along, with the water inside them spinning around like a washing machine, before smoothing out into swells. As the swells reach shallower water, they slow down and turn into waves, and when the fast-moving water at the back of the wave spills over the slow-moving water at the front, the time has come to surf.

WAVE GOODBYE Triggered by a deep-sea earthquake, the devastating Asian tsunami of 2004 killed at least 230 000 people. But although this quake measured 9,1 on the Richter Scale, the strongest on record (measuring 9,5) hit southern Chile in 1960. The tsunami it caused dealt destruction as far away as Japan, Alaska, Australia and the Philippines.

C O L DEST

TOWN

The coldest temperature ever recorded (which means it’s not necessarily the coldest temperature ever) was –89,2 °C at Vostok Station, a research centre in Antarctica. But the title of coldest permanently inhabited place goes to the remote Russian village of Oymyakon, which recorded a toe-curling –71,2 °C in the icy January of 1926.

H IG H EST

S K Y DIVE

On 16 August 1960, US Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger leapt out of a plane at an altitude of 31 000 metres (29 times higher than Table Mountain). His parachute opened at 5 334 metres and his descent took 13 minutes and 45 seconds. Compare that to most casual skydivers, who get weak at the knees before jumping a mere 2 750 metres. Ag shame. So what did it feel like? ‘Cold,’ said Kittinger in an interview with Forbes magazine. During his fall, Kittinger experienced temperatures of −70 °C and speeds of 988 km/h. Despite his 46-step prejump checklist, one glove malfunctioned, causing his blood to start boiling and his hand to swell to twice its normal size.

Living in extreme cold Apart from the constant risk of hypothermia (reduced body temperature), the 800-odd citizens of Oymyakon experience many unique challenges. Diesel fuel freezes at –58 °C, so they often have to light fires under their trucks; and the ground is permafrost, so the topsoil thaws and refreezes all the time, causing buried objects (including – ewww! – coffins) to rise up out of the ground. Smartest

Robo t

The smartest robot on Earth is ASIMO – a 1,3 metre-tall humanoid machine that can recognise sounds, moving objects, environments, human gestures and faces. More human than human? In 1950, computer scientist Alan Turing proposed a test to see whether a computer could seem intelligent. The Imitation Game involves a computer, a human being and a human judge. The judge can’t see the other participants, but can communicate with them via a keyboard and monitor. The computer and human both try to convince the judge that they’re human; if the judge can’t guess correctly, the computer wins. Turing believed that by the year 2000, computers would be able to win 30% of the tests. This year, a programme named Elbot almost succeeded, fooling three out of 12 judges. Have an online conversation with Elbot at <www.elbot.com> and make up your own mind about his humanity.

T a ll e s t

extremes

Building T a ll e s t

Scary: the supertall Burj Dubai skyscraper in Dubai is the world’s tallest, measuring a nose-bleeding 707 m. Scarier: they haven’t finished building it yet. When it is eventually finished, it could tower as high as 818 m tall … dwarfing the second-tallest building, the 509,2 m Taipei 101.

p e r s on

Chinese herdsman Bao Xishun holds the official record at 2,36 m, but he may not be the tallest living man. At 2,57 m, Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk held the record until recently, when he refused to be measured under Guinness’s new laws. The all-time record, though, belongs to Robert Wadlow (left), from Illinois, who measured 2,72 metres. Unlike Xishun – who’s apparently just a normal, really big guy – both Wadlow and Stadnyk’s heights were caused by an enlarged pituitary gland, which controls body growth.

The sky is falling! Skyscrapers have to be resistant to gravity (the people on the ground floor of Burj Dubai have about 210 floors above them), and to wind. They tend to sway a bit in high winds, so engineers have to ensure they don’t sway too far and snap. How? By giving each skyscraper a super-strong core that runs all the way up its centre.

Living large Wadlow had difficulty adjusting to his height: his shoes had to be specially made, he wore braces to support his legs, and he could fit into his dad’s car only if he sat in the back with the front seat removed.

To compare the Burj Dubai to other tall buildings, click to <www.burjdubai.com>.

M O ST

REM O TE

PLACE

Thought your last school camp was in the middle of nowhere? Consider Bouvet Island, an uninhabited 49 km² isle in the South Atlantic Ocean. The nearest land is 1 600 km away (in Antarctica) and the nearest people are 2 260 km away on Tristan da Cunha, or 2 580 km away in South Africa. The island has an unmanned, snowbound weather station on it. It also used to have a research lab, but that got blown into the sea sometime between 1994 and 2006 when no-one was looking. On your own While some people like spending time alone, the effects of going solo for too long can be scary. According to a study by Dr Stuart Grassian, prisoners in solitary confinement can suffer from panic attacks, insomnia, hallucinations, memory loss, paranoia and existential crises (they’ll hurt themselves just to see if they still exist).

Quiz

What are you extremely good at? Get ready to rock 2009 with this quiz.

Write down three subjects that stand out on your report. And we’re not talking about the Fs. Too often, we look at what we do badly instead of what we do well. Goal Spend an extra hour each week on your favourite subject. Search the Net or the library – you don’t have to stick to school topics.

Write down why you do well in those subjects. Does the topic interest you? Do you have a great teacher? Or are you simply good at it? Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean it’s a strength. A strength is something that energises you, so highlight the subjects that really give you a kick. Goal Identify a new activity you love this year and get started!

3 Write down your goals for the year.

In 1964, all the Harvard Business School graduates stated that they had clear goals they wanted to accomplish in life. Among them, 5% took the time to write them down. In 1984, a follow-up study found that 95% of those who wrote down their goals achieved them within 20 years. Only 5% of the ‘lazy’ majority met their expectations.

4 Write down three activities, subjects

or tasks you really hate. Things that literally suck the energy right out of you. If something makes you feel weak, it will never be a strength, and although it’s important to get help in these areas, always put just as much time – if not more – into activities you enjoy. Goal Prioritise extramural activities that make you feel strong.

FAST FACT

In an American reading experiment, researchers sent two groups of people – those who could read 90 words per minute and those who could read 300 words per minute – on a speed-reading course. The slower group improved to 180 words a minute, while the naturally faster readers shot up to 2 100 words a minute! See what happens when you build on a strength?

5 Write down three activities other . Often we don’t people say you do well notice our talents, but other people do.

6 Which activities do you learn really

fast? Natalie du Toit was always passionate about swimming and was competing internationally by the age of 14. Today, even after losing a leg in an accident, nothing can keep her from her goals because she builds on her greatest strength every day. Her

favourite poem hangs on her bedroom wall: ‘The tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals; the tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for. It is not a disgrace not to reach for the stars, but it is a disgrace not to have stars to reach for.’

7 Write down something that

fascinates you but that you aren’t very good at. Perhaps you dream about being in the school play and feel energised when you act, but you aren’t quite the next Charlize. This may be a strength you haven’t yet taken the time to develop. You don’t have to start out as the best to become the best; if you love something, work at it – your passion will give you the edge. Goal Pinpoint an activity you’d love to do better at and take extra classes.

8 Imagine your own success. Thanks

to neuroplasticity*, your imagination may hold the key to real-life achievement. ‘In some cases, the faster you can imagine something, the faster you can do it,’ says Norman Doidge, Canadian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. So start imagining that Nobel Prize or Oscar and it could be yours! *Neuroplasticity describes the brain’s ability to rewire itself, allowing you to learn new things and change your performance in certain areas.

By Michelle Minnaar • PHOTOGRAPHS: istock photos

Wouldn’t you be psyched to go to school if you knew you were guaranteed to do well? That’s exactly what this quiz is about – identifying your unique strengths and learning how to use them.

odd jobs

Volcanoes. Deserts. Earth’s frozen poles. Not all scientists work in labs ... Just ask microbiology professor Don Cowan.

Professor Don Cowan is a bit like The Hulk. He may not turn into an unjolly green giant when he gets excited, but there’s certainly more to him than meets the eye. Besides, given the extreme amount of excitement in his life, not turning into a green monster is probably a good thing.

we have to get around by helicopter. We do research mostly in the summer, when there’s sunlight 24 hours a day. You get used to that fairly quickly, and it’s actually quite useful, as it’s always safe to walk home (the lack of animals and muggers also helps). Despite its icy appearance, Antarctica is the driest continent on Earth. With less than 5 cm of precipitation a year, it gets only slightly more water than the Sahara Desert!

There’s a vast range of life at hydrothermal vents. At the emission point, temperatures reach 200 to 300 ºC, so nothing lives right there: some thermophilic microbes can live quite close, though. Less than a metre away, the temperature’s low enough for certain tube worms and crabs to survive, and a few metres out, the temperature’s only 4 ºC.

I’ve also visited deep-sea hydrothermal vents (called ‘black smokers’) where magma pours out of the ocean floor. We use a manned submersible called Alvin – the same craft that discovered the wreck of the Titanic 40 years ago – which has two manipulator arms to collect samples. Alvin dives to a depth of well over 3 000 m, and

I quite like deserts too, and I’ve visited lots of them. I’ve also studied hypersaline lakes on the southwest Myanmar border, and in Inner Mongolia. I tried to get to the deserts north of Lhasa in Tibet, but the authorities wouldn’t let us in. I’ve been to the halo-alkaline lakes in the Rift Valley in Ethiopia and to thermal areas in Iceland,

DID YOU KNOW?

Specialising in all things great but small (bacteria and other microscopic life forms), Professor Cowan is a particular fan of extremophiles – the little creatures that live in the world’s craziest places. Which means he gets to go on some pretty cool (and somewhat dangerous) business vacations … Where’s the most interesting place you’ve ever conducted research? ‘I’ve been to Antarctica many times for research, typically up in the Antarctic Dry Valley area. It’s very cold, of course, and

it’s a really snug fit – two scientists and a pilot in a craft 2 m across, filled with scientific instruments. Comfy.

They do what?!

careers

Other extreme careers in science. Volcanologist: The Lava Lover

Volcanoes have been known to wipe out entire cities. So, of course, some scientists devote their lives to getting to know these vicious beasts. Volcanologists study the formation and past eruptions of volcanoes, and help provide fair warning when one of them is going to blow. This sometimes involves getting physically close to volcanoes, which can be pretty scary and, if there’s an eruption, kind of fatal. Neurosurgeon: Brainy Brain Doctors

All in a day’s work The midnight sun in Antarctica; a neurosurgeon in action; the gentle art of taming a volcano.

By Nicklaus Kruger • PHOTOGRAPHS: gallo/gettyimages.com

New Zealand and Australia. There are still lots of places I want to go to some day.’ What is the coolest fact about extremophiles? ‘It’s hard to pick just one cool fact. I find it amazing that there are microbes living at temperatures as high as 120 ºC. Humans are very temperature-limited, and when our body temperature rises over about 42 ºC, it’s pretty much over for us. That these organisms live by preference in temperatures higher than those found in our kettles is incredible.’ Do you think you’d find life on other planets? ‘I think the likelihood is reasonably high, and Mars is a good possibility. On Earth, liquid water is the most important criterion for life, and we

find a surprising amount of life in fairly unusual places. One thing we can say for sure is that if there is life somewhere out there, at least some of it’s definitely going to be microbial. I’m not broadly in favour of the whole little green men idea.’ Any advice for budding researchers out there? ‘Do something that makes you happy to get up in the mornings and follow the excitement. Travel, explore the world – but then come back. We need you.’ WANT THIS JOB? To work with extremophiles, you’ll need to study Microbiology or Biochemistry. Most South African institutions offer these degrees, so you could be at the bottom of the ocean or roaming the desert in no time.

Risking your own life is pretty extreme, but controlling other people’s lives is only for the brave souls who become neurosurgeons. The human nervous system is incredibly intricate – one little slip and a patient could end up with no feeling in his right hand, or paralysed, or even dead. Perhaps it’s best to stick to bungee jumping. Professional Lab Rat: The Human Variety

Science is all about testing things, and if you want to know whether Drug X really works, what better way than to test it on humans? Compensation for human research subjects ranges from a few rands to a good few thousand, depending on the risks involved (it’s easier to accept you’re growing tentacles out your ears if you have some cash to show for it). There’s money to be made this way, but remember to read the fine print first. To find out how to sign up for these careers, click to <www.hip2b2.com>.

beyond the

naked eye Think you’ve seen it all? We take photography to the extreme to show you the world you thought you knew.

This is a photograph of the compound eye of an Asian tiger mosquito. How do you take a picture of something so small? Using even smaller things – electrons. A scanning electron microscope bombards the object with electrons and uses the way they bounce off the object to determine its shape. SUSMU NISHINAGA/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

The titan beetle, one of the world’s largest insect species. Adults grow to around 20 cm long (excluding antennae) and are found in the rainforests of South America. Bug spray, anyone?

T-bacteriophages (bacteria-infecting viruses) injecting their DNA (the blue ‘tails’) into a bacterial cell.

PATRICKLANDMANN/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

EYE OF SCIENCE/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Explosion of atomic bomb XX-39 Climax, which was detonated in the Nevada desert on 4 June 1953. US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

The foot of a jumping spider. Able to leap up to 50 times their own body length, these spiders use two large (well, relatively speaking) claws and a tuft of hair to grip onto many surfaces. SUSUMU NISHINGA/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

snapshots

Close-up of shark skin. The scales, known as dermal teeth, disrupt turbulence and reduce the drag on the shark while swimming. EYE OF SCIENCE/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

This photograph taken by the recently repaired Hubble Space Telescope shows two colliding ring-shaped galaxies 400 million light years away.

Now we’re talking flower power. The titan arum lily is one of the world’s largest flowers. It measures up to 3 m and – just in case you still miss it – smells of rotting flesh.

Close-up of a wasp holding a microchip, which with today’s technology can measure a measly 0,1 mm across. VOLKER STEGER/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Which came first, the bicycle or the tree? Well, this poor tree was just minding its own business, when a force four (F4) tornado (with wind speeds of 333–418 km/h) wrapped a bicycle around it. JIM REED/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Move over, animal testing and slave labour. Here’s a new cause to campaign about: spider slave labour. This golden orb spider has been strapped down to produce silk for research! PASCAL GOETGHELUCK/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

I’m small, I’m white and love to be pinched. I am of the Earth, in the sea and on your plate. If you know what I am, email <win@hip2b2.com> to win a Bass on Tap. EYE OF SCIENCE/ SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

PHOTOGRAPHS: gallo/gettyimages.com

snapshots

‘Generally, you feel fatigued, nauseous and dehydrated’ says Sean Wisedale, the first South African to climb the highest mountain on each continent. ‘The side effects of the very dry air and the cold affect your respiratory system so you can sometimes cough so badly that you feel like you might break a rib. On Everest, the

Everest Base Camp is 5 300 m above sea level, leaving only 3 500 m between you and the top of the world. Climbing over 600 m a day without proper acclimatisation can lead to Acute Mountain Sickness, also known as ‘serious trouble’.

Extreme altitudes are just plain hazardous, but the most dangerous part is surviving the cold, windy weather and lack of oxygen. To acclimatise to high altitudes, the body produces more red blood cells so the bloodstream can carry more oxygen. Your body also adjusts to the thinner air by increasing your breathing rate and dilating your blood vessels so more oxygen can be delivered to your organs and muscles.

For those who dream of reaching great heights, Mount Everest is considered the Holy Grail of mountaineering. Ever wondered what happens to your body when you’re 8 848 m above sea level?

With a larger heart and lungs, the Himalayan yak is ideally suited to life at high altitudes. Its rich golden milk is widely used by the locals, who believe that the higher the dzi (female yak) grazes, the sweeter its milk will be.

clover fact

The summit temperature on Everest never rises above 0 ˚C, making frostbite and hypothermia common complaints. To minimise heat loss, some of your cells may go on strike, leading to tissue damage in the case of frostbite or dangerously low levels of body function in the case of hypothermia. UV light reflecting off the snow can cause blindness (by burning the outer layer of your eyes) or sunburn on any exposed patch of skin. There are hurricane-force winds in winter and violent snowstorms in summer. All in all, not the friendliest place to go on holiday.

temperature can vary between +40 ºC and -40 ºC, and it’s also very hard to digest food at high altitude – on my last Everest expedition, I lost 12 kg in 11 weeks! Still, there is no greater place to be.’

Going up

GOING TO

Thirty seconds? A minute? Try Belgian diver Patrick Musimu, who held his breath for a full seven minutes while he dived 209,6 m. This kind of feat is made possible partly by the mammalian diving reflex, a reaction we share with dolphins, whales and seals. Basically, when your face is immersed in cold water, this reflex lowers your heart rate, diverts blood from your extremities, and – in really deep dives – fills your lungs with blood plasma to protect them from collapsing. Don’t test it, though – after generations of neglect, this reflex is weaker in humans than in other mammals.

hold your breath?

How long can you

Despite the risks, divers still choose to go so deep because of the marine life they get to see. Coral thrives with less sunlight and human interaction and, just as at high altitudes, the view is awesome – as long as you don’t mind the dark …

will get rid of the excess nitrogen in the blood by transporting it to the lungs, where it’s exhaled. If you surface too quickly, though, the extra nitrogen forms little bubbles in the blood, muscles and joints. These bubbles stick together, block the veins and prevent parts of the body from getting enough oxygen. This is called ‘the bends’ or decompression sickness.

Going DOWN

Nitrogen in the air and blood is also why divers take their sweet time when surfacing. While ascending, the pressure of the water and the air in the tank will drop. During this decompression, a diver’s body

While underwater, divers tend to breathe more air than usual. This can cause a condition called ‘nitrogen narcosis’ – gas pressure increases the deeper you go, and because the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen, more nitrogen is absorbed into the blood at high pressures. Divers experience the same high you’d get from alcohol or narcotics, hence the condition’s name. It may sound harmless, but nitrogen is toxic in high doses, so don’t try this one at home.

A dive is regarded as ‘deep’ if it’s over 30 m. At this depth, it’s all about air and pressure. Water is much denser than air, so the deeper you go, the more pressure is exerted on the air-filled spaces in your body. Divers must equalise the air pressure in their lungs, ears and sinuses to keep them from painfully compressing or, worse yet, filling with tissue or fluid (making the 12hour ascent more than a little uncomfortable).

The world deep-dive record is held by South African diver Nuno Gomes, who did a scuba dive to a depth of 318,25 m in the Red Sea. His descent took 15 minutes but he spent 12 hours coming up. Huh?!

extremes We take you higher and lower than most humans have ever been. sport science

BY ERIN CLASSEN • illustrations: simon crundwell

sci diy

Make

from milk and vinegar

You’ll need

• 600 ml milk • 20–30 ml white vinegar • saucepan • wooden spoon • sieve • plastic or rubber gloves • water • moulds, paint and paintbrush for decorating (optional) What to do

1 Pour the milk into the saucepan. 2 Heat on the stove until the milk starts to simmer (don’t let it boil, as this will denature the protein required to make plastic). 3 Add the vinegar to the milk and stir until lumps start to form. 4 Allow the mixture to cool down. 5 Sieve out the lumps (you can throw away the liquid), pull on your gloves and wash the lumps off. 6 Knead the lumps into a single mass. 7 Mould into the desired shape. 8 Leave in a dry place for a day or two to harden. 9 Add paint and varnish and present to the loved one (or enemy, depending on your skill) of your choice.

So what’s the deal?

The combination of the acetic acid in the vinegar and the heat from the stove causes a protein called ‘casein’ to precipitate out of the milk. Casein isn’t really plastic, but it behaves a lot like it because it has a similar molecular form. (Plastics are based on longchain molecules called ‘polymers’, which resemble casein, and the strength of plastic comes from the way the molecules tangle together.) And it makes good eating, too (before you paint and varnish it, of course). Fast Fact

The name ‘casein’ comes from the Latin term caseus, which means ‘cheese’. Some forms of cheese-making rely on a process similar to the one described above – with a few extra steps, of course. clover fact

Having trouble getting your milk to make the right kind of plastic? Try changing to full-cream milk – low-fat dairy has already been through a lot of filtering, so it contains less casein than the richer stuff.

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Reaching new frontiers Sasol is more than just a fuel company – it uses science and technology to create magic and improve the lives of others. Did you know that this innovative company was founded out of the wacky idea of turning coal into petrol? Today, more than 50 years later, it is an established market leader in the energy industry.

Choose a great career in science

BY NICKLAUS KRUGER • PHOTOGRAPHS: DENVER HENDRICKS; istock photos

MATERIALS ENGINEERING

Materials engineering (also called materials science) deals with the relationship between atomic-scale structure and large-scale physical properties. In other words, it studies how the world of the very small affects the world of the very large. Materials scientists strive to make materials lighter, faster, stronger and more effective, and are heavily involved in industry, research and commercial ventures. This field is so important that some periods in history have been named after their most predominant materials (Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age). Today, exciting new opportunities exist in the fields of nanotechnology, greener fuel technology and smart materials. This field will suit you if you have a keen interest (and strong abilities) in maths and physics. It’s also a good idea to be passionate about how the world works, and how to build more effectively. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO STUDY THIS?

In addition to writing an entrance exam, you’ll need to score at least a four in Mathematics and Physics to register for Materials Science or Materials Engineering at a tertiary institution. Several South African universities offer four-year BSc degrees in Civil Engineering, and a number of technical institutes offer a three-year diploma in it as well, with an extra year needed for an MSc or MTech.

JOBS FOR AFRICA Are Mathematics and Science your favourite subjects? The Sasol bursary scheme is especially geared towards learners who have a passion for these disciplines. ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS Sasol offers exceptional opportunities to talented people – your curiosity and enthusiasm can help you achieve your dreams and reach new frontiers. BRILLIANT BURSARIES

Sasol offers bursaries for full-time university studies in BSc Engineering, BSc and BCom. Click to <www.sasolbursaries.com> or call 0860 106 235 to find out more.

Simulation of the data that would be produced by the Large Hadron Collider when two protons collide. The yellow lines represent the scattered debris, while the blue represents energy deposits.

Absolutely smashing!

When the Large Hadron Collider hummed to life in September 2008, many people feared it would create a black hole that would swallow planet Earth. The scientists were hoping for something even cooler. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is exactly what it says it is: an extremely big machine that smashes hadrons together. Hadrons are atomic nuclei – the protons and neutrons at the centre of atoms – and we’ll say more about them in a minute. But when we say that the LHC is ‘extremely big’ we mean, trust us, this baby is a whopper. The LHC was built in an underground tunnel huge enough to cross the borders of France and Switzerland in four places, and wide enough to drive a bus through. The 27-kilometrelong cavern contains a metal tube lined with about 10 000 supercooled superconducting magnets, which, when fully operational, will spin two beams of protons round and round in opposite directions at speeds close to that of light. The LHC will then collide these two proton beams and massive, hi-tech sensors

will show us what happens. Sort of like spraying two garden hoses at each other at full blast over a gigantic empty bucket. Actually, we already know what happens when we smash atomic nuclei together. It’s not neat or a pretty sight. The problem with colliding two atoms together is that they don’t just split into two easily measurable halves. They create an explosion of subatomic particles that exist for only a fraction of a second before they ‘decay’ and disappear forever. BUT WHY?

When asked why they had to spend around R70 billion on building the LHC, scientists calmly replied that they wanted to recreate the conditions of the universe milliseconds after the Big Bang, and that this would help them figure out why

Large Hadron Collider map of the lhc

key

ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC Apparatus) The biggest LHC detector is a powerful magnet surrounded by dense material that will trap millions of particles. CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) Uses magnets to bend the trajectories of subatomic shrapnel to show electric charge. SPS (Super Proton Synchrotron) This mini-LHC injects protons into the LHC. LHCb (Large Hadron Collider Beauty) The Beauty detector isn’t there to track down Angelina Jolie lookalikes (unfortunately). It’s there to detect a particular type of quark. ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) ALICE is of particular interest to South Africans because Professor Jean Cleymans of UCT is part of the research team. This experiment will recreate a quark-gluon plasma that existed 10 seconds after the Big Bang. matter has mass. Yes, that’s right. We’ve put a man on the moon and figured out that invisible creatures cause disease. But we can’t explain why matter – the physical stuff we’re all made of – is solid enough to be affected by gravity. Bit embarrassing, really.

BY Ami kapilevich • photographs © CERN

the need for speed

At this stage, you might be asking yourself: how would smashing atomic

nuclei to smithereens help us to explain why matter has mass? Isn’t that a bit like blowing up a Ferrari with dynamite to figure out how the engine works? Well, yes and no. For one thing, we can’t simply pop the bonnet – we need to blow up the car just to see the engine in the first place. In other words, the particles that scientists are looking for appear (very briefly) only when protons are accelerated at extremely high energies.

THE QUIRKS OF QUARKS AND THE STANDARD MODEL

You probably know that an atom consists of a nucleus and electrons. Electrons are elementary particles, which means they can’t be broken down into smaller pieces. They belong to a family of tiny particles called ‘leptons’. The nucleus of an atom consists of protons and neutrons. Protons consist of particles called ‘quarks’ – two types of quark, to be exact: an ‘up’ quark and a ‘down’ quark. When quarks combine to form particles, they’re called hadrons. Therefore all atoms are made up of leptons and hadrons. See? Congratulations! You’ve just grasped the basics of what scientists call the Standard Model.

bEGINNING WITH A BANG

When the universe was still only seconds old, it was an incredibly dense and sizzling fireball. There were lots of lone quarks floating around, and a host of other subatomic particles, such as muons and gluons, that exist only at really high temperatures. But as the universe expanded and cooled, most of these subatomic particles stabilised into the few that we identified in our Standard Model explanation (see box on left). But the Standard Model still has some gaps. Scientists are now searching for a new particle called the Higgs boson, which will allow them to solve the riddle of mass. Actually, the Higgs boson has never been spotted, but mathematical equations imply that it exists. Basically, it ‘gives’ other particles mass by

Large Hadron Collider

interacting with them across an invisible Higgs field (think of this field as a layer of syrup: it’s sticky and therefore makes objects resting in it seem heavier to pick up). Once scientists have solved the mystery of mass, they’ll be one step closer to the greatest scientific goal of all. THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

It may sound like something out of Star Wars, but the Theory of Everything is a real theory that will mathematically combine the four fundamental forces of nature: gravity (the attraction all matter has to other matter), electromagnetism (the attraction and repulsion of electric charge), the strong nuclear force (the bond that holds quarks together in the nucleus), The Large Hadron Collider’s ATLAS detector is so enormous that London’s Westminster Abbey could fit into the underground chamber in which it is housed.

and the weak nuclear force (the force responsible for radioactive decay). If this theory is discovered, there will be one set of equations that explains all natural phenomena. No more conflict, no more confusion – just one united solution. Which is why the LHC is the largest and coolest science experiment ever devised. If it helps scientists find the Higgs boson, they’ll be one step closer to the Theory of Everything. If not, it’s back to the drawing board. And that, according to some of the greatest minds of our time, is the most exciting prospect of all. For a rapper’s explanation of the LHC, click to <www.darrenravens.com/2008 /09/10/large_hadron_collider_rap>.

PARTICLE ACCELERATORS: FAST AND FURIOUS

Like the LHC, X-ray machines, airport-luggage scanners and medical-imaging machines like the PET scanner are all particle accelerators. Unless it’s a snazzy new LCD or plasma screen, chances are your TV is also a particle accelerator, because it ‘shoots’ electrons from a cathode tube onto the screen to create an image. That’s why TVs are nicknamed ‘tubes’ – as in YouTube. The first accelerator was a chimneylike structure built in 1932. Scientists shot hydrogen protons down a tube into a patch of lithium, creating helium. Almost 60 years later, in 1989, scientists completed the Large Electron Positron (LEP) Collider at the European Laboratory for Nuclear Research (CERN). This huge circular particle accelerator smashed together negatively and positively charged electrons at ridiculously high energies. In 2000, the LEP was dismantled and by 2008 it had been replaced by the LHC. The World Wide Web was actually started at CERN as a way for scientists from all over the world to share their knowledge about the LEP project. FAST FACT Oops!

On 19 September at 11:30, the LHC sprang a leak. One of the magnets malfunctioned and leaked two tons of helium – the gas that makes balloons float – into the atmosphere. It’ll take several months to repair the magnet, but scientists hope to be happily colliding hadrons again by April 2009.

Photographed by Martial Trezzini- AP./Picturenet

DID YOU KNOW?

smart

maths

Falling for formulae

By Este Otto • PHOTOGRAPHS: istock photos

s allows How math

t ge withou id r b a ff o p

dying.

you to jum

Extreme sport is a funny thing. We spend our lives being cautious – checking that roads are Armageddon-style empty before daring to cross them, and covering our eyes at the first sign of blood in a scary movie. But then we’ll go and pay someone to let us jump head-first off a 200-metre-high bridge. Go figure! So when you’re standing on that platform with a rope around your ankles and the ground faaaaar away, it makes sense that your safety-conscious brain might tell you that jumping is totally crazy. But then you go and do it anyway. Why? Because you know that someone has worked through the maths to ensure you can leap to your death … and survive. The consideration of cord length is vital in a bungee jump – too short, and you won’t get much of a thrill; too long, and ouch! When you jump, the cord stretches to absorb the energy of your fall, and then you fly back upwards as the cord snaps back to its original unstretched length. In this way, you oscillate up and down until all the energy is used up.

So a bungee cord producer must design cords to support a specific maximum weight and also to reach a certain maximum length when fully stretched out. A mathematician named Robert Hooke studied the physical characteristics of springs and rubber bands, which are similar to bungee cords. Hooke’s Law of Elasticity states that the stretch of a spring is directly proportional to the load that it’s holding, provided the system doesn’t exceed the spring’s elastic limit. In layman’s terms, this tells us how much tension a spring can endure and the maximum length it will reach. This is represented by the following equation:

F = kx where F = force, k = spring constant and x = the distance the spring can be stretched (or compressed) from its equilibrium length. FAST FACT

AJ Hackett, the pioneer of modern bungee jumping, demonstrated the power of his all-new superstretchy cord by leaping illegally off the Eiffel Tower in 1987.

Sum it up Example 1

A cord is 20 m long when unstretched. If elasticity is 50% and the spring constant is 20 N/m, what is the maximum force the cord can hold? F = kx x = 50% of 20 m, that is, 10 m. F = (20 N/m) (10 m) = 200 N 200 N = 20,4 kg (1 kg = 9,8 N) Therefore the maximum mass the cord can support is 20,4 kg. Example 2

A cord is 45 m long when unstretched. It has an elasticity of 75%. The maximum force it can hold is 350 N. What is the spring constant of the cord? F = kx 350 N = k (75% x 45 m) 350 N = k (33,75 m) k = 10,37 N/m Smart Maths sponsored by

Rush to the rescue Rollercoasters. Horror movies. A shark in the water. Whatever life throws at you, adrenaline is your friend.

In the face of danger, you don’t have many choices: it's either fight, flight or, well, stand there like an idiot. But the third choice isn’t really an option, thanks to a handy hormone called adrenaline. what is adrenaline?

Adrenaline is part of your stress response. Whenever your body detects danger or excitement – whether it’s a bungee cord around your ankles or even just the thought of it – your brain sounds the alarm.

The hypothalamus (a part of your brain) acts as the crisis call centre, rapidly mobilising your sympathetic nervous system. Supplies are sent to organs essential to survival, your heart pounds, your breathing speeds up and your blood pressure blasts to panic-station levels. But this system can’t keep itself going for very long. That’s why there’s a clever back-up plan: two glands just above the kidneys called the adrenal glands, which take orders

directly from the sympathetic nervous system. They may be small, but don’t be fooled – these guys can release adrenaline and noradrenaline faster than you can say, ‘Bungee!’, creating that high we call an adrenaline rush. Hormones are potent: even a tiny bit of adrenaline in your bloodstream can go a long way. And the adrenal glands keep on squirting the stuff out until the brain calls a ceasefire and peace is restored.

body smart

IT'S RAINING HORMONES

When your body gets an adrenaline fix, it releases neurochemicals like dopamine, endorphin (the happy hormone released by exercise), and even more adrenaline. Dopamine activates your pleasure pathway, so you start feeling really great about life. And since these hormones are involved in addiction, it makes sense that we get hooked on the feeling.

adrenaline's effects Eyes Pupils dilate to help you see better.

Brain Because you’re alert and supersensitive to incoming sensory signals, you think better on your feet.

Face Blood gets directed from the skin to more important organs, so colour drains from your face.

By Linda Pretorius • PHOTOGRAPHS: gallo/gettyimages.com, istock photos

why do we need it?

‘A few thousand years ago, man’s survival depended on hunting and gathering,’ says Cape Town psychologist Dr Helgo Schomer. ‘It was exciting and dangerous, so being able to sharpen the senses during the hunt or to muster superstrength during a fight was really helpful.’ Today, we no longer need these skills, but we’re still essentially wired like cavemen. So we’ll parachute off buildings, leap out of planes and cling to cliffs without strings attached to get that natural high. The sidekicks

Noradrenaline: adrenaline’s henchman. It boosts the hero’s survival-promoting efforts and activates the sympathetic nervous system. Although also released by the adrenal glands, it makes up only about 20% of the magic potion. Endorphin: your body’s natural painkiller. Released during sudden stress by the pituitary gland (at the base of your brain), it contributes to an adrenaline rush by numbing pain, promoting relaxation and creating a feeling of euphoria.

Skeletal muscle Blood vessels widen to increase muscle strength and contraction. You can fight like a gladiator or run like hell.

Lungs Airways open and breathing becomes fast and very deep. Oxygen-rich blood delivered to cells speeds up their metabolism.

Heart Heart pounds and blood pressure soars, ensuring enough blood gets pumped to essential organs and tissues.

Pancreas Insulin release decreases to raise bloodsugar levels for energy. Digestive tract Digestion activity is inhibited. Lunch can wait until later.

Liver Complex starches and noncarbohydrates are rapidly converted to glucose to fuel cellular metabolism.

Skin Narrowing blood vessels leave skin cold and sweaty. The small muscles attached to body hair follicles contract, giving you goose bumps.

Adrenal glands Situated just above the kidneys, this is the adrenaline factory.

Bladder and urethra Bladder expands and urethral valves contract. You really don’t have time to pee now.

to breathe or not to breathe

Adrenaline can help you survive an asthma attack, thanks to its ability to open your airways. This function was originally designed to give your body the extra oxygen needed to fight or run away.

intelligent entertainment

certs

set Con et The Summer Sun Sound of suns s. Arno Carstens,

anical Garden are back at Kirstenbosch Bot per Orchestra and the Cape Coo nny Joh The The Parlotones, en? playing this month. • Wh Philharmonic Orchestra are usic>. a/m o.z al.c utu dm .ol • <www Sunday evenings, 17:30. Need for speed Round six of the A1 Grand Prix

takes place at Kyalami in Joburg this month. Watch 22 drivers from around the world get fast and (if they lose) furious. • When? 20 to 22 February. • <www.a1gp.com>. Be Mad Club If you love animals, the Joburg Zoo has the thing for you. Join its Behaviour Enrichment Make A Difference (Be Mad) Club and interact with the animals once a month for a year. • When? One Saturday a month, 09:00 to 14:00. • <www.jhbzoo.org.za/explore.html>.

Sims-sa

tional The highly anticipated The Sims 3 has arrived, featuring new personality traits, a new ope n neighbourhood, unique cus tomisation and improved game play. • When? 20 February. • <www.TheSims3.com>.

ycle! The Pick n Pay I want to ride my bic

in early March, Cape Argus Cycle Tour rolls into Cape Town race. • When? with two weeks of events before the big ur.co.za>. End February to 8 March. • <www.cycleto

To win an 80 GB Apple iPod Classic than can store 20 000 tracks, SMS ‘iPod’ to 37555 before 1 March 2009 (R7,50 per SMS).

B2 DIARY • Darwin Day (Charles’ 200th birthday) 12/02 • Valentine’s Day 14/02

by erin classen • PHOTOGRAPH: South African National Biodiversity Institute (Kirstenbosch)

be there –

music

Three local legends comment on the

highlights of 2008 and hot trends for 2009. Kahn Morbee, singer and guitarist, The Parlotones

Jeremy de Jeremy de Tolly, Tolly, frontman, frontman, The Dirty The Dirty Skirts Skirts Highlight Highlight of of2008? 2008?

Highlight of 2008?

What can can we we expect expect from from The The Skirts Skirts What in 2009? in 2009? fresh,sparkly sparklynew newalbum. album.It’s It’sgoing going AA fresh, to be the year we make a serious to be the year we make a serious impact impact on the international music on the international music scene. scene. Favourite album of 2008? Favourite album of 2008?– an album of MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular – an delicious psychedelic pop. I love it. And album of delicious psychadelic pop. it 100% captures the zeitgeist of 2008. I love it. And it 100% captures the SA music’s next big thing? Zeitgeist of 2008. Zebra & Giraffe – an excellent, SA music’s nextwith big athing? anthemic album near-perfect Zebra & Giraffe – an excellent, live reproduction. They have come from anthemicare album with a near-perfect nowhere, utterly professional and live reproduction of it. They sound exquisite. They will findhave a kick-ass come from nowhere, are utterly live presence as they play more shows. professional and sound exquisite. They Most extreme thing you’ve ever done? will find a kick-ass live presence as Given an honest answer to a question theylike playthis. more shows. just Never again. Most extreme thing you’ve on ever What’s doing high rotation your iPod this summer? MGMT, Harold Budd, Brian Eno, James Webb, Eckhart Tolle.

What can we expect from you in 2009? We’ll be back in studio to work on a new album, and we’ll be touring extensively. Favourite album of 2008? Locally, Wasted Out by Perez – an excellent album of great songs – and internationally, Because of the Times by Kings of Leon. Its songs strike a balance between commercial and edgy. SA music’s next big thing? There are few: The Black Hotels, One Sock Thief, The Dirty Skirts and A-King. Most extreme thing you’ve ever done? I bungee jumped off Bloukrans bridge. When I was at school, we used to jump off high rocks into a smallish pond and, thinking back, it was quite crazy because it was actually really shallow. What’s on your iPod this summer? Kings of Leon, Grant Lee Buffalo, Morrissey and REM.

We played some festivals abroad, my favourite being OpenAir in St Gallen (Switzerland). On the local front, RadioControlledRobot went gold, and A World Next Door to Yours went platinum.

By Nikki Benatar • PHOTOGRAPHS: sony bmg

Writing Writingand andrecording recordingour ournew newalbum, album, Daddy Daddy Don’t Disco. Don’t Disco.

Tasha Baxter, singer Highlight of 2008?

Being nominated for four SAMAs and taking home two. It affirmed that we’re doing something right. What can we expect from you in 2009? A new album that’s (hopefully) better than our award-winning first one. Favourite album of 2008? You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into by Does It Offend You, Yeah? This British dance-punk outfit has completely blown me away with its seamless fusion of heavy rock and electronica. The band has great energy, great songs and it’s just so darn fresh – I love every song on the album. SA music’s next big thing? A band from Pretoria called Isochronous really impressed me. It has a great live show, amazing songs and they are very talented musos. Most extreme thing you’ve ever done? Playing a festival gig with a burst appendix. What’s doing high rotation on your iPod this summer? Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Muse and loads of DnB [drum and bass]. When I’m driving, I love listening to ClassicFM for a breather.

B2 byte • ‘me and music. Music was always my first love.’ – johnny depp

movies

The science behind stunts

ad guy is b g in m fla . nch and u p y ist does it r t r e a v t e n d u t in es eh ies. But b ive. Here’s how th v o m f o ff v e the stu son trying to sur r a s t n u t S er e stunt p a real liv

Not every movie is about ladies who read Jane Austen or a struggling rock musician who needs to fill in as a substitute teacher at a snooty private school. Every now and then, we need to see someone getting punched in the face or a bus jumping over a fire truck. That’s where stunt people come in. It’s a dangerous business trying to make sure every stunt gets done, looks cool and doesn’t kill anyone. The skill is an art … but it’s also a science. FIGHT DANCING

When Big Action Hero Guy confronts Big Bad Guy (and His Crew), viewers expect a hardcore battle that makes their popcorn taste good. Not only do stuntmen have to learn an intricately choreographed sequence of moves (or someone could get hurt when a punch lands 5 cm lower than expected), but they also have to learn how to roll with the real blows and fake the phony ones. How do they do this? By getting hit. A lot. Then they study recordings of their reactions and eventually learn to fake it.

BE WARNED

Stuntmen (and -women) are highly trained individuals. No matter how much you think you understand about stunts, it’s never safe to try them at home. Seriously.

B2 fact • some folks like to do stunts in real life. Parkour is an activity in which

CAR JUMPS

Movie cars seem to go flying as soon as they bump into anything bigger than a tennis ball. Real cars don’t do this, of course, so directors use ramps (typically on mobile trucks) to get vehicles airborne. Dodging and weaving and hitting ramps accurately is a bit more difficult than passing your driver’s test, so stunt drivers use special cars loaded with safety equipment, including roll cages, fire extinguishers and camera rigs. Can’t be too careful at work these days.

By Nicklaus Kruger • photographs: ©gallo/gettyimages.com

GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE, LAZY STUNT PEOPLE DO

When filming a gun scene, there’s one essential rule: no live ammunition. Instead, prop guns or guns loaded with blanks are used. To simulate the bullet’s impact, squibs – small explosive or pneumatic charges – are placed on the body, along with a fake blood packet and a metal plate to shield the explosion. The charges are set off remotely and timing is crucial. Firing guns isn’t easy either. Thanks to Newton’s third law (every action has an equal and opposite reaction), a gunshot tends to shove the shooter’s arm and body backwards. Blanks don’t exert nearly as much force, though, so actors learn to fake it by spending hours at a firing range with real guns and bullets. mAN ON FIRE

Some scenes call for actors to be set alight, which is never fun. To make the experience as comfortable as possible, the stuntman wears several layers of protective clothing, including fire-resistant materials like asbestos, special gloves and a hood with a small breathing apparatus and a little oxygen tank. He’s then coated

with a flammable gel (not gasoline, as this would result in a painful and unnecessary end to his life), and fire extinguishers and paramedics are on stand-by. The safe duration of the burn is calculated beforehand. BROKEN WINDOWS

Nothing’s quite as dramatic as shattered glass, which is probably why movies often feature folks punching through windscreens, busting through windows and falling through skylights. To avoid being mutilated, stunt performers use safety glass that shatters into small pieces with rounder edges. Laminated safety glass is even better: the pieces stick to the plastic rather than becoming deadly projectiles. To break the glass, directors detonate small explosive charges just before the stuntman hits it (you can see this happening in some older movies if you watch it in slow motion). Another option is windows made from sugar. They look like glass and break like glass, but they don’t have sharp edges and they exert less force. Recently, these have been replaced with SMASH! Plastic – a urethane liquid plastic designed to shatter on impact – but this isn’t quite as tasty as its predecessor. STUNT SCHOOL

Interested in becoming a stunt person? Check out <http://library.thinkquest. org/3340/TOPSTU.HTM> for more information about this career.

STUNTS GONE WRONG HARD-HEADED JACKIE

Jackie Chan is well-known for performing his own stunts. The worst mishap occurred while filming Armour of God in 1986. When jumping from a wall to a tree, Jackie fell 5 m and landed on his head, shooting part of his skull into his brain. He now has a permanent hole in his head, and is hard of hearing in one ear. CROW VERSUS BULLET

Eight days before filming of The Crow (1993) was complete, star Brandon Lee was killed – while shooting a death scene. Prop masters hadn’t noticed that the previous firing of a loaded gun had lodged a bullet in its barrel. The chamber was loaded with blanks for Lee’s scene, but the hidden bullet was propelled out by the blank cartridge’s explosion. ONG BAK: FIRE FEET

Tony Jaa, star of Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003), was hot stuff in all the wrong ways. One scene features Jaa with his pants on fire, kicking a bad guy in the face. Unfortunately the flames spread upwards too fast, burning Jaa’s eyebrows, eyelashes and nose. Not everybody can be a Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris. Some would-be martial artists just don’t know when to quit, as you can see at <www.youtube. com/watch?v=-i96TGn6ptI>.

people jump from rooftops, scale walls and overcome all obstacles in their path.

45 41

games

This is not a game. It’s alternate reality. But in reality, it is a game. Hang on. Let’s start again … ilovebees. Each week, a list of payphones with their GPS coordinates was posted onto the website <www.ilovebees.com>. Players would then find the payphones, wait for them to ring and try to answer a set of recorded questions. As soon as enough payphones were answered, the next episode in the story would be released online.

So you’re surfing the Net one day when you come across a strange website. It looks like it’s real, except for one thing. It says it was created in the year 2552. Sound weird? Well, you may just have stumbled onto a new craze in online gaming: the alternate reality game. SAY WHAT?

Alternate reality games (or ARGs) allow you to use the real world to interact with a fictional reality. They use the Internet, TV, emails and even live events to present players with puzzles, and when enough players have solved them, the next chapter in the story is revealed. The games happen in real time and involve millions of people around the world.

THE BEAST AND THE BEES

It all started in 2001 with a game called The Beast, created to build hype around the Steven Spielberg film A.I. The first clues appeared in the previews and movie posters, leading to a set of interwoven websites that told a murder mystery and invited people to solve it. Soon, over three million people were trying to figure out the puzzles hidden in the websites, to get the next clue and solve the mystery. One of the most famous clues, which later became the slogan for all ARGs was, ‘This is not a game.’ The next ARG turned out to be even bigger. This time, it was linked to the 2004 launch of the video game Halo2, and was called

WANT TO PLAY?

To explore the world of alternate reality, click to <www.unfiction.com> or <www.argn.com>.

B2 diary • elan awards in canada (for games, animation and visual effects) 28/02

By ambre nicolson • Photographs: istock photos

MASS ACTION

You know what they say about two heads being better than one? Well, imagine the brainpower behind millions of people all trying to solve one problem. The ARG puzzles are way too hard for one person to solve, but many people working together can solve even the toughest challenge. In 2007, Jane McGonigal was studying ARGs as part of her PhD degree and realised, ‘Hey, instead of using fictional puzzles, why don’t we get people to solve real problems?’ And so the first serious ARG was born. Called World Without Oil, it asks: ‘What would happen if the world ran out of oil?’ Players then create solutions to the crisis, which Jane McGonigal hopes will help scientists solve this real-life problem. So who would have thought? You can now play a game and solve the world’s problems all in a day’s work (or play). A good thing to remember the next time someone says games are a waste of time.

books

The Club by Edyth Bulbring GABI GOLDBERG

Grade 11, Camps Bay High School, Cape Town

In general, I thought this was an interesting book. The language was foul at times, though, and there were some really graphic scenes that weren’t so pleasant.

MICHAEL LEEUW

Grade 12, Louis Botha Technical High School, Bloemfontein

I didn’t really enjoy the style of the book. I felt it didn’t flow nicely at times, but I thought the characterisation was exceptionally well done.

I found the story fairly realistic, except for the extreme organisational skills of the Club members. They’re not organised with their studies and personal lives, so I don’t see how they can be that organised with the Club. If I were part of an Ess Club, my name would be Blond Kop – not that I’m blond, but I enjoy digging up information by acting stupid and bubbly. I like Bulbring’s style – she uses slang very elegantly and draws characterisation vividly without the reader being aware of it. The lesson I learnt from this book is that you should never underestimate even the most innocent-looking people.

The Club (Jonathan Ball, 2008) Within the hallowed halls of Johannesburg’s St Patrick’s High School is the Ess Club, a ruthless and powerful secret society for students. Blackmail, entrapment, bullying and manipulation are all part of the game. Senior Club member Mammuso Mazibuko is set to become the next chairman, but when a fellow Club member turns his attentions towards her younger brother Jacob, she finds herself caught in a dangerous battle of wits. The price? Her brother’s soul and the legacy of the Club itself.

My favourite scene was the twist in the story. I’d love to say more, but that would just give it away … If I were to start a secret society, it would be the Secret Society of Secret Societies. That way, we (those of us in the Secret Society) could find out about all those other societies that exist and what happens within them. I don’t think something like this would ever happen at my school – the people are way too nice to be a part of the Ess Club. And I really mean that! I think the main message of the book is always be true to those you love.

Q&A with edyth bulbring

Three books you’d recommend? The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien (the best book I’ve ever read); Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (it broke my heart); and The Catcher in the Rye By JD Salinger (it made me realise it was okay to be different). Favourite book in high school? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Any advice for aspiring authors? Read, read, read. Everything. Newspapers and books. And become a camera on the world – watch and listen. Then write it down. Write, write, write. Every day.

Would you like to review a book for us? Write to Hip2b2 Book Reviews, PO Box 440, Green Point 8051 or email <talk2us@hip2b2.com>. Please include your name, contact details, address, school and grade.

Review COMPILED By nicklaus kruger

I really liked this book. It gave me insight into the minds of rebellious high-school learners and how they can fool people with their innocent appearance.

brain busters extreme sudoku

What’s next?

Complete this puzzle to graduate from the school of Sudoku! Normal rules still apply, but you’re given only two numbers to start with! The small numbers in the top right corner of each red box (superimposed on the Sudoku grid) are the products of the numbers within those boxes.

Find the next number in each sequence. Then find the next number in the vertical series created by the answers. 33 26 28 21 23 ___ 01234 4321 123 ___ –51 –28 –5 18 41 ___

Coin conundrum

How much money do you have if you have one of each of the coins in the official South African monetary system? answers

6 48 5 20 9

3 27

8 24 28

4 6 16 2 7

7 6 9

1 44 6 5 30 3 18 7

7 42 9

5 2

3 27 8 16 1 5 8

1 63 2 14 4 32

99 7 35 1 66

9 45 2 12 6 16 3 26 4 5

5 7 35 4 9 36 3 12 8 40

extreme sudoku

R8,88. Did you get R8,85? Although the 1c and 2c coins aren’t minted anymore, they are still official circulation coins. Coin conundrum Wh at’s next?

GRITLEAN

The next number in each sequence is 16, 32 and 64 respectively, so the final solution is 128.

Find the five eight-letter words hidden in this letter jumble:

Relating; Triangle; Integral; Altering; Alerting Letter S e tter

BY ellen cameron-williger • Illustrations: ANTON PIETERSEN

2 10 8 72

3 24

LETTER SETTER

Hint Start at the bottom right nine cells of the Sudoku grid – you won’t be able to place the numbers exactly, but you will be able to figure out the factors in some of the red boxes. Then work your way up the three columns.

6 24

6 1

4 12 7 56

2 18

8 40

4 20

9 18

2 6

3 21

simply science

what would actually happen if ...

you fell into a black hole?

So what would happen if you fell in? If you ever did encounter a black hole close up, it would be an unpleasant, though brief, sensation. First, as you got closer to the hole, you’d experience ‘tidal’ gravitational forces and the feeling of being stretched. These forces would gradually get more and more intense until eventually they’d rip you apart, long before you actually reached the singularity*. The end. See no evil You wouldn’t see anything too strange while falling into the black hole: some distortion would be caused by the ergosphere, but you’d still be able to see things outside the horizon (light can still fall in, after all). The same isn’t true for outside observers, though. As you got closer to the event horizon, they’d see you moving more and more slowly. They’d never see you actually cross the horizon, even if they hung around forever.

DID YOU KNOW?

At the very centre of our Milky Way galaxy lies a supermassive black hole. We’ve never seen it, of course – the point of a black hole is that you can’t see it – but we do know it’s there. How? Stars very near the galactic core orbit at thousands of kilometres per second, and the mass needed to accelerate them to such speeds is around four million times the mass of the Sun!

black hole diagram

* Event horizon * Singularity * Ergosphere (gravitational drag around a rotating black hole)

by Nicklaus Kruger • PHOTOGRAPHS: gallo/gettyimages.com

Contrary to what you might have heard, a black hole doesn’t consume everything around it. In fact, outside of the ergosphere* it has the same gravitational pull as a star of the same mass. It’s possible – though difficult – for objects and energy to escape the ergosphere, but once something’s crossed the event horizon*, it’s never going to come out. No way, no how.