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MINI POSTEORUST TO CUTKEEP A ND
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Yuck. Find out how we can help solve the plastic problem
Horn-tastic! No, it’s not a tiny Triceratops, it’s a Jackson’s chameleon. They are native to Kenya and Tanzania, where they feed on creepycrawlies. The males use their horns to fight each other for a female. PHOTO: GETTY
24 62 40 Sooooo cute
Slurp up some unicorn noodles
Mega mech Say hello to Method-2. This mech is four metres tall and it is controlled by a person who sits in the cockpit. It’s hoped that it could be used to help us explore dangerous environments. PHOTO: GETTY
Robo riders
Middle East Camel racing in the of years. The dates back thousands ridden by camels were originally of whom were young boys, many it has been slaves. Since 2004, jockeys, so the illegal to use child by robots. camels are now ridden PHOTO: GETTY
Storm surfer In July 2016, Red Bull Air Force athlete Sean MacCormac skysurfed through a storm, plummeting at up to 209km/h (130mph). He eventually opened his parachute and touched down safely in Florida, three kilometres below. PHOTO: SEAN MACCORMAC
WHAT’S INSIDE...
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Eye opener Dive, dive, dive!
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The beat This year’s best science news and inventions.
16 Will we ever find Nessie? Scientists are about to find out what’s lurking in Loch Ness. 22 Eye opener That’s a lot of bikes… 4
24 Could a spaceship fy into the Sun? Will the Parker Solar Probe survive its daredevil mission? 30 Code some magic Cast spells from Harry Poter with this awesome wand! 32 Why isn’t plastic fantastic? PLUS: Hack your parents’ shopping trolley. 38 Eye opener Say hi to a stargazer.
64 You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers!
Feeling hot, hot, hot
30 Engorgio!
92 What does a cave scientist do?
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Is there a plesiosaur in Loch Ness?
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Hoverboard ahoy!
40 Experiments you can eat Cook up a storm in the kitchen. 49 Can we return our lost wildlife? Could wolves come to the UK? 54 Eye opener Massive camera alert! 56 Are there really loads of bugs in my body? Meet your personal zoo. 62 What’s the point of hibernation? Clue: it’s not laziness.
64 Q&A Delve into 25 pages of questions and answers. 92 What’s it like to be a… cave scientist? This is a seriously cool job!
56 Meet the bugs in your body
94 Get set Stuf to do this autumn. 96 The mega quiz! Can you beat your mates? 98 Brain gym Give your grey mater a workout.
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EXPERIMENTS YOU CAN EAT Transform your kitchen into a science lab
s l a t s y r c y d n a C ndy le, crunchy, ca ib d e n w o r w you e as you gro er they get! Watch in aw em, the bigg th e v a le u o y longer crystals. The
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e You will ne
ow, • Tall, narr or jar ss la g n clea a w ter • 1 cup of of sugar s p • 2-3 cu uring • Food colo skewer • Wooden peg • Clothes n a p • Sauce
MAGIC RABBIT LIMITED
Eat these crystals straight off the skewer, or stir into hot drinks
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WORDS: MICHELLE DICKINSON
3a-y7 s d
mering. ntil it is sim fully u t ea h w it a lo g sure that cepan over ntly, makin ter in a sau a a st w n e co th g t n 1. Hea gar, stirri re. is is add the su adding mo cloudy. Th 2. Slowly ater before rts to look w a e st some r th h te it in a w w es p dissolv ld end u u r until the o a g sh su u o e Y th solve. dding ore will dis 3. Keep a here no m w t in o p e th ol. ve for a allow to co gar. sugar. Lea leftover su e heat and er th v o m ft o le fr e n in th e the pa then roll it 4. Remov with water, er or jar and ew sk 5. Wet to the glass . in ry it d r u to o p s , oled few minute tion has co suspend sugar solu e th ce n the peg to O se 6. U . e . er g n ew ri lou den sk e liquid. Th add food co to the woo nging in th n a o h m eg ’s o p it tt o es so b , ss the cloth e of the gla 2cm from 7. Clip the in the centr roximately p er . p a ed ew e b rb sk e ld tu u is th o . ot be d e skewer sh ue to grow n ere it will n h ti n w co ss l bottom of th il la g w e d n th a e s v y a ea d .L and after three of the glass ecking for, should form grow by ch ls solution. a to e st ls y a th f cr st o y e 8. Th surface candy cr e r th u o n y ove o s p el re h at form ystals, m 9. You can usty flm th r candy cr cr u o eating. y y n f re a o o , g ef ze b in remov ith the si of hours w le y p p u p a co h a for ou are allow to dry 10. When y lution and so e th m o fr stir, the ind it… h e water and b ld e co will c f o n ss ie the water it to a gla The sc g sugar to of sugar in l in ed d fu d rc n a fo o p o e b ee sp a if you k gar can If you pour on’. ventually, d, more su ti E te lu e. ea so lv h d so is te is r d the wate persatura if u sugar will , ‘s er a it ev ed ce ll n ow ing. H able si hat is ca omes unst stop dissolv ec creating w b r, n t te o u a o ti w e lu e com d so in th ersaturate en starts to to dissolve ols, the sup he sugar th ss energy co T le . r ld te es o a k h w ta n e it ca s it A . As th n ls a a th st r on gar cry ore suga than to form e new as solid su contains m er crystals d reforms th n th r a o fo n f s o o ti p ed lu to as se rm on of the so skewers act water ystals to fo ed cr re ll o r ro m ga re su ga th e and for th n, the su out of tion cools, the solutio gar comes e sugar solu su th e their own in th re o re m o e m e, the grow. Th n over tim crystals to the solutio m o als grow. fr st s y te cr ger the evapora ig b e th d n n–a the solutio
ns Instructio
EDIBLE EXPERIMENTS
Ask an adult for help when doing these experiments
i
Explore further ... ❱❱ Can you thin k of ways to favo ur your candy crystals, maybe with pepp ermint oil or vanilla es sence? Do you th ink this will change the structure of your candy crystals? ❱❱ Can you mak e crystals with other crystalforming materia ls such as salt? Do the crystals look th e same or difere nt? ❱❱ How big will your candy crys ta ls grow? Will they keep gr owing forever or eventually reac h a maximum si ze? Why do you think th at is? 41
COULD A SPACESHIP FLY INTO THE SUN? The Parker Solar Probe is currently zooming its way across space towards the Sun. But just how close will it get, what will it fnd, and will it survive its daredevil mission? WORDS: ELIZABETH PEARSON
TS SCI SMAR ction
NASA
prote The thermal e Parker system on th is more than Solar Probe makes 11cm th ick. It ft won’t sure the cra overheat.
How do chameleons change colour? p66 Why are paper cuts so painful? p67 If you hold in a fart, where does it go? p69 Why do sweaty feet smell of cheese? p70 Could my dog catch my cold? p73 Why does the inside of a shell sound like the sea? p74 Why don’t slugs have shells? p75 Would a fght hurt less in microgravity? p77 Do insects sleep? p78 Why do leaves change colour in autumn? p79 Why do cats hate water? p81 Why does garlic make your breath stink? p82 Are there any vegetarian spiders? p85 Can computers learn like humans? p86 How do freworks work? p88 How do astronauts go to the loo? p89
NI I M R U O F ! S PLU IDE POSTERS INS
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GET READY FOR... BRAIN-BUSTING PAGES
BEAVERS Beavers fell trees, build dams and make ponds. This creates new places for water voles, oters and many other animals to live. Beaver dams filter the water and make it cleaner, and can help protect against fooding. In 2009, beavers were put back into Scotland’s Knapdale Forest, making them the first wild mammals ever to be reintroduced to the UK. There are now beavers in Devon and in the Forest of Dean, and the hope is that they will be returned to many more rivers.
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DATE OF DISAPPEARANCE: AROUND 100 YRS AGO
CAUSE OF DISAPPEARANCE: EGG COLLECT ION, TAXIDER MY AND HABITAT LOSS
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Ospreys are large, powerful, fish-eating birds of prey. They were wiped out of most of the UK by the 19th Century, but managed to hang on in Scotland until 1916. Then in the 1950s, ospreys from Europe few to Scotland and began to breed. The English population was kick-started in 1996 when 64 young Scotish ospreys were transferred to Rutland Water, an East Midland nature reserve. When the birds grew up, they migrated to Africa, but came back every year to breed. Since then, over 100 ospreys have fedged from Rutland, and the bird is now making a comeback in Scotland, England and Wales.
GETTY X3, MARIUS CEPULIS/MINDEN PICTURES/FLPA
OSPREY
REWILDING DATE OF R ANCE: DISAPPEA RS AGO 0Y AROUND 10
CAUSE OF E: R ANC A DIS PPEA SS H ABITAT
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PINE MARTENS When their woodland habitat was destroyed, pine martens went from being one of the most common UK carnivores to one of the rarest, with the majority being restricted to the Scotish Highlands. Recently, they were reintroduced to mid-Wales where they are now breeding. Where pine martens thrive, red squirrel numbers go up and grey squirrel numbers go down. This is because greys are fater and heavier, which makes them easier for the pine martens to catch. It’s good news for the reds – they are our native squirrel species and have also been declining.
WOLVES Wolves hunt large animals like deer. To avoid the wolves, the deer will keep moving, which means they don’t nibble too many young trees in one area. As a result, wolves help turn grassland into forest. When they were reintroduced into the USA’s enormous Yellowstone Park in 1995, trees shot up and wildlife fourished. Although wolves could survive here, we don’t have the space they need and some people are worried they might kill farm animals. There are no plans to reintroduce them yet.
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MAGAZINE
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