Whizz Pop Bang Science Magazine for Kids! Issue 105: Viking Voyagers

ISSN 2399 -2840

THE AWESOME SCIENCE MAGAZINE FOR KIDS!

Secret Science Of The

VIKIN

VOYA ER S Weave on a loom

CRACK THE VIKINEG COD

Make an axe and helmet

Meet r e r o l p x e n o s k i r E Leif

WHIZZPOPBANG.COM ISSUE 105

EXPERIMENTS PUZZLES AMAZING FACTS SCIENCE NEWS

WELCOME!

This month, we’re living like Vikings!

Riley

Journe y back to an age of fe ar explore rs inside this exciting less warriors and sk illed edition of Whizz Pop Bang!

You’ll explore the scien ce be hind sturdy Viking ships , me et an archae ologist uncove ring the se crets of the past and unrave l the myst eries of Vikin g rune s. You’ll also ge t to make your own Viking he lmet and ax wall hanging and craft a Vikin e, create a be autiful g oil lamp. It’s time to unleash your inner explore r!

WHIZZ POP BANG is made by: Editor-in-Chief: Jenny Inglis Editor: Tammy Osborne Assistant Editor: Tara Pardo Designers: Rachael Fisher and Simon Oliver Illustrator: Clive Goodyer Staff writer: Joanna Tubbs Contributors: Sarah Bearchell, Anna Claybourne, Joe Inglis and Owen Inglis

EXPERT SCIENCE ADVISERS

As well as our writers, we also have a team of science advisers who help to ensure that our content is accurate, up-to-date and relevant. Our advisers include: palaeontologist Steve Brusatte; molecular microbiologist Matt Hutchings; robotics engineer Abbie Hutty; mechanical engineer Aimee Morgans; GP Dr Cathy Scott; astronomer Mark Thompson; physicist Dr Jess Wade; child psychologist Dr Naira Wilson.

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CONTENTS

AWESOME NEWS AND AMAZING FACTS

4

Discover a planet-eating star, a mysterious fossil forgery and an underwater mountain teeming with new species.

SCIENCE WITH THE VIKINGS

Learn about these awesome explorers as you make an axe, axe churn butter and investigate longships.

ANIMAL ANTICS

12

Find out about the snake that Vikings called the hugorm.

SILLY SCIENCE

14

Write like a Viking and complete a fun story!

EMMI’S ECO CLUB

PULLOUT

Cut out and make a helmet like a Viking warrior might have worn.

m

Weave on a loom to turn scraps of yarn and old clothing into a fabric wall hanging.

oc k. co

16

6

17

4 l m9 © Ho

INTERVIEW WITH A SCIENCE HERO

Discover some amazing historical artefacts with archaeologist Lucy Johnson.

24

22

Have you ever wondered how a simple-looking key can keep precious belongings safely locked away?

…surprising facts about the Vikings. Find out how they kept clean, lit fires and more!

26

SENSATIONAL SCIENTISTS T4 GP hat ©C

Meet explorer Leif Erikson, Erikson the intrepid adventurer who is thought to have travelled to North America.

30

35

t rs

HOW STUFF WORKS

TEN AWESOMELY AMAZING…

I’d love to see pictures of your experiments! Send them to Y@whizzpopbang.com and ask an adult to tag us on social media @whizzpopbangmag

tte hu /S

32 34

Atom

28

Y’S WONDER CLUB

Ask our robot, Y, your burning science questions and share all of your adventures in science with the club.

QUIZ POP BANG AND COMPETITION

Test your knowledge with our super-duper science quiz and win a book about Vikings!

JOKES AND ANSWERS

Laugh out loud at some awesome jokes and find the answers to all of our quizzes, puzzles and riddles.

SPECTACULAR SCIENCE

See a jewel-encrusted carved animal found on a Viking longship.

FIND THE SCIENCE EQUIPMENT Hidden on each double page is a piece of science equipment. Tick each one to find the complete kit!

s Awesome New cts and Amazing Fa

NEW SPECIES FOUND ON UNDERWATER MOUNTAINS Research vessel ‘Falkor (too)’

Scientists were stunned by the incredible biodiversity they fo und

Scientists exploring underwater mountains off the coast of Chile think they’ve discovered at least 100 new species of sea creatures. During the expedition, the researchers mapped 52,777 square kilometres of seafloor and discovered four previously unknown underwater mountains, also called seamounts. The tallest, which they named Solito, is 3,530 metres high (nine times higher than the Empire State Building!).

Squat lobster

© Schmidt Ocean Institute

Seamount Solito They then used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) – an underwater robot – to dive 4,500 metres below sea level to explore these habitats for the first time. “You always expect to find new species in these remote and poorly explored areas, but the amount we found, especially for some groups like sponges, is mindblowing,” said lead scientist Dr Javier Sellanes. More than two thirds of the Earth is covered with water, yet only a quarter of the sea floor has been mapped out.

© Dr Valentina Rossi

ROV n’ ‘SuBastia

Whiplash squid

Oblong dermechinus urchins Chaunacops fish

Glass sponge

© ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

Spiraling coral

© Caltech

made from lots of interlocking iron rings. It was worn by medieval warriors, including the V ikings.

Inspired by medieval chain mail, scientists at the California Institute of Technology have created a ‘smart’ fabric that can stiffen on demand. The new material is made from a series of interlocking © Wolfmann

The remains of a chain mail shirt found in a Viking grave

FOSSIL FORGERY

A mysterious reptile fossil discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931 has turned out to be a forgery – at least in part. The 280-million-year-old fossil was thought to show remarkably well-preserved skin. But when Dr Valentina Rossi and her team at the University College Cork in Ireland took a closer look, they discovered that the ‘skin’ was in fact black paint on a carved lizard-shaped rock! Further analysis has since shown that it’s not a complete fake – there are some real bones in there. The fossil, named Tridentinosaurus antiquus, had previously been thought to be an important specimen for understanding early reptile evolution. Professor Evelyn Kustatscher, who co-authored the study, said: “The peculiar preservation of Tridentinosaurus had puzzled experts for decades. Now, it all makes sense.”

3D-printed shapes called octahedrons (which look like two pyramids connected at the base). When the octahedrons are compressed, they jam together and the fabric becomes 25 times stiffer. This material could have lots of uses, including adaptable armour, medical supports, such as casts for broken bones, or emergency bridges or shelters.

THE STAR THAT ATE A PLANET Astronomers in Northern Ireland have spotted a white dwarf star with a strange patch of metal on its surface. They think this ‘scar’ formed when the star gobbled up a nearby planet. White dwarfs are the glowing embers of dead stars that have used up all their hydrogen fuel. They are so dense that their gravity can rip up and consume nearby planets. After observing the star, the researchers concluded that its magnetic field must have funnelled metals from the planet onto its surface. “This scar is a concentrated patch of planetary material, held in place by the same magnetic field that has guided the in-falling fragments. Nothing like this has been seen before,” said Professor John Landstreet. © ESO/L. Calçada

sh

Chain mail is a form of protective body armour

© Dr Valentina Rossi

d

Chain mail inspires ‘smart’ fabric

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S IEN E WITH THE VIKIN S!

Meet the Vikings – intrepid explorers, fierce warriors and daring raiders!

By Anna Claybourne

From the 700s to the 1000s, the Vikings (Norse people) lived in and around Scandinavia, in Northern Europe. Today, they’re best known for sailing the seas, trading, raiding and invading other lands... ...and But there was more to Viking life than that! Besides being brilliant boatbuilders and sailors, the Vikings were farmers, metalworkers, crafters and inventors.

they did do that a lot!

Greenland Vinland

Iceland Scandinavia

The Vikings spread out over a wide area Viking homelands in Scandinavia

United Kingdom

Places Vikings settled Places Vikings explored, raided and invaded

METAL MASTERS The Vikings melted down metal and poured it into moulds to make objects. As we do today, they used different metals for different things: • Iron for pots, helmets, knife blades, nails and tools • Steel (iron mixed with carbon) for strong swords and axes • Copper

, or bronze or brass (copper mixed with other metals), for buckles and shields •S ilver and gold for jewellery or very small items like needle boxes

The Vikings made tiny silver spoons for scraping out their earwax.

Answer on page 34

Iron helmet

e

et

How does a Viking play video games?

On an axe-box!

Brass amulet

MAKE YOUR OWN SKEGGØX

WRAPPING UP WARM!

Yo u will need

The Vikings came from a chilly part of the world, so they needed warm clothes!

orrugated card (from C a cardboard box) Black marker pen Ruler Scissors Glue Kitchen foil

They used looms with weighted threads like this, to weave fabric from wool or linen.

(good luck charm)

W h a t y o u do

Iron chain mail armour

1. Draw and cut out three matching stick shapes from the card, about 40-50 cm long. The lines on the card should run along the pieces, like this.

A steel

‘Skeggøx’ (bearded axe), used as a weapon.

The ‘beard’ was this extra-long part. It could be used as a hook to grab enemies’ shields in battle.

2. Glue them together to make the handle.

3. Draw and cut out two matching axe head shapes, like this.

Turn to page 16 to try some weaving of your own!

4. Draw around one axe blade onto kitchen foil and cut out two blade shapes.

5. Glue the two cardboard blades together around one end of the handle.

Silver and gold jewellery Bronze buckle

6. Glue the foil to the two sides of the axe.

7. Press a small jar or bottle top onto the blade to add a design.

They also used nålebinding, a kind of knitting, to make things like mittens and socks from wool. © Titanica Art / Shutterstock.com

Steel sword

This hooked axe is perfect for dressing up as a Viking!

V iking technology included metalwork and weaving.

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SAILIN THE SEAS

The Vikings are famous for the speedy ships they used for their adventures. Take a look at this longship to see how they worked…

The Vikings sometimes dragged ships over the land too!

Answer on page 34

Keel, or ridge along the base Added strength and stability, so the ship didn’t tip over.

Oars

Up to 30 oars on each side, each rowed by an oarsman, so the ship could still move when it wasn’t windy.

FINDING THE WAY

Vikings didn’t have SatNav, magnetic compasses or even maps! They used their senses to work out where they were – the direction of the wind and waves, the positions of the Sun and stars and the sight and sound of birds. But experts think they also used early scientific gadgets to navigate the seas…

The Sun compass was a bit like a sundial, with a stick that cast a shadow on a disc. Out at sea, the direction of the shadow could tell you which way you were going.

A modern replica of a Viking sun compass

© Praenomen3 / Wikimedia Commons

n a un s

SHIP SHAPE!

Sail A typical Viking ship had one very big square sail, helping it to zoom along quickly.

Help Viking explorer Erik the Red sail through the rivers or fjords home to the Viking village.

Check your answer on page 34.

Why was the Viking longboat so cheap?

It was in the sail!

How did a Viking longship ’s long, pointed shape help it move quickly through water? Try this experimen t to find out!

Yo u will need

postcard, or similar A piece of card A sink or washing-up bowl full of water

F inish

Dragon head

(on some types)

W h a t y o u do

1. Hold the card in the water, like this, and push it forward.

2. Fold the card in half to make a pointed shape, then try again.

Yo u should find

Pointed at both ends Shallow ‘draft’ (depth) Meant the ship could sail in shallow bays and up rivers.

This made it easy for the ship to reverse and be pulled ashore onto beaches.

Old Norse legends describe people using sunstones to find directions. These may have been clear minerals, like Iceland spar, that show a double image when light shines through them. What you see depends on the direction and where the Sun is, even when it’s hidden by clouds. So these stones could have been used to navigate in cloudy conditions.

Iceland spar © ArniEin / Wikimedia Commons

The bent, pointed shape is much easier to push through the water. The flat card has a large surface, which the water pushes back on, slowing you down. The pointed shape allows water to flow past it more easily.

The force pushing back on an object moving through air or water is called drag. A narrow, pointed shape reduces drag – so longships, planes and rockets all have this shape.

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THE VIKIN S AT HOME

How did the Vikings send secret messages?

In Norse code!

When they weren’t out sailing, the Vikings lived in villages and spent most of their time farming. They kept cows, horses, sheep and goats and grew crops like barley, oats and apples. They also caught fish and gathered wild berries.

STORING FOOD

There were no fridges over 1,000 years ago, so the Vikings needed other ways to make food last and not go off. No one knew about bacteria then, but the Vikings did use methods that killed bacteria, such as drying food out or smoking it over a fire.

They also used fermentation, which uses helpful bacteria to turn milk into yoghurt or cheese, so it lasts longer. They even stored meat in sour milk to stop it from going bad.

Viking cheese was said to give you extra energy, strength and bravery, so sailors often took it on their travels.

It’s thought to have resembled gamalost (meaning ‘old cheese’), a strong-smelling, grainy cheese that’s still made in Norway today.

© norwegianwoods / Shutterstock.com

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MAKE BUTTER LIKE A VIKING! Yum!

Put about 200 ml of double cream in a jam jar, screw on the lid tightly, then shake it vigorously for at least five minutes. Eventually, the fat in the cream will stick together, leaving you with a lump of butter and thin, runny buttermilk. Take out the butter, carefully rinse it in very cold water, then keep it in the fridge.

Don’t bin the buttermilk – you can use it to make pancakes or scones!

Can you guess what these Viking objects are? Check your answers on page 34.

A.

B.

MAKE AN OIL LAMP

This oil lamp works in the same way Viking ones did!

You will need

C.

D.

© York Archaeology.

A small glass jar egetable oil V (sunflower works best) A piece of kitchen foil about 20 cm square Skewer or cocktail stick (or a sharp pencil)

hick cotton string T (parcel string) 1 cm longer than the height of your jar atches M

W h a t y o u do

1. Fill the jar with oil until it’s almost full. Place the string in the oil and leave to soak for 15 minutes.

LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT

2. Fold the foil in half, then in half again to make a smaller, thicker square.

Viking lands in the far north had very long, dark nights in winter, and there was no electric lighting. Instead, Vikings made lamps that burned oil from fish, whales or seals.

3. Make a small hole through the middle of the foil square using the skewer.

Ewwww… fish oil lamps were smelly!

W ick (a string that holds the oil so it can burn slowly)

Bowl or

container made from carved stone

Viking explorers travelled to Brazil.

Answer on page 34

Oil

4. Thread the string through it, so that it sticks out about 1 cm.

5. Lower the long end of the string into the oil and press the foil around the top of the jar.

6. In a well ventilated area, ask an adult to light the wick with a match. Never leave a flame unattended.

Yo u should find The oil soaks up into the wick and evaporates into vapour, which burns easily. The burning uses oxygen from the air and the energy in the oil is turned into light and heat.

AL ANIM S TIC

AN

Adders

© Holm94 / Shutterstock.com

The adder, or common viper as it is also known, is found across most of Europe, Russia and as far east as China and Korea. It lives in many different habitats, from grasslands and rocky hillsides to coastal sand dunes, and is thought to live further north than any other snake species, right up into the Arctic circle.

This month, our vet Joe Inglis is heading into the hills to search for a legendary snake known as the hugorm or striking snake by the Vikings.

50-60 cm

The average length of an adult adder.

The largest individuals can reach around one metre long and weigh up to 180 g.

X marks the snake Most adders are mainly brown or silvery grey in colour with distinctive zigzag patterns along their bodies and a dark V or X shape on the back of their heads. If you see one, you can usually tell whether it’s a male or female by the colour – males tend to be lighter coloured, which makes their zigzags stand out more than those on the darker brown females.

Sleepy snakes

What a tangle of snakes! Can you work out which tail belongs to which head? Check your answers on page 34.

Like all snakes, adders are cold blooded, which means they have to bask in the sunshine to warm their bodies. They hibernate in the winter when the temperature is too low for them to be active.

In northern countries, such as Sweden, adders can hibernate for nine months of the year, only emerging for the few warm summer months.

I love maths – I’m a good adder!

Serpent’s supper As carnivores (meat eaters), adders hunt and eat small animals, including mice, rats, voles and shrews, as well as lizards, frogs, newts and even birds and their eggs.

Snakes alive Unlike some snakes, adders are viviparous, which means they don’t lay eggs – instead they give birth to up to 20 live young.

Venomous vipers

Jumping over water or saying ‘faul’ was once thought to cure adder bites.

Adders are venomous snakes, which means they inject poison through their fangs when they bite – to paralyse or kill their prey and to defend themselves when threatened. Although an adder bite can be painful to humans, and very occasionally lead to serious problems, they are not usually very dangerous, and most bites just cause a painful swelling.

Answer on page 34

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Rise and s DeCODER

ASTRId What kind of dogs do Vikings like best?

Great Danes!

Just like the letters we use today, runes are phonetic symbols (they represent sounds). The runic alphabet used by the Vikings only had 16 letters, so they’d just choose the rune closest to the sound they wanted to write! Runes don’t translate exactly to English letters, but this is a rough guide to the sounds.

f, v

i, e

u, v, w, y, o

a (ae sound)

th

s, z, j, x

a

t, d

r

b, p

k, g, c, q

m

h

L

n

r Which of these common English words do you think originated from the Vikings? Tick as many as you like and check your answers on page 34.

Leg Bangle Sky Glove Shampoo Law Scab 14 whizzpopbang.com

Loot Skirt Happy Cot Kick Crawl Pyjamas

d shine!

This is a story about a 10-year-old Viking girl named Astrid. Some of the words are missing but you can see them as runes. Use the decoder to find out what life was like for Astrid in her longhouse!

Astrid was awake early. It was winter so the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ were inside the longhouse and the ducks were up at the quack of dawn! She wanted to play with her toys but there was lots of work to be done.

First, she swept out the animal pen and put the _ _ _ _ on the pile outside.

Next, it was time to milk the cow and _ _ _ _ _. _ She finished the cow and said: “Right you’re done, mooooove along!”

When she was finished, Astrid began to collect the eggs laid by the _ _ _ _. _ “Wow, _ _ _ this morning, that’s eggs-cellent!”

She spotted a clutch of duck eggs that were starting to hatch and went to take a look. As the first duckling cracked open its shell, Astrid said: “Beak-a-boo! Come on out, _ _ _ _ _ one. Are you feeling peckish?!”

(Hint: The Vikings didn’t use double letters.)

Next, Astrid went outside to feed the _ _ _ _. _ “Don’t look so boar-ed,” she called. “It’s time to pig out!”

At last she was done and her _ _ _ _ _ _ said she could play.

“Finally, I can get away from the animals and have some fun!” said Astrid, and she ran to get her favourite toys – her carved wooden _ _ _ _ _ _ _! _

b... clu O C E

Emmi’s

Learn how to weave like a Viking and create fabric art from scraps!

WEAVE A WALL HANGING Yo u will need

piece of thick cardboard A measuring 12 cm x 20 cm A ruler A pencil A craft knife or sharp knife A piece of string, yarn or embroider y thread measuring 5 m Sticky tape

1

2

Use a pencil and ruler to make marks every 1 cm across the top and bottom of the cardboard.

Cut 0.5 cm slits at each of the marks.

3 Front

Keep wrapping the thread around the loom until all of the slits are filled. Stick the thread to the back of the loom and cut the end. These are called the warp threads.

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Back

4

collection of scraps, each A one at least 20 cm long. You could use yarn, string, ribbon or old fabric cut into strips about 2 cm wide Scissors A yarn needle, a safety pin or a paper clip (optional) A clean, dry stick about 20 to 25 cm long

Stick the end of the long piece of thread to the back of the loom. Draw it through the first slit on the bottom of the loom, then up into the opposite slit on the top. Wrap it round the back of the loom and into the second slit from the left on the bottom, then up to the opposite slit on the top.

Slide a pencil under the warp threads and push it to the top of the loom to raise the threads from the loom. Take a piece of scrap thread (these are called weft threads) and weave it over and under the warp threads. You can thread the weft onto a needle, or tie the end of it to a paperclip or safety pin, if you like. Leave a tail of 10 cm on the side you started from.

Continued on page 21 ➜

VIKING PULL OUT pages 17-20 and get making!

HELMET Some Viking warriors wore metal helmets. They would have been made in sections and held together with rivets. Try making your own Viking helmet!

Yo u will need The templates from this pullout Scissors Glue or a stapler Sticky tape

A sheet of A4 paper

Thin cardboard, such as a cereal box (optional)

TEMPLATE 6

Foil (you could use the foil from Easter eggs if you have some!)

V iking helmets would have been worn over a thick, padded cap, which helped protect their heads from blows. You can test how this works. Take two eggs (check with your adult first!), wrap them both in cling film and then wrap one up in a woolly hat. Hold both eggs about 10 cm above a hard surface and drop them. Did either of them break? If neither of them broke, drop them again from a higher starting point.

Keep doing this until they have both broken. Did the egg in the hat survive longer? (You can make yummy scrambled eggs afterwards!)

TEMPLATE 5

whizzpopbang.com 17

W hat yo u do:

1. Cut out templates 1-5. If you want to make your helmet stronger, glue them onto thin cardboard first.

2. Cut out template 6 and cut along the solid lines. Place it on a sheet of paper and draw around it, making sure to also draw along the cut lines. Repeat this until you have four panels and then cut them out. Where you have cut the lines at the top and sides, overlap one side of the cut onto the other by about 5 mm and stick in place with sticky tape.

3. Cover one side of each panel with foil and secure it in place with sticky tape.

Find a printable version of the pullout here: bit.ly/3SVx6S1

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4. Arrange template 1 and template 2 into a cross shape and glue or staple them together.

5. Join template 3 and template 4 together so they make one long strip, then wrap this around your head to form a ring. Holding the ends together, take it off your head and join the ends using sticky tape or a stapler.

6. Attach the cross-shaped section to the ring like this:

7. Attach the four head panels to the helmet with staples or sticky tape.

8. Slightly bend the faceplace along the centre and then stick or staple it to your helmet.

You’re all finished!

TEMPLATEs 1-4

Yo u should find

You’ve made a Viking-style helmet! Only five Viking helmets or parts of helmets have ever been discovered. A complete helmet was found in a warrior’s burial at Gjermundbu, Norway (take a look at it on page 26).

The Gjermundbu helmet was found in nine pieces, showing how it had been constructed. It had a rim, two strips that went from front to back and from ear to ear, four metal plates to cover the head and an eyepiece to protect the face and nose, just like this one!

Riddles

Check your answers on page 34.

1. What has to be broken before you can use it?

2. What did a Viking sailor drop when he needed it and take back when he didn’t?

3. A Viking has 17 hens and all but nine die. How many are left?

If your headband is too tight, use this piece to fill the gap.

Vikings used runes (symbols) for writing.

Draw these runes in the grid so there is one of each kind in every row, column and block of four squares. Check your answer on page 34.

We’d love to see you wearing your V iking helmets! Send a photo to Y@whizzpopbang.com and ask an adult to tag us on social media @whizzpopbangmag.

You could hold up your V iking issue of Whizz Pop Bang in the picture!

5

6

Now weave the weft thread back acr oss the loom. Make sure that you go ove r the warp threads you went under in step 3, and under the threads you went over! Try not to pull the weft too tightly – ideally, the warp threads will stay parallel. Push the rows of weaving up to the top of the loom every few rows. When you are ready to change yarn, leave a 10 cm tail on one side, then cut the thread. Start a new yarn as in step 4.

When your weaving is finished (you don’t have to fill the whole loom), tie all of the loose ends together in pairs.

Now turn the loom over and remove the sticky tape.

Cut along the warp threads across the middle of the loom.

Tie a 30 cm piece of scrap yarn to the ends of the stick. You can use this to hang your weaving on the wall.

7 Turn the loom over and carefully tie the warp threads together in pairs using double knots.

8

se Lay the stick along the loo ur yo of warp threads at the top ea thr d weaving. Tuck every other the behind the stick, then tie Put ck. sti the threads in pairs over ck sti d an the weaving face down ng usi the loose ends to the back the ve lea n ca u sticky tape. Yo wn do ing ng ha loose warp threads . like at the bottom if you

Continued from page 16

I’d love to see your wall hanging! Take a photo and ask an adult to tag us on social media @whizzpopbangmag and email it to Y@whizzpopbang.com whizzpopbang.com 21

➜

Interview with a SCIENCE HERO

In my job I get to... be a time detective!

Lucy is a project officer at York Archaeology. If you have any questions of your own for Lucy, you can contact her on ljohnson@yorkat.co.uk

“

As an archaeologist, you never know what you might find!

Lucy Johnson, Archaeologist

“

We can learn so much about the past from what is under our feet.

”

”

A commercial archaeologist’s job is to make sure that historical remains are investigated before building work takes place. We dig through layers to collect information about the past – we might find buildings, rubbish pits or wells. It can be very muddy digging in all weathers, but the results make it all worth it.

People have lived in York for thousands of years, so many layers of things like rubbish and building materials have formed under the streets. The objects that people threw away can tell us about the lives of ordinary people.

Remains of pottery, seeds, insect remains, coprolites (old poos!), animal bones, pollen and more inform us about the diet and health of people in the past, and the climate and environment they lived in.

“

Personal, handmade objects can be the most special discoveries!

”

I once found a pair of decorated copper tweezers which belonged to someone in the Anglo-Saxon period. Even in the past, some people thought it was important to look after their appearance! Recently we found evidence of a Roman building and we think soldiers may have lived there. It’s amazing to think that the Roman army was once stationed in York.

22 whizzpopbang.com

On a very muddy site in York © York Archaeology

Interview with a SCIENCE HERO

We might start by using a mechanical excavator (a big digger) to take off the modern layers until we reach older layers.

Then we use large tools such as shovels and mattocks (like pickaxes) to dig through the soil. For smaller or more delicate remains we might use trowels, brushes or even teaspoons and dental tools!

”

Lucy recording archaeological

“

layers on site

© York Archaeo

logy

“

I use all sorts of tools at work.

Remains of a Viking settlement called Jorvik were discovered in York in the 1970s.

”

The Coppergate dig revealed up to nine metres of very well preserved archaeological remains, most of which dated to the Viking period. At the time, archaeologists didn’t have a lot of evidence of Viking settlements in England, so the discoveries were really exciting. Timber buildings, clothing and leather shoes were preserved in the soil – things which would usually rot away to dust. We learned a lot about the buildings and the people who lived there, including what they ate and even the games they played.

e Coppergate Archaeologists on site at th

dig

“

© York Archaeology

I loved history at school but only found out about being an archaeologist later!

© York Archaeo

logy

A young King Charles at the Coppergate dig

”

If you want to become an archaeologist, see if you can get involved in a dig! In York, we run a training dig every summer called ‘Kids Dig York’ where you can get hands-on experience of archaeological fieldwork. When you’re older, you could also try to get some work experience with an archaeology company, or get in touch y. eology archa localout with aFind more aboutsociet xxxxxx

whizzpopbang.com 23

LOCKS

HOW STUFF

WORKS

The Vikings were masters of metalwork. They melted down metal to make all kinds of things, including locks and keys.

Nowadays, there are many types of locks. Have a look at the locks on your front door – at least one of them is likely to be a ‘Yale’ or ‘cylinder pin-tumbler lock’. Here’s how they work…

1 2

4

The body of the lock is made of two metal barrels – called cylinders – one inside the other. When the inner cylinder turns inside the larger one, the lock opens.

5 When a key is inserted, the jagged ‘mountains and valleys’ push the pins up inside the lock.

24 whizzpopbang.com

A key that has one flat edge and one jagged edge opens this type of lock.

3

Spring-loaded brass pins drop into the lock cylinder. Most Yale locks have five pins.

6 Each pin is split into two parts by a cut. For the inner cylinder to turn, the cuts must be lined up exactly with its edge. If just one of these pins is too high or too low, the pin will stop the cylinder turning.

A bar operates the bolt. Turning the key turns this bar, which moves the bolt in and out of the door frame.

WRONG KEY When the wrong key is put in the lock, the cuts in the pins don’t align with the divide between the two cylinders. The inner cylinder won’t turn and the lock won’t open.

Viking locks The Vikings made locks in a variety of shapes and sizes.

This barrel padlock and key is made from iron. Historians think that keys were status symbols in Viking times.

Whoever had them controlled access to their homes.

© York Archaeology

RIGHT KEY Only the right combination of mountains and valleys gets all the cuts in all the pins lined up correctly. This allows the inner cylinder to turn freely and the lock opens.

Which lock would the key work in?

Check your answer on page 34.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

whizzpopbang.com 25

.

g.. in z a m A ly e m o s e w A 0 1

A S T C A F G N SU R PR I S I

1

3

Despite living long before modern bathrooms were invented, V ikings

were clean and well groomed.

They probably had weekly baths, and Viking tweezers, razors, combs, toothpicks and ear scoops have all been found.

2

Viking tweezers Vikings didn’t invent skiing, but they

used wooden skis and ice skates carved from bone to hunt, to travel across frozen landscapes and for sports.

They used wee to light fires! Vikings made a portable

firestarter from tinder fungus. They sliced up the inside of it, pounded it, then boiled it in urine for a few days.

Viking ice skates

The Gjermundbu helmet, the e!) best preserved (and horn-fre .

Viking helmet ever discovered r

A comb made from deer antle

4 5

Hair was very important to the V ikings. Many carried combs alongside

swords and knives on their belts and were buried with combs when they died. Some were intricately decorated and polished.

V ikings didn’t wear horned helmets! Norse and

Germanic priests may have worn them for ceremonies, but no evidence has been found that they were worn in battle.

26 whizzpopbang.com

Make your own Viking helmet on page 17.

©1. Portable Antiquities Scheme, CC BY-SA 2.0, 3. York Archaeology, 4. York Archaeology, 5. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wolfmann / University of Oslo Kulturhistorisk Museum, 6. Mike Peel / Wikimedia Commons, 7. ppl / Shutterstock.com, 8. CC BY-SA 4.0 / National Museums Scotland, 9. ChatGPT4, 10. ChatGPT4.

S G N I K I V E S A B OU T T H

6

boat

A Viking long

Very important Vikings (like kings, queens and successful raiders) were sometimes buried in boats. Remains of enormous longships, dragged ashore and used as coffins, have been found in Viking burial sites.

8

7

They made nappies using sphagnum moss! It can absorb

large amounts of liquid, so it was ideal for keeping wee away from Viking babies’ delicate bottoms. It also made poo dry out faster, stopping it from smelling too bad!

Vikings are thought to have had parties and enjoyed playing

board games and dice games. This is a piece from a Viking chess set that was found on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.

9

Vikings liked red or blond hair, so brown-haired Vikings sometimes bleached their hair and beards using lye soap. This strong alkali soap also kept head lice away!

10 Compared with other medieval women, Viking

women had an unusual amount of freedom. They could

divorce and remarry, inherit property if their husbands died and could be priests, poets and medicine women.

Sensational Scientists

By Joanna Tubbs

Leif Erikson

LEIF ERIKSON WAS BORN AROUND THE 970S IN ICELAND.

‘Leif the Lucky’ is thought to have been the first European to set foot on the continent of North America – around 500 years before Christopher Columbus! Stories of his adventures have been passed down in the Icelandic sagas.

Adventuring was in Leif’s blood. His grandfather, Thorvald Ásvaldsson, and his father, Erik the Red, were both famous Viking explorers. Leif had two brothers, Thorstein and Thorvald, and a sister, Freydis.

greenland

Leif set out on an expedition to Norway and spent a lot of time with King Olaf Tryggvason. The king convinced Leif to become a Christian. One saga tells that Leif set off on a mission to spread Christianity to Greenland, but on the way, a huge storm blew his ship off course. He landed in a forested land where grapes grew – he named it V inland (meaning ‘land of wine’).

vinland

(Newfoundland)

When Erik the Red was banished from Iceland, he sailed to Greenland where he founded its first permanent settlement in 986. Erik liked it so much that he brought his family and some friends over from Iceland to live there. This was where Leif grew up.

Leif and his crew built a camp in Vinland called Leifsbudir where they stayed for the winter.

They sailed back to Greenland, bringing grapes and timber with them. On their way, they rescued some shipwrecked sailors and Leif earned his nickname, Leif the Lucky.

Iceland

Longboat teaser

Add the things you may have found on a Viking ship to the grid.

Place the letters in the coloured spaces to find a Norwegian king!

Check your answers on page 34.

Hull Oars Sail Flags Ropes Shields

Answer

Some researchers think that Vinland was a place now called L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Canada. The remains of a Norse settlement from about 1,000 years ago have been found there.

This would have been around the time that Leif discovered Vinland.

The Norse people now knew that there were new lands across the sea to discover, places to find resources and trade with.

Other Norse explorers, including Leif’s brother Thorvald and his sister-in-law Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir, travelled to Vinland where they met indigenous people who they traded and fought with.

Norway

nd

Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir was also known as Gudrid the Far-Traveller.

She went on many incredible journeys, crossing the North Atlantic Ocean several times between Norway and Greenland. She also visited Rome in Italy. Most impressively, she travelled to Vinland by longboat. She stayed for three years and her son, Snorri, was the first European to be born there.

Rome

After Eric the Red died, Leif became the chief of the settlement in Greenland. He had two sons called Thorgils and Thorkell.

Leif is thought to have died between 1018 and 1025.

whizzpopbang.com 29

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der Club!

Welcome to Y’s Won to share your This page is for you with our robot, adventures in science p Bang readers!

Y, and other Whizz Po ce question Everyone whose scien is page gets answered on th ng wins a Whizz Pop Ba Science Joke Book, ome available in our awes at online science shop

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F oR

Dear Y, Why is the gas flame on my cooker blue?

CURIoUS K I DS

From Humayraa, aged 12

The UK gas supply is almost pure methane gas, made from carbon and hydrogen. Your cooker burns it very efficiently, using lots of oxygen to give complete combustion. This reaction breaks the chemical bonds in methane to release LOTS of energy – most as heat but some as blue light. The reaction also produces invisible carbon dioxide and water vapour. A candle burns with a yellow flame due to incomplete combustion. The wax fuel is not fully burnt, so it releases carbon (soot). The carbon particles (and other impurities like sulphur), make the flame glow yellow – giving less heat but more light.

r

Thomas, aged 8, with his flying saucer (from the Aliens editio n).

Isaac, aged 7, ther made the wea e th m o fr station er th ea W d Wil edition.

Eli, aged 7, lliant made this bri m o fr t n ri p spore ngi Fu ic st ta n Fa the . n editio

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enamel badges Y’s Wonder Club Badges Collectable for you to earn!

Help local wildlife to earn your Wildlife Watcher badge.

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E

Dear Y, Why does smoke come out of my mouth when I go out in the cold?

Harvey loved making the dragon eggs from the Scie nce Party edition (Issue 100).

From Haleemah, aged 6

A breath cloud looks like smoke, but smoke is made when something is burnt. So, unless you are a dragon, Haleemah, you are breathing out something different! When you breathe in, air travels through your nose and mouth then down into your lungs. Your mouth and lungs are warm and moist, so the breath you breathe out is warm and contains some water vapour. When you breathe out in the cold, your breath cools very quickly, making the water vapour condense (turn from a gas to a liquid). The tiny droplets of water in the air look like a small white cloud!

Lucy, aged 11 , an Matthew, ag d ed 4, really enjoye d creating their own wra ppin paper (from o g u Lights, Camer r a, Action editio n).

Ava, aged 10, made the mas co featured in th t e Marvellous Medicine edit ion.

Carina, aged 9, said hers was very tasty!

Dear Y, How does cancer form?

Edward, aged 7 Cancer happens when cells in our body start dividing in a way they’re not supposed to. Normally, they divide in an orderly way according to instructions in our DNA. But sometimes the DNA instructions get damaged.

This can happen by chance or due to damaging chemicals like cigarette smoke. Occasionally, damaged DNA can be passed on in a family. DNA usually repairs itself, but if there is too much damage in one cell, it could start to grow out of control and become cancerous. Scientific research has helped us to find cancer earlier and give better treatments, so cancer patients can live better, longer lives.

6, Harvey, aged e p ro et zo e made th , ts h from the Lig n io ct Camera, A edition.

Send your experiments, ideas, photos, reviews and questions to Y@whizzpopbang.com or Y, Whizz Pop Bang, Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ. Don’t forget to include your name, age and address. We can’t return any post, sorry.

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whizzpopbang.com 31

um/ Test your m our dad/neighb

How much can you remember from this issue?

at they know! to see wh

1

Test your knowledge with our super-duper quiz. Just tick the answers you think are correct, mark them using the answers on page 34 and then add up your score. If you need some help, check out the hints at the bottom of the page.

2

What is a rune? l used

a) I nstruments called merkhets

b) A key invented by

Vikings

b) Smartphones

c) A Viking longboat

3

5

What was Leif Erikson’s nickname?

c) Sun compasses and sunstones

4

Which of the below is true?

a) Leif the Lovely

a) Adders are warm blooded

eif the Lucky b) L

b) Adders lay eggs

eif the Landlubber c) L

c) Adders are venomous

Vikings used which ingredient to make firelighters?

6

b) Old cheese

b) Sweat

c) Bearded axe

c) Blood

What is a white dwarf? a) The glowing embers of a dead star type of cloud b) A ne of Snow White's c) O friends

What does gamalost mean? a) Sunstone

a) Wee

7

What devices did the Vikings use to navigate?

a) A phonetic symbo

by Vikings

What do Vikings sing to their children?

Norse-ery rhymes!

8

What did Vikings make using nålebinding?

Answers on page 34.

I scored: ..........

1-3: Bardar the Beginner

a) Metal keys b) B rass good luck charms c) A type of knitted fabric

Need a hint? Find the answers by reading these pages…

1) Page 14 2) Pages 8-9 3) Page 28 4) Pages 12-13 5) Page 26 6) Page 10 7) Page 5 8) Page 7

4-6: Erik the Excellent 7-8: Astrid the Awesome

Can you spot seven differences between the two Viking brooches?

Circle the differences, take a photo and send it in to be in with a chance of winning one of five awesome books about Viking treasures.

!

IN

Double trouble!

W

The DNA Detectives The Riddle of the

Viking Treasure

by Dr Mandy Hartley Join brother-and-sister team Annabelle and Harry, the DNA Detectives, in this new adventure by Dr Mandy Hartley from insightandperspective.co.uk.

During a family kayaking trip, Harry falls into the river and has to swim to the bank.

There, he makes an exciting discovery, a gold sword! He realises he has found one of the valuable Viking artefacts stolen from the Castle Museum. Where are the other artefacts? Why were they stolen and who is the thief? The keys to solving the case are the clues left behind at the crime scene, collected from soil, plants and pollen.

WINNERS

Issue 103 competition winners Thank you to everyone who sent in entries to our ‘Time’ competition. The answers were: 1) 6.50 2) 5.40 3) 5.10 4) 8.20 5) 10.00 These three lucky winners will each receive a Potato Clock kit.

Haadi Sofi, 7 Bella Devaney, 12 Sylvan Poland, 11

Send your entry to win@whizzpopbang.com with ‘Vikings competition’ as the subject of your email. Alternatively, post it to Vikings competition, Whizz Pop Bang, Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ. Please don’t forget to include your name, age and address.

Deadline: May 8th 2024. UK residents only. Full terms and conditions available at whizzpopbang.com.

whizzpopbang.com 33

JOKES

Did you hear g about the Vikin mb who hit his thu ? r with his hamme It was Thor!

Why didn’t the Viking shave off his beard?

It grew on him!

What did Viking ra call English villa iders ges?

Chopping centr es!

all a What do you c g? in vegetarian Vik Norvegan!

the Red ik r E o d What he Lucky and Leif t mmon? have in co he same t e v a h y The e! middle nam Page 6 – True/Untrue TRUE: But don’t try this at home!

Sticking anything in your ears is a very bad idea (the Vikings didn’t know that).

Page 8 – True/Untrue

Answers

Page 13 – Snakes puzzle F

A

B D

E

C

TRUE: As their ships were shallow and light, they could be hauled over land to get from one river to another.

Page 9 – Islands maze

Page 13 – True/Untrue TRUE: As well as jumping over water and uttering strange words, old-fashioned remedies for adder bites also included killing the snake responsible and rubbing it on the wound, and holding a pigeon or chicken on the bite. Thankfully, we now have modern antivenoms which actually work!

Page 11 – Viking objects The objects are: a) Glass beads b) A game c) Leather sword sheaths d) Coin dies (for making coins)

Page 14 – Viking words puzzle These are the words we got from the Vikings: Leg, sky, glove, law, scab, skirt, happy, kick, crawl.

These ones come from India: Shampoo, cot, bangle, loot, pyjamas.

Page 11 – True/Untrue

Page 15 – Viking story

UNTRUE: The Vikings didn’t travel to Brazil (as far as we know!). But they did get as far as Newfoundland in North America!

The words written in runes are: animals ➞ dung ➞ goats ➞ hens ➞ ten ➞ little ➞ pigs ➞ mother ➞ animals

Page 19 – Riddles 1) An egg.

2) An anchor. Viking anchors were made of wood and heavy stones.

3) Nine!

Page 20 – Runes puzzle This is the completed grid: Page 25 – Key Number 6 is the correct lock.

Page 29 – King crossword

F L The king’s O A R S name is Olaf .

G H U L L R O P E S I E S A I L D S Page 32 – Quiz 1) a 2) c 3) b 4) c 5) a 6) b 7) a 8) c

Carved beast This is one of five carved animal heads discovered in a Viking longship burial at Oseberg, Norway.

The ship was filled with items for the occupants to take to the afterlife, including a chariot, a bucket, tents and equipment. Four of the wooden animal heads were found bound together and the fifth was on the forward deck. They are carved with intricate swirling patterns and decorated with jewels.

© Holm94/ Shutterstock.com

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