Science by Email 9 March 2012

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	9 March 2012
News: Clara's classroom discovery By Patrick Mahony A representation of Clara's molecule. The light blue represents carbon atoms, the dark blue represents nitrogen atoms and the red represents oxygen atoms. Fifth grader Clara Lazen was in the classroom doing her schoolwork. Her teacher had given the class modelling kits to build molecules. Instead of just building simple molecules like water or carbon dioxide, Clara connected carbon, oxygen and nitrogen molecules in a way that she thought made sense. Her teacher had never seen the molecule before, so took a photo of it and sent it to a friend of his – a chemistry professor at a university. He didn’t recognise it either. As there are thousands of molecules known to science, the professor searched an online database to see if Clara’s molecules had been discovered before. It hadn’t – Clara had found a new molecule! When scientists make a discovery or have a new idea, they usually write a paper for a scientific journal. This is what the professor did, and he included Clara and her teacher as co-authors of the paper published in the January 2012 issue of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. The new molecule is yet to be made by chemists in a laboratory. If it can be made, it could possibly be used for energy storage, or as an explosive. Even if it can’t be produced, Clara has shown that you’re never too young to contribute new ideas to science. More information Professor publishes 10-year-old’s new molecule Build a molecule Careers link Chemistry career options
You will need these materials.   Line each container with paper towel and sprinkle seeds over the top.   Label each container appropriately. Cover with more paper towel and spray with water.   Leave the containers in a sunny area. Once the seeds have sprouted, spray with water according to their label. Try this: How does your garden grow? Part 1: Water You will need Cress or mustard seeds (available from garden stores) Paper towels Plastic containers with lids Water in a spray bottle Marker What to do Line 4 plastic containers with paper towel. Sprinkle a layer of cress seeds over the paper towel in each container. Place another sheet of paper towel over the seeds. Spray water onto 3 of the seed containers so the paper towel is well moistened. Label 1 container ‘Water twice a day’, another ‘Water once a day’ and the third ‘Water every 2 days’. Put the lids on the containers. Label the unwatered container ‘No water’. Put the lid on this container. Put the containers in a bright, well-lit place. Observe every day. When the seeds start sprouting, remove the top layer of paper towel and discard. Water the containers according to their label. Replace the lid after you've watered the plants. Check on your sprouts every day. Observe any differences between the containers. When your sprouts are fully grown you can pick, rinse and eat them! What’s happening? Water plays an important in photosynthesis and is essential for plant growth. Without water, the seeds don’t germinate (sprout) in the first place. After germination, the amount of water affects how well the plants grow. Too much water or not enough can lead to unhealthy plants. Different plants need different amounts of water to survive. Some plants require large amounts of water to grow while others grow well in deserts. Applications Many of Australia’s most important crops such as wheat require regular rainfall in order to grow properly. Droughts in Australia can cause huge losses for farmers due to crop failure and reduced yields. Climate change has the potential to increase the frequency and severity of droughts. One way of coping with droughts and water shortages is to develop varieties of wheat and other crops that require less water. CSIRO Plant Industries conducts research into developing new varieties of wheat that are more drought tolerant than other varieties. Strategies such as developing drought resistant crops are known as adaptation strategies. By Patrick Mahony Try another Science by Email activity about agriculture More information DAFF: Adaptation project summaries DAFF: ABARES forecasts large summer crop CSIRO: Developing climate change resilient agribusinesses CSIRO: Climate Adaptation Flagship CSIRO: Drysdale – a world’s first View the online version Quiz questions 1. Which colour light has the higher energy: blue light or red light? 2. What is a seismograph used to measure? 3. Which scientist is famous for his theory of general relativity? 4. What virus causes the disease poliomyelitis?  5. Glyphosate is a type of a) antibiotic; b) herbicide; c) gemstone; d) pigment? Did you know? Sawfish sense electric fields with their saw to locate their prey. Websites Read it! Learn about superconductors with the Surfing Scientist. Watch it! What is graphene and what is special about it? Find out in this video. 2012 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Feeling creative? Why not make a short film on a science topic for cash prizes and fame? All you need to do is communicate a scientific concept in an entertaining way and enter the 2012 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize. Explore your favourite scientific concept, discovery or invention, or test your own hypothesis! See this website for more information and past winners. Entries close midnight AEST Friday 4 May 2012. Events NSW: Sydney Science Forum The Sydney Science Forum is a series of free, public lectures at the University of Sydney. The first lecture for 2012 will be delivered by astrophysicist Professor Bryan Gaensler and is titled ‘A new way of looking at the sky’. The one-hour lecture is on Wednesday 14 March at 5.45 pm. It is free to attend, however places are limited so registration is essential. For registration and more information go to the Sydney Science Forum website. Experiment special, Saturday 10 March at 9.00 am on Network Ten Experiments are a pretty important part of science. In fact, we think so highly of them that this whole episode of SCOPE is dedicated to this scientific tool! Find out how to crush a can without using your hands, discover acids and bases using cabbage and make some magnetic slime! Join Dr Rob and his team of young scientists as once again the ordinary becomes extraordinary, under the SCOPE. Next episodes: Thursday 15 March: Blue Saturday 17 March: Birds Want to have your own episodes of SCOPE to watch whenever you feel like it? Click here to download them directly into your iTunes folder, or go here to download iTunes. Charges apply. Quiz answers 1. Blue light has higher energy than red light. 2. A seismograph is used to measure earthquakes. 3. Albert Einstein is famous for his theory of general relativity. 4. Poliomyelitis is caused by poliovirus. 5. Glyphosate is a herbicide. The Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative is concerned that overuse of glyphosate could create herbicide-resistant weeds that could threaten crops. Science by Email is a CSIRO publication. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and bankmecu are proud partners of Science by Email. Editor:Mike McRae| Manage your subscription | FAQ

 

 

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