Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2021 i Ask Science and Arts Magazine for Kids and Children

Hide and Reef The world’s largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef. It stretches for 1,400 miles (2,300 km) off the coast of Australia. Hundreds of divers and scientists visit it every year. You’d think we’d know all about it. But recently scientists found a surprise—another, unknown reef, right next door. The newly noticed reef is big and pointy. It stands about 1,640 feet (500 m) tall. That’s bigger than the Empire State Building. Researchers came across the pointy reef while they were working on a 3D map of the ocean floor. They sent a robot down to investigate. The diving robot, named SuBastian, sent back video of the reef. It’s the first new coral reef anyone has discovered in more than 120 years. NEED TO FLEE? TRY BARFING…

As dusk falls in a Brazilian rainforest, a male rhinoceros beetle crawls out of a hole and takes a quick look around. No enemies in sight. Pushing forward with his huge horn, the beetle plows a path across the forest floor. He’s searching for food—and a good nesting spot for his mate. The beetle stops at an old tree stump. It’s prime real estate—the perfect place for a female beetle to lay eggs. When the hungry larvae hatch, they can feast on the rotting wood and grow quickly. As the male explores his new home base, he’s startled by a noise from behind. He spins around to face the intruder. It’s another male rhino beetle, and he has his eye on the same territory. The insects lock horns and push.…

I’m sure you’ve seen ants running around the sidewalk, disappearing into mysterious holes. Ever wonder what we do down there? First, let me introduce myself. Ants are not all the same, you know! There’s more than 16,000 different ant species. Ants live everywhere except Antarctica (so I don’t know why they call it that!). There are desert ants, forest ants, tropical ants, tree ants, even ants that live in nuts. How many ants are there on Earth? WAY more than people. A million billion! It’s the planet of the ants! My House I’m a harvester ant. We collect seeds. Under this mound is our nest. We built it all ourselves! There’s so many tunnels, it’s like a whole city. But we never get lost. How do we know what to…

Follow that Bu Like most of us, scientists who study roaches find them a bit disgusting.“I don’t want them in my kitchen,” says engineer Kaushik Jayaram. “Roaches are filthy, and a bit creepy, and they get in places you don’t want them to be.” But as a scientist who studies how living things move, Jayaram loves cockroaches. He thinks they’re fascinating: “They can go anywhere. They seem to thrive in all conditions. And they’re almost impossible to stop.” Roaches are both fast and tough. They can carry many times their own weight. They are very difficult to crush. They can squeeze through tiny cracks, and can run full speed even if they’ve lost half their legs. Some engineers wonder, wouldn’t it be cool if robots could do all that? Roaches…

Entirely home-made cake even the ganache! Hazel F., age 8, Virginia Muhammad S., age 7, Canada Papier-mâché whale Liam Y., age 8, Virginia Reindeer Slippers Abigail L., age 10 Liam G., age 9, Illinois My new room. I designed the wall and painted it with my mom. Chinese dragon Lizzie M., age 10, Pennsylvania I made it for a special movie night. It took me 3 weeks. I would have to say it one of my very best creations. In the deep blue Serena Y., age 8, Massachusetts Ian M., age 10, Massachusetts Recycled robot Simon A., age 8, Michigan Dyed fabric Miguel G.-I., age 9, Massachusetts Emmett, age 7, California Hovering table that works because of magnets that repel. Anya B., age 7, New York Seaweed in the Ocean…

Challenge your friends to pick up a piece of string by the ends and tie a knot in it—without letting go of either end even once. Do they all give up? Say it’s impossible? Now show them how it’s done! What you’ll need • A piece of string or rope at least 2 feet (around a meter) long, and not too stiff. • Arms What to do The secret is simple—cross your arms! Make sure one hand is under, touching your side, and one is over, touching the opposite arm, like this: Then pick up the ends of the string with your arms still crossed. This might be a bit tricky, but you should be able to do it with a little practice. Now, without letting go of the string,…