Innehållsförteckning för February/March 2024 från Brainspace

What is it? Gravity is a natural force – a powerful one. It draws all objects towards its centre. For this reason, scientists theorize that gravity played a role in creating the Sun, the Earth and the planets about five billion years ago. Shockingly, gravity is the weakest of all natural forces, which also include electromagnetic force, strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force. Gravitational pull affects the trajectory of free-falling objects without changing the internal properties of matter. For instance, if you jump off a high platform, you may feel as though your “stomach is dropping,” but that feeling is a nervous or emotional response, not gravity itself. Our solar system wouldn't exist without it When the universe was just a mass of stuff, particles clumped together to form…

It seems everyone is talking about artificial intelligence (AI) these days. But what is it? AI makes machines, such as computers or robots, seem smart. A computer that is powered by AI learns by gathering and processing information, similar to how you learn by reading books or listening to your teachers. AI-based assistant bots such as Apple's Siri, Google's Assistant and Amazon's Alexa have been around for years. These apps are designed to answer questions and perform tasks such as turning lights on and off when asked. Recently developed, more advanced chatbots, such as Copilot and ChatGPT (short for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer), have human-like conversational language abilities. “Generative” chatbots use two main techniques known as “machine learning” and “deep learning” as they continue to gather new information and interact…

Predicting where, when and how a natural disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami might present itself has been challenging scientists for centuries. Satellites, radar and seismic sensors are all effective ways of measuring an event as it occurs, but they are not infallible when warning us of an impending threat. Accurate human-made early warning systems may be possible in the future. Until then, could animal behaviour offer us the clues we need to alert people in time for them to get to safety? Science has yet to prove whether or how an animal might sense the approach of a natural disaster, but observations of animal behaviour have made this an interesting theory to investigate. A natural disaster, like a predator, is a threat and an animal's instinct to survive…

biology Let's create an ecosystem. With a terrestrial layer, a decomposing layer, and an aquatic layer, this biodiversity tower is a self-contained – or closed – ecosystem. It resembles an ecosystem that contains: • a water layer (mimics a pond or lake) • a decomposing layer (imitates the breakdown of matter to become a part of the abiotic – or non-living – elements which support the biotic – or living – cycle) • a terrestrial layer (mimics a grassy area such as a forest or meadow) A biodiversity system with limited life-forms will not survive. This is true both in life and for the tower you will create. A perfect balance of each life-form is critical to any ecosystem's survival. If there are too few plant consumers, the…

BOUNCE When you hold a ball at a certain height, it possesses something called potential energy. Potential energy is energy that is not yet being used. potential energy When you drop a ball, its potential energy is converted into kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the amount of energy an object has as a result of its motion and speed. Once the ball hits the ground, its shape compresses. As the ball compresses, it stores the kinetic energy. When the ball returns to its former shape, it releases and redirects its energy in an upward motion. kinetic energy Not all balls bounce the same way! Different balls bounce at varying heights due to multiple factors. WHAT'S A POLYMER? There are many types of polymers, but let's focus on man-made polymers. Polymers used…

Who doesn't love rocks? We skip them on water, collect them, use them for kitchen counters and set them in jewelry. Early humans used them as knives and hunting tools. Today, astronauts are mining large space rocks or asteroids. Classification of a rock is determined by its formation and the stage of its cycle. Though it isn't a life cycle like ours, rocks can grow and change just as we do. IGNEOUS Igneous means fire. The origins of all igneous rocks are deep in the bowels of the Earth as molten lava or magma. If the magma cools and hardens inside the earth, it forms large crystals and is called intrusive rock. When magma cools outside the earth's crust it is called extrusive rock and the crystals are small. METAMORPHIC…

history WHAT WERE THEY? Ediacarans are hundreds of millions of years older than the oldest dinosaur. From their fossils, we can tell that there were many different types of Ediacarans that lived together as a community. One type of Ediacaran was Fractofusus, an organism that looked like a leafy fern and would have lived attached to the sea floor. Aspidella terranovica was another Ediacaramn that was shaped like a disk. Aspidella is the only Ediacaran discovered so far that was able to move around. Squiggly trails next to Aspidella fossils indicate that this Ediacaran organism moved by squirming though the mud. Aspidella and Fractofusus fossils are very common in the Newfoundland fossil beds, but there were many more types of Ediacarans that existed as well. HOW WERE THE FOSSILS MADE?…

Dictionaries define luck as good fortune that happens by chance. But more specifically, Dr. Jacqueline D. Woolley, a psychology professor from the University of Texas, says luck can be categorized in three ways: • a supernatural event: “Lightning struck, and luckily nobody was hurt!” • an explanation used to make sense of an event: “What luck that she showed up just in time to save the day.” • a personal attribute that someone has in themselves: “I'm so lucky!” Richard Wiseman, author of The Luck Factor, writes that how a person sees things or views situations can have something to do with luck. “A person who feels lucky is the kind of person who is on the lookout for opportunity and a positive outcome.” So, if we can control how we see things…

We often think about emotions as mental states: our mind's feelings and thoughts about emotional experiences. But emotion is also physical, isn't it? Every feeling we think about is also felt in our bodies, but how does that work? What About Nice Emotions? Joy, love, excitement, interest or just feeling content… Happy emotions all have, and often start with, physical feelings. That warm feeling around your heart when you're with someone you really like. The tingly, happy kind of tension that comes with fun and excitement. The relaxed muscles you feel when you're content or satisfied. Those bodily changes are influenced by neurotransmitters. Oxytocin, sometimes called “the love hormone,” gets released during social interactions, such as when people hug or are comforted. Oxytocin encourages and supports brain and body activity…

A garden is more than just some pretty plants! From the bottom of their roots to the tops of their flowers, plants are part of – and benefit from – a complex network of li ving things that support their reproduction, protect them and help them bloom. Next time you're out in a garden, look closely to see if you can spot some of these garden-dwelling organisms! WorMS In any garden, earthworms are always hard at work in the soil! Worms are detritivores, which means they eat and decompose the remains of other organisms. They eat fallen leaves and dead twigs, and digest them to make soil. Worm activity helps aerate the soil, which is important for plant roots. It also increases water retention in the soil so that the…

space USE ZAPPAR TO WATCH THIS VIDEO Canadian Jeremy Hansen has wanted to be an astronaut ever since he first saw a photo of astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission of 1969. In 2025, NASA plans to launch the Artemis 2 mission. As one of the 4 astronauts on the Artemis 2 crew, Colonel Jeremy Hansen will circle the Moon to test the Orion spacecraft that is scheduled to take people to the Moon's surface in 2026. Recently, we spoke with Colonel Hansen about his exciting upcoming mission. NASA says, “The crew is a constant reminder for us how important it is to remain focused on the work we need to do to ensure their safe return.” WILL THIS MISSION TAKE YOU FARTHER AWAY…

Many foxes together are called: a) a skulk of foxes? b) a team of foxes? c) a lead of foxes? d) a harem of foxes? When naming a group or a multitude, we use a collective noun. The group for each animal on these pages may have more than one collective noun to identify it. We've listed the most commonly used collective noun for each one. Can you guess what they are? A bunch of elephants grouped together is called: a) a mess of elephants? b) a herd of elephants? c) a posse of elephants? d) a flock of elephants? USE ZAPPAR TO SCAN THIS PAGE AND SEE THE FUN CARTOON ANSWERS The term for many camels together is: a) a dorm of camels? b) a valley of camels? c)…

USE ZAPPAR TO WATCH SUNFLOWER SEED GREEN COOKIES BEING MADE YOU WILL NEED 1 egg 1/2 c maple syrup 1 c sunflower seed butter 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 6 tbsp flour WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN? Sunflower seeds contain chlorogenic acid, which reacts with baking soda and oxygen to turn the cookies green. While this reaction is completely harmless, it is quite quirky! METHOD 1. Preheat your oven to 350° F. 2. In a mixing bowl using a spatula, combine the egg, maple syrup and sunflower seed butter. 3. In a separate bowl, mix together salt, baking soda and flour. 4. Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients and fold until mixed evenly. 5. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. 6. Using an ice-cream scoop or a spoon,…

MILD LATE WINTER DAYS ARE THE BEST TIME TO FIND TINY SPRINGTAILS – AN EARLY SIGN THAT SPRING IS ON THE WAY! Use the Zappar app and scan this page to watch this video You know how the snowbanks start to look dirty as the stronger sun of late winter starts to melt and shrink them? That's just road dirt. But if you see specks of dirt under a tree, especially a tree in a park or woodland where the leaves don't get raked, look a little closer. You might find that the “dirt” is moving, or even – Hey! Where did that one go? These tiny critters are called snow fleas because they appear on the snow and they jump like fleas – but don't worry, they aren't actually…

français Le jardin est plein de vie! Évidemment, les fleurs, Ies légumes et les mauvaises herbes. Mais aussi les bibittes. Et les bibittes qu'on trouve dans nos jardins ne sont pas tous mauvaises. La plupart des insectes qui habitent le jardin sont bénéfiques. La fourmi protége les pivoines, l'abeille répand le pollen partout et le ver de terre creuse des tunnels pour aerer le sol. Pourtant, le moustique ne sert à rien d'autre que de nous faire gratter tout l'été…