Innehållsförteckning för May 2023 från What on Earth! Magazine

LIPSTICK GUN In 1965, American officials arrested and searched a person acting suspiciously at an inspection point in West Berlin, Germany. They found a normal-looking lipstick holder. But when they opened its case, they realised it was actually a 4.5 mm pistol capable of firing a single bullet. The weapon, nicknamed ‘Kiss of Death’, is now on display at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC, USA. Disguised guns were often used by Soviet agents during the Cold War. WRISTWATCH CAMERA In the late 1940s, West German engineers developed a miniature spy camera that was disguised as a wristwatch. This was decades before the invention of digital cameras so concealed beneath the camera's lens was a tiny roll of photographic film that was capable of taking eight photographs. Secret agents…

Bleeding tooth fungus Nicknames for Hydnellum peckii include ‘bleeding tooth’ and ‘strawberries and cream’. Stinkhorn mushrooms This stinky family of mushrooms smell like rotting meat or animal poo. Eugh! Purple jellydisc fungus Clusters of Ascocoryne sarcoides look a bit like parts of an animal's intestines. Yellow earth tongue fungus Spathularia flavida looks like a tongue sticking up from the ground – hence its nickname. Jelly rot fungus Like jelly that you eat for pudding, Phlebia tremellosa wobbles when it is touched.…

Q Why should you never believe a balloon? A Because it's full of hot air! Q Which English word is always misunderstood? A Misunderstood! Q What is the best way to keep someone in suspense? A I'll tell you later! Q I can honk without a horn. What am I? A A goose! Q Where do you find a cow with no legs? A Right where you left it! Q What can you serve but never eat? A A tennis ball! Q What is the easiest type of lid to open? A Your eyelid! Q How do musicians like to drink lemonade? A Through an orche-straw! Q Who earns a living driving their customers away? A A taxi driver! Q Which word does not belong in this list: stop, crop,…

SPY: VIRGINIA HALL ALSO KNOWN AS: The Limping Lady BORN: 6 April 1906 DIED: 8 July 1982 NATIONALITY: American DETAILS: Born in the US, Virginia Hall worked for the Special Operations Executive, an underground army that fought in secret for Britain and its Allies within countries Germany had occupied during the Second World War. Hall was described on the Germans’ ‘most wanted’ list as ‘the limping lady’ because she had a prosthetic leg that gave her a distinctive limp. Hall used this prosthetic limb, which she named Cuthbert, to hide secret documents. She continued to work as a spy after the war. SPY: DUSAN POPOV CODENAME: Tricycle BORN: 10 July 1912 DIED: 18 August 1981 NATIONALITY: Serbian DETAILS: Born in Serbia in Eastern Europe, Dušan ‘Duško’ Popov worked as a…

CHECKLIST FOR ASPIRING SPIES Has reading this report inspired you to become a spy? Here are four things you can do right now to prepare for a career in the intelligence services. 1. DON'T DO ANYTHING TOO NAUGHTY! In order to get a job at an intelligence agency, most applicants have to go through a tough interview and selection process. This includes background checks to see if applicants have good judgement, are reliable and have behaved well in the past. 2. WORK HARD AT SCHOOL Working as a spy requires intelligence and discipline, and successful applicants usually need good grades at school and, in many cases, a university degree. Popular subjects for aspiring spies to study include law, computer science, psychology and international relations. 3. LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE Many…

GAVIN PRETOR-PINNEY Founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society Question: How much does a cloud weigh? From Emily, age 7 Answer This partly depends, of course, on how big the cloud is. Because clouds, as you've probably noticed, come in many different shapes and sizes. So let's imagine that we're trying to calculate the weight of a medium-sized cumulus cloud, which is the type of white, fluffy cloud that you often see on a sunny day. First, we must estimate the cloud's size. And a medium-sized cumulus cloud might be 1 km long, 1 km wide and 1 km high, giving it a total volume of one cubic kilometre. Next, we need to estimate the weight of all the water droplets inside the cloud. Scientists have found that a cubic metre…

USING CODES MORSE CODE Morse Code is a system of communication that was invented in the 1830s by the American artist and inventor Samuel Morse. It uses dots, dashes and spaces to represent letters, numbers and punctuation. Morse Code was originally designed as an electronic form of communication. A machine called a telegraph converts the code into a series of electrical signals which are then converted back into the original message by the telegraph that receives them. Morse Code was a key form of communication used by both intelligence agencies and the military during the Second World War, when it was used to transmit important messages, most of them already written in other secret codes. PIGPEN CIPHER Pigpen cipher, which is also known as tic-tac-toe cipher, is an ancient code…

It was raining. It had rained the day before, and the day before that, too. For millions of years, life swarmed in the seas and rain hammered the land. There was nothing to see except lifeless rock and mud. Then, about 470 million years ago, a little bit of green appeared. The first land plants were growing near the water's edge. These were squidgy liverworts and mosses. They had evolved from green algae, a water plant still around today. Like all plants, these used photosynthesis to make the energy they needed. Next came a new type of plant that could grow much taller. They had a system of tubes to carry food and water from the ground to the tops of their bodies, a bit like the way we transport…

ANIMAL WORD SEARCH Can you spot the names of these 26 animals hidden in our jumbo word search puzzle? Good luck! ALLIGATOR BONOBO COCKATOO DECORATOR CRAB EARWIG FOX GOOSE HUMMINGBIRD IBIS JACKAL KOALA LEMMING MOOSE NIGHTINGALE OLM PANGOLIN QUAIL RACCOON SLUG TAPIR URAL OWL VOLE WASP XERUS YELLOW CRAZY ANT ZEBRA SHARK NUMBER TRIANGLES! In the triangles below, the numbers inside the squares are the sum of the two numbers in the connected circles. For example: Can you work out which number should appear in each of the circles? All the numbers in the circles are between 1 and 9 and a number can only be used once in each triangle. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE! Can you spot all 20 differences between these two springtime illustrations? WORD WHEEL Use the word wheel to help find the answers to the six clues below. All the answers contain the middle letter, and each letter can only be used…

Picture Quiz Animal Word Search Spot the Difference! Sudoku! Connect the Planets Bridge Puzzle Word Wheel 1. Earthworm 2. Wreath 3. Tremor 4. Heart 5. Water 6. Moth Number Triangles! Futoshiki! Changing Rooms Spy Puzzle Answers Matchstick Maths Turn the Cogs Crack the Code A) 1. Madrid 2. London 3. Tokyo 4. Paris 5. New York B) 1. Giraffe 2. Snake 3. Raccoon 4. Crocodile 5. Elephant Find the Food A. Ham B. Egg C. Plum D. Rice E. Tart Mirror Image 1-9, 2-8, 3-6, 4-1O, 5-7 View From Above 1-E, 2-A, 3-B, 4-C, 5-G, 6-D, 7-I, 8-H, 9-F…