Among the tales and myths is one I’ve always been the most curious about: garlic.  Why it is that garlic can protect you from a vampire bite?  Scientifically speaking, garlic can be used for medicinal purposes.  Garlic cloves contain an ingredient called allicin that can act as an anti-bacterial medicine similar to forms of penicillin. This article explains how the ingredients in garlic can improve your health or prevent certain illnesses.

Ever wonder why vampires are frequently associated with nighttime? Perhaps they take lessons from their animal counterpart, the vampire bat.  Bats are nocturnal animals, meaning they sleep during the day and search for food at nights.  They are small mammals, so it is safer for them to venture out after sunset. It also makes finding food easier, as insects or smaller creatures are least expecting danger at night. Bats use a technique called “echolocation” to see in the dark.  They send out sound signals and determine obstacles in their flight path by analyzing the echo received from the sound signals.

Watching Twilight has made me curious about vampires’ hesitation to sunlight.  Hesitation might be putting it lightly if you’ve watched any of True Blood or other vampire-related TV shows. Certain amounts of strong UV or infrared light can be detrimental to vampires.  But what’s important is how UV rays can affect our skin as well.  On the surface (literally), too much sun can cause early wrinkles and sunspots, or freckles.  Sunlight can also cause the skin to stretch abnormally, leading to sagging in places you might not want it. Strong sunlight can also affect your health in the long run.  While I can gather a guess that vampires don’t just stay out of the sun to prevent skin cancer, it’s quite likely that the stories about their gravitation towards darkness might, in some way, have formed around the sun’s harmful ways.

I’ve also wondered how it’s possible that a vampire bite can penetrate skin so easily.  While our incisor teeth (also known as fangs) might not be as sharp as a vampire’s, they are the largest teeth in our mouths and are used for cutting food as we chew. To see how your incisor teeth function, check out this article. Other mammals’ incisor teeth are more prominent, allowing them to take larger bites and more easily penetrate the skin of insects, animals, or other types of food.

Of all the aspects in vampire mysteries, perhaps the most well known is the liquid coursing through our veins – blood. As humans, we need blood running through our systems to survive.  Blood is pumped through our hearts, prevents bacterial diseases, and causes clots to stop bleeding from small cuts.  The antibodies in our blood protect our bodies and give us sustenance. Not only does blood keep our systems going, it also delivers specific nutrients to each cell.  Discovery Health wrote a series of articles detailing why specific blood cells are important to our health. What keeps us alive and well is precisely what fictitious vampires search for in their desire to become “undead.”

Nonetheless, watching the remaining games will be exciting—and educational! Some articles explained how what is happening off the field can affect what’s happening on the field.  Here’s how science plays a part in the action on the field, in the stands and in your living room.

Every soccer game, from the ones played in your back yard all the way to the World Cup final, begins and ends with one thing – the ball. But not all balls are created equal! Over the years, the ball has gone from a 32-panel black and white sphere to this year’s 12-panel ball. The number of panels makes contact with the ball easier on the foot and the flight of the ball more predictable. The ball was also constructed on a 3-D spherical surface rather than the panels being formed on a flat surface and bended into shape.  According to Adidas, this produces a truer sphere-shaped ball, increasing the accuracy and speed while the ball is in the air.  The Jabulani soccer ball is designed to please strikers and goalkeepers alike.

However, players and goalkeepers in the tournament have been complaining that the ball is quite the opposite: less accurate and more difficult to handle. Lynne Cramer, the Maryland Science Center’s Senior Science Specialist, offers a brief explanation.  “When the balls are moving through the air, they are nearly always spinning, and the rate of spin can make them behave in many ways. Also, the ball is not a perfect sphere. It has small ridges where there are seams in the leather. These ridges can affect the spin, the air flow around the ball, and the way it bounces when it hits the ground.”

This year you might see the players running faster and sweating less.  Of course, the fact that it’s winter in South Africa might have a little something to do with the sweat factor.  However, athletes who are seemingly less sweaty on the field might actually be helped by their uniforms.  Adidas and Nike, makers of star athletes’ uniforms, have developed new technology to make the World Cup uniforms lighter and thus keep players cooler.  Not to mention, the light-weight materials and added compression fabrics allow players to run faster and jump higher. There has been some controversy since not all World Cup teams can afford these uniforms and have a disadvantage when playing against teams sporting the new outfits.  This article explains how the fabric used in the uniforms can highlight certain muscles and enhance the use of such muscles to improve play.

As you watch many of the games, you’ll notice that when announcers shout “GOOOOOAL!!,” it just doesn’t seem as loud as it used to.  You can thank the vuvuzela horn, the local noisemaker, for this interruption. The sound of the horn registers about 127dB—that’s louder than a chainsaw! There is potential danger to hearing if fans (or players!) are exposed to a sound that loud too often. The vuvuzela has also caused controversy among angry fans who cannot hear the broadcast, and even players say they are distracted by the sounds. Certain broadcasters are working on sound filters to block out the noise.  The trouble is that the sound falls around the same tone as speech tones, making it difficult to filter.

It’s Science!

Ever wondered how a juggler can keep so many things up in the air? Jugglers have to understand gravity, physics, motion and velocity in order to have enough time to deal with all the other things in their hands. One guy set a world record by juggling 12 beanbags at once! Here’s a great article on the science and mathematics behind juggling.

Watching fire breathers at the carnival always makes me cringe. Who decided that eating fire was a good idea, anyway? Fire breathers fill their mouths with fuel, and then blow the fuel in a fine mist onto a flaming torch, creating a fireball. Performers keep safe from burns by choosing a fuel with a high flash point. That is the temperature at which a substance can ignite, so a fuel with a higher flash point won’t ignite at cooler temperatures, like near the fire breather’s mouth. Read this How Stuff Works article for more on this awesome trick.

One of the main attractions at any carnival is the acrobatics. There’s something mesmerizing about watching people fly through the air. Being an acrobat means being a master of one’s center of gravity. Acrobats understand the concept of mechanical equilibrium, meaning that the sum of all forces on an object is zero. In other words, the acrobat must be able to exert the exact amount of force as their weight on whatever they are balancing on, and they have to learn how to do this while upside-down and flying through the air. Wow. Learn more about the science here.

Wait. What?

That’s right; the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore has released its “Healthy Harbor Initiative,” an outline of goals that says that by 2015, we’ll have a fishable, swimmable harbor.

The initiative is divided into six main areas of improvement: water quality, water conservation, landscape and ecology, mobility, energy and carbon, and materials and waste. The plan lays out short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals which describe how each of these areas will be improved, and how it’s all going to come together to make our harbor’s water healthy and clean.

One of the main problems with the harbor right now is something called a “dead zone.” No, that isn’t the title of a new horror movie; it’s a phenomenon that occurs when water loses oxygen due to algae blooms and can’t support any marine life. Check out this article to learn more about dead zones.  The Healthy Harbor strategy to solve our harbor’s dead zones is to pump the water with oxygen using solar or wind powered pumps. This will allow fish to thrive and will restore the water’s natural balance.

Another way that the scientists behind the Healthy Harbor Initiative plan to clean up the water is by installing wetlands along the waterfront. Wetlands are the ultimate habitat! They filter water, help stop erosion, absorb water to prevent flooding, and provide a place to live for many types of creatures. When polluted water flows through the wetlands, plants and bacteria break down harmful substances and help keep the water clean. This neat animation shows how Mother Nature’s little water filters work for the environment:

Since the Healthy Harbor Initiative is going to turn the harbor into a place to swim for humans, it’s only fair that we help the fish out, too. Low oxygen levels and a lack of underwater plant life mean that fish have no place to hang out. So what’s the plan? Create floating island habitats that will give fish an oxygenated refuge and will filter water. This research article goes in depth about how floating islands work to filter water.

Here’s the link to the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore’s website so you can see the whole Healthy Harbor Initiative. While you’re reading that, I’m going to go put on some sunscreen and blow up my ducky floaties. I can’t wait to hop in the harbor! Is it 2015 yet?

A lot of the clean up is based on a basic scientific concept that we all know: oil and water don’t mix. Have you ever reached in your fridge for the salad dressing, only to notice that the oil and vinegar are completely separated?  A good article on buzzle.com explains how this happens:

“Both oil and water are liquids, but their chemical compositions are very different from each other. Oil is made of long non polar hydrocarbons, which means that they experience weak forces of attraction. On the other hand, water molecules are dipolar, which means that one of their ends is positively charged while the other is negatively charged. Also, oil molecules are much bigger than water molecules. The mixing of any two liquids is attributed to the similar nature of their molecules. The difference in the molecular structures of oil and water is one of the main reasons why they do not mix with each other. Another important factor is surface tension. When water molecules come together, they form a network of hydrogen bonds which results in a very high surface tension. Both oil and water have high surface tensions, due to which the adhesion between them is weak and they do not mix. Why are patches of oil floating on water circular in shape? It’s because of surface tension. The oil molecules cling to each other to form an elastic layer with the minimum possible surface area.

For two liquids to mix, the chemical bonds holding the molecules together, need to be broken and new ones need to be formed. The bonds between water molecules are very strong, whereas, the bonds between oil molecules are weak. Hence, a lot of energy needs to be consumed in an effort to bring the water and oil molecules together.”

These principles are what is behind the clean up efforts because as oil leaks out of the gusher on the seafloor, it rises to the surface and forms a layer on top of the water. One way that the clean up crews are trying to remove the oil is skimming the oil off the surface; they drag  a long inflatable line behind a boat to collect the oil and then scoop it up.  In addition, the amount of oil can be reduced through “in-situ burning”.  (“In situ” means “in the place” in Latin.)  In-situ burning takes advantage of the fact that oil is highly combustible, which means that it can easily catch fire. Different kinds of oil have different flashpoints – the lowest temperature that the substance can be to catch fire.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has very detailed information on its website about in-situ burning.

Another option for removing the oil off the Gulf waters is through “dispersants.”  These are chemicals that attach to the oil and help it break up into small droplets; this which speeds up the natural dilution.  Clean up crews apply these dispersants by boat, helicopter, or airplane.  Here are some more details about how this works.

To see other ways that BP’s scientists are cleaning up the oil spill, check out BP’s Gulf of Mexico response website.

I never learned how to play dominos. I knew the dots were important, but that’s as far as I got. Who has time to learn the intricacies of the game when you’re busy setting up huge chains and then watching them tumble down in a mesmerizing display of controlled chaos? And the sound… that’s a great sound!

But the typical rainy day domino tumble is nothing compared to the amazing creation from Domino Day 2009, which set the world record with 4,491,863 tiles toppled. Watch and enjoy – and learn a little something about energy, reaction, friction, acceleration and physics.

It’s been estimated (by me) that at least 93% of the videos on YouTube feature the now-infamous Mentos-Diet Coke spectacle. These guys have it down to an art form – or to a science!  When it comes to raw power, these folks have their own technique for achieving maximum height on their rockets. Amazingly, there had been no rigorous scientific studies of what caused these awesome reactions until 2008. But the June 2008 issue of the American Journal of Physics found the answer — a combination of low surface tension of Diet Coke made even lower by the gum arabic in the Mentos, and the dense candy’s disruption of the network of water molecules. Now you know.

It only seems right that a discussion about science on YouTube would mention cats. There are lots and lots of cats on YouTube, especially befuddled cats trying to understand what’s so amusing. Here’s one, confounded by the power of static electricity.  Static electricity occurs when two materials (for instance, a cat and a balloon) are brought in contact and one “captures” electrons from the other. One material is now positively charged and the other negatively charged. Opposites attract, remember? The negatively charged material is attracted to positively charged material and vice versa. Just like I’m attracted to cat science on YouTube.

Static electricity can also make Rice Krispies party and even bend water.  Cool.

Hey… here’s an idea.  When you get tired of watching cool science on a little screen, why not see it in person? Our new Wonder Warehouse exhibit has more than a dozen sweet experiments for you to try.  It just opened, and there’s no substitute for the real thing.

We got to thinking: What other Baltimore world records are there?

We didn’t have to look back very far. This past March, Kennard Gardner set the record for fastest 3-6-3 cup stacking at the 201 WSSA Maryland State Sport Stacking Championships.

Last year, Baltimorean Lance “The Shred” Kasten helped lead the record-setting ensemble of 1,436 air guitarists.

While there may not be “scientific” world records in Baltimore, there are plenty of scientific firsts in Baltimore!

The first electric refrigerator (chillin’ way back in 1803), first dental school (1840), first telegraph line (1844), first synthetic sweetener (aspartame, invented at Hopkins in 1879), and first electric railway locomotive (1895), all happened here, in Charm City!

For a more detailed list, head over to the Visit Baltimore website, where you can find even more about what has helped make Baltimore “The Monumental City.”

Turns out, Perky Jerky came about accidentally. Here is the story, taken directly from their website:

Our story, like most good stories, begins with two jerks in a ski lodge. After a long, hard night of energy-drink-cocktail-fueled libation, these jerks settled in while the winter storm raged outside. The next morning they awoke, loaded up their gear, and headed out to the mountain. Amongst this gear was an open bag of peppered beef jerky, which had, unfortunately been drenched in some of the energy drink that had been carelessly spilled the night before. On the first lift up, it made no difference: to these jerks, jerky was the only breakfast they needed, altered or not. Much to their delight, the jerky had retained it’s original flavor, but had been made more tender by the accident. What’s more, as they floated their way down the mountain through bottomless powder, they realized they’d been given an extra boost – the jerky had taken on some of the pep of the energy drink. On the next lift ride up, the greatest innovation in jerky since cracked pepper was born.

I suppose the old addage “couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried” applies here. Regardless, the lovechild of jerky and caffeine is rather exciting. I do believe I will have to order a bag…for work purposes of course!

Perky Jerky offers a tender, teriyaki-pepper flavor with a hint of Guarana (which has about twice the amount of caffeine than coffee beans) for some extra boost! Genius.

For more info, visit www.perkyjerky.com

By modifying an ink jet printer and growing skin cells from a patient’s body, an Army research lab has developed an amazing treatment for severe burns: printing new skin.

Once the patient’s skin cells are in a sterile ink cartridge, a computer uses a three dimensional map of the wound to guide the printing.

“The bio-printer drops each type of cell precisely where it needs to go,” explains Kyle Binder, a biomedical scientist at the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine’s Wake Forest lab. “The wound gets filled in and then those cells become new skin.”

Special thanks to the National Defense Education Program for providing this insider’s view of every day work undertaken by Defense Department scientists and engineers.

Click the above link to watch video!

www.science.dodlive.mil
www.photographyblog.com

But just because elephants have four legs — like zebras, lions or wildebeests — doesn’t mean they use them in the same way as other four-legged animals, or quadrupeds. In a recent study, a team of scientists found a clever way to understand the elephants’ walk. The scientists found that the giant animals used their legs in a surprising way, a way unlike that used by most other quadrupeds.

Most quadrupeds push with their back legs and use their front legs as brakes. (One of the easiest animals to imagine moving in this way is a bunny.) Elephants, however, use all four legs to both move forward and slow down. John Hutchinson, a scientist at the Royal Veterinary College in London, sees a similarity between elephants and all-terrain vehicles, in which every wheel contributes equally.

“They really do seem to act like four-wheel-drive vehicles, cruising along,” he said. Hutchinson, along with other scientists, worked with elephant experts at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, Thailand, to learn how the creatures use their legs.

Watching an elephant walk may seem like an easy afternoon, but finding a way to understand the science is anything but simple. It’s such a difficult study that until now, no one had ever looked closely. After all, if you watch an elephant, it’s tough to tell how much its legs are bending.

The scientists installed heavy-duty scales in the ground to keep track of how much of each elephant’s weight hit the ground as it ran. Then, they attached light-reflecting disks (similar to the ones on bicycles) to parts of the elephants’ legs and bodies. Finally, they sent the elephants walking over the scales — and used seven special cameras to record how those reflective disks moved.

The measurements showed that elephants use their front legs to move forward, which is different from most quadrupeds. Much different — the scientists actually found that elephants use their front legs in a way that’s similar to the way human beings walk. That was a surprising discovery, since scientists used to think that elephants’ legs were not very bendable.

“It’s ridiculously close,” Hutchinson said. He points out that elephant legs can bend almost as much as human limbs can.

“We think we can consider elephant limbs as a kind of big human limb,” says Lei Ren, a scientist at the University of Manchester in England who also worked on the study.

The scientists are now working on computer programs that will show how the muscles, tendons and bones work together to help an elephant get around. With this information, scientists may be able to help elephants who have arthritis. Scientists may also be able to figure out why elephants don’t run faster.

“There’s got to be some weak link in the limb that prevents elephants from moving any faster than they do,” Hutchinson said. “If we can figure it out for elephants, it can help for other species as well.”

sciencenews.org
photo: J. Hutchinson