NATIONAL
FOR GRADES 5, 6 & 7
1
technology
Disaster Robots
physiology
october 2011
www.classroomready.com
10
Echolocation
Helps Blind
People See
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
cognitive science
4
Machines That
Read Minds
Environment
The End of
Plastic Bags
7
botany
The Bug-eating
Plant
13
feature
It Is All about
Atoms and
Neutrons
16
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
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NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Disaster
Robots
A
fter the attacks of 9/11,
people travelled to New
York to help. Among
the helpers were robots from
iRobot Corp and the Center for
Robotic-Assisted Search and
Rescue. These robots showed
their ability to go where
humans and dogs could not.
Small robots called PackBots
dug through the rubble of the
World Trade Center searching
for victims and assessing the
safety of the buildings for human rescue workers. According to Joe Dyer of iRobot, the
maker of the PackBot, 9/11
showed that the idea that
intelligent robots could save
lives at disaster sites was no
longer just science fiction.
Since then, robots have
become important members
of teams that respond to all
kinds of disasters—including earthquakes, hurricanes,
nuclear disasters, oil spills,
and falling buildings. They
do things humans can’t or
don’t want to do. After Hurri-
cane Katrina devastated New
Orleans in 2005, flying robots
searched for people stranded
by the floodwaters. They
worked much quicker than
emergency responders who
were confined to rowboats.
During the BP Gulf oil disaster
in 2010, underwater robots
swam through oily waters
and dove to depths no human
eardrum could withstand to
record important data.
In March 2011, PackBots
rolled into the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power plant
in Japan after the earthquake
and tsunami to check on the
safety of the building. They
monitored radiation levels
and air temperatures for the
humans who controlled them
from a half-mile away.
Currently, iRobot is working on giving its machines
more autonomy, meaning
they could operate with less
input from humans. Other
researchers are working to
create robots that would look
and move like giant worms
or caterpillars, allowing them
to wiggle through rubble with
greater ease. Robin Murphy,
director of the Center for
Robot-Assisted Search and
Rescue, believes that the next
rescue robots will be small,
unmanned aerial vehicles designed to inspect bridges and
tall buildings, and perform
underwater recovery.
alone.
Aerial: In the air; having to do with
aircraft or flying.
Reconnaissance: The act of examining
or spying on some area in order to get
information.
DID YOU KNOW?
Robots are everywhere. The
U.S. military uses robots to
detect explosive devices and
to fly reconnaissance missions. Robots are employed
in manufacturing, in health
care, and in medicine. Global
sales of industrial robots
reached $5 billion last year
and experts predict that sales
will grow to $100 billion by
2020.
WORD POWER
Monitored: Listened or watched in order to
check up on.
Autonomy: Independence, being able to work
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1
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Q & A
TECHNOLOGY
Disaster Robots
1. After the attacks of 9/11, what did small robots called PackBots do?
2.How did robots help after Hurricane Katrina and after the BP Gulf oil disaster?
3. Define autonomy.
4. What did PackBots do in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami?
5. On what is iRobot currently working? Other researchers?
Critical Thinking
1. Are robots a threat to human employment? Explain why or why not.
2
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Robots to the Rescue
Robots have become important members of teams that respond to all kinds of disasters. They are able to do
things that humans cannot or do not want to do.
In the space below, design a robot that could be used for situations that could be dangerous for humans.
Name of robot:
Situation in which it would be used:
Special features:
Explain why your robot would be used instead of a human.
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3
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Machines That
Read Minds
S
cientists at the University of Utah have taken
one step closer to using
machines to read minds. Doctors attached tiny electrodes
to a patient’s brain and
recorded the brain signals as
the patient read 10 words that
might be useful to a paralyzed
person, such as yes, no, hot,
cold, and hungry. Then they
tried to determine which brain
signals represented each of
these words. They were successful 76 to 90 percent of the
time.
According to Professor
Bradley Greger at Utah University, “We have been able to
decode spoken words using
only signals from the brain...
We hope that in two or three
years it will be available for
use for paralyzed patients.”
Greger’s study used a
new kind of microelectrode
that sits on the brain without
poking into it. The first microelectrode was attached to the
top left side of the brain that
controls facial movement.
The second was attached to
an area just above the left
ear that acts as a language
translator. Because just
thinking a word is thought
to produce the same brain
signals as saying it, Professor
Greger believes that soon they
will have a translation device
and voice box that repeats the
words people are thinking.
Matthew Botvinick from
Princeton University recently
used brain scans to identify
certain thoughts with certain
words. Brain scans showed
that specific patterns of brain
activity were sparked by
thinking about similar physical objects. “The basic idea
is that whatever subject is on
someone’s mind is ultimately
reflected in the pattern of
activity across all areas of his
or her brain,” Botvinick said.
But while researchers can tell
if participants had thought
of vegetables, they can’t yet
distinguish between “carrot”
and “celery.”
Scientists hope that they
can use their findings to help
create machines that will convert thoughts into speech to
make life easier for paralyzed
people.
activity such as brain waves.
Decode: To figure out the meaning of something
written in code.
Microelectrode: A very tiny electrode that picks up
electrical signals from the brain and conveys them to
a device outside of the brain.
Decipher: To make out the meaning of.
DID YOU KNOW?
Scientists at the University of Glasgow invented a
mind-reading machine that
can decipher people’s mental
images.
WORD POWER
Electrode: A conductor through which an electric
current enters or leaves a substance whose electrical
characteristics are being measured, used, or manipulated. Electrodes can be used to detect electrical
4
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Q & A
cognitive science
Machines That Read Minds
1. What did scientists at the University of Utah do to take one step closer to using machines to read minds?
2.How were the microelectrodes attached to the brain?
3. Define microelectrode.
4. What did the brain scans used by Matthew Botvinick show?
5. What have scientists at the University of Glasgow invented?
Critical Thinking
1. What other uses could you imagine for the mind-reading technology described in this article?
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5
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Mind Reader
Answer the following true or false questions. Use the letters in the correct column to reveal the secret code.
True
False
1. Scientists at the University of Utah have taken one step closer to
using machines to read minds.
B
P
2. Scientists hope that they can use their findings to help create machines that will
convert thoughts into written messages to make life easier for paralyzed people.
E
R
3. Professor Bradley Greger’s study used a new kind of microelectron
that sits on the brain without poking into it.
S
A
I
O
5. A microelectron is very tiny electrode that picks up electrical
signals from the brain and conveys them to a device outside of the brain.
L
N
6. Matthew Botvinick from Princeton University recently used
x-rays to identify certain thoughts with certain words.
R
S
7. Thinking a word is thought to produce the same brain signals as saying it.I
A
8. Doctors attached tiny electrodes to a patient’s brain and recorded
the brain signals as the patient read 10 words.
G
P
9. Scientists at the University of Glasgow invented a mind-reading
machine that can decipher people’s thoughts.
M
N
10. The first microelectron was attached to the top left side of the
brain that controls facial movement.
E
A
11. The second microelectron was attached to an area
just above the left ear that acts as a language translator.
T
L
4. Brain scans showed that specific patterns of brain activity were
sparked by thinking about similar physical objects.
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
6
____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
The Bug-eating
Plant
U
sually, people and animals eat plants, not the
other way around. But
the Venus’s flytrap is known
for being a carnivorous plant
that eats animals. Without
a brain to tell it what to do,
and without moving from its
place, the Venus’s flytrap is
able to hunt, capture, kill, and
eat insects and spiders of all
kinds.
Many people grow Venus’s
flytraps in their homes, but
this rare plant grows naturally
only in humid, boggy areas of
North and South Carolina in
the United States. The plants
need extra sources of nutrition
besides what their roots can
get out of the boggy soil. The
Venus’s flytrap gets its extra
nutrients by trapping and eating insects and spiders that
land inside its trap.
The leaves of the plants are
shaped like two large shells
that are joined at the bottom
and open at the top. Along the
edges of the leaves are thin
teeth that look like hair. Inside
the leaves is sweet-smelling
nectar that attracts animals
to the plant and tiny hairs
that sense when something
is touching them. The hairs
can even tell the difference
between something that is
food and anything else that
might fall into the plant’s
open mouth. A stone or a leaf,
or even a dead insect will not
trigger the trap.
When live prey crawls into
the trap, the hairs send out
a signal that tells the trap to
close. The trap snaps shut in
less than a second and then
tightens over the next 30
minutes until it is completely
sealed. Over the next 10 days,
the plant will slowly digest
the animal, using special
chemicals called enzymes
that slowly dissolve the prey.
When the meal is finished,
the plant will open again and
wait for the next meal to come
along, so that it can start the
process again.
With its expert hunting
skills and unusual diet, the
Venus’s flytrap is an amazing
plant.
Enzymes: A substance that is produced in plant and
animal cells that causes a chemical change in other
substances, but not in itself.
Process: A method of making or doing something, in
which there are a number of steps.
DID YOU KNOW?
Venus’s flytraps will eat
slugs, crickets, and caterpillars in addition to spiders and
flies.
WORD POWER
Carnivorous: Something that eats meat.
Digest: To change food into a form that can be used
by the body, or plant.
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7
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Q & A
BOTANY
The Bug-eating Plant
1. Where do Venus’s flytraps grow naturally?
2.How do the leaves of the plants attract animals and sense when something is touching them?
3. Define process.
4. What causes the trap to close?
5. What happens after the trap snaps closed?
Critical Thinking
1. What other strange things can you imagine a plant doing that plants don’t generally do?
8
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Bug Eaters
Many animals, insects, and even plants eat insects to get their necessary nutrients. Each has a different
way of capturing its prey. Draw a line to match the following bug eater with the way it captures its prey.
Pitcher Plant
Uses its sticky saliva covered tongue, which can reach 60 cm in length, to trap ants
Carp
Traps its prey in a sticky web
Sloth Bear
Traps its prey in a deep cavity filled with liquid, known as a pitfall trap
Butterwort Plant
Simply walks up to little critters like aphids, scales, and mites and eats them
Spider
Scavenges the bottom of lakes and rivers for insects
Bat
Feeds upon smaller insects using its strong jaw
Anteater
Sucks up termites through a large gap between its upper teeth
Frog
Captures its prey using a fly paper approach—insects get stuck in the sticky coating on its leaves
LadybugHunts its prey by chasing it down while flying
Dragon Fly
Flips out its tongue rapidly, catches the insect, and retracts its tongue
What are some other bug eating animals, insects, and plants?
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9
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Echolocation Helps
Blind People See
S
ome blind people can
walk through cities
unaided, ride mountain
bikes, and play basketball
and soccer. Others can hit a
still object with a ball from
across the room. Blind people
use sound to identify silent
objects. It is a skill called
echolocation and it can be
learned.
Echolocation is the process
of making a sound and identifying nearby objects by listening to the reflected sound
waves or echoes. It is possible
to determine how far away an
object is by the time it takes
for these echoes to return. The
echoes are full of information
about the distance, position,
size, shape, and texture of the
objects.
Dr. Melvyn Goodale and
his team at the University
of Western Ontario recently
investigated echolocation in
humans. The main subjects
were two blind people (Daniel
Kish and Brian Bushway) who
use echolocation (through
tongue clicks) with amazing
accuracy. Goodale used functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) to find the
source of their echolocation.
FMRI measures the oxygen
levels in blood in different
regions of the brain. A higher
blood oxygen means increased
brain activity. The same
tests were conducted on two
sighted people. As Kish and
Bushway listened to a variety
of different echoes, the scientists watched their brains
and compared them to the two
men who couldn’t echolocate.
For the sighted people, the
most active brain region was
in the auditory cortex. In the
blind people, the auditory
cortex and the visual cortex
were both involved. This
suggests that both men have
used a part of their brain that
normally deals with sight to
handle the sound of echoes.
Many blind children make
noises in order to get feed-
back—foot stomping, finger
snapping, hand clapping, and
tongue clicking. Daniel Kish
lost his sight to cancer at
13 months of age. He began
clicking on his own at a very
young age.
According to Dr. Goodale,
“It is clear echolocation
enables blind people to do
things otherwise thought to be
impossible without vision.”
Visual cortex: The part of the brain
responsible for sight.
Feedback: A response or result.
Palate: The roof of your mouth.
DID YOU KNOW?
According to researchers
from the University of Alcalá
de Henares, “The almost ideal
sound is the palate click, a
click made by placing the tip
of the tongue on the palate,
just behind the teeth, and
moving it quickly backwards.”
WORD POWER
Auditory cortex: The part of the brain
responsible for processing sound. Auditory
has to do with the sense of hearing.
10
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Q & A
physiology
Echolocation Helps Blind People See
1. What is echolocation?
2. What were the results of the tests on Kish and Bushway? What does this suggest?
3. Define feedback.
4. Why do many blind children make noises?
5. According to researchers from the University of Alcalá de Henares, what is the almost ideal sound?
Critical Thinking
1.How or why do you think a blind child would begin to use echolocation? Do you think echolocation is an ability we all have but just don’t need?
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11
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Come to Your Senses
Our senses are the physical means by which we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Each sense collects
information about the world and detects changes within the body. Both people and animals get all of their
knowledge from their senses, and that is why our senses are so important.
While sitting at your desk in your classroom or on the couch at home, your senses are always at work.
Answer the following questions to see your senses at work.
List five sounds you hear.
List five things you see that are blue in colour.
List five objects and describe how they feel.
List any smells and their sources.
Make a list of what you ate for breakfast or lunch and describe how it tasted.
12
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
The End of
Plastic Bags
M
any of us take plastic bags for granted.
Disposable bags are
available almost everywhere
something is available for
sale. But filmy plastic grocery
bags may soon be a thing of
the past. Cities across the
United States are joining
people in Canada and around
the world to ban the use of
these bags.
Thin, single-use plastic
bags are expensive to make
and are a major source of
pollution. They are usually
made from oil-based products
and most of them are not
biodegradable, meaning
that it could take over a thousand years for them to break
down into small pieces. Even
then, they might never decay
entirely.
Worldwide, fewer than five
percent of plastic bag are
recycled every year. The rest
end up in landfills or litter
streets, ponds, and rivers.
Canadians use between 9 and
15 billion bags every year,
and the number worldwide is
between 500 billion and 1 trillion bags. Many of them blow
away in the wind or wash into
the lakes and oceans.
The Pacific Ocean now has
huge patches of floating garbage, hundreds of kilometres
wide, and other oceans and
seas are also polluted. Fish
and other animals become
sick or die when they mistake
plastic for food, and eventually the plastic gets into our
food. Much of this garbage
comes from grocery bags.
Even if it becomes law, the
ban would not apply to all
plastic bags. Thicker plastic
bags that can be used more
than once would still be allowed. The idea would be to
get rid of the single-use bags.
The town of Leaf Rapids,
Manitoba, was the first place
in Canada to ban plastic bags
in 2007, just one month after
San Francisco, California, became the first North American
city to ban the bags.
Biodegradable: Capable of being broken
down by natural forces like air, soil, and
water.
Landfill: A place where garbage or rubbish is disposed of by being buried under a
shallow layer of earth.
DID YOU KNOW?
Bags from Canadian stores
have been found as far away
as Scotland. Scientists believe
that every square kilometre of
the world’s oceans has about
100,000 pieces of plastic
floating in it.
WORD POWER
Ban: To have a rule against doing, saying,
using, etc.; forbid.
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13
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Q & A
Environment
The End of Plastic Bags
1. Why may filmy plastic grocery bags soon be a thing of the past?
2. What does it mean that most single-use plastic bags are not biodegradable?
3. Define biodegradable.
4.How many plastic bags do Canadians use every year? How about worldwide?
5. What was the first place in Canada to ban plastic bags?
Critical Thinking
1.List some ways that you could help to reduce the number of plastic bags Canadians use every year.
14
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Reusable Items
vs. Disposable Items
You have hundreds of choices when it come to reusable products versus disposable products. Think of
some items that you use everyday in your life that could have reusable alternatives.
Disposable Item
Example: Bottled water
Reusable Alternative
Example: Refillable water bottles
What other environmentally friendly changes could you make in your day-to-day activities?
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15
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
It Is All about
Atoms and Neutrons
N
uclear chemistry deals
with the nuclei of
atoms breaking apart.
It is the subfield of chemistry
that deals with radioactivity,
nuclear power, and nuclear
reactors. It also deals with how
materials stored in nuclear
waste disposal sites behave
and the chemistry of medical
treatments such as cancer
radiotherapy.
When Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium emitted
radiation, the field of chemistry
expanded to include nuclear
reactions. When Becquerel
suffered radiation burns from
the sample he carried in his
pocket, he learned that high
doses of radiation can cause
injury.
Nuclear reactions involve
changes in parts of an atom’s
nucleus, which causes a
change in the atom itself.
When nuclei break apart, the
process is called radioactivity. The energy and particles
that are released during this
process are called radiation.
There are two types of
nuclear reactions. The first is
nuclear fission and the second
is nuclear fusion. In fission,
a neutron is sent into the
nucleus of an atom, causing
the atom to split into two or
more elements. This releases a
large amount of energy. During
the fission of uranium, if the
neutrons collide with nearby
uranium nuclei, they cause
the atoms to split and start a
nuclear chain reaction. This
chain reaction is the basis of
nuclear power. As uranium
atoms continue to split, the
heat that is released is used to
generate electrical energy.
During nuclear fusion, two
or more elements are “fused”
to create one larger element.
This reaction releases a lot of
energy. The sun is an example
of an enormous fusion reactor. Nuclear chemists work with
engineers and physicists to
manipulate radioactive materials and monitor their effects.
They also monitor radiation
levels and identify problems to
prevent disasters. They study
how the human body absorbs
radiation to learn how to treat
people who have been exposed
to nuclear materials. And
they develop ways of using
radiation to cure certain types
of cancers. Nuclear chemists work in nuclear reactors,
scientific laboratories, and
educational facilities.
Uranium: A hard, heavy, silver-coloured
metal that is a chemical element; it is radioactive and it is used as a nuclear fuel.
Neutrons: One of the particles that make
up the nucleus of an atom; has no electrical charge.
Manipulate: To use with skill.
DID YOU KNOW?
Marie Curie was the first
woman to win a Nobel Prize
and the first person to win two
Nobel Prizes. She shared the
first with her husband Pierre
and Becquerel for discovering
radioactivity, and she received
the second for discovering the
radioactive elements radium
and polonium.
WORD POWER
Nucleus: The central part of an atom,
around which the electrons revolve, that
is made up of protons and neutrons. The
plural is nuclei.
16
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Q & A
Feature
It Is All about Atoms and Neutrons
1. What is nuclear chemistry?
2. What do nuclear reactions involve?
3. Define nucleus.
4. What happens in nuclear fission?
5. What happens in nuclear fusion? What is an example of a fusion reactor?
Critical Thinking
1. Explain what kind of job you might have if you were a nuclear chemist. Would you like a job like this? Explain why or why not.
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17
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Model of an Atom
An atom is the defining structure of an element, which cannot be broken by any chemical means. A typical
atom consists of a nucleus of protons and neutrons with electrons circling this nucleus.
Use the definitions below to help label the diagram of an atom.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Electron: Any of the particles with a negative charge that move around the nucleus of an atom.
Neutron: One of the particles that make up the nucleus of an atom; has no electrical charge.
Nucleus: The central part of an atom.
Proton: One of the particles that make up the nucleus of an atom; has a single positive electric charge.
18
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Crossword Puzzle
Solve the crossword puzzle using the following clues. Note that the answers are words
that have been used in the articles in this issue.
Created with Discovery Channel School’s PuzzleMaker.
ACROSS
1 To make out the meaning of.
4. A place where garbage or rubbish is disposed
of by being buried under a shallow layer of earth.
8. A response or result.
10.Listened or watched in order to check up on.
Down
2. The roof of your mouth.
3. To have a rule against doing, saying, using, www.classroomready.com
5.
6.
7.
9.
etc.; forbid.
To figure out the meaning of something written in code.
One of the particles that make up the nucleus of an atom; has no electrical charge.
The central part of an atom, around which the electrons revolve, that is made up of protons and neutrons. The plural is nuclei.
To change food into a form that can be used by the body, or plant.
19
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Quiz
Complete the following sentences in the space provided. (5 marks)
1. Since 9/11, _______________________ have become important members of teams that respond to all kinds of disasters.
2. Thin, single-use plastic bags are _______________________ to make and are a major source of _______________________.
3. The Venus’s flytrap gets its extra _______________________ by trapping and eating insects and spiders that land inside its _______________________.
4. Scientists at the University of Utah have taken one step closer to using machines to read ___________________.
5. Functional magnetic resonance imaging measures the _______________________ levels in blood in different regions of the _______________________.
For each question below, choose the best answer from those listed. (5 marks)
1. What was the first town in Canada to ban plastic bags?
A. Birch Hills, Saskatchewan
B. Edson, Alberta
C. Farran’s Point, Ontario
D. Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
2. Professor Bradley Greger’s study used a new kind of microelectrode that sits on what without poking into it?
A. The leg
B. The brain
C. The hand
D. The stomach
3. What is the name of the process of making a sound and identifying nearby objects by listening to the reflected sound waves or echoes?
A. Echolocation
B. Trituration
C. Diffraction
D. Germination
4. What is the name of the small robots that dug through the rubble of the World Trade Center searching for victims and assessing the safety of the buildings for human rescue workers?
A. DigBots
B. RescueBots
C. PackBots
D. WorkBots
5. When live prey crawls into the trap of a Venus’s flytrap, what sends a signal that tells the trap to close?
20
A. The hairs
B. The tongue
C. The stem
D. The leaves
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Answer Key
Technology
1
Disaster Robots
1. After the attacks of 9/11, what did small robots called PackBots do?
Small robots called PackBots dug through the
rubble of the World Trade Center searching for
victims and assessing the safety of the buildings
for human rescue workers.
2.How did robots help after Hurricane Katrina and after the BP Gulf oil disaster?
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in
2005, flying robots searched for people stranded by
the floodwaters. During the BP Gulf oil disaster in
2010, underwater robots swam through oily waters
and dove to depths no human eardrum could withstand to record important data.
3.Define autonomy.
Independence, being able to work alone.
4. What did PackBots do in Japan after the earthquake and tsunami?
In March 2011, PackBots rolled into the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan after the
earthquake and tsunami to check on the safety of
the building. They monitored radiation levels and
air temperatures for the humans who controlled
them from a half-mile away.
5.On what is iRobot currently working? Other researchers?
Currently, iRobot is working on giving its machines
more autonomy, meaning they could operate with
less input from humans. Other researchers are
working to create robots that would look and move
like giant worms or caterpillars, allowing them to
wiggle through rubble with greater ease.
4
Machines That Read Minds
cognitive science
1. What did scientists at the University of Utah do to take one step closer to using machines to read minds?
Doctors attached tiny electrodes to a patient’s
brain and recorded the brain signals as the patient
read 10 words that might be useful to a paralyzed
person, such as yes, no, hot, cold, and hungry. Then
they tried to determine which brain signals represented each of these words. They were successful
76 to 90 percent of the time.
2.How were the microelectrodes attached to the brain?
The first microelectrode was attached to the top
left side of the brain that controls facial movement. The second was attached to an area just
above the left ear that acts as a language translator.
3.Define microelectrode.
A very tiny electrode that picks up electrical signals
from the brain and conveys them to a device outside of the brain.
4. What did the brain scans used by Matthew
Botvinick show?
Brain scans showed that specific patterns of brain
activity were sparked by thinking about similar
physical objects. But while researchers can tell if
participants had thought of vegetables, they can’t
yet distinguish between “carrot” and “celery.”
5. What have scientists at the University of Glasgow invented?
Scientists at the University of Glasgow invented a
mind-reading machine that can decipher people’s
mental images.
Mind Reader
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Brain Signal
21
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Answer Key
7
The Bug-eating Plant
botany
1. Where do Venus’s flytraps grow naturally?
This rare plant grows naturally only in humid,
boggy areas of North and South Carolina in the
United States.
2.How do the leaves of the plants attract animals and sense when something is touching them?
Inside the leaves is sweet-smelling nectar that
attracts animals to the plant and tiny hairs that
sense when something is touching them.
3.Define process.
A method of making or doing something, in which
there are a number of steps.
4. What causes the trap to close?
When live prey crawls into the trap, the hairs send
out a signal that tells the trap to close.
5. What happens after the trap snaps closed?
The trap snaps shut in less than a second and then
tightens over the next 30 minutes until it is completely sealed. Over the next 10 days, the plant will
slowly digest the animal, using special chemicals
called enzymes that slowly dissolve the prey. When
the meal is finished, the plant will open again and
wait for the next meal to come along, so that it can
start the process again.
Bug Eaters
Anteater: Uses its sticky saliva covered tongue,
which can reach 60 cm in length, to trap ants
Spider: Traps its prey in a sticky web
Pitcher Plant: Traps its prey in a deep cavity filled
w ith liquid, known as a pitfall trap
Ladybug: Simply walks up to little critters like
aphids, scales, and mites and eats them
Carp: Scavenges the bottom of lakes and rivers for
insects
Dragon Fly: Feeds upon smaller insects using its
strong jaw
Sloth Bear: Sucks up termites through a large gap
22
between its upper teeth
Butterwort Plant: Captures its prey using a fly
paper approach—insects get stuck in the sticky
coating on its leaves
Bat: Hunts its prey by chasing it down while flying
Frog: Flips out its tongue rapidly, catches the
insect, and retracts its tongue
10
Echolocation Helps Blind See
physiology
1. What is echolocation?
Echolocation is the process of making a sound
and identifying nearby objects by listening to the
reflected sound waves or echoes. It is possible to
determine how far away an object is by the time it
takes for these echoes to return.
2. What were the results of the tests on Kish and Bushway? What does this suggest?
In the blind people, the auditory cortex and the
visual cortex were both involved. This suggests
that both men have used a part of their brain that
normally deals with sight to handle the sound of
echoes.
3.Define feedback.
A response or result.
4. Why do many blind children make noises?
Many blind children make noises in order to get
feedback—foot stomping, finger snapping, hand
clapping, and tongue clicking.
5.According to researchers from the University of Alcalá de Henares, what is the almost ideal sound?
“The almost ideal sound is the palate click, a click
made by placing the tip of the tongue on the palate, just behind the teeth, and moving it quickly
backwards.”
13
The End of Plastic Bags
Environment
1. Why may filmy plastic grocery bags soon be a © 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Answer Key
thing of the past?
Cities across the United States are joining people
in Canada and around the world to ban the use of
these bags.
2. What does it mean that most single-use plastic bags are not biodegradable?
It could take over a thousand years for them to
break down into small pieces. Even then, they
might never decay entirely.
3.Define biodegradable.
Capable of being broken down by natural forces
like air, soil, and water.
4.How many plastic bags do Canadians use every year? How about worldwide?
Canadians use between 9 and 15 billion bags every
year, and the number worldwide is between 500
billion and 1 trillion bags.
5. What happens in nuclear fusion? What is an example of a fusion reactor?
During nuclear fusion, two or more elements are
“fused” to create one larger element. This reaction
releases a lot of energy. The sun is an example of
an enormous fusion reactor.
Model of an Atom
1. Nucleus
2. Proton
3. Neutron
Crossword Puzzle
(Page 19)
4. Electron
5. What was the first place in Canada to ban plastic bags?
The town of Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, was the first
place in Canada to ban plastic bags in 2007, just
one month after San Francisco, California, became
the first North American city to ban the bags.
16
It Is All about Atoms and Neutrons
feature
1. What is nuclear chemistry?
It is the subfield of chemistry that deals with radioactivity, nuclear power, and nuclear reactors.
2. What do nuclear reactions involve?
Nuclear reactions involve changes in parts of an
atom’s nucleus, which causes a change in the
atom itself.
3.Define nucleus.
The central part of an atom, around which the
electrons revolve, that is made up of protons and
neutrons. The plural is nuclei.
4. What happens in nuclear fission?
In fission, a neutron is sent into the nucleus of an
atom, causing the atom to split into two or more
elements. This releases a large amount of energy.
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Science News Quiz
(Page 20)
Fill in the Blanks
1. Since 9/11, robots have become important members of teams that respond to all kinds of disasters.
2. Thin, single-use plastic bags are expensive to make and are a major source of pollution.
3. The Venus’s flytrap gets its extra nutrients by trapping and eating insects and spiders that land inside its trap.
23
NATIONAL EDITION • LEVEL 1 CLASSROOM READY SCIENCE NEWS • october 2011
Science News Answer Key
4. Scientists at the University of Utah have taken one step closer to using machines to read minds.
5. Functional magnetic resonance imaging measures the oxygen levels in blood in different regions of the brain.
Multiple choice
1. What was the first town in Canada to ban plastic bags?
D. Leaf Rapids, Manitoba
2.Professor Bradley Greger’s study used a new kind of microelectrode that sits on what without poking into it?
B. The brain
3. What is the name of the process of making a sound and identifying nearby objects by listening to the reflected sound waves or echoes?
A. Echolocation
4.
What is the name of the small robots that dug through the rubble of the World Trade Center searching for victims and assessing the safety of the buildings for human rescue workers?
C. PackBots
5. When live prey crawls into the trap of a Venus’s flytrap, what sends a signal that tells the trap to close?
A. The hairs
24
© 2011 Classroom Ready. All rights reserved.