July 24, 2011
Wow! Seymour Simon’s SILLY DINOSAUR RIDDLES book app is today’s "Free App of the Day" on the Amazon homepage. Even if you already own this eBook app, go ahead and download it again today, because we have added fun new features like a Dinosaur Quiz (take it to check your dino knowledge!) and word highlighting.
Click here to get it for your Android phone, and tell your friends!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
July 20, 2011
If you’ve ever seen pictures of whales, chances are you’ve seen a sperm whale. These great creatures of the oceans have massive heads (that are typically one-third of the animal’s entire length!) and are known to have the largest brain of any animal on Earth. (That doesn’t mean, however, that they could beat you on a math test. Just because they have larger brains, it doesn’t mean that they are more intelligent than humans (but we’ll talk about that in another post)).
Like most animals, sperm whales have found a way to communicate with each other. They do so through a series of "clicks" and in fact, these sounds are the loudest sounds produced by any animal. Whales can hear them even when they are miles apart. Recently a bunch of marine biologists (scientists that study animals and other organisms of the ocean) suggested that each sperm whale communicates in a very unique way. Since the communication is so unique, the scientists think that these clicks are a way of identifying each whale - much like the way your name identifies you!
The marine biologists analyzed the sounds and found that there are differences in the timing of these clicks. This is what they think sets one whale apart from the other. It makes sense that the whales should be able to figure out who’s "speaking" without actually seeing them - especially because there are times when the water in the ocean can get quite murky and hard to see through! As exciting as this discovery is, the scientists need to study many more sperm whales to confirm that these creatures each have a unique way of communicating.
Now that you’ve got sperm whales on the brain, I thought I’d leave you with my favorite whale cartoon: The Whale Who Sang at the Met. (It’s a You-Tube video about a sperm whale who just loves to sing…) Enjoy!
Want to know more about whales in general? Check out Seymour Simon’s book here.
Image: NOAA
Posted by: Liz Nealon
July 19, 2011
Are you keeping cool during the heat wave that is gripping most of North America? It’s hot in Europe, too, and the zookeepers in Rome came up with a great idea. Look at this macaque (pronounced meh-KACK, a kind of monkey) staying cool by eating a block of frozen fruit. We figured this just had to be our COOL photo of the week!
Photo: Rome Bioparco Foundation/AP
Posted by: Seymour Simon
July 14, 2011
I’m pleased to introduce a new Seymour Science blogger, Saira Jesani. Saira has a degree in Microbiology & Immunology from McGill University, worked as a science writer for Seed magazine, and helped to launch Visualizing.org, which uses data and design to help make sense of scientific and economic issues. We’re very pleased to have her as a contributor to the Seymour Science blog!
— Seymour
Who knew you could find things on Earth - which you thought were lost forever - when you look from Outer Space?That's exactly what happened when space archaeologists found some long lost pyramids in Egypt. They spotted 17 of the ancient memorials - built with a square base and four triangle-shaped sides - by studying satellite photos.
They even think some of those pyramids may be buried under the Nile River! Not sure the old Egyptian kings (commonly called pharaohs) would have been too happy about that!
The BBC television network has made a program called "Egypt's Lost Cities" about this discovery. The image above, from that program, is a computer generated picture (CGI) that they created to to bring the satellite images of the lost pyramids to life.
Want more fun facts on pyramids? Check out Seymour Simon's book: Pyramids and Mummies. Happy reading!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
July 12, 2011
Can you guess what this is a photograph of?
Photographer Kallerna took this shot of the sparks from a campfire in Anttoora, Finland.
Have you ever built a campfire on a summer night and made S’mores? It’s easy. Here is what you need:
- Long branches with pointed ends (pick up dead branches – do not break live branches off of trees)
- Marshmallows
- Plain chocolate bar (get the thin kind that breaks up into squares)
- Graham crackers
DIRECTIONS:
Put your marshmallow on the end of your stick and toast it over your campfire until it is brown and soft all over.
Then, make a “sandwich’ by stacking:
- graham cracker square on the bottom
- square of chocolate
- toasted marshmallow
- graham cracker square on the bottom
When your sandwich is all assembled, push down gently on the top cracker (not too hard, or you’ll break it!) so that the hot marshmallow squeezes all over the chocolate and melts it. That is all there is to it!
CAUTION: Many areas in North America are under drought conditions this summer. If it is dry with fire danger warnings where you live, do NOT build a campfire! And even if you are in an area where it is safe to have a fire, you should pour water on your fire at the end of the night and be sure that it is completely extinguished before you go to bed.
Posted by: Liz Nealon
July 12, 2011
Can you imagine a single hurricane that has lasted for centuries? In this activity (click here to download), you will learn more about a giant storm on Jupiter that has not changed its position for hundreds of years.
From now through Labor Day, we will publish various nature projects. The goal is to get kids outdoors, exploring and enjoying the world around them. Check back here throughout the summer for new installments of Summer Vacation Science.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
July 5, 2011
Are you a Seymour Simon Facebook fan? Seymour just posted a new poll on a topic that is near and dear to the hearts of our readers:
Who do you like to talk to the most, your cat or your dog?
If you're 13 years old or more, head to Seymour's Facebook Author Page to register your vote!
Photo: From the Seymour Simon eBook WHY DO PUPPIES DO THAT?
Posted by: Seymour Simon
July 5, 2011
A Southern California man heard noises in his garage, and thought that a raccoon, or maybe a squirrel had gotten in there. When he went in to check, he found himself face-to-face with a mountain lion!
Jesse Taylor snapped this photograph - which is our Cool Photo of the Week - while his wife called 911. Animal control experts eventually tranquilized the cat and released it into the San Bernardino National Forest.
Biologists said that the mountain lion was a young male just beginning to explore on his own. Boy, will he have a story to tell when he gets home!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
July 4, 2011
It is Monday, so it’s time for SUMMER VACATION SCIENCE!
I have been watching my morning glory vine (the kind that gets blue, trumpet-shaped flowers in September) gradually creep up the light pole in my front garden. Although it seems almost too delicate to survive, the vine is actually quite strong, clinging onto the wire through heavy rain and windstorms.
This morning, when I went outside, I saw what I thought was a dead leaf clinging to my vine. I went over to remove it, only to discover that it was a moth! We searched online and discovered that it was a Blinded Sphinx Moth (Paonias excaecatus).
Click here to learn more about the butterflies and moths that you can observe right outside your door, and learn how to tell the difference.
Happy July 4th to all my American readers!
From now through Labor Day, we will publish various nature projects. The goal is to get kids outdoors, exploring and enjoying the world around them. Check back here throughout the summer for new installments of Summer Vacation Science.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
July 1, 2011
I was so excited to see my first big butterfly of the season in our garden. I took the photo while it was sunning itself on a bush. (Perhaps getting ready for the upcoming July 4th weekend celebrations?) It’s an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, a common butterfly here in the northeast. You can usually easily identify it by its large size, black tiger stripes over yellow-tan color and blue/red spots near the tail.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
