http://www.earthsky.com/Kids/shows.html
Part 3:
Sound in Space (聲在太空中)
Fireflies (螢火蟲)
Gut Reactions (肚子咕嚕咕嚕叫)
Poison Ivy (毒藤)
Rainbows (彩虹)
Living Fossils (活化石)
How to Find Polaris? (如何找北極
星？)
Sound in Space
K: Hey Ed, what would it sound like if you
were in outer space and a spaceship
whizzed past you ?
E: Well, Kathy, maybe something like this!
K: Nope! Sorry, trick question. It wouldn't
make any sound at all. The explanation -after this on Kids' Earth and
Sky!
K: This is Kids' Earth and Sky.
Say! Let's pretend you're
watching a movie that takes
place in outer space.
E: The engines are roaring as a
spaceship zooms past! Laser weapons are firing!
The spaceship explodes with a thunderous
BOOM! Wowza -- what a great movie!
K: Er, well, there's just one problem here.
E: What's that?
K: There's no sound in outer space. To have
sound, you have to have a source that vibrates
back and forth -- say, a rocket engine. As the
engine fires, it shakes and vibrates and pushes all
the little air particles around it.
E: I get it. And your ears are so sensitive that
they pick up the changes in air pressure -- made
by the pushing of the air particles. So, in order to
hear a sound, you need something that vibrates,
and ears to pick up those vibrations. But wait --
there's more! You also need something for the
sound to move through -- like air.
K: Right. Picture a row of dominoes. Push over
the first domino, and it pushes over the next one,
and the next one, and so on. That's what it's like
when sound moves through air.
E: But in space, there's no air -- so there's
nothing for sound to move through. And that's
why you wouldn't hear a sound in outer space.
K: That's today's show, made possible by the
National Science Foundation. You'll hear about
everything on the Earth...
E: And in the sky...
K: On Kids' Earth and Sky!
Fireflies
E: The winking light of a firefly may be
beautiful . . . but it won't keep you warm at
night -- unless you're another firefly! We
talk about fireflies -- after this on Kids'
Earth and Sky.
E: I'm Ed!
K: And I'm Kathy for Kids' Earth
and Sky -- on the subject of
fireflies, sometimes called
lightning bugs. Maybe you've
spent a summer evening chasing them. And,
maybe, like Samantha in Tupelo, Mississippi,
you've wondered, "how are these insects able to
light up?"
E: The answer, Samantha, is fireflies have a
special organic compound inside their bodies -called luciferin. As air rushes into a firefly's
body, it reacts with this luciferin -- and you see
the firefly's familiar glow. This light, Samantha,
is sometimes called a cold light -- because it
generates so little heat.
K: Some experts think the firefly's flashy style
may tell predators, "Buzz off! I don't taste very
good!" But some frogs eat fireflies, anyway.
Some eat so many fireflies that the frogs
themselves may begin to glow!
E: Another reason fireflies light up is to attract
mates. Each type of firefly has its own special
pattern of flashing -- to attract a mate of its own
type.
K: But some female fireflies are very sneaky -they copy the patterns of other kinds of fireflies.
Males land next to them thinking: "She's
winking at me!" -- only to be eaten alive.
E: Thanks for your question, Samantha. And
thanks to the National Science Foundation for
making our show possible. We talk about
everything on the Earth ...
K: ... and in the sky . . .
E: ... on Kids' Earth and Sky!
Gut Reactions
E: You know Kathy, I'm feeling ...
K: You're feeling what, Ed?
E: I said, I'm feeling kind of ...
K: What's that sound?
E: ... I'm feeling hungry ...
K: I know. Your stomach sounds give you
away. More -- up next -- on Kids' Earth
and Sky.
K: This is Kids' Earth and Sky,
with a question from Abby
Schwarzwalder in Hollywood,
California. She writes, "Why does
my stomach growl when I'm
hungry?"
E: Abby, close your eyes and imagine taking a
bite out of a warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookie.
Just thinking about food sends signals to your
stomach to get ready to eat!
K: Your stomach might start squirting special
juices that help break down food into a form that
your body can use. Gurgles and growls happen
when these stomach juices mix with gas -- and
squirt through a tiny hole -- say, the one that
separates your stomach from a tube connected to
your stomach, called your small intestine.
E: Scientists have a word for stomach growls,
Abby. Get ready for this one -- they're called
"borborygmi." When your borborygmi are
higher-pitched, that's when the gas and juices
are squirting into your small intestine.
K: When your borborygmi are low-pitched,
that's when the gas and juices are squirting into
your large intestine. If your stomach growls
really loud -- and you want to tone it down -- you
might try lying on your back, or pressing on
your stomach.
E: Or you could just have a snack! Abby, thanks
for that question -- and thanks to the National
Science Foundation for making our show
possible! You'll hear about everything on the
Earth...
K: And in the sky...
E: On Kids' Earth and Sky!
Author(s): Byrd & Block Communications
Poison Ivy
(Ivy League)
K: Leaflets three, let it be.
E: Say what, Kathy?
K: Leaflets three, let it be.
E: Now that's advice worth listening to!
Poison ivy -- coming up after this on
Kids' Earth and Sky.
K: This is Kathy.
E: And I'm Ed for Kids Earth
and Sky. Okay, Kathy, here's a
riddle for you. What can grow
as a vine or shrub -- with leaves
that may be green, yellow,
orange, red, or bronze?
Derek Hunker,
Tiffin, OH
E: Here's a hint. It has three
Aged 16.
leaves -- and the middle stalk is Describe: "I
usually longer than the outer
showed what
two. Give up? Okay, one last
poison ivy looks
hint! If you see it, don't touch it! like and said
It's poison ivy.
don't touch it."
K: If you get poison ivy on your Using:
"computer".
skin, you may break out in a
K: I don't know, Ed.
very itchy rash. But did you know that you can
also get poison ivy without directly touching the
plant? The poison part of poison ivy is the resin
-- that's a substance that comes out of the leaves.
This resin can get on your shoes, your clothes,
sports equipment -- even your dog! Then if you
touch those things, you can get a rash.
E: Poison ivy grows almost everywhere in North
America -- in woods, fields -- maybe even in your
own backyard. You can get a rash from the roots
and bark even in the middle of the winter.
K: But poison ivy isn't bad for everybody -- some
animals eat it! Robins and catbirds eat the
berries in autumn. Deer and small mammals eat
the poison ivy leaves and twigs.
E: That's today's show. Send your science
questions to kids(place an '@' symbol
here)earthsky.com. A bunch of thanks to the
National Science Foundation. You'll hear about
everything on the Earth.
K: And in the sky.
E: On Kids' Earth and Sky.
Author(s): Eleanor Imster, Deborah Byrd
Rainbows
K: Wow, look at that pretty rainbow...
E: Yeah, it sure is pretty ... but mine is
prettier than yours...
K: How do you know? You can't even see
my rainbow!
E: How everybody always sees their own
private rainbow -- after this on Kids' Earth
and Sky.
E: This is Kids' Earth and Sky,
on the subject of rainbows.
K: Sunlight looks white -- but
it's really made up of different
colors -- red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo, and violet.
The sun makes rainbows when
white sunlight passes through
rain drops. The raindrops act
like tiny prisms -- they bend the
different colors in white light -so the light spreads out into a
band of colors -- which can be
reflected back to you as a
rainbow.
Jarrod
Malcolm
Smith,
St. Marys, KS
Age: 9. Using:
"colored
pencils".
For the
Honorable
Mention for
Rainbows, go
here.
E: If you could get up high
enough, you'd see that some
rainbows continue below the
horizon. That's because -- when the sun and rain
combine to make a rainbow -- they really make a
full-circle rainbow. We can't see all of the circle
-- because the horizon blocks it from view. Pilots
high in the sky do sometimes report seeing
genuine full-circle rainbows.
K: To see a rainbow, the sun has to be behind
you -- and the raindrops have to be in front of
you . Also, next time you see a rainbow, turn
around and notice the height of the sun in the
sky. The lower the sun, the higher the top of the
rainbow.
E: And remember -- every person who sees a
rainbow is looking at a different set of raindrops
-- from a slightly different perspective. So in a
way, everybody sees their own personal rainbow!
That's our show, made possible by the National
Science Foundation. You'll hear about
everything on the Earth...
E: And in the sky...
K: On Kids' Earth and Sky!
Living Fossils
K: Hey, Ed.
E: Yes, Kathy?
K: Ever heard of living fossils?
E: What, like my neighbor, Mrs.
Higgenbottom?
K: No, like real living fossils -- after this,
on Kid's Earth and Sky.
E: Hi this is Ed ...
K: and this is Kathy ...
E: And this is Kids Earth and
Sky. Today, we're talking
about fossils. No -- not your
principal, no -- we're talking
Nick Barajas,
about "living fossils!"
Covington, GA
K: Next time you see a
Aged 9.
dragonfly floating over a pond,Description:
try to think back millions of "Long ago, when
years ago -- and picture that there were
same dragonfly sweeping past dinosaurs,
the head of a living, breathing dragonflies flew
dinosaur. Some insects, such high and
as dragonflies and
cockroaches and
cockroaches, haven't changed horseshoe crabs
much since dinosaurs roamed laid their eggs on
the Earth. That's why some
the beach." Using:
people call them "living
"crayons and my
fossils." Then there are
imagination!".
horseshoe crabs . . .
E: Each year, huge swarms of female crabs crawl
onto beaches to lay their eggs. They probably did
this 300 million years ago, too. And their
children -- or really their children's children's
children's children's ...
K: We get the point!
E: ... children are still around today. So why do
we still have living fossils -- cockroaches,
dragonflies, and other creatures -- but no more
dinosaurs? The answer, Kathy, is that living
fossils are creatures that are really good at
surviving changes on Earth. That's why they're
still around . . .
K: While their mighty friends, the dinosaurs,
only exist as plain old dead fossils. That's our
show for today -- made possible by the National
Science Foundation. You'll hear about
everything on the Earth . . .
E: And in the sky . . .
K: On Kids' Earth and Sky!
How to Find Polaris
E: Hey Kathy, what star doesn't rise or set.
K: Em, I don't know, Ed.
E: Here's a hint -- you'll find it in the
northern sky.
K: Hmm. I give up.
E: It's the North Star -- also known as
Polaris -- up next on Kids' Earth
and Sky.
K: This is Kathy!
E: And I'm Ed for Kids' Earth &
Sky -- on how you can identify one
of the most famous stars in the sky.
K: Polaris is sometimes called the
North Star. Most stars rise and set -just like the sun and moon! But Polaris is like the
hub of a wheel -- it stays put in the northern sky,
while all the other stars circle around it.
E: That's why you can see the North Star at any
time of night -- any night of the year. And here's
a special way to identify it. First, you have to
find another famous group of stars. . .
K: But these stars are a whole lot easier to find!
E: We're talking about the Big Dipper. It really
looks like a dipper made of stars -- like a big ice
cream scooper in the sky . . .
K: Polaris and the Big Dipper are in the
northern sky. Just look for the Big Dipper -- and
notice that the Dipper has a bowl and a handle.
Draw a line between the two outermost stars in
the bowl of the Big Dipper. This line points to
Polaris, the North Star!
E: That's why, in the lore of the heavens, the two
outer stars in the Big Dipper's bowl are called
The Pointers! Here are those directions again.
Find the Big Dipper -- a line between the two
outermost stars in the Dipper's bowl always
points to the North Star. That's our show for
today. Thanks to the National Science
Foundation for making it possible. You'll hear
about everything on the Earth . . .
K: And in the sky!
E: On Kids' Earth & Sky.
Author(s): Deborah Byrd