Doodle Science - July 2013


One of the nice things about going all over the country is that some times I get to go to interesting places. This is Hartland Point in North Devon where the rocks are folded a fair bit. These ancient rocks were subjected to massive forces long ago that caused the folding you can see here. I had a good strole around and even saw a peregrine falcon.
Great Dates in Sci and Tech for July

st, 1858 Darwin and Russels point paper on Natural selection is read to the Linnean society.
3rd, 1844 the last pair of Great Auks is killed
and in 1886 Benz unveils the first purpose build car.
5th, 1687 Newton published the Principia
10th, 1962 Telstar is launched, the first communications satellite
and in 1997 Scientists announce that DNA evidence supports the out of Africa theory of human evolution placing "African Eve" at between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago.
19th, 1912 a meteorite explodes over Holbrook Arizona and showers 16,000 bits on the town.
21st, 1969 Armstrong and Aldrin walk on the Moon.
25th, 1978 the first test tube baby is born.
Something to try. Make a rainbow.

If the sun is shining, it is meant to be, it is summer.
With a plant sprayer or a hose, stand with your back to the Sun and spray.
The droplets should produce a lovely rainbow effect and with luck not get the people standing near you too wet.
Bacon the Monk who was the first in western science to describe this demonstrated it by
splurting water from his mouth into a shaft of sunlight coming through a church window.
Maybe that is one reason the authorities locked him up.
Something else to try. Make bubbles

There are loads of mixes for making huge bubbles on the internet,
the real secret is to have something in the mix that acts to strengthen the membrane,
either corn starch of glycerol work well. To make a bubble blower is simplicity it self,
take a length of string, 8 cm long and thread it though two straws and then tie it in a loop.
You can hold one straw and the other will make the contraption hang down.
Then dip in mixture and lift out and Bob is you uncle, hold this and waft it about and you can make huge bubbles.

Self assembling Nano flowers

Resources from the Skeptic Magazine