] Ls GIANT ROBOT SUIT HOTTEST CHILLI PEPPER... EVER SS SOs oo A Ne la WEEK Eg =e ' Y he SENSE OF THE 7. DECEMBER 2023 ‘SSUEEB Meet the gentle giants facing up ta nature’s greatest challenges Get behind the scenes of the Jatest Sonic Superstars game oisaco Ce or CEPO i) coven ees ‘nd cudely bgors, and Peary Sete! Heroes of Science Meet asuper-Sonic designer. Helpisentheway-ino - Makeagangof Wildlife Watch futuristic fring machine. squeny, squishy monsters. Cee Science World Headscratchers Anitlst of Your questions answered themonttis Weird Science Niohights, ae Discoverhow symbels el The Lab ae sunderstandthewerld Bokechoc-chip ofA 4 19 Book Club pace This mendes reads foarte ‘What a load of rubbish ‘make afizzing bath bomb. Follow your waste Your Space ‘The Big Question ‘Step into the future ‘Your letters, photos, facts, Whatlfelursinthe sea? Checkout the gant sphere jokes and poems. Foro Against? thatslandedinLcs egos. 4g Burzles Isittimeto stop keeping “Test your brainpower with That's amazing! Read bout this months massive stories, Including ahuge robot with a hefty price tog. to pullout and stick ‘on your wall! THINGS TO DO Coding Club | = ~ ‘these brillant teasers, Mysteries of Science Where did 84% ofthe universe go? Join sciontiss onthe search for dork mater CONTENTS were Fmwrting ‘this, can see lovely copper beech tree that looks (to me) lke two people hugging. love this tree and often find myself gazing att when Fm searching fr inspiration. Trees are amazing. They're avital part of ‘many natural environments, proving food {and housing fr loads of efferent animals, os wall as oxygen for usto breathe. Some trees cre incredibly old - the Defynnog Yew in Weles was alive §,000 years ago during the Bronze [Age Tres aso have the power to calm us with thir still presence. We al know this, hich s why people were so shocked and Upset when the farous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland was hurt deliberately. Looking after treesis part of looking after ‘the plonet. The World Wide Fund for Noture hos recently come up with abig plan to save slobel forests (page 6). Tis mission involves producing ess waste (page 30) and not destroying forests that animals such es giant pandas rly on (page 10). Ifyou ike trees too, you can make your own conecout of paper (page 48), and find out why trees love theirleaves in auturnn You can also Jpinin the Stories in Nature writing competition (page 42), andityou want to send me a picture ‘of your favourite tree, fdlove to see it Dan Green, editor cL ° Calling ll parents! We're delightedto tell yovtotwebavetunchedanewsieter. ey fiay mening weereriensfor secant aces tatyuan fe ‘dowith the family atthe ae ‘weekend, Each activity has: A been careful eleedto il teu funandesy tod a ‘Signup by scanning this rtd Reade i teadesnossbe toa helen EE Sette and eet nore te Copiesinapaperemelpe Tslspancl ET corconmimentoredcepasicwane, Ragh fas Issue SciencoWature 3AIR AMBULANCE This picture is a concept (future idea) for a flying ambulance, created by Jump Aero, ‘a. company in California, US. Called the JA1 Pulse. This electric-powered aircraft is designed to fly at speeds of up to 288 miles per hour, so that paramedics can reach emergencies in remote areas very quickly. The medic on board will be standing for take off, as the JA1 Pulse climbs vertically. Once in the air, the aircraft turns to fiy horizontally, meaning that the pilot will be flying flat, in a pose some have compared ‘to Superman. Returning to a vertical Position for landing, the JA Pulse should allow the pilot to immediately step out and give emergency care to the patient. There's also room on board for all the necessary medical equipment. Jump Aero has been given funding from the US Air Force to develop the flying ambulance. 4 Scienoodatue issue 68ern De A a POOLE CO Issue 6 SciencoWature 5Si i i : 5 The best discoveries, inventions and surprises New plan to save the world’s forests The World Wide Fund for Nature has called on world leaders to act. ne Worl Wide Fund fo Nature WWF) has leased the firstalobl blueprint qude) to save the wos forests, ‘The WWE isa global conservation chat is Frest Pathways Report etal the slate of the world's forests and what governments can dot better protet them. Thereport focuses onthe promises hat were made at COP26-aconerence an the climate emergency that washed the UK in2021 ‘RL COP26, more than 140 counts, covering around 90% of the words forests, pledged to end and reverse deforestation (he catting down of tees) by 2030, However, the WWE says tha this targets indanger of being missed In2022, 6000 squareilomet around the woridwas lst. About two-thirds of ‘this was from tropical forest. This shaving an eft nui, withthe WWF's blueprint noting 3 decine inthe population of species that depend on forests, suchas gorillas, hombils, orangutans and black-headed sauitel monkeys. However the repr also highlights some consenation succes stories. For example the KhataConsenation ea esof forest Holedastudent campaign toimproveclimate eduction in 8 Stienceature Issue 68 ertoon Networks recognising the achievements of tre young imate activists, oe Bally Ho, from the UK, and Ova Mandle Navara rom Spain were finalists atthe Global Good Awards Canon Young Champion ofthe Year 2023, while Raheen Fatima, fom Pakistan, was the winner of te unde 16 category Balle scheols whe Mane Navarrois an animal ights civ and Fatima podcast. Cartoon Network willshae interviews wth the acivston ther TV channels and Climate Champions website inNepathas grown by size equivalent to 3,00 football pitches, providing a home for tigers and other species "Meanie nthe UK, the Wid Ingleborough projet 3 partnership between the WIV andthe Yorkie Wildife Tus istestorng 15 square lames oflanin the "Yorkshire Dales backto its natural wild stat, complete with woodlands, Mary Gagen, author ofthe Forest Pathways Report says, "There are pockets of success where counties are tackling deforestation, and we know hat needsto be done o grow those” ‘The eport includes ais o recommendations or world governments, providing a blueprint to save forests Tisindudes toughening up ules against eforestationas wel as recagnising the rights of indigenous peoples who Bvein the forest. Indigenaus people are the descendants of those who ved Sameer before anther culture atved and took oer. There are also some speci svagestions forthe UK Government suchas bringing in envonmenta standads forfoodthatis bought and sold inthe UX, so that none fit ontibutes to deforestationMan makes world’s hottest chilli pepper he wold ecordfor hottest chili He told Assocated Pres (AP) thatthe pepperhasbeen broken. Named new ecord-holderisa mitt ofthe Pepper, the scorching Caalna Reaper and another chil hits 269 ion hot chil that wassent to onthe Savile sae, him byafriend, took i ameasurementof Toyeas to develop, and spicy heat. For conlyafew members compatson, of istamilyand thehabanero frends krew about chili ich the project. wellknown for ts Ces one of usta incense heat, sa mere handful of people to have 100,000 Scoville units eaten Papper X. “Iwas id out Pepper Xwas created byEd Curie faton amarbe wallfor approximately inthe US. He wasalse responsible for anhourintherain, groaning in pain the Carolina Reaper whichhadheld he told the AP. The pubicwillonly be thet ofhotestchilisince 2013, able totaste Pepper Xin chil sauces, New gecko discovered new species ofgecka hasbeen of gecko called Paroedura renner, scoveredin Madagascar, which ook ery similar. anisland county offthe eastern However aftr many yearsof caste Aca, Caled Paroedura_reseach thescentist were finally rmanongavat,thegecboisnamed for abet determine thatitas its itsrockcimbing abies. Manonga own species. Pmanengavato sles, ‘means"oclimb"andvatomeans spiky than?.rennerae and asa roc inthe Malagasy language. smaller ba. Thespeces wasfeundinthe Anja The®.manorgavato is extremely Reserve and Taranovo,two pats of rare and found oly ina couple the sland krown fortherrugged and of emote areas, soithas been rocky tran wast spoted back classified ascrtically endangered in2010,butscentstserer'table _bythelnterationa Uion forthe todistingushitrom another species Conservation of Nature. Soientsts create higgest ever map of the brain TomooenInoeitsufimoeg_riseboh renee Sioussfom run! bevotl330 Sesame biel pe dpccttancashwetem state! Toner stsebebains bn drt clighndcsoat lta" man cepeyicowestene. — Senosiines tooo! == ‘As well as mapping the human ut what these ney discovered cells cl von epaeacintoitatte —saiajonssene ya SinponecsonguNemeanhunon witness ep 8 Stienceature Issue 68Giant robot suit goes onsale aveyou eve dreamed about turning ito a huge robot? Wel ityou've gota spare £25 millon you could make thatdream a rely Engineersin Japan have developed a 15-fot all robot called Archax, which can be operated by apie who sits inside, The 3.54onne rob suit has cockpit monitors thatreceve images om camerashooked upto the ‘exteriors that the ilat can see all aeund and manoewire the arms andhands wth joysticks ‘tominside its bod. apanis very good at sao A thought it would be great if Be could create a product that Wag ‘compressed all these elements, ‘ike dinosaur with into one, said Ryo Yoshida, Po Discoveries, inventions and surprises Probe becomes fastest human-made object NASA probe has brokents oun recor for being the fastest human made object eve. The Parker Solar Probe, which investigates the Sunita recerd spe of 384,736 miles per hour (enghh, whichis twice asfast asa bolt flighting and 400 times taste than afigteret Insetthe new ecordon 27 September, but scientists have only justben able to confi tusing data setback rm the probe. The spacecraft smashed its previous record 0354660 mph, which was achieved in November 2021, The probe was launched in 2018 ardisattempting tostudythe outermost partof the Sun, called the corona, nerd tofind out how twas formed, Scientists say that any information they cangather vill hep them tpredict pattems ofslar avy inthe ue The missin was expected to last for seven years, andithopes to tavel within four millon miles of the Sun on itsfinaljourneyinlate 2028 Issue SciencoWature 9Saunas AND NATURE PATROL There's so much more to giant pandas than just being cute and cuddly. JD Savage gets to know these rare bamboo-munching bears. cing oes stmintnd hitebe iy Dinners eum tn white) spre yesh seenshoe spite stk ‘orgs pn arate esp es Sunaina Teyana! he wots nso buna bathe alow sb en? Diytools tat hee eh ee supetecthenfenpecs er toyans hee [ite witnessing outa pete anefoe beh sess Te cds nee Consent tes wleteohtep Ip bepneshen ns (est it athe serie nba rest What kind of animal are pandas? Beas arethe hoset lates ofciant pandes, with some stuces suggesting that| | Scienceture Issue 68 ) | | pandas are tre bears. Sowhy are they called giant pandas? Ae tiny and medium sized ones out thee too? There is cerainly another male ~and perhaps even cuter ~ ‘mammal ving in Asia also knew a a"panda” Red pandas are ring tailed, housecat sized mammals that are more clesl related ‘eraccoons and skunks. The giant panda name lets us knowwhich ‘one we're talking about Not that you'd mistake one forthe the. Inthe wil, gant pardascan on be fcundin igh, dense bbambeo forests in sit of China's mountain ranges. They ae restricted to these remate regions because of humans destoying theirnatural habitats. This, along wih people poaching thir furs, have made them one othe wats rarest mammals. Bamboozling bears Theres one widely krown fact about sian pandas—that they are ‘cazy about bamboo. Theta, ‘woody gs isaimostall ‘they eat tissover ow inenergy and takes longto digest, pandas spend up 016 haus 2 dayeating to get ‘the nourishment they need However, they«-PANDA-MOMUM 5pSaas AND NATURE have been known to break thet bamboo det to forage in famiands fr pumpkins, wheat andkidney beans, and pandas in 200s wl et ther lant fds Do they ever munch meat ike theirbear cousins? though they once mainly ate meat, and sometimes ill eat smallrodents, the giant pands's cet turned about 99% vegan over 2 milion years ago. Tere may have been much mor bamboo than meat aalable at thetime so this change ‘of feod helped them to suv. However, pandasstillhave the body parts ofa meat eating ‘animal, which means they cant digest else the tough weodypars of bamboo). Thisiswhy ‘they go0 aot upto 40 imesa day Sniffing out more secrets Another wel fact isthatitshard to get captive pandas te reproduce, Females ‘only have one chance te become 12 Stienceature Issue 68 Bo cero ererch World Wide Fund's famous panda ogo was inspired bya panda named Chi-Chi * pregnant over a two or tee-day period each yea, sothey must mate during that shor time Inthe il, giant pandas mostly keep to themselves, ving theirtesitories by scent markings. They use these markings tofnd a partner when theme right, Both males and females have ascentgland undemeathteirtal ad ths organ produces very smelly substance. When pandas rub tagainst tes, rocks, orass clumps op, and bushes andeven ther beloved 1, bao) the pong leaves {hy bebiadonds ofintormatin HN, atte rset Sef a heat tpt isenough ingress potential partner The malescan sometimeste spted doing handstand So,ae pnd into ayaasics? No, tyre tying toweeup tes tsa way fspreningthescet {ure =the higher they send thesteam, the biggead stronger itmakes them seem toivalsand potential mates ‘What's more thebarkabsorsthe wee making sue that lovely mel sticks round hen females do give bith, afr theirbabies avery smal and underdeveloped and quite helpless. Fortunately, a panda mum keeps almost constant contact with her cub during its frst month, ‘covering itwith her paws, ams or head. ‘About half ofalbths in catty, ateast— result in twins, The mother ony ares or bath cubs forjustlang enough to decide whichisstonget, then ‘she abandons the weak oe, This may sound cold ‘and heartless, but the mother may nat have enough milkor energy to care for bt cubs By doing this, she increases the chances of one of her cubs surviving to become an adult panda, She devetesherseftothe remiing cb, asing it fortwo anda half years Mythbusting Ifthat makes pandas seemless adorable let'stest ‘ut some other popular ideas about the culy bears ‘Are they cute, hamiess ffballs or have we been bamboozled? Wel athough giant pandas peferto _a1cid confi, they can sllbe dangerous. Tey can use ther sharp claws and stong bite to attack they: i WHIFFY Tag Peo oe ENN ol oe) fy bamboo fora chong) Pandas on loan ‘Asal lant pandas come tom hia, the Chinese government hasa legal daimto every living giant panda inthe word evenf they were bormin another country, Apar from three older pandas, any giant pando cuside Chinas ssid tobe “an loan. China lets ther {eel threatened Inthe spcing mating season, male pandas can become very agaessivetonardsother ‘males asthey bar, grow and fight for partners, but ‘thes ig bears rarely attack humans What about the ida that pandas aelazy? Experts used te thinkit was no surprise the Bears spent so much ime loling around, They thought bamboo wassuch a lon-quaiy diet that pandas did't wantto use up too much of what tle energy they had Now they know that bamboo isso rich in protenit's not too diferent rom a meat based Ait. They've aso learned that giant pandas ae masterful mountainets, and tavel counties borrow the animals to build good telatonships a long distances vpanddoan falcykrown "panda diplomacy, RI steep slopestofin jut the Tis datesbacktothe year 685, when right mixoffesh bamboo Empress Wo Ztian sent wo pandas shoots and leaves, They ako asa it to Emperor Tenmu of Japan. switch between spaces of ‘theplantin cert seasons, Since they dont hivenate, pandas must lookfor fodallyear round That actually makes them more actvethan their bear cousins Since 1984, the Chinese government has been loaning pandas instead of ging them, Countieshave to return thebeats ater ‘0years. The U's only giant pandas ~ Yang (Guan and Tian Tian ve in Edinburgh Zoo. They ativedin 2011, and will be returring to China thisyear afterertending their stay frtwoyears, PANDA-MIONIUM DR SARAH BEXELL SENIOR ADMISER, CHENGDU RESEARCH BASE (OF GIANT PANDA BREEDING. I'v ‘What esearch have youdone into pandas? Uhavedone behavioural reseachand consenation ‘education for pandas. What isyour ‘favourite panda act? Giant panda cubs stay with their mother for ‘woto two and ahaf years. This cial to their development and survival asthey learn everything abouthow tobe panda from thelr mothers tials aver tender ime a mothers and thir babies have strong ving bonds, just ke human cildren and ther caregivers ‘What do youlove most about pandas? ‘The bond between mothers and cubs. Ithas been one af the most importantthings towitness inmy le, Theylove thee babies just ike humans lovetheirbabies. rote 2 chile’ bok about this, ‘AMotherstove-that'show much it means tome, Abrighter future Lately Chin hasn'tbeen renewing its panda-sharing eals. There could be postive reason for this cooing of panda iplomacy. With 67 eserves, safeguarding morethan ‘worth of wild giant pandas, China may no longer believe thatnternational a _ oa ies 2s are needed to breed and «conserve the animals thasalo developed bamboo corridors inking isolated forests, allowing pandas to rigrateto new areas. Asa result, these beaviful animal are onthe road to recovery. Thee Population increased by 17% na decade and in 2021 China announced they ae no longer endangered However wthonl 1,864 giant panda fin the wi they are stil considered vunerable With much oftheirhabitat til teeatened, twill il take great efforts to keep them safe Unlicethe uly mammals ‘themseies, the future for pandasisn' back and white, bat it’ certainlloking better Issue 6 ScienooWature 13 —S eSIETS for “x: > : : iday ost wonderful time of the year. The holide — wete most worms seg eater OAS a selection of the best reads, gifts and things DISCOVER THE TRUTH ABOUT AL Witch this year’s CHRISTMAS LECTURES and discoverhow artical inteignce works, how a computercan teach isl and how yout already using without even knowing Al willbe revealed by expert Al researches, Prof Mike Woolddge. Watch the CURISTMAS LECTURES fem the Roya insti on B8C Four and Payer in late December. rab oxo EXPLODAPEDIA: evowurion Bb by Ben Martynoga. Illustrated by Moose Allain 2199 xplodapediaisanexploged encyclopedia ~ everythingou need toknow, one book at atime, Packed with amazing fat, epic true stories and funy cartoon stations, this fascinating new series hasthe power to inspira Iiflong appetite for cence. The story of evolution began illons cf years go and ink you tall other lving tings on his plane. Thisbook uncovers the myths and mysteries surrounding biology’s most extraordinary story andsflledwith upto the-minute sence, ‘Meet some surprising ancienteatvs and find out what the evolution feu brains has meant for ie asa whole. And the tris over how wil oupast shape our future? Expand your knowledge of evolution withthe inimitable duo Drea Martynoga and Moose Alain daviickingbooks.com Sanic superstars ofersan exhilarating adventure in never beoreseen erwtonmens promising to oop gaming enthusiasts happy and entertained his (Christmas. Sone and hs frends ake on Dr. Eggman and returing fan favourite nemesis Fangto stop ther nefarious schemes inthis yw xs Booklyisanexcing new giftcard a fom Natonal ook oon that {con pica, fled bo oki ly Py Beeson cane viv ae atocheosng ane book very oh ply sources fom - mont. topped up every month, a ‘nyo Knuces, Ts and Cis andthe mney sal yous to pendin Sonic hms, Sonc es your favour bookshop onthe books Superstars offers hours of fun youwartto wad tral the fay _ booklycouk SonicuperstrscomADVERTISEMENT FEATURE Thames &Hudson THE BIG BOOK OF NATURE ART by Yuval Zommer Thar sreative potential inthe natural treasures all around us fom twigs, seed pods petals and leaves through tooo ok, pen shavings, takeaway citley and then string From bestelng autor Yl omnes, The ig Book of Mate Artis packed with twenty-two easy art ‘activities inspired by nature. Each of the ates canbe achieved in four simple steps using natural materials, «cambined with reycled or found ‘materia rom around the home, Fach nature art act requires no ‘more than ve minutes set-up ave Take an incredible journey into space! ‘mites clean-up, which makes them supereasyo achieve and fun for ‘eveyone. Make paper plate ins, af bogs, coffe-cup ols, tee bark bats and edd ceepy awfes~ aswell as scenes for your new creatures to wel fomwatery words to underground tunnes Lftup the layerstoescover how the Sun was formed and explore the amazing landscapes of cur neighbouring planets, You'l find outwhich ‘moons are the most Ike the Earth, what Saturn's ting aremade of where comets come from, and whatllesin the Kuiper Bet, outside the very edge ofthe sla stem, thamesandhudsoncom thamesandhudson com OF ROBOTS AND AI Thisbookfbuezing with the ‘most baintinging facts about robots and atl Intligence, Read and youl become a TOTAL BRAINAC who knows: which gross and Scary jobs only robots can do; how nanobotscouldbate bugs inside the human boy; andy se-dnvng cars Inthis entertaining and high Informative bok, polar ‘explorer Huw Lewis Jones and natu Mustrator Sam Caldwell take readersonaninteplé fled upto Antarta and beyond to discover thesecret Meo penguins Joureying ‘thoughout the Southern save ves Hemisphere to inrdithe Putyourtecy know-how locationsincuding Argentina to the test and ty these ‘Aust, hil, the Galépagos acivties ‘ands, Namibia, New Zealand, © Buildagipy Penvand South ca, Do robot han Panguinike the old? introduces (© Make a mechanical readers tothe 18spediesof , hopping frog! penguin andthe conservation Ty tobest basketball work undemay to protect them “ robots top scare! and theirhabtats thamesandhudsoncom ‘thamesandhudsoncomd HEROES OF SCIENCE Takashi lizuka jind the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Meet one of the game designers be sina asbee apa he Sos eamat BE ies setter Tt thea owpporsnc be Veep bon sn 18 yeaa Tong ode ae eh Us en Seto yon tp Toa lesen Sesorc em vos Cag wren aetoes eae Video game fan lau has alnaysloved playing video games. He old The Week Junior ScenceNatue, Of course, back then vdeo games were ‘very diferent tothe madem games we have today, butaltof them aestilveryfunto play! When he was younge he wanted tobe a manga ats Mangas a style of Japanese comicooks and graphic novels, Hesaid, “Was so imerestedin creating characters and worlds and stories with jut the stoke ofapen” However when he graduated fom calege, he saw that there wasa job available at SEGA Herealised that malig videogames would be away to work ith ther people to create characters, worlds, and stories Adventures at SEGA Tauka was 21 years old whenhe started working onthe Sonic series. The fist game that he helped to develop was Sonicthe Hedgehog 3, which came outn 1994, twas working on this game Sonicthe Hedgehog ges hs name rom the superhuman speeds thathecanrun at. an objectraves at supersonic sped it ‘means itis ving faster than the speedo sound, This means that Soncis able to run at speeds of atleast 761 miles perhout Thisisinaedbl fast in comparisonto thefestesthuman on ath Usain Bol who reached 27 miles per hour ducing araein 2009, Even the wea’ fasest animal, the peegrnefaleon ony reaches 186 ile perhour when tis ding 16 Scienceature Issue 68 Uc STOO eg eed ‘that taught hm how to design interesting eels. few yar ter, lava ed the design team for Sonic Adventure 33D platformer game When devepmentbeganforthesequlthe Sonic Team moved to San Francisco inthe US Sonic Adventure 2s zukas favourite game tha he's ever worked on andit was also during thistime that his favourite characte Shadow the Hedgehog, was developed" actually helped create and evolvethe character’ he sai, ‘He has 2 eally unique backstory that think Sonic ansals find Interesting” iuka went on tbecome the head of the Sonic Team in 2008, From concept to screen uk exlined thatthe fest step for ceatinga video games ein atthe big pcre shouldbe and how tomakethe ame fun fo th players He ait SEGA, we ke thinking whatwoul be innovative andes, andhaw we ansupise and deight the acience® Once the concept as ben die fine tostartvoring withthe other teams. The process need people wh are sien rt, nition sound, msi programming, na game desig Ian take yeast create a video gare The newest game, onc Supers, preserted a urique challenge the eam because thy wanted to eimagine the dsc 20 games sing 3D graphics. They had to erat the cettols and physcsof the 2D gamesing a completely diferent game engine Budding game designers For videogame fars who hopeto become designers ‘one day izua's adic to stay caious nd werk ‘ounderstand what makesa game fun and iy people ena laying them. He said, "The best wayto ‘get ood at making games isto make yeu own games and have people play them. Ther are so many useful tol out therefor fee thatyoucanuse and experiment with” Evnifyou dont have access toa compute you an practise mating card games with peor pots games wih diferent equipment you mighthave laying around. He 3,"You might ing out you are ell good at something, or you might nd ou you ke some other part making video games instead”Boren Dr ca) ae re Issue SciencoWature 17{stating tofeel decidedly more wintry now, and by the ‘end ofthe month mostof the tees ll be looking very bar lesa geattimeto tumnyour ‘eyesto the round, where ‘there are plenty of incredible fungi to beclscovered, as wel as slugs, nals and other damp: loving mnibeasts Eventhoughitcan ‘eelabitlkenatureis owing dow, ther isi lotsto be seen and the lack of fliage onthe trees can give you glimpse at sighs that would have been hidden fom view eal inthe year Far example garden birds are ‘easier to spotthan evra they hop 18 Scienceature Issue 68 alg the branches, and roosting bids, such a reaks and stains ate now ful exposed. Rare red squires are also easier to seein the winter moths, as their mating season is only jst beginning. you'ein Scand then you may find them at sites suchas Pla Wad, GenFinglas and Glencharnoch Wood. They an also be found inather sites across the UK, inducing Wales, Norther ireland andnorthern parts of England, such s Cumbria and Northumberland, s wellasonsome islands, such as Brownsea in Dorset The best timeto gainsearch thems eitherinthe morning orate afternoon, CH Mi BCL Cea Dota ey TR) Dench rit The dusters of smal yellow-green lwers that _arefound on vy plants at thistme ofyear ae _averyimpotant source of pollen and nectarin thelete autumn months, pariualyforinsects looking to fatten themselves up before going nto hibernation Look out for bees, hovers and ‘common wasps buzzing around the blooms a wel asbats bids and small mammals that may bbeshelteringbetieen the dense green leaves. Soon, the loners willbe followed by smal lack ‘eres, which wil be gobbled up by thrushes, wood pigeons and many other bidsera Ragwoms urkunder ‘muddy beaches and ‘muds. They are ‘elatively common, ‘though ely seen as they donot often eave their bunows Ragworms layinwatfor plankton and ether lating food parties, They arenot fussy and feed on almost, anything that comes ‘hele way In tunthey ‘provided for fish and wading bids Chinese water deer were broughtto the UK from China inthe 19h century They cannow be found twoughout Norfolk, ufo, CCambridgesir, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire The ‘males are impressive looking animals Though the ack the antlers of oer spades, they have prominent canine teeth (uss). They wse ‘these for displaying and fighting during ‘theruting (breeding) season, which ass ‘tom now until ater Chistmas.thyou'e ‘near a Chinese deer hotspot listen out for their chaters whistles and squeaks, OUT AND nour ee Chinese water deer are ‘fussy about where they live ~ choosing wetland areas suchas reedbeds ‘and marshes, These pretty watefowt ‘an commonly be seen stalking around the banks of rivers and ponds, osnimming ‘across stretches of water, ‘Moonen rumbes sel ‘over the winter months a8 viitors arte from ‘across the Neth Sea. ‘Although they look similar to cots, they are smaller and are easily ‘denttied by ther bright red and yellow beaks, and elon eet Asthe trees shed their leaves, the things that were bidder by foliage catlerinthe year are ow easirto see This ‘makeslate autumn _geattine to seek out bird nests. You can ‘often se them froma stance high upin the ‘cooks ofbrandhes, but you may asofind them \oser tothe ground. Note the shape, sie, ‘materials nd locaton of anesttomork outwhich bird itbelongs to. Issue 6 SciencoWature 19(o ) MYSTERIES OF SCIENCE ; Dark matter ‘84% of our universe is missing - and scientists are hot on the trai = ¥ |S | Mien atone tse thesarancer ocak through their telescopes, they see things that aren behaving the way that they should Individual stars and entre galaxies (ast systems of stars, gas and st floating in space) are moving under the influence of an unknown substance Tis mystery materials completely transparent salight and ther forms of radiation passstaight ‘though it Asitcan't be seen and becauseno one realy knows what itis) ifsbeen given the name “arkmatter What's even stanger til this dark mater vastly outweighs athe other, normal’ matter ‘that makes up the stars, planets and your own body Astronomers calculate that dark matter account for 88%,— that’ roughlyfvesiths—of all the stuf in the universe : “ Adark mystery Hdarkmatter does produce or even affect ght how wast discovered? The ansver isin anther way that influences bjects around it— ray. Gravity isa natural force that pulls thing towards _any object containing large amounts fatter. The “amount of matter in an objec (known a its mass) detemines th strength fits gravity —and how much itpuls nother objec you measure one object’ path de togravtyof anater body, you can workout how much mass the second obect contains. In 1933, Swiss astonomer itz Zick i just thisby measuring the mation of inva galxiesin _agalany group called the Coma hse, Zoic fund the galaxies moved so fs thatthe cster as whole should ft apatite mass was onlymadeupof the sible strsisde them He suggested that there imustbe something ese pling onthemto make them spin aster Zuic'sidea waslargely ignored unt the 1970s, when US astronamer Vera Rubin and Kent Ford began measuring stars ritng in distant sgaaxies, and found something very similar Stars near ‘the outer edge ofthese glares moved sofastthat the glares themselves would fy apart without some —large. isle source festa gravity keeping them together. This missing mass, the astronomers ‘suggested, was due to dark matter both sie the ‘Vile golanyand within an extended cloud called the galaxy’ shalo region, Looking for the invisible Forasttonomers, the fis step toundestanding dak matteristofind cut wheres, and they can use ees ticks to figue this out “The mast useluis an flected “gravitational lensing’ This happens whea light ays rom a dtant ‘object have ther path though space bent by gait, _as they pass close to something witha lt of mass The ight rays aving at Earth om astred image cofthemore distant objet which astronomers can use towork cut how the ight was deflected, how much mass theinteening object has, and how that mass isspreadout ‘The most common ype oflensing happens when light fom distant galas passes aly dusters oser to Eath This provides a great way to weigh darkmatterinclstes andsee howitsdstibted. Maps of dark attr createdin this way show that Fikes to hangout wth normal mater so it's not spread uniformly cross space, but most sin and ‘sxourd sible glares and galaxy uses The hunt continues (nce the dark matter roblem was widely recognised inthe 1970, some astonamers hoped to prove thatit was just normal matrin forms thir telescopes Could detect for instance, dead stars stray planets packing lotof massinto tiny, fit cbjecs. However, searches for these objects have hon they dont exist inthe numbers needed to explain dark mater. Now, mestastonomers think that dark mater iscompletelycferent fram normal matteratype of rial that doesnt produce light and only makes its presence felt through gravity. Ths means dackmatter isnjust headache ferastronomes, but aso for ysis —scietsts who ty to understand the diferent mateialsin the universe andthe forces by which the affect eachother Astanomers can only eto far by studying the behaviour of dark mate enlargescales, Physi also eed to develop theories for ow this strange ‘material could have been produced alongside various particles of normal matter inthe Big Bang explosion that reated the universe 13.8illon years ago. This Could lead to new precios about the properios of dark matter particles on small scales, and perhaps even ‘anew experiments for detecting them. For the ‘moment though the hunt forthe universe's missing 84% goes on | LOST IN SPACE (<2) Mapping the dark universe In uly 2023, anew European space telescope Fone? Ask our intanen whereyoucan find exctng hands-on = questi scenceeventsforyoungpeople We'veteamed For more.cool science, check out resident expert, —_upwith Te WeksunorSencestatueto answer the Riwebsitergb.o Peter Gallivan ——_yourbumningsiencequestons Whyis it easier to break 9 the sound barrier at HF higher altitude? er Sound tavelstrough the air as waves ofvibrations passing through molecules of gas. These waves travel at around 761.2 mils pec how. Breaking ‘the sound baer means waveling faster than this. Sound waves spread out in ll directions oma Plane. As the art accelerates, the sound waves at the rontbunch up, asthe plane catches up withts ‘own sound. When the plane i traveling atthe same speeds the sound waves it reduces, the waves ‘combine tomakea single soctwave,viich ripples SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONS 22 Scienceature Issue 68 ‘off crating ald thnderclap sound called a *sonicboom™ Airs‘thiane, with fewer molecules at higher tudes. Thismeans that there isles resistance and planes canfyfaser However, getting thigh tude uses a loo fuel. The fist planet reakthe sound banrerin 1947, Bol X71, was dropped aut of larger pane it id’ thaveto can allthis fue, Athigher altitudes airs colder, so ait molecules move lower This makes the speed of sound slow rpotdy topes Dspens eet ins Simon gested tks be UCoee aon dpe hens nbsp tecoenminspanon egoueh tr eyene operpenunasiobealnes Sheds yg bet ons sonepeswnesanamcboaset teomer eres Breeding up a storm Initio, the petindustyis woth arcund £106 blbon each yea leading some to argue that pets are being treated moras products People forthe tial Teatrent of Animals( FETA argues ‘thatthe dese forcute pets, eadstoa foquson beding certain types of dogs, which has edo some puppies being bom wit dsabilties Veterinarian DrSam Kovac ay that selective breeding (an afl process where living things with desired chaacerisics are chosen tobe parents 38 Scienoodatue issue 68 {oc the next generation coud lad to"shoter and shorter fespans and more miscaiages [pups that le before bith] duet genetic problems” InJanuary 2022 a courtin Norway rule that the beeing of bulldogs shoud bebanned because they were suffering fem breathing, stn and spinal problems. Paw patrol Pet dogs have lite freedom, Almost eveything they doisat the choice of ther owner. Humars tll them what teat how to behave and even howtolook. As well asbealth problems, there's been a increase in iit behaviour pandemic dogs, partly because busier owes are now leaving them at home mor. This change has ested in more disruptive dogs, wth owners reporting hghrates of ‘chewing, digning and barking, DrSamantha Gaines, head of companion animals atthe Royal city fr the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), said, "We are seeingan increas inthe more challenging dogs that are ‘coming int ou care, hich we thinkis an impact of Covi Also, the UK Government recently announced thatit plans to ban ownership ofthe American XL Bully breed, ater several atacs, Furry friends ‘According ta survey by Ancestry om, 90% of pet-onners think of therpets as family members ating sue that therpets’ needs are filed isa really good way to teach chen responsibilty, ‘empathy and commitment Dogs also provide owners with daily routine and an elemento safety because they can insomenstances, alert humans to danger inthechomes Life is better with dogs ‘nather consideration or having adog asa ptis the health benefits that owners reve. As well 35 needing regular exercise some pups canbe specially ‘rained to snif ot certain diseases Growing up with a petdog can even make chien ss ike to ‘develop alleges. Then thee ae quide dogs that help ‘the lind. Dogs are also great mood boosters one ‘study found that staring into their eyes anraise yout level ofoxtecin, whichis a chemical the body related to gving and receiving love ‘So what doyouthink? Are dogs mankind's best ‘ends? Orisittimeto stop keping them a pets?DOGGY DEBATE 1@ The preference people have for cute dogs ~ and particular breeds ~ treats these lovely living animals like just ‘nother product to buy. (@ Sclective breeding practices, where certain traits are favoured over others, cre leading to increased disabilities and suffering in dogs. (@ Some dogs that were bought during lockdown feel lonely now that their owners are going out to work and school more often. (@ Some people are worried about dongerous dogs being keptas pets. The UK Governmenthas announced that the American XL Bully breed willbe ‘added to its ist of banned breeds. f ogy n pe winaon? (@ Dogs can become their owners’ best friends and make them feel less lonely in dificult times. (@ Some parents think dogs are the perfect pets because they can teach children responsibilty, empathy cond commitment. (@ Owning o dog can be a great mood booster. Looking into their eyes can raise your level of oxytocin, a chemical in the body that isrelated to giving and receiving love. (© A dog gives you a daily routine and keops you active. Itcan also make it loss likely that you will develop allergies os you growup. LAST THE RESULT | YOUR OPINION COUNTS TELLUS WHAT MONTH'S “Tins incase we edtssagsatclt> | YOU THINK oa MeeeiocieoarantStae | stn monaoee |em = oem Issue 6 SciencoWature 39The coding cb is you place to lear ané develop coding sls We've ceated these pages with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to provideloads of projets, from building games to designing animations. This project uses the Scratch programming language Make squishy, squeaky monsters Code your own crew of cute circular creatures. Draw aface @ Squash it Open the projectin Scratch by visting scratch mitedu/projects'544664127/editor lk on the Costumes tab athe tp left-hand side ofthe screen and pick whichever coloured ball youlke best lk the drop-down menu onthe Filltool and, using the sider, change the brightness to. lk on the cree tool and using your mouse, ‘raw a pair of eyes and mouth onto the ball I youmake a mistake, clk te undo arrow to start again oN eae 40. Scienoodatue issue 68 > lick backont the Code tab and build the srpt pictured above. scripts astack of coding blocks that makes list of instructions. This code vill qush your monsters face and makeit pay a "boing" sound Testyourcode by licking the green fag. When you cide ‘onthe monster its {ace should eact and yyuwilhearaboing® sound effec. Now add tothe script that you builtin stage 2, tomake your monster change size when you pokeit. Add a “change size blockto the start and "set sie" blck to ond of your script, that it matches the script above Test the code by clicking the green lag, Your ‘monster should now get male, make anoise, ‘and squish up when you dick on it. The mere you clickon the face the smallerit gets. Your monster should lays snap back te normal size ater you've clickedMONSTER MASH | Choose your own sound effect 1 Right now your monster is ust sitting on 2 plain, white background, Why not make ta litebitmore exciting? lid on “Choose a Backdrop" inthe bottom righthand corner ofthe screen, Peer 0] Perce <) Con Choose whichever backdrop is your favourite We've gone for"Neon Tunnel” Your stage should now ook like the picture below. Pod Soe sxtsioro GD You can change the nese your monster makes by licking onthe Sounds tb. Cick Choose a Sound” in the bottom left-hand commer and then select the "Way" menu, \ Pick your favourite sound, We've gone for “Squeaky Toy’ iow goback othe Code tab an change your “play sound” block sothatitplays “Squeaky ‘Toy"instezd of “Boing” Test your new soundeffect by pressing the green flag, @@é Customise yourmonsters ‘lik on the *Costumes'taband select the paintbrush tool re Change the colour of your paint byselecting @ ‘the Fill box and adjusting the slides. Using the paintbrush too, decorate your ‘monster, You could give ta wacky hairstyle, forexample Using everything you've leaned, add more monsters to your projec giving them all ferent sizes and sound effects ° See hidanother =~ monster @ (One monstris good, butthe more the merrier. Toadd another monster to your game, clickon “Choose a Spite” in the bottom righthand corner ofthe screen, lek on theBall” sprite to adit to your project. twill appear automatically onthe stage. ick onitand, using yourmeuse,dragitto ‘where you wantit tobe ‘This new ball will ea bit smaller than the firstone Tomake it bigger, setts sie to 200 instead of 100 (underneath the stage). This should rmake'tthe same sie as your existing monster. Now, making sure your second balls selected, » blespoon Next add the four, sic, baking ‘Although eating a banana does ‘9 Pasty brush power and choclate chips and stir Inease the total amount of potassium © 9009/21b loaftin ‘them in, Pourinto the ea tn, Bake for inthe bod, which canbe picked up fe scissors 40 minutes, or until the cake is wel sen bya sensitive Geiger counter (a device ‘© Baking paper Insert skewer a aif into the mide of formeasuingadactviy).theelect Large mixing bow ‘the oat. fitcomes out dean, its eady doesnt astforlong.Yourkitneys a Allow the cake to colin the tn for 10 closely monitor the amount of : eSkewer mines tenturntotontawire | shea Fnimainkmaten || Foasiominyurbody atone Wirerack ‘ack Serve warm orcad inslices. Spread | tinyucomiSNallegy tineaniatitte aceon f @ [sisitreisetterete sete | “tobomStteat ‘ovo ogy 44, Scienoodatue issue 68TD the shape of ree branches TSC autumn eaves. Trees that se their leaves every autumn ae Caled deciduous tes. Aleatsjobistouse energy rom theSunto carver carbon oxide absorbed om the aie and waterinto sugary food, The water comes from the soil and tis sucked up through the tuunkand branches ofthe | Take your brown bagand leitflaton a table. Use a ruler ‘Once you've cut the strips, stand the bag up and openit tue allthevaytothe || andpenclte draw ines, running from he topof the bag to asifyou ere going toil t with sandwiches. Then, holding leaves. The green colour | halfway down, Thelines should be about Sem apart. Next, thease and middle ofthe bag, twist the bottom part to create Camestroma substance | cutalong thelines with scissors. the wunk of your tee Caled clorphyl, which absorbs the sunlight. Asthe day get darker, there i es sunlight, sothetree stato absorb the nutients stored inthe leaves, This is when they bein to change colourand fallof When teesare Tels they can't make food, so they go into hibenation anda" through winter Insping | Wp To create branches, think about howa tre looks Why not Finally, choose some coloured paper orcardand cat outleat they gow newleaves, take a walk outside to do someresearch? Recreate the look shapes. Glue them tothe branches ofthe tree. Cutout and satheycanstar making | bytaking two stip andtwisting them together. Continueunti glue cardboard base to the battom ofthe treet help itstand food once again you have twisted al the sips into beautiful branches up. Then csplayyourtre to remind you how lovely autumn Issue 6 ScienooWature 45(© 100g bicarbonate ofsoda (050g iti acd (© 25g contour (9 259 Epsom salt © 2thspofolve il (© Food colouring © t5p essential ol (optional) (© To mixing bowls ‘© small spoon ‘© Moulds (they canbe any shape you ike) (© Rubber gloves ee ‘Ad te bicarbonate of soda, citi ai, cmflour and Sony ad the lve cilalitle time, tring well Epsom saltinto a bow and then mixthem altogether between each addition. you, you con adda squirt of ‘well with spoon, {od colouring and afew drops of your favourite essential cl. Bath bombs contain we ingedientsthatcombine inwotertomakea bubbly chemical eatin, When th bath bembis ropped in water the 4yycompoets begin todo, ad then reactwitheach othe. Thebicarbonateofsoda isanalta opposite fad), anditveats with hectic acto release aon ose Thisbubblesuptheugh vos thewaterprodacng Whenallofthecil hasbeen added, addone ortwo ropsaf J) Packyour mixture tight into your moulds You may wishto satshing ice (andhiss) water and mixin quic Add justencugh togettheminture OD wear rubber gloves. Leave to dry fortwo to fourhours then Gi oft bles, tostick together when presse inyourhand and ep itsshape. remove careful. snow eady to drop into lovey warm bath, * 48 ScenoaNatu issue 68YOUR SPACE <= YOUR SPACE Awesome animal facts id youknow that farantulas can live for two years without eating? ‘And they also have transparent blood. izzy Parrotfish poo out sand that comes from the coral they eat, Clement “My brother and | have been busy this summer reading and using the magazine. ‘We picked raspberries from the allotment ‘and made the delicious raspberry sorbel. We also made the solar oven, We melted cheese on a wrap and made a mini pizza, Thanks for the fun science activities - welove the Science-laturemagazine!” Harriet and Hugo GETIN TOUCH Send your letters, pictures, poems or photos to hello@science- rnature.co.uk along with your name. We love hearing from you, and every reader featured on this page will receive ‘our special Science+Nature Hero badge. The Natural World We lovethis poem called The ‘Natural Word, which was sent in by one of our readers, Lucy The natural world isa gemofits ‘own. Aworldbeforeus, with conlya ite es lory than her turban cousin When the Sun shines, many takethe ppertunty to soakinallof the ight ‘when only te things that glow are feeling, Tue all ofthe word before our eyesthat sx small fo see, hashad dinesaursroam acrossits surface Fre bumed nthe oceans milion of years ago. Many people didotbeleve this. Ifthe natural world did nt exist think of the countless animals that couldbe lost forever, Sach ong tine. JOKE Theonly way to save the natural sem stostop people behving Breteler OFTHEMONTH ; umenvronentaly Nature Prize Wi Watt er ; Butonly wean do this. Would you like your school to be the quackof de ‘greener? The OVO Foundation Nature Prize for Bertie Thisis my drawing of an alien Shossisbaklora second ya Toei wth ‘a chance of winning, your school has to explain. {rom outer space. hhow they would usea prize of upto £1,000 to Florence tring stents sero ature Wy take — tismogizne and show to yurteathe? a a ea eae Send us your cute animal drawings Tofnd out orev yur con/SN-OVO From kcalast tens ct ty aimalsmake your Favourite cute ceature? Drawit Name: ‘Aas eile bday pede ott youand arog elves re aba Fate deals abs how we managegzayou ov sep eB 2a0, everyone feel warm and fuzzy inside So what's er and mall into The Week Junior Scences ature, 121-141 ‘Westbourne Terrace London, UK, W26IR,ortakea Picture and emalito elle@scence nature couk ‘Weewl pint ou favourites the magazine Issue 6 ScienooWature 47cock YOUR ANSWERS OM PABESO Fillin the numbers 1t0 20 they appear exactly once in ‘each row.columa and 32 Snow-doku 1 xX RS a > a a = ° ° ° ° a < > wo o ° z x ° on = I|1wWGHENR AWONS ERFS CRNNWKUL EF RNO Foggy word finder TAROPAVE ‘Aword has been lastin the Fid below. Simply cross TBRHRVHZVOGL ‘out any letter that oppears SFOGKUA TECPRES S URER S RER ‘mare than once ond the hidden ‘word wil reveal tstf G|Q|S/E/P cC\|K|P/T/T L|O/Q/H/|K Ji J/U;S/W E|H/G/wW/D CANE E EAH URR Jv ZS TDR ZZtbLEHR l MUHL PETZAP OD 48. Scienoodatue issue 65Number fill-in Using the starting clue fillthe gridin withthe numbers sted the right. auIZ NUMBERS ea How much can you = remember from this be ith's issue? ‘4NUMBERS Lys * — How many people is the 418/118) me seamed ioe ioe sexi 7500 ‘SNUMBERS Bor lowe aus ‘aet20 asou 99783 "s sous ears NUMBERS, frost ten one Sonasa ; pasrl True or flee? Pandas spend es hours. day eating. SNUMBERS masinas Biaonare Whats e-waste? swusers |S 19SEBT—«) Electronic waste en 'b) Elephant waste ©) Extracrcinary waste >. Whatare the worlds oldest Codebreaker Thunder tower "=" Each ofthese types of weather Flleoch square with hos hod lttars replaced by thenumber thats the Truvo folee? There are 2 theleter that comescfterit sum ofthe numbers milion pet dogsin the UK inthe dphabet (20° has inthe twosquores bocome "and soon). Can recy below. youreverse the processto treokthe code anrove! + 360) theanswers? MJHIUOJOH 179|181 a 43 | 5 2 29 What makes bananas radioactive? UIVOEFS 1 \ 2) Sodium . 6 6|4 ') Radium ara 6) Potassivm /_ Issue 6 ScienooWature 49©} © PUTTLEANDQUIZANSWERS ‘Weather words p48, SRER IGF OGKUA TEcPRESSURER Snow-doku p48 2a) of) Bie) lalatetatziaye) aya) 7\sKa[0) (7) (6) (alaja(o) 5| [sia f2il6ii7ilo) (6) CSIC) is} [vIisi[4) 0] (elsistelolss) (3) Sl eziiy) (6) (1) (ai(airia) 8.3) | SF) Sass 93) i) (8) (7) (3) 9) (e) ISISIAISI7) (e881) ‘Thunder tower p49 Quiz P49 1.47 milion 2Twe 3.2) Becrenicwaste Sea pons Sue 6 Pots 50 Stienceature Issue 68 Foggy word finder 4B Coud Codebreaker p49 Fghing hastne thunder ‘What inthe world? p2, Didyou essthe ystny objec? Wel, you x (xyou oughta) There ar around 2500 ‘yrs onthe average ‘eathbnsh+d ee Nea cod female dolphin. She is a brillant ee eee at ADOPTADGLPHIN.COM:ADVERTISEMENT pee\lature Pa eee ie Ey ee Has your child ever asked why the sky's blue, but space is black? How fast can a shark swim? Or what the stretchiest substance in the Shee Universe is? TW) Science+Nature is the mind-blowing magazine with the answer to all these questions — and more! Each monthly issue delivers jaw-dropping facts, amazing activities and incredible photos, to inspire your children and fill them with wonder. fc peddemun pe MoU YEN + S2U0R OR OH LGN CON i ; i