An Easily Made Parachute Great fun can be had by flying a parachute on days when there is a moderate wind. You want to stand on a small hill with the breeze behind you. Be careful when letting the apparatus free that the threads are not entangled and that the paper dome is in proper shape. To make a good …

The end of a spaceflight is the time when the astronauts aboard are in the most danger. Just before landing, the spacecraft has to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere from space. At this point, the spacecraft is traveling very fast. As it rushes into the upper atmosphere, friction with the air heats the outside of the spacecraft so much that it …

A group of 20,000 cells in the hypothalamus, called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), that determines an organism’s internal rhythm is referred to as the mind’s clock. Research led by Richter showed that these cells are situated in the frontal part of the hypothalamus and control the rhythmic circadian behaviour. In 1970, researchers located the specific target in the hypothalamus that …

The lost-wax process is a method for creating moulds for metal casting. It is commonly used by artists and sculptors to make moulds for casting metal statues. However, it is also used in many industries, when highly detailed, single-use moulds are required. The process begins with a designer creating a representation of the desired finished article out of wax. Wax …

The Greek legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece is believed by some scholars to be founded on fact. The story begins in Thessaly when King Aeson was deposed from the throne by his step-brother, Pelias. When his son Jason grew up he demanded his father’s kingdom back. Pelias promised to surrender the kingdom if Jason would bring back from …

A Broom for the Garden Stiff bass brooms can be purchased quite cheaply, but while they will do many forms of sweeping admirably, they are not nearly so good as a besom for getting the leaves off the lawn or doing up a sanded path. A broom of this kind can be easily made, and will give good service for …

The Latur pattern of study involves continuous and methodical practice of model question papers months before the board exams. It was devised by Aniruddha Jadhav, principal of Rajarishi Shahu College in Latur, who felt it helps students in providing point-to-point answers to questions which could be expected in the examination. This methodology, however, has been lambasted by educationists who consider …

Standing 8 feet high and weighing 300 pounds, the ostrich is easily the largest bird in the world. On African, grasslands it has adopted the habits of a grazing animal and groups roam about feeding in the company of zebras and gazelles. It is well adapted to this sort of habitat. Good eyesight and a long neck enable it to …

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), currently being built at CERN near Geneva, is the largest scientific instrument on the planet. When it begins operations later this year, it will produce roughly 15 petabytes (15 million gigabytes) of data annually. The mission of the LHC Computing Project (LCG) is to build and maintain a data storage infrastructure.

An Aerial Ropeway This increasingly popular form of transporting goods suggests an up-to-date mechanical toy which will provide a great deal of amusement. The first necessity is a pair of stout wooden uprights, suitably weighted so that they will not pull over. Wood one inch square in section and about six inches high will be suitable, if each upright is …