The Physics of Alpine Skiing

Alpine Skiing: Where Physics, Physiology, and Performance Meet

Alpine skiing is a winter sport that blends athletic skill with physical laws. From gravity-driven acceleration to finely tuned body control, alpine skiing is a demonstration of physics in action.

Where Does Alpine Skiing Originate?

Alpine skiing originated in the mountainous regions of Europe, particularly the Alps, where skiing evolved from a practical mode of transportation into a competitive sport. Modern alpine skiing developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and became internationally organized soon after. The sport made its Olympic debut at the Winter Olympic Games in 1936.

Today, alpine skiing is practiced primarily at ski resorts equipped with chairlifts and gondolas, allowing skiers to repeatedly access steep terrain designed for both recreation and competition.

Physiological Effects of Alpine Skiing on the Body

Alpine skiing is a full-body workout with particularly strong benefits for:

  • Lower-body strength (quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals)
  • Core stability and postural control
  • Balance, coordination, and proprioception (awareness of the position and movement of the body)
  • Cardiovascular endurance

Research shows that skiing enhances muscular strength and neuromuscular coordination, which can improve overall functional fitness. While injuries, particularly to the knees, can occur, consistent and properly trained skiing supports long-term musculoskeletal health and postural control.

Physics Behind Alpine Skiing

Alpine skiing is governed by several foundational laws of physics, especially Newtonian mechanics and fluid dynamics.

1. Forces Acting on a Skier

The primary forces include:

  • Gravitational force pulling the skier downhill
  • Normal force from the snow surface
  • Frictional force between skis and snow
  • Air resistance (drag) opposing motion

The component of gravity pulling the skier downhill is given by:

Where: F=mg sin (a)

  • = mass of the skier
  • = acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²)
  • = slope angle

2. Air Drag and the Tuck Position

At high speeds, air resistance becomes the dominant limiting factor. Drag force is described by:

Where:

  • = drag coefficient (typically 0.4–1.0 for skiers)
  • = air density
  • = frontal area perpendicular to motion
  • = skier velocity

A skier in a deep crouched “tuck” position reduces both and , significantly lowering drag and allowing greater speeds.

3. Turning Physics and Centripetal Force

When carving turns, skiers experience centripetal acceleration:

Where:

  • = radius of the turn
  • = velocity along the turn

The angle of the skis relative to the slope (β) helps manage forces and maintain grip while resisting the outward pull during high-speed turns.

Does More Mass Mean Faster Skiing?

Greater mass can potentially lead to higher terminal velocity, but only under certain conditions.

  • A heavier skier experiences a larger gravitational force ()
  • However, air drag does not increase with mass, only with speed and body position
  • This means heavier skiers may accelerate slightly faster and reach higher speeds if technique and aerodynamics are equal

That said, strength, balance, reaction time, and technique are equally—if not more—important than mass alone.

Fastest Recorded Alpine Skiers

The fastest recorded speeds in alpine-style downhill skiing exceed 250 km/h (155 mph) in speed skiing disciplines. While exact body mass data of record-holding skiers is not consistently published, elite downhill racers tend to fall within a moderate mass range optimized for strength, power, and aerodynamic control, rather than higher body weight.

Are Women and Men Equally Capable in Alpine Skiing?

Yes, women and men are equally capable of elite alpine skiing, though performance differences arise from physiological averages, not capability.

Key factors:

  • Men, on average, have higher muscle mass and body mass, which may slightly increase downhill speed
  • Women often demonstrate excellent technical efficiency, balance, and aerodynamics
  • Equipment design, training methods, and course conditions play major roles in performance outcomes

When normalized for strength, technique, and aerodynamics, the same physical laws apply equally to all athletes, regardless of gender.

Alpine Skiing, Climate Change, and the Future

Climate change poses a growing challenge for alpine skiing. Rising global temperatures are expected to shorten winter seasons, reduce natural snowfall, and increase reliance on artificial snowmaking at resorts. This threatens not only recreational skiing but also competitive training pipelines and Olympic-level events.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists—One Slope at a Time

Alpine skiing is more than an exciting winter sport, it’s a living classroom where students can see physics, biology, and environmental science working together in real time. From Newton’s laws and aerodynamic drag to muscle coordination and climate science, skiing transforms abstract concepts into unforgettable experiences. At High Touch High Tech, we believe science is best learned by doing. That’s why our in-school, curriculum-based science field trips bring hands-on experiments and real-world connections directly into classrooms. Just like alpine skiing turns gravity and motion into thrilling performance, High Touch High Tech turns curiosity into discovery helping students understand how science shapes the world around them and inspires a lifelong love of science.

Citations & Further Reading

https://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/physics-of-skiing.html

Strong Bodies / Strong Minds

Strong Bodies, Strong Minds

Taking optimal care of our bodies includes adequate exercise as well as nutritious bioflavonoid abundant foods. Both have been shown to maintain and improve mental health as well as cognitive function.

Strong Bodies, Strong Minds — The Science of Movement, Nutrition & Brain Health

Taking optimal care of our bodies through regular exercise and a nutrient-rich diet doesn’t just improve physical strength, it fundamentally supports mental health and cognitive function as well. Extensive research has shown that regular physical activity enhances brain performance, improving memory, executive function, and processing speed across age groups, even with light-to-moderate intensity exercise. Physical activity boosts blood flow to the brain, increases neurotrophic factors, and reduces inflammation, all of which are linked to better cognition and mood regulation. PMC+1

Likewise, a diet rich in bioflavonoids and polyphenols, found in berries, cocoa, tea, citrus, and other plant foods, has been tied to improvements in memory, processing speed, and global cognitive performance, likely through mechanisms involving neuroplasticity and neuroprotection. PMC+1 Chronic intake of such nutrients has even been associated with higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a key molecule involved in neuron growth and mental resilience. PMC

Together, movement and nutrition form a powerful synergy, supporting not only muscles and posture but also emotional well-being, attention, and lifelong brain health. This holistic approach aligns with High Touch High Tech’s philosophy: INSPIRE. EXPLORE. ENGAGE. ™

Through active lifestyles and mindful eating, we empower minds and bodies alike, helping students and adults thrive both on the slopes and in life. MDPI

Citations

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10557954/
https://innohealthmagazine.com/2024/research/strong-body-strong-mind-the-interconnection-of-physical-and-mental-health/

Are Memories Stored in the Heart?

Are Memories Really Stored in the Heart?

1. Memory Storage Is a Brain Function

Scientific research overwhelmingly shows that cognitive memory, the ability to encode, store, and retrieve past experiences is a function of the brain, not the heart. Structures like the hippocampus and amygdala play central roles in how memories are formed and shaped, especially emotional memories.

For example:

  • The hippocampus is crucial for forming and transferring new memories.
  • Emotional experiences influence memory encoding through interactions between the amygdala and memory circuits.

2. The Heart Does Not Store Cognitive Memories

There is no scientific evidence that the human heart stores factual memories (events, people, places, etc.) the way the brain does. Claims that “the heart stores memories” are not supported by established neuroscience. This includes so-called heart transplant memory transfer stories, which are anecdotal and not proven in controlled research.

3. The Heart’s Intrinsic Nervous System

The heart does contain its own intrinsic cardiac nervous system, sometimes called a “little brain in the heart,” made up of tens of thousands of neurons.
But this neural network does not function like the brain’s memory systems. Its role is to help regulate heart rhythms and communicate with the central nervous system — not to store autobiographical memories or learned information.

4. Physiological “Memory” vs. Cognitive Memory

The heart does show what scientists sometimes call physiological memory:

  • The electrical system of the heart can exhibit “memory” in how it responds to prior electrical activity (e.g., T-wave changes on an ECG after pacing).
  • The heart adapts structurally to chronic demands — such as thickening in response to high blood pressure — which is sometimes described metaphorically as a “memory” of past stress.

This is very different from cognitive memory stored in the brain.

5. Heart–Brain Communication Influences Memory

While the heart does not store memories, it influences memory and cognition through physiological signals to the brain:

  • Research shows that heartbeat timing affects how well words are remembered in experiments — memory performance varies depending on when during the cardiac cycle stimuli are presented.
  • People with greater awareness of their heartbeats (interoception) show stronger emotional responses and linked memory effects.
    These findings highlight how body states modulate brain processes, not that the heart stores memory itself.

While science tells us that memories are formed in the brain, it also shows us something equally powerful: experiences shape memory best when they are emotional, physical, and engaging. When students touch, experiment, question, and explore, they are activating the very brain systems responsible for long-term learning and curiosity. Science isn’t just something we read about it’s something we experience.

At High Touch High Tech, we believe that meaningful science memories are created through hands-on discovery. That’s why we bring interactive science programs directly into classrooms, transforming the school day into an in-school field trip. Our educators deliver exciting, standards-aligned experiments that spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and help students form lasting connections to science — the kind of memories that stay with them long after the lesson ends.

If you’re ready to give your students a science experience they’ll remember with both their heads and hearts, let High Touch High Tech bring the excitement of real-world science straight to your school. Contact us today to schedule an in-school field trip and turn learning into an unforgettable experience.

Citations

  1. Amygdala & hippocampus in emotional memory encoding
    Neuronal activity in both the amygdala and hippocampus enhances memory for emotional experiences — key evidence that memory is a brain function.
    Qasim, S. E. et al. Neuronal activity in the human amygdala and hippocampus enhances emotional memory encoding. Nat. Hum. Behav. (2023).
     https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01502-8 Nature
  2. Amygdala and memory interaction with other brain systems
    The amygdala modulates memory storage processes occurring in other regions like the hippocampus, especially for emotionally arousing events.
    McGaugh, J. L. et al. Involvement of the amygdala in memory storage: Interaction with other brain systems. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. (1996).
     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC33638/ PMC
  3. Review of emotional arousal and memory consolidation
    Stress hormones and amygdala activation influence long-term memory consolidation through interactions with other brain regions.
    Adrenal Stress Hormones and Enhanced Memory for Emotionally Arousing Experiences. NCBI Bookshelf.
     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK3907/ NCBI
  4. Cardiac timing influences memory encoding
    Heartbeat timing and afferent signals from the cardiovascular system can influence how word stimuli are remembered — showing heart–brain interactions in cognition.
    Garfinkel, S. N. et al. What the heart forgets: Cardiac timing influences memory for words. Psychophysiology (2013).
     https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4340570/ PMC

 Heart & Brain Communication (No Evidence Heart Stores Cognitive Memory)

  • Brain–heart communication
    There are extensive neural and autonomic links between the brain and heart, but this research describes communication, not cognitive memory storage in the heart.
    Brain–heart communication in health and diseases. PubMed.
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35217133/ PubMed
  • Scientific view on heart transplant memory stories
    Neuroscience does not support the idea that memories are stored in the heart; personality and memory are rooted in the brain, though the heart’s neural network can influence emotion.
    Do Heart Transplant Recipients Inherit Traits of the Donor? Dave Lewis.
     https://davelewis.org/do-heart-transplant-recipients-inherit-traits-of-the-donor/ Dave Lewis

 Optional (Context on Heart’s Intrinsic Nervous System)

The “Sleep Cycles” of Plants

Plants do not sleep in the way animals do, but they do follow highly regulated biological rhythms that determine when they grow, flower, and produce fruit. These rhythms are governed by environmental signals, especially light exposure and temperature, and are essential for plant survival and reproduction.

Understanding these plant “sleep cycles” helps explain why certain plants bloom only in specific seasons and why fruit trees like apples require winter cold before producing blossoms in spring.

Light as a Biological Clock for Plants

Plants rely on a biological timing system that responds to the daily cycle of light and darkness. This system allows plants to measure day length, anticipate seasonal change, and coordinate key developmental events.

The scientific term for this light-dependent timing mechanism is photoperiodism.

Photoperiodism allows plants to detect how long the night lasts, not just how much light they receive. Specialized pigments, most notably phytochromes, sense changes in light duration and trigger internal signals that regulate flowering and growth.

Photoperiods and Flowering Timing

Plants are commonly grouped into three categories based on how their flowering responds to day length:

 Short-Day Plants

These plants flower when nights are long and uninterrupted. They typically bloom in late summer or fall. Examples include chrysanthemums and poinsettias.

Description English: Flowers in snow. Pink Chrysanthemum sp. cultivars. Ukraine, VinnytsiaУкраїнська: Квіти в снігу. Хризантеми. Україна, Вінниця
Date 20 November 2022, 13:25:49
Source Own work
Author George Chernilevsky

 Long-Day Plants

These plants flower when nights are short, usually in late spring or early summer. Examples include spinach, lettuce, and wheat.

 Day-Neutral Plants

These plants are not sensitive to day length and instead flower based on age or environmental conditions such as temperature. Tomatoes and cucumbers fall into this category.

This light-based timing ensures that flowering and seed production occur during seasons most favorable for pollination and survival.

Darkness Matters More Than Light

One surprising scientific finding is that plants measure the length of darkness, not daylight. Even a brief interruption of darkness, such as exposure to artificial light, can prevent flowering in some photoperiod-sensitive species.

This sensitivity highlights how modern light pollution can influence plant behavior, altering flowering times and potentially disrupting ecosystems.

Cold as a Reset Button: Chilling Requirements

By George Chernilevsky – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71525171

In addition to light, many plants, especially woody perennials, require exposure to cold temperatures before they can resume growth in spring. This process prevents plants from blooming too early during temporary warm spells in winter.

The required exposure to cold is commonly measured in chilling hours.

Chilling Hours and Fruit Trees

Apple trees are a classic example of plants that depend on chilling hours. Most apple varieties require 500–1,500 hours of temperatures between approximately 32°F and 45°F (0–7°C) during winter dormancy.

Without sufficient chilling:

  • Buds may open unevenly or not at all
  • Flowering may be delayed or reduced
  • Fruit production can be poor or absent

Chilling requirements vary by species and cultivar, which is why certain apple varieties thrive in colder climates while others are bred for warmer regions.

Dormancy: A Plant’s Version of Rest

During winter dormancy, plants dramatically slow their metabolic activity. Growth halts, energy is conserved, and tissues become more resistant to cold damage. This dormancy period functions much like a biological “rest phase,” ensuring plants are synchronized with seasonal cycles.

Once chilling requirements are met and day length increases, hormonal changes signal the plant to exit dormancy and begin spring growth.

Why These Cycles Matter

Plant timing systems are essential for:

  • Successful reproduction
  • Synchronization with pollinators
  • Protection from frost damage
  • Reliable food production

As global climates change, mismatches between temperature patterns and photoperiod cues may increasingly affect plant health, crop yields, and ecosystem stability.

Conclusion: Plants Keep Time Too

Although plants do not sleep, they are anything but passive. Through sophisticated responses to light and temperature, plants maintain precise biological schedules that govern when they bloom, fruit, and grow. These plant “sleep cycles” are a powerful reminder that life on Earth, plant and animal alike, is deeply connected to the rhythms of our planet.

Understanding these rhythms gives us better tools to grow food, protect ecosystems, and appreciate the remarkable biology happening quietly all around us.

At High Touch High Tech, we love helping students discover that science is happening all around them, even in places they might not expect, like plants quietly responding to light and cold. By exploring concepts such as photoperiods, dormancy, and chilling hours, students gain a deeper understanding of how biology, chemistry, and environmental science intersect. Through our on-site, in-school field trips, we transform classrooms into living laboratories, bringing hands-on experiments and real-world science directly to students.

Citations

Taiz, L., Zeiger, E., Møller, I. M., & Murphy, A. (2015). Plant Physiology and Development. Sinauer Associates. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL25772714M/Plant_Physiology_and_Developmen

  • Song, Y. H., Ito, S., & Imaizumi, T. (2013). Flowering time regulation: photoperiod- and temperature-sensing in leaves. Trends in Plant Science, 18(10), 575–583. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23790253/

Sleep Cycles and How They have Changed

How Sleep Cycles Have Changed as Society Has Changed

A Scientific Look at Human Sleep Through Time

Sleep is a biological necessity, yet how humans sleep has shifted dramatically as society has evolved. While modern life often frames sleep as an eight-hour nightly obligation, scientific and historical evidence shows that human sleep patterns have been shaped and reshaped by technology, culture, and social structure.

Understanding how sleep has changed offers insight into why modern sleep problems are so common and why they are not simply a matter of personal failure or poor habits.

The Biology of Sleep: A Constant Beneath the Change

At the core of human sleep is the circadian rhythm, an internal biological clock that operates on an approximately 24-hour cycle. This system regulates sleep and wakefulness, hormone secretion (including melatonin), body temperature, and metabolism.

Light is the strongest external signal influencing circadian rhythms. Exposure to light, especially blue-wavelength light, suppresses melatonin and promotes alertness, while darkness allows melatonin levels to rise, signaling the body that it is time to sleep. This biological mechanism has remained consistent throughout human evolution, even as environments and lifestyles have changed.

Sleep Before Industrialization: Aligned With Nature

Light-Driven Sleep Timing

Before widespread artificial lighting, human sleep was closely synchronized with the natural day–night cycle. Sunset marked the beginning of reduced activity, while sunrise prompted waking. Seasonal variations also influenced sleep length, with longer sleep durations commonly reported during winter months.

Segmented Sleep Patterns

Historical documents from Europe and other regions describe a phenomenon known as segmented sleep, in which people slept in two blocks separated by a period of wakefulness around midnight. During this time, individuals might pray, read, reflect, or engage in quiet household tasks.

While this pattern appears frequently in historical records, modern anthropological research suggests sleep patterns varied widely across cultures and environments. Some pre-industrial societies practiced consolidated sleep, while others exhibited seasonal or flexible patterns depending on climate and lifestyle.

Sleep Duration in Traditional Societies

Contrary to popular belief, pre-industrial populations did not necessarily sleep longer than modern humans. Studies using wearable sleep monitors in hunter-gatherer and horticulturalist societies without electricity show average sleep durations ranging from approximately 5.7 to 7.1 hours per night, comparable to many industrialized populations.

The Industrial Revolution: A Major Turning Point

The Industrial Revolution introduced two powerful forces that permanently altered sleep:

Artificial Light

The widespread use of gas and electric lighting extended waking hours well beyond sunset. Evening light exposure delays melatonin release, shifting sleep onset later into the night and altering circadian timing.

Clock-Based Schedules

Factory work, standardized timekeeping, and compulsory schooling imposed fixed wake times, regardless of individual biological preference. Over time, societies transitioned toward monophasic sleep, a single consolidated sleep period, which became the cultural norm in industrialized nations.

This shift represented one of the first large-scale mismatches between biological rhythms and social expectations.

Modern Society: Technology and Circadian Conflict

Screens and Blue Light

Modern LED lighting and digital screens emit blue-rich light that strongly suppresses melatonin. Evening exposure delays sleep onset and reduce sleep pressure, making it harder to fall asleep at socially required bedtimes.

Social Jet Lag

The term social jet lag describes the discrepancy between biological sleep timing and externally imposed schedules. Many individuals sleep later on free days than on workdays, creating a pattern similar to repeated time-zone travel. This misalignment has been associated with increased daytime sleepiness, mood disturbances, and metabolic fluctuations.

Sleep Quantity vs. Sleep Timing

Large international studies show that people in industrialized societies may not sleep less than those in non-industrial settings. However, modern sleep is often more fragmented, more irregular, and more biologically misaligned, largely due to artificial light and social constraints rather than reduced opportunity to sleep.

Recent Social Experiments: What Happens When Schedules Change?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread remote work and flexible schedules provided a natural experiment in sleep behavior. Many people reported sleeping longer and closer to their natural circadian preferences, highlighting how social structure often restricts sleep timing.

This period demonstrated that sleep patterns can shift rapidly when societal constraints are relaxed.

What Science Tells Us Overall

Several key conclusions emerge from sleep research across history and cultures:

  • Human sleep biology has remained stable, but sleep expression is highly flexible
  • The eight-hour, uninterrupted sleep model is not a universal historical norm
  • Artificial light and rigid schedules are primary drivers of modern sleep disruption
  • Many sleep problems stem from circadian misalignment, not personal failure

Understanding sleep as a biological process shaped by social forces allows for a more compassionate and evidence-based view of modern sleep challenges.

Conclusion: Learning From Our Sleep History

Sleep has never been a static behavior. From segmented nights by candlelight to late evenings illuminated by screens, human sleep reflects the world we build around ourselves. Modern science suggests that improving sleep may require not just individual behavior changes, but broader awareness of how light, work, and social expectations interact with our biology.

By recognizing how society has shaped sleep, we can better understand how to protect it.

At High Touch High Tech, we believe that science is most powerful when it is experienced, questioned, and explored firsthand. From understanding the biology of sleep to uncovering how our daily lives shape human behavior, we love helping students connect scientific concepts to the world around them. Through our on-site, in-school field trips, we transform classrooms into living laboratories, bringing hands-on experiments, curiosity, and discovery directly to students. By making science engaging and accessible, we aim to inspire the next generation of thinkers, innovators, and lifelong learners.

Come back next week and check out our next blog exploring the “sleep cycles” of plants!

Citations

  1. Roenneberg, T., et al. (2012). Social jetlag and obesity. Current Biology, 22(10), 939–943.
  2. Yetish, G., et al. (2015). Natural sleep and its seasonal variations in three pre-industrial societies. Current Biology, 25(21), 2862–2868.
  3. Ekirch, A. R. (2001). Sleep we have lost: Pre-industrial slumber in the British Isles. American Historical Review, 106(2), 343–386.
  4. Wright, K. P., et al. (2013). Entrainment of the human circadian clock to the natural light–dark cycle. Current Biology, 23(16), 1554–1558.
  5. Cho, Y., et al. (2015). Effects of artificial light at night on human health. Chronobiology International, 32(9), 1294–1310.
  6. Blume, C., Garbazza, C., & Spitschan, M. (2019). Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie, 23, 147–156.
  7. Robbins, R., et al. (2021). Sleep duration and timing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep Health, 7(2), 248–251.
  8. Street lights in Singapore (8233226620).jpg Flickr images reviewed by File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske) Media needing category review as of 15 April 2016 Photographs by Edwin Soo Singapore photographs taken on 2012-11-30
  9. Flaming June, by Frederic Lord Leighton (1830-1896).jpg

Kitchen Chemistry!

You don’t need a lab or expensive supplies to do real science with kids. Some of the best experiments happen right at the kitchen table, using everyday ingredients. Kitchen Chemistry is all about turning ordinary materials into moments of discovery—where kids can explore reactions, states of matter, and density while creating something beautiful and fun.

Below are three engaging, hands-on experiments that use simple kitchen items and invite kids to observe, ask questions, and experiment like real scientists.

Experiment 1: Baking Soda & Vinegar Color Explosion

Chemistry meets art

What You’ll Need

  • Pie pan
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar (about 6 oz for each jar or cup)
  • Food coloring (multiple colors)
  • 3 small cups or jars
  • Pipettes, teaspoons, or turkey basters

Setup

  1. Spread baking soda evenly in the pie pan until it’s about ½ inch deep.
  2. In each small jar, pour vinegar and add a few drops of food coloring to create different colors.
  3. Place everything on the kitchen table (a tray or towel underneath helps with cleanup).

What to Do

Kids use pipettes, spoons, or basters to drizzle the colored vinegar onto the baking soda. Watch as the colors fizz, bubble, spread, and mix across the pan—creating vibrant, foamy chemistry art.

What’s Happening?

This is a chemical reaction between an acid (vinegar) and a base (baking soda). When they combine, they produce carbon dioxide gas, the bubbles kids see forming and popping.
Encourage questions like:

  • What happens when colors overlap?
  • Does more vinegar make bigger bubbles?
  • What happens if you drizzle slowly vs. quickly?

____________________________________________________________________________________

Experiment 2: Non-Newtonian Fluid Fun

Is it a liquid… or a solid?

Part 1: The Ketchup Bottle Demo

Start with a classic observation experiment:

  • Turn a ketchup bottle upside down.
  • Watch how it refuses to flow… until you shake or squeeze it.

Ask kids: Why does it suddenly move?

Part 2: Make Your Own Non-Newtonian Fluid

You’ll Need

  • Cornstarch
  • Water
  • Bowl
  • Spoon (or hands!)

Instructions

  1. Add about 1 cup of cornstarch to a bowl.
  2. Slowly add water, mix until it feels thick but still flows when stirred.

Explore

  • Squeeze it in your hand, it feels solid.
  • Let it rest and it moves like a liquid.
  • Try tapping it vs. slowly pressing it.

What’s Happening?

This mixture is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it doesn’t follow normal rules of liquids. The faster you apply force, the more solid it behaves. Slow movement lets it flow.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Experiment 3: Color-Through-Oil Magic

Exploring density and liquids that don’t mix

What You’ll Need

  • Clear jar or small clear water bottle
  • Water
  • Vegetable oil
  • Food coloring

Setup

  1. Fill the jar about ⅓ full of water.
  2. Add oil until the jar is almost full, leaving a little space at the top.
  3. Let it settle so you can clearly see the oil layer above the water.

What to Do

Drop food coloring into the jar and watch closely. The colored drops slowly move through the oil, then suddenly burst into the water below—creating beautiful swirling patterns.

What’s Happening?

Oil and water don’t mix because of their molecular properties, and oil is less dense than water, so it floats. Food coloring is water-based, so it passes through the oil and dissolves once it reaches the water layer.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Why Kitchen Chemistry Matters

These experiments do more than entertain. They help kids:

  • Practice observation and prediction (hypothesis)
  • Build early chemistry vocabulary
  • Understand that science is about exploring, not just getting the “right” answer

Best of all, they show kids that science is everywhere, even in their own kitchen.

So, grab a pie pan, a bowl, and a little curiosity.

High Touch High Tech offers hand-on science delivered to your school. We transform classrooms into living laboratories! Visit sciencemadefun.io to find a location near you!

Citations

Baking Soda & Vinegar Reaction

____________________________________________________________________________________

Non-Newtonian Fluids (Cornstarch & Water / Ketchup)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Oil, Water, and Food Coloring (Density & Polarity)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Science Learning Through Play

  • National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.). STEM learning through play.
    Supports the educational value of hands-on, inquiry-based science activities. (https://www.naeyc.org/)

Pictures

Description English: Ketchup bottles at Fullers Coffee Shop
Date 7 July 2013, 13:26:55
Source Own work
Author Visitor7
Camera location 45° 31′ 27.85″ N, 122° 40′ 48.42″ W

Winter Solstice!

The Winter Solstice: The Science Behind the Shortest Day

Each year in late December, we experience a turning point in Earth’s journey around the Sun: the winter solstice. Often described as the “shortest day of the year,” the winter solstice marks a precise astronomical moment.

What Is the Winter Solstice?

The winter solstice occurs when Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is tilted as far away from the Sun as possible. At this moment, the Sun follows its lowest and shortest path across the sky, resulting in the fewest daylight hours of the entire year.

This isn’t caused by Earth being farther from the Sun, Earth is actually closest to the Sun in early January. Instead, the solstice happens because Earth is tilted about 23.5 degrees on its axis. That tilt controls how much sunlight each hemisphere receives throughout the year.

Why Is It the Shortest Day?

On the winter solstice:

  • The Sun rises at its southernmost point on the horizon
  • Solar noon is lower in the sky
  • Sunlight strikes the Northern Hemisphere at a more indirect angle

All of this reduces both the duration and intensity of sunlight we receive. In much of the continental United States, daylight lasts only about 9–10 hours on the solstice.

When Do We Start Gaining Daylight?

Here’s the hopeful part: the return of the light begins immediately after the winter solstice.

  • In the days following the solstice, daylight increases by about 1–2 minutes per day
  • By late January, the daily increase can approach 2–3 minutes per day
  • The rate continues to increase until around the spring equinox

Interestingly, the latest sunrise doesn’t occur exactly on the solstice, it happens a few days later. This is due to the way Earth’s elliptical orbit and axial tilt interact, a phenomenon known as the equation of time.

How Long Until the Summer Solstice?

From the winter solstice in late December, there are approximately 182 days until the summer solstice, which occurs around June 20–21.

That long arc from shortest day to longest day represents Earth slowly tipping the Northern Hemisphere back toward the Sun—bringing longer days, higher sun angles, and eventually summer warmth.

A Brief History of Solstice Celebrations

Long before modern astronomy, people noticed the solstice’s significance.

  • Ancient stone structures like Stonehenge align with solstice sunrises and sunsets
  • Roman celebrations such as Saturnalia honored the return of longer days
  • Norse cultures observed Yule, a festival centered on light, renewal, and survival

While the traditions varied, the shared theme was universal: the Sun’s return meant hope, food, and life.

High Touch High Tech offers programs demonstrating the Earth’s tilt, solar eclipses, and lunar eclipses through hand-on experiments. We will bring the laboratory to your school! Go to sciencemadefun.io to check for a location near you!

Citations

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Earth’s seasons and axial tilt.
  • National Weather Service. Winter solstice and daylight changes.
  • Time and Date AS. Daylight length and solstice timing.
  • Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art. Historical solstice observances.
  • Royal Museums Greenwich. Solstices and equinoxes explained.

Biology Research in Western North Carolina

On September 11, 2025 I attended a faculty introduction to the Biology Department at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Six Doctors of Biology introduced themselves and spoke briefly about their work. After each summary of the classes they teach and the research they are currently focused on, they each sat at a table of three to five students to answer questions and discuss their research further. They had conversations with each table of students.

Dr. Melinda Grosser was the director of the event as well as offering an overview of her own roles as professor and the research she is currently working on. She is doing extensive research on Staphylococcus Aureus because of its resistance to antibiotics. Her lab is using a control and comparing that to any mutations that may occur in their samples. She hopes to be able to design a knockdown strain. They are hoping to silence the antibiotic-resistant genes.

Dr Courtney Clark-Hachtel spoke about her study of Tardigrades and their remarkable resilience. She focuses on a particular species, Hypsibius exemplaris. Tardigrades are resilient in many ways, the most common is ability to desiccate or dry themselves out in times of drought stress. However, Dr. Clark-Hachtel is specifically focused on their ability to repair DNA after radiation exposure. Her lab is experimenting with observing how the DNA providing this ability reacts in other systems.

Dr Ted Meigs worked for the department of cancer research and pharmacology from 1996-2003. He has been a professor at UNCA for 23 years. He is currently researching how cells function and how molecules interact with cells. He has continued his research on cancer at UNCA. His lab is currently focused on the proteins involved in switched DNA that contribute to cell mutation on or off.

Dr Jonathan Horton has been a biology professor at UNCA for over 20 years. His focus is on forest mycology and ecology. His lab recently evaluated the vast amount of fallen trees due to hurricane Helene last September and their relation to possible changes in mycorrhiza. He has created a fungarium, a collection of dried fungus specimens. His collection exceeds 450 and he is working on getting a DNA bar code for each.

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Dr. Camila Filgueiras teaches entomology along with other courses at UNCA. Her research focuses on how insects interact with their environment. She aims to understand the relationship of insects, plants, and microbes. One of her specific studies are on the American Chestnut and chestnut blight, Cryphonectria parasitica. Her lab also examines all pathogens affecting the majestic trees.

Dr Rebecca Hale is the director of undergraduate research. Her current research focuses on animal behavior where ecology and evolution overlap. Specifically, she is studying the parental behavior of salamanders. Not all species of salamanders have the same parental behavior. These behaviors include maternal care, paternal care and no care. One of the main species she studies is the Marble Salamander, Ambystoma opacum. The parental behavior of the Marble Salamander is that some mothers stay with her eggs and curve their body around the eggs to hold any moisture in contact with the eggs. This begins the hatching process. They do not stay for the hatching of the eggs.

Every professor had a chance to have a short chat with each student. They were all excited about their research and very engaging. They answered questions from the students and asked many questions of their own. When a student exhibited a focused interest on a particular branch of biology each professor offered to extend a conversation on the subject beyond the seminar. Many of the professors share their research with each other, for biological systems overlap.

Hibernation

“Dormice” by Kentish Plumber is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Hibernation: How Animals Power Down for Winter

It’s that time of year again—when animals retreat into dens, nests, and burrows to wait out the cold and darkness of winter. I always look forward to December 21st because the days finally start getting longer, bit by bit. But while many of us are craving more daylight, countless animals are preparing for the quiet, energy-saving state we call hibernation.

Most people know that bears hibernate, but what about foxes? Raccoons? Deer? Mice? Birds? Do all birds really fly south? And what actually happens inside an animal’s body during hibernation? Let’s explore.

What Exactly Is Hibernation?

According to a 2020 study by C. Frare, Cory T. Williams, and Kelly L. Drew titled Thermoregulation in hibernating mammals: The role of the thyroid hormone system, hibernation begins with a gradual decline in body temperature in early fall. As animals enter a state called torpor, they become physically and mentally less active.

One of the major players in this process?
The thyroid gland.

Thyroid hormones help regulate body temperature and metabolism in all mammals. During the transition to hibernation, these hormones shift to support extreme energy conservation.

In smaller mammals—such as mice and ground squirrels—hibernation involves periodic reductions in metabolic rate and body temperature from around October to March. They move between long periods of torpor and short periods of rewarming called interbout arousals, also known as euthermia.

Garst, Warren, 1922-2016, photographer

Why go through all this?
As Frare and colleagues explain, hibernation is an evolutionary strategy to conserve energy when food is scarce and temperatures drop.

Ectotherms vs. Endotherms: Who Can Hibernate?

In 2013, Fritz Geiser’s paper Hibernation described two broad physiological types of organisms:

Ectotherms

  • Low metabolic rates
  • Little or no insulation
  • Body temperature depends on environmental temperature
  • Includes most plants, reptiles, amphibians, and many insects

Ectotherms generally do NOT hibernate as mammals do. They often lack the internal heating ability to survive freezing temperatures… and many simply freeze to death.

Endotherms

  • High metabolic rates
  • Insulate themselves (fur, feathers, fat)
  • Can maintain body temperatures between 32–42°C
  • Includes most mammals, birds, some fishes, insects, and even flowering plants

Because maintaining body heat uses tons of energy—especially for smaller animals—many endotherms have evolved heterothermy, the ability to lower body temperature and metabolic rate, sometimes dramatically. This adaptation allows true hibernation.

During torpor, body temperature may drop to 0–20°C, heart rate and water loss decrease, and metabolism slows. Despite this, animals must still produce enough heat to prevent tissue damage.

“Dormice” by Kentish Plumber is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Examples of Heterothermy in Nature

Here are some fascinating species that use torpor or hibernation:

  • Mountain pygmy possum (Australian Alps)
    Hibernates among snow-covered boulder fields for 5–6 months.
  • Tawny frogmouth
    One of the largest birds known to enter torpor, especially at night or early morning.
  • Fat-tailed dunnart (Australia)
    A small marsupial found in arid regions that regularly uses torpor to conserve energy.

These strategies allow animals to survive seasons when food would otherwise be too scarce to support their high metabolic needs.

Why Not Just Sleep? Or Migrate?

Being alive burns energy—walking, digesting, and even sleeping. Birds can migrate to warmer areas, but for many small mammals, migrating long distances would take far more energy than they could afford.

Evolution has carved out hibernation as the perfect winter survival strategy:
save energy, slow everything down, and wait for better times.

And believe it or not, hibernation isn’t just for winter.

Summer Hibernation: Estivation

Some animals hibernate in summer, especially in extremely hot or dry environments.
This is called estivation.

Examples:

  • Certain species of tortoises
  • Some amphibians and insects
  • A few small mammals

These animals power down to avoid heat and dehydration instead of cold and hunger.

And some creatures enter daily torpor, a shorter, milder form of hibernation.
Bats are great examples—they can drop their body temperature for short periods to conserve energy.

Tortoise Hibernating Burrow

“Tortoise hibernation burrow” by U.S. Army Environmental Command is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Do Zoo Animals Hibernate?

It depends on the zoo.
Some facilities intentionally trigger hibernation by adjusting temperature and lighting.
Others keep animals awake year-round by providing consistent warmth and food, which removes the environmental cues that normally trigger hibernation.

How Animals Prepare for Hibernation

Preparation is everything.

  • Squirrels collect and store nuts.
  • Bears pack on fat reserves.
  • Some animals do both!
  • Many species rely heavily on photoperiod—the changing length of daylight—to know when winter is approaching.

Animals must build up enough energy reserves to survive months without food.

What Happens Inside the Body During Hibernation?

A lot changes:

Breathing

  • Drops by 50% or more
  • Some reptiles temporarily stop breathing entirely

Waste

  • Deep hibernators produce no feces
  • They do produce urea, but they’re able to recycle it internally
  • They prevent dehydration by extracting water from stored fat

The body becomes an energy-saving machine.

Hibernation: More Complex Than You Think

Hibernation isn’t just long sleep—it’s a dramatic, finely tuned physiological transformation. From thyroid hormones to torpor cycles, from possums in the Alps to birds in Australia, animals have evolved remarkable strategies to survive harsh seasons.

Next time winter settles in and the days grow short, remember that beneath the soil, inside hollow trees, and deep within snowy burrows, countless creatures are slowing their hearts, lowering their temperatures, and quietly waiting for spring.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8091518/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982213001310https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/hibernation.htm