Science Debunked: The Chameleon and Wayferers

I’m sure that by now you have seen this video of the chameleon camouflaging itself to the color of the Wayferer sunglasses. But is this real or fake? \

We all want to believe that chameleons can camouflage their bodies into these spectacular colors, but in reality they only have four shades to work with — yellow, red, blue and brown. They can mix colors to create other colors but not to the vibrancy or as quickly as depicted in the viral YouTube video.

A chameleon usually only changes its colors when he wants to warm up, he turns darker to absorb more sunlight, and turns lighter when he wants to cool down. If the lizard is frightened, angry or in a romantic mood, he might change color to let other chameleons know.

According to Snopes.com, “this video clip (produced through the use of some digital trickery) originated as a clever promotion created by the Cutwater ad agency in March 2009 for Ray-Ban, advertising that the sunglass manufacturer’s classic line of Wayfarer sunglasses was now available in a range of different colors.”

So this YouTube video tricking its viewers into believing that chameleon’s can change its colors that quickly and vibrantly has been deemed debunked!

 

Think About It Thursday: How Fast Are Those Wings?

For today’s Think about it Thursday article, we are going to briefly look at different winged species and see how fast they are in comparison!

Fruit Fly: 200 times per second

Mosquito: 400 times per second

Honey Bee: 230 times per second

Dragonfly: 30 beats per second BUT can fly up to about 35mph!

Butterfly: 5-12 times per second

Hummingbird: Approximately 80 times per second

Bat: About 50 times per second

Chickadee: 27 times per second

Great Blue Heron: Approximately only 1 flap per second!

Just call me Biology Becca!

Biology Becca is teaching for High Touch High High Tech of Charlotte. She will soon be going on our corporate partner Royal Caribbean to work in the youth facilities, where she will be involved in the Adventure Science program. A High Touch High Tech branded program that has been running on RCCL fleet wide since she was 5 years old. We wish you the best of luck!

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

 

Wishing everyone a happy Autumnal Equinox or first official day of Fall today! In celebration today’s post will be about the science behind building one of our favorite Fall pastimes, the corn maze.

There is way more than you can imagine that goes into creating a corn maze. First, the farmer needs to decide on which hybrid of corn he needs to plant in order for it to be the right height and stalk strength. Secondly, he must keep a close eye on the corn crop during the growing process for a disease called “stalk rot”. Stalk rot is a key factor when there is improper fertilization and moisture stress on the plant. Then the farmer needs to think about having an area large enough to plant his corn and produce his maze. Another note to keep in mind is that he should not overcrowd the corn plants either. 

Once the corn is fully mature and tall enough, the farmer will start to cut pathways. Cutting the pathways isn’t just as simple as cutting out rows into the corn. Most corn mazes these days follow a specific theme or classic movie. So the farmers will use a GPS navigation device in order to plan and execute precise pathways into their corn maze! Some of the best corn mazes have “bridges” built into the middle of the maze, where tourists can climb up the stairs and look out over the corn that they are lost in!

If you have never experienced a corn maze for yourself, I encourage you to try out this extremely fun Autumn pastime! Here is a list of all the corn mazes in the United States! http://www.cornmazesamerica.com/

Stop by one and get lost in the corn today!

Think About It Thursday: Can Humans Walk on Water?

Unfortunately, it is impossible for humans to walk on just straight H2O without any sort of contraption or addition to the water. A recent experiment was done and it was found out that if cornstarch is added to water, the mixture creates something called oobleck. According to Instructables.com, “oobleck is a non-newtonian fluid. That is, it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of your hands. Make enough Oobleck and you can even walk on it!” So that’s what Mach from Hong Leong Bank did, they filled a small pool with oobleck and let volunteers try their hand at walking on water! Check out the video below!

 

High Touch High Tech uses Safe, Non-Toxic, Everyday Materials in All Experiments!

 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Recently, in the news, we have heard about a couple of science experiments “gone wrong”. During a science demonstration at the Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum in Reno, Nevada one of their routine science experiments turned drastic when a methyl alcohol and boric acid mixture was used during an exhibition known as the “fire tornado” to create a whirling effect. The experiment went horribly wrong when the alcohol was added at the inappropriate time and caused an explosion and a plume of fire. The fire reached the students that were observing the experiment and they suffered burns on their legs, arms, toes, and faces. 

Chairperson, Rafael Moure-Eraso  of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board issued a warning against the use of methanol during laboratory and classroom combustion demonstrations. The warning states:

Today I am calling on all schools, museums, and science educators to discontinue any use of bulk methanol—or other similar flammables—in lab demonstrations that involve combustion, open flames, or ignition sources. There are safer alternative ways to demonstrate the same scientific phenomena, and many teachers are already using them. Any use of methanol or other flammables should be either avoided completely or restricted to minimal amounts, which have been safely dispensed at remote locations. Bulk containers of flammable liquids must never be positioned or handled near viewing audiences, especially when there are potential ignition sources present.”

High Touch High Tech would like to let all their friends, teachers, parents, and students know that we only use safe, non-toxic, everyday materials and chemicals in all of our experiments! The safety of our students, teachers, parents and schools is our top priority!

To learn more about our programs or to reserve an in-school field trip for your school, visit us online at www.ScienceMadeFun.net

For FUN at home experiments, science jokes & trivia as well as educational science games, visit our KIDS website at www.ScienceMadeFunKIDS.net