The Epic Hidden History of Maraschino Cherries

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
International Cherry Pit Spitting Day
July 3rd!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Here in the glory days of summer, one of the best things about an already stellar season is the abundance of fruit, especially the abundance of CHERRIES!  Enjoyed right across the world from The U.S. to Japan, this beloved fruit has a flavor that is welcome in almost any confection you can imagine, from ice cream to sweet liqueurs.  The finest cherries of the harvest sell from upscale Japanese fruit retailers for 350 dollars a box.  Cherryheads can even participate in the National Cherry Festival in Traverse, Michigan, which attracts half a million people a year, or test their skills at the International Cherry Pit-Spitting Contest, also in Michigan.  (The world record for a spit pit is 30.6 meters, by the way!)

Cherry Pit Spitting Contest in Germany

It is true that cherries are an iconic and beloved fruit, so much so that they have given rise to colloquial sayings such as “the cherry on top,” which makes the red cherry garnish on top of sweet treats a metaphor for the final flourish that perfects something.  But where did that famous bright red cherry on top come from?  The story of the Maraschino cherry that completes the world’s deserts, and makes its cocktails extra tasty, is actually an epic story of persistence and devotion that spans seven generations!  Since 1823, the Luxardo family of Italy have put their name on the world’s most highly regarded brand of Maraschino cherries, still lovingly produced by the clan from blossom to bottle.

If it sounds strange to you that the bright red (or green) Maraschino cherries available at the supermarket, which are known to be bathed in 20th century concoctions such as sulfur dioxide, high fructose corn syrup, red dye # 40, and potassium sorbate, are so highly regarded, you are thinking of the wrong Maraschino cherry.  Cordials and preserves made of the Marasca cherry had been popular in Europe for thousands of years, but it was Girolamo Luxardo and his wife Maria who perfected the first version that was sold widely as a brand in 1823.  The original Luxardo recipe that continues to the present day boasts that “No thickening agents of any type and no preservatives are used, and the dark red color is all natural.”  Cocktail and café culture around the world was just beginning to evolve in the 19th century, and the Luxardo company became the world’s pre-eminent cherry on top from that time forward.  Sadly, 4 of the 5 Luxardo heirs were killed in WWII bombings, and the sole survivor escaped to Northern Italy with one single Marasca cherry sapling to continue the brand.  As that one sapling was slowly growing into the new Luxardo orchards, however, the post-war ethos of “better living through chemistry” had intervened and the mass produced, dye-infused version that we now know as Maraschinos took hold around the world.  Originally invented in the 1920’s as a cheaper version of Luxardo Maraschinos, the bright red, sugar-impregnated Maraschinos commonly bought today are really only chemically enhanced knockoffs of a much healthier, and by all accounts much more delicious, original recipe.  For an interesting cherry’s-eye-view at how much the technological world has changed in 200 years, have a look at the videos below about how the two dueling Maraschinos are produced, preferably while enjoying a seasonal bowl of the fresh stuff (and maybe spitting a pit or two)!

If the idea of testing your skill at launching cherry pits
across the room sounds like a fun summertime challenge, look no further than our
Catapult at-home experiment! Check out the lesson plan below, grab your
supplies, and start experimenting with lift, force, gravity and more!

Catapult Lesson Plan: https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/Catapult_EOTD_May%206th.pdf

Sources:

How 350 dollar per box Japanese Cherries are Grown:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjWajrNcT0A

The National Cherry Festival in Traverse, MI:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-LhcQIbqts

The International Cherry Pit Spitting Contest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrfOppxKTwc

The Creation of Luxardo Maraschinos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFONeb7bNH4

How Conventional Maraschinos are made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1brsg7h6gQ

Gourmet Mixology with Luxardo Cherries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNSMVA4tTpU

Never Underestimate a Catfish

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
National Catfish Day
June 25th!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

When you hear the word “catfish” it may bring up different associations in your mind. For many of us, “catfish” refers to an internet scam where a person is lured in by a fake dating profile and then targeted for money.   If you are a Southerner, catfish refers to a delicious food served battered and deep fried, always with a side of French fries and a sweet tea.  When you look at how versatile and widespread actual Catfish, Siluriformes, are, it seems perfectly appropriate that there are so many associations attached to their name.  Sometimes underestimated as gross bottom feeders (they have been known to nibble on dead bodies) or a cheap trash fish, in reality, catfish boast a dinosaur-era lineage, a worldwide range, impressive adaptability, AND the biggest freshwater fish in the world, the Mekong Giant Catfish, Pangasianodon Gigas.  There is even a species that can “walk” on land.  Underestimate the humble catfish at your own peril, because not only are they tough, but they are everywhere, and they are BIG!  (And yes, even the biggest ones are said to be delicious.)

Of course, we at High Touch High Tech would NEVER condone eating a Mekong Giant Catfish, because they are critically endangered.  Catfish are known to get exceptionally large, with the Wels Catfish in Europe reaching 8 feet and the Piraiba of the Amazon reaching 7 feet.  However, the Mekong Catfish is considered King of All Catfish because it is the largest catfish in the world, with one caught in 2005 tipping the scales at 646 pounds and measuring 9 feet!  This incredible catch means that the Mekong Giant Catfish is the largest freshwater fish ever recorded. 

Although catfish species can be found in rivers, lakes,
marine environments, sometimes even on land, and are hugely popular with
aquarium keepers in homes all over the world, the Mekong Giant Catfish has
sadly not fared well in the last few decades. 
The Mekong Giant Catfish was once seen regularly in its home, the
massive Mekong River in Southeast Asia, but now scientists report they are
lucky to get a sighting once a year.  The
bounteous Mekong River supported these enormous fish easily in the past,
because the river itself, which flows through six nations in Asia, is spacious
and full of diverse fish and plant species. 
But the Mekong Catfish is a highly migratory species, and in recent
decades, dams and development along the river have especially affected its favored
spawning ground.  Fortunately, scientists
like Zeb Hogan are committed to tracking and understanding the exact habitat
needs of the Giant Mekong Catfish, and are working with locals to support and
protect the precious Mekong Catfish.   Check out Dr. Hogan’s efforts in the link
below and be sure to wish your local catfish a happy Catfish Day on June 25th!

If learning about unique aquatic species gets you excited, check
out our Sea Urchin Symmetry at-home experiment. Review the lesson linked below,
grab your supplies, and start exploring!

Sea Urchin Symmetry Lesson Plan: https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/EOTD_Sea_Urchin_Symmetry_Lesson.pdf

Sources:

Impressive Catfish Facts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaCQ4ZAsAgc

The Biggest Catfish Ever Caught All Around the World:
https://largest.org/animals/catfish/

Dr. Hogan’s Conservation Efforts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JvRyYyMoA8

Tracking the Spawn of Mekong Catfish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIBv6yJcVKE

An Excellent Documentary on Life along the Mekong:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AqvJaHk-N4

Everybody Loves Flip-Flops

Join High Touch High Tech in Celebrating
National Flip-Flop Day
June 11th!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Modern-day fashionistas may disparage flip-flops, and some doctors warn against wearing them constantly.  But aside from a few objections, the archaeological and historical record both testify to the fact that humans the world over have been rocking flip-flops and sandals, flip-flops’ close relatives, since before civilization even began.  The basic design of flip-flops and sandals, a sole covering held on to the foot with a rope or strap, is much older than the earliest known closed-toe leather shoes.  The oldest sandals on earth were found in Fort Rock, Oregon in the 1930’s.  Made of woven sagebrush ropes, the oldest Fort Rock Sandals date from about 13,000 years ago!

Another culture that had no problem with the flip-flop as fashion was the Ancient Egyptians, whose preferred style was anchored between the first and second toe just as modern people wear today.  Many Ancient Egyptian sandals were made of humble woven papyrus, or more upmarket leather, but they also could be covered in gold and gems depending on the status of the wearer.  It is said that the Pharaoh of Egypt even had a servant who did nothing but carry his sandals until needed.  The Ancient Greeks were huge fans of the sandal, and so were the Romans, although their designs often involved more straps and foot coverage than the minimalistic flip flop design that Ancient Egyptians and present-day people appreciate. 

With such a wealth of ancient footwear to draw from, which design and time period gave us the flip flop we use today?  Look no further than Japan.  Japanese traditional footwear has long been adapted towards the easy-on, easy-off design people prize in contemporary flip- flops.  Japanese homes often had floors covered in delicate reed tatami mats that could be easily damaged by shoes, and so an abundance of flip-flop-like designs emerged, including the geta and the zori.  After WW2, Japan’s decimated economy still held a large reserve of rubber from the Southeast Asian nations that Japan had attempted to colonize during the war.  Japanese manufacturing began to build back by using the rubber to create mass-produced zori, and thus the flip-flop as we know it was born.  Originally marketed as “Jandals,” a combination of “Japan” and “Sandals,” as the shoes gained popularity in the West, some time in the 1960’s they came to be called “flip-flops” for the ubiquitous sound they make when they strike the heel. 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

So go ahead and rock your flip-flops for National Flip-Flop
Day this June 11th!  If anyone
criticizes your toes as they catch the breeze, just remind them that flip-flops
are one of the oldest human designs still in wide use. It is said that a great
design is timeless, and in the case of flip-flops, that is definitely true!

So, grab your flip-flops and head to the beach for this week’s at-home experiment! Put your toes in the sand as you make sand observations and seashell imprints! Check out our lesson plan, collect your materials and investigate cool coastal science…all while sporting your favorite flip-flops!

Lesson Plan: https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/EOTD_Sand_Seashells_Lesson.pdf

Sources:

The Great Flip-Flop Fashion Debate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijEmTr9jdtM

The Fort Rock Sandals:
https://pages.uoregon.edu/connolly/FRsandals.htm

Worldwide use of Sandals through Cultures and Times: http://historyofsandals.blogspot.com/2010/10/egyptian-sandals_22.html

Introduction to Japanese Traditional Footwear:
https://www.japan-zone.com/culture/footwear.shtml

The Japanese Zori Industry and the Modern Flip-flop:
https://www.heddels.com/2018/04/history-flip-flop/

What is Sound?

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
Build a Musical Instrument Day
May 22nd!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Close your eyes for a moment and listen to your environment.  What sounds do you hear?  Unless you are in the quietest place on earth, Stratfield Labs’ special Anechoic Chamber, your ears will easily tune to even the little sounds in your environment, and even little sounds can have big effects on us.  When a sound is unpleasant to our ears, we call it noise.  When it is sweet and pleasing, we call it notes, or music.  Sounds are so much a part of our life that we don’t often think about the incredible process that gets sounds from their source to our brains, and the influence that certain sounds can have on us.  So, what is a sound, anyway?  And how does sound affect our imaginations, health, and moods?

Image Source: Pixabay.com

All sounds are made the same way:  they are vibrations.  A vibration is when something moves back and forth incredibly fast, faster even than our eyes can see.  These vibrations transmit from the object to the surrounding particles in the air.  A vibrating object causes the air molecules around it to vibrate in the same way as it is vibrating.  Then those air molecules cause the next air molecules to vibrate the same way, and so on and so on — all the way up to your eardrum, which is a membrane made to catch vibrations and pass them through the intricate anatomy of the ear.  When they reach your ear, they are translated into electrical signals that can be understood by your brain.  Sound is, basically, a vibration that travels across the air in a wave-like pattern, until it touches us with its energy right in our ear!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

How many waves a sound vibration has in a given period is known as its frequency.  Higher frequency sounds pack in many waves, while lower frequency sounds have less.  Although still experimental and theoretical at this stage, there is some fascinating work from many different fields of science that indicate sound frequency and vibration may have great potential to benefit humanity.  One of the greatest scientists of all time, Nikola Tesla, famously said that “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.”  Among his many projects, for example, was one to turn vibrations into electricity that could be easily shared across the world.  Scientists on the frontier of sound as medicine, such as Dr. Lee Bartel, are even indicating that certain frequencies of sound, especially 40 HZ, may stimulate the fading neurons of Alzheimer’s patients into better function over time.  There is even evidence that certain sound frequencies may destroy cancer cells.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Although the potential of sound to impact things like global
energy and human health are just beginning to be understood, it’s a fact that
the vibrations of sound can have a powerful impact on our well-being.  Just think of a time that a loved one’s voice
touched your heart, or a song on the radio changed your day from a bad one to a
good one. 

If you want to explore the amazing world of sounds, vibrations, and frequencies for yourself, check out our at-home Harmonica experiment and make some good vibrations with your own home-made instrument!

Harmonica Lesson Plan:
https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/Harmonica-REV-6-28-2018.pdf

Harmonica Tutorial Video:
https://youtu.be/drRSYw-p5fo

Sources:              

Stratfield Labs Anechoic Chamber, the quietest place on
earth: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earths-quietest-place-will-drive-you-crazy-in-45-minutes-180948160/

Classic Bill Nye the Science Guy Video on Sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwRi_N6Nq8E

An Introduction to Nikola Tesla:
https://www.theteslaproject.org/the-man

Possibilities in Sound as Medicine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDZgzsQh0Dw

Resonant Frequencies as a Possible Treatment for Cancer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w0_kazbb_U

Space…the final frontier

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
Space Day
May 7th!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Space…The final frontier! We all remember these immortal words spoken by Captain Kirk, of the starship Enterprise. It was on a fictional 5-year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. These are such strong words, that have inspired a generation of people to seek interest in space exploration.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Sputnik

The space age started in 1957 with the launch of the Russian satellite, Sputnik. The world’s first satellite was the size of a beach ball, weighed only 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit Earth. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the Great Space Race.

In response to
this “Sputnik moment,” the U.S. government undertook
several policy actions, including the establishment of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA), enhancement of research funding, and reformation of
science and technology being taught at schools.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

NASA
launched the Mercury, Apollo, and space shuttle programs over the next 20
years. The United States lead the world in space exploration and achievements.

In 2002,
SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp) was founded by Elon Musk. SpaceX
is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services
company.  SpaceX’s goal is to reduce
space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars.  SpaceX manufactures the Falcon 9 and Falcon
Heavy launch vehicles, several rocket engines, Dragon cargo and crew
spacecraft, and Starlink satellites. SpaceX is on a mission to Mars, along
with NASA.

Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster served as the payload for the February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight and became an artificial satellite of the Sun. “Starman”, a mannequin dressed in a spacesuit, occupies the driver’s seat!

National Space Day is dedicated to the extraordinary achievements, benefits and opportunities in the exploration and use of space. This day is designed to stimulate interest in space.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Space,
also called outer space, refers to the void that exists between the Earth’s
upper atmosphere and other celestial bodies such as planets in the known and
unknown universe. While the term space might make it seem like the vast expanse
of the universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere is empty, it is in fact, not
empty at all. Space is full of different forms of radiation and lots of debris
from the formation of our solar system. Some of this debris is in the form of
meteors, comets, and asteroids.

So, on
this Space Day, be sure to let your imaginations soar, and tap into your own
space curiosity.

Image Source: Daniel Shaw
Space Camp

While you’re
at it, tap into your inner-astronaut and learn more about Space with this week’s
at-home experiment, Space Case. See the stars twinkle and the universe expand
with simple materials and our easy-to-follow lesson plan.

Space
Case: https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/Space%20Case_EOTD_May%208th.pdf

Find a Rainbow

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
Find a Rainbow Day
April 3rd

Image Source: Pixabay.com

A rainbow is
caused by the collision of sunlight and certain atmospheric conditions. Light
enters a water droplet, slowing down and bending as it goes from air to denser
water. The light reflects off the inside of the droplet, separating into its
component wavelengths–or colors. When light exits the droplet, it makes
a rainbow.

Now that you know the science behind rainbows, now we need to figure out a way to remember all those colors! Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Roy G. Biv. He is not a real person, but his name is the acronym that helps us remember the colors of the rainbow, or in more precise science terms, the colors that make up the visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum! The colors are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

Have you seen this fun video by They Might Be Giants? It teaches you about ROY G BIV & the electromagnetic spectrum!

ROY G BIV – They Might Be Giants

Rainbows have held incredibly special meaning to people, forever. In fact, the rainbow flag was created and became known as the gay or LGBTQ symbol for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) pride and LGBTQ social movements. Rainbow flags have also served as a symbol of peace.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

But there are many myths and
folklores surrounding rainbows. Here are some of
the more common tales and beliefs about rainbows:

  • Biblical accounts establish
    the rainbow as a covenant, or promise, between God and every living
    creature, that the earth will never again be destroyed by flood.
  • In Greek
    mythology rainbows were thought to be a path between Earth
    and Heaven. The rainbow was called the “Bridge” in Norse mythology,
    connecting Asgard, the home of the gods with Midgard, the home of humans.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bifrost “Rainbow Bridge” from Asgard to Midgard
  • A pot of gold at the end of every rainbow that is guarded by a tricky leprechaun. The legend goes like this… Once upon a time, the Vikings lived in Ireland, looting, and plundering as they pleased, then burying their ill-gotten treasures all over the countryside. When they eventually departed from the Emerald Isle, they inadvertently left behind some of their booty, which the leprechauns found. Now, the leprechauns knew the Vikings had gotten their treasures through stealing, which was wrong. This bad behavior made the leprechauns mistrust all people, Viking or not. To ensure no humans could take what they now considered their gold, the leprechauns reburied it in pots deep underground all over the island. When rainbows appear, they always end at a spot where a leprechaun’s pot of gold is buried.
Image Source: Pixabay.com

Have
you ever wondered if there are different kinds of rainbows? There are 12
different types of rainbows. When you see the typical rainbow that forms after
a storm, you may think that is all there is to it. But in truth, there are all
sorts of rainbows—some rarer than others. Each type of rainbow is created under
different circumstances and falls either into primary or secondary types.

Have you ever heard of a Fogbow? A
fogbow is a type of rainbow that occurs when fog or a small cloud experience sunlight
passing through them. The droplets of moisture from the fog work to diffract
that light. This type of rainbow is usually found in places where the fog in
the air is thin. It can also form above any body of water. Typically, this
rainbow consists of blue, white, and red. Much of a fogbow rainbow is white,
with blue appearing on the inside and red appearing at both ends.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Fogbow

Have you ever heard of a moonbow? A lunar rainbow (aka “moonbow”) is an unusual sight. This event occurs on the moon during a lunar month. The moon must be almost fully lit up for this type of rainbow to form. When it does, it appears as a white arc. Lunar rainbows line the moon’s outer rim. They are dull in appearance because the light on the moon is not as bright as the light on earth.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Moonbow

Can we have more than one rainbow at a time? Yes, they are called multiple rainbows. One of the rarest forms is multiple, or double, rainbows. They occur when several rainbows form in the same place at the same time. It takes at least one primary rainbow to generate this sight, as well as several other secondary rainbows. There is always space in between each one.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Double Rainbow

This space is referred to as
Alexander’s Band. In around 200 AD, Alexander of Aphrodisius observed that,
during rain, the area between primary and secondary rainbows appears
considerably darker than the surrounding sky. The phenomenon occurs because the
refractive index of light means that light from raindrops in the region of the
sky between the two rainbows cannot reach the observer. When sunlight is
reflected in raindrops, a double reflection occurs. White light reflects off
the colors of the primary rainbow, creating secondary ones.

There are even twin rainbows! A
twinned rainbow is also a rare sight to see. Though they have one base in
common, two rainbows are formed, with one being primary and one being
secondary. The colors of both rainbows are seen in the same sequence. When two
rain showers occur, the size of the raindrops can lead to the formation of a
twinned rainbow. With different shaped and sized raindrops from each storm, one
rainbow becomes two. In an even rarer sight, a twinned rainbow can include the
formation of as many as three.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Twinbow

Can the shape of rainbows change, or are they always an arc? Rainbows can change shapes, some can even be a full circle. In most cases, rainbows are semicircular arcs. Yet on rare occasions, it is possible to spot a full circle rainbow. This type of rainbow typically occurs in high altitude areas. At lower altitudes, the position of the sun prevents a full circle from being formed. Anything obstructing the sun also makes it impossible for this type of rainbow to form. When it does, it may include both primary and secondary rainbows.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Full Circle Rainbow

Check out this video of a full circle rainbow here:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Circle_of_rainbow_beauty_in_SLovenia_-_Tr%C5%BEi%C4%8D.webm

Rainbows
have long been a source of mystery and wonder. Next time you see a rainbow,
what will you wonder about?

If
you love rainbows as much as we do, you could see one anytime you like with our
At-Home Bubble Atmosphere experiment. Click links below for the lesson plan and
tutorial video!

Lesson
Plan: https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/bubble_atmosphere.pdf

Tutorial
Video: https://youtu.be/ajhu3MO7RIA

Long Live the Peach

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
Peach Blossom Day
March 3, 2021

Imagine a hot summer’s day, sitting in the shade at a picnic with your favorite people.  You open your picnic basket to find a gloriously ripe, perfect-in-every-way peach.  You take a bite and savor that unique combination of texture, flavor, and juiciness that makes perfectly ripe peaches so wonderful, wipe a little juice off your chin, and smile….   

Image Source: Pixabay.com

OK, sorry to have to bring you crashing back to snowy late winter, but from that moment of peachy Zen, perhaps you can see why peaches, perfection, and the joy of life have gone hand in hand for centuries.  Not only does calling someone “a peach” make a fine compliment, peaches have been immortalized in rock songs, are associated with the entire American state of Georgia, and are even one of the world’s favorite emojis.  No culture on earth loves a peach more than Chinese culture, the people who first domesticated and perfected the peach far back in the ancient past.  In China, the peach blossom symbolizes happiness, and the peach fruit itself is a symbol of longevity and the full enjoyment of a long, healthy life.  Ancient Chinese folk tales tell of an Orchard of the Gods where the Peach Tree of Immortality grows – anyone who manages just one bite of the juicy fruit gets eternal life.  The Chinese God of Longevity, Shou Lao, is almost always depicted holding a peach, and peach-themed decorations and cakes are a customary part of any older person’s birthday. 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Cultures around the world often turn to the natural world for symbols that can express the joy of life and hope for longevity.  In some Indigenous American cultures, the turtle was a sacred symbol of a long, healthy life.  The strong, ever-enduring turtle also symbolized the earth itself, the giver of all life.  Even today many Indigenous American groups refer to the American Continent as “Turtle Island.”  Currently, turtles and their tortoise cousins are known to science as some of the longest-lived animals on the planet, weathering season after season in their slow and steady fashion.  The Royal Court of Oyo State, in Nigeria, claimed a tortoise named Alagba, “The Elderly One,” was supposedly 344 years old.  There is no 100% proof of this claim; however, the crown of world’s oldest Testudine, or any known animal, in fact, goes to Jonathan, a 187-year-old Tortoise living on St. Helena.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

In the European world, many thinkers from Aristotle to Leonardo da Vinci revered the humble salamander, believing that the creature was able to constantly renew itself and was therefore indestructible.  Salamanders were thought to be born from fire, live impervious to fire’s damage, and be able to renew themselves constantly through the power of fire.  Leonardo da Vinci was particularly fascinated with them, and King Francis I of France adopted the salamander as his personal emblem.  Contemporary biologists would never put a salamander under any threat of fire, but the salamander’s well-documented ability to regenerate its limbs may have something to do with its long association with indestructability and longevity.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

From peaches to salamanders to evergreen trees and tortoises, people have long looked to the natural world for proof that a long, healthy, and happy life is truly possible.  Many scientists around the world are currently working on the issue of longevity, researching many possibilities to unlock the secret of long life.  For some researchers, it may lie in psychological and emotional health, in a person’s mindset, upbringing, and relationships.  For some researchers it lies in the genes.  For others, it is diet and exercise that is the “fountain of youth.”  But in today’s world, science does show us that there is yet another animal worthy of admiration (and study) for its longevity: The Immortal Jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii.  This incredible creature is literal proof that longevity, even immortality, exists in nature.  When it dies and sinks to the sea floor, the cells simply regenerate into tiny polyps and continue living.  Only recently discovered and not fully understood, this unbelievable animal is indisputable proof that it is within natures design to attain a long, healthy life!  So, sit back, relax, and take a bite of that peach.  Life is sweet, and it can be long and healthy, too.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Our little insect friends, bees, may not enjoy the long life that other creatures do, but they sure do make an impact while they buzz around! In fact, bees play an important role in the longevity of the peach blossom through pollination! So, in honor of Peach Blossom Day on March 3rd, we invite you to play our Bee Pollination Game! Check out the lesson plan and supply list link below…and then maybe enjoy one of those delicious, juicy peaches!
https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/bee_pollination_game.pdf

Sources:

Learn more about the Immortal Jellyfish:
https://www.bbcearth.com/modal/newsletter/#_

The rich tradition of Salamander Lore in the European world:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamanders_in_folklore

The Oldest Tortoises – BBC News

Turtle Symbolism:
https://blog.nativehope.org/native-american-animals-turtle-k%C3%A9ya

A collection of Indigenous American turtle myths:
http://www.native-languages.org/legends-turtle.htm

Chinese Symbols of Longevity in popular culture:
https://www.wofs.com/8-great-longevity-symbols-for-the-home/

The DEFINITIVE rock anthem about peaches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvAnQqVJ3XQ

Little Piece Picker-Uppers

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
National Chopsticks Day
February 6, 2021!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

It is said that you can neatly divide the world population by choice of eating utensil.  About one third of the world population eats with knife and fork.  Another third of the world  eats with their hands.  The other third uses chopsticks at mealtime.  For those of us in the knife and fork part of the world, eating with chopsticks may be especially challenging, even counterintuitive.  Why even bother with the delicate, tweezer-like balance required to eat with chopsticks?  Don’t be afraid of a cramped hand or dropped rice everywhere — learning to eat with chopsticks means you are joining in one of the oldest continuous culinary, cultural, and even technological legacies in the world.  Plus, folks on the chopstick side of the world say that East Asian food eaten with knife and fork just does not taste as good!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Some of the oldest chopsticks ever found are around 3300 years old.  Chopsticks’ origins in Ancient China represent an innovative technological solution to environmental challenges.  They have proven to be such an innovative solution that their simple design has endured without modification for millennia, much unlike the fork, which is relatively recent, and in its oldest form was two long prongs rather than the multiple prongs commonly in use today.  One thing most cultures seem to agree on is the spoon, and it is known that spoons were in use in very ancient China even before chopsticks were invented.

Five thousand years ago, the small population of Ancient China depended on millet, not rice, and millet was often served as a gruel meant for a spoon.  But, as the population grew, people’s relationship to the environment and the food it provided also began to change.  More people were able to grow and harvest more types of food, but also began deforesting already sparse parts of the Ancient Chinese heartland.  In response to a lack of fuel, Chinese food evolved to focus on small, chopped-up pieces that could be cooked quickly, with a minimum of fuel waste.  Most of the Chinese food enjoyed today, such as stir-fry, still follows this “bite-size” pattern, as opposed to the more “lumpen” style of knife and fork food, such as steak and a baked potato. 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Chopsticks, originally employed as cooking tools and plucked straight off a tree, became the perfect fit for Chinese food as it evolved.  Easily made of wood, bone, or even metal, chopsticks were in wide use among the people of East Asia before most people in the knife and fork world could afford the luxury of a fork.  Seen in the context of history, chopsticks are not counterintuitive at all.  In fact, they are a perfect example of a cultural adaptation to a difficult environmental challenge, as are so many of humanity’s best inventions.  The tweezer-like action of chopsticks makes them perfect for picking up even very small, precise amounts of food.  To understand the simple, enduring, form-follows-function perfection of this technology, all you have to do is look at the name: in the world outside of East Asia, they are known as chopsticks, but in Chinese they are called
“筷子“ which means, roughly “little piece picker-uppers!”

In the Western World, using chopsticks on a good day is challenging
enough! Imagine trying to use chopsticks without your thumbs! If you want to
test your skills managing chopsticks or completing other daily tasks without
your thumbs, try our at-home experiment, All Thumbs! Find lesson plan,
supplies, and tutorial video here:

All Thumbs
Lesson:
https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/If_Animals_Had_Thumbs.pdf
Video Tutorial:
https://youtu.be/hrDpVGbRZUY

Sources:

How to eat with Chopsticks:

How NOT to use Chopsticks:

An awesome two-part documentary on the deep cultural meaning of chopsticks in the East Asian world:
http://www.arirang.com/Tv2/TVCommon_NoStaff_Archive.asp?PROG_CODE=TVCR0478&MENU_CODE=100980&view_seq=31291&Page=1&sys_lang=Eng

First in Flight – Kites

Join High Touch High Tech in celebrating
First in Flight
December 17, 2020

Image Source: Pixabay.com

What comes to mind when you hear this phrase? Orville & Wilbur Wright? The State of North Carolina’s motto and bragging rights? The movie Top Gun? We are taking this theme quite literally, trying to discover the actual first in flight. The answer is the kite!  They are certainly little flying machines that have astounded Man for centuries. There are millions of people around the world, that look up to the skies to watch or fly a kite. “What easier way to get from the ground to the sky”, said Benjamin Franklin when he was trying to figure out the nature of lightning. Kites set people’s imaginations wild.

The
earliest written account of kite flying was about 200 B.C. when the Chinese
General Han Hsin of the Han Dynasty flew a kite over the walls of a city he was
attacking to measure how far his army would have to tunnel to reach past the
defenses. Knowing this distance his troops reached the inside of the city,
surprised their enemy, and were victorious. How clever?

Kite
flying was eventually spread by traders from China to Korea, and across Asia to
India. Each area developed a distinctive style of kite and cultural purpose for
flying them.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Marco Polo

Marco
Polo carried stories of kites to Europe around the end of the 13th century.
Illustrations of the period show non-flying dragon kites on military banners.
Sailors also brought kites back from Japan and Malaysia in the 16th and 17th
centuries. Kites were regarded as curiosities at first and had little impact on
European culture.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Benjamin Franklin

Meanwhile
back in the Americas, men like Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Wilson used
their knowledge of kite flying to learn more about the wind and weather. Sir
George Caley, a very important figure in aeronautics, who quite fancied
aviation himself, Samuel Langley, an astronomer, Lawrence Hargrave, an engineer
and explorer, Alexander Graham Bell, an inventor and scientist, and the Wright
Brothers, the aviation pioneers! All of these people have experimented with
kites and contributed to the development of the airplane, and our understanding
of flight. They have all contributed to man’s desire to reach for the skies,
and ultimately the stars.

Since
its invention, there have been many adaptations to the kite by various cultures
around the world. The kite you probably flew as a kid looks a bit different to
the original Chinese kites and even the kites of modern China. 

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Chinese Dragon Kite

A Chinese kite in ancient times would have used simple materials such as wood and cloth. They were often made to resemble the shapes of birds. Today, elaborate and large designs can be seen flying above parks in China. They will often resemble real animals and members of the Chinese Zodiac. Some kites will have LED lights attached to allow for night flights and fun light shows. There is even a kite museum where you can view designs and learn more about the history of kites through the ages!

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Weifang Kite Museum, China

But
how do kites actually fly? What is the science behind them?

First
let’s talk about airplanes.  An airplane
flies because the wings create lift. The air going over the wing is moving
faster than the air going under the wing, and this creates a low-pressure causing
lift.

In
terms of kites, lift is generated by differences in air pressure, which are
created by air in motion over the body of the kite. Kites are
shaped and angled so that the air moving over the top moves faster than the air
moving along the bottom. To launch a kite into the air the force of
lift must be greater than the force of gravity, just like airplanes!

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Who’s ready to fly a kite? If you’re ready, check out our at-home experiment: Chinese Kite! Grab your materials and follow along with the lesson plan to make your very own kite!
https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/Chinese%20Kite_REV%2012-09-2020.pdf

Poinsettia Day

Join High Touch High Tech in Celebrating
Poinsettia Day
December 12, 2020

Image Source: Pixabay.com

It’s
Poinsettia Day – Yay! What is this day all about? It all started with a
scientist!

John
Roberts Poinsett was a botanist, a scientist who specializes is plants and
trees. He was also a physician, and the 1st United States Ambassador
to Mexico. Poinsett introduced these beautiful red, white, or pink plants, that
were named after him, poinsettias. This man sent poinsettias from Mexico back
to greenhouses that he owned in South Carolina. Before its renaming as the
poinsettia, the plant was known as the “painted leaf” or the “Mexican flame
flower.” Its scientific name is Euphorbia pulcherrima.

In
Spain, Puerto Rico, and other Central America countries the
poinsettia is known as Flor de Pascua or Pascua, meaning Christmas
Flower. Poinsettias have served important roles throughout
history, for example: The Aztecs used the plant to produce reddish-purple dye
and as an antipyretic (fever reduction) medication.

It’s
Christmas time, and what do you see in the storefront of just about every shop
you pass? Besides sprigs of holly and bright, twinkling lights, you are likely
to see colorful arrangements of poinsettias too.

These breathtaking flowers are common during
the holiday season. However, do you know why? The poinsettia has a deep
cultural and symbolic meaning. Seen as a symbol of purity by the Aztecs, in
today’s language it symbolizes cheer, success, and brings wishes of mirth and
celebration! Recognized as the birth flower for December, poinsettias
are used as decorations to create a festive atmosphere throughout the
entire world, particularly in Europe, but also in the USA, Canada, South
Africa, and Australia.

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Paul Ecke Jr is considered the father of the poinsettia
industry due to his discovery of a technique which caused seedlings to branch.
This technique allowed the poinsettia industry to grow! The Paul Ecke Ranch in
California grows over 70% of the poinsettias sold in the USA! The Ecke family
had a secret technique that caused every seedling to split and branch,
resulting in a fuller plant.

A poinsettia fun fact is that in 1952 the NCAA College football
arena in San Diego was named the Poinsettia Bowl! Interestingly, the poinsettia’s main attraction is not its flowers, but its
leaves! The flowers of the plant are the yellow clustered buds in the center
(termed “cyathia”). The colored leafy parts are bracts or modified leaves, that
turn color in response to the plant forming flowers. When buying a poinsettia,
make sure it has the buds, preferably not yet open.

Interested in learning more about plants in general? Check out our Smarty Plants at-home experiment to see if you can extract the chlorophyll out of a plant leaf. If your poinsettia has any green leaves, you can test them for chlorophyll too! Grab your supplies & check out our lesson plan here:
https://sciencemadefun.net/downloads/smarty_plants.pdf

References:

www.urbanext.illinois.edu/poinsettia
www.poinsettiaday.com
www.poinsettiabowl.com
www.ecke.com