In This Issue: the LHC: a Step Closer to the Big Bang Also: Sentinels: Meerkat Superheroes

titel_SiS_Issue10_RZ:scienceinschool 14.11.2008 14:23 Uhr Seite 1

Winter 2008 Issue 10

In this issue: The LHC: a step closer to the Big Bang Also: Sentinels: meerkat superheroes

Published by EIROforum: Supported by the European Union: Part of the NUCLEUS project:

ISSN: 1818-0353 Subscribe free online: www.scienceinschool.org Highlighting the best in science teaching and research sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:30 Uhr Seite 2

2) Attribution Non-commercial About Science in School No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) Science in School promotes inspiring science teaching by encouraging communication between teachers, scientists and everyone else involved in European science education. This license is often called the ‘free advertising’ license because it allows others to down- Science in School addresses science teaching both across Europe and across load the author’s works and share them with disciplines: highlighting the best in teaching and cutting-edge research. It covers others as long as they mention the author and link back to the author, but they can’t change not only biology, physics and chemistry, but also maths, earth sciences, engineer- them in any way or use them commercially. ing and medicine, focusing on interdisciplinary work. For further details, see The contents include teaching materials; cutting-edge science; education projects; http://creativecommons.org interviews with young scientists and inspiring teachers; European education news; All articles in Science in School carry the relevant copyright logos or other copyright notice. reviews of books and other resources; and European events for teachers. Science in School is published quarterly and is available free online; free print Contact us Dr Eleanor Hayes/Dr Marlene Rau copies are distributed across Europe. Online articles are published in many Science in School European languages; the print version is in English. Office of Information and Public Affairs European Molecular Biology Laboratory Meyerhofstrasse 1 Safety note Subscriptions 69117 Heidelberg For all of the activities published in Science in Science in School is freely available online and Germany School, we have tried to check that all recog- print copes are distributed across Europe. [email protected] nised hazards have been identified and that Register online to: suitable precautions are suggested. Users Submissions We welcome articles submitted by scientists, should be aware however, that errors and Receive an email alert when each issue is · teachers and others interested in European omissions can be made, and safety standards published vary across Europe and even within individual science education. Please see the author Request a free print subscription countries. · guidelines on our website for details. · Swap ideas with teachers and scientists in Therefore, before undertaking any activity, the Science in School online forum. Reviewer panel users should always carry out their own risk · Post your comments on articles in Science If you are interested in reviewing articles for assessment. In particular, any local rules in School. their suitability for publication, please read the issued by employers or education authorities guidelines for reviewers on our website. MUST be obeyed, whatever is suggested in Copyright Book reviewers the Science in School articles. With very few exceptions, articles in Science in If you would like to review books or other Unless the context dictates otherwise, it is School are published under Creative Commons resources for Science in School, please read assumed that: copyright licences that allow the text to be the guidelines for reviewing books on our · Practical work is carried out in a properly reused non-commercially. Note that the copy- website. equipped and maintained science laboratory; right agreements refer to the text of the arti- Translators · Any electrical equipment is properly main- cles and not to the images. You may republish We offer articles online in many European lan- tained; the text according to the following licences, guages. If you would like to help us by trans- · Care is taken with normal laboratory opera- but you may not reproduce the images with- lating articles into your own language, please tions such as heating substances; out the consent of the copyright holder. read the guidelines for translators on our web- · Good laboratory practice is observed when Most Science in School articles carry one of site. chemicals or living organisms are used; two copyright licences: Advertising in Science in School · Eye protection is worn whenever there is Science in School is the only European journal any recognised risk to the eyes; aimed at secondary-school science teachers · Pupils and/or students are taught safe tech- 1) Attribution Non-commercial across Europe, and across the full spectrum of niques for activities such as handling living Share Alike (by-nc-sa): sciences. It is freely available on the web and organisms, hazardous materials and equip- over 30 000 full-colour printed copies are dis- ment. tributed each quarter. The target readership of Science in School This license lets others remix, tweak, and Credits includes everyone involved in European sci- Science in School is published by EIROforum build upon the author’s work non- ence teaching, including: (a collaboration between seven European commercially, as long as they credit the · Secondary-school science teachers inter-governmental scientific research organi- author and license their new creations under · Scientists sations: www.eiroforum.org) and is based at identical terms. Others can download and · Science museums the European Molecular Biology Laboratory redistribute the author’s work, but they can · Curriculum authorities (EMBL: www.embl.org) in Heidelberg, also translate, make remixes, and produce Advertising rates Germany. new stories based on the work. All new work Science in School is a non-profit activity, part based on the author’s work will carry the same · Full page: € 3150 of the NUCLEUS project supported by the · Half page: € 2285 license, so any derivatives will also be non- · Quarter page: € 990 European Union. commercial in nature. We offer a 20% discount on advertisements Disclaimer Furthermore, the author of the derivative work that appear in four or more consecutive issues. may not imply that the derivative work is Views and opinions expressed by authors and To advertise in the printed version of Science advertisers are not necessarily those of the edi- endorsed or approved by the author of the in School, please contact tor or publishers. original work or by Science in School. [email protected] sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:30 Uhr Seite 1 Contents

Editorial Welcome to the tenth issue of Science in School ...... 2-3

Events

Science on Stage: recent activities ...... 4-7 Forthcoming events ...... 8-12

Feature article

“Intelligence is of secondary importance in research” ...... 14-19

Cutting-edge science

Sentinels: meerkat superheroes ...... 20-25 The LHC: a step closer to the Big Bang ...... 26-33 The LHC: a look inside ...... 34-45

Teaching activities

Practical demonstrations to augment climate change lessons ...... 46-50 Better milk for cats: immobilised lactase used to make lactose-reduced milk ...... 51-54 Planting ideas: climate-change activities for primary school ...... 55-63 Science for the Next Generation: activities for primary school ...... 64-69

Projects in science education

Nanotechnology in school ...... 70-75

Science topics

The International Space Station: life in space ...... 76-81

Scientist profile

The winding road to science journalism ...... 82-87

Teacher profile

Teaching in Sweden: tackling creationism, making waves ...... 88-93

Reviews

Ecology: media presentation CD-ROM ...... 94-95 Water – Humanity’s Project: media collection for the classroom ...... 96

Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 1 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 2

Welcome to the tenth issue of Science in School

ntelligence is of sec- group, or do they have something to “Iondary importance gain as individuals? And why are in research.” So says our scientists so interested? featured scientist, cosmol- Recently, the interest not only of ogist Tamara Davis. For scientists but also of the general her, interest and inspiration are far public has been drawn to the topic more important for success in science. of particle physics. When the Large Tamara herself certainly lacks neither Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN was interest nor inspiration (nor, I suspect, switched on – and almost immediate- intelligence). She tells Henri Boffin ly switched off again – it made head- about her work on dark energy, line news across Europe and beyond. supernovae, the speed of light, and Rolf Landua and Marlene Rau investi- life elsewhere in the Universe – and gate why this colossal experiment is how she combines this with playing necessary, how it works and what it world-class sport. will be able to tell us about the origins Shamim Hartevelt-Velani, Carl of the Universe. Walker and Benny Elmann-Larsen If that all sounds a bit remote from also have their eyes to the heavens, if the classroom, you might prefer the not quite so distantly. In their second latest in our series of articles about article about the International Space climate change: Dudley Shallcross Station, they describe the daily life of and Tim Harrison’s practical chem- an astronaut on board and the physio- istry demonstrations. For younger logical effects of space. students concerned about our climate, Still closer to home is Mico Tata - Sue Johnson offers experiments and a lovic’s research: his group has spent role play about carbon dioxide, oxy- 15 years following the daily life not of gen and plant conservation. humans but of meerkats. Why do While climate change is certainly a some of these small African carni- hot topic, nanotechnology is also fre- vores spend so much time watching quently in the news. But what is it? for predators? Are these sentinels With the help of Matthias Mallmann’s risking their safety for the sake of the practical activities, you can introduce

2 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 3

Editorial

nanotechnology into your classroom – own tips and advice. We look forward what is the science behind pregnancy to your contributions. tests, and how can you visualise a magnetic field in a liquid? Eleanor Hayes Climate change, the LHC, nanotech- Editor-in-Chief of Science in School nology – if we hear about a scientific [email protected] topic in the media, we assume it must www.scienceinschool.org be important. But is it? And who decides what we hear about? TV journalist Nadia Salem takes Marlene Rau behind the scenes, discussing her daily work, her love of science and what it takes to become a science journalist. If you find these articles useful and inspiring, why not help us to share them with teachers across Europe by translating them into your native language? Or if that doesn’t appeal, perhaps you could join our reviewer panel, and help us decide which articles to publish. And of course, we welcome articles written by our readers. For more information, please visit our website. On the Science in School website, you can also join our discussion forum (www.scienceinschool.org/forum) to contact teachers across Europe, pose scientific questions and offer your

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 3 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 4

The Hauptschule Munderfing (Upper Austria) presents their energy-saving project ‘Save & Win’ Image courtesy of Christian Gottfried, Science on Stage Austria Image courtesy of Christian Gottfried, Science on Stage

We would be delighted to hear about other national Science on Stage events and collaborations. Please send details to

Science on Stage: [email protected] recent activities Many of the national Science on Stage organisations are becoming increasingly well established: running inspirational national events, inviting participants from across Europe to join them, and setting up projects with teachers in other countries. This commitment to European science education requires a great deal of effort from all involved: organisers, presenters and participants. Eleanor Hayes reports on some of the recent activities.

4 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 5

Events

Margit Fischer, wife of the Austrian Image courtesy of Christian Gottfried, Science on Stage Austria Federal President and head of the Science Center Netzwerkw6 tries her hand at the ‘Save & Win’ project

Prof. Martijn van Griensven asks: “Can we create a new man from stem cells?”

Ludwig Eidenberger from the Rohrbach secondary school (Upper Austria) presents the ‘Latex motor’ project Image courtesy of Christian Gottfried, Science on Stage Austria Image courtesy of Christian Gottfried, Science on Stage Austria

Science on Stage Austria blood, a school project to measure Playful Science 2: Belgium On 28 April 2008, 25 scientists and cosmic radiation, or something entire- Multilingual workshops, inspiring teachers competed for the attention of ly different? Together, the jury and the presentations, a fair of teachers’ their public: 50 science teachers and audience selected their favourites: favourite experiments, a competition, 370 school students at the Austrian Ludwig Eidenberger’s ‘Latex motor’, explosions, prizes, music and a bagful Science on Stagew1 event in Vienna. Franz-Josef Natschläger’s ‘Ultrasound of experiments to take home. No The event aimed to interest students in fluids’, Gerhard Horacek’s ‘Mini wonder the Belgian Science on Stagew3 in scientific topics – so the students wind tunnel’ and Josef Greiner’s event – Playful Science 2 – was filled themselves helped to select the four ‘Particles and energy’. As a result, all to capacity on 16 January 2008. winning contributions. four were invited to attend the Several of the short presentations The competition was tough. Should German Science on Stage festival in linked not only different subjects, the prizes be awarded for a play Berlin on 23-26 October 2008w2. but also different senses. Johan about quantum physics, a talk on the Details of all the contributions are Vanbeselaere presented his singing importance of stem-cell research, a available on the Austrian Science on gravity detector, which he and his school-built machine to measure the Stage websitew1. students used to hear gravity changes nicotine concentration in smokers’ aboard an aeroplane, and Marc

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 5 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 6

Bernadette Anbergen performing an optics experiment at Science on Stage Belgium Image courtesy of Xavier Van Kesteren Van Image courtesy of Xavier

Maltese students joined the international chemistry school in Dublin in July 2008

Image courtesy of Tim Harrison

A three-way collaboration: 18-year old students (half the coun- Ireland, the UK and Malta try’s chemistry students of that age!) The international Science on Stage 2 and 100 teachers from 19 of the 22 teaching festivalw4 in Grenoble, France Maltese church secondary schools. (in April 2007) not only gave 500 sci- Thirty science and geography teach-

Image courtesy of Christian Gottfried, Science on Stage Austria ence teachers from 28 countries the ers also attended an evening session opportunity to swap inspiring teach- on climate change. Ida Regl wins a European Science ing ideas, meet scientists and visit In July 2008, the visit was returned Teaching Award for her project, world-class scientific facilities when 20 Maltese school students ‘Sunny side up’, at Science on Stage (Capellas, 2007; Hayes, 2007), but also joined the well-established interna- 2 in Grenoble, France paved the way for international col- tional chemistry summer school run laborations – for example, when Tim by Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, Harrison and Professor Dudley and the University of Bristol, UK. A Shallcross from Bristol ChemLabSw5 total of 61 students (aged 16-17) from Debusschere introduced his project to at the University of Bristol, UK, met the three countries carried out practi- link biology and physics by visualis- Maltese science teachers Chris cal activities related to pharmaceutical ing birdsong. Schembri, Simon Cassar and Doreen research. They made aspirin, synthe- At the end of the afternoon, each Mizzi. sised an anaesthetic, decaffeinated teacher received a bag of €10 worth The Maltese teachers were so tea, analysed bleaches, and used of experiments and software, as well impressed with Tim and Dudley’s electron microscopy as well as ultra - as tombola prizes of experimental lecture demonstration of atmospheric violet visible and infra-red spec- equipment. Most importantly, though, chemistry (‘A pollutant’s tale’) at troscopy. University scientists gave they went home with new ideas, Science on Stage that they invited talks on many topics, including inspiration and contacts. them to Malta. In October 2007, the toothpaste (Pathmanathan, 2007), The next Belgian Science on Stage Bristol chemists repeated their per- perfume chemistry (Harrison & event will take place on 28 January formance – complete with liquid Shallcross, 2006), extremophile 2009 in Jemeppes-sur-Sambre, nitrogen, fresh eggs, fruit and explod- chemistry (Leigh, 2008) and the Belgium. See the Belgian Science on ing rubber gloves – and gave lectures extraction of drug precursors from Stage websitew3 for details. on climate chemistry to 1100 14- to sea sponges.

6 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 7

Events

Xylophone experiment at Science on Stage Belgium

The relationship between Bristol Leigh V (2008) Salt of the Earth. ChemLabS and Science on Stage Science in School 8: 60-62. Malta looks set to continue. Already, www.scienceinschool.org/2008/

Tim and Dudley are planning to issue8/prudencemutowo/ Im a g e return for the first Maltese School c Pathmanathan S (2007) You’re o ur te Science Week in November 2009, to sy researching what? Toothpaste? o f X avi give lectures for Maltese state schools, Science in School 4: 64-66. er V an K for schools on the sister island of esteren www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ w6 – For more Gozo and for trainee teachers. issue4/toothpaste information about the Science Tim Harrison and Dudley Shallcross Center Netzwerk, see: would be happy to hear from other Web references www.science-center-net.at European organisations or groups w1 – For more details of all the who are planning summer schools activities presented at the Austrian and would like the Bristol scientists Science on Stage 3 event, see: Resources either to take part or to offer advice. www.scienceonstage.at For reports on the first Science on Stage international teaching festival at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, Students of Luc Van Meertvelt, see: professor at the University of Warmbein B (2006). Science teachers Leuven, presenting a chemistry show at Science on Stage Belgium take centre stage. Science in School 1: 6-7. www.scienceinschool.org /2006/issue1/centrestage Warmbein B, Riggulsford M (2006) Space balloons, mousetraps and earthquakes: it’s Science on Stage! Science in School 1: 8-11.

Image courtesy of Xavier Van Kesteren Van Image courtesy of Xavier www.scienceinschool.org/2006/ issue1/spaceballoons Patrick Walravens and a colleague To learn about some of the Bristol present a science quiz at Science on ChemLabS activities for primary Stage Belgium schools, see: Image courtesy of Xavier Van Kesteren Griffin A, Harrison T, Shallcross D (2007) Primary circuses of experiments. Science in School 7: 28-32. References w2 – For more information about www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ Capellas M (2007) Science teaching Science on Stage Deutschland eV issue7/primarycircus flies high at Science on Stage 2. and the 2008 festival, see: For Tim and Dudley’s suggestions Science in School 5: 10-11. www.science-on-stage.de on teaching climate change, see: www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ w3 – For information (in French, Harrison T, Shallcross D (2008) issue5/sos Dutch and English) about past and Climate change modelling in the Harrison T, Shallcross D (2006) future Science on Stage Belgium classroom. Science in School 9: 28-33. Perfume chemistry, sexual attraction events, see: www.scienceonstage.be www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ and exploding balloons: university w4 – For information about the five issue9/climate international Science on Stage festi- activities for school. Science in and: School 3: 48-51. vals, links to national Science on Harrison T, Shallcross D (2008) www.scienceinschool.org/2006/ Stage activities and many inspiring Practical demonstrations to issue3/perfume teaching ideas, see: www.science-on-stage.net augment climate change lessons. Hayes E (2007) Awards, rewards – Science in School 10: 46-50. w5 – Bristol ChemLabS is based at the and onwards! Science in School 5: www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ School of Chemistry, University of 12-14. www.scienceinschool.org/ issue10/climate 2007/issue5/sosprize Bristol, UK. See: www.chemlabs.bris.ac.uk

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 7 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 8

Forthcoming events

By 31 March 2009 13 November 2008 – May 2009 The course costs £130 (residential) or Worldwide Competition: The chemical detective £70 (non-residential). There is a discount for members of the Institute of Competition: The Plus magazine (Mit Chemie auf Spurensuche) Physics. new writers award The ninth DECHEMAX school com- Flyers and application forms will Plus magazine is once again looking petition will start in November 2008. be sent to UK schools early in for the science writers of the future, In the first round, teams of three to September. Schools outside the UK who can make mathematics lively five students from Years 7-11 answer who would like to be informed about and interesting for a general audi- weekly questions on the Internet the course are invited to contact the ence. There are three categories in this about biology, biotechnology and organisers. writing competition: school students, chemistry. Teams that pass the first university students and the general round can take part in the second – Contact: Leila Solomon public. In the first category, second- experimental – round. There are cer- ([email protected]) ary-school and sixth-form students tificates for all successful teams, and attractive prizes for the winners. are invited to write a piece of up to Until 15 January 2009 900 words about the life and/or work The competition is run in German. Germany of any mathematician, living or dead. Registration open online on 1 Competition: Siemens school The winning entries will be read by October: competition an international audience of over www.dechemax.de/anmeldung 100 000 in the June 2009 issue of Plus. More information: www.dechemax.de This year’s Siemens school competition in science, engineering and math- There are also prizes for the best sub- Contact: [email protected], +49 ematics is all about water. How can missions, including signed copies of (0)69 7564 164/172 popular science books and an Apple we reduce our water consumption? iPod. How can we avoid water pollution? 12-14 December 2008 What technologies are available for The closing date is 31 March 2009. Engineering Department, acquiring drinking water and treating More information: University of Cambridge, UK sewage? Students in Years 11-13 are http://plus.maths.org/competition invited to compete. Training course: Cambridge Update The deadline for registration is 31 All practising teachers of physics are October 2008. The submission dead- invited to take part in a course run by line is 15 January 2009. The competi- the UK’s Institute of Physics. Through tion language is German. a series of talks and workshops, participants will learn about recent More information: developments in physics and the www.siemens.de/generation21/ applications of physics, try new prac- schuelerwettbewerb tical techniques and find out about developments in physics education.

8 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 9

Events

28 January 2009 help us understand our environment, 26 September 2009 Jemeppe-sur-Sambre, Belgium our planet and our Universe. Lisbon, Oporto and Matosinhos, Conference: Playful Sciences 3 Organised by the UK’s Institute of Portugal Physics, the course costs £20. Science on Stage Belgium invites sec- Science festival: Researchers’ Night 2008 ‘Scientists across Portugal’ ondary-school teachers and trainee Contact: Leila Solomon teachers to join them in a day of play- ([email protected]) As part of the European Researchers’ ful sciences: presentations, experi- Night initiative by the European Commission, the Instituto Gulbenkian ments, games, a competition and a Until 30 April 2009 de Ciência, University of Oporto and bag of experimental material to take Europe-wide Inova+ invite you to join the largest home! Competition: Check out the Property science communication event in The introduction is in English, with To help teachers make science lessons Portugal. the rest of the events in either French more fun and interesting, Xperimania In Lisbon, events and activities at the or Dutch (with translations available, has launched a new science competi- Cultural Centre of Belém include: if necessary). There are places for 200 tion, Check out the Property, for 10- to A ‘walk for science’ participants and the event is free. To · 20-year-old students. Speed-dating with scientists register, email [email protected] · Science-art exhibits by 1 November 2008. Via fun and easy experiments detailed · on the Xperimania website, students Hands-on experiments More information: www.scienceonstage.be · are encouraged to learn about chemi- · A scientists’ bands stage cal and physical properties of every- Interactive science in the 15-17 February 2008 day objects, the materials that display · Champimovel. London, UK those properties, and their uses in In Oporto, at the ocean-front of everyday life. Students are also invit- Matosinhos and the Planetarium of Training course: Physics in ed to devise their own hypotheses the University of Oporto, the activi- Perspective and experiments and upload their ties include: This study course for sixth-form and laboratory reports, along with photo- · Exhibitions and workshops college students (aged 16-19) offers graphs, films or other multimedia · Starlab – the portable planetarium insights into the many aspects of sources. Speed-dating with scientists modern physics, including cutting- · There are prizes for the best entries: Hands-on experiments edge physics topics, technological · personal media players for the win- Cafes scientifiques applications, as well as some ‘fun’ ning students and a prize fund for the · physics. The programme of six lec- Performances by university music winning schools to spend on scientific · groups tures is designed to counteract the classroom resources. Interactive science in the misconception that physics is a dry, More information: · Oceanário Shuttle (Oceanário de narrow subject concerned only with www.xperimania.net/ww/en/pub/ Lisboa). certainties and remote concepts, and xperimania/competition2008.htm More information: to demonstrate how physics is used to Contact: [email protected] www.igc.gulbenkian.pt/investigadores2008

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 9 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 10

All year All year All year CERN, Geneva, Switzerland Schullabor Novartis, Basel, Schools and other venues in the UK Training course: CERN high-school Switzerland Roadshow: Cool Seas teacher programme Workshop: ‘Gentechnik Erleben’ Run by the Marine Conservation CERN, the world’s largest particle (Experience Genetic Engineering) Society, the Cool Seas Roadshow vis- physics laboratory, organises one- These workshops focus on practical its primary and junior schools week courses for secondary-school laboratory work, but background throughout the UK. It entertains and physics teachers who would like to information is given for all experi- educates school children about the increase their knowledge of particle ments. Secondary-school students iso- importance of conserving the UK’s physics and cosmology, who want to late plasmid DNA from bacterial cul- spectacular marine wildlife, using find out more about the world of tures and digest it with restriction life-size inflatable models of whales, frontier research, and who wish to enzymes. The resulting DNA frag- dolphins, sharks, turtles and seals in bring modern physics into their class- ments are separated and visualised by dynamic presentations given by a rooms. The course materials are gel electrophoresis. marine wildlife education specialist. aimed at students aged 13-16. The workshops are for secondary- The roadshow involves a full day of The courses cover (at an introductory school students who already have the presentations to different classes, and level) particle physics, cosmology, necessary theoretical background and costs either £175 or £350, depending detectors, accelerators and applica- are over 17 years of age. The work- on how much the school can con- tions. Teachers have the opportunity shops are free of charge, are in tribute. to visit CERN’s experimental installa- German or English (on request), and Each school that is visited receives tions. Each course is aimed at teachers have a maximum of 20 participants. printed materials and web-based from a particular European country Teachers are invited to get in touch to resources, including an activity book- and is run in the national language. arrange a workshop for their class. let for each student, and a poster for The courses are free of charge, but the More information: every classroom. The curriculum- participants are expected to pay for www.schullabor.ch linked, web-based resources can be viewed here: their travel expenses and accommo- Contact: Gesche Standke www.mcsuk.org/coolseas dation. ([email protected]) More information: The roadshow is also suitable for pub- http://education.web.cern.ch/education lic events outside school, so if you are planning an environmental event or Contact: Mick Storr ([email protected]) have a large and suitable audience in mind, please get in touch. More information: www.mcsuk.org Contact: [email protected]

10 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 11

Events

All year All year All year 10 locations around the UK Many Scottish venues, UK Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK Training courses: science continuing Roadshow: Science Circus Workshops: Primary school professional development Glasgow Science Centre’s outreach The Pembrokeshire Darwin Science The national network of Science team brings all the fun of the science Festival offers a double workshop Learning Centres, set up by the UK centre directly to schools and commu- visit for a maximum of 30 Key Stage 2 Department for Skills and Education nity groups throughout Scotland pupils (ages 8-11) and costs £200. The and the Wellcome Trust, provides thanks to its lively travelling Science group is split into two workshops, continuing professional education for Circus. Science Circus activities con- which run simultaneously: everyone involved in UK science edu- sist of amazing live science shows Plankton/microscopy identifica- cation, at all levels. With nine regional and interactive exhibits delivered at · tion workshop centres and a national centre in York, your venue. Energy workshop using dynamos, access to innovative and inspiring More information: · solar panels and a steam engine as courses is within reach across the UK. www.glasgowsciencecentre.org hands-on props. The centres not only deliver hundreds Contact: +44 (0)871 540 1004 of courses, but also act as a focus for Also available are three 90-minute all the science learning activities in workshops, each for a maximum of their region. All year 20 pupils and costing £120: More information: Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK Oil-spill workshop for Key Stage 2 · pupils (ages 8-11) www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk Field trip: Rockpools Climate-change workshop for Key Contact: [email protected] The Pembrokeshire Darwin Science · Stage 2 pupils (ages 8-11) Festival invites all primary schools in Marine-litter workshop for Key All year Pembrokeshire to book a rockpool · ramble and identification field trip. Stage 1 pupils (ages 4-7). Glasgow Science Centre, The course is aimed at Key Stage 2 More information: Glasgow, UK pupils (ages 8-11), takes half a day www.darwincentre.com Free teacher visits and is led by three qualified marine Contact: Marten Lewis Teachers, classroom assistants, nurs- scientists. Cost: £250 with a bus or ([email protected]) ery teachers and technicians are invit- £170 without a bus. Maximum 30 ed to visit the Glasgow Science children. Centre, free of charge, to explore and More information: investigate what is on offer. www.darwincentre.com More information: Contact: Marten Lewis www.glasgowsciencecentre.org ([email protected]) Contact: +44 (0)871 540 1003

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 11 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:31 Uhr Seite 12

All year All year All year Paris-Montagne, Paris, France Portugal INTECH Winchester, UK Science Academy School visits: MIT professors go to Free teacher visits Throughout the year, Paris-Montagne Portuguese secondary schools Teachers are invited to visit INTECH, runs an outreach programme in all Ciência Viva is organising short talks the hands-on interactive science and Parisian suburbs and in the Lyon by MIT professors in Portuguese sec- discovery centre, free of charge or to area. The science academy is for high- ondary schools, as part of a co-opera- attend a teacher preview session to school students who are interested in tion between the Massachusetts discover what is available for school science but not confident enough to Institute of Technology and visits and workshops. enrol for undergraduate studies, due Portuguese universities in the areas of More information: to social and cultural hindrances. The bioengineering, sustainable energy www.intech-uk.com organisation offers students personal and transport systems. The students Contact: Angela Ryde-Weller tutoring and the possibility to discov- have direct contact with MIT profes- ([email protected]) er the world of research by meeting sors and can discuss their ideas and researchers in various fields and by ask questions about these important carrying out their own research in real engineering areas. laboratories during their holidays Schools are selected based on their If you organise events or competitions (100 labs, from three hospitals and a motivation for participating in the that would be of interest to European dozen universities and research insti- programme and on the projects they science teachers and you would like tutes, participated in April 2008). The have developed in the areas of science to see them mentioned in Science in most dedicated participants in the and engineering. School, please email details – includ- programme are offered the chance to More information: ing date, location, title, abstract, price, take part in a summer camp during www.cienciaviva.pt/divulgacao/mit language, registration deadline, web- the Paris-Montagne science festival in site and contact email address – to Contact: [email protected] July, and also to attend other scientific [email protected]. summer camps in Europe (including Petnica, Kut Diak and Visnjan). Since its creation in 2006, nearly 300 high-school students have participated in the science academy, and each year around 1500 participants visit the Paris-Montagne science festival. More information: www.scienceacademie.org

12 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 13

Practical courses in molecular biology ELLS LearningLABs for teachers The European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory

of Jupiterimages C tesy orpo our rat e c ion ag Im

The European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences is an education facility which has been created to bring secondary-school teachers into the research lab for a unique hands-on encounter with state-of-the-art molecular biology techniques and to give scientists a chance to work 2009 with teachers, helping to bridge the gap between research and schools. EMBL Heidelberg 18-20 March I 01-03 July I 28-30 September

EMBL Monterotondo 28-30 January (in Turin) I 15-17 July I 21-23 October

For more information about the courses please contact: EMBL Heidelberg EMBL Monterotondo Meyerhofstraße 1 Adriano Buzzati-Traverso Campus 69117 Heidelberg Via Ramarini 32 Germany 00015 Monterotondo (Rome) Tel: +49 6221 387- 8104 / 8263 Italy E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +39 0690 091349

www.embl.de/ells sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 14

“Intelligence is of secondary importance in research”

Image courtesy of H. Boffin / ESO

Can you play world-class sport and also be part of a team that tries to understand the nature of our Universe? Yes – just ask Tamara Davis. Henri Boffin from ESO talked to her in Copenhagen, Denmark.

en years ago, a ‘bomb’ exploded described in Peebles, 2001). Proof of Tin astronomy: because of new this expansion was provided in 1929 observations, the prevailing standard by American astronomer Edwin model of the Universe had to be aban- Hubble, who showed that the speed doned and replaced by new ideas (see at which a galaxy moves away from Landua & Rau, 2008, for a discussion us is proportional to its distance from of the standard model). According to Earth. This is known as the Hubble the most accepted model of the for- law. mation of the Universe, the Big Bang The latest observations show that theory, the Universe originated in this expansion, instead of decelerat- a very hot and dense state, and has ing, as one would expect if gravity been expanding ever since (as were the only force present, is cur-

14 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 15

Feature article Image courtesy of Peter Challis - Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Images of clusters of galaxies like this one from the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope are used to discover distant supernovae by Tamara Davis’ team

rently accelerating. Galaxies are mov- (as described in Warmbein, 2007) – researchers who discovered that the ing away from each other at an ever- dark matter – we only really know expansion of the Universe is accelerat- increasing rate (see, for example, about approximately 5% of our ing.” Leibundgut & Sollerman, 2001). Universe. This certainly calls for a One way to determine the proper- “Astronomers thus came up with degree of modesty! ties of dark energy is to measure dis- the idea of dark energy, which is the Tamara works at the Dark tances and velocities of distant light name we give to the mysterious Cosmology Centre in Copenhagen, sources so as to calculate how much source of the acceleration of the Denmark, and teams up with people the Universe expands over time. For Universe,” says astronomer Tamara from around the world in large col- this purpose, astronomers observe Davis. “We do not yet know what it laborations, not unlike those that are primarily Type Ia supernovae (as is. It could be a kind of material that now tackling crucial questions in par- described in Székely & Benedekfi, has anti-gravity properties, in which ticle physics. Tamara is part of the 2007) – that is, exploding stars. The case this bizarre stuff would make up ESSENCEw1 collaboration, which stud- most distant observed supernovae are over 70% of the energy in our ies supernovae in order to understand so far away that they actually explod- Universe. Or it could be that our dark energy. She started working on ed before Earth even formed. Their theory of gravity might not yet be this amazing topic when she moved light has been travelling through complete, in the same way as to the Australian National University space towards us since before our Sun Newton’s theory needed to be and Mount Stromlo Observatory in started shining – and remember that, extended by Einstein’s theory of 2003, after completing her PhD at the because light moves at a finite speed, general relativity.” University of New South Wales, looking far away means looking back Now that astronomers also have Australia. “I was extremely lucky to in time. Because they are so far away, evidence that 25% of the Universe is work with a really inspirational scien- very little light reaches us, so such made of an unknown form of matter tist, Brian Schmidt, who is one of the observations can only be made with

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 15 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 16

The supernova discovery telescope (CTIO Blanco 4-m) magnificently framed by the two Magellanic clouds (some of our nearest galactic neigh- bours) on the left and our own Milky way galaxy on the right Image courtesy of Roger Smith / NOAO / AURA / NSF

the most powerful of telescopes, such dark energy and what they predict for trapped outside the telescope enclo- as ESO’sw2 Very Large Telescope (see the behaviour of the supernovae. sure because a pack of kangaroos was Pierce-Price, 2006, for a description of When the observations are ready, it is grazing at the gate. working with this telescope), or the her job to compare the data with the the- But Tamara also has her eyes on Keckw3 and Geminiw4 telescopes – all ories and figure out which work best. space. In Copenhagen, she is part of a of which are in remote areas with cli- “Far and away my favourite part of group that is proposing to build a matic conditions well suited to tele- astronomy is observing at the big tele- space observatory called SNAP, the scope observation (almost no clouds, scopes, particularly the ones down in SuperNova Acceleration Probew5. almost no water vapour, and a thin Chile. Using space telescopes [which SNAP is designed to measure the atmosphere). By observing a great eliminate the blurring and absorbing expansion of the Universe and to number of supernovae spanning a effects of Earth’s atmosphere] is also determine the nature of the mysteri- wide range of distances, and measur- extremely cool, but you don’t get to ous dark energy that is accelerating ing their distances and velocities, it is control the telescope yourself. this expansion. “I love telling people possible to measure how the expan- Actually going up to the telescopes in that part of my job is building a sion of the Universe changes with the Chilean Andes, such as the Very spaceship,” she jokes. time. Large Telescope, is amazing. The But what is it really all about? “We The ESSENCE collaboration is a whole experience of travelling are trying to understand the funda- group of about 30 researchers from through South America, getting the mental building blocks of our around the world, who come together bus up into some wild, remote part of Universe and how the laws of physics to discover distant supernovae so the desert and then seeing a huge tel- work. The kind of advancements in they can be used to understand the escope appear on the horizon is like knowledge and in technology that are acceleration of the Universe and dark something out of a science fiction possible from this work will be truly energy. Tamara has the daunting task film. Then when you are actually staggering, although turning this of trying to work out what the meas- there you have a building-size piece fundamental research into practical urements of supernovae actually tell of precision machinery obeying your applications will take a long us. After she has done her share of the commands. It’s fantastic.” time. Current theories don’t explain observations, she lets others in the Tamara not only got hands-on with what this dark energy is, but they collaboration turn the raw images of telescopes in the Chilean Andes – are flexible enough to allow it. supernovae into information about back home in Australia, she used “Most exciting to me is that explain- their distance and velocity. Mean- many telescopes, and had some entering the acceleration of the expansion while, she studies different theories of taining moments. Once, she was of the Universe may, according to the

16 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 17

Feature article

We only really The composition of the Universe know about five percent of the composition of the cosmos – dark matter and dark energy are still subject to intense Heavy elements 0.03% research

Dark energy 70%

Neutrinos 0.3%

Dark matter 25% Free hydrogen Stars 0.5%

Image courtesy of L. Calçada / ESO and helium 4%

Ever since the Big Bang, the Universe has The expanding Universe been expanding Time – and with accelerating Present speed 13.7 billion years

Accelerating expansion

Expansion

Space Image courtesy of L. Calçada / ESO

most prevalent theories, require a can affect the physics of the entire ed towards such an outlandish idea, it merging of gravity and quantum the- Universe on the largest scales. Isn’t it would be easy to suggest that there ory – the physics of the very large mind-blowing?” was just something we had missed in with that of the very small. I love the According to Tamara and many of the observations – that somewhere interconnectedness of nature when her colleagues, the evidence for dark we’d made a mistake. But since the you realise that the physics of the tini- energy is now fairly incontrovertible. initial discovery, more and more evi- est particles that make up humans “If it was only supernovae that point- dence has been piling up from com-

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 17 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 18

pletely different observational tests, pionships, a remarkable achievement. to pass on that enthusiasm to others. I and they all require dark energy.” With such a love of and devotion love seeing that moment of realisation The cosmic microwave background to physics and sport, it is perhaps when someone catches on to a com- radiationw6 (the afterglow left over no surprise that Tamara imagined plex concept, or that ‘wow’ moment from the Big Bang), observations of becoming an astronaut. when they learn something they galaxy clusters, measurements of Unfortunately, if you are not never knew before.” baryon acoustic oscillations (the pat- American, this is no easy task, but as tern of galaxies in the sky), weak and Tamara also has Canadian citizenship, References strong gravitational lensing (for a she intends to apply if the Canadian Jørgensen UG (2006) Are there Earth- brief description of gravitational lens- Space Agency advertises an opening. like planets around other stars? ing, see Jørgensen, 2006) – these wide- In the meantime, as becoming an Science in School 2: 11-16. ly varying measurements, which astronaut seems unlikely, astronomy www.scienceinschool.org/2006/ probe very different physics, all agree is the next best thing for her. This issue2/exoplanet that the expansion of the Universe decision was influenced by a particu- Landua R, Rau M (2008) The LHC – cannot be explained without dark larly inspirational high-school physics a step closer to the Big Bang. Science energy (see Peebles, 2001). teacher. “He was an amateur in School 10: 27-33. One would think that following this astronomer and bought a small tele- www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ quest would not leave much time for scope for the school which we could issue10/lhchow anything but science. But Tamara’s use at night. He also took a couple of achievements reach beyond physics. us along to an astronomy weekend Leibundgut B, Sollerman J (2001) A As a PhD student, she served for two which was memorable because it was cosmological surprise: the Universe years as an elected member of the my first exposure to relativity. I was accelerates. Europhysics News 32(4): university sports association execu- hooked.” 4. www.eso.org/~bleibund/papers tive committee, organising sport for Tamara believes that it does not /EPN/epn.html more than 30 000 students. She has take much to be good in science – Levin J (2003) How the Universe Got Its competed at national level in no only a natural wonder for the world Spots: Diary of a Finite Time in a fewer than six sports. She is a ski around oneself and for figuring out Finite Space. New York, NY, USA: instructor, gymnastics coach and surf how it works. “I’ve learned that intel- Anchor Books lifesaver. At the world championships ligence is of secondary importance in Peebles J (2001) Making sense of for ultimate frisbee in Germany in research. Interest and inspiration are modern cosmology. Scientific 2000, Tamara represented her country far more telling signs of whether American 284: 44 for the first time and has since someone will be successful in a Pierce-Price D (2006) Running one of remained an active member of the scientific career,” she comments. the world’s largest telescopes. Australian team, vice-captaining the Tamara’s interests are not limited to Science in School 1: 56-60. team to fifth place at the 2004 world dark energy. Part of her research www.scienceinschool.org/2006/ championships in Finland. Ultimate investigated some fairly daring topics, issue1/telescope/ frisbee is a team sport played with a showing (amongst other things) that Székely P, Benedekfi O (2007) Fusion frisbee on a rugby field (without the the Universe can expand faster than posts). Ultimate frisbee is self-refer- the speed of light, that the speed of in the Universe: when a giant star eed: the players make their own foul light might not be constant, and that dies…. Science in School 6: 64-68. calls, so fair play and trust in your the rapid appearance of life on Earth www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ opposition is vital. Because of this, the suggests that life in the Universe is issue6/fusion players hold a vote at every tourna- common. Warmbein B (2007) Making dark mat- ment as to which team played the She also teaches at university, some- ter a little brighter. Science in School fairest. Despite being very competi- thing she thoroughly enjoys. “I guess 5: 78-80. tive, Tamara’s team won the ‘spirit of it is because I am so excited by what I www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ the game’ award at both world cham- study that it is completely rewarding issue5/jennylist/

18 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 19

Feature article

Two topics tend to inspire teenagers to study · The role of central facilities and international physics: the fundamental questions relating to how the collaborations Universe got its spots (such as Levin, 2003), and The use of space telescopes to eliminate astronomy. Neither topic is found in standard · atmospheric interference in astronomy secondary-school curricula, but this article contains a bit of both. Students are likely to find it very interesting · Things we still don’t know or understand properly that the study of supernovae using telescopes can help · The value (or otherwise) of doing this kind of prove (or disprove) the standard model of cosmology. fundamental work In addition, many non-scientists – secondary-school Stereotypes, caricatures and preconceived ideas. students included – still imagine physicists to be skin- · It could also be used for enrichment when studying ny male nerds on the autistic side of normal, or beard- light scattering in the atmosphere, or as a basis for stu- ed and bespectacled nutters (or, in the unlikely event dent research into how physicists determine the dis- that they’re female, distinctly weird spinsters with no tance to stars or how stars move with respect to Earth. life outside the lab) who work in isolation, never seeing the light of day. A description of a real physicist, Collaboration with the art department might lead to whom students might wish to meet, work with, or even some interesting representations of supernovae, and emulate, is welcome. Moreover, the job that Tamara imaginations could be stretched even further by think- does, which requires international collaboration, trav- ing about what the Universe may have looked like el to exotic locations and playing with mega toys, when a very distant supernova exploded. might well persuade students that a career in physics Finally, children might calculate how far the light from could be seriously interesting, maybe even exciting or fun. a distant supernova was from Earth at the time that Teachers could use this article to stimulate a discussion of: Earth was formed, or when dinosaurs roamed Earth, · How science advances through experiment, and giving their answers (for example) in multiples of the how ideas change and theories have to be modified distance to Alpha Centauri. (Copernicus, Newton, Einstein…) Halina Stanley, France REVIEW

Web references w3 – The website of the Keck measures cosmic microwave back- Observatory in Hawaii, USA: ground radiation – the light left w1 – For more information about the www.keckobservatory.org over from the Big Bang, shifted to ESSENCE (Equation of State: w4 – The website of the Gemini microwave wavelengths due to the SupErNovae trace Cosmic Observatory: www.gemini.edu expansion of the Universe. For Expansion) collaboration to find more information about WMAP, w5 – The SNAP website: supernovae distributed evenly over see: http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/ http://snap.lbl.gov/ the redshift range, see: w6 – The Wilkinson Microwave www.ctio.noao.edu/wproject/ Resources Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) is a w2 – For more information about NASA Explorer mission producing For more information about Tamara ESO (the European Southern a wealth of precise and accurate and her work, see her webpage: Observatory) and its educational cosmological information. WMAP www.dark-cosmology.dk/ projects, visit: produced the first full-sky map of ~tamarad/index.html www.eso.org/outreach/eduoff/ the microwave sky. WMAP

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 19 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 20

Sentinels: meerkat superheroes

Mico Tatalovic from the University of Cambridge, UK, investigates the private lives of meerkats. Why do these small carnivores live in groups? Why do they feed each other’s pups, dig together and guard each other? And what makes a really good sentinel?

lower is an internationally worry comes into her head: reproduc- Meerkats sunning themselves. Facclaimed television star. The Especially in winter months, meerkats ing. Such is the nature of natural Discovery Channel’s series Meerkat sun themselves to warm up in the selection: only those who survive Manor, the first ‘animal Big Brother’ morning before foraging, and in the long enough to reproduce will spread show, made her cute little face popu- evening before going to sleep their genes to the next generation. lar around the globe. Now a feature- Flower is a descendent of a long line length biography has also been Image courtesy of Mico Tatalovic of survivors. This means she has released with an accompanying book, adaptations that allow her to survive Meerkat Manor: The Story of Flower of despite the many predatory species the Kalahari. out to get her. Flower’s story only reached the Birds of prey, wild cats, jackals, world because of the research efforts snakes.... If it’s bigger than a meerkat of scientists based at the University of and it eats meat, it’s probably a threat. Cambridge, UK, who set up the Living in a group is an advantage; Kalahari Meerkat Projectw1 15 years many eyes see better. But meerkats ago and have studied the lives of sev- have evolved an even more sophisti- eral meerkat groups daily ever since. cated strategy to avoid predation: Such long-term field projects have posting sentinelsw2, usually one but become popular in the field of behav- sometimes several at the time. Like ioural biology because they permit soldiers on guard, meerkat sentinels the accumulation of an enormous scan the horizon from an elevated amount of data on every aspect of post and announce their duty with a animals’ lives, allowing scientists to special sentinel call, the ‘watchman’s ask and answer ever-more detailed song’. They have excellent depth per- questions about their evolution. ception that allows them to see preda- When not on camera, Flower, like tors at a great distance. Having a sen- other meerkats (Suricata suricatta), has tinel on guard reduces the possibility to worry about two main things in of surprise attacks and allows the rest life: finding food, and avoiding being of the group to be less vigilant. eaten herself. When the right time Sentinel behaviour may seem altru- (and the right male) comes, a third istic since the sentinels help others at

20 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 21

Cutting-edge science

Meerkat research

The Kalahari Meerkat Project was set up some 15 years All pups are caught and an identity microchip is inserted ago by Professor Clutton-Brock from the University of under their skin in case the dye marks on their fur wear Cambridge, UK. Since then, the Cambridge scientists have out. Blood samples are also taken at regular intervals collaborated with colleagues in other countries, especial- throughout their lives, to obtain both their DNA and hor- ly at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and Pretoria monal profiles. This helps researchers to determine rela- University in South Africa. tionships within and between the groups and to correlate All meerkats involved in the project are wild but habituat- behaviours with hormone levels. The animals are captured ed to people and are easily identifiable by small dye marks for only a few minutes, to avoid stressing them too much. that the researchers and volunteers have painted on them. For the scientists, a typical day of meerkat research These dye marks make for easy identification, as ‘head and involves waking up before sunrise to arrive at the sleeping shoulders’ is different from ‘right rib, right thigh’. Familiar burrow before meerkats get up. Various records have to be with people since birth, the animals ignore us so we can kept, such as where the animals slept, when they got up, observe them from as little as 0.5 m away and walk among how heavy they are (we use small crumbs of hard-boiled the group without disturbing their normal behaviour. Since egg to lure them onto scales, saying “yum, yum, yum!”). most meerkats are studied from birth, each individual’s We also count and identify all the animals to check the parentage and life history is recorded. group’s composition and then follow them for three hours The project manager makes a weekly schedule of group while they forage for food and avoid predators. When fol- visits to allow researchers (master’s students, PhD students lowing them, we also take regular GPS readings to calcu- and postdoctoral researchers) to visit the meerkat groups late the routes that the meerkats take on their foraging

they need for their experiments and to make sure all trips. At midday, when the meerkats have a siesta to avoid Image courtesy of Mico Tatalovic groups are visited at least a couple of times a week by vol- the heat of the desert sun, we leave to have lunch and unteers to keep track of where the animals go and what return in the afternoon for more data collection. Afternoon they do. In every group, one animal has a radio collar that experiments might include playing the meerkats’ own allows it to be tracked; most of their sleeping burrows are vocalisations back to them or presenting them with pred-

BACKGROUND also labelled with GPS points so it is easy to locate them. ator cues or faeces to observe their responses.

Meerkats resting. In the summer months, meerkats rest at midday to avoid the heat

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 21 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:32 Uhr Seite 22

Meerkat society

Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are small, carnivorous Meerkats reach adulthood at around one year of age. At mammals weighing on average less than one kilogram. around 18-30 months of age, males voluntarily leave the They inhabit the arid areas of southern Africa and live in group, either to join an existing group or to form a new social groups of 2-50 individuals, consisting of one dom- group with unrelated females. Adult females, particular- inant pair and a variable number of subordinate helpers ly pregnant ones, may be evicted from their home group who may or may not be related to the dominant pair. by the pregnant dominant female; this is thought to These members of the mongoose family (Herpestidae) reduce the chance of the dominant female’s pups being eat mainly arthropods (insects, spiders and their rela- eaten by the other females. Most females return to the tives), as well as the occasional small mammal, reptile or group once the dominant female has given birth, but plant bulb. some may permanently disperse to form new groups They have territories with several sleeping burrows, from with unrelated males. which they make daily foraging trips of up to a few kilo- Dominant meerkats live for 6-10 years on average, with metres. Depending on food availability and predation the oldest individual in the Kalahari Meerkat Project pressure at specific spots, they will either return to the being almost 13 years. The age of subordinate meerkats same sleeping burrow for several nights, or change bur- is more difficult to record, as many disperse or are rows quite frequently. evicted by the age of around three years, and are subse- On average, litters consist of three to four pups that stay quently lost to the project records. The most important within the burrow until they are approximately three known causes of death are predation, fights with other weeks old. During that time, while the pups are being meerkats (including infanticide), diseases and human- fed on milk, the group returns to the same burrow. At caused factors such as car fatalities – but for two-thirds four weeks of age, the pups begin travelling with the of the Kalahari Meerkat Project meerkats, the cause of group and for their first three months of life, are fed on death is unknown, since the individuals just disap- invertebrates and small vertebrates by helpers. peared. BACKGROUND Image courtesy of Mico Tatalovic their own expense: when they are meerkats, to give us preliminary guarding, they not only expend energy answers and to help us formulate and and lose valuable foraging time, but test theories. also expose themselves to predators. Flower keeps guard from trees, But are they really being altruistic? logs, bushes, grass tufts or even My research group investigates con- human heads. The average height of flicts and co-operation in meerkat the posts from which meerkats keep societies, and as part of this work, I guard is around 60 cm although the focus on sentinels. One of the main bravest sentinels will climb trees up questions I am investigating is why to six metres high. The height of the some meerkats spend more time on sentinel’s post also varies with the guard than others. An answer to a vegetation cover; during the rainy simple question like this can give us season when grass is tall, sentinels valuable insights into the evolution of guard from higher posts so that they Meerkats at a sleeping burrow. Sleeping social behaviour. ‘Why are some can see above the grass. This reflects burrows may have several exits and humans more social than others?’ and the fact that the behaviour of wild rooms inside. Meerkats maintain them but don’t dig them; instead they use ‘How did our sense of community animals is affected by their environ- ground squirrels’ burrows and sometimes and helping others initially evolve?’ ment; when studying behaviour, it is also share them with yellow mongooses we may ask eventually. Until then, we often important to consider the envi- that live in small family groups study model animals, such as ronmental effects.

22 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:33 Uhr Seite 23

Cutting-edge science

Meerkats are an excellent model species for studying behav- Costs of group living ioural biology and ecology because they can be habituated There is a trade-off for individuals between the benefits and to close observation by humans; they are also diurnal and costs of group living. One of the main costs of group living forage in a relatively open habitat and are hence easy to fol- is the prevention of reproduction: the dominant breeding low and observe on foot. The aspect of their lives that inter- pair accounts for around 80% of the offspring born to the ests evolutionary biologists the most is their sociality. Why group. Dominant females try to weight the reproduction in do they live in groups? Why do the young adults stay in the their own favour, so that they produce as many offspring as group and why do they help each other? What are the evo- possible; subordinate females are commonly expelled from lutionary conflicts among individuals living in groups and the group by the dominant female in the latter half of her how are these resolved? pregnancy to prevent infanticide by subordinates. Subordinate females are also evolutionarily driven to repro- Benefits of group living duce, in spite of attempts by the dominant female to prevent this from happening. Similarly, subordinate males try to find For meerkats, group living makes sense because there is receptive females from neighbouring groups and thus little available land for establishing their own territories, enhance their reproductive success. most of the appropriate habitat having already been taken by rival groups, and the harsh desert environment makes it The exact nature of these within- and between-group con- difficult to survive alone. All adult meerkats contribute to flicts and resolutions is a subject of continuing research. co-operative behaviours; the main ones are pup feeding, Currently, scientists are looking at the way in which differ- sentinel duty, burrow maintenance and, for females, allolac- ent hormones such as oxytocin (the ‘trust’ hormone) affect tation (lactating for another meerkat’s pups). Co-operation social behaviour and conflicts within the group. Others are increases the pups’ survival, development and subsequent examining the influence of an individual meerkat’s person- reproductive success, which benefits the group as a whole, ality on its behaviour and decisions. because larger groups are more likely to survive.

Sentinel behaviour also differs check the surroundings for anything increase or decrease in cortisol levels between individual meerkats. Some suspicious. It seems that these super- – by introducing the hormone into the sentinels will go on guard more often, sentinels also have higher levels of animal’s system or blocking it through and guard longer and from higher the stress hormone cortisol. This rais- the introduction of another molecule posts: this is why we consider them to es the question of whether this hor- – changes meerkats’ behaviour.

be ‘supersentinels’ – although we mone is the cause or the effect of their But why do we devote so much Image courtesy of Eleanor Harris don’t actually know if these individu- behaviour. Future research could time to elucidating meerkat behav- als are also the most efficient in address this by observing how an iour? Studying specific behaviours detecting predators. The longer they such as guarding is like fitting a sin- stay on guard, the more likely they gle piece of puzzle into the larger pic- Meerkat guarding are to announce their alertness when from the top of a ture of the evolution of social behav- protecting the group, so that the dry branch iour. Eventually we would like to group can relax. Supersentinels are understand how, why and when co- also likely to be animals that are usually more vigilant; even when they are not on sentinel duty, they often stop while foraging for food to briefly

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 23 sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:33 Uhr Seite 24

lutionary biology is the existence of main causes of the evolution of this altruistic behaviours in humans and social, apparently altruistic behaviour. animals. Darwin’s theory of natural However, we still don’t know exactly selection argues for the survival of the why meerkats guard and why some fittest through competition for limited are just so super at it. The current resources (food, mates, space). Yet, we hypothesis is that good foragers – find animals such as meerkats co- meerkats that are the most efficient at operating happily; they baby-sit and capturing prey – are also the best sen- feed (even lactate for) other meerkat’s tinels, because they spend less time pups, dig burrows together and foraging and thus have more time guard the whole group from predator and energy to spend on other activi- attacks. How can Darwin’s theory ties. But the evidence is still too scarce explain the observed harmonious to support this. My research might Image courtesy of Mico Tatalovic Image courtesy of Mico lives of meerkats? help elucidate some of the answers to Meerkats emerging from a bolthole after After 15 years of detailed study of these questions. I just hope they’re a predator alarm meerkats, Professor Tim Clutton- not doing it only for the cameras! w3 Brock of Cambridge University and operation evolved in animals and in his colleagues say that meerkats are our own species. We would like to not that altruistic after all. There is a References know why we are so different from lot of selfish behaviour going on. A Clutton-Brock TH et al (1999) Selfish other animals. We would like to probe classic example, published in the jour- sentinels in cooperative mammals. deeper into the evolution of life on nal Science, is the finding that meerkat Science 284: 1640-1644. doi: our planet and to satisfy our thirsty sentinels guard from safe sites, and 10.1126/science.284.5420.1640 curiosity. “Why?” It’s the question only once their bellies are full that drives science. (Clutton-Brock et al, 1999). Moreover, Meerkats are an excellent model being the first to spot predators Web references system to test hypotheses arising means that in most cases they are the w1 – For more information about the from the theory of evolution. One of first to escape them too. This suggests Kalahari Meerkat Project see: the biggest unsolved problems in evo- that direct, selfish benefits are the www.kalahari-meerkats.com Image courtesy of Mico Tatalovic Image courtesy of Mico

Meerkats sunning themselves

24 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_2-25_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:33 Uhr Seite 25

Cutting-edge science

Image courtesy of Eleanor Harris Mobbing a snake: Mobbing is used to gather information about a threat and to chase off potential predators

w2 – To watch a video clip of meerkat Resources sentinels on the Discovery Channel For more information about meerkats, Mico Tatalovic is studying for a website, see: see: master’s degree (MPhil) in the http://animal.discovery.com/ Department of Zoology at the The Fellow Earthlings’ Wildlife fansites/meerkat/video/video.html University of Cambridge, UK. Center, which specialises in caring (note that you may have to watch Originally from Croatia, he was for meerkats: an advertisement before the video awarded a scholarship, first to study www.fellowearthlings.org clip appears) at the University of Oxford, UK, and w3 – For more information about the The East Coast Meerkat Society: then at Cambridge. work of Tim Clutton-Brock’s www.meerkatsrule.org research group, see: www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/zoostaff/larg/ Pages/

This article provides some basic information about 2. What are the benefits and the costs of group living meerkats and addresses various aspects of their social for meerkats? behaviour, with an emphasis on the sentinels. The arti- 3. Why does Professor Tim Clutton-Brock say that cle is interesting, sometimes even humorous, just like meerkats are not altruistic? the animals it talks about. It makes good material for 4. Which main co-operative behaviours do adult discussions/debates on issues such as the evolution of co-operation in animals and in humans, and how ani- meerkats contribute to? mal and human altruism compare and contrast. The 5. How does the height of the sentinel’s post vary issue of social behaviour also creates the opportunity according to the environmental conditions present for interdisciplinary studies. at the time? The article could give rise to many comprehension 6. Why are meerkats considered an excellent study questions, including: system to test hypotheses arising from the theory 1. Why do researchers consider meerkats to be of evolution? excellent model species for studying behavioural Michalis Hadjimarcou, Cyprus biology and ecology? REVIEW

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 25 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:55 Uhr Seite 26

The LHC: a step closer to the Big Bang

On 10 September 2008 at 10:28 am, the world’s largest particle accelerator – the Large Hadron Collider – was switched on. But why? In the first of two articles, Rolf Landua from CERN and Marlene Rau from EMBL investigate the big unresolved questions of particle physics and what the LHC can tell us about the early Universe, starting 10-12 seconds after the Big Bang.

Image courtesy of CERN hen the Universe was formed kinetic energies that are currently W13700 million years ago in the technically possible (these energies Big Bang, an immense concentration of correspond to those that are calculat- energy was transformed into matter ed to have existed 10-12 seconds after within less than a billionth of a second. the Big Bang), crashing the particles The temperatures, densities and ener- into each other with close to the gies involved were extremely high. speed of light. This should result in According to Einstein’s law E=mc2, to new particles of higher mass than any create a matter particle of a certain previous experiments have achieved, mass (m), you need a corresponding allowing the physicists to test their Technicians inspect amount of energy (E), with the speed ideas. Despite suggestions by the the first magnets in of light (c) defining the exchange rate media, however, the energy of colli- the LHC tunnel of the transformation. So the high ener- sions in the LHC will be about 1075 gies shortly after the Big Bang could times lower than in the Big Bang, so have created particles of very large fears that a ‘Small Bang’ could be mass. Physicists have proposed these recreated are unfounded. hypothetical heavy particles to explain open questions about the creation and The building blocks of matter: composition of our Universe. the standard model To investigate these theories, Since the days of the Greek philoso- scientists have built the Large Hadron phers, people have wondered what Collider (LHC). If a type of particle our world is made of. Is it possible to can be created in the LHC, the explain the enormous diversity of nat- world’s largest particle accelerator, ural phenomena – rocks, plants, ani- then it is assumed to have existed mals (including humans), clouds, shortly after the Big Bang. The LHC thunderstorms, stars, planets and will collide particles using the highest much more – in a simple way? The

26 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:55 Uhr Seite 27

Cutting-edge science

The standard model of particle physics Image courtesy of CERN

Image courtesy of CERN theories and discoveries of physicists over the past century have given us an answer: everything in the Universe is made from a small number of building blocks called matter particles, governed by four fundamental forces. Our best understanding of how these are related to each other is encapsulated in the standard model of particles and forces (see image). Developed in the early 1970s, it is now a well-tested theory of physics. Matter particles come in two different types: leptons and quarks. Both are point-like (no bigger than 10-19 m, the ten-thousandth part of an atom’s diameter). Together, they form a set of twelve particles, divided into three A welder making the very first interconnection between two cryomagnets for the LHC. families, each consisting of two lep- The 1700 interconnections between superconducting magnets for the whole collider tons and two quarks. The fundamen- required 123000 separate welding and assembly operations

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 27 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:55 Uhr Seite 28

tal family, consisting of an up-quark, The combined gravitational attraction Image courtesy of CERN a down-quark, an electron and a neu- of all protons and neutrons of Earth is trino (the two leptons) is sufficient to what keeps you from floating off into explain our visible world. The eight space. matter particles in the other two fami- Finally, there is the weak force (actu- lies are not stable, and seem to differ ally stronger than gravity, but the from the fundamental family only in weakest of the other three) – with a their larger mass. While the 2008 very short range – which allows the Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded transformation of one type of quark for explaining why these other matter into another, or of one type of lepton particles might existw1, physicists are into another. Without these transfor- still trying to work out why there are mations, there would be no beta- exactly eight of them. decay radioactivity, in which a neu- Matter particles can ‘communicate’ tron is converted into a proton, i.e. a with each other in up to four different down-quark is transformed into an This track is an example of simulated ways, by exchanging different types up-quark (for a discussion of beta- data modelled for the CMS detector. Here, a Higgs boson is produced of messenger particles named bosons decay radioactivity, see Rebusco et al, which decays into two jets of (one type for each of the four interac- 2007). Furthermore, the Sun would hadrons and two electrons. The lines tions), which can be imagined as little not shine: stars draw the energy they represent the possible paths of parti- packets of energy with specific prop- radiate from the process of fusion (for cles produced by the proton-proton erties. The strength and the range of a further explanation, see Westra, collision in the detector, while the these four interactions (the funda- 2006), in which a proton is turned into energy these particles deposit is mental forces) are responsible for the a neutron by the transformation of an shown in blue hierarchy of matter. up-quark into a down-quark – in Three quarks are bound together by other words, the reverse of beta

the short-range strong interaction to decay. Image courtesy of CERN form hadrons (particles formed of Although the standard model has quarks) – the protons (two up- and served physicists well as a means of one down-quark) and neutrons (one understanding the fundamental laws up- and two down-quarks) of the of Nature, it does not tell the whole atomic nucleus. Up-quarks have an story. A number of questions remain

electric charge of +2/3, down-quarks of unanswered, and experiments at the

-1/3, which explains the positive LHC will address some of these charge of protons and the uncharged problems. state of neutrons. How are the electrons then attracted A ‘massive’ problem – the Higgs to the nucleus to form an atom? Since field protons have a positive electric charge One of the open questions is: why and electrons a negative electric do particles (and therefore matter) charge, they attract each other via the have mass? If particles had no mass, Peter Higgs visits the CMS experiment, long-range electromagnetic interaction, no structures could exist in the which may find the elusive Higgs boson forcing the light electrons into an Universe, because everything would orbital around the heavy nucleus. consist of individual massless parti- force called, unsurprisingly, the elec- Several atoms can form molecules, cles moving at the speed of light. troweak force. But in order for this which are the material basis of life. However, the mass of particles unification to work mathematically, it Since all these particles have a causes mathematical problems. required the force-carrying particles mass, they also attract each other In the 1960s, an idea was developed to have a mass. However, it was through gravitation – but this long- to explain the weak force and the unclear how to give these particles a range force, the third type of interac- electromagnetic force within the same mass mathematically. So in 1964, tion, is so very weak (about 38 orders powerful theory, which described physicists Peter Higgs, Robert Brout of magnitude weaker than electro- electricity, magnetism, light and some and François Englert came up with a magnetism) that it only plays a role types of radioactivity as all being possible solution to this conundrum. when many particles pull together. manifestations of a single underlying They suggested that particles

28 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:55 Uhr Seite 29

Cutting-edge science

THE HIGGS MECHANISM IMAGES COURTESY OF CERN A WELL KNOWN 1 2 TO UNDERSTAND THE HIGGS SCIENTIST, ALBERT EINSTEIN, WALKS IN, MECHANISM, IMAGINE THAT CREATING A DISTURBANCE A ROOM FULL OF PHYSICISTS AS HE MOVES ACROSS THE ROOM, AND QUIETLY CHATTERING IS LIKE ATTRACTING A CLUSTER SPACE FILLED ONLY WITH THE OF ADMIRERS WITH EACH STEP. HIGGS FIELD. 3 THIS INCREASES HIS RESISTANCE TO MOVEMENT – IN OTHER WORDS, HE ACQUIRES MASS, JUST LIKE A PARTICLE MOVING THROUGH THE HIGGS FIELD.

IF A RUMOUR CROSSES THE ROOM ... IT CREATES THE 4 5 SAME KIND OF CLUSTERING, BUT THIS TIME AMONG THE SCIENTISTS THEMSELVES. IN THIS ANALOGY, THESE CLUSTERS ARE THE HIGGS PARTICLES.

acquired mass by interaction with an with observed phenomena. The prob- so far have not been high enough. As invisible force field called the Higgs lem is that no one has ever detected it stands, the Higgs particle must field. Its associated messenger particle the elusive boson. The difficulty in have a mass at least 130 times that of is known as the Higgs boson. The finding it (if indeed it exists) is that the proton. Scientists believe that the field prevails throughout the cosmos: the theory does not predict its mass, energy generated by the LHC – seven any particles that interact with it (this so it has to be searched for by trial times higher than that used in any interaction can be imagined as a kind and error. other collisions so far – should suffice of friction) are given a mass. The Using high-energy particle colli- to detect the Higgs boson. more they interact, the heavier they sions, physicists create new particles – Two of the experiments at the LHC, become, whereas particles that never and search among them for the Higgs called ATLAS and CMS, will search interact with the Higgs field are left boson. The search has been on for the for traces from the decay of the Higgs with no mass at all (see cartoon). past 30 years, using higher and higher particle, which is believed to be very This idea provided a satisfactory energies, but the particle is still to be unstable. Proving its existence would way to combine established theories found – presumably the energies used be a great step in particle physics,

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 29 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:55 Uhr Seite 30

since it would complete our under- deviates the light from objects behind normally have a spin of 1/2, while standing of matter. If, however, the it (gravitational lensing; for a brief messenger particles have a spin of 1.

Higgs boson is not found, this will description of gravitational lensing, Changing the spin by 1/2 unit would mean that it is either even heavier see Jørgensen, 2006). These effects can transform matter particles into mes- than the LHC can detect, or simply be measured, and they can be used to senger particles, and vice versa. that it does not exist after all. In that estimate the density of dark matter But what does supersymmetry have case, one of the competing theories even though we cannot directly to do with dark matter? If the theory that have been proposed may turn observe it. of supersymmetry is correct, then the

out to be true instead. Otherwise, Image courtesy of NASA, M. J. Jee and H. Ford (Johns Hopkins University); image source: Wikimedia Commons theoretical physicists would be sent back to the drawing board to think of a completely new theory to explain the origin of mass.

The dark side of the Universe There is another important aspect of particle physics that the standard model cannot explain: recent observations have revealed that everything we ‘see’ in the Universe (stars, planets, dust) accounts for only a tiny 4% of its total mass and energy (in the form of radiation and vacuum fields, such as the Higgs field). Most of the Universe, however, is made up of invisible substances that do not emit electromagnetic radiation – that is, we cannot detect them directly with telescopes or similar instruments. These Composite image showing a ghostly ‘ring’ of dark matter in the substances only interact with ‘normal’ galaxy cluster Cl 0024+17 (ZwCl 0024+1652). Photograph matter through gravity, not through taken using the Hubble Space Telescope the other three fundamental forces. We can, therefore, only detect them through their gravitational effects, But what is dark matter? One idea Big Bang should have produced many which makes them very difficult to is that it could consist of supersymmet- supersymmetric particles. Most of study. These mysterious substances ric particles – a hypothesised full set them would have been unstable and are known as dark energy and dark of particle partners for each of the decayed, but the lightest supersym- matter (as discussed in Warmbein, twelve particles described in the stan- metric particles could have been sta- 2007, and Boffin, 2008). dard model (see diagram on page 31). ble. And it is these lightest supersym- Recent observations suggest that The concept of supersymmetry postu- metric particles which may linger in dark matter makes up about 26% of lates that for each known matter and the Universe and cluster into big the Universe. The first hint of its exis- messenger particle (e.g. the electron spheres of dark matter, which are tence came in 1933, when astronomi- and the photon –the messenger parti- thought to act as scaffolding for the cal observations and calculations of cle of the electromagnetic force), there formation of galaxies and stars inside gravitational effects revealed that is a supersymmetric partner (in this them. there must be more ‘stuff’ present in case, the s-electron and the photino). However, none of those supersym- and around galaxies than telescopes In a supersymmetric world, these metric particles have yet been detect- could detect. Researchers now believe would have identical masses and ed – again, perhaps because their not only that the gravitational effect charges to their partners in the stan- masses are so large that they are out- of dark matter allows galaxies to spin dard model, but their internal angular side the range of particle accelerators faster than would be expected from momentum (called spin, measured in less powerful than the LHC, as with their observable mass, but also that units of Planck’s constant) would the Higgs boson. So if they existed,

the gravitational field of dark matter differ by 1/2 unit. Matter particles even the lightest ones would have to

30 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 09.12.2008 12:58 Uhr Seite 31

Cutting-edge science

Image courtesy of CERN

Particles in the standard model Supersymmetric particles Supersymmetry: for each particle of the standard model, a supersymmetric Higgs Higgsino partner is postulated boson

Messenger particles Messenger particles Quarks Leptons Sleptons Squarks (bosons) (fermions)

be very heavy: rather than having the Antimatter is like a mirror image of If the amounts of matter and anti- same mass as their supersymmetric matter. For each particle of matter, an matter were originally equal, why did partners (as originally proposed), antiparticle exists with the same mass, they not annihilate each other entirely, they would have to have much higher but with inverted properties: for leaving nothing but radiation? The masses. Supersymmetry is also used example, the negatively charged elec- fact that matter survived while anti- as a possible explanation for other, tron has a positively charged antipar- matter vanished suggests that an more complex puzzles in particle ticle called the positron. Antimatter imbalance occurred early on, leaving physics. So if any of the LHC experi- was postulated in 1928 by physicist a tiny fraction more matter than anti- ments can detect and measure the Paul Dirac. He developed a theory matter. It is this residue from which properties of these particles, it would that combined quantum mechanics stars and galaxies – and we – are mean a significant advance in our and Einstein’s theory of special rela- made. Physicists today wonder how understanding of the Universe. tivity to describe interactions of elec- this imbalance could have arisen. trons moving at velocities close to the One of the LHC experiments The lost anti-world? speed of light. The basic equation he (LHCb) seeks a better understanding Now we have heard about matter, derived turned out to have two solu- of the disappearance of antimatter by dark matter and dark energy – but in tions, one for the electron and one studying the decay rates of b quarks – the early Universe, there was even that described a particle with the which belong to the third quark fami- more: we have good reasons to same mass but with positive charge ly (see the diagram of the standard believe that a tiny fraction of a second (what we now know to be the model on page 27) – and comparing after the Big Bang, the Universe was positron). In 1932, the evidence was them with those of anti-b quarks. It is filled with equal amounts of matter found to prove these ideas correct, already known that their decay rates and antimatter. When particles are when the positron was discovered to are different, but more detailed meas- produced from energy, as in the Big occur naturally in cosmic rays. These urements are expected to give valu- Bang or in high-energy collisions, rays collide at high energy with parti- able insights into the precise mecha- they are always created together with cles in the Earth’s atmosphere: in nisms behind this imbalance. their antimatter counterparts. As soon these collisions, positrons and anti- as the antimatter particle meets a mat- protons are generated even today. The primary soup ter particle, both are annihilated, and For the past 50 years and more, lab- To answer all the above questions, the annihilation process transforms oratories like CERN have routinely physicists will collide protons in the their mass back into energy. So, in the produced antiparticles in collisions LHC. However, for part of the year, Big Bang, both matter and antimatter and studied them, demonstrating to beams of lead ions will be accelerated should have been produced in equal very high precision that their static and collided instead, and the prod- amounts, and then have wiped each properties (mass, charge and magnet- ucts of these collisions will be other out entirely. Yet, while all the ic moment) are indeed similar to analysed by ALICE, the fourth large antimatter from the Big Bang disap- those of their matter particle counter- experiment in the LHC (besides peared, a small amount of matter was parts. In 1995, CERN became the first ATLAS, CMS and LHCb). left over at the end of the process: this laboratory to artificially create entire About 10-5 seconds after the Big is what we consist of today. How anti-atoms from anti-protons and Bang, at a ‘later’ phase of the could this have happened? positrons. Universe, when it had cooled down

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 31 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:55 Uhr Seite 32

to a ‘mere’ 2000 billion degrees, the ments have not been able to prise quark-gluon plasma, a hot, dense quarks became joined together into individual quarks or gluons out of ‘soup’ of quarks and gluons. Such a protons and neutrons that later protons, neutrons or other composite transition should occur when the tem- formed atomic nuclei (see the image particles, such as mesons. Physicists perature exceeds around 2000 billion of the History of the Universe). And say that the quarks and gluons are con- degrees – about 100 000 times hotter there the quarks remain, stuck togeth- fined within these composite particles. than the core of the Sun. For a few er by gluons, the messenger particles Suppose, however, that it were pos- millionths of a second, about 10-6 s of the strong force (see the diagram of sible to reverse this process of con- after the Big Bang, the temperature the standard model on page 27). Due finement. The standard model pre- and density of the Universe were to the fact that the strength of the dicts that at very high temperatures indeed high enough for the entire strong force between quarks and combined with very high densities, Universe to have been in a state of gluons increases with distance, in quarks and gluons would exist freely quark-gluon plasma. The ALICE exper- contrast to that of other forces, experi- in a new state of matter known as iment will recreate these conditions within the volume of an atomic nucleus, and analyse the resulting traces in detail to test the existence of the plasma and study its characteristics.

In the second article (Landua, 2008), Rolf Landua introduces the LHC tech - nology and the four large experiments, ATLAS, CMS, LHCb and ALICE.

References Boffin H (2008) “Intelligence is of secondary importance in research.” Science in School 10: 14-19. www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ issue10/tamaradavis Jørgensen, UG (2006) Are there Earth- like planets around other stars? Science in School 2: 11-16. www.scienceinschool.org/2006/ issue2/exoplanet Landua, R (2008) The LHC: a look inside. Science in School 10: 34-45. www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ issue10/lhchow Rebusco P, Boffin H, Pierce-Price D (2007) Fusion in the Universe: where your jewellery comes from. Science in School 5: 52-56. www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ issue5/fusion Warmbein B (2007) Making dark Image courtesy of CERN matter a little brighter. Science in School 5: 78-80. www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ issue5/jennylist Westra MT (2006) Fusion in the Universe: the power of the Sun. The stages of development of the Universe from the Big Bang to the present day Science in School 3: 60-62.

32 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:55 Uhr Seite 33

Cutting-edge science Image courtesy of CERN

www.exploratorium.edu/origins/ Space Telescope, on the Space.com cern/ideas/higgs.html website: National Geographic’s interactive www.space.com/common/media/ pages on the Higgs boson: video.php?videoRef=150407Dark_ http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com matter /2008/03/god-particle/particle- A video describing physicist interactive.html Patricia Burchat’s search for dark The National Geographic correspon- matter and dark energy: A simulation of a ding article: www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ lead-ion collision in ALICE http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com patricia_burchat_leads_a_search _for_dark_energy.html /2008/03/god-particle/ www.scienceinschool.org/2006/ achenbach-text An article explaining dark energy on the Physics World website: issue3/fusion To learn more about antimatter, see: http://physicsworld.com/cws/ The Live from CERN website, Web references article/print/19419 which explains what antimatter is, For information on the quark-gluon w1 – The 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics where it is made, and how it is plasma, including a comic (avail- was awarded jointly to Yoichiro already part of our lives: able in English, French, Italian and Nambu ‘for the discovery of the http://livefromcern.web.cern.ch/ Spanish) on the soup of quarks and mechanism of spontaneous broken livefromcern/antimatter symmetry in sub-atomic physics’ gluons, see the children’s corner of and to Makoto Kobayashi and The CERN website, with infor - the ALICE experiment website: Toshihide Maskawa ‘for the discov- mation on Angels and Demons and http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/Public/ ery of the origin of the broken sym- scientific background material on Welcome.html metry which predicts the existence antimatter: of at least three families of quarks http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/ in nature’. For more details of their en/Spotlight/SpotlightAandD-en. Rolf Landua is the Head of work, see: html Education at CERN, where he has http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes The official website of the Angels been working since 1980. A German /physics/laureates/2008/press.html and Demons film: particle physicist, he is the co-initiator http://www.angelsanddemons.com of the Antimatter Factory at CERN Resources A portal to the top ten antimatter and led the ATHENA project that cre- websites: www.anti-matter.org A much more detailed account of the ated millions of anti-hydrogen atoms standard model and the LHC exper- An online video by BBC/OU/VEGA in 2002. He is secretly famous as the iments can be found in Rolf explaining antimatter: model for the character of Leonardo Landua’s German-language book: www.vega.org.uk/video/ Vetra, an antimatter physicist from programme/14 CERN who is murdered in the first Landua R (2008) Am Rand der pages of Dan Brown’s bestseller Dimensionen. Frankfurt, Germany: For an introduction to supersymme- Angels and Demons, which is being Suhrkamp Verlag try, see: http://hitoshi.berkeley.edu/public_ turned into a Hollywood film due for The NASA website has a good html/susy/susy.html release in May 2009. He runs courses description of the Big Bang theory: at CERN for physics teachers from To find out more about dark matter http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe across Europe, is a regular interview and dark energy, see: /bb_theory.html partner on radio and TV and has The Particle Adventure website pro- A media package for teaching dark recently released a German-language vides teaching activities, including a matter provided by the Perimeter book on CERN particle physics (Am good explanation of the standard Institute for Theoretical Physics: Rand der Dimensionen, On the Border of http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/ model: the Dimensions, see resources). For his Perimeter_Explorations/The_ http://particleadventure.org commitment to fostering science edu- Mystery_of_Dark_Matter/The_ cation in schools, he received the 2003 To find out more about the Higgs Mystery_of_Dark_Matter European Physical Society’s commu- boson, see: A video about evidence for dark nication award. The Heart of the Matter: Inside matter, revealed by the Hubble CERN:

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 33 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 34 Image courtesy of CERN

The LHC: a look inside

In the second of two articles, Rolf Landua from CERN takes us deep below the ground to visit the largest scientific endeavour on Earth – the Large Hadron

Collider and its experiments.

m I

This aerial view of the CERN site shows the 27 km path of the tunnel that houses the LHC. The ring stretches from Geneva airport, which can be The accelerator seen on the lower left (in yellow), to the French The Large Hadron Colliderw1 (LHC) countryside at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is a gigan- tic scientific instrument spanning the Swiss-French border near Geneva, Switzerland. The world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, it Geneva CERN is used by almost 10 000 physicists from more than 80 countries to search LHCb Atlas ALICE CMS

for particles to unravel the chain of Image courtesy of CERN of courtesy Image events that shaped our Universe a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. It could resolve puzzles ranging from the properties of the smallest LHCb Atlas particles to the biggest structures in ALICE the vastness of the Universe. CMS The design and construction of the LEP/LHC LHC took about 20 years at a total cost of €3.6 billion. It is housed in a 27 km long and 3.8 m wide tunnel The LHC experiments

34 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 35

Cutting-edge science

about 100 m underground. At this many years. The LHC will mainly The second part of an accelerator level, there is a geologically stable perform proton-proton collisions, consists of its accelerating structures. stratum, and the depth prevents any which will be studied by three of its Before protons (or heavy ions) are radiation from escaping. Until 2000, four detectors (ATLAS, CMS, and introduced into the two LHC beam the tunnel was the home of the Large LHCb). However, for several weeks pipes, they are accelerated in smaller Electron-Positron (LEP) storage ring, per year, heavy ions (lead nuclei) will accelerators (connected to the LHC) to which was built in 1989. This earlier be accelerated and collided instead, to about 6 % of their final energy. Inside accelerator collided electrons with be studied mainly by the dedicated the LHC, the particles acquire their their anti-particles, positrons (for an ALICE detector. final energy from eight accelerating explanation of antimatter, see Landua Like any other particle accelerator, structures (accelerator cavities). & Rau, 2008), to study the properties the LHC has three main components: Every time the particles run of the resulting particles and their the beam pipes, the accelerating struc- through these cavities, they are accel- interactions with great precision. tures, and the magnet system (see dia- erated by a strong electric field of There are eight elevators leading gram on page 36). Inside its two beam about 5 MV/m. The functionality of down into the tunnel, and although pipes, each 6.3 cm in diameter, proton the accelerators is comparable to surf

Image courtesy of CERN

While the LHC was being built, technicians used various means of transport to move around the 27 km tunnel. Alongside the technician, two LHC magnets can be seen, before they were connected together. The blue cylinders contain the magnetic yoke and coil of the dipole magnets, together with the liquid helium system required to cool the magnet so that it becomes superconducting

the ride is only one stop, it takes a (or heavy ion) beams travel in oppo- on the sea (see diagram on page 37): a whole minute. To move between the site directions (one direction in each bunch of protons, about 100 billion of eight access points, maintenance and pipe) in an ultra-high vacuum of 10-13 them – the surfers – ride together on security people use bicycles to move bar, comparable to the density of mat- an enormous electromagnetic wave around the tunnel – sometimes for ter in outer space. This low pressure and gain kinetic energy. Each wave several kilometres. The LHC is auto- is necessary to minimise the number accelerates one bunch of protons, and matically operated from a central con- of collisions with resting gas mole- each of the two beams consists of trol centre, so once the experiments cules and the subsequent loss of the 2800 discrete bunches, one every have started, engineers and techni- accelerated particles. seven metres. After 20 minutes, they cians will only have to access the tun- The protons are supplied from a reach their final energy, while doing nel for maintenance. hydrogen gas bottle. Hydrogen atoms 11 245 circuits of the LHC ring per The actual experiment is a rather consist of a proton and an electron. second. In those 20 minutes, the pro- simple process: the LHC will collide Scientists remove the electrons using tons cover a distance further than two hadrons – either protons or lead an electric discharge, after which the from Earth to the Sun and back. nuclei – at close to the speed of light. protons are guided towards the accel- They enter the LHC at 99.9997828 % The very high levels of energy erator through electric and magnetic of the speed of light. After accelera- involved will allow the kinetic energy fields. For the LHC beam, 300 trillion tion, they reach 99.9999991 %. This is of the colliding particles to be trans- protons are required, but since a sin- about the maximum speed that can be formed into matter, according to gle cubic centimetre of hydrogen gas reached, since nothing can move Einstein’s law E=mc2, and all matter at room temperature contains about faster than light, according to the particles created in the collision will 60 million trillion protons, the LHC theory of relativity. Although it might be detected and measured. This can be refilled 200 000 times with just seem like an insignificant gain in experiment will be repeated up to one cubic centimetre of gas – and it speed, at close to the speed of light, 600 million times per second, for only needs refilling twice a day! even a small acceleration results in a

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 35 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 36

Image courtesy of DESY

The principle of a particle accelerator with its three main components: the beam pipes, the acceleration elements, and the bending magnets

Detector Detector

Bending magnetAcceleration elements Bending magnet

Image courtesy of CERN large gain in mass, and this is the ate a maximum magnetic field of important part. A motionless proton 8.33 tesla – 150 000 stronger than has a mass of 0.938 GeV (million elec- Earth’s magnetic field. tron volts). The accelerators bring The magnets have a special two-in- them to a final mass (or energy, which one design: they contain two magnet in this case is practically the same coils on the inside, each surrounding thing) of 7000 billion electron volts one of the two beam pipes. The cur- (7 tera-eV or 7 TeV). If you could – rent runs through the coils to create hypothetically – accelerate a person two magnetic fields, pointing down- of 100 kg in the LHC, his or her mass would end up being 700 t. LHC superconducting accelerator Without external forces, the protons cavity in the LHC tunnel would fly in a straight line. To give them a circular trajectory, the pipes Image courtesy of CERN are surrounded by a large magnet system that deflects the protons’ path – these magnets are the third part of every particle accelerator. The larger the mass of a particle becomes, the Cross-section of LHC prototype stronger the magnets need to be to beam pipes showing the beam keep it on track. This is where the screens. Slits in the screens allow limitations of a particle accelerator lie, residual gas molecules to be pumped since at a certain magnetic energy, the out and frozen to the walls of the material of the magnetic coils cannot ultra-cold beam pipe. Beam screens resist the forces of its own magnetic like these have been designed to line field anymore. The magnets used in the beam pipes, absorbing radiation the LHC have been specially before it can hit the magnets and warm them up, an effect that would designed: the dominant part of the greatly reduce the magnetic field and magnet system consists of 1232 dipole cause serious damage magnets, each with a length of about 16 m and a weight of 35 t, which cre-

36 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 37

Cutting-edge science

The superconducting accelerating cavity acts like the surf of the sea

Superconducting Accelerating electro- accelerating cavity magnetic wave made of niobium Liquid helium cooled to -269°C

Like the wave propels the surfer, electromagnetic waves accelerate particles Image courtesy of CERN

The use of superconductivity to increase performance and considerably reduce electricity consumption

wards in one pipe and upwards in Around the ring are four points at tors. Here, the trajectories of the inner the other. This is how two particles which the chain of magnets is broken: and outer beams are made to cross (protons or lead nuclei) of the same they contain the four huge caverns for each other and swap places in special charge can follow the same track in the LHC experiments and their detec- X-shaped beam pipes. In all four opposite directions – one in each beam pipe. In addition to the dipole magnets, The 15-m long LHC cryodipole there are quadrupole magnets (with four magnetic poles) for focusing the Beam pipe Heat exchanger pipe Superconducting coils beams, and thousands of additional smaller sextupole and octupole magnets (with six or eight magnetic poles Helium-ll vessel each, respectively) for correcting the Spool piece beam size and position. bus bars Superconducting bus-bar All magnet coils and the accelerator Iron yoke cavities are built from special materi- Non-magnetic collars als (niobium and titanium) that Quadrupole Vacuum vessel

become superconducting at very low Image courtesy of CERN bus bars Radiation screen temperatures, conducting electricity to produce the electric and magnetic Thermal shield fields without resistance. To reach their maximum performance, the

magnets need to be chilled to -271.3°C Auxiliary bus bar tube (1.9K) – a temperature colder than Protection Instrumentation outer space. To cool the magnets, diode feed throughs much of the accelerator is connected to a distribution system of liquid nitrogen and helium (see box on page This computer-generated image of an LHC dipole magnet shows some of the parts 45). Just one-eighth of the LHC’s vital for the operation of these components. The magnets must be cooled to 1.9 K cryogenic distribution system would so that the superconducting coils can produce the required 8 T magnetic field qualify as the world’s largest fridge.

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 37 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 38

X-shaped pipes, the beams cross at an Construction of the emergency exit tunnels into angle of 1.5 degrees, allowing the which, if necessary, the counter-circulating beams to be brought into collision. beams can be diverted Huge detectors – described below – Image courtesy of CERN surround the collision points. To increase the probability of particle collisions, the bunches of particles are squeezed, by special magnets just in front of each collision chamber, to a diameter of 16 µm – thinner than a human hair – and 80 mm in length. The beams are so tiny that the task of making them collide is akin to firing needles from two positions 10 km apart with such precision that they

CMS

Emergency exit meet halfway! However, the LHC ring (i.e. in less than a thousandth of Sector 5 S technology manages this intricate a second) the beam will be deflected 4 ec r to to r c 6 task. Nonetheless, even in these into a kind of emergency exit, where e S focused beams of particles, the it is absorbed by graphite plates and

e 3 c density is still very low – 100 concrete before it can cause any fur-

r t

7 million times lower than that of ther damage (see image above and e

S water – so most of the particles diagram on the left).

c pass straight through the other

r t

c 8

e S bunch of particles without collid-

e 1 c r t o ing or even slowing down. Thus, The cold boxes are major compo- ALICE LHCb although there are 100 billion pro- nents of the LHC cryogenic system. tons in each bunch, when two bunch- This photo shows the top of the first Injection Injection es collide, only about 20 particle colli- cold boxes to be delivered to CERN ATLAS sions occur. Since collisions between Image courtesy of CERN two bunches occur 31 million times per second (2800 bunches x 11 245 turns of the LHC ring per second), this still gives about 600 million proton collisions per second when the LHC is operating at maximum intensity. A single bunch of protons travelling at full speed has the same kinetic energy as a one-tonne elephant running at 50 km/h, and the entire energy contained in the beam is 315 mega- joules (MJ), enough to melt nearly 500 kg of copper. Therefore, consider- able efforts have gone into the security of the LHC. Should the beam become Image courtesy of John O’Neill; image source: Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia O’Neill; image source: Image courtesy of John unstable, this will be immediately Sextupole magnets are used for cor- detected by the beam sensors, and recting the beam size and position within the next three laps around the

38 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 39

Cutting-edge science

D r Ma rco C Who works on the LHC? at ta n e Liz Gregson from Imperial College London, UK, talks to some o of the CERN employees.

I m

Katharine Leney, asked what I u

e s

ATLAS physicist am, I can y o

ew f

only answer M

rd Katharine is doing a e a

w r

o c l European!” o

F PhD in physics on

e C

ik a

he says. He t

M the search for the a

f n o e

has been at o y s Higgs boson,

e t r u working on the CERN since o

e 1994. He is deputy

g ATLAS detector.

a m I She is also project leader on the developing a software and computing

y project for the LHCb experiment. His main job is to

e tool to look at

L conditions within co-ordinate the work of around 50 physicists who

i develop software that enables reconstructions of the

r the detector, to a

h t

a original trajectories of the particle collisions recorded K ensure that the data obtained will be usable. by the detector. This is then integrated into a single “It’s a really exciting time to be reconstruction programme, so that others can study here, working alongside some of the world’s top physi- the characteristics of the collision event. Marco enjoys cists.” In addition to her research, she has recently the work atmosphere at CERN: “It attracts about 50 become a CERN guide, showing visitors the experi- percent of the world’s particle physics community, ments and explaining the work that scientists do there. meaning that the vast majority of people working at CERN are highly skilled in their field and very motivat- Dr Marco Cattaneo, project co-ordination ed by their work. It is not unusual to be on first-name Marco was born in Italy and moved to the UK at the terms with Nobel laureates.” age of ten. Today he lives in France, works in Switzerland, and has a Swiss-British wife and two chil- This text was first published in the Imperial College

BACKGROUND dren who can speak three languages fluently. “When London alumni magazine Imperial Matters.

The experiments of the particle collisions will be hard studied using giant detectors that The LHC will collide two protons at a enough to produce new, heavy are able to reconstruct what happened total kinetic energy of 7 + 7 = 14 TeV (or particles. Theory predicts that Higgs during the collisions – and to keep two lead ions at a total energy of 1140 bosons (to learn more about the Higgs up with the enormous collision rates. TeV), and then detect and measure the boson, see Landua & Rau, 2008) or Detectors can be compared to huge new particles produced when the kinet- other completely new phenomena three-dimensional digital cameras ic energy is transformed into matter. that are being searched for will be that can take up to 40 million snap- According to quantum physics, produced only very rarely (typically shots (with digitised information these collisions will generate all once in 1012 collisions), so it is neces- from tens of millions of sensors) particles of the standard model (as sary to study many collisions in order per second. The detectors are built described in Landua & Rau, 2008) to find the ‘needle in a million in layers, and each layer has a with certain probabilities. However, haystacks’. That is why the LHC will different functionality (see diagram the probability of generating the be run for many years, 24 hours a day. on page 40). The inner ones are the heavy particles that scientists are The events (an event is a collision least dense, while the outer ones are actually looking for is very low. Few with all its resulting particles) are denser and more compact.

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 39 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 40

The heavy particles that scientists Muons are the only particles that international collaborations, bringing hope to produce in the LHC collisions reach (and are detected by) the together scientists from institutes all are predicted to be very short-lived, outer most layers of the detector over the world. In total, there are four rapidly decaying into lighter, known (see diagram below). large (ATLAS, CMS, LHCb and particles. After a hard collision, hun- Each part of a detector is connected ALICE) and two small (TOTEM, dreds of these lighter particles, for to an electronic readout system via LHCf) experiments at the LHC. example electrons, muons and pho- thousands of cables. As soon as an Considering that it took 20 years to tons, but also protons, neutrons and impulse is registered, the system plan and construct the detectors, and others, fly through the detector at close records the exact place and time and they are intended to run for more to the speed of light. Detectors use sends the information to a computer. than 10 years, the total duration of the these lighter particles to deduce the Several hundred computers work experiments is almost equivalent to brief existence of the new, heavy ones. together to combine the information. the entire career of a physicist. The trajectories of charged particle At the top of the computer hierarchy The construction of these detectors are bent by magnetic fields, and their is a very fast system which decides – is the result of what could be called a radius of curvature is used to calcu- in a split second – whether an event is ‘group intelligence’: while the scien- late their momentum: the higher the interesting or not. There are many tists working on a detector under- kinetic energy, the shallower the cur- different criteria to select potentially stand the function of the apparatus in vature. For particles with high kinetic significant events, which is how the general, no one scientist is familiar energy, therefore, a sufficiently long enormous data of 600 million events is with the details and precise function trajectory must be measured in order reduced to a few hundred events per of each single part. In such a collabo- to accurately determine the curvature second that are investigated in detail. ration, every scientist contributes with radius. Other important parts of a The LHC detectors were designed, his or her expertise to the overall detector are calorimeters for measur- constructed and commissioned by success.

ing the energy of particles (both Image courtesy of CERN charged and uncharged). The calorimeters too have to be large enough to absorb as much particle energy as possible. These are the two

principle reasons why the LHC Muon spectrometer detectors are so large. The detectors are built to hermeti- cally enclose the interaction region in order to account for the total energy and momentum balance of each event and to reconstruct it in detail. Muon Combining the information from the different layers of the detector, Neutrino it is possible to determine the type Hadronic calorimeter of particle which has left each trace. Proton The dashed tracks Charged particles – electrons, pro- are invisible to the tons and muons – leave traces detector

through ionisation. Electrons are very Neutron light and therefore lose their energy Electromagnetic quickly, while protons penetrate fur- calorimeter Electron

Solenoid magnet ther through the layers of the detec- Photon Transition tor. Photons themselves leave no radiation tracker Tracking trace, but in the calorimeters, each Pixel/SCT detector photon converts into one electron and one positron, the energies of which are then measured. The energy of neutrons is measured indirectly: neu- A computer-generated image of the ATLAS detector, showing the different layers trons transfer their energy to protons, and the passage of different particle types through the layers and these protons are then detected.

40 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 41

Cutting-edge science

Image courtesy of CERN (see diagram on page 34). Having two independently designed detectors is vital for cross-confirmation of any new discoveries. The ATLAS and the CMS collaborations each consist of more than 2000 physicists from 35 countries. The ATLAS detector has the shape of a cylinder 25 m in diameter and 45 m in length, about half as big as Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, and weighing the same as the Eiffel Tower (7000 t). Its magnetic field is produced by a solenoid in the inner part and an enormous dough- nut-shaped toroid magnet further outside (see diagram below). The CMS detector also has a cylin- drical shape (15m in diameter and 21m in length) and is built around a superconducting solenoid magnet The control centre of the accelerators, the cryogenic distribution system and the generating a field of 4 tesla, which is technical infrastructure on the CERN site confined by a steel yoke that forms the bulk of the detector’s weight of 12 500 t. While ATLAS was construct- ATLAS and CMS are general-purpose detectors opti- ed in situ, the CMS detector was The two largest experiments, mised for the search for new particles. constructed at the surface, lowered ATLASw2 (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) ATLAS and CMS are located on oppo- underground in 15 sections and then and CMSw3 (Compact Muon Solenoid), site sides of the LHC ring, 9 km apart assembled (see diagram on page 42).

Muon detectors Electromagnetic calorimeters The ATLAS detector will be the largest of its type in the Solenoid Forward calorimeters world when its construction End cap toroid is completed; the people in the diagram are to scale

Barrel toroid Inner detector Hadronic calorimeter Shielding

Image courtesy of CERN

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 41 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 42

LHCb The LHCbw4 experiment will help us to understand why we live in a universe that appears to be composed almost entirely of matter but no antimatter. It specialises in investigating the slight differences between matter and antimatter by studying a type of particle called the bottom quark, or b quark (see Landua & Rau, 2008, for an explanation of antimatter and quark types). To identify and measure the b quarks and their antimatter counterparts, the anti-bquarks, LHCb has sophisticated movable tracking detectors close to the path of Image courtesy of CERN the beams circling in the LHC. ALICE ALICEw5 (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a specialised detector for analysing the collisions of lead ions (see diagram on page 44). For a few weeks each year these, rather than protons, will be collided in the LHC. Within the dimensions of an atomic nucleus, this will create conditions that prevailed about a millionth of a second after the Big Bang, when the temperature of the entire Universe was about 100 000 times hotter than the interior of the Sun. These conditions might create

View of the CMS detector at the end of 2007 ATLAS beam pipe installation Image courtesy of CERN

Tracker Image courtesy of CERN Crystal ecal

Preshower

Return yoke

Superconducting magnet Forward Feet calorimeter HCAL Muon chambers The setup of the CMS detector

42 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 43

Cutting-edge science Image courtesy of CERN

Integration of the ALICE experiment’s inner tracker

a state of matter called a quark-gluon than 3 million DVDs. Thousands of sci- backup kept at CERN. After initial plasma, the characteristics of which entists around the world want to access processing, the data will be distrib- physicists hope to study (for a and analyse these data, so CERN is col- uted to eleven large computer centres. further explanation of the quark-gluon laborating with institutions in 33 coun- These tier-1 centres will make the plasma, see Landua & Rau, 2008). tries to operate a distributed comput- data available to more than 120 tier-2 ing and data storage infrastructure: the centres for specific analysis tasks. The data challenge LHC Computing Grid (LCG). Individual scientists can then access The LHC will produce roughly The LCG will allow data from the the LHC data from their home coun- 15 petabytes (15 million gigabytes) of LHC experiments to be distributed try, using local computer clusters or data annually – enough to fill more around the globe, with a primary even individual PCs.

One of the first images from CMS, showing the debris of particles recorded by the detector’s calorimeters and muon chambers Image courtesy of CERN Images courtesy of CERN

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 43 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 44

The ALICE experiment will study the Image courtesy of CERN collisions of beams of lead nuclei in an attempt to produce a new state of matter known as quark-gluon plasma

In the first article of this pair A video of the Large Hadron Rap w5 – For more information on the (Landua & Rau, 2008), Rolf Landua can be viewed here: ALICE experiment, see: and Marlene Rau introduce the www.youtube.com/ http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/Public/ particle physics behind the LHC. watch?v=j50ZssEojtM Welcome.html w2 – For more information on the References ATLAS experiment, see: Resources Landua R, Rau M (2008) The LHC: http://atlas.ch Boffin H (2008) “Intelligence is of a step closer to the Big Bang. Science w3 – For more information on the secondary importance in research.” in School 10: 26-33. CMS experiment, see: Science in School 10: 14-19. www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ http://cms-project-cmsinfo.web. www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ issue10/lhcwhy cern.ch/cms-project-cmsinfo/ issue10/tamaradavis index.html Warmbein B (2007) Making dark Web references w4 – For more information on the matter a little brighter. Science in w1 – A guide to the Large Hadron LHCb experiment, see: School 5: 78-80. Collider can be found here: http://lhcb-public.web.cern.ch www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ http://cdsweb.cern.ch/record/ /lhcb-public issue5/jennylist 1092437/files/CERN-Brochure-2008 -001-Eng.pdf Image courtesy of CERN

The leading members of the LHCb magnet project; also visible are the coils of the detector’s huge dipole magnet. April 2004

44 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 16:59 Uhr Seite 45

Cutting-edge science

As we go to press: a helium leak in the LHC

At mid-day on 19 September 2008, nine days after As we go to press, sector 3-4 has been warmed up so start-up, an incident occurred in one of the eight sec- that repairs can take place. At least 29 magnets will tors (sector 3-4) of the LHC. The cause was a faulty have to be taken out, brought to the surface, repaired superconducting electrical connection between two and tested, then re-installed and re-connected. of the LHC magnets. When the electrical current The beam pipes will have to be carefully cleaned as increased above 9000 A, part of the cable developed well. While these repairs would take not more than a an electrical resistance which resulted in a large few weeks in a conventional particle accelerator, the release of resistive electric power in the cable. Within complexity of the superconducting installations of the one second, an electrical arc punctured the helium LHC requires several months of work, plus about six enclosure and released more than one tonne of liquid weeks to cool the magnets in this sector back down helium into the insulation vacuum of the cooling sys- to a temperature of 1.9 K. It is foreseen that the LHC tem. Since several magnets share a common insula- will be restarted and carry out its first collisions in tion vacuum, the resulting large increase in pressure 2009. led to mechanical damage of up to 24 dipole magnets and 5 quadrupole magnets. BACKGROUND

The CERN website devotes a substan- A much more detailed account of the Leonardo Vetra, an antimatter physi- tial amount of space to the LHC; standard model and the LHC exper- cist from CERN who is murdered in see: http://public.web.cern.ch/ iments can be found in Rolf the first pages of Dan Brown’s best- public/en/LHC Landua’s German-language book: seller Angels and Demons, which is The CERN pages offer a wealth of Landua R (2008) Am Rand der being turned into a Hollywood film teaching material on particle Dimensionen. Frankfurt, Germany: due for release in May 2009. He runs physics and accelerators: Suhrkamp Verlag courses at CERN for physics teachers http://education.web.cern.ch/ from across Europe, is a regular inter- education/Chapter2/Intro.html view partner on radio and TV and Image courtesy of CERN Among the teaching material on the has recently released a German- language book on CERN particle CERN website is an online LHC Rolf Landua is the Head of physics (Am Rand der Dimensionen, game in English, French, German Education at CERN, where he has On the Border of the Dimensions, see and Italian: been working since 1980. A German resources). For his commitment to http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/ particle physicist, he is the co-initiator fostering science education in schools, microcosm/LHCGame/ of the Antimatter Factory at CERN he received the 2003 European LHCGame.html and led the ATHENA project that Physical Society’s communication The LHC UK website includes materi- created millions of anti-hydrogen award. als about the LHC for teachers and atoms in 2002. He is secretly famous students: www.lhc.ac.uk as the model for the character of

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 45 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 46

Practical demonstrations to augment climate change lessons

Image courtesy of the University of Bristol

Tim Harrison and Dudley Shallcross with dry ice reacting in alkaline water

Dudley Shallcross and Tim Harrison from Bristol University, UK, illustrate chemistry experiments relevant to climate change.

46 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 47

Teaching activities

Images courtesy of Tim Harrison

To produce soot, a beaker is filled with water and washing-up liquid. Adding a few pieces of calcium carbide (CaC2) liberates bubbles of acetylene. If ignited, this foam gives a yellow flame with smuts of carbon

here are a number of chemicals that are important to heatproof mat. The yellow flame produced is very smoky, Tconsider for climate change, either as contributors to and the smoke contains black specks of carbon. However, global warming (soot and carbon dioxide) or as alternative this is not a suitable reaction for students to perform, as fuels (methanol and hydrogen). In the second of two arti- the polystyrene drips molten droplets of burning material; cles (see also Shallcross & Harrison, 2008), we present sev- instead, the teacher should demonstrate. eral classroom demonstrations and experiments to intro- If a class experiment to produce soot is needed, the com-

duce these materials and describe how they can be used to bustion of freshly prepared acetylene (ethyne, C2H2) gas is enliven climate change lessons. an entertaining reaction. Take a 250 ml glass beaker, place Safety note: Local rules and regulations on health and it on a heatproof mat and half fill the beaker with water. safety should be applied before trying these out. Always Add a good squirt of washing-up liquid to the water and

practice the experiments before presenting them in front of also a few pieces of calcium carbide (CaC2). The reaction is students. immediate, liberating bubbles of acetylene. The teacher or student can then use a lit splint, taper or match to ignite Soot / particulate carbon the foam. This burns dramatically with a yellow flame Soot fits into the category of airborne particulate mat- with smuts of carbon (see images above). w1 ter . Particles are considered hazardous when they are Safety note: less than five micrometres in diameter, as they are not fil- As with all experiments, safety glasses must be worn. tered out by the upper respiratory tract before entering the If the beaker is over-filled or too much calcium carbide lungs. is used, the bubbles can overflow onto the heatproof mat. Black carbon will enhance global warming, but not all These bubbles can also combust! Bubbles may continue to particles in the atmosphere do. It all depends on their opti- be ignited by others burning near them. This may go on cal properties: if the particles are very reflective, like a mir- for 30 seconds or so. Leave any used beaker in a fume ror (e.g. sea-salt particles), they can reflect incoming solar cupboard until all the ethyne gas has been produced and radiation back to space and decrease the radiation that the bubbling stops. reaches Earth, causing a reduction in surface temperature. The residual solution is mainly alkaline calcium hydrox- If they are dark, such as soot, they will absorb incoming ide solution. radiation and enhance warming. Soot is a product of incomplete combustion, for example Solubility of CO2 in water / precipitation of in car motors, central heating or power stations. There are calcium carbonate a number of reactions that can produce soot. The simplest If dry ice is available, an interesting experiment can be teacher demonstration is to burn small pieces of expanded performed to demonstrate the solubility of carbon dioxide polystyrene packaging, holding them with tongs over a in water. This can be used to introduce a discussion about

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 47 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 19.11.2008 14:55 Uhr Seite 48

A methanol whoosh bottle ignited in a darkened room

Image courtesy of the University of Bristol

the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the oceans as a pos- A small piece of dry ice placed in lime water (calcium

sible mechanism for removing carbon dioxide from the hydroxide solution, Ca(OH)2(aq)) can also be used to show atmosphere. For this very visually impressive reaction, the precipitation of carbon dioxide as calcium carbonate. add a handful of dry ice (take care to avoid cold tempera- The oceans of the world dissolve carbon dioxide gas and ture burns) to a large (1 l) beaker of water that has been can precipitate calcium carbonate, which is used in shell made alkaline (pH = ~12) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) construction by numerous creatures. The rate of dissolu- solution, and to which a small volume of universal (pH) tion is too slow to compensate for the increase in atmos- indicator has been added. Apart from the impressive con- pheric carbon dioxide: densation of water vapour, forming a cloud above the Ca(OH) + CO CaCO + H O beaker, the formation of carbonic acid (a weak acid) causes 2(aq) 2(g) 3(s) 2 (l) a series of colour changes to the indicator from purple If no dry ice is available, then a 2 l drinks bottle could be through to orange (see image on page 46). For a more filled with carbon dioxide gas and about 30 cm3 of 2 mol dm-3 impressive cloud, use hot water, as there is more water sodium hydroxide can be added. Place the top on the bot- vapour to condense. The condensation is caused by very tle and shake. The bottle should start to collapse as the cold carbon dioxide gas produced when the dry ice sub- carbon dioxide gas reacts with the sodium hydroxide, thus limes, using energy from the much hotter water. Some of reducing the pressure inside the bottle. The solution forms the carbon dioxide dissolves in the water. exothermically so that it gets warm. This shows that carbon dioxide gas is acidic. This has implications for the CO2(g) + H2O(l) H2CO3(aq) change in the ocean’s pH as the high concentrations dis- The carbonic acid formed neutralises the sodium solve over time. hydroxide, forming sodium hydrogen carbonate. NaOH(aq) +CO2(g) NaHCO3(aq) H2CO3(aq) + NaOH(aq) NaHCO3(aq) + H2O(l)

a + - Safety note: H2CO3(aq) H (aq) + HCO3 (aq) Lime water (calcium hydroxide solution) is an alkaline

Excess H2CO3(aq) is acidic because it dissociates in water, solution, as is sodium hydroxide solution; safety glasses releasing hydrogen ions. must be worn.

48 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:56 Uhr Seite 49

Teaching activities

Dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) is -78 ºC or less and will place their hands over their ears. The flame and heat ener- cause cold burns. Great care must be exercised in handling gy liberated are spectacular and should lead to discussion the solid. The use of suitable gloves is recommended. Dry of hydrogen’s suitability as a fuel. ice should not be kept in a screw-top container because of 2H2(g) +O2(g) 2H2O(g) the risk of explosion. Image courtesy of the University of Bristol Methanol whoosh bottle Methanol is a biofuel, an alternative to fossil or nuclear fuels, and this experiment can be used to demonstrate its combustion. In addition to being a renewable fuel, methanol has the advantage over fossil fuels of not releasing ‘stored’ carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; instead, it merely recycles carbon dioxide that is in the environment anyway. Methanol vapour (which is toxic) can be ignited inside an 18 l plastic water bottle of the type used in water dis- pensers. Note that after the experiment, the container will no longer be fit for its original purpose! Pour around 20 ml of methanol (methyl alcohol,

CH3OH) into a dry 18 l water canister and shake to vaporise. Pour out the surplus liquid methanol. In a warm room, you will be able to feel the pressure of the vapour if you hold your hand over the bottle mouth. Put the bottle behind a transparent safety screen on the floor and away from any overhead heat, flame, flash sensors or curtains. A 3 l hydrogen balloon on ignition Put a lighted taper or match to the mouth of the water bottle, holding it at arm’s length. A blue flame will erupt with a loud roar as the methanol completely combusts. Safety note: Safety notes: Avoid methanol coming directly into con- If in any doubt about the volume of flame produced, tact with your skin, as it is toxic. Any liquid methanol perform the experiment outside and away from glass must be poured out of the container away from any flame windows. source. The water canister cannot subsequently be used for The reduction of iron oxide on a match head drinkable water. The use of blast furnaces in the iron and steel industries The water bottle must be dry, as the tops of wet bottles contributes to the atmospheric concentration of carbon tend to melt during the combustion! dioxide. The crucial reaction, which reduces iron oxide to pure iron by means of carbon monoxide, is: 2CH OH + 3O 2CO + 4H O 3 (g) 2(g) 2(g) 2 (l) Fe2O3(aq) + 3CO(g) 2Fe(s) + 3CO2(g) Hydrogen-filled balloons Students can mimic this reaction on the head of a match. This teacher demonstration could be used to introduce Moisten an unlit match with water and roll into sodium

hydrogen as an alternative fuel to replace fossil fuels, and carbonate (Na2CO3) powder, and then in iron oxide

especially to raise the question of whether the combustion powder (Fe2O3), so that both stick to the match head. Use product is a greenhouse gas. a second match to ignite the first and let it burn for a One way to demonstrate that hydrogen is a fuel, is to moment or two. Crunch the first match head onto a watch fill a balloon with hydrogen and tether it to a chair placed glass or Petri dish. Drag a magnet against the underside of away from sensors and flammable materials (such as the watch glass; the small particles of iron formed will be posters, blinds or curtains) using a piece of thin string. visible as they follow the magnet’s pull. Try this with the Ignite the balloon using a lit taper or match, fastened to starting materials, to show that no magnetic materials the end of a metre ruler or a long pole at arm’s length. were initially present. Students should remain several metres away, as, during The match provides both the energy for the reaction and the resultant explosion, bits of the rubber balloon tend to the carbon monoxide as a reducing agent. The sodium fly in all directions. Those with sensitive hearing should carbonate acts as a flux material.

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 49 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 50

Safety note: www.scienceinschool.org/ Spilled iron oxide or sodium car- climatechange bonate powders should be wiped up Numerous notes on air pollution, Climate change should with a cloth. Do not blow them away, climate change and ozone depletion certainly be one of the as – like any other fine powder – they notes for schoolteachers by the topics of today’s science pose a respiratory hazard. authors can be found online at: teaching at all school lev- Students, unless warned, could www.chemlabs.bristol.ac.uk/ burn themselves on the hot match els throughout Europe. outreach/resources/Atmos.html Particularly after Al Gore’s heads! An excellent source of graphics and documentary, An Incon- data relating to climate change can venient Truth, the topic Further experiments be found on the website of the has gained worldwide Other experiments that can be per- GRID-Arendal collaborating centre recognition. Useful mate- formed as part of a project about cli- of the United Nations Environment mate change include: rials with usable back- Programme: The use of Grätzel cells to show the ground information for www.grida.no/climate/vital/index. · generation of electricity from sun- science teachers, though, htm are not always readily light, using the colorant molecules For data from the Earth Station available. However, this in materials such a blackcurrants research laboratory Global article – the second of two The use of alcohol burners to deter- Monitoring Station, see: · mine the energy stored in simple – offers some dramatic www.cmdl.noaa.gov and enjoyable demonstra- alcohols The website of the Intergovernmental tions. The preparation of biodiesel from Panel on Climate Change, which · vegetable oils If further articles follow, includes the Climate Change 2007 there is the chance of start- The generation of electricity from report and other data, can be found ing a European-wide dis- · alcohols using a fuel cell here: www.ipcc.ch cussion on how best to Reference implement the topic of cli- Shallcross D, Harrison T (2008) mate change and global Climate change modelling in the warming in European sci- Dudley Shallcross is the Professor w2 classroom. Science in School 9: 28-33. ence classes . in Atmospheric Chemistry and Tim www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ Tobias Kirschbaum, Harrison is the School Teacher Fellow issue9/climate Germany at the School of Chemistry at the REVIEW University of Bristol, UK. The latter is Web references a position for a secondary-school w1 – For more information about teacher that was created to bridge the particulate matter, see the gap between secondary schools and Wikipedia page: universities, and to use the resources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ school. Science in School 10: 55-63 of the School of Chemistry to promote Particulate www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ chemistry regionally, nationally and w2 – Why not discuss how to teach issue9/psiclimate internationally. climate change with other teachers Pacala S, Socolow R (2004) across Europe? Join the Science in Stabilisation wedges: solving the For more information about model- School online discussion forum: climate problem for the next 50 ling climate change or about the post www.scienceinschool.org/forum years with current technologies. of School Teacher Fellow please con- Science 305: 968-972. doi: tact Dudley Shallcross Resources 10.1126/science.1100103 ([email protected]) or Tim Harrison T, Shallcross D, Henshaw S Shallcross D (2006) Dirty Air. Harrison ([email protected]).

(2006) Detecting CO2 – the hunt for Education in Chemistry, Sep. greenhouse-gas emissions. www.rsc.org/Education/EiC/ Chemistry Review 15: 27-30 Restricted/2006/Sept/DirtyAir.asp Johnson S (2008) Planting ideas: cli- For a full list of Science in School mate-change activities for primary articles about climate change, see:

50 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 51

Teaching activities

Better milk for cats: immobilised lactase used to make lactose-reduced milk Dean Madden from the National Centre for Biotechnology Education (NCBE), University of Reading, UK, suggests an experiment to make lactose-free milk – useful both for cats and for the 75% of the world’s human population that are intolerant to this type of sugar. Aims This simple practical investigation introduces students to the principles of digestion and enzyme immobilisation. It can be used as the starting point for other, more advanced activities such as the regulation of lactase production in Escherichia coli (the lac operon), the evolution and social significance of lactose tolerance in humans, and the use of enzymes in food production.

Introduction Lactase (beta-galactosidase) catalyses the hydrolysis of lactose to glucose and galactose: Lactose -> D-glucose + beta-D-galactose

Both of these sugars taste sweeter and are more readily digestible than lactose. Despite their traditional fondness for milk, cats are unable to digest large amounts of lactose. Milk can be treated with the enzyme to make a lactose- reduced milk suitable for cats or for humans who are lactose intolerantw1. Although the production of a special ‘cat milk’ may seem Image courtesy of Hemera Photo Objects trivial, an estimated 75% of the world’s human population are lactose intolerant in adulthood – it is lactose tolerance that is unusual. Commercially, milk is treated by injecting an enzyme into the carton as UHT milk is packaged, or by using an immobilised enzyme – an enzyme that has been trapped on an inert material so that it can be used repeatedly. In this activity, students immobilise the lactase in calcium alginate beads held within a small column, over which the milk is passed.

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 51 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 52

Equipment and materials Needed by each person or group:

Equipment · Small piece (about 1 cm2) of nylon gauze, e.g. net curtain 10 ml plastic syringe (without a needle) Images courtesy of Dean Madden · 4 mm diameter aquarium airline or silicone tubing, about 7cm long, to fit · syringe · Aquarium airline tap or adjustable laboratory tubing clip (Hoffman clip) · Retort stand, boss and clamp (to support enzyme column) · 2 small beakers (100ml) or disposable plastic cups · Tea strainer · Glass stirring rod

Materials · 2 ml lactase enzyme (Novozymesw3 Lactozym®) · 8 ml 2% sodium alginate solution · 100 ml 1.5% calcium chloride solution · 50 ml milk (not UHT milk) Semi-quantitative glucose test strips (e.g. Roche · Diabur-Test 5000 or Ames Diastix)

Note: All solutions must be made using distilled or deionised water. Sodium alginate is not readily soluble, and requires both warm water and stirring to dissolve.

Preparation and timing This activity takes about 40 minutes. The sodium alginate takes some time to dissolve, so the solution is best prepared before the lesson. The immobilised enzyme may be prepared in advance if desired: the beads should be refrigerat- ed, although they will not keep for more than a few days.

Procedure 1. Mix the enzyme with the sodium alginate solution, then draw it up into a 10 ml syringe. 2. Add the alginate-enzyme mixture a drop at a time from the syringe to the calcium chloride solution and observe the formation of small beads. Do not allow the tip of the syringe to come into contact with the calcium chloride solution, as this will cause the alginate to harden, blocking the outlet. The beads, which contain the enzyme immobilised in a matrix of calcium alginate, should be allowed to harden for a few minutes. 3. Attach a short length of tubing to the tip of a syringe barrel. Place a small disc of nylon gauze inside the barrel, to prevent the beads from blocking the syringe outlet. 4. Separate the beads of immobilised enzyme from the liquid with the tea strainer. 5. Carefully tip the beads into the syringe barrel. 6. Close the tubing on the syringe barrel using a tubing clip.

52 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 53

Teaching activities

7. Test the milk before treatment using the glucose test strips, to ensure that it Images courtesy of Dean Madden does not contain any glucose. 8. Pour a small volume of milk over the enzyme beads, then undo the clip and allow the treated milk to run into a small beaker. 9. Test the milk leaving the column using the glucose test strips. If necessary, return the treated milk to the column until the desired concentration of glucose is achieved.

Safety guidelines Do not consume the milk The enzyme suggested for this work is safe to use, provided it is handled appropriately. Although Novozymes Lactozym® is a food-grade product, milk prepared using it should not be consumed. This is because the enzyme has not been handled aseptically, so it (and the product made using it) may have been contaminated. Readers are advised to refer to any local safety guidelines and to carry out their own risk assessment for any practical work.

General enzyme safety guidelines As enzymes are water-soluble, water should always be used for their removal if they are spilt. Do not let liquid enzyme preparations dry up If liquid preparations are allowed to dry up, there is a risk of dust formation. In susceptible people, the repeated inhalation of such dust may provoke asthma or a reaction similar to hay fever. Any spillage – on equipment, the floor or the bench – should be rinsed away immediately with water. Avoid the formation of aerosols If enzyme-containing aerosols are formed, there is a risk of inhalation of the enzyme. In susceptible people, the repeated inhalation of such aerosols may provoke asthma or hay fever. For this reason, enzyme preparations should never be sprayed. Avoid direct skin and eye contact If, by accident, you get liquid enzyme on your skin or in your eyes, the reme- dy is plenty of tap water. The same applies to clothing. In the event of a spill on clothes, rinse with water then wash as usual. This treatment will generally prove sufficient, but if symptoms develop in the respiratory passages, on the skin or in the eyes, consult a doctor immediately.

Troubleshooting Some UHT milk will test positive for glucose, probably because the heat treatment hydrolyses some of the lactose. UHT milk should therefore be avoided.

Additional investigations The immobilised enzyme column may also be used to treat whey, producing a sweet whey syrup which is widely used in confectionery (it is usually described on labels as ‘hydrolysed whey syrup’ or just ‘whey syrup’). Lactase is strongly inhibited by galactose (one of the products of its action on lactose). As a result, the flow rate of the substrate over the column is critical to the rate of the enzyme-catalysed reaction: too fast and there isn’t time for the reaction to occur; too slow and galactose will accumulate and then inhibit the

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 53 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 54

reaction. Students can therefore investigate the effect of the flow rate on the conversion of lactose to glucose and galactose. This is one of a series of excellent biotechnology protocols from the NCBE, which bring the theory to life and illustrate many useful indus- Suppliers trial applications of biotechnology at the laboratory scale and in short The NCBEw2 supplies Novozymes timeframes. The protocols are available to download from the Volvox w4 enzyme productsw3 to schools and website . colleges in the UK. Similar arrange- Teachers will benefit greatly in their treatment of biotechnology from ments may exist in other countries. using this and similar protocols, and will be rewarded for the preparation required in stocking up on the necessary materials by the way Storage of materials in which the practical sessions bring the theory to reality. All of the The enzyme preparations should be protocols give satisfaction to the student investigators as they produce stored, undiluted, at 3-4 °C. tangible results that are relevant to their everyday lives. Try it and see! Marie Walsh, Web references Republic of Ireland

w1 – A comprehensive description of REVIEW lactose intolerance can be found on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Lactose_intolerance Acknowledgements w2 – The National Centre for This practical protocol was adapted Biotechnology Education (NCBE) in for the Volvox projectw4, which is fund- the UK offers educational resources ed under the Sixth Framework and practical training for teachers in Programme of the European several European Union countries. Commission. See: www.ncbe.reading.ac.uk w3 – For the website of Novozymes A/S, Denmark, see: Dean Madden is a biologist work- www.novozymes.com ing for the National Centre for w4 – This and other protocols are Biotechnology Education (NCBE) at available for download from the the University of Reading, UK. The Volvox website: NCBE was established in 1984 and www.eurovolvox.org has since gained an international reputation for the development of Resources innovative educational resources; Bayless TM, Paige DM, Ferry GD its materials have been translated (1971) Lactose intolerance and milk into many languages including drinking habits. Gastroenterology 60: German, Swedish, French, Dutch 605–608. and Danish.

Richmond ML, Gray JI, Stine CM Madden Dean of courtesy Image (1981) Beta-galactosidase: Review of recent research related to technolog-

ical application, nutritional con- Image courtesy of Dean Madden Dean of courtesy Image cerns and immobilization. Journal of Dairy Science 64: 1759–1771. Woodward J (ed; 1985) Immobilised enzymes and cells: a practical approach. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 0947946217. (An aca- demic laboratory manual describing methods of immobilising enzymes and cells)

54 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 55

Teaching activities

Planting ideas: climate-change activities for primary school

Sue Johnson from the Institute of Education, London University, UK, introduces the Plant Scientists Investigate project, and presents three plant- related activities for primary-school children. Compare the carbon dioxide concentrations of inhaled and exhaled air, visualise your own oxygen consumption or weigh up the importance of plant conservation versus economic development.

Plant Scientists Investigate: at working like scientists, encourage use teaching materials on these topics school and in the botanic garden them to use reasoning skills and sci- have been designed to overcome gaps The Plant Scientists Investigate proj- entific thinking, maximise group dis- in knowledge of teachers surveyed at ect promoted collaboration between cussion, and generate their own ques- the outset of the project. Each activity botanic gardens and local primary tions and ideas. By making observa- can be taught independently or in schools between 2005 and 2007. From tions and creating experiments or combination, and the content is easily Austria, Bulgaria, Italy and the UK, models, pupils derived a deeper adapted to a wide range of ages. All primary-school teachers, head teach- understanding of plants and were materials can be downloaded from ers, representatives of national school able to explain their ideas and make the website. boards (county advisors in the UK) as more effective arguments when pre- well as botanic garden educators have senting their work. worked together to develop an The Plant Scientists Investigate Carbon dioxide in exhaled air w1 enquiry-centred teaching resource. website is divided into four topics: Overview Key features of the teaching materi- conservation, art, food, and experi- Children should already know that als are that they engage children in ments about plant growth. Ready-to- the air they exhale contains less oxy-

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 55 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 56

16% oxygen (O2) 78% nitrogen (N2)

6% carbon dioxide (CO2) and others Constituents of exhaled air

gen than fresh air does. With this Skills to test, but we can still investigate experiment, they can test if there is air using basic equipment. Precise working with a pipette and more carbon dioxide in exhaled air · chemicals 2. Tell the children that the next than inhaled air using a colour- experiment can test whether there Observing change indicator. · is more carbon dioxide in exhaled Keywords air. A colour-change indicator will Aim show if the carbon dioxide concen- Exhaled air To understand that the air people · tration in the liquid is increasing. Carbon dioxide exhale contains more carbon dioxide · 3. Distribute the necessary materials (and less oxygen) than the air they · Oxygen (except for the chemicals and air inhale. · Inhaled air pumps). Timing 4. If this is the first time that children Cross-curricular links have used a pipette, show them 1 h 20 min Mathematics how to use it properly by practising pipetting water and releasing Materials per group Teaching sequence it drop by drop. 2 glass containers 1. Divide the children into groups · 5. Go through appropriate health 2 straws and distribute Activity Sheet 1. To · review the composition of air, chil- and safety measures with the 1 bike pump · dren should colour in the different children. As they will be working · Tube with dissolved potash lye components of fresh air on the with chemicals, it is very impor- (10% KOH) activity sheet (see teachers’ notes tant for them to work carefully and precisely. If there is some Tube with colour indicator on page 57). Exhaled air is missing · liquid left in the pipette, it should (phenolphthalein solution) 5% of the oxygen that makes up inhaled air. Ask children to consid- be dripped back into the small jar Pipette · er what may replace this missing (tubes). Only then should the · Photocopies of Activity Sheets 1 oxygen. Ask them to consider tubes with chemicals be distrib- and 2 (see pages 58, 59) how they could test their ideas. uted. Film on the Plant Scientists Scientists can use highly spe- 6. Ask the children to follow the · w2 Investigate website (optional) cialised machines in a laboratory instructions on the activity sheet

56 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 57

Teaching activities

on how to use the colour-change 9. Ask the children to think about Teachers’ notes indicator. how to get fresh air into the sec- A film demonstrating how to run 7. Before carrying out the experi- ond jar. Let them work in pairs to this activity is available on the ment, the children should discuss come up with ideas and then come Plantscafe website in the media what they want to find out, i.e. to together as a class to decide what galleryw2. investigate if the carbon dioxide to do. Distribute Activity Sheet 2 Fresh air consists of 78% nitrogen, content of exhaled air is different and the air pumps. The children 21% oxygen and 1% of other gases from fresh air. The pink solution should pump fresh air into the (including carbon dioxide and oth- (phenolphthalein) changes colour second jar. Note: the colour is not ers). Oxygen is necessary for every when it comes into contact with going to change (or should change burning process, whether burning a carbon dioxide. only slightly). candle or burning food at a cellular 8. The children should carry out the 10. Discuss with the children what the level. experiment is designed to find out. first part of the experiment. Health and Safety Discuss what happened and why It can show that there is more car- Because 10% KOH is corrosive, it it happened. bon dioxide in exhaled air than in fresh air. should not come into contact with skin or the eyes. Children should use 11. Complete the drawing with the gloves, or this specific part of the fresh air. activity should be carried out only by 12. Ask the children to summarise the teacher. Regulations on the control The change in colour two things which they discovered of substances hazardous to health of the indicator during the experiment. (COSHH) will apply. After the experiment, the solutions in the jars can be disposed of down the drain. For preparation and experiment methodology, see Activity Sheets 1 and 2.

Image courtesy of PSI Explanation KOH produces a slightly alkaline solution, which is coloured pink by an indicator. Exhaled carbon dioxide produces carbonic acid in the water, so the alkaline solution turns acidic (changing the pH value). The pink solution becomes colourless when exhaled air is added to the solution.

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 57 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 58

Activity sheet 1: Carbon dioxide in exhaled air

Using different colours, show what makes up the air in these clouds.

Fresh air

Exhaled air

Carry out the following experiment: 1. Take two glass containers and ﬁll each with 200 ml water. 2. Add 20 drops of 10% potash lye to both containers. 3. Clean the pipette in the sink or a glass with fresh tap water. 4. Add 20 drops of indicator and stir it with a straw.

What are we trying to investigate with this experiment? 5. One person in the group should breathe through a straw, using strong breaths, into one of the containers. 6. Write down what happens and why.

58 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 59

Teaching activities

Activity sheet 2: Carbon dioxide in inhaled air

In order to test if there is more carbon dioxide in the exhaled air than in the fresh air, we need to get fresh air into the second container.

How could you do this? Consider your ideas as a group and then discuss it with the class. 1. Pump fresh air into container 2. 2. Write down what happens and why.

Complete the composition of the exhaled air in Activity Sheet 1.

Today I learned:

______

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 59 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 60 Image courtesy of PSI

Children enclosing an area of the school grounds that will produce sufficient oxygen, by way of photosynthesis, for one person for one day

My own oxygen consumption 5. Explain that an area of grass of · Carbon dioxide about 3 m² provides the daily oxy- Overview · Rainforests gen needs of one human. Each This activity will demonstrate to Seaweed group should then mark out this children how much green space is · Atmosphere area of grass to visualise the area needed to produce enough oxygen for · of plants that each one of them one person for one day. Cross-curricular links needs to produce his or her daily intake of oxygen. Aims Mathematics 6. How big must the area be so that To work out the relationship Teaching sequence the whole class or the whole · between our daily oxygen require- 1. Walk with the children to a lawn school has enough oxygen? ments and the quantity of plants or other green space outdoors. Ask necessary to produce this volume of 7. Discuss the following points: children if they have any idea how oxygen. Humans and animals live in much oxygen we consume every · To understand that all green plants cities where there is little green day. · produce oxygen. space but they still need to 2. Explain that studies have shown To understand the importance of breathe. How can this happen? that a human needs, on average, · the rainforests and seaweed for the What happens in winter, when 360 litres of oxygen per day. maintenance of the gas balance in · many trees shed their leaves? the atmosphere. 3. Review what children have How can we still breathe at night learned so far about how plants · Timing if light is needed to produce produce oxygen (what a plant oxygen? 30 min needs for photosynthesis). The rainforests and seaweeds Emphasise that all green plants Material · (algae) in the sea produce and produce oxygen. · String release enough oxygen to main- Wooden sticks 4. Children should guess how large a tain the gas balance in the atmos- · piece of lawn needs to be to pro- phere. Rainforests and seaweeds Keywords vide enough oxygen for one are the lungs of Earth. What Plants · human to live for one day. Let the would happen if the rainforests Humans · children mark out their estimated or seaweeds died because of · Oxygen area using the string. pollution?

60 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 61

Teaching activities

A new ski run? Material story, character cards and instructions for running the game can be down- Overview Role play material (downloadable · w3 loaded from the media gallery on the online ) w2 This activity puts children in a real- Plantscafe website . life situation where plant conserva- Character cards (downloadable · w3 1. Give each child a card that tion and economic development online ) describes their role at least one clash. In an alpine setting, children Sticky labels day before the activity so that they play the part of citizens in a ski resort · Coloured pens can begin to empathise with the where new plans for ski slopes threat- · Photocopy of Activity Sheet 3 character. Consider the ability en an area rich in biodiversity. In this · (see page 62) level needed for each role and role play, children will develop abili- Paper (A2 size) ties to discuss complex problems, · assign roles accordingly. examine pros and cons, and make Keywords 2. Each child writes their character decisions – and by doing so accept name on a sticky label and wears Biodiversity that one often has to compromise. · it during the role play. Impact of human activity · 3. They sit in a semicircle to repre- Aims Land management sent a real open public meeting. To resolve complex problems, and · · help children to accept that compro- Cross-curricular activity 4. The mayor convenes the meeting mise is often necessary. Personal, social and health at which every role player sets out · his or her case for or against the To understand that extinction is a education construction of a new ski slope. · problem linked with human action, Citizenship · The mayor must guarantee order but that humans can also help to Literacy, specialised language, conserve and protect threatened · slogans (genre writing) and must let all representatives speak. species. Art · 5. Because of the complex issues dis- Timing Teaching sequence cussed, the mayor declares a citi- 2 h A new ski run? zens’ referendum in which every This game is a role play, based character has a vote. Skills around characters in a society: the 6. Before any vote is made, each · Reasoning mayor, hotel managers, botanists, group has to develop marketing or · Problem solving ski-run builder, foresters and wildlife promotional materials, e.g. Argumentation rangers. The plot is about economic posters, to persuade the citizens to · development in the countryside; Communication skills vote for their cause. These · building a new ski slope. The full posters/leaflets should be distributed and the representatives should have time to read them. 7. A secret ballot is taken. 8. The result of the vote is read out by the mayor. In the case of a split decision, the mayor has the Image courtesy of PSI deciding vote. 9. The outcome should be discussed by everyone. 10. Children should fill in Activity Sheet 3 to summarise their opinions.

The role-play game, with children making posters to support their opinions about the ski-run development

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 61 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 62

Activity sheet 3: Will the new ski run be built?

Name: ______

Date: ______

My character is: ______

I am / am not in favour of the new ski run (circle one option)

The final decision about the ski run proposal is:

______

What in your opinion are the pros and cons of this decision?

______

62 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 63

Teaching activities

Web references Resources Grigorov I (2006) Bringing global climate change to the classroom. w1 – All teaching materials from Other Science in School articles related Science in School 3: 56-59. Plant Scientists Investigate can be to climate change (mostly for sec- www.scienceinschool.org/2006/ downloaded here: ondary school) include: issue3/euroceans www.plantscafe.net Benestad R (2007) What do we Sedwick C (2008) What killed the w2 – The film depicting the ‘Carbon know about climate? The evidence woolly mammoth? Science in School dioxide in exhaled air’ activity can for climate change. Science in School 9: 18-21. www.scienceinschool.org be downloaded here: 7: 49-51. /2008/issue9/woollymammoth www.plantscafe.net/en/experiments www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ /gallery.php?module=enex02 issue7/climate Shallcross D, Harrison T (2008) Climate change modelling in the w3 – For the ‘A new ski run?’ activity, Benestad R (2008) What do we classroom. Science in School 9: 28-33. the full story, character cards and know about climate? Investigating www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ instructions for running the game the effects of anthropogenic global issue9/climate can be downloaded here: warming. Science in School 8: 48-51. www.plantscafe.net/en/conservation www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ Shallcross D, Harrison T (2008) /gallery.php?module=enco10 issue8/climate Practical demonstrations to augment climate change lessons. Science in School 10: 46-50. www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ issue10/climate For a full list of Science in School articles about climate change, see: www.scienceinschool.org/ Image courtesy of PSI climatechange

The lead members of the Plant Scientists Investigate project were: Suzanne Kapelari, Institute of Botany, University Innsbruck, Austria Sue Johnson, Institute of Education, London University, UK Costantino Bonomi, Natural History Museum Trento, Italy Gail Bromley, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, London, UK Krassimir Kossev, University Botanic Gardens Sofia, Bulgaria

Field work to increase children’s knowledge and enthusiasm for conserving plants – plants that might otherwise be destroyed by human activity, such as the ski- run development

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 63 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 64

Images courtesy of the Next Generation project

The Earth-Moon model

Dr Dina Shola Laila with the lemon power station

Pupils using a simple water filtration system

Science for the Next Generation: activities for primary school

he Next Generation project pro- them, placing what pupils have remove impurities through sorption Tmotes a better understanding of learned in the classroom into a real- to solids, and secondary treatment to the wonderful world of science to pri- world setting. Pupils learn how to break down or degrade the remaining mary-school children. A team of post- design and build a simple water fil- impurities using micro-organisms. doctoral scientists from Imperial tration system using a variety of This experiment investigates the College in London, UK, worked with materials. Each material is suited to physical process of removing solid the teachers from Salisbury Primary separating different sized solids and impurities of varying sizes and the School in East London to develop a dissolved particles from water. The chemical process of removing dis- series of practical two-day science pupils learn, through trial and error, solved particles by sorption to char- workshops. These workshops provide what each material is most appropri- coal. The pupils can discuss what exciting hands-on experiments using ate for. makes water dirty, emphasising key everyday household materials to help To put the topic into context, you terms such as solid waste, dissolved the children explore the simple science will need to give the pupils a brief impurities, filtration and micro-organ- principles that are found all around introduction to the importance of isms. them. Below are three of the activities treating wastewater so that it is safe The experiment investigates the pri- for you to use in your classroom. to be released into rivers. Wastewater mary treatment, i.e. the removal of treatment is typically a three-stage solid impurities. A worksheet is pro- Water filtration system process consisting of preliminary vided for the pupils to complete in This experiment looks at solids and treatment to screen out large solid support of this experiment. liquids and examines how to separate impurities, primary sedimentation to

64 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 65

Teaching activities

Wayne A Mitchell, Debonair Sherman, Andrea Choppy and Rachel L Gomes from the Next Generation project describe some of their science activities to introduce primary-school children to the science all around us.

Materials als into the water bottle. Have From this experiment, the pupils Cotton wool them note the order of the packing will learn that each packing material · material and predict how effec- is suited to different types of solid Sand · tively the filtration system will impurities in the dirty water and, Charcoal (preferably powdered, or remove impurities from the water. when combined to make an effective · buy charcoal pieces and grind them Ask the pupils to measure the water filtration system, must be up) time taken for the water to pass packed in order of size. The sand and · Gravel through the system and to predict gravel separate or filter out solids of · Plastic glasses how this affects the cleaning different sizes (sand removes the An empty water bottle with the bot- process. smaller particles). The powdered · tom cut off 4. When the filtration system is charcoal adsorbs the dissolved coffee, packed with the materials, the A support system for the water bot- taking away the colour. Additionally, pupils can add the dirty water. · tle, e.g. a plank of wood with a hole by the time the dirty water has Depending on the packing, it can reached the charcoal, it is trickling Dirty water (water with instant cof- take a while for the water to pass · very slowly, which gives it more time fee, flour and charcoal pieces through the packing layers. Often, in contact with the charcoal. The added) the pupils forget to place an longer the dirty water is in contact An empty container for used mate- empty glass underneath but they with the powdered charcoal, the more · rials and dirty water will learn for the next time! time the charcoal has to adsorb the Stopwatches colour. The cotton wool prevents any · Through trial and error, and obser- of the other filtration materials from Method vation, the pupils will learn that the 1. The pupils should set up their fil- best approach for cleaning the water falling out of the bottle. tration system, placing the empty is to pack the materials in order of This experiment demonstrates that water bottle upside-down into the size. The cotton wool needs to be impurities in dirty water can be support system. We used a plank placed at the bottom (in the neck of removed by using a series of barriers, of wood between benches or the bottle), to prevent the other pack- which use either physical (filtering by tables. ing materials from falling through. gravel and sand) or chemical (sorp- 2. For each filtration system, give the Above the cotton wool comes the tion using powdered charcoal) pupils the four materials (cotton ground charcoal, then the sand, and processes to remove the impurities. wool, sand, ground charcoal and then the gravel. (As an optional exten- This type of treatment would not be gravel) in separate glasses along sion to this exercise, the thickness of effective on micro-organisms, howev- with a glass of the dirty water. the layers can also be varied to see er. Can you think what could work 3. Let the pupils choose the order in how this affects the purification well instead? which to pack layers of the materi- process.)

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 65 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 66

Worksheet: Water filtration system

Name: ______Date: ______

Class: ______

What makes water dirty?

1. ______2. ______

3. ______4. ______

A water filter can be made using what four objects?

1. ______2. ______

3. ______4. ______

Draw a picture of your water filtration system and add labels to explain:

66 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 67

Teaching activities

Part of the water What does it do? filtration system

Bottle

Cotton wool

Charcoal

Sand

Gravel

How does a water filtration system work?

______

Why is it important to clean water?

______

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 67 sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:57 Uhr Seite 68

ABC D

Construction of an Earth-Moon orbital model The construction of the Earth-Moon orbital model will help pupils understand the basic movements of planets Images courtesy of the Next Generation project in space and provide them with a Earth-Moon orbital construction: A) Apparatus needed for the Earth-Moon orbital; lasting – and homemade – reminder B) Insert the wooden stick into the wooden base; C) Attach the copper wire to the stick; D) Attach the balls to the stick and the copper wire of the activity. The orbital can be used to introduce the principle of planetary movement around the Sun and also The model can be used to demon- organisms and gases all around us. Pupils are encouraged to design an the orbit of the Moon around Earth. strate the Moon’s orbit around Earth experiment to test different variables Furthermore, by using an external or different planets in the Solar which affect yeast’s ability to grow, light source such as a desk lamp, System orbiting the Sun. and to investigate a by-product of this pupils can examine the phases of the Using an external light source to process, carbon dioxide. Moon as well as the concepts of solar represent the Sun, the relative posi- and lunar eclipses. tions of the Moon and Earth can be Start by asking the children for their used to examine the different phases ideas on how humans use yeast and Apparatus of the Moon. For example, ask the other micro-organisms as part of our · A piece of copper wire (10-15 cm class to observe what happens when everyday lives. Provide pictorial long by 3 mm thick) the Moon is placed between the light examples such as blue cheese, bread, source and Earth (no sunlight reflect- beer, compost heaps and bacterial cul- A small wooden stick (15-18 cm · ed from the Moon can be seen from tures. These examples demonstrate long by 5 mm thick) Earth – no moon in the night sky), or that micro-organisms are important · 2 table-tennis balls (or use poly- when Earth is between the light and for human survival. Ask the children styrene balls of different sizes) the Moon (all the sunlight reflected what they think micro-organisms need · A wooden base (10 x 5 x 1cm) from the Moon can be seen from to survive, and how humans have A drill and a 5 mm drill bit Earth – full moon). By placing the used this knowledge. You will need to · Moon in different positions relative to explain that gas is produced as a result How to construct the Earth- Earth (e.g. change the position by 45 of yeast growth; ask the children if Moon orbital degrees), the class can describe the they know which gas is produced. 1. Drill a hole through the centre of amount of moonlight seen from Earth. Ask the children to design an exper- the wooden base. This can be used to explain the differ- iment that tests the conditions needed 2. Insert the 15 cm stick into the hole. ent phases of the Moon. for yeast to survive, using the appara- 3. Secure the copper wire to the mid- Another suggested project is to ask tus listed below. After they have dle of the stick by making two com- the class to draw the shape of the planned their experiments, provide plete turns. The wire should remain Moon every night for one month; the the children with the apparatus. They firmly connected to the stick. drawings can then be used to chart can use a variety of approaches to 4. Using a pointed object (such as a the different phases of the Moon. measure the gas produced, such as To investigate planetary movement small nail), make a small incision using string to measure the circumfer- around the Sun, additional orbitals ence of the balloon, or bubbling the into the two table-tennis balls. can be attached to represent further gases into an inverted measuring 5. Place one table-tennis ball (repre- planets and allow the class to exam- cylinder filled with water to measure senting either a planet or the ine the effects of planetary distance the volume. Moon) on the free end of the cop- from the Sun on the planets’ tempera- per wire – which will act as the ture, or the amount of time to com- Apparatus orbital arm – and the second ball plete one rotation of the Sun. Three large balloons (representing either the Sun or A useful website to accompany this · Earth) on top of the wooden stick. Three 500 ml plastic bottles project is the National Schools’ · Adjust the copper wire with the Water Obser vatory demonstration of phases · table-tennis ball to a position w1 of the Moon . · Three 7 g packets of yeast where the two balls are lined up Sugar with each other. If correctly con- Yeast balloon · Vinegar structed, the orbital arm will rotate This experiment can be used to · around the central ball. investigate topics including micro- · A thermometer

68 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_26-69_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 14:58 Uhr Seite 69

Teaching activities

Table 1: Examples of experiments and demonstrations developed as part of the Next Generation project

Experiment/Demonstrations Topic Scientist

Water filtration system Solids and liquids: how to separate them Arun Arora Woodlouse and maggot race Movement and growth Rachel Gomes Liquid nitrogen Solids and liquids: changing states Gavin Jell Lemon power station Interdependence and adaptation Dina Shola Laila Pondweed and light Interdependence and adaptation Wayne Mitchell Slinky soundwave Changing sounds Valerie Nadeau Glitterbug Micro-organisms Catherine Reynolds Heat in space Earth, Sun and Moon Berangere Tissot

7. The pupils can measure the science activities used in the project,is · String amount of carbon dioxide evolved available on the Next Gene ra tion · A ruler either by measuring the diameter websitew3. Artificial sweetener (optional) of the balloon or by dipping the The Next Generation project fosters · balloon into a measuring cylinder close working partnerships between Method of water to calculate its volume. scientists and teachers. Delivering sci- 1. Divide the class into groups. 8. The class could have a competition ence in an engaging and informative 2. Each group should design an to see who can get the most car- manner is the catalyst to encouraging experiment to test one or more bon dioxide out of their yeast. a better and wider understanding of variables affecting carbon dioxide Allow the experiments to run for science for our children. In time, it is production by yeast. To ensure a about 20 minutes before discussing hoped that some of the pupils fair test, one condition must the results. Pupils should state involved will become the next genera- always remain the same; for exam- whether the results of their experi- tion of scientists, sparking interest in ple, you can change the amount of ments agree with their predictions. science among future children. yeast placed into two bottles while Ask the children as a group to iden- making sure that the amount of tify the best conditions for yeast If you would like more information water and temperature remains growth; they should suggest warm about the Next Generation project, the same in both. water and sugar. The pupils can also please contact Wayne Mitchell 3. Pupils can choose to change vari- discuss what conditions prevented ([email protected]). ables including: the growth of yeast: no sugar, cold Web references Temperatures ranging from room water, or the presence of acids. What · w1 – The National Schools’ temperature to 60 ºC would happen if you use honey Observatory website includes a Amount of sugar instead of sugar? demonstration of phases of the · You can extend the lesson by inves- Type of sugar (e.g. artificial Moon over time: · tigating the nature of the gas pro- sweeteners) www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk duced – by weighing the balloon, or Acidity of environment (vinegar). /astro/esm/moonphs.shtml · testing the effect of the gas on lit and 4. Each group of pupils should draw glowing splints. The pupils could also w2 – The website of the up their experimental plan and try experiments to demonstrate how Exploratorium in San Francisco, hypothesis before starting their micro-organisms contribute to the USA, includes further instructions experiment. Encourage the pupils gases all around us. for the yeast balloon experiment: to make predictions of what they A description of the experimental www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/ would expect to happen. set-up is available on the Explorato - bread/activity-yeast.html 5. Once the groups have prepared rium websitew2. w3 – The Next Generation website their experimental plan, supply includes information about many each group with 2 or 3 plastic bot- More activities from the Next science activities developed for pri- tles and balloons. Generation project mary schools: www.ng-project.com 6. Pupils should measure and record The table above shows some of the the exact changes made to each other activities developed as part of variable. the project. More information on the

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 69 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:06 Uhr Seite 70

Nanotechnology in school

Matthias Mallmann from NanoBioNet eV explains what nanotechnology really is, and offers two nano-experiments for the classroom.

anotechnology has become a What is nanotechnology? page 71). The colour is a result of gold Npopular buzzword in science Nanotechnology is not really any- atoms clustering to form nanoparti- and politics. This key technology is thing new. It deals with entities and cles instead of the more usual solid considered not only a major source of processes on the scale of 10-9 m form. These small gold particles allow innovation in technology, medicine (1 nanometre), which is the dimen- the long-wave red light to pass and other fields, but also one of the sion of molecules and atoms – a scale through but block the shorter wave- main challenges for the 21st century. that chemists, biochemists and cell lengths of blue and yellow light. The European universities and high-level biologists have worked with for cen- colour, therefore, depends both on the vocational training programmes turies. element involved (gold) and on the already cover this technology exten- At the nanoscale, the properties of a particle size; silver nanoparticles, for sively. However, although the word material may change. For example, example, can give a yellow colour. nanotechnology will be familiar to hardness, electrical conductivity, What is new, though, is the multi- many high-school students, the sub- colour or chemical reactivity of disciplinary approach and the ability ject is not widely taught in European minuscule particles of materials are to ‘look’ at these entities. The atomic schools. This article outlines several related to the diameter of the particle. force microscope, which was devel- initiatives to increase awareness of Specific functionalities, therefore, can oped in the late 1980s, allows scien- nanotechnology among European sci- be achieved by reducing the size of tists to view structures at a nano-met- ence teachers, and details two nan- the particles to 1-100 nm. ric scale and to handle even single otechnology experiments for the A well-known application of early atoms via scanning probe microscopy. classroom. nanotechnology is the ruby red colour Now biologists can discuss steric that was used for stained glass win- effects of cell membranes with dows during the Middle Ages chemists, while physicists provide the (see image on tools to watch the interaction in vivo. Nanoparticles play an important role in the pharmaceutical industry (delivering active agents to the required part of the body), in the production of emulsion paint and cosmetics and in the optimisation of catalysts. Nanotechnology, therefore, has combined all natural sciences and creates cross-links between the different disciplines. Image courtesy of IBMT Fraunhofer Institute Image courtesy of IBMT Fraunhofer

Living cell on an artificial nano substrate

70 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:06 Uhr Seite 71

Projects in science education

Medieval stained glass windows using nanotechnology

the University of Cambridgew4, offer visits to schools, interactive lectures, seminars and workshops. Additionally, there are many online resources that provide information, films and games for schools and studentsw5. To fill this gap, the NanoBioNet eVw6 not only provides vocational courses and training for teachers, but has developed a multilingual (German, English and French) experimental kit (the NanoSchoolBoxw7) to teach school students about nanotechnology. Some of the experiments in the NanoSchoolBox are suitable for demonstration experiments; others can be integrated without too much preparation into hands-on lessons under the guidance of the teacher. The experimental school kit includes 14 experiments and five exhibits which deal with the following topics: The lotus effect and technical · applications of nanolayers Functionality through nanotechnol- · ogy (showing different effects of nanotechnological coatings, such as scratch resistance, fire protection and the increase in electrical con- Image courtesy of NanoBioNet eV ductivity through indium tin oxide) Use of titanium dioxide in nan- · otechnology · Ferrofluids · Nano-scaled gold clusters Universität des Saarlandes Image courtesy of Lehrstuhl für physikalische Chemie,

Initiatives for schools days for whole school classes, while Some materials are already avail- some European science museums and able to support science teachers in science centresw2 have exhibitions introducing their students to nan- about nanotechnology or, like the otechnology, although the materials German Nanotruckw3, bring people tend only to be published in the closer to the subject using touring national language. For example, the exhibitions that can be booked for w1 German Saarlab Initiative offers lab public events. Some universities, like Pupils at the Saarlab laboratory

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 71 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:06 Uhr Seite 72

Images courtesy of NanoBioNet eV Ferrofluids and the magnetic field

Although the experiments are In this simple experiment, the ferro- As the particles try to align them- intended principally for chemistry magnetic particles align themselves selves with the magnetic field, a typi- lessons, the interdisciplinary structure with the magnetic field lines around a cal ‘porcupine’ is formed, the prickles of nanotechnology means that some magnet, thus making the magnetic representing the magnetic field lines of them are also suitable for physics field visible. (see images above). Surface tension of the fluids and gravity counteract the or biology classes. Below are two Materials examples. magnetic field with the result that · Ferrofluid ordered structures are created in the Ferrofluids · Empty crimp-top glass tube liquid as a reaction to the three forces. Ferrofluids are colloidal dispersals Tenside solution (surfactant) of extremely small ferromagnetic par- · 5. Try moving the ferrofluid through Magnet ticles (i.e. particles that can be perma- · the water with the aid of the mag- nently magnetised by an external · Pipette net. Depending on whether the magnetic field), such as cobalt, nickel · Water magnet is held parallel or vertical- or iron, suspended in a hydrocarbon Procedure ly to the surface of the ferrofluid, liquid. The particles are coated with a the orientation of the magnetic 1. Fill the tube three-quarters full of surfactant to prevent them from field changes and, consequently, water and add 2-5 drops of tenside clumping together. Ferrofluids are the the orientation of the fluid solution (surfactant). only magnetic materials in liquid form. changes. 2. Carefully use the pipette to add a The NanoSchoolBox includes both 6. Shake the tube gently to disperse few drops of ferrofluid, which will ferrofluids for performing the experi- the ferrofluid in the water. As the settle at the bottom. ment and instructions for making ferroparticles do not dissolve, they your own ferrofluids in the laborato- 3. Close the tube tightly. eventually settle at the bottom. ry. Ferrofluids may also be bought 4. Bring the magnet close to the fer- You can accelerate this process from FerroTec GmbHw8. rofluid. with the aid of a magnet, observ-

72 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:06 Uhr Seite 73

Projects in science education Image courtesy of NanoBioNet eV Diagram showing the composition of ferrofluid particles Image courtesy of NanoBioNet eV Magnetic field lines

ing beautiful effects. To achieve capillary action. If the urine contains this, draw the magnet past the hCG (i.e. if the woman is pregnant), side of the tube quickly and away b-subunits of hCG bind to the tagged again. In this way, you accelerate Further gold particles. When the b-subunits the ferrofluids and produce bound to the gold reach the immo- streaks, clouds, and so forth. information bilised a-subunits, the a- and b-subunits bind together, forming a gold- Safety notes For further information, hCG complex. If the concentration of · Ferrofluids must be handled with please contact hCG is high enough, the complex is great care and in a clean environ- NanoBioNet eV: visible as a red line, indicating that ment because they leave permanent www.nanobionet.de the woman is pregnant. Further gold stains. Email: [email protected] particles bind to a second line, indi- Wear a laboratory coat, gloves and Tel: +49 (0)681 685 7364 cating that the test (whether positive · protective goggles. If your skin BACKGROUND or negative) was correctly performed. comes into contact with a ferrofluid, In the following experiment, we wash the area with soap. will produce nanoscale gold clusters, pregnancy tests, in which gold Keep ferrofluids in a sealed contain- which are easily detected by their typ- nanoparticles are finely distributed on · er at all times in order to prevent ical ruby-red colour. One way of pro- the test strip. evaporation. ducing nanoscale gold, described The UltiMed® pregnancy test, for here, is the citrate method. This The ferrofluid and the materials example, relies on this principle to involves producing either colloidal · soiled with the substance should be detect human chorionic gonadotropin gold or gold clusters in a solution. disposed of in the same way as (hCG), a hormone released early in A cluster, or nanoparticle, is a col- motor oil (as hazardous waste or at pregnancy by the fertilised egg and lection of 3 to 50 000 atoms. The a collection point) and not poured the lining of the uterus. hCG consists diameter of the gold nanoparticles is down the sink. of two subunits: a and b. On the test generally between 12-18 nm. If the Nanoscale gold strip, a-subunits of hCG are immo- clusters are spatially distributed in Research scientists use the light- bilised, forming a line that will turn another physical medium, the entire absorbing property of gold particles red to indicate a pregnancy. Elsewhere system is known as a colloid. to detect biomolecules. For example, in the strip, colloidal gold particles are The experiment is based on a redox antibodies can be tagged by coupling tagged with monoclonal antibodies reaction of tetrachloraurate (also them with gold particles. When a specific to the b-subunit of hCG. known as tetrachlorauric acid or tetra- white light is shone on them, the red When the strip is dipped in urine, chlorauric (III) acid trihydrate), in colour of the metal particles is visible. the liquid allows the tagged gold par- which gold ions are reduced to atomic This is applied in some cases in home ticles to move through the strip by gold clusters. The reductant sodium

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 73 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 19.11.2008 14:58 Uhr Seite 74

Pregnancy test strip

Image courtesy of kimkole / iStockphoto

citrate (also called trinatriumcitrate Materials 3. Once the solution reaches 100 °C and starts to bubble, add 1.5 ml dihydrate) not only reduces the gold Auric chloride solution, HAuCl4 citrate solution as quickly as possi- but also acts as a dispersion medium · (0.1 g auric chloride in 20 ml H O) 2 ble, stirring vigorously. to stabilise the gold clusters that are Citrate solution, C H Na O x 2 6 5 3 7 The initial red colour of the auric created. By adding the reductant, the · H O (5.7 g in 0.5 l H O, filtered) 2 2 chloride solution intensifies until atomic coagulation of the metal ions · Distilled water it becomes a deep red. At tempera- is halted and the result is a colloidal · Hotplate or immersion heater tures between 85 and 90 °C, it cluster enclosed by a ligand case. Something for stirring (spoon, stir- will take approximately 5 minutes Those colloids are detected by the · rer or similar), ideally a heatable until the colour changes; at 100 °C, Tyndall effect. This occurs when light magnetic stirrer the reaction is even faster. Depending on the size of the parti- is shone through a colloidal suspen- 1 fireproof glass beaker (50-100 ml) cles formed, you may get a violet sion: the light path can be seen in the · Thermometer (up to 100 °C) colour instead of red. liquid as visible light is scattered by · · Laser pointer (optional) 4. The gold colloids can be detected suspended, microscopically small par- Safety note: Auric chloride is through the Tyndall effect. Use the ticles, the diameter of which is in the caustic and harmful if swallowed. laser pointer to shine light side- order of magnitude of the wavelength ways through the solution. The of visible light (400-800 nm). In con- Procedure light path can be observed as it trast, when light is shone through a 1. Add 0.5 ml (approx. 15 drops) passes through the solution. auric chloride solution to 28 ml solution without colloids (e.g. ink), Additional experiments distilled water. the light passes through without For comparison, repeat the experi- being scattered, so the light path is 2. Heat the solution to 100 °C on the ment with 0.5 ml auric chloride solu- not visible. stirrer or hot plate. tion and 50 ml distilled water.

Image courtesy of Nicola Graf Chemical equation for the

CH2COOH production of gold clusters CH2COOH 3 HO COOH + 2[AuCI ]- 4 3O== + 2 Au (O)

CH2COOH CH2COOH

CH2COOH [ - + 16 AuCI4] 3O== 15 CO2 + 16 Au (O)

CH2COOH

74 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 114.11.200815:06UhrSeite75 w4 –Formore informationon w3 –TheNanotruck website(in w2 –ThewebsiteforEcsite,the w1 –TheGerman-languagewebsite Web references forming. result ofcolloidsadifferent size loids willhaveadeepvioletcolour, a tion inafurtherexperiment,thecol- colour changetooccur. Compare the time neededforthe www.scienceinschool.org Image courtesy of NanoBioNet eV schools www.nanoscience.cam.ac.uk/ Cambridge, see: nanoscience from theUniversityof here: www.nanotruck.de German orEnglish)canbefound www.ecsite.net tres, canbefoundhere: European networkofsciencecen- found here: www.saarlab.de for theSaarlabInitiativecanbe If youincrease thecitrateconcentra- w9 –Formore informationon w8 –Ferrofluids maybeordered from w7 –Formore informationonthe w6 –TheNanoBioNeteVwebsitecan –Foralistofusefullinksabout w5 www.nano2life.org nanobiotechnology, see: Network ofExcellencein Nano2Life, thefirstEuropean FerroTec GmbH:www.ferrofluid.de 12105_11931.htm www.nanobionet.de/ NanoSchoolBox, see: be foundat:www.nanobionet.de schools/links.html www.nanoscience.cam.ac.uk/ nanotechnology forschools,see: REVIEW colloid solution The Tyndall effectinagold ty issues). activity toaspectsrelatedhistoryoractive citizenship(thesafe- ent sciencesubjects(physics, chemistry, biology)orforwideningthe suggestions given makeitpossibletousethearticleforlinkingdiffer- ers provided theyhave ascientificbackground. The examples and The styleandlevel ofdetailaresuitablefornon-native Englishspeak- resources. ing theirunderstandingofthetopicwithhelpquotedweb tions. The materialisalsosuitableforstudentsinterested indeepen- willing tointroducenanotechnology by linkingittoreal-lifeapplica- I recommendthisarticletouppersecondary-school scienceteachers hands-on experiencesthatcanbeperformedwithit. presents newdidacticalmaterial(NanoSchoolBox) by meansofsome resources forteaching nanotechnology available inEurope,hethen dows, addressesthetopicinafriendlyway. Beginningwiththe Matthias Mallmann’s article,startingfromancientstained-glasswin- students. means somethingmorefuturisticthanrealtomostpeople,including European citizens(seeEurobarometer2005survey), nanotechnology In spiteofbeingapopularbuzzword, lookedonfavourably by Projects in scienceeducation Science inSchool excellence Nano2Life within theEC-fundednetworkof He isalsoincharge ofcommunication the GermanNanoBioNeteVnetwork. for thevocationaltrainingactivitiesin Capellas EspunyM(2003) For afurthermedievalapplicationof Resources Matthias Mallmannisresponsible Publications/Newsletter www.esrf.eu/UsersAndScience/ Newsletter pottery withnanoparticles. Renaissance artistsdecorated nanotechnology, see: 38 Issue 10: Winter 2008 : 4-5. Giulia Realdon,Italy w9 . ESRF 75 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:06 Uhr Seite 76

The International Space Station: life in space

Image courtesy of ESA

A large window installed in the Kibo laboratory provides views of Earth

How do astronauts eat, sleep and wash? Can you get ‘seasick’ in space? In the second of two articles about the ISS, Shamim Hartevelt-Velani, Carl Walker and Benny Elmann-Larsen from the European Space Agency investigate.

76 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:06 Uhr Seite 77

Science topics

Image courtesy of ESA The ISS on 20 August 2001

Life on board the Station The crews spend around 160 man- and prevent them from floating off. By Shamim Hartevelt-Velani and Carl Walker hours per week doing scientific exper- Most of the food is freeze-dried, What is life like for the astronauts iments; the rest of their time is spent frozen, thermostabilised or ready to on board the International Space on maintenance, Station control activ- eat. These treatments and the condi- Station (ISS)? The Earth environment ities and spacewalks. Spacewalks (or tions of ‘weightlessness’ mean that that most resembles the microgravity extra-vehicular activities, EVAs) are the taste of food is often impaired experienced on the ISS is water – necessary for construction, mainte- (somewhat like trying to eat when which is why astronauts train in large nance and for the installation of scien- you have a heavy cold). swimming pools. Inside the ISS, astro- tific components outside the Station. The range of nationalities on board nauts can play with floating drops of Sunday is generally a day of rest, means that the diet has to be carefully water and, instead of walking, can although some experiments continue chosen. Astronauts can state their push themselves off the walls and to run and must be monitored. own dietary preferences before begin- drift through the air. The astronauts need to take good ning their stay on the ISS, but they are Astronauts experience 16 sunrises care of themselves on board, and their free to change their minds during a and sunsets in one day, as the ISS health and safety are priorities. They mission, as long as the nutritional orbits Earth every 90 minutes. This is must be in good physical and mental value (2800 calories per day) is main- difficult to adapt to, and they sleep an condition. They eat three meals a day, tained. Food is periodically delivered average of 5-6 hours per day instead and mealtimes are important for the from Earth in cargo spacecraft (such of the 7-8 hours of sleep they enjoy on crew to socialise. There is a kitchen as ESA’s ATV or Russian Progress Earth. They do, however, observe a area where food can be heated, a vehicles). strict work/sleep schedule. Lack of fridge-freezer and a table. There are There are also dehydrated foods sleep can, of course, be caused by the tethers on the floor to hook feet onto, and drinks which are reconstituted by excitement of the first steps in to keep astronauts in a sitting posi- adding water. Syringes are used to ‘weightlessness’, the magnificent tion, but often they eat while floating rehydrate single portions of food to views of Earth and the darkness of around. Velcro is used to secure the avoid waste: water is a precious com- the cosmos. various food containers on the table modity. Transporting water to the ISS

Italian ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, STS-120 mission specialist, Crew member Greg Chamitoff plays a game of chess rests in his sleeping bag in the Harmony node of the ISS while in the Harmony node of the ISS Space Shuttle Discovery is docked with the Station

Images courtesy of ESA www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 77 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 78

Italian ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli seen during a meal on board the ISS Images courtesy of ESA

ESA astronaut Kuipers and his NASA colleague Foale eat Leopold Eyharts undergoes physical training in the ISS Dutch cheese for breakfast on board the ISS

is very expensive, so some water is the air in the ISS and cause a danger- Physiological effects of a recycled from the cabin itself by con- ous build-up of carbon dioxide in one ‘weightless’ environment densation. Because water needs to be place. By Benny Elmann-Larsen, ESA Senior conserved, non-foaming toothpaste is The temperature is maintained at a Physiologist preferred. Wet wipes are used for per- comfortable level by the air-condition- Humans and other living organisms sonal hygiene. Astronauts will have ing system so astronauts can wear have adapted to life on Earth for mil- their first shower when they return to light clothing. Air pressure is kept the lions of years, in conditions that Earth. same inside as on Earth. During include Earth’s gravity (1 g), a specific There is no ‘up’ or ‘down’ in space. launch and landing, or when per- temperature and humidity range, and Sleeping involves wrapping yourself forming spacewalks outside the ISS, a certain oxygen pressure. These are in a sleeping bag attached to the wall. astronauts wear special pressurised ‘normal’ conditions for us. The astronauts use ear plugs to keep spacesuits to protect them from the When flying out into space, we are out the noise of the life-support sys- extreme conditions. initially exposed to greater forces dur- tems that are continuously running, The men and women chosen as ing launch. Modern jet fighter pilots as well as sounds caused by the ther- astronauts work as a team. Their can often be exposed to around 9 g mal expansion and contraction of the training helps them to cope with the (compared with 4 g during the Space ISS itself. They try to secure their free- lack of privacy and to be able to live Shuttle launch), which is considered floating arms, which could end up in such an environment for months at the limit for what the human body can blocking the air tubes that circulate a time. It becomes home for them. sustain for some seconds without harm.

78 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 79

Science topics

On Earth, gravity helps us to tell As the normal effect of gravity dis- have problems if our blood pressure what is up and down, and to feel if appears in the spacecraft, everything is too high or too low). When we lie we are moving. The sensors in our in the body that is commonly influ- down, blood returns to the heart more balance and movement system (in enced by gravity behaves differently easily, so the heart does not need to particular the inner ear and eyes) use as well. The loading of the bones is pump as hard as when we are stand- gravity as a reference. On an orbiting different since the skeleton does not ing. If the circulatory system did not spacecraft, the lack of gravity makes it have to carry a bodyweight, and the adjust to this new situation, blood difficult to tell what is up or down. muscles have a much easier task mov- pressure would increase. Therefore the During the first hours or days in ing the astronaut around. arteries in the systemic system (carry- ‘weightlessness’, astronauts often The movement of blood in the cir- ing oxygenated blood from the heart encounter a mismatch between sensors culatory system is also affected in to the rest of the body) relax, enabling in their balance system, which coordi- space. The heart is a pump and a the blood to flow with less overall nate inputs from their eyes and inner muscle at the same time: the muscle resistance and returning the blood ears (registering movement and veloci- contractions push the blood around pressure to normal. When the heart ty) and from joints and muscles. In the body, and this circulation (which fills with blood (diastole), the heart many astronauts, this causes some- is influenced by gravity) ensures that muscle relaxes more than it does when thing similar to motion sickness on the pump always has a supply of we are standing, resulting in a larger Earth – which is also caused by confu- blood to move. If the return of blood volume of blood being pumped per sion in the balance-movement-vision to the heart is insufficient, it will beat, but with fewer beats per minute. system. The astronauts feel unwell and pump smaller and smaller volumes, This is very similar to what takes nauseous until their body has ‘learned’ and eventually collapse. place when astronauts first enter the new rules, i.e. has reprioritised the What happens to the circulatory weightlessness: the lack of gravity different nerve signals. Eventually, a system in space is similar to what means that blood returns more easily stable condition is achieved in which happens if you lie down on Earth. to the heart – reducing the need for the astronaut’s visual input becomes The circulation works best at a certain forceful pumping – and also shifts dominant. blood pressure (which is why we can from the astronauts’ legs into their chests and heads. Their faces tend to become puffy and their sinuses swell. ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel in Shuttle aft flight deck shortly after Atlantis This fluid shift initially increases the undocked from ISS blood volume as more water enters the blood stream – mainly from the Image courtesy of ESA tissues in the legs. This extra water in turn thins the blood to some extent and, after a few days, the kidneys start to excrete more salt and water, to mimic the normal situation on Earth. Although the slightly puffy heads and stuffy sinuses may remain, the situation improves after the first few days. (This process starts on the launch pad if the astronauts have to wait in their seats, lying on their backs, for two hours or more. When they finally get out of their seats in orbit, there is often a queue for the toilet!) Upon return to Earth, gravity will pull those fluids back down into the legs (pooling) and away from the head, which could cause the astronauts to feel faint when they stand up. But as they also begin to drink more, their fluid levels return to normal in a couple of days.

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 79 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 80 Image courtesy of ESA

Spacewalk to repair the Station’s torn solar array

inally, what makes an astronaut put up with the danger, the ‘spacesickness’, the cramped conditions and the lack Fof privacy? Science in School asked German astronaut Thomas Reiter.

Image courtesy of ESA “[Being an astronaut] was a dream I had as a child. I followed all the space activities when I was six, seven, eight years old. When I was 11, I watched the first Moon landing. Even then, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut. At the time, getting into this profession was not very likely in Europe, but I was lucky. When there was a selection process – in 1986, I think – I was just the right age and had the right prerequisites. I didn’t think twice about whether I should take part. And it worked out! “The most exciting moments are certainly the launch and doing an extravehicular activity…. It’s really very, very exciting and everyone who has the chance to be up there looks forward to leaving the Station for a few hours at least. There are interesting moments inside as well, catching beautiful views of the Earth or of the starry sky. And there’s the re-entry. Those are the main highlights from a personal, emotional point of view.”

ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter assists NASA astronaut Jeff Williams with his spacesuit, preparing for an extravehicular activity

Shamim Hartevelt-Velani is a Directorate of Human Spaceflight. writes and edits a wide range of secondary-school teacher currently She is the didactics specialist in the books and other communications working under contract at ESA’s education team. materials about spaceflight and the European Space Research and Carl Walker is ESA’s corporate European space programme. Technology Centre (ESTEC), in the writer and editor, based at ESTEC. He Benny Elmann-Larsen is the

80 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 81

Science topics

· An interactive version of the ISS Education Kit is available for every- This is a very interesting article. The content is quite simple, which one at www.esa.int/spaceflight/ will make it readily accessible to non-specialists; I can see myself education using it with students as a reading-for-information exercise. With the A series of ISS DVD lessons covers exception of the section on the effect on the circulatory system, the · article would be suitable for most ages. topics relating to European school curricula. These are based on This article – the second of two – discusses a number of the medical Project Zero Gravity and there are and biological aspects of space flight – an area that many students are four in the series. The latest, Space unaware of. The article shows the difficulties involved in manned Robotics, is now available to all space flights and how they can be tackled. school teachers in ESA member The resources linked in this article are very impressive and show ESA’s states and can be ordered free commitment to education. They are well worth ordering or taking the online: www.esa.int/spaceflight/ time to download. education Mark Robertson, UK REVIEW · A new DVD on the physics involved in the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) is due to be released in 2008. DVDs can be ordered free space: interview with Bernardo senior physiologist at ESA. He by teachers: www.esa.int/ Patti. Science in School 8: 8-12. worked as the mission life scientist spaceflight/education www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ on two Spacelab missions (1985 and ESA is also developing a series of issue8/bernardopatti/ · 1993), and two missions to the online lessons for primary- and Space Station Mir (1994 and 1995), Williams A (2008) The Automated secondary-school students and their on the second of which he worked Transfer Vehicle – supporting teachers. See: www.esa.int/ closely with Thomas Reiter. He Europe in space. Science in School 8: SPECIALS/Lessons_online managed the first European long-term 14-20. www.scienceinschool.org/ A new Space Exploration Kit 1 for space simulation bed-rest studies in 2008/issue8/atv/ · primary schools will be released 2000-2002 and is now editing the Many hundreds of images, videos in 2008. Human Spaceflight Science Newsletter, and animations about human Further details and education issued on behalf of the Research and spaceflight are available on the ESA · materials: Operations Department at ESA. website: www.esa.int/esa-mmg/ mmg.pl?collection=Human+ ESA Education website: Resources Spaceflight and can be used for www.esa.int/education For the first of the two ISS articles, education purposes. ESA Human Spaceflight Education see: ESA has produced many educational website: Hartevelt-Velani S, Walker C (2008) materials relating to the www.esa.int/esaHS/education.html The International Space Station: a International Space Station (ISS): As part of the International foothold in space. Science in School A printed ISS Education Kit for Astronautical Federation’s 2008 9: 62-65. · both primary- and secondary- symposium, Celebrating Ten Years www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ school teachers is available in all 12 of the International Space Station, a issue9/iss ESA languages. The kits are based panel of ISS crew members For the complete interview with on all the fascinating activities answered school-students’s ques- Thomas Reiter, and other related involved in building, working and tions about living and working on articles from Science in School, see: living on-board the ISS, and pro- the ISS. The video can be watched Warmbein B (2007) Down to Earth: vide background information and online: interview with Thomas Reiter. exercises for classroom teaching. www.iafastro.org/index.php?id=541 Science in School 5: 19-23. They are available to all school www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ teachers in ESA member states and issue5/thomasreiter/ can be ordered free online: Wegener A-L (2008) Laboratory in www.esa.int/spaceflight/education

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 81 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 82

Regensburg on the river Danube, Germany Image courtesy of Marlene Rau Nadia at her desk

Originally, Nadia Salem wanted to become a research biologist and find The winding a cure for cancer. Today, she is a reporter for Nano, a daily science road to magazine on German-language TV. Nadia talked to Marlene Rau about science the unpredictability of life and the joys of being a science journalist. journalism

Sweetcorn

adia has been interested in biol- remembers best are those in which Nogy, and anatomy in particular, teachers either took the class on a from an early age: “We used to have field trip or let them do hands-on dogs when I was little, and I liked to experiments. And such an experiment run to the butchers to fetch them the can be simple – just dissecting an cows’ hearts that we fed them, earthworm and starting to under- because I was intrigued by the course stand how all body parts are assem- of the blood vessels. I also enjoyed bled can be extremely fascinating. dissecting frogs or any other dead It was clear Nadia would go on to animals I could find.” Her dearest study biology or medicine. Being a memories from school are of teachers true Bavarian girl, she only managed who were passionate about their sub- to move 125 km, from Munich to ject, and whose enthusiasm was con- Bavarian Regensburg, a university tagious. The biology lessons she town famous for its medieval centre,

82 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org Image courtesy of Kilom691; image source: Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Image courtesy of Kilom691; image source: sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 83

Scientist profile

Images courtesy of Karsten Dörre; image source: Wikimedia Commons Image courtesy of Marlene Rau

to study biology. “This is really the life So science journalism was the obvious skills: dealing with people, structur- science. You learn all the basics, from choice? ing a project or simply being proud of amoebae to humans and up to med- “My boyfriend said I should try having achieved something. To most ical aspects. We had a lot of chemistry, journalism, since I talk all day any- employers, your personality and physics and mathematics classes, too, way. Additionally, a friend of mine, motivation are at least as important as and you start to understand how it all who is now also part of the Nanow1 your career path. So have the courage fits together. It was really rewarding, team, was studying journalism at to be original and do not always learning something about and for Mainz Universityw2. It sounded so assimilate to the rest.” life.” cool that I wanted to go too. I have never once regretted it. What was studying journalism like? Nevertheless, you decided not to work “There is something I would like to “At Mainz University, graduates of as a scientist. When did things tell all young people: never let anyone any other subject can do a two-year change? discourage you from something you master’s degree in journalism. There “The disillusionment started when I really want. Be brave and do not be is an admission test, and only about realised that I found it all very afraid to take a side road in life or 25 people are admitted each year. The tedious, really. You do experiments all start something new. You will always first year was dedicated to print and day, and mostly go home with no learn something, for example ‘soft’ online media, the second to radio and results. Being a scientist sounds so TV. Learning groups are very small, exciting, when you look at the results, and you are expected to work in your but getting there takes a lot of spare time – in the media, if possible. detailed painstaking work and you I got my first job only a month into really have to specialise. I wanted studying, in the newsroom of a sports results at the end of a day or week, programme at the ZDFw3 (Zweites not after years, so I decided I was not Deutsches Fernsehen, a publicly fund- cut out to be a scientist. It was hard, ed national German TV station, locat- after five years of studying, to admit ed in Mainz). We also had to do to myself I did not really want to internships – and I tried to choose the work as a biologist. I had to learn to ‘best ofs’, starting out at the dpaw4 separate my fascination for science (Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the biggest from actually being a scientist, and German press agency) to get an idea found that there are other ways to of how the original sources work, and work with science. It was not all bad, then went on to do audiovisual work. because I started asking myself what I never worked for print media other talents I had which I was not because I knew that was not my cup using. These were a knack for com- of tea, but I found both radio and TV munication, a quick grasp of things, Commons Wikimedia image source: Image courtesy of Christian Koehn; attractive. Eventually, since my first job The broadcasting center in Mainz and a love for telling stories.” was in TV, this is where I ended up.”

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 83 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 84

Image courtesy of Nano Image courtesy of Nano engage the public, and tell a good story. “The best part for me is that you get to meet all kinds of interesting people, and see and do things you would normally not have access to. Being a TV journalist opens doors. I have wit- nessed brain operations in the operating theatre, sat in the cockpit of an Airbus A380w5 (the biggest commercial aircraft ever) – these experiences Inspecting GM sweetcorn, an excerpt The cockpit of the A380 as seen on are very rewarding.” from a Nano broadcast Nano What does a working day look like for What does it take to be a science jour- you? to do about every three or four weeks, nalist and what do you like about it? “This week I am on news duty – can look very boring from the out- “Basically you act as a translator: so there is a rota. You go through the side. First you have the research many interesting but complex things agency news in the morning, then phase, where you sit at your desk, happen in science, and someone you find corresponding footage in the search for information on the web, needs to break them down for the archives or maybe send out a team to phone people and put things together. public to understand. Of course, first I shoot something up-to-date, edit the You find a topic, try to get a picture of have to understand them myself, video sequences and prepare the text the details involved, write a script, since I, too, know next to nothing for the voice-over, which is done by a prepare and organise everything. You about some areas of science. Being professional speaker. You produce a have to find the right people, the loca- curious is important, but you also 1:30 minute clip to be ready by 2 pm, tions, and so on. need a sixth sense for knowing which and if anything exciting happens dur- “One of my current topics is geneti- science stories are worth telling. ing the day, there can be last-minute cally modified (GM) sweetcorn, since Besides making science intelligible, changes. It can get a bit hectic. it is now allowed to be sown in you also have to highlight the connec- “Normal everyday work – unlike Germany. I am trying to find an ideal tions, make it interesting and exciting, news duty, which the reporters have setup of two people – a farmer who

The cockpit of the Image courtesy of Naddsy; image source: Wikimedia Commons Airbus A380

84 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 85

Scientist profile

wants to use GM sweetcorn and who “When everything is set up, you go is the neighbour of an organic farmer. out to do the shooting, which is the I want to see how they deal with it, nice bit. You meet the camera team with their different fears: the organic and the people being filmed, and try farmer who does not want his crops to convert your idea of the story into contaminated, and the GM farmer a nice film. As a reporter on location, who is afraid that his crops will all be you have to be a multitasking enter- ruined by some pest – and therefore tainer: if you go to a hospital, say, for wants to use GM sweetcorn. We will a story on a new cure, the doctor will use this framework to explain what keep telling you complicated things, GM sweetcorn actually is, whether you have to make sure that the Image courtesy of Marlene Rau you need to be afraid of it, and also patient is physically and emotionally that the ecological consequences are comfortable, the press officer will Reporter Nadia Salem and cutter not clear. probably be there, then somebody Matthias Stein in the cutting room

Nano and the Nano-Camp

Nanow1 is a daily science programme on 3satw7, a dents interested in science, university science students, German-speaking TV station in Mainz that was found- and young scientists, in the federal state of Hessen, ed in 1984 to broadcast cultural programmes. It is a Germany. publicly funded station, run by seven TV stations Since 2002, Nano has also organised the Nano- w3 w8 w9 (German ZDF , Austrian ORF , Swiss SRG and the Campw15 every summer together with the Helmholtz w10 regional TV stations of German ARD ). Nano has Centre for Environmental Researchw16 (UFZ). This is a been on-air since 1 December 1999 and was the first one-week science camp for 12 German, Austrian and daily science programme on German publicly funded Swiss students aged between 16 and 18 years, co- TV. A team of 20 people, many of them scientists, funded by Germany’s centre of expertise for science works in the newsroom at the ZDF campus in Mainz, communication, Wissenschaft im Dialogw17, and the where the programme is produced. Science journalists science journal Bild der Wissenschaftw18. The students from all seven TV stations meet for a daily video con- can apply individually and are chosen for their motiva- ference to agree on topics, for which they all supply tion. They have the opportunity to conduct their own footage. Three moderators, two of whom are physicists, research and are presented on TV in Nano. In 2008, take turns in presenting the 30-minute programme. A the year of mathematics, they used applied mathemat- lot of the footage can be watched online, in the 3sat ics: in the UFZ location in Leipzig they modelled cli- w11 ‘Mediathek’ . mate predictions. Additionally, they drilled ten metres The ZDF campus can be visited free of charge, includ- deep into the soil of Bitterfeld, an East German town ing a guided tour behind the scenesw12. Special tours infamous for its chemical industry and the environ- can be organised for school classes. ZDF also offers mental consequences thereof, to find out which micro- short internships for girls between 10 and 15 as a part organisms are decomposing the organic toxins. Since of Girls’ Dayw13, a national German initiative aimed at most terrestrial microbes are still unknown, this was starting more girls out on a career in science and tech- cutting-edge research. Mathematics helped in the form nology. ZDF is also a partner of the Mentorinnen- of formulae and computer power, using the 3D-Cave – netzwerk für Frauen in Naturwissenschaft und a virtual reality box – to visualise the invisible under- w14

BACKGROUND Technik , a mentoring network for female school stu- ground.

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 85 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 86

tantly, they are your first audience – if they don’t understand the story, you have probably done something wrong. When everything falls into place, and what you thought up in the planning phase actually works well, it is just great. As a last step, there is the voice-over, and at the end, you have a finished feature to be broadcast.”

What are your suggestions to anyone interested in becoming a science Nano journalist? “I think science journalism is boom- ing. Every German TV station has its

Image courtesy of own science programme, but of course they are of different qualities The Nano team in front of the broadcasting center in Mainz and aimed at different audiences. I think people really want to know and from another department will turn up ease with no cure. To see that this can understand, and the world is getting who also has a great idea for TV – happen to someone your age, from more and more complicated. So there you really need to have huge ears and one day to the next, really hits you is definitely a market, and I think it is eyes to communicate with everyone. and puts things into perspective. To a job for the future. Not only on TV, And of course you have to keep an see how such people cope inspires a but also in other media and else- eye on the work of the camera team. lot of respect in me. Nevertheless, where: a press officer at a car compa- You have to fulfil everyone’s need for they are still just part of your work, ny, for example, needs to be able to information, without forgetting to rather than your life. explain how a hydrogen engine check everything is done correctly “Separating this is not always easy, works nowadays. and on schedule. You also have to be though. But you have to be tough, “I would advise anyone who wants a bit of a psychologist, to put people even though it is hard – when the fea- to become a science journalist to first at ease who may be shy in front of the ture is done, it is done, and it was just study a science – whichever science camera, or to tell a worried doctor another story. At least we are a suits you best. It gives you an insight you will cut out embarrassing things respectable programme and we defi- into the way scientists work, which he may have said or done. Although nitely try not to betray people’s trust. you could never have otherwise. And it looks as if the cameraman is doing I try to console myself with the fact while I of course do not remember the all the work, it can actually be quite that if nobody were to report on this details of everything I learned, it is exhausting for the reporter, too. And at all, no one would know, and that very valuable to have understood the then there are of course the days would not be good either, would it? basic principles. Nevertheless, I also when nothing works – the train is “After we have done all the shoot- know good science journalists who late, the doctor is ill, the cameraman ing, we need to look through all the have never studied science – they is in a bad mood – so you need to footage. Most people find this were just always interested in the have some talent for improvisation, extremely boring and try to postpone topic. Sometimes this may even be an too. it, but of course it has to be done. advantage, because it is easier to step “We usually make people the focus Editing the material, however, is back and simplify a topic you are not of our science stories. It is wonderful much more exciting, although it is too close to. But I personally find it to meet all sorts of people and get a very labour-intensive: for one minute very helpful to have studied biology.” snapshot of their lives. Sometimes of final video material, you can expect you see tragic stories, too – there was to spend at least one hour sitting at What are your own plans for the this guy in his mid-thirties, just two the cutting machine. You give the future? years older than me, who used to be a directions, and the cutter does the “I think I will continue to work as a workaholic. Now he is paralysed, but technical bit. Of course they also con- TV science journalist for a while – I fully conscious, suffering from a distribute their own ideas and, impor- really like my job. Additionally, I

86 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:07 Uhr Seite 87

Teacher profile

oversee Mainz Campus-TVw6, a uni- Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität w12 – To organise a visit to the ZDF versity TV station run by students of Mainz, see: www.journalistik. campus in Mainz, see: all subjects, and I teach TV journalism uni-mainz.de www.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/20/ to the master’s students. I really enjoy w3 – You can find the ZDF website 0,1872,2001332,00.html that. Last year I also gave media here: www.zdf.de w13 – To find out more about Girls’ training to scientists at the university. w4 – The website of dpa, the German Day, see: www.girls-day.de I didn’t expect it to be so much fun! I press agency, in German, English, and to organise an internship on first thought I would be able to tell Spanish and Arabian, can be found Girls’ Day at the ZDF, send an them nothing interesting, but it here: www.dpa.com email to [email protected] turned out I did know many things w5 – For more information on the w14 – For more information about that were useful to them. All they Airbus A380, see: the female mentoring network wanted to know was how to react www.airbus.com/en/aircraftfamilies Mentorinnennetzwerk für Frauen in when a reporter turns up and asks /a380/ Naturwissenschaft und Technik, for questions: what to tell them, how far or the corresponding Wikipedia girls and women in Hessen, see: to simplify, and things like that. entry: www.mentorinnennetzwerk.de Obviously, this is something I deal en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A380/ with every day, standing on the other w15 – For more information on the side of things, thinking ‘Gosh, can’t w6 – To find out more about Campus- Nano-Camp, including a wealth of you speak straight and stop using for- TV, the TV station run by students videos, see: eign words for once?’ So this is anoth- of Mainz University, see: www.3sat.de/nanocamp/ www.campus-tv.uni-mainz.de er thing I would like to follow up on. w16 – The website of the Helmholtz And then, who knows? When I was w7 – The website of the German 3sat Centre for Environmental Research 20, I would never have thought I TV station, which produces Nano, can be found here: would end up as a TV reporter, and can be found here: www.3sat.de www.ufz.de/index.php?en=11382 yet 18 years later, here I am.” w8 – For more information on the w17 – To find out more about Austrian TV station ORF, see: Germany’s centre of expertise for Web references www.orf.at science communication, w1 – For more information on the w9 – The website of Swiss TV station Wissenschaft im Dialog, see: Nano TV science programme, see: SRG can be found here: www.srg.ch www.wissenschaft-im-dia- www.nano.de w10 – This is the website of German log.de/en/about-us.html To watch a ‘making of’ movie, click TV station ARD: www.ard.de w18 – The website of the science on ‘Making of “nano”’ in the w11 – To access the Nano Mediathek journal Bild der Wissenschaft can Image courtesy of Kilom691; image source: Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Image courtesy of Kilom691; image source: ‘redaktion’ section and watch footage online, go to the be found here: www.bdw.de w2 – For more information on the Nano websitew1, then click on master’s of journalism degree at the ‘Mediathek’ in the top bar

Students always assume that science means bench work, which it does initially, but there is so much more that you can do once you have a science degree. This article describes one pathway for forging a career in science journalism. Many students are fascinated by science but, like Nadia, find the reality at the bench tedious. Journalism is a varied job requiring good background knowledge in science and the ability to work to tight deadlines. This could be an ideal career for those well-disciplined students who both like and are good at writing or presenting science and have good interpersonal skills. Shelley Goodman, UK REVIEW

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 87 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 88

Teaching in Sweden: tackling creationism, making waves

l hal Conspiracies are at the heart of many a good orn r K Pe f o sy film and book. Swedish biology teacher e rt u o c e g Per Kornhall is the author of a critical a

m I book on intelligent design and how it is taught in biology lessons in religious schools in Sweden. He talks to Sai

Pathmanathan and Marlene Rau about Image courtesy of Per Kornhall his fascination with modern science and his views on teaching the diversity of life.

Per’s neighbourhood in Uppsala, taken from the Bronze Age Kung Björns hög (King Björns mound)

88 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 89

Teacher profile

Image courtesy of Per Kornhall Image courtesy of Per Kornhall

er Kornhall is no stranger to sci- machines worked, anything from Yet even for Per, too much of this Pence. Having received both a PhD small mechanical items to gearboxes,” freedom can be a curse, especially in botany and a Swedish teachers’ recalls Per. “And I also had some very when it comes to teaching the origin diploma, and having worked as a sci- good teachers, especially at secondary of the diversity of life. For 17 years, ence teacher on and off for the past school.” he was a member of the Christian ten years (full-time for the last four), Per is head of biology at the fundamentalist free church Livets Ord he knows exactly what he does and Westerlundska gymnasietw1, a second- (The Word of Life) in Uppsala, and does not want students to be taught ary school in Enköping, Sweden. As a also taught biology at their school for in science lessons – and how to get biology teacher, Per has a lot of free- four years. Some ten years ago, how- his 16- to 19-year-old students excited dom to structure his teaching as it ever, he started to have doubts about about scientific research. But how did suits him and his students, which is this church, which some people someone like Per decide to enter the why he loves teaching in Sweden. believe to be a sect. After a lot of world of science teaching? This freedom allows him to collabo- thought, Per resigned from both the “I have always been amazed by sci- rate with other teachers on interdisci- school and the church, went on to ence and how the scientific method plinary projects and to dig deeper work at a communal school, and gives us answers to questions we into the subjects that his class are voiced his criticism – of both creation- could never have tackled otherwise. It interested in. ism and the Swedish school system challenges the way we look at things. But shouldn’t the government have that allows creationism to be taught I think what made me want to a say in what students should learn? in biology lessons – in a book, become a teacher is a combination of “The government is, of course, inter- Skapelsekonspirationen (Creation my upbringing, and a very inspiring ested in having some control, but I conspiracy)w2, that was published in grandfather. My grandparents had don’t think this is a big problem,” April 2008. their house designed for the purpose says Per. “Teachers like myself know Per’s main criticism is of intelligent of teaching us kids, with a living that freedom in teaching comes with a design (ID), a creationist theory that room full of tools and a very long great responsibility. We need to teach seems to be gaining ground in workbench. My grandfather told us what is needed for higher education, Christian schools in Sweden (for an everything he knew about science, and the more freedom we have to article about the threat of creationism, from the Universe to Latin names of teach content in our own way, the read Jones, 2008). In Per’s opinion, the flowers, and explained how different more inspired we become.” danger lies in the fact that this is not

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 89 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 90

Image courtesy of Per Kornhall Image courtesy of Per Kornhall

The class of Waves project students

harmless or naïve belief, but a well- to get directly to media, politicians sionary youth organisations to intro- organised campaign to establish a and schools. “As a teacher, I keep duce debates about evolution. If a society based on fundamentalist encountering Christian and also debate arises, Per stresses that while beliefs. Since the proponents of ID Muslim students who have serious creationism can be debated, evolution have not been successful in dissemi- doubts about evolutionary theory.” In is not open to debate. “Evolution is nating their views through the stan- his opinion, religious schools should accepted by the scientific community dard scientific means of peer- be forbidden if they teach anything because of overwhelming evidence. A reviewed publications, they now try but scientifically based facts about the classroom debate about evolution ver- origins of the diversity of life in biolo- sus creationism would raise creation- gy lessons. ism to the same rank as evolution. But what if a student raises the There is no scientific debate between issue of creationism in a science les- these two different ways of viewing son – would Per address the ques- life and acquiring information.” tion? Yes, he says, but cautiously – What about the teacher’s religious and only once the subject of evolution beliefs? Does Per feel there is a place has been thoroughly taught; the focus for more moderate religious teachers of biology lessons is, after all, to teach in the science classroom? biology. “The teacher would need to “Absolutely”, he replies. Religious be aware that the student might be beliefs need not be a hindrance either prepared with arguments that he or in the science classroom or in evolu- she has picked up either in a funda- tionary research. “The problem mentalist church or via the Internet. between faith and science arises with To be able to answer the student, the fundamentalist beliefs – where state- teacher would need to know some of ments of faith are used as science or the more common arguments and in a scientific context. I recently gave how they have been refuted (often a a seminar together with a priest from long time ago).” the Swedish Lutheran Church, and

Image courtesy of Per Kornhall Image courtesy of Per Per also cautions that some stu- we had exactly the same view on the Per’s book dents may have been trained by mis- subject – that religious texts and

90 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 91

Teacher profile

than biology. Science teachers typically teach their science speciality (e.g. biology) to the science students, and all Swedish ‘free schools’ sciences to the non-science students. “The first proposal was to lengthen the biology courses for the science Until 1991, Sweden had only about 90 ‘free schools’, besides the tra- students, meaning more time could be ditional communal primary and secondary schools. In 1992, the edu- devoted to human physiology and cation system was liberalised, and since then, foundations, societies genetics – and we need to spend more and private people can also found schools. If they do not ask for time on that. That was a good thing,” tuition fees, are open to everyone and largely comply with national Per explains. “The bad thing was that curricula, they are generally acknowledged by the state and receive for nearly all non-science students, on the other hand, the second science money from the communal government for each of their students. course would be cancelled. That Many of the now almost 900 ‘free schools’ distinguish themselves by would mean that future politicians, alternative educational concepts, specialising in certain subjects or journalists and other otherwise well- offering free laptops to all students. Critics are worried, though, that educated people would have no train- among these are more than 60 religious free schools, funded by ing in physics, chemistry or human physiology in upper secondary Christian or Muslim societies.

BACKGROUND school. And that, I think, is a danger- ous route to take in our modern society.” Per continues: “It is important that science forms part of society’s com- beliefs cannot be used in biology, a career in science or in humanities. mon knowledge and that our future physics or chemistry. We also both Those who choose humanities must politicians and bureaucrats have a saw creationism as a problem for the also take two basic science courses. basic understanding of the complexity church and for society.” The first tackles energy, environmen- and depth of science. How will sci- The science curriculum seems to be tal issues and the scientific method. ence be funded if nobody knows a tricky issue, not only when it comes The second, longer course consists what scientists do? Secondly, to teaching evolution. Per tells us mainly of human physiology and although not everybody will get about two proposed reforms that biology, but also covers aspects of involved in scientific research, it can have been stopped by the current chemistry and physics. Those who be understood and appreciated by a government: “One was good, and the choose a career in science must take much wider public. Therefore it is other was very bad.” In Sweden, stu- courses in physics, chemistry and important that we communicate sci- dents who want to go on to university biology, with physics traditionally ence to everybody, and the best place must decide at the age of 16 between taking up a larger part of the courses to do that is in our schools.”

A group of Per’s students at Lake Erken Image courtesy of Per Kornhall Image courtesy of Per

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 91 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 92

One way to interest students in sci- ing. I think we are sometimes stuck The lessons were a mixture of theo- ence is to introduce them to the ethi- teaching 19th-century content when retical and practical demonstrations cal considerations involved. To that we ought to upgrade to teaching cur- using PowerPointw7 presentations, end, Per works together with the rent 21st-century science to our stu- incorporating images, videos and web Nordic Committee on Bioethicsw3, dents.” links to illustrate the complex science. helping to find education resources Per is forever getting involved in It wasn’t long before Per reaped the on bioethics that are suitable to be science projects that allow him to rewards. Prior to the project, the translated into all the Nordic lan- enthuse his students, but it is the proj- attendance for his class had been guages. As though that wasn’t ect that won the European Physical rather low. But it rose as students enough, he also collaborates with the Society’s prize at the Science on Stage became more interested in science. Swedish Centre for School Biology 2w5 teaching festival in Grenoble, “Their respect for scientists and sci- and Biotechnologyw4.The obvious France, that makes him really proud. ence grew,” says Per. “They found problem with the Swedish system, He is intrigued by the fact that he, as that science is not a boring subject, though, is that the students who have a biology teacher, won a European studied by boring people; it is a com- opted not to study science are there- prize for teaching physics. But maybe, plicated and mind-blowing experi- fore less motivated in science lessons. being a biologist was actually an ence to carry out scientific research Per doesn’t think this is really an advantage: “It is sometimes also good and it is done by people who know issue with biology, since students are to approach a subject from a different interesting stuff. And science influ- naturally interested in how their bod- angle to see things more clearly,” says ences students’ daily lives.” Students ies work. But when it comes to Per. His idea was a simple one, and were asked to sit for a test to get a physics and chemistry, it’s a different had probably been done before, but it good grade on the Waves project story: they find it boring and a repeti- was significant for Per, his students (attendance and participation in the tion of what they learned earlier in and those involved in science educa- practical parts were enough to pass school. Although most of Per’s stu- tion in Sweden. It was a very success- this part of the course) and all but dents enjoy science, he feels that those ful attempt to overcome the disinter- four of 28 students turned up. Per who seem disinterested are just strug- est of the non-science students in included an evaluation to find out gling with the burden of too many physics, by teaching them 21st-centu- what the students thought. Two com- other subjects: “They simply do not ry science in a way they could relate ments are given below: have any energy left – no mental to it. “This project has made me under- space to get fascinated.” The project, called ‘Waves’w6, stand things that I did not think it Per feels there is no point in teach- involved teaching extremely compli- was possible for me to understand.” ing topics that students don’t care cated physics. “I told the students “I never really liked these subjects, about. “The students will learn it, about molecular orbitals, relativity, but I am getting more and more inter- they will write down (mainly) correct stereochemistry, the Big Bang and ested. Partly because there are so answers in their test, and then they quantum theory, to mention just a many answers to some questions, will forget about it,” explains Per. few,” says Per. So why did he not partly because there are no answers to “But if you can get a student interest- want to tackle the basics? “Because even more questions.” ed in your subject, you can change his this is the stuff that is interesting,” There are many benefits to such or her whole life and future career.” explains Per. “Students have read projects, but one of the best parts is Does this mean teaching students about these subjects in newspapers how much fun the teacher has. “It is only what is relevant to them? “I and my goal wasn’t to make them more fun to teach these topics,” says don’t mean that we necessarily have understand everything, but to give Per. “It is very rewarding to see the to relate to everyday things,” says Per. them a glimpse of the fascinating faces of young men and women, when “The relevance for the student can be world of modern science. When they for example they suddenly understand purely philosophical, but we need to understand that equations such as that time-dilation calculations are real catch their interest, in order for them E=mc2 are not so complicated to and can be used for practical purposes. to really learn something. This usual- understand, they gain self-confi- Seeing their faces as science fiction ly gets them motivated and wanting dence.” Some students went home turns into science reality is pure enjoy- to know more. It is important for our to their parents and friends, and ment for any teacher.” students to realise that science is not told them that they knew exactly Finally, if Per had to offer all science static, a mere collection of facts, but a what Einstein meant when he teachers one piece of advice, what practical, hands-on, experimental came up with his famous would it be? “Be happy – teach things endeavour that is constantly progress- equation. that fascinate you.”

92 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 93

Teacher profile

References w3 – For more information about the see Per’s website: Jones S (2008) Interview with Steve Nordic Committee on Bioethics, see: www.perkornhall.se/science/ Jones: the threat of creationism. www.ncbio.org Science in School 9: 9-17. w4 – Organised by the Swedish Resources www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ Ministry of Education, the Swedish For an interview with Lewis Wolpert issue9/stevejones Centre for School Biology and about belief, science education and Kornhall P (2008) Biotechnology aims to support and much more, see: Skapelsekonspirationen. Stockholm, inspire teachers at all school levels. Leigh V (2007) Interview with Lewis Sweden: Leopard Förlag For more information (in Swedish), Wolpert. Science in School 7: 9-11. see: www.bioresurs.uu.se www.scienceinschool.org/2007/ Web references w5 – For more information about issue7/lewiswolpert w1 – The Westerlundska gymnasiet’s both the international and national Unsure about E=m2? Why not learn website: www.westerlundska.nu/ Science on Stage activities, includ- how it is applied in the worlds w2 – Find out more about Per’s book, ing teaching materials, see: largest particle accelerator, the LHC: www.science-on-stage.net Skapelsekonspirationen, on his web- Landua R, Rau M (2008) The LHC: site (English and Swedish): w6 – For information on Per’s prize- a step closer to the Big Bang. Science http://perkornhall.se/ winning ‘Waves’ project, see: in School 10: 26-33. or visit the website of publisher http://perkornhall.se/science/ www.scienceinschool.org/2008/ Leopard Förlag: index-waves.htm issue10/lhcwhy www.leopardforlag.se/Article/ w7 – For useful links, and examples View/?articleId=124 of the PowerPoint presentations,

Per’s students by the River Hågaån Image courtesy of Per Kornhall Image courtesy of Per

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 93 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 94

Ecology: media presentation CD-ROM

By Biozone Reviewed by Sue Howarth, Institute of Education, University of Worcester, UK

Image courtesy of Biozone Next year, I hope to take a small Light: light intensity group of students, aged 15-18, to Wind: wind speed Iquitos in Peru, where we will board Hum: humidity a boat to take us up the Amazon to study the rainforest. So I was particularly interested to see that Iquitos is featured in the Introduction to Ecosystems series of slides on Ecology, a media presentation CD-ROM. The Amazonian rainforest is just one of many ecosystems featured on this comprehensive resource. There is a bias towards Australia and New Zealand – not surprising, given that the publisher, Biozone, is a New Zealand company. However, all the sets of slides are easily edited, so any extraneous material can be removed and the excellent pictures and information tailored to fit specific courses. The set of slides with the largest amount of material is the one addressing human impact (see full contents list on page 95). This mended for use as overhead trans- England’s A-level requirements (ages includes eutrophication, biological parencies (although, for this purpose, 16-18). oxygen demand, global warming, I would reduce the level of detail on There are restrictions with this CD- integrated pest management and many slides); with a digital projector; ROM. You may not print handouts for bioaccumulation. on school computer networks (the site students, even if you modify the Each set of slides consists of a licence is included); and with an slides to fit your own lesson. This is a colourful and informative interactive whiteboard (although I’m real drawback, as without notes, stu- PowerPoint® presentation. Sometimes not convinced of the interactivity of dents will want to copy the informa- the slides have too much text, so a most of the slides). tion on the slides and thus slow down judicious pruning in advance could Ecology is a key part of all biology the pace of a lesson. make them more accessible to a class. studies and these slide shows could Overall, Ecology is a useful source of The slide sets have been “produced be modified to fit many age groups. visual information that could help to complement the student resource As they are, they are probably a little teachers to provide a sound course, and activity manuals” and are recom- more detailed than necessary for and help students to appreciate some

94 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 95

Reviews

of the concepts of ecology, as long as Full contents the theory was supplemented with Introduction to ecosystems practical work. I recommend this CD- · (64 slides) ROM for anyone with a generous The ecological niche (69 slides) budget who teaches a biology course · with an ecological component. Populations and interactions · (74 slides) Resources · Practical ecology (62 slides) For information about all the Biozone · Communities (66 slides) resources, including workbooks, Biodiversity and conservation podcasts, RSS newsfeeds, links to · (78 slides) other selected sites, presentation Human impact (134 slides) files and free samples, see: · www.thebiozone.com Details For information about the Ecology CD- Publishers: Biozone ROM and other presentation media, Publication date: 2005 (Version 1.0) as well as details of buying CD- The CD-ROM requires a Windows or ROMs in bundles (which can work Mac computer with a CD-ROM out cheaper if you buy more than drive. Slide shows can be run using one), see PowerPoint®, Keynote® or www.thebiozone.com/media.php. QuickTime® or Adobe Acrobat® Note that prices are given in US$. PDF. Technical support is available For more information about the at [email protected] Ecology CD-ROM, including details of the separate PowerPoint files, the Ordering cost of the disc for European, Distributed by Biozone Australian and New Zealand cus- International Ltd. tomers, as well as contact details, PO Box 13-034, Hamilton, New see: www.thebiozone.com/media/ Zealand ec.php For European sales, email: [email protected] Price: €189.95 (individual PowerPoint presentations can be purchased separately: e.g. Populations and Interactions costs about €28)

www.scienceinschool.org Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 95 sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 96

Water – Humanity’s Project: media collection for the classroom

By Siemens AG Reviewed by Michalis Hadjimarcou, Cyprus

Water – Humanity’s Project is a CD- information available for each item in ty to accept the plant in their area, ROM containing a collection of about the collection. This includes the name and the usefulness of producing 300 pieces of media that examine and type of media, a brief description, irrigation water in that location. water as an element of daily life as the relevant subjects (e.g. sciences, It would be possible to give the well as an important local and global physics or technology), main head- students access to the CD-ROM and issue. The collection is suitable for ings, relevant school level and sub- have them work on projects that students and teachers of all levels. jects, and possible areas of use (e.g. could be as varied in content and type The CD-ROM gives rapid access to information sheets, lesson prepara- as the media themselves. contemporary, interactive lesson tion). Furthermore, since the media topics material. The media can be used for Some of the media are very simple range from science and technology to lesson preparation or direct applica- and thus easy to incorporate into sociology and political science, the tion in the classroom. The selection is teaching. For example, the diagram opportunity exists for interdiscipli- huge, in both the types of media and showing the tetrahedral structure of nary teaching. their content. It includes text files (fact the water molecule and the formation It is unlikely that any teacher would sheets, worksheets, and lesson sug- of the dipole can easily be used either be able to use the entire media collec- gestions), photos, graphics, videos, in information sheets for students or tion. Furthermore, some of the items animated materials and presentations. for presentation by the teacher when (such as the water cycle) are likely to Subject categories include various explaining the physiochemical proper- appear in standard textbooks. But the aspects of water use – such as for ties of water in a science/technology majority of the items are either the drinking, in agriculture and industry, lesson. types of materials that most teachers and in power generation – as well as Other items are more elaborate and would like to use but don’t have the topics such as water shortage and will require a specifically structured time to prepare or look for, or materi- waste, and water’s future. There is lesson in order to be used. One exam- al that teachers never realised could something useful for every science/ ple is the functional diagram of a be useful in their teaching. technology classroom (biology, chem- sewage plant, in which all the possi- istry, physics, geography, technology, ble stations in the plant are shown. Details information and communication tech- This detailed diagram can be valuable Publisher: Siemens AG nology and mechanics) as well as for when studying water as a waste Publication year: 2007 humanities and social sciences. product as it allows examination of ISBN: 9780520202771 The CD-ROM is relatively easy to the mechanical, biological and phys- use, thanks to its simple on-screen iochemical treatment of water. Of Ordering instructions. Navigation through the course, the study of this subject is rel- The CD-Rom can be ordered free of large collection of media is made easy atively complicated, as it must take charge by teachers. See: by sort and search functions which into consideration several other fac- www.generation21.siemens.de/ allow quick access to specific items tors including the influence that the generation21/international/pages/ selected by either type or name. plant has on the local environment, school_projects/media-collection.jsp Another valuable tool is the specific the willingness of the local communi-

96 Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008 www.scienceinschool.org sis_10_70-96_RZ:Layout 1 14.11.2008 15:08 Uhr Seite 97

Publisher EIROforum www.eiroforum.org

Editor-in-Chief Dr Eleanor Hayes, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany

Editor Dr Marlene Rau, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany

Editorial Board Dr Giovanna Cicognani, Institut Laue-Langevin, France Dr Dominique Cornuéjols, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, France Elke Delvoye, European Space Agency, the Netherlands Dr Richard Harwood, Aiglon College, Switzerland Russ Hodge, Max Delbrück Zentrum, Germany Dr Rolf Landua, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Switzerland Dr Dean Madden, National Centre for Biotechnology Education, University of Reading, UK Dr Douglas Pierce-Price, European Southern Observatory (ESO), Germany Dr Silke Schumacher, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany Dr Fernand Wagner, European Association for Astronomy Education, Luxembourg Barbara Warmbein, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Germany Chris Warrick, European Fusion Development Agreement, UK

Copy Editor Dr Caroline Hadley

Composition Nicola Graf, Germany Email: [email protected]

Printers ColorDruckLeimen, Germany www.colordruck.com

Layout Designer Vienna Leigh, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany

Web Architect Francesco Sottile, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany

ISSN Print version: 1818-0353 Online version: 1818-0361

Cover Image Model of the LHC’s superconducting dipole magnets Image courtesy of CERN titel_SiS_Issue10_RZ:scienceinschool 14.11.2008 14:23 Uhr Seite 1

Winter 2008 Issue 10

In this issue: The LHC: a step closer to the Big Bang Also: Sentinels: meerkat superheroes

Published by EIROforum: Supported by the European Union: Part of the NUCLEUS project:

ISSN: 1818-0353 Subscribe free online: www.scienceinschool.org Highlighting the best in science teaching and research