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Issue 01 | November 2015 RediscoveringRediscovering schoolschool sciencescience Page 8 Why do things move? Interdisciplinary paths to exploring motion A publication from Azim Premji University Editors Ramgopal (RamG) Vallath Chitra Ravi Editorial Committee Anand Narayanan Chandrika Muralidhar Geetha Iyer Hridaykant Dewan Julfikar Ali Rajaram Nityananda Editor’s Desk Saurav Shome Yasmin Jayathirtha Wonder is what I felt as a child when I looked up at the village night Advisors sky and beheld the awe-inspiring sight of hundreds of winking stars. Falguni Sarangi Wonder is what I felt when the chemistry teacher presented the Manoj P grouping of elements in the periodic table. I feel wonderstruck even S Giridhar today, each time I learn a little more of the intricacies of the functioning Project Coordinator of each organ, tissue and cell of the human body. Wonder at the natural Sneha Kumari world has paved the way for many scientific discoveries that changed the world. Wonder is an essential ingredient of scientific temperament. Masthead and Cover Design A teacher who evokes wonder in a classroom succeeds in capturing the Juny K Wilfred imagination of students. This is the reason we chose to name this science magazine ‘I wonder…’ Magazine Design Melting Pot ‘I wonder…’ is dedicated to middle school science teachers across the Image Credits country who are igniting the scientific spark in their classrooms. It 1. Cover image recreated from brings together perspectives and experiments from many science https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_fish#/media/ File:Pink-wing_flying_fish.jpg teachers, teacher educators and researchers. We hope that it will be 2. Back cover image: Rocky Mountain used as a resource by teachers, offering them a wider and deeper Laboratories, NIAID, NIH Source: perspective of the topics they teach: perspectives that help them [http://www2.niaid.nih.gov/biodefense/public/ima ges.htm NIAID]. Downloaded from Wikimedia explain fundamental concepts, their evolution and their Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ interconnections. This magazine is also for teachers to share File:SalmonellaNIAID.jpg on September 29, activities, resources and insights from their own classrooms with a 2015. Uploaded by user Taragui. License: Image in Public Domain. larger audience. Additional images sourced from freeimages.com In our inaugural issue, we explore an important aspect of science that and all-free-download.com is seldom evident in school textbooks - its inter-disciplinarity. To Printers understand any concept in its entirety, we must examine it from the SCPL Bangalore - 560 062 perspective of many streams- physics, chemistry, biology and others +91 80 2686 0585, +91 98450 42233 and often through combining these disciplines. Hence, the theme for www.scpl.net this issue is interdisciplinary science. Acknowledgments: Special thanks are due to Madhumita, Shailesh Shirali, Sneha Titus, In addition, we have sections that light up many other aspects of Gautam Pandey, Jayshree Misra, G.K. science that help spark interest and wonder in a classroom. These Ananthasuresh and Deepak Saini for their insights and assistance in the first issue of our include sections that throw light into the rich history of science; magazine. We are also thankful to all the Azim explore the space inside, around and far away from us; or share the Premji Foundation members who have latest exciting events in science. For those of you looking for resources, contributed to the process of finalising the name for our magazine. we have posters, experiments and introduction to some free online resources. We also have a section that looks at Nature of Science. License All articles in this magazine are licensed under a Creative Commons-Attribution-Non Commercial We hope you have as much fun reading this issue as we had putting it 4.0 International License together. We look forward to getting a lot of feedback from our readers so that we can fine-tune the content to suit your needs. You can mail your feedback to us at [email protected]. Please note: All views and opinions expressed in this issue are that of the authors and Azim Premji Foundation bears no responsibility for Ramgopal (RamG) Vallath the same. Editor CONTENTS BIOGRAPHY OF A SCIENTIST 53 J B S HALDANE THE SCIENCE LAB 57 OBSERVING LIGHT I AM A SCIENTIST 63 INTERVIEW WITH DR. SATISH KHURANA INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE 4 WATER - A SURPRISING MOLECULE ANNALS OF HISTORY 68 THE SCIENCE OF MEDICAL SLEEP 8 WHY DO THINGS MOVE 78 THE SAGA OF ATOMIC WEIGHT 17 THE BIOLOGY OF ELECTRICITY 24 CHEMICAL FERTILISERS MYTH OR FACT? 30 THE WORLD OF COLOUR 85 CHALLENGING PRIOR MENTAL MODELS 10 THINGS YOU DON`T SERENDIPITY KNOW ABOUT 89 THE OVERCAST SKY POSTER 10 THINGS ABOUT BLOOD LIFE IN YOUR BACKYARD NATURE OF SCIENCE 93 THE LITTLE KNOWN WORLD OF FLIES 33 NATURE OF SCIENCE HOT OFF THE PRESS! IN HERE/OUT THERE 102 THE SUCCESS OF COSTA RICA 39 A MEETING WITH THE MACROPHAGE SCIENCE ONLINE 44 INDIA`S MARS ORBITER MISSION 105 UNDERSTANDING TIME THROUGH STELLARIUM CONTENTS BIOGRAPHY OF A SCIENTIST 53 J B S HALDANE THE SCIENCE LAB 57 OBSERVING LIGHT I AM A SCIENTIST 63 INTERVIEW WITH DR. SATISH KHURANA INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE 4 WATER - A SURPRISING MOLECULE ANNALS OF HISTORY 68 THE SCIENCE OF MEDICAL SLEEP 8 WHY DO THINGS MOVE 78 THE SAGA OF ATOMIC WEIGHT 17 THE BIOLOGY OF ELECTRICITY 24 CHEMICAL FERTILISERS MYTH OR FACT? 30 THE WORLD OF COLOUR 85 CHALLENGING PRIOR MENTAL MODELS 10 THINGS YOU DON`T SERENDIPITY KNOW ABOUT 89 THE OVERCAST SKY POSTER 10 THINGS ABOUT BLOOD LIFE IN YOUR BACKYARD NATURE OF SCIENCE 93 THE LITTLE KNOWN WORLD OF FLIES 33 NATURE OF SCIENCE HOT OFF THE PRESS! IN HERE/OUT THERE 102 THE SUCCESS OF COSTA RICA 39 A MEETING WITH THE MACROPHAGE SCIENCE ONLINE 44 INDIA`S MARS ORBITER MISSION 105 UNDERSTANDING TIME THROUGH STELLARIUM INTERDISCIPLINAR Y SCIENCE reactions happen. Can any other compound support life in the same way, not just on Earth, but elsewhere? Xenobiologists (scientists who think RAIN about extra-terrestrial life) don’t seem to think so. TRANSPIRATION EVAPORATION All search for alien life seems to centre on whether water is present elsewhere in the Universe or not. On earth, water is available, and all life has evolved to use it. RIVERS When those of us who are terrestrial, moved from The Water Cycle Source: http://www.teacherplus.org/ the water to land, we had to evolve ways of getting lets-experiment/the-chemistry-of-water/attachment/ water, keeping the water in, and making sure that le-fig_water our offspring had water to grow. All groups of organisms solved the problem in different ways, The seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, little puddles in all very marvellous to study as a biologist. Yasmin Jayathirtha rocks, and trees, all provide an environment for Water falls on to the Earth as rain/snow, A SURPRISING MOLECULE creatures to live, all over the world, and in all dissolving carbon dioxide from the air, and climates. Many small ponds and puddles are running over land dissolving minerals (notably WATER teeming with life, very quickly after they form - it limestone - CaCO3 through a chemical reaction); Why is our search for extra-terrestrial life forms linked to a search for water? Why is easy to see where the mosquito larvae come finally, either going underground, or into the seas. does ice float in a glass of water? What makes water different from other liquids? from, but what about the fish and the plants - how In the sea, marine creatures use the calcium and In this article, the author uses many everyday observations of water to explore it do they get there? The eggs and the seeds lie carbonate ions, to make shells for themselves. there, dry and dehydrated till the rains come, as a topic that can be studied across classes and disciplines. allowing them to germinate and new organisms As water runs over land, it erodes it - both by to grow, providing them with a space to live in- chemical action, and by physical weathering - water inside and out. shaping landscapes into valleys and gorges. Water ater is the most common liquid we surprising, because it is such a small molecule, is used for large-scale transport through canals, know and we use it without thinking such a simple formula - H2O, probably the first Why is water essential for life? It provides a rivers and seas. People sail on seas, using not only W too much about it, except to grumble that any science student learns. medium, in which chemicals dissolve and react; seasonal winds, but also seasonal currents. Even when it spills, overflows, rain gets in… or to long and, also, acts as a reagent to make chemical What are all the roles that water plays? big liners, nowadays, use ocean currents to save for when we are thirsty, the tank runs dry or it fuel. These water currents (Gulf stream, El Nino doesn’t rain. 1. It provides an environment for living. and others) also have important effects on Water plays many roles in our lives, the lives of all 2. It acts as a structural material. climate. organisms, and the planet in general. It is studied 3. It is a very good solvent. What is the chemistry of this molecule that makes by chemists, physicists, biologists and engineers, it so important? The formula of this molecule is and research is still being done on it. This is 4. It is a transport medium, at large and H2O, which means that it has two hydrogen atoms small scales, for both material and Camels are supposed to carry water in bonded to one oxygen atom (see image below).