Short Takes.* THINK QUICK! Scientists now claim if you don't use your brain you just might lose it. After reviewing 35 years of data, German scientists propose that merely three weeks of mental inactivity leads to an average drop of 20 IQ (intelligence quotient intelligence quotient n. Abbr. IQ An index of measured intelligence expressed as the ratio of tested mental age to chronological age, multiplied by 100. ) points. Time to open your encyclopedia, or pull out Trivial Pursuit Trivial Pursuit is a board game where progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge, and popular culture questions. The game was made in 1979 by Scott Abbott, a sports editor for the Canadian Press, and Chris Haney, of Welland, Ontario, a photo ! * SPACE CUTS Astronauts must be extra careful shaving, because cuts don't heal well in space. For reasons unknown, cells that block bleeding and regrow Re`grow´ v. i. & t. 1. To grow again. The snail had power to regrow them all [horns, tongue, etc.] - A. B. Buckley. Verb 1. damaged skin don't function correctly in zero gravity--unless the cells are exposed to infrared light (invisible heat waves). Scientists in Wisconsin are creating an infrared "flashlight" to help heal space cuts! * BEAR BURGLARS California's Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park (yōsĕm`ĭtē), 761,266 acres (308,205 hectares), E central Calif.; est. 1890 as a result of the efforts of conservationist John Muir. Located in the Sierra Nevada, it is a glacier-scoured area of great beauty; Mt. has a new breed of car thieves--black bears! Bears have developed special techniques to break into different types of cars, clawing their way into their favorites--Hondas and Toyotas. Their motive: food. In 1998, the animals ransacked ran·sack tr.v. ran·sacked, ran·sack·ing, ran·sacks 1. To search or examine thoroughly. 2. To search carefully for plunder; pillage. 1,103 cars. Source: "The Year in Weird Science" by William Corliss. www.discover.com/jan_00/featweird.html |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion