There are lots of members of class Aves out there. Birds range in size from the tiniest of hummingbirds to those big, mean, dumb ostriches. They come in all of the colors of the rainbow, sometimes at the same time. They can be as dumb as an emu or as smart as an African Gray. Their songs run the gamut from simple tweets and chirps to complex, multi-part songs to the near-perfect mimicry of the lyrebird.
Side note: I've always wanted to sneak up on a male lyrebird during mating season and play some Metallica just to see what it would sound like coming back out of the bird. Anyway.
Birds are fascinating, but, when I think of them, I keep coming back, time and again, to one singular bird mystery, one unique feathered conundrum that nobody else ever seems to ask, much less answer.
Why does Big Bird have hands?
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In the woolly wilds of Oregon, Spring has sprung! The sun is shining, bees are buzzing, and if your covered wagon turns over while fording the river, you might not die of hypothermia. (That was an Oregon Trail joke.) What better way to usher in the season and enjoy the outdoors than building your own stomp-bottle rocket launcher? Safe and easy, you can welcome back the songbirds with a barrage of air-propelled science! (Explosions Inc. does not condone firing rockets at living creatures. Not even birds. Not even if they totally pooped on you and your fancy new pants completely on purpose while you were minding your own business. Stupid birds.)
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Brace yourselves. Winter is……well, winter is here. As parts of the US are being savaged by the polar vortex, indoor activities take on a whole new appeal. To help pass the time, here’s a fun, hands-on activity to make your very own super ball. As usual, please do this activity under the supervision of a responsible adult or at least someone who satisfies the legal definition of adult and has the self-delusion to believe he/she is responsible.
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Psst. Hey you. It's Thursday. Which means it's almost Friday. Which means it's almost the weekend. We both know you've done more than enough work and no one is going to know or care if you spend the rest of the day surfing the internet. Come with me down this dark alleyway of the internet. I got something I think you'll want to see........
When the stupid burns brightly and the wonder of science seems ever-dimming in the eyes of the world, there's not much else to do but laugh. To that end I'd like to highlight a couple of my favorite web comics that share my passion for science, philosophy, and the occasional blatantly disgusting and inappropriate humor. If you haven't already guessed, some of the following is NSFW.
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Today, Aaron gets physical!…And Chemical!…With Chemistry!
And for a limited time only a special play-along-at-home experiment for no extra charge! Satisfaction guaranteed or double your money back! Click now. Operators are standing by.
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We are all familiar with static electricity. A good deal of us could probably adequately answer a 7 year old’s questions about what it is. However, did you know that not only can it stick your socks together in the dryer or give you a nasty shock, but it can also levitate objects? Just a few minutes with several household items and you can make your very own flying device.
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Normally Don and I qualify all of our activities with “don’t try this at home”. So sometimes we like to share ideas for experiments that you CAN try at home. Prompted by the tempting display of Halloween candy at the local store we bring you a simple, fun, and family-friendly experiment that had Don literally foaming at the mouth.
Sometimes it seems that all acid/base experiments are as old as the hills and elicit about as much excitement as a box of rocks (taking for granted you aren’t a geologist). You mix together vinegar and baking soda and spend the next hour cleaning up. We would like to reinvigorate the acid/base reaction with an easy experiment that’s fun to do and, more importantly, fun to eat.
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A while back we did a publicity shoot to get a really great action photo (which you can find on this page here). It took a while, though, as these things tend to, and we got some pretty sweet outtakes. Here are the ones that are appropriate to post in public. If you see us live at a show and ask very nicely we may show you the ones that weren't quite safe enough to make the cut. Maybe. Here's a sample; click through to see the rest.
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