What’s the latest science news going on in your classroom or community?  Click HERE to send your science story ideas to Outreach Science Educator Jason Lindsey.

A special frog discovered in a southeast Missouri backyard has a lot of people talking. 

“It’s a freak of nature,” says Scott City, Missouri resident Jim Menees.

What Menees and others are talking about is the six-legged frog discovered by the kid next door. 

“I think we are going to see more of these creatures,” says Menees.

But don’t underestimate the strength of these creatures.

“For a little frog he’s stout,” says Menees.

Menees tells outreach science educator he’s willing to donate his “freak of nature” to science.

What do you think about this unique frog?  Voice your opinion at Jason's Science Blog. 

Thirsty Crystals Save One City Big Bucks
A little crystal with a big thirst is saving a western Kentucky city some big bucks. 

“We've been using water crystals for the past three summers,” says Kathy Keeney a horticulturist with the city of Paducah.

The water crystals are polymers that absorb water and then slowly release the water over time.  The city of Paducah has placed the environmentally safe water crystals around plants in the downtown area.

“Instead of watering heavily 5 times a week, we can get by on 2-3 times a week,” says Keeney. 

On average it takes two city workers about 7 hours to water all the plants in downtown Paducah.  Keeney says that cost the city more than 150 dollars each day. 

“The long term benefits; more man-hours that may be utilized in other areas of landscaping, plus the added benefits of having healthier plants that can survive rather austere conditions,” says Keeney.

Best of all, the thirsty crystals can last up to 5 years. 

Saturn, Mars, and Regulus Align
While watching fireworks over Oak Grove, MO skywatcher Tom J. Martinez was able to catch a glimps of Saturn, Mars and Regulus.  The three aligned on the 4th of July.  Look to the right of the fireworks in the picture and you'll see three white dots.  Those dots are Saturn, Mars, and Regulus. 

Educators are always looking for different ways to teach and now a new program called The Quirkles offers 26 different ways to teach not only hands-on science but literacy and character education.

"The Quirkles create enthusiasm and excitement for reading and science," says creator Sherry Cook.

Cook is one of three creators of The Quirkles.  It all started when educator Terri Johnson began mixing science and reading in a unique way.

"She found she could reinforce phonics, teach science, and at the same time, create excitement in the children," says Cook.

So much excitement the kids took what Johnson was teaching beyond the classroom window.

"That's when illustrator Jesse Kuhn and I came into the picture and the overall series began to be created after we determined that what we were looking for was simply not out on the market," says Cook. 

And since 2006 educators have been using The Quirkles in their classrooms across the globe.

"The Quirkles can be used to reinforce literacy concepts and can be used as part of a reading curriculum or science curriculum in a variety of educational programs-both traditional classrooms or summer, after school, enrichment, gifted, or special programming," says Cook.

Bottom line, The Quirkles allows educators to teach literacy, science, and character education in a fun and educational way that will get kids hooked.  Go to www.quirkles.com to learn more about "The Quirkles."

East Prairie future scientist Jordan Reno earns the Jason Lindsey Outstanding Science Student Scholarship. "I would like to give you an extra thank you for creating this type of scholarship. It is greatly appreciated by many and anyone would be lucky to receive it," says Reno.

Educator Packs up Science Gadgets and Heads to Malaysia
School is out but science teacher Shana Kight doesn't have plans of packing up the beakers and goggles until next year, instead she'll take her science gadgets around the world. 

“I’m excited but nervous,” says Kight. 

Kight will spend her summer in Malaysia where she’ll teach science. 

“I am going to work with the teachers in the Padang Polo Secondary Schools on how to use the internet more efficiently in their classrooms for science,” says Kight

The grant funded program through Southeast Missouri State University not only sends American educators to different parts of the world, but brings educators from all across the world right here to the United States. 

“During their stay, the International educators were placed with one of three schools in southeast Missouri,” says Kight.

Malaysia educator Ms. Tan Siew Lan recently shadowed Kight to see how education in America is different from education in her country.  Kight says, “Malaysia schools are definitely behind in education.  They do not have the resources and technology available like we do in America.  Their average classroom size is around 40+ students.” 

Kight wants to help change this trend by helping Malaysia educators better understand how to use technology in the science classroom.  That's what she'll do this summer and when she returns, Kight hopes to link her students with Ms. Tan Siew Lan's students via the World Wide Web.  “My classes will do science activities via the internet with Ms. Tan Siew Lan’s classes in the fall,” says Kight.  

Invisible Hitchhikers
Shopping carts make your trip to the store a lot easier, but it turns out if you use one you could be taking home more than what you paid for. A Hooked on Science investigation reveals that shopping cart handles are covered with bacteria. Science teacher Dan Brown says this is not uncommon. "I would say this is probably representative of most surfaces touched by many people."

Here are a few tips that might keep your family safe from shopping cart germs.

Jackson Junior High School Invention Convention

Jackson Junior High School students show off their invention skills at the school's first ever Invention Convention.

The Invention Convention is a school wide event and according to science teacher David Brummel the event gives students the opportunity to demonstrate innovative thinking and creative design.  “The convention provides the students with the chance to invent or improve upon an invention that will accomplish a task.”

According to Brummel more students participated in the Invention Convention when compare the science fair held earlier this year.  “I believe that the students find it interesting in being able to “invent” something, especially something that is personal and useful.”

Brummel says he expects more students to participate next year.

10 Science Questions Every High School Graduate Should Know
A team of leading scientists have come up with a 10 question science quiz that every high school graduate should be able to pass.  Here’s a peek at the questions.

1. What percentage of the earth is covered by water?
Answer: About 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by water.
--Submitted by Robert Gagosian, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

2. What sorts of signals does the brain use to communicate sensations, thoughts and actions?
Answer: The single cells in the brain communicate through electrical and chemical signals.
--Submitted by Torsten Weisel, Rockefeller Institute, New York

3. Did dinosaurs and humans ever exist at the same time?
Answer: No. Dinosaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago. Modern humans did not appear until around 200,000 years ago.
--Submitted by Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times Science Reporter

4. What is Darwin's theory of the origin of species?
Answer: Darwin's theory of species origination says that natural selection chooses organisms that possess variable and heritable traits and that are best suited for their environments.
--Submitted by Jonathan Weiner, 1995 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author

5. Why does a year consist of 365 days and a day of 24 hours?
Answer: A year, 365 days, is the time it takes for the Earth to travel around the Sun. A day, 24 hours, is the time it takes for the Earth to spin around once on its axis.
--Submitted by Leslie Sage, Nature Magazine

6. Why is the sky blue?
Answer: Solar radiation sunlight is scattered across the atmosphere by a process called diffused sky radiation. The sky is blue because much more short-wave radiation--blue light--is scattered across the sky than long-wave radiation--red light.
--Submitted by Roy Glauber, 2005 Nobel Prize Winner; HarvardUniversity

7. What causes a rainbow?
Answer: Rainbows can be seen when there are water droplets in the air and the sun is shining. Sunlight, which contains all colors, is refracted, or bent, off the droplets at different angles, splitting into its different colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
--Submitted by Kim Kastens, ColumbiaUniversity

8. What is it that makes diseases caused by viruses and bacteria hard to treat?
Answer: Influenza viruses and others continually change over time, usually by mutation. This change enables the virus to evade the immune system of its host so that people are susceptible to influenza virus infection throughout their lives. Bacteria mutate in the same way and can also become resistant if overtreated with antibiotics.
--Submitted by Helle Gawrylewski, Johnson & Johnson

9. How old are the oldest fossils on earth?
Answer: About 3.8 billion years; they're bacteria-like organisms.
--Submitted by Paul Nurse, 2001 Nobel Prize Winner; Rockefeller Institute

10. Why do we put salt on sidewalks when it snows?
Answer: Adding salt to snow or ice increases the number of molecules on the ground surface and makes it harder for the water to freeze. Salt can lower freezing temperatures on sidewalks to 15 degrees from 32 degrees.
--Submitted by Arthur Knudsen, Bridgeton, N.J., Schools

Source: The Columbia News Service

Flood Waters Bring a Flood of Mosquitoes
As the high water subsides from the spring floods in the Midwest there’s another flood you and your family need to know about.  According to AJ Hendershott with the Missouri Department of Conservation all the water means a flood of mosquitoes.  “I expect all insects that live part of their life cycle in water like mosquitoes do, to increase in numbers this year,” says Hendershott.

The standing water throughout southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, and western Kentucky has created the ideal habitat for mosquitoes.  Hendershott tells outreach science educator Jason Lindsey, “Common house mosquitoes love urban areas because the standing water we provide in old tires, clogged gutters, and mud puddles don't harbor fish or insect eating predators like dragonflies.”

The good news, since adult mosquitoes only live for a few days the spring hatch will not last through the summer.  “Summer mosquitoes will need a summer water source,” says Hendershott.

Bottom line, we'll be feeling the bite from the spring flood of 2008 for many months to come.    

Photo Source:  Missouri Department of Conservation 

Earthquakes Continue to Shake the Illinois Basin - Ozark Dome Region
Another earthquake shook the Illinois Basin - Ozark Dome Region on Monday, April 21, 2008 at about 12:38 a.m.  According to the USGS the 4.0 quake could be felt in southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, and western Kentucky.

On Friday, April 18, 2008 some folks were jolted right out of bed by an earthquake.  The USGS says a 5.2 earthquake occurred 20 miles SW of Vincennes, Indiana and 125 miles SW of Indianapolis, Indiana at 4:36 a.m. CDT.  At about 10:14 a.m. the USGS indicated that a 4.6 earthquake occurred 7 miles ESE of West Salem, IL.  

Several schools in the “Hooked on Science” service area had a blast driving their home-made moonbuggies.  Carlisle County High School, Calloway County High School, and Murray High School represented western Kentucky in Huntsville.  Murray State University took home second place while the University of Wyoming took home the “Most Improved” award. 

The Reign Forest
You can find rain forests all over the world but most would not expect to find one at church.  Not the case at La Croix Church in Cape Girardeau, MO.  The church is spending more than 3 million dollars to build a 20,000 square foot children's ministry building with a rain forest theme.  Pastor Ron Watts says, “It’s called Reign Forest, which stands for the reign of Christ in our lives.”

The building will be themed by Jonathan Martin, an artist out of Tulsa, OK, who specializes in children’s ministry spaces.  Watts says, “We chose a rain forest theme because we believe it is appealing to kids and timeless in its interest.”

The “Reign Forest” isn’t just for those attending La Croix Church.  Watts tells outreach science educator Jason Lindsey, “It's for everyone! Before the grand opening a mailing will be sent to more than 12,000 homes inviting folks to participate.”

Look for the “Reign Forest” in mid summer and click HERE for more information on this project. 

More than 100 kids gather for eggs and science at the Emmanuel Baptist Church Easter Celebration in Piggott.  It’s considered one of the largest Easter egg hunts in northeast Arkansas.  Along with more than 20,000 eggs the celebration oozed with science.  Outreach science educator Jason Lindsey with the Bootheel Youth Museum was at the big celebration launching water bottle rockets, shooting toilet paper in the air, launching soda more than 30 feet in the air, and shooting smoke rings using an air cannon.

More than 100 students throughout southeast Missouri showed off their science skills at the 52nd Regional Science Fair in Cape Girardeau. The future scientists worked for months and even years tweaking their science fair projects. All the hard work paid off for home school student Alex Heeb. Heeb’s project, “Impacts of Burning Agricultural Crop Stubble” took home 1st place. South Pemiscot sophomore Wyatt Walls took home 2nd place and South Pemiscot junior Amber Avis took home 3rd place. Heeb and Walls earned an all expense paid trip to Atlanta, GA to compete in the 59th International Science and Engineering Fair.

HOOKED ON SCIENCE AWARDS

Jason Lindsey is an award winning outreach science educator. Here's a peek at a few awards Jason's earned.

• 2008 - Missouri State Teachers Association  Best Newspaper Feature and Best Television Feature - "Hooked on Science"
• 2007 - Missouri State Teachers Association
  Best General Coverage - "Science Day 2006"
  Best Television Feature - "Heartland Science Lab"
• 2007 - Illinois Broadcasters Association
  Best Community Service Activity - "Science Day 2006"

Have a sCIENCE Question?

Do you have a science question?  If so, click HERE to send your question to Ourtreach Science Educator Jason Lindsey.