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( Rice University) Theoretical physicists from Rice University have created a new model that helps define the subatomic origins of ferromagnetism -- the everyday "magnetism" of compass needles and refrigerator magnets. The model, which is detailed in a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was created to explore the inner workings of ferromagnetic compounds that are related to high-temperature superconductors.
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I received a message from a homeschool Mom who wanted to put our new book, Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes, to the ultimate test… give it to her kids! Lori’s three children are enrolled in Colorado Virtual Academy (COVA), an online public charter school, and she’s always looking for additional support materials for her curriculum. I’ll let you take a look at her review of Naked Eggs for yourself, but my favorite part was looking at all of the photos and even videos of her kids doing the experiments. Judging from what I can see in the pictures, the kitchen didn’t burn down… and that’s a good thing.


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Last night we gave away several copies of my new book, Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes on Facebook and Twitter. We had a lot of fun chatting with some amazing teachers, parents and science enthusiasts and asking Steve Spangler Science trivia questions. In all, we gave away over 20 copies of the book. Now here’s your chance to own the book before it becomes available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Greenleaf Book Group gave us 200 advance copies to sell before the September 13th release date. I’ll even sign the books during this special pre-sale time. If you want a book before everyone else gets it, grab one today.
BUY NAKED EGGS AND FLYING POTATOES NOW
The new book contains easy experiments for the whole family – for science night, homeschooling science activities and science fair experiment ideas.
Here’s what people are already saying about Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes -
“Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes totally brings life to science in a fun and very engaging way. The pictures that accompany each experiment help to provide a great step-by-step visual which entices the reader to want to want to jump right in and start experimenting. As a parent, I appreciated and valued so much about this book. I highly recommend this book.” - Lori C. on her blog Lori’s LOLz. Click the link to read the entire review.
“What is most striking about this amazing book is the number and quality of photographs that are included. Sometimes the most difficult thing about performing an experiment or demonstration is not knowing what it looks like as you do it. This book solves that problem!” – Ellen P in Virginia.
“Steve loved the photography WOW and the experiments are well written. I loved the take it further section. It really makes you think out of the box. You did miss one warning though. There should be one “Do NOT read this book while eating. May cause choking do to laughter.” We will recommend this book to everyone we know. It is a must have book for kids and adults who haven’t grown up yet (or those in their second childhood). – Steve & Carissa W. in California

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( University of Houston) The rare book, "India Illustrated" is now digitally preserved and available online for students, historians and others around the world interested in the social, economic and political history of India.
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( Elhuyar Fundazioa) Sociologist Ms. Lucia Merino presented her Ph.D. thesis titled, "Digital natives: a study of the technological socialisation of young people," at the University of the Basque Country.
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( American Society for Cell Biology) The old joke is a joke no more. In a special September issue of the ASCB's online journal, CBE-Life Sciences Education, the adage that biology is for science students who don't do math is laid to rest forever. "Bio-math" or "math-bio" is the future for students of both disciplines, say the contributors of seven essays and 17 research articles on new ways to integrate mathematical thinking into biology education and vice versa.
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( Carnegie Mellon University) Scientists who are pioneering the use of gigapixel imagery will discuss how they are leveraging this new technology Nov. 11-13 at the first Fine International Conference on Gigapixel Imaging for Science, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University. The deadline for early conference registration is Sept. 13.
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( University of California - San Francisco) UCSF researchers today unveiled a prototype model of the first implantable artificial kidney, in a development that one day could eliminate the need for dialysis.
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( Florida State University) The academic performance of adolescents will suffer in at least one of four key subjects -- English, math, science, history -- if their DNA contains one or more of three specific dopamine gene variations, according to a study led by renowned biosocial criminologist Kevin M. Beaver of the Florida State University.
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Molecular gastronomy sounds more like a condition than something cool to eat. It’s a cool kind of science that is sweeping trendy restaurants across the country.
Ingredients undergo change while cooking. Molecular gastronomy studies the physical and chemical changes that food undergoes while cooking. Certain ingredients produce certain reactions and it’s the newest trend for chefs to make fake caviar from sodium alginate. Instant ice cream is also created from using liquid nitrogen.

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( Louisiana State University) LSU's Saundra McGuire, assistant vice chancellor for learning and teaching in LSU's Division of Student Life and Enrollment Services, recently co-authored an American Scientist article with Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Roald Hoffmann. The article, "Learning and Teaching Strategies," describes six learning and six teaching strategies using the authors' collective experiences as well as advances in cognitive psychology.
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( Kennedy Krieger Institute) Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today new study results showing an early marker for later communication and social delays in infants at a higher-risk for autism may be infrequent gazing at other people when unprompted. Published in the September issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the study also found that six-month-old high-risk infants demonstrated the same level of cause and effect learning skills when compared to low-risk infants of the same age.
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( University of Cambridge) "Mindfulness," the process of learning to become more aware of our ongoing experiences, increases well-being in adolescent boys, a new study reports.
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With a title like Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes, you know that this probably isn’t going to be your ordinary book of experiments. At the early stages of writing this book, we had to put our heads together and try to think of a way to make this book different from the thousands of science experiment books out there. It’s true… just saying the words science experiment book will spawn a contagious outbreak of uncontrollable yawns followed by hours of sleep. So, how was I going to inspire my team to help me create a book that was different? Take a look…
We started by building a list of the most popular science experiments that I’ve had the opportunity to present over the years – in the classroom, on television and on our website. The next step was to use amazing photography to capture the wow-factor of each activity. It’s no different that thumbing through the pages of a great cookbook… the photos grab your attention and entice you to read more about the recipe.

Thanks to an amazingly creative editorial team, we took nearly 4,000 photographs over the course of 7 months and had to narrow down the final selection to 248 photos in a book that’s 160 pages. With all of this emphasis on photos, we hoped that the writing didn’t take a back seat. Our concern was answered when we received this review from a person who got their hands on an advance copy.
“If science books were like this when I was a kid, things might have been different for me! The first thing that grabs your attention is the photography – amazing photos that detail the entire process, and there’s no disappointment when it comes to the writing. After reading just a few pages, you can see that this guy is seriously funny.”
The end result is a book that oozes our passion for making science fun. If all goes well, that ooze is going to be contagious.

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Step aside Mr. Wizard. Move over Science Guy. Take a seat Mr. Spangler. There’s a new scientist in town. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Science Kiddo!
My team @SpanglerScience on Twitter recently tweeted with Christian’s mom right before he performed his first online video experiment. They posted Christian as Science Kiddo making a Lava Lamp with a test tube, water, oil and food coloring. There’s nothing better than getting your hands dirty and doing science at the kitchen table. We love what you are doing science superhero, so keep up the good work.

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The Prayer Vase or Genie in a Bottle is a guaranteed fun way to trick your friends using only items you can find around the house.
The science magician displays a bottle and a short length of rope. She explains that according to the ancient legends, a genie lives in the bottle. While you can?t see the genie, if you tickle him with something like a rope, it makes him mad and he hangs onto the rope. The rope is inserted into the bottle and jiggled a bit. When the bottle with the rope still inside it is turned upside down, the rope is seen to dangle unsupported from the bottle. The magician explains that the genie is even strong enough to make the bottle float. Now, the bottle and rope are turned right side up. While holding only the end of the rope, the magician lets go of the bottle and it is seen to float at the end of the rope. On command, the genie releases the rope, it is easily removed from the bottle and handed out for examination. The bottle may be examined, as well. Nothing unusual will be found. But how?

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