10 October 2011
Posted in Science Park

Recently Orlando Science Center has welcomed Harry the Praying Mantis into Science Park for our new Harry’s Big Adventure exhibit which has brought many curious inspectors checking out all our multi-legged friends. This has created a question among many. What has happened to the earthquake room? Do not worry my friends, the earthquake room, along with the chess board, will be returning in January after Otronicon.

The earthquake room is a favorite among many, allowing visitors to experience a 5.6 earthquake. It has been with us since the beginning of Orlando Science Center making it 15 years old. The earthquake room is therefore in much need of a makeover, which is exactly what is happening. When the room returns it will be gleaming with new paint and fresh carpet. Not only is the earthquake room returning in January with a fresh new face, it is bringing along some new activities!

Everyone enjoys racing their friend’s cars down the 70ft pinewood derby track and now they can enjoy personalizing their own car with wheels and weights. This build-it-yourself pinewood derby activity will add a whole new level of excitement while racing your cars down the track. Science Park will be introducing a new exploratory activity with wind tubes, allowing visitors to observe how different objects move through air. The Gravitron ball wall will also be expanding to twice its current size. Come and explore these new and improved activities in January.

21 July 2011
Posted in Science Park

As Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Station this morning, many Orlando locals were able to hear the loud sonic boom as the shuttle re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. The shuttle’s twin sonic booms - caused by shock waves at its nose and tail - are a result of the orbiter traveling faster than the speed of sound. Below is a diagram explaining how sonic booms occur and where they were heard:

The following YouTube clip is a recording of the Sonic Boom heard in Naples, FL.

24 June 2011
Posted in Science Park

Humans hear millions of sounds everyday. For many people, an alarm clock begins the morning. A trickling coffee pot may filter a hot cup of Joe. And as you start your car, the engine roars as you drive to work or school. Some sounds are pleasant, like birds singing in the trees. But there are plenty of other sounds that drive people crazy. What sound makes people cringe the most? According to an article in Time Magazine this week, whining is one of the most bothering sounds ever.

Researchers for the Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology had participants do math problems as various sounds were played in the background. Levels of concentration varied as they heard silence, talking, “motherese” (aka baby talk), whining and a high-pitched table saw. To make sure participants weren’t distracted by the words themselves, the researchers played foreign language recordings. In the end, whining affected participant’s productivity on their subtraction equations more than the other sounds. According to the study’s co-author and professor of psychology at SUNY New Paltz, Rosemarie Sokol Chang, people of both sexes did fewer problems and did those worse when they heard the whines. Scientists tend to pay more attention to the effect of the other three sounds on humans, so Chang hopes this study will result in further research on whining.

21 April 2011
Posted in Science Park

National Geographic reported that radioactive material from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, disabled by the March 11^th earthquake and tsunami in Japan, continues to enter the ocean and endanger marine animal life. In the beginning of the month, seawater samples taken near the nuclear power plant, on Japan's eastern coast, showed elevated levels of radioactive isotopes. The presence of radioactive isotopes alone is not bad since all life on Earth, and in the oceans, lives with exposure to natural levels of ionizing radiation. Although we are all in contact with high frequency radiation strong enough to change DNA most genetic damage heals because the damage is coming from a natural source of radiation. However, the addition of human-made radiation can make it harder for the body of humans or animals to repair broken genes.

Radiation concentrations in the Japanese seawater samples have peaked at around 3,355 times the legal limit for seawater, which shows that this radiation exposure is far beyond any natural radiation marine life comes in contact with. Once the radiation enters the seawater it can hurt marine life, either killing, creating genetic mutations in offspring, or passing along the radiation up the food chain. Joseph Rachlin, director of Lehman College's Laboratory for Marine and Estuarine Research in New York City, feels that, "there will be a potential for a certain amount of lethality of living organisms, but that's less of a concern than the possible effects on the genetics of the animals that become exposed,” and that the main problem is the radiation, “altering the genetics of the animal and interfering with reproduction.” However, according to chemical oceanographer Bill Burnett, “The good news is the half life [of iodine, one of the radioactive isotopes] is only eight days,” and, “if they stop the source of the radioactive leakage, this is going to be a short-term problem."