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Running Time:
00:00:28
The air is so dry here at McMurdo that anything that gets charged, stays charged. Moist air quickly discharges objects because the water in the air picks up charge from an object and quickly flies away, taking charges with it. This does not happen here. We are constantly getting shocks from our clothing, our bedding and when we exit vehicles.

Project: Ice Stories: Dispatches from Polar Scientists | Browse All

Date: December 11, 2008
Format: Expedition
Category: Science in Action
Subject(s): General Science, Physics
Running Time:
00:37:58
Halloween Special Edition! In this zany competition teachers have ten minutes to create a science activity from a special Halloween secret ingredient... bats!

Project: Iron Science Teacher | Browse All

Date: October 31, 2008
Format: Demonstration / Activity
Category: Everyday Science
Subject(s): Physics, General Science, Life Science/Biology
Running Time:
00:11:17
An interview with science historian Richard Carrier.

It's not enough to know that a nutcracker works; a scientist needs to know why. Historian Richard Carrier recounts how, in ancient Greece, pondering the nutcracker led to the physics of levers. He describes how Aristotle and others shaped the beginnings of Western scientific thought: the notion that knowledge of the natural world relies on being able to question, test, reproduce and improve the accuracy of what's believed to be true. He explains why he sees science as a practice rooted in values, how it protects us from our own erroneous tendencies, and why questioning authority helps foster scientific thinking.

Project: Evidence: How Do We Know What We Know? | Browse All

Date: August 20, 2008
Format: Interview
Category: Everyday Science
Subject(s): Physics
Running Time:
00:00:51
All wound up with nothing to do? Swing by the Exploratorium on September 6th, beginning at 10am, for the 2008 California State Yo-Yo Championships. Meet National and World Yo-Yo Champions, watch daredevil tricks, and learn basic techniques from yo-yo masters. This event is included in the price of admission to the Exploratorium. Registration is open to the public and begins at 10am. Winners will qualify for next year's regional tournament. For more information, go to www.calstateyoyo.com.

Project: California State Yo-Yo Championships at the Exploratorium | Browse All

Date: August 17, 2008
Format: Event
Category: Popular Culture
Subject(s): Physics
Running Time:
00:54:24
In this zany competition teachers have ten minutes to create a science activity from a special secret ingredient. This week: eye care products!

Project: Iron Science Teacher | Browse All

Date: July 18, 2008
Format: Demonstration / Activity
Category: Everyday Science
Subject(s): Physics, General Science, Life Science/Biology
Running Time:
00:48:06
In this zany competition teachers have ten minutes to create a science activity from a special secret ingredient. This week: dental hygiene products!

Project: Iron Science Teacher | Browse All

Date: July 11, 2008
Format: Demonstration / Activity
Category: Everyday Science
Subject(s): Physics, General Science, Life Science/Biology
Running Time:
00:48:10
In this zany competition teachers have ten minutes to create a science activity from a special secret ingredient. This week: hair care products!

Project: Iron Science Teacher | Browse All

Date: June 27, 2008
Format: Demonstration / Activity
Category: Everyday Science
Subject(s): Physics, General Science, Life Science/Biology
Running Time:
01:23:17
Invisibility, teleportation, mind reading—the stuff of science fiction, right? Yet much of today’s technology was once considered impossible. Given enough time, couldn’t incredible ideas like these also become commonplace? In this unique presentation, author and physicist Dr. Michio Kaku brings to life the science behind parallel universes and other fantastic phenomena. He’ll discuss the role of nanotechnology in learning to simulate invisibility, explain why NASA envisions sending “nanoships” to the stars, and reveal how nanoscience may provide an escape from the death of the universe itself.

Project: Miscellaneous | Browse All

Date: March 29, 2008
Format: Lecture
Category: Popular Science
Subject(s): Physics
Running Time:
00:03:30
Runa’s Spell conveys a moment of connectedness with the sensual persuasions of an imaginary world. Image and music interact in a dramatic way to deepen and enhance the perception of enchantment and longing. The visuals consist of digitally interwoven and layered animated hand-paintings on 35mm film stock, animated objects and cutouts, and pixilation of live creatures. The music attempts to create a spiritual sense of journey through the fractional evocation of ancient Egyptian folk song. The sonorous texture of trembling and contorted images illustrate the hesitation, solitude, and endless dreamscape of the human mind.

Project: ARTNANO | Browse All

Date: January 31, 2008
Format: Exhibit
Category: Popular Culture
Subject(s): art, physics
Running Time:
00:00:15
The Chaotic Pendulum exhibit contains a deceptively simple set of pendulums in a steel and Plexiglas case. The visitor twists a protruding knob, expecting the resulting motion to be fairly predictable. But the device's motion is chaotic, extremely complicated and long-lived.

Project: Exploratorium Exhibit Services | Browse All

Date: January 10, 2008
Format: Exhibit
Category: Everyday Science
Subject(s): General Science, Physics