Pyrotechnics are all around us―and they have been for generations.
The science and craft of creating fireworks is called pyrotechnics. The word comes from two Greek words: pyro, meaning "fire," and techne, meaning "art." The art of fire. Have you ever seen or used a pyrotechnic device? Maybe you’ve held a sparkler at a wedding, attended a fireworks show to ring in the new year, or even simply struck a match. Fireworks in particular have long played an important role in cultural and religious celebrations, entertainment events, major holidays, and more. And many hobbyists like to create, use, or collect fireworks just for fun.
From ground-level fountains to handheld flares to airborne rockets, discover how pyrotechnics were invented and how people have utilized them throughout the centuries. Then explore how modern fireworks are made, what types are available, and how to stay safe when using them. Fireworks feature in all sorts of celebrations and hobbies. What new displays might light up our future? Find out all this and more in Bang!
This beautiful biography in verse is about two French scientists who changed what we know about volcanoes. Katia, a curious girl who collected pebbles and dreamed of escaping her small town, grew up just a few miles away from Maurice, a boy who knew more about rocks and minerals than his own teachers. . . . When Katia and Maurice met as college students, they formed The Vulcan Team—named after the Roman god of fire—to observe, investigate, and document one of the most dangerous, natural phenomena on the planet: volcanoes!
With dynamic art from award-winning artist Katherine Roy, Chasing Eruptions traces the legacy of Katia and Maurice Kraffts’ volcanic photographs and films—and how their footage continues to inspire and educate today.
"CRISPR stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. If it sounds complicated, it is—but it’s also one of the most powerful ways we can shape the future. And it’s poised to completely upend the way we think about science.
Author Yolanda Ridge tackles this topic in a friendly and accessible tone, with two introductory chapters covering the basics of DNA and genetic modification before taking readers through the ways that this ground-breaking science could affect them by potentially:
eliminating diseases like malaria and cancer,
improving the stability of our food supply, and
helping to manage conservation efforts for threatened animals and environments.
But all of these possible advancements come with risks, the biggest being that the consequences are unknown. Chapters end with “Stop, Go, Yield” sections encouraging readers to consider the pros and cons of using CRISPR. “Cutting Questions” give readers the opportunity to further reflect on the ethics of the science.
CRISPR is a game changer. This important book, with detailed scientific illustrations, brings much needed clarity to a topic that will affect readers for generations to come."
"Design thinking is a six-step process used in creative problem solving to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, and create innovative solutions. As a human-centered approach to innovation, design thinking is used in everything from corporate structure in businesses such as UberEATS, AirBnB, and Adobe XD to local and regional projects.
Design Thinking, by author and educator Fred Estes, provides a simple, clear approach to the six-step design thinking process. This easy-to-follow guide explains everything essential to design thinking projects focused on solving human-centered, social issues. Readers will learn the fundamentals of each of the six-steps in the design thinking model―notice and reflect, empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test―and discover how to collaborate with people to develop solutions to real-world problems and create better communities through creativity, inspiration, and teamwork. With true stories of real student teams and their projects, this book provides readers with the steps to effect change and create a more equitable world."
Cretaceous earth was known as the age of dinosaurs. But really, it was the age of LIFE--scaled and feathered, furry and leathered, budding, blooming, roaring, zooming, buzzing, glorious LIFE--until...
DOOMSDAY.
For 66 million years, the mystery of what happened to the dinosaurs lay hidden under layers of sand and silt, until scientists began to piece together the puzzle of what happened on the last day of the ancient world.
Follow the real-life adventures of father-son scientists Luis and Walter Alvarez--along with an army of science detectives--as they unlock the world's most intriguing mystery. Learn how the smallest particles in the universe helped explain what happened to the largest animals that ever walked the planet. Track the timelines of discoveries that had to happen in physics, paleontology, astronomy, and geology, before humans could understand how and why 75 percent of species suddenly went extinct.
This is the story of how scientists add to the sum total of human knowledge, one question at a time, and help us understand our beautiful, tragic, and magnificent world.
"You are to report to Station X at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, in four days time....That is all you need to know." This was the terse telegram hundreds of young women throughout the British Isles received in the spring of 1941, as World War II raged. As they arrived at Station X, a sprawling mansion in a state of disrepair surrounded by Spartan-looking huts with little chimneys coughing out thick smoke―these young people had no idea what kind of work they were stepping into. Who had recommended them? Why had they been chosen? Most would never learn all the answers to these questions.
Bletchley Park was a well-kept secret during World War II, operating under the code name Station X. The critical work of code-cracking Nazi missives that went on behind its closed doors could determine a victory or loss against Hitler’s army. Amidst the brilliant cryptographers, flamboyant debutantes, and absent-minded professors working there, it was teenaged girls who kept Station X running. Some could do advanced math, while others spoke a second language. They ran the unwieldy bombe machines, made sense of wireless sound waves, and sorted the decoded messages. They were expected to excel in their fields and most importantly: know how to keep a secret."
Although scientists estimate that only 10 percent of fungi have been discovered, these findings have proved fantastic. Some fungi are toxic. But others are tasty sources of protein or drive the production of bread, cheeses, and fermented drinks. Some make up medicines to treat health conditions. Others connect vast swaths of trees, capture pollutants in the water and soil, or grow into sturdy but lightweight building materials. Many fungi are even fun to look at―they might ooze blood-like sap, glow at night, and more. What else might fungi be able to do?
Karen Latchana Kenney digs deep into the expansive fungal world. Learn about how fungi evolved and became their own kingdom. Then explore the many known fungi and how we use them in food, medicine, technology, and more. Entire communities have sprung up around identifying mushrooms―maybe you’ll even be the next member of your local mycological society. From the most well-known mushrooms to the mycelium hidden beneath our feet, this in-depth text digs deep into the incredible fungal world.
"Space probes, self-assembling robots, crash-absorbing cars, and designer proteins all have one thing in common: their use of folding technologies. To develop these technologies, engineers are taking inspiration from an unusual source―origami, the ancient art of paper folding. Examine origami's origins, how it intersects with mathematics, and how it became a tool to solve some of the most complicated challenges in engineering, architecture, technology, and medicine today. Plus, get a close-up look at these technologies with two augmented reality images included in the book!"
"Believe it or not, ice isn’t always just frozen water.
In fact, most of the ice covering our planet contains thousands of years' worth of information about our atmosphere. This ice is made up of a lot more than snow—it has soot, volcanic ash, gasses, and other substances that affect the climate. And if we drill a piece of that ice? We get a frozen time capsule, courtesy of Earth.
In this exhilarating middle grade nonfiction book by a former educator, kids are immersed in the field of paleoclimatology. Readers go along on an ice core expedition, run through each step in the collecting and transporting process, review the fascinating components of an ice core, and explore the specialized labs where scientists examine them.
But these pieces of our planet are more than just cool records. By preserving and studying these frosty collections of climate history, we can learn from previous patterns and better protect our planet in the future. The final chapter focuses on ice as a key tool in the fight against climate change."
"Revealing little-known facts about the fight to teach evolution in schools, this riveting account of the dramatic 1925 Scopes Trial (aka “the Monkey Trial”) speaks directly to today’s fights over what students learn, the tension between science and religion, the influence of the media on public debate, and the power of one individual to change history.
Arrested? For teaching? John Scopes’s crime riveted the world, and crowds flocked to the trial of the man who dared to tell students about a forbidden topic—evolution.
The year was 1925, and discussing Darwin’s theory of evolution was illegal in Tennessee classrooms. Lawyers wanted to challenge the law, and businessmen smelled opportunity. But no one imagined the firestorm the Scopes Trial would ignite—or the media circus that would follow.
As reporters, souvenir-hawking vendors, angry protestors, and even real monkeys mobbed the courthouse, a breathless public followed the action live on national radio broadcasts. All were fascinated by the bitter duel between science and religion, an argument that boiled down to the question of who controls what students can learn—an issue that resonates to this day.
Through contemporary visuals and evocative prose, Anita Sanchez vividly captures the passion, personalities, and pageantry of the infamous “Monkey Trial,” highlighting the quiet dignity of the teacher who stood up for his students’ right to learn."
"Smallpox! Rabies! Black Death! Throughout history humankind has been plagued by. . . well, by plagues. The symptoms of these diseases were gruesome-but the remedies were even worse.
Get to know the ickiest illnesses that have infected humans and affected civilizations through the ages. Each chapter explores the story of a disease, including the scary symptoms, kooky cures, and brilliant breakthroughs that it spawned. Medical historian and bestselling author Lindsey Fitzharris lays out the facts with her trademark wit, and Adrian Teal adds humor with cartoons and caricatures drawn in pitch black and blood red. Diseases covered in this book include bubonic plague, smallpox, rabies, tuberculosis, cholera, and scurvy.
Thanks to centuries of sickness and a host of history's most determined plague-busters, this riveting book features everything you've ever wanted to know about the world's deadliest diseases."
Join maverick inventor Steve Mushin as he tackles climate change with an avalanche of mind-bending and scientifically plausible inventions to rewild cities and save the planet. Jump into his brain as he designs habitat-printing robot birds and water-filtering sewer submarines, calculates how far compost cannons can blast seed bombs (over half a mile), brainstorms biomaterials with scientists and engineers, studies ecosystems, and develops a deadly serious plan for cities of the future. Ultrawild is a tour de force of extreme problem-solving for kids and teens (and anyone else) who love big ideas.