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COOKING UP SCIENCE
For most of our past, the warmer months were times of plentiful harvests, and the colder months were times of scarcity. To spread the calories throughout the year, humans need to find ways to keep the decomposers at bay and extend the shelf life of foods. This week, we will prepare our pantries for the winter by making a brine to pickle cucumbers. While its acidity and salt deter all microbes, fermentation is less strict. Here, we create the conditions for certain beneficial microbes to proliferate and protect our food for us. Like the yeast we will use to create the very inedible Elephant Toothpaste reaction!
PLANET EARTH, ANIMATED
Hidden deep within cells are the instructions that enable an organism to form and function. In simpler lifeforms, this genetic material is “written” in RNA, but we humans have DNA, its double-helical upgrade. This week, we will explore how DNA encodes for genes, copies itself, and passes that information from one generation to the next. And as we do this, we will break down the cells of a strawberry, extract its genetic material, and isolate its DNA for all to see.
RAMPANT REACTIONS
Anyone who has noticed the fading of cherished photos knows that light can decompose. Ironically, this process made photography possible in the first place. By coating paper with a chemical particularly susceptible to light and then hiding it beneath a negative while the Sun’s UV light works its magic, our chemists will create their own old-timey photographs. Waiting for these to develop will give us plenty of time to explore UV’s glow with fluorescent potions, inks and more!
