Month: December 2009
Pulse of the Planet Daily Audio
Hogmanay
According to Scottish legend, visitors to your door on the night of Hogamanay, will determine your luck for the New Year.
December 30, 2009Jonkonnu: Safety Valve
In the early 1800’s, letting off steam at the annual Jonkonnu celebrations may have been a social safety valve.
December 29, 2009Jonkonnu: Reconstructing
A widely celebrated event during the 1800’s inspired historians and local residents of eastern North Carolina to reconstruct its spectacle.
December 28, 2009Jonkonnu: Kome
Revelers of the Jonkonnu masquerade sing and dance through neighborhoods, visiting homes where their pageantry might be favored with a gift of money.
December 25, 2009Christmas: History
Believe it or not, there was a time when the singing of Christmas Carols could land you in jail.
December 24, 2009Christmas: Trees & Mistletoe
Some of our most enduring Christmas traditions may date back to the days before that holiday even existed.
December 23, 2009Jonkonnu: Origins
In North Carolina, the festival of Jonkonnu is celebrated with influences from West Africa, England, and the Caribbean.
December 22, 2009Kids’ Science Challenge: Forensics – Making a Match
While matching evidence to a suspect can be gratifying, proving a mismatch is equally important.
December 21, 2009Kids’ Science Challenge: Forensics – Detective Science
Real-world forensic investigations can be exciting, but it’s quite different from what we’re exposed to on TV.
December 18, 2009Sea Otter – Recovery
Once hunted for their fur, Sea Otters have been saved from extinction thanks to the efforts of conservation biologists.
December 17, 2009Caves: Ancient Life
Tiny creatures found in salt water caves are giving scientists clues about an ancient super-continent.
December 16, 2009Kids’ Science Challenge: Forensics – Deciphering a Hidden Message
A forensic document examiner takes us through the process of deciphering evidence from a blank pad of paper.
December 15, 2009Kids’ Science Challenge: Forensics – Secret Message
When incriminating evidence is written on a pad of paper, forensic scientists can reveal that message long after the page is removed.
December 14, 2009Kids’ Science Challenge: Forensics – Glass Mystery
How can you tell a shard of clear house window glass from a seemingly identical piece of auto glass? Density!
December 11, 2009Geologist – Mapping
We know a lot about the world around us, but how much do we know about the ground beneath us? Geologists are mapping it out.
December 10, 2009Caves: Living Fossils
While exploring underwater caves, divers made a startling discovery — primitive animals whose ancestors have been swimming in these waters for millennia.
December 9, 2009Termites: Insect Hydro-Power
Could termites be the key to a clean energy future? Some think that this unpopular insect may be the solution for cheap hydrogen power.
December 8, 2009Kids’ Science Challenge: Forensics – Super Prints
Using Super Glue? Be sure to keep it off your fingers! But for a forensic scientist keeping this adhesive handy is a good idea.
December 7, 2009Kids’ Science Challenge: Forensics – Fingerprints
For more than a century, fingerprints have proven a useful tool in forensic science.
December 4, 2009Kids’ Science Challenge: Mars – Dirty Chamber
To test equipment bound for Mars, JPL scientists head to their “dirty chamber,” a low-pressure tank that can handle abrasive Mars-like sand.
December 3, 2009Caves – Mars Connection
Ancient salt water caves harbor ecosystems similar to what life on Mars might have once been like.
December 2, 2009Termite – Guts
Termites keep the microbes in the family with a little rear-to-mouth-feeding.
December 1, 2009Caves – Diving
Scientists investigating underwater caves must brave dangerous conditions.