New Gadgets And Their Uses In Everyday Life
A roundup of household and workshop innovations includes a transparent lemon squeezer that yields juice in one motion, a multi function plastic drawing and measuring tool, toy waterways with optional pumps, nylon coated wire rope for varied temperatures, a card based classification system using a random code, an electro mechanical coin recorder for vending machines, and an air pressure transfer device for moving liquids. Readers can request Gadget Bulletin 430 from Science Service for more information.
Bluejays Store Acorns In Barns And Homes
The piece explains bluejays collect acorns and stash them in any convenient cavity including barns and walls. Some stores are unreachable, and the birds may abandon part of their harvest. It cites Mark Twain’s tale of a bluejay trying to fill a house with acorns through a knothole.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mark Twain
Time and money needed for atomic power exceed bomb effort
Experts warn that practical atomic power will require decades more time and funds than the atomic bomb. Technical hurdles include materials able to endure high heat, radiation shielding, and safe heat transfer. Control of fuel supply, bomb-making risk, and secrecy complicate pursuit of civilian reactors.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Columbia River
General Electric
Atomic Energy Commission
Hanford
Mohave Etiquette and Manners Revealed by Anthropologist
Noting Mohave tribal etiquette, Dr. George Devereux describes strict seating rules for women and non-relatives, cautious sharing of food, and two traditional sitting positions. Generosity is emphasized as a core trait while playful razzing signals affection.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Arizona
George Devereux
Winter Veterans Administration Hospital
Topeka
Kans
Devereux
Southwest Museum of California
Kingfishers Vary Diet Beyond Fish
Many kingfishers do not eat fish exclusively. The Indian three toed kingfisher and the laughing kingfisher often feed on reptiles and insects, showing a varied diet.
Junior Scientists Demonstrate Elasticity and Plasticity with Putty-like Substance
A chemistry demonstration by Dr. James W. Cole shows how adding denatured alcohol to sodium silicate creates a jelly that can bounce under quick force yet flatten under slow gravity. The experiment highlights elastic and plastic behavior and warns of skin sensitivity and residue on surfaces.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
James W. Cole
University of Virginia
Oldest house in America unearthed near Inyo County
A rectangle of post holes near Little Lake California may be America's oldest house dating 3 000 to 10 000 years. B E McGown of the Southwest Museum led the dig revealing 23 posts in an eight by 12 foot lay out. Charred bones and animal fragments were found in a corner. The Pinto Basin culture may date 1 000 to 8 000 B C and the site dates to just after the Ice Age.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
Pinto Basin
Whale Material Could Replace Catgut in Surgery
Researchers report fibrous material from sperm whales may substitute catgut for sutures. The tissue, rich in proteins lipids and trace elements, is recovered after oil extraction and processed with a press and yeast enzyme before sterilization. First technical description appeared in Aerztliche Forschung.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Aerztliche Forschung
Better Cosmetics May Come From Soap Study
Dr. Peter J. W. Debye reported at a national colloid symposium that soap in water forms micelles. Micelles enable dyes to color textiles and improve cosmetic manufacture. salts reduce micelle formation by freeing ions that shield micelle charges.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Peter J. W. Debye
Cornell University
American Chemical Society
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge
Mass
Debye
Also Mentioned on This Page
Science Service
N St
N. W
Washington, D. C
By Science Service
By Watson Davis
Wash
Brookhaven
Long Island
Oak Ridge
Daniels
Kenneth H. Kingdon
Hanford, Wash
AEC
Addison-Wesley Press
Joseph H. Kraus
Science Clubs of America
Little
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!