What can our avian friends have to do with smelly cigarette butts? Quite a lot it would seem as per ecologist Monserrat Suarez-Rodriguez from the University of Mexico City. A scientific study of 57 sparrow nests in the region has allowed the researcher to come to the conclusion that sparrows keep a sharp look out for cigarette butts when feathering their nests.

The common house sparrow has derived health benefits for their fledglings by adding as many as 48 cigarette butts to a single nest. The cellulose fiber in the filter has a protective effect by eliminating a large percentage of parasitic mites in the nest. No they are not interested in the nicotine containing material and will remove it from the filter by pecking before adding the filter to the nest.

Still the residual material is highly efficient in reducing the amount of parasites that would be found in a nest without the cigarette filters. This was confirmed in tests conducted by the researcher. A unique way to ensure your baby’s health indeed. However these sparrows may find it difficult to come by cigarette butts in the future as stricter non smoking laws come into effect. It would be an interesting science project to find out what they substitute the cigarette filter with.

Global warming has been happening for a while now resulting in the melting of the polar ice cap on the planet. As the huge ice glaciers melt they Earth is heating up and this may be the cause of increased volcanic activity as per scientific research being conducted in the field.

The reason for this is plate tectonics. As the glaciers melt they make the sea level rise and the weight of this affects the oceanic tectonic plates. The stress on the continents decreases and the earth’s crust cracks as the weight shifts around. These form new locations for the magma at the core of the Earth to escape to the surface.

Researchers from the Geomar-Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel in Germany have been collaborating with others in Boston, USA on a study of this phenomenon. They have demonstrated that warm periods on the planet have always been followed by increased volcanic activity.

As per them we are living at the end of a warm period which was additionally impacted by human created global warming. So be ready to face the increased volcanic activity as it hits the earth next. Perhaps it would be well worth creating a science project to see how humans can survive the next round of volcanic activity relatively unharmed.

There is a constant barrage in popular media against sugar being harmful to the human body. The truth is that while excessive sugar consumption can lead to a number of health problem like diabetes and obesity, without sugar there would be no life at all. Sugar is not the villain that it is made out to be. In fact certain scientific research projects think of sugars as major potential blockbuster heroes.

Sugars are studies under the discipline of glycomics. This area of study deals with sugars in the form of carbohydrate chains called glycans. Sugar molecules along with cellulose and starch are a major part of green plants around us. Simply put without the presence of sugar molecules it would not be possible to have such abundant greenery around us.

Researchers have also come up with new innovative means to use sugar molecules. One science project is looking at splitting cellulose into lactic acid to form chains of polylactic acid which is essentially a biodegradable plastic. So sugar based plastic bags could be the next big thing.

Some scientists are also looking forward to diagnosing skin cancer with the help of sugar based complex. So the next time you look at a candy bar remember its not a bad thing, it could be the basis of the next big science experiment revolution.

Today its a common sight to see sleek shaped cars zipping through the skies in science fiction movies. It doesn’t matter that its mostly graphics, the concept is still as popular today as it was way back in 1949 when innovator Moulton Taylor built the world’s first flying car.

The Taylor Aerocar was a unique concept at its inception and took the imagination of the world by storm. The American designer ensured that the car was able to drive on the road just as easily as it was able to fly in the sky. The design allowed the car to fold its wings when it was being run on the road as a regular car.

The flying car was the peak of 20th century automobile design. It was expected to be a huge success, unfortunately commercially it never did find a backer. Moulton was in talks with Ford but was unable to strike a deal.It was a fuel guzzler and the oil crisis of the 1970s was the final nail in its coffin.

Along with the original prototype only four other 21 feet long Aerocars were ever built. Today these collector’s items are being auctioned off for $1 million. Just goes to show that even an innovative science project may not always emerge the winner.

Arsenic is a toxic element that can cause severe side effects of poisoning in human beings and animals. It is also a by product of mining and leaching of ores in countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh and China. This process of leaching allows arsenic to enter the groundwater and subsequently the food chain causing problems for the population of the region.

It is not all bad as it is used in production of certain drugs and also in the semi conductor production industry. However high levels of arsenic in the human body can lead to problems such as blindness, skin problems and in some cases even cancer. This is why it is important to reduce, if not entirely eliminate, arsenic from groundwater supplies.

Researchers in the US have come up with a simple and user friendly antidote to the problem. Plastic bottles are cut up into small pieces and coated with an amino acid called cysteine. These plastic pieces are then immersed in the ground water like wells and the arsenic gets attracted to them.

After a while the plastic pieces are removed from the well and the water is found to be safe for consumption. The science project proves that a big problem does not always have to have an expensive solution. Sometimes the simplest way may prove to be the best.

While making salt and water a mixture to float eggs in was fun, it can be another experiment to separate the salt from the water. This can be done using a process of evaporation and distillation.The mixture is a homogenous one and requires considerable effort to separate it in to its components.

In this experiment here we look at a more heterogeneous mixture.The components of the mixture are sugar and iron filings. Half cup of granular sugar mixed with half cup of iron filings make a good mixture that would seem difficult to separate if one was not aware of the unique property of iron.

Iron is attracted by magnets.  If we stir a magnet into the cup that holds this mixture of sugar and iron filings all the iron will begin to stick to the magnet and will be easily separated from the sugar. In this science experiment we use the principle of magnetism to separate the mixture.

In general the homogeneous mixtures are more difficult to separate and require more effort than a heterogeneous mixture does. Come up with a list of different mixtures and classify them as either homogeneous or heterogeneous. Then add details on how you can separate the mixture into its individual components.

In the last two experiments with ice I asked you to use salt to melt the ice faster to help with the artistic process. Salt lowers the freezing point of water so the ice at room temperature begins to melt faster. Here’s a simple experiment to help prove that this actually happens.

Take two identical cups of Styrofoam and add half cup water to them. Now in one of them also add a big spoon of salt. Stir it in and place both cups in the freezer for 15 minutes. When you take them out at the end of that time period it will be easy to see that the cup with plain water is ready to form ice and is crystallizing well while the other one with salt is still liquid.

The salt has lowered the freezing point and it will be a while more before the salt water is ready to freeze. Another fun experiment is to make things float using salt in the water. This is sort of like the reason why no one can sink in the Dead Sea. Use an object that floats easily like a plastic spoon and one which usually sinks like an egg.

Now while the plastic spoon will float in plain water, the egg will need close to 100gm of salt being added to the water before it begins to float. Calculate how much salt is needed to make other things like a coin, or an eraser float in a science project.

We have all seen and admired ice sculptures by artists. Making colorful Ice Sculptures is not just for the professionals. In this heat a great way to cool off is to play with ice sculptures. Here is how you can set up a whole afternoon of fun with absolutely no expense.

Ice sculptures need huge hunks of ice as raw material so use any big bottle, vessel or even balloons to fill up with water and freeze. The more ice you have available at hand the more fun can be had by all. You may also like to use colors to make the sculptures more interesting.

You can use basic liquid food colors from the kitchen or you can add some tempera colors to the ice while it sets. Do a little of both to make the science project more interesting. Once you have the ice blocks ready use different methods to shape it. You can use a knife to chip it, or use ice to melt bits of it in a hurry.

Add the liquid colors in blotches or as sprinkles to make the ice sculptures look more cheerful. This is a science project where your creativity can be given full reign. Enjoy the different looks before they all melt!

No one in their right minds would confuse crayons with ice cubes, so how does this science project work? Quite simply actually! What you need to do is take an ice cube tray and add a teaspoon of tempera paint to it. Next add some water and mix up the paint with the water.

Keep it standing for a few minutes and then mix it up again before you put it into the freezer. Stick in a toothpick in the ice cubes for easy handling. Don’t worry if you forget to add the tooth picks. It will just mean slightly messy hands, but the paint washes right off with soap and water.

Once the colored ice cubes are set remove them from the ice tray and use them on a thick paper to paint out whatever design you fancy. Run them in circles or triangles to form multi layered designs. You could also just leave them in strategic spots on the paper and allow them to melt into one huge abstract design.

Want to speed up the melting of the paint filled ice cubes? Just sprinkle some salt on them. You have used basic science like freezing, mixing fluids, and using a catalyst to speed up melting of ice. Pretty cool for a home grown science project!

If you have been to a magic show and wondered with open mouth astonishment about just how the magician pulled that trick off, I’ve news for you. There is no magic which is not based on science and scientific principles. Most of their spectacular events deal with merely tricking you into believing that something has happened, when in fact it has not.

Perception is the sense we make of the world around us based on the stimulus received from our sense organs. In case of the magician, our eyes perceive seeing something based on the raw stimulus the magician provides, but very often this perception is false.  The raw stimulus is manipulated by the magician in such a manner that what we think we see is not what actually is happening.

Take for instance the three card trick where the queen is shuffled along with two other ordinary cards. We think we have marked the position of the queen before the magician begins shifting the locations of the cards and follow that card well enough. However what we do not realize is that before the magician began shuffling he had already changed the location of the queen facing downwards.

So no matter how well we follow the card we are always looking at the wrong one and will never point at the queen when he asks us to. The concept of what we perceive and how we perceive things have been the subjects of major scientific research over the years. However it is the magicians who have made best use of this principle to entertain and amaze us.