THANKSGIVING SCIENCE

Why is there dark and light meat in a turkey?

Hemoglobin – makes blood red

Myoglobin – found in muscle cells and stores O2 until the cells need it, muscles that use a lot of energy have a lot of this

Fast twitch muscle fibers: infrequent bursts of energy

Slow twitch muscle fibers: slow sustained use

Muscles used more regularly use more myoglobin – turkeys use their legs constantly therefore dark meat

Breast and wings not used as much – white meat

Why does turkey make you sleepy?

• Turkey contains tryptophan - an amino acid that helps the body produce niacin, a B-Vitamin, which helps produce serotonin, which makes you sleepy.

• Tryptophan in turkey works best in an empty stomach

• So why do I feel tired after a huge Thanksgiving meal? Probably because the meal is full of carbohydrates — potates, stuffing, breads, pies... The body has to work hard to digest all that food!

How do turkey timers work?• Turkey is done when it reaches 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius). • A pop-up timer found in a turkey or chicken normally has four parts:

– The outer case (typically white or light blue) – The little stick that pops up (typically red) – A spring – A blob of soft metal similar to solder

• solid at room temp• Liquid at 185oF

When the metal turns to a liquid, it frees the end of the red stick that had been trapped in the metal. The spring pops the red stick up and you know the turkey is done! One little-known fact is that these timers are reusable. If you dip the tip in hot water it will re-melt the metal and you can push the pop-up piece back into the metal. Then let it cool, and the pop-up piece will be back in its original position -- ready to use again!

Raw Video Test Run of Macy's Parade Balloons - AOL Video.flv

What is helium?

• The Periodic table includes the following information for each element:

• Atomic number – 2 - protons • Element symbol - He • Element name – Helium • Atomic mass – 4.00

– Helium2 – Protons 2 - Neutrons1 - Electron

Group 18 The Noble Gases

• The Group18 elements are called the noble gases.

• This is because they rarely combine with other elements and are found only as uncombined elements in nature.

• Their reactivity is very low.

Group 18—The Noble Gases

• Helium is less dense than air, so it’s great for all kinds of balloons.

• Helium balloons lift instruments into the upper atmosphere to measure atmospheric conditions.

Why does Helium make my voice change?

TeacherTube - Helium voice!.flv

The inhalation of helium cuts off a person's supply of oxygen and can cause dizziness, unconsciousness and ultimately death!

If the concentration of oxygen is decreased below 18% within the human body, symptoms and signs of Asphyxia can occur.    Helium gas can totally displace the available oxygen and if this is maintained for even a few seconds, asphyxia and death can and will occur. In addition to risking serious damage to your lungs, you could wind up with helium bubbles in the arteries that supply blood to your brain. This is known as a cerebral arterial gas embolism and can lead to stroke-like symptoms including, of course, death.

In 1898, fifteen year old Michelle Moreno from Texas died from helium inhalation at a friend's party.