It wasn’t just people on Earth who were glued to the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics – astronauts on the ISS were inspired by the athletes, too! They added elements of Olympic sports to their training programmes (and it looks like they had a lot of fun doing it, too!)
Watch the astronauts who were inspired by the Olympics here!
Do you know a small scientist who is always coming up with new inventions? They are bound to love this new book which proves that small inventions can make a huge difference to our world!
We have five copies ofSmall Inventions That Changed The World by Roma Agrawak and Jisu Choi to give away! Thank you to Hachette Children’s Group for providing this epic prize.
This book shines a spotlight on tiny change makers including the nail, the wheel and string. It’s hard to image how such humble objects can be significant, but this book explains how they were crucial to the development of advanced technology like spaceships and skyscrapers.
Small Inventions That Changed The Worldtakes readers on a spectacular and intriguing journey through centuries, from the Silk Road to the International Space Station.
We’ve got five copies of this stunning and inspiring book to give away! Simply answer the question in the comments to be in with a chance.
Which of the below is a type of engineering?
A Civet B Civil C Cirrus
Small Inventions That Changed The World by Roma Agrawal and Jisu Choi is published by Hachette Children’s Group and is available now. RRP £16.99.
Build Your Own’s range of super-cool, eco-friendly kits are a fantastic way to bring STEM learning to life in a way that kids can get stuck into. Budding engineers can build a honey bee, ladybird, stag beetle and dragonfly with these inspiring mini kits.
Whizz Pop Bang is the awesomely amazing science magazine for kids, and our lucky winner will receive a three month subscription! Every edition is packed with experiments, activities, jokes, inspiring stories and more. It’s guaranteed to be a hit with every small dinosaur expert, keen kitchen chemist or generally curious child.
To enter, simply answer this question correctly in a comment
We have FIVE copies of Chris Packham’s brilliant new book – Superhero Animals, with beautiful illustrations by Anders Frang, published by Red Shed.
“You have the power to help animals now, so that they will keep helping you, your family and your friends in the future.” – Chris Packham
Get up close to nature with naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham OBE and encounter the amazing animal superheroes that will help us save the world.
From pollinating plants and the humble earthworm to the soil and the ocean — through fascinating facts and practical guidelines, Superhero Animals invites us to take a closer look at the natural life around us and teaches us how to care for it at a time when it is most urgent to do so.
To win one of FIVE copies, answer this question in the comments:
We have FOUR copies of the brand new book from astrophysicist, Lisa Harvey-Smith – Universal Guide to the Night Sky to give away!
Wherever you are in this world – whether that be in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, in the city or a remote region – this book guides you through the remarkable features of planet Earth’s starry sky.
Receive a personal tour through the wonders of the universe from astrophysicist Lisa Harvey-Smith. Explore comets and meteors, stars, planets and moons. Find galaxies and glowing gas clouds. Spot supernovae and enjoy eclipses. Learn everything you need to know about binoculars, telescopes and photographing the stars. You will never look up at the stars in the same way again.
Featuring intergalactic illustrations by Sophie Beer, this global guide to the sky is your ticket out of this world.
To win one of FOUR copies, answer this question in the comments:
What is the name for scientists who focus on observations of the skies?
Many animals, including walruses, penguins and monkeys, huddle in groups to keep warm. The centre of a huddle of Emperor penguins can reach 24℃ when the air temperature is as low as -40℃!
Professor Lynne Boddy is a woodland fungi expert at Cardiff University and she told us all about her amazing career in Whizz Pop Bang 99: Fantastic Fungi.
Lynne has written a beautiful book, Humungous Fungus, an exploration of all things fungi which will amaze young readers, and open their eyes to the fungi thriving all around them and we’ve got four copies to give away!
Simply answer this question in the comments for your chance to win a book.
Which one is a part of a mushroom? a) Gill b) Hill c) Spill
Good luck!
This competition closes at midnight on 31st October 2023 and is open for UK residents only. For full terms and conditions visit whizzpopbang.com/terms
Carl Sagan was an astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, professor and science communicator who was fascinated by extra-terrestrial life. You can read about him in Whizz Pop Bang 98: Aliens!
Carl was involved in American space exploration since it began in the 1950s. He put together messages that were sent into outer space in the 1970s on the Voyager Golden Record.
By NASA – Great Images in NASA Description, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6455682
Copies of the Golden Record were carried by Voyager I and Voyager II. They contained:
Messages in 55 ancient and modern languages
Sounds from Earth
Images of humans and Earth
By NASA/JPL – The Sounds of Earth Record Cover, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=137443
The discs contained diagrams that explain where Earth is and how to play the record. Scientists spent a long time working out how to communicate these messages to aliens!
English (this was recorded by Nick Sagan, Carl’s son, when he was six!)Akkadian (an ancient language used in Mesopotamia about 6,000 years ago) “May all be very well.”Arabic “Greetings to our friends in the stars. We wish that we will meet you someday.”Cantonese “Hi. How are you? Wish you peace, health and happiness.”Hebrew “Peace”Korean “How are you?”Nguni “We greet you, great ones. We wish you longevity”Polish “Welcome, creatures from beyond the outer world.”Rajastani “Hello to everyone. We are happy here and you be happy there.”Spanish “Hello and greetings to all.”Welsh “Good health to you now and forever.”
Music
Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F. First Movement, Munich Bach Orchestra, Karl Richter, conductor
New Guinea, men’s house song, recorded by Robert MacLennan
Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México
“Johnny B. Goode,” written and performed by Chuck Berry
Georgian S.S.R., chorus, “Tchakrulo” collected by Radio Moscow
Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen
Images
We can’t include the photographs and diagrams included on the Golden Record because of copyright but you can see some of them here. These show some of the same subjects that featured on it.
If you want to find out more about fantastic scientists like Carl Sagan, subscribe to Whizz Pop Bang, the awesomely amazing science magazine for kids! Learn about inspirational scientists of the past and present every issue – our readers are the in credible scientists of the future!
Team Whizz Pop Bang spent a wild weekend meeting hundreds of scientists-in-training at Just So Festival 2023. Thank you so much to Just So Festival for having us back again – we absolutely love being a part of this incredible event.
This year, we brought Jonathan Scott from the European Space Agency (ESA) along to share his amazing knowledge of staying fit and healthy in space. Jon works in the Space Medicine Team at ESA and he used his expert skills to run an Astronaut Training Camp.
Jon brought a replica space suit along for Whizz Pop Bang fans to try on!
We were overwhelmed with the turn out for Jon’s talk and it was fantastic to see so many budding astronauts! A HUGE thank you to Jon, and to all of you who came and joined in the fun. We hope you picked up a thing or two about how astronauts stay fit and healthy on board the International Space Station.
We also ran The Whizz Pop Bang Discovery Den, where young scientists could explore their five senses in some super-fun hands-on experiments.
Children were invited to visit us in ‘The Future’ area in the woodland at Just So Festival and try five different activities linked to the senses.