Awesome Snake Science

Download or read book Awesome Snake Science! written by Cindy Blobaum and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2012-07-01 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From cobras and copperheads to pythons and boas, all types of snakes are covered in this book of 40 science experiments, art projects, and games that help budding herpetologists gain a greater appreciation for these slithering reptiles. Activities include making foldable fangs to learn how snakes' teeth and jaws work together; simulating cytotoxic snake venom while making a tasty snack using an everyday enzyme found in pineapple; and mimicking the sound a rattlesnake makes using a rubber band, a paper clip, and an envelope. Engaging, simple, and safe experiments teach kids about the biology of snakes, such as how they use their tongues and nostrils to detect smells, how they are cold-blooded and sensitive to subtle changes in temperature, and how they can detect the slightest vibrations or tremors. Kids do not need a snake for any of the activities and will delight in all the strange snake facts and gross-out projects such as Snake Stink—where they create their own signature stink and test how well it repels potential predators. Did you know... Snakes do not need to be coiled to strike; they can strike from any position, even underwater! Cobras and coachwhips are two of the few snakes that can move in a straight line forward while keeping their upper body raised off the ground Snake venom can actually help humans too: blood pressure medicine was developed from the venom of a Brazilian pit viper, and over 60 other treatments have been created from snake venoms

Download or read book Secrets of Snakes written by David A. Steen and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2019-09-23 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner, 2020 National Outdoor Book Award, Nature and the Environment Snakes inspire extreme reactions. Love or hate these limbless reptiles, almost everyone is fascinated by them. Although snakes are widespread and frequently encountered, they may be more misunderstood than any other group of animals. From giant rattlesnakes to mating dances, there are dozens of myths and misconceptions about snakes. In Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths, wildlife biologist David Steen tackles the most frequently asked questions and clears up prevailing myths. In a conversational style with a bit of humor, Steen presents the relevant biology and natural history of snakes, making the latest scientific research accessible to a general audience. When addressing myths about snakes, he explains how researchers use the scientific method to explain which parts of the myth are biologically plausible and which are not. Steen also takes a close look at conventional wisdom and common advice about snakes. For example, people are told they can distinguish coralsnakes from non-venomous mimics by remembering the rhyme, “red on black, friend of Jack, red on yellow, kill a fellow,” but this tip is only relevant to coralsnakes and two mimics living in the southeastern United States, and it does not always work with other species or in other countries. Enhanced by more than 100 stunning color photographs and three original drawings, Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths encourages readers to learn about the snakes around them and introduces them to how scientists use the scientific method and critical thinking to learn about the natural world. Number Sixty-one: W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series

Download or read book Mean and Lowly Things written by Kate Jackson and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2010-05-01 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2005 Kate Jackson ventured into the remote swamp forests of the northern Congo to collect reptiles and amphibians. Her camping equipment was rudimentary, her knowledge of Congolese customs even more so. She knew how to string a net and set a pitfall trap, but she never imagined the physical and cultural difficulties that awaited her. Culled from the mud-spattered pages of her journals, Mean and Lowly Things reads like a fast-paced adventure story. It is JacksonÕs unvarnished account of her research on the front lines of the global biodiversity crisisÑcoping with interminable delays in obtaining permits, learning to outrun advancing army ants, subsisting on a diet of Spam and manioc, and ultimately falling in love with the strangely beautiful flooded forest. The reptile fauna of the Republic of Congo was all but undescribed, and JacksonÕs mission was to carry out the most basic study of the amphibians and reptiles of the swamp forest: to create a simple list of the species that exist thereÑa crucial first step toward efforts to protect them. When the snakes evaded her carefully set traps, Jackson enlisted people from the villages to bring her specimens. She trained her guide to tag frogs and skinks and to fix them in formalin. As her expensive camera rusted and her Western soap melted, Jackson learned what it took to swim with the snakesÑand that thereÕs a right way and a wrong way to get a baby cobra out of a bottle.

Download or read book Snake Oil Science written by R. Barker Bausell PhD and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-07-31 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Millions of people worldwide swear by such therapies as acupuncture, herbal cures, and homeopathic remedies. Indeed, complementary and alternative medicine is embraced by a broad spectrum of society, from ordinary people, to scientists and physicians, to celebrities such as Prince Charles and Oprah Winfrey. In the tradition of Michael Shermers Why People Believe Weird Things and Robert Parks's Voodoo Science, Barker Bausell provides an engaging look at the scientific evidence for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and at the logical, psychological, and physiological pitfalls that lead otherwise intelligent people--including researchers, physicians, and therapists--to endorse these cures. The books ultimate goal is to reveal not whether these therapies work--as Bausell explains, most do work, although weakly and temporarily--but whether they work for the reasons their proponents believe. Indeed, as Bausell reveals, it is the placebo effect that accounts for most of the positive results. He explores this remarkable phenomenon--the biological and chemical evidence for the placebo effect, how it works in the body, and why research on any therapy that does not factor in the placebo effect will inevitably produce false results. By contrast, as Bausell shows in an impressive survey of research from high-quality scientific journals and systematic reviews, studies employing credible placebo controls do not indicate positive effects for CAM therapies over and above those attributable to random chance. Here is not only an entertaining critique of the strangely zealous world of CAM belief and practice, but it also a first-rate introduction to how to correctly interpret scientific research of any sort. Readers will come away with a solid understanding of good vs. bad research practice and a healthy skepticism of claims about the latest miracle cure, be it St. John's Wort for depression or acupuncture for chronic pain.

Download or read book Creepy But Cool Snakes written by Julie K. Lundgren and published by Creepy But Cool. This book was released on 2021-07 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Venomous fangs, smelling with their tongues, squeezing to death...Colorful photos and descriptive text help explain the body parts, characteristics, and behaviors that make some snakes special--and creepy. Amazing photos and simple text make this book a great high-interest read.

Download or read book From Egg to Snake written by Suzanne Slade and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Follows the life cycle of a snake.

Download or read book The Boomslang Snake written by Alicia Z. Klepeis and published by Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2017-07-15 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The boomslang snake is shy and not aggressive, but one bite from this highly venomous creature leads to a horrible death. This books describes how the poison affects its victims, where this large snake lives, how it hunts and hides, and why it wasn’t considered dangerous to humans until one unfortunate incident.