MSU ST - Ask Science Theatre

From the fall of 1991 until the spring of 1998, Science Theatre wrote a weekly article for the Lansing State Journal called Ask Science Theatre. Science Theatre volunteers answered questions from students, teachers, and the newspaper's readership on any topic related to science. The feature was used in classrooms around the state. The following is an archive of many of the articles published in the Lansing State Journal. If you have a question for Science Theatre or would like more information on an article that you have seen please contact us.

Ask Science Theatre Archive: Index by Date

1998

4/08/98 - Why does ice float?
3/25/98 - Why do potholes form?
3/11/98 - Why are planets round?
2/18/98 - Why do bears hibernate?
2/11/98 - What are CAT scans and how are they used?
1/28/98 - Why are there rainbows?
1/21/98 - How did Saturn get its rings?
1/14/98 - What is a falling star?

1997

12/31/97 - How is an earthquake measured?
12/10/97 - Is diabetes hereditary?
11/26/97 - What are the Northern Lights?
11/19/97 - How do scientists think the universe began?
11/12/97 - Why does the wind blow?
10/29/97 - Why do bats fly at night?
10/22/97 - How do tube worms on the bottom of the ocean live without light?
10/15/97 - Is everyone in the world related?
10/8/97 - How do snowflakes form?
9/24/97 - What makes gravity?
9/17/97 - Why is space black?
8/27/97 - How does the moon cause the tides in the ocean?
8/20/97 - What is a fossil and how is it preserved?
8/13/97 - What creates a tornado?
7/30/97 - How do bees make honey?
7/23/97 - What are killer bees?
7/16/97 - How does a spider web work?
7/9/97 - What are Black Widows?
6/25/97 - Where does the energy in lightning come from?
6/18/97 - If there are black holes in the universe that even light can't escape from how can scientists prove they exist?
6/11/97 - Why do mosquitoes bite people?
5/28/97 - What is solar energy and how can it be used?
5/21/97 - Why do boomerangs return?
5/14/97 - What is Murphy's Law?
4/30/97 - Is there any practical reason for the existence of flies?
4/16/97 - Why shouldn't pregnant women clean the cat litter box?
3/26/97 - How did the dinosaurs become extinct?
3/19/97 - How does a Thermos keep things hot?
3/12/97 - Why is 72 degrees Fahrenheit the most comfortable temperature for us?
2/19/97 - How can horses sleep while standing up?
2/12/97 - Why do onions make you cry?
1/29/97 - How do fluorocarbons destroy the ozone composing the ozone layer?
1/22/97 - What are Spandex, denim, satin, and polyester made of?
1/15/97 - What is soil made of and how does it help trees, flowers, and plants?
1/8/97 - Can genetic engineers do what was done in "Jurassic Park"?

1996

12/25/96 - How big can bacteria be?
12/18/96 - How does a local anesthetic numb the area without damaging the nerves?
12/11/96 - How can creatures without eyes know where they want to be?
11/27/96 - How do the police figure out blood alcohol?
11/20/96 - Why do stars appear in the night and not in the morning?
11/13/96 - How hot is the sun?
10/16/96 - What does the octane rating of gasoline mean?
9/25/96 - How does a match work?
9/18/96 - What is global warming?
8/26/96 - How does a gas pump automatically shut off when the gas tank is full?
8/14/96 - Why are plants green?
7/31/96 - What happens to paint when it dries?
7/17/96 - How do fireworks work?
6/26/96 - Is it really better to wear white clothing in the summer?
5/22/96 - Why is the sky blue and the clouds white?
5/15/96 - Why do days get longer in the summer?
5/8/96 - What is a calorie?
4/24/96 - Why does heat rise?
4/17/96 - How do mirrors work?
4/10/96 - Why does a train whistle change pitch as it passes?
3/27/96 - With all the new color copiers around, why can't counterfeiters just make copies of the money?
3/20/96 - Why is the sky blue?
3/13/96 - How do fiber optic cables work?
2/21/96 - Why is the sky blue?
2/14/96 - How is the speed of light measured?
1/31/96 - Why do we need to breathe oxygen?
1/17/96 - What causes the earth's magnetic field?

1995

12/27/95- Can scientists build dinosaurs like they did in "Jurassic Park"?
12/20/95- Why do we hiccup?
11/29/95- What makes the stealth bomber undetectable?
11/22/95- Why do astronauts seem weightless in orbit?
11/15/95- How does a microwave oven work?
11/08/95- How does a CD player work?
10/18/95- Why do we lose our tans in winter?
10/11/95- How was the sun formed?
9/27/95- What is DNA testing and how does it work?
9/20/95- Are stars really different colors?
9/13/95- Is everyone in the world related?
8/30/95- If fat and sugar are bad for you why have we evolved liking them so much?
8/16/95- What is hard water and why doesn't soap dissolve in it very well?
8/09/95- How does toothpaste prevent tooth decay?
7/26/95- How does chemotherapy fight cancer?
7/19/95- How does a virus cause disease?
7/12/95- What causes acid rain?
6/28/95- How can they tell how many calories are in different foods?
6/21/95- If the Earth is spinning and in orbit, why don't we feel it in our everyday life?
6/14/95- How does evolution work?
5/31/95- What is a gene?
5/24/95-Why do worms grow back after you cut them in two?
5/17/95- What is a computer virus?
5/10/95 - Where does helium come from?
5/03/95- Why is the sky blue?
4/26/95- What foods won't cause health problems?
4/19/95- Why did the dinosaurs die?
4/12/95- Why is there dew on the grass in the morning?
3/29/95- Why do the days seem longer now?
3/22/95-Why does salt dissolve in water and not in gasoline?
3/15/95- How do instant hot and cold packs work?
3/08/95- What is dirt made out of?
2/22/95- How can scientists "cut" and "paste" DNA?
2/15/95-Why does human hair only grow in as black, brown, red, blond or gray?
2/8/95 - How does blood clot when there are no cuts on the skin?
2/1/95 - How does salt keep the road from getting icy?
1/25/95 - How can a liquid, like paint, dry into a solid?
1/11/95 - Why does it get cold in the winter?

1994

12/21/94- When a ball is dropped in a moving car, why does it not fall the the back of the car?
12/14/94- How do planets stay in place? Why doesn't gravity pull them into the sun?
11/30/94- How does penicillin fight disease?
11/16/94- What causes the swively lines above a fire or heater?
11/9/94- What causes someone to have an allergic reaction?
10/26/94- How do antacids reduce indigestion?
10/12/94- Why does ice float?
10/5/94- Are bacteria really everywhere?
9/28/94- How do they make liquid nitrogen?
9/21/94- Why do my plants need so much water?
9/14/94- What is toxic waste?
8/31/94- How does carbon dioxide cause global warming?
8/24/94- How do hot air balloons float?
8/10/94- Why does water bead up better on a well waxed car?
8/3/94- How can scientists determine the age of artifacts?
7/27/94- How do local anesthetics work?
7/20/94- How do crystals form in rocks?
7/13/94- Is diabetes hereditary?
7/6/94- How does lightning cause thunder?
6/29/94- What is lightning made of?
6/22/94- What do nitrates and nitrites have to do with preserving food?
6/15/94- What is a heart bypass?
6/8/94- How does aspirin relieve pain?
6/1/94- Why are some elements radioactive?
5/18/94- Is matter mostly substance of space?
5/11/94 - Why are the days longer now?
5/4/94 - Why are different things different colors?
4/13/94 - If liquid nitrogen is so cold, why does it boil?
4/06/94 - Why does water expand when it freezes?
3/30/94 - Where does the fizz in soda pop come from?
3/16/94 - What statistics should I know to make sense of science type news?
3/9/94 - Can genetic diseases be cured?
3/2/94 - What are genetic diseases and what causes them?
2/23/94 - Why does touching halogen bulbs shorten their life?
2/16/94 - Why is it that every time I get out of my car I get shocked?
2/9/94 - What is static electricity?
2/2/94 - Why do bears hibernate?
1/5/94 - How do biological rhythms affect our lives?

1993

12/29/93- Do people have biorhythms?
12/22/93- How do birds stand the cold when they don't fly south for the winter?
12/8/93- How does electricity work?
12/1/93- How long does it take your heart to circulate the total amount of blood in your body?
11/24/93- How can scientists know how old an archaeological site is?
11/17/93- How can DNA be so long if a cell is so small?
10/27/93- What elements are essential for life?
10/20/93- How do we know the sun's mass?
10/13/93- How hot is the sun, and how can we tell?
10/6/93- How can we know how far away the sun is?
9/22/93- What is chromatography and what is it used for?
9/15/93- Why does photosynthesis occur?
9/8/93- Do all animals have brains?
9/1/93- Where does rubber come from?
8/25/93- Why is helium sometimes put into scuba tanks?
8/18/93- Why do instructions for cooking at high altitudes require either higher temperatures or longer cooking times?
8/11/93- How is paper recycled?
8/4/93- If molecules are too small to see, then how do scientists tell different chemicals apart?
7/28/93 - What is faster the speed of light or the speed of sound?
7/21/93- Why do penguins only live in the south polar region and not the north?
7/14/93- How do we become tan as a result of being in the sun?
7/7/93- How do chlorofluorocarbons destroy the ozone?
6/30/93 - How and why does osmosis occur?
6/23/93 - How long will it take before we have thinking computers?
6/16/93 - What kinds of math do scientists use?
6/9/93 - Why is a catalyst important?
6/2/93 - What's the difference between genes and DNA?
5/26/93 - How does salt get into sea water?
5/12/93 - How do they make liquid oxygen?
5/5/93 - How do magnets work?
4/28/93 - How does a photocopy machine work?
4/21/93 - What are Spandex, denim, satin, and polyester made of?
4/14/93 - Why does a curve ball curve?
4/7/93 - Why don't birds get shocked when they sit on high voltage lines?
3/31/93 - What is the difference between hard and soft water?
3/24/93- When I look at my shadow in the winter, why does it look blue?
3/17/93 - If I float an ice cube in a glass of water filled to the brim will the water overflow when the ice melts?
3/10/93 - What are cosmic rays?
3/3/93 - How does a microphone work?
2/24/93 - Who invented the first car engine?
2/17/93 - What are the effects of acid rain?
2/10/93- How is metal made
2/3/93 - How do you make batteries and how do they work?
1/22/93 - Who discovered most of the elements on the periodic table?
1/13/93 - Why do old fashioned bicycles have a huge front wheel?
1/6/93 - How can ducks swim in freezing cold water?

1992

12/30/92 - How many slides does a snowflake have?
12/23/92 - Why are Christmas trees shaped like cones?
12/16/92 - How can a document be sent over wires in a fax machine?
12/9/92 - What is twilight?
12/2/92 - How are the rings formed on a tree trunk?
11/25/92 - Do bugs really have a thousand eyes?
11/18/92 - Why is it when you touch really cold metal your skin gets stuck?
11/11/92 - If you shake up a can of soda pop and then open it, why does it explode?
11/4/92 - Why do we have months?
10/28/92 - How is the speed of light measured?
10/21/92 - What is antimatter?
10/14/92 - What is twilight?
10/7/92 - How is soda pop carbonated?
9/30/92 - How do tornadoes start?
9/23/92 - If a hole could be dug from one side of the Earth to the other, what would happen to a ball that was dropped in?
9/16/92 - How long is a year on Pluto?
9/9/92 - Since we are quickly running out of fossil fuels, are electric cars going to be the cars of the future?
9/2/92 - Why do your ears pop in airplanes?
8/26/92 - Are there any ideas on how the polar ice caps of Mars could be used to provide oxygen and water to future colonies?
8/19/92 - What is quantum physics and how is it used?
8/12/92 - Why is it easier to walk on wet sand than dry sand?
8/5/92 - Why do shooting stars have glowing tails?
7/29/92 - What makes a rainbow?
7/22/92 - How many different ways can nuclear power by used?
7/15/92 - Was Columbus the first person to say the Earth is round?
7/8/92 - Is there any surgery to cure myopia?
7/1/92 - When a fire burns out, where does it go?
6/24/92 - What is the cause of the Northern Lights?
6/17/92 - How does a lightbulb work?
6/10/92 - Do we have evidence for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?
6/3/92 - Why do stars shine?
5/27/92 - Why does inhaling helium cause you to talk funny?
5/20/92 - Why does metal always feel colder than wood?
5/13/92 - Why do the leaves turn colors in the fall?
5/6/92 - Do bathtubs in Australia drain in the opposite direction of bathtubs in America?
4/29/92 - Why does the Earth spin in the air without falling?
4/22/92 - Why is it when you siphon out a tonk the liquid keeps flowing?
4/15/92 - How does a lava lamp work?
4/8/92 - Why is grass green?
4/1/92 - Why is the snow white?
3/25/92 - Which freezes first, hot or cold water?
3/18/92 - Why, if water is cooler as you go down in a pond, does the top freeze first?
3/11/92 - Why do things float?
3/4/92 - Why does salt melt ice?
2/26/92 - How are black and white films colorized?
2/19/92 - What is the continental drift?
2/12/92 - What is a quark?
2/5/92 - What is a cyclotron?
1/29/92 - What is absolute zero?
1/22/92 - What is a light year?
1/15/92 - Why is the Sky Blue?
1/8/92 - Why is electricity so dangerous?
1/1/92 - Why do things glow when they get hot?

1991

12/25/91 - How does a gas pump automatically shut off when the gas tank is full?
12/18/91 - What are 'high Tc superconductors' and how will they be used?
12/11/91 - What makes nuclear fusion possible?
12/4/91 - Why do instructions for cooking at high altitudes require either higher temperatures or longer cooking times?
11/27/91 - How does a compact Disc player work and why are they better than record players?
11/20/91 - Why can you skate on ice and not on other substances?
11/13/91 - When I hard-boil eggs, they always have flat ends, or the shells crack and I get egg-white streamers. What am I doing wrong?
11/6/91 - Why does it get cold in the winter?