Whizz Pop Bang Science Magazine for Kids! Issue 92: DARING DETECTIVES

Page 1

E X T R AC T Y S T R AW B E R R DNA

Craft a climbing cat burglar

soTlhe science ofes ving mysteri Crack the case of the missing cookies!

Make a fake treasure map

ISSN 2399 -2840

THE AWESOME SCIENCE MAGAZINE FOR KIDS!

Take yo famil ur y´s finge rprin ts

Whose shoes made these? WHIZZPOPBANG.COM ISSUE 92

EXPERIMENTS PUZZLES AMAZING FACTS SCIENCE NEWS


WELCOME!

Get ready to puzzle and ponder, because this issue is all about how crimes are solved. Riley WHIZZ POP BANG is made by:

Who, when, where, how? Det ectives use science to answer all these trick y ques tions when crimes are commit ted. Have a go at ex amining the evide nc e and solving a case yourse lf in ‘T he myst ery of the stole n cook ies’ on page 6. You can also ex tract the DNA from st rawberrie s, fake your own ancie nt tr and craft a climbing cat burg easure map lar!

Editor-in-Chief: Jenny Inglis Editor: Tammy Osborne Assistant Editor: Tara Pardo Designers: Rachael Fisher and Simon Oliver Illustrator: Clive Goodyer Staff writer: Joanna Tubbs Contributors: Sarah Bearchell, Anna Claybourne, Joe Inglis, Owen Inglis and Kirsty Williams

EXPERT SCIENCE ADVISERS

As well as our writers, we also have a team of science advisers who help to ensure that our content is accurate, up-to-date and relevant. Our advisers include: palaeontologist Steve Brusatte; molecular microbiologist Matt Hutchings; robotics engineer Abbie Hutty; mechanical engineer Amiee Morgans; GP Dr Cathy Scott; astronomer Mark Thompson; physicist Dr Jess Wade; child psychologist Dr Naira Wilson. To find out more, go to whizzpopbang.com/about

I’ve created my own fingerprint record! Where you see this symbol, use a QR code reader on a phone or tablet to visit a relevant web page.

Emmi

whizzpopbang.com facebook.com/whizzpopbangmag twitter.com/whizzpopbangmag pinterest.com/whizzpopbangmag instagram.com/whizzpopbangmag

THE AWESOME SCIEN

Make a constellation torch!

journ eys to school

SUBSCRIBE!

CE MAGAZINE KY FOR

Test a paper plane with a launcher

10 amazing

KIDS!

SPOO CREATEGHT-UP S LI TION DECORA

GOING

space Gaze into outer How transport helps

Craft your own travel bag

ia n t b ri llg er s! bad

KIDS!

ISSN 239 9-28 40

hello@whizzpopbang.com

E FOR

GAZIN

CE MA

SCIEN

BU WIND- ILD A POW CAR ERED

us get around

Cut out a star map Peek inside a telescope E 87 OM ISSU PBANG.C WHIZZPO

EX PE RIM

ZZL ES EN TS PU

EXPER IMENT S PUZZL

AM AZ IN

G FA CT

S SCI EN

Disc over o tran sp of th ort futu e re!

thWS e ec CE NE

WHIZZPOPBANG.CO M ISSUE 85

ES AMAZ ING FACTS

SCIEN CE NEWS

WHIZZ POP BANG is only available by subscription. If you haven’t subscribed yet, simply go to whizzpopbang.com and sign up for as little as £3.99 per magazine, including UK delivery. Back issues are available to purchase at whizzpopbang.com/shop With the help of Whizz Pop Bang magazine, just imagine what your child might one day discover!

GROWN-UPS

EDUCATORS

Welcome to WHIZZ POP BANG – the magazine bursting with enticing articles, mind-boggling facts and hands-on experiments to get your child hooked on science! Whizz Pop Bang is a gender-neutral magazine with plenty of inspirational male and female scientists and content that appeals to all children.

The magazine is ideal for home educators and it’s linked to the national curriculum too, for use in schools. Whizz Pop Bang will help with literacy development as well. Transform science teaching in your school with our hands-on science and reading resources. Our downloadable lesson packs link fun science experiments and reading with key curriculum topics for years 2-6. Subscribe at whizzpopbang.com/schools

!

All experiments have been tried and tested by our team. The activities should be done under close adult supervision and are done at your own risk. Launchpad Publishing Ltd cannot accept liability for damage done.

Indicates content linked to the National Curriculum

Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC suppliers www.magprint.co.uk

© 2023 Launchpad Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents of WHIZZ POP BANG without written permission is prohibited. Illustrations: © 2023 Clive Goodyer

R

ESOME

THE AW

©

GET IN TOUCH

ISSN 2399-2840

Gakk


CONTENTS

AWESOME NEWS AND AMAZING FACTS

4

Shape-shifting robots, colliding galaxies and a sea creature that can grow a new bottom!

THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN COOKIES

6

Make a fake treasure map and extract strawberry DNA as you solve this crummy conundrum!

ANIMAL ANTICS

Discover raccoons – the sneaky creatures who have been known to commit crimes!

12 ©

N AS A

SILLY SCIENCE

Turn plastic packaging into a cute and fluffy Easter gift!

PULLOUT

17

Craft a climbing cat burglar and take your family’s fingerprints.

Atom

INTERVIEW WITH A SCIENCE HERO Meet pet detective Colin Butcher and the animals that help in his missions.

Discover the many things that make money difficult to copy.

TEN AWESOMELY AMAZING…

r be Ro

t

famous forgeries and hoaxes – including flying penguins, a spaghetti tree and a creepy merman!

ak er

/W

ikim edia Co m m on s

30

28

SENSATIONAL SCIENTISTS

Frances Glessner Lee built dolls’ house-sized crime scenes that can help solve mysteries.

Y’S WONDER CLUB

Ask our robot, Y, your burning science questions and share all of your adventures in science with the club.

I’d love to see pictures of your experiments! Send them to 32 Y@whizzpopbang.com and ask an adult to tag us on social media 34 @whizzpopbangmag

35

26

© Shutterstock.com

u ri eS haull

© Co us eB

HOW STUFF WORKS

on mm

24

o ia C / Wikimed

22

16

La

ut

EMMI’S ECO CLUB

©

st oc

te r

©

Sh

Match the mystery shoe to its footprint to reveal a secret message.

s

k.c om

14

QUIZ POP BANG AND COMPETITION

Test your knowledge with our super-duper science quiz and win a magnetic alarm kit!

JOKES AND ANSWERS

Laugh out loud at some awesome jokes and find the answers to all of our quizzes, puzzles and riddles.

SPECTACULAR SCIENCE

Take a closer look at a diatom – a type of single-celled algae that can help solve crimes!

FIND THE SCIENCE EQUIPMENT Hidden on each double page is a piece of science equipment. Tick each one to find the complete kit!


s Awesome New cts and Amazing Fa FLAMING COSMIC NARWHAL Galaxy clusters are some of the biggest objects in the universe

SEA SPIDERS GROW NEW BOTTOMS! Scientists in Germany have made a surprising discovery: sea spiders are able to regrow their whole bottoms if they get broken off. It was already known that many arthropods (invertebrates with an exoskeleton) can regenerate lost limbs. But in a new study, young sea spiders were found to regrow their whole bottoms, including their reproductive organs, muscles and anus. And even those that didn’t survived by pooing through their mouths (yuck!). Humans and other mammals can only regenerate their skin and livers, but research like this could one day lead to treatments that could help humans re-grow lost limbs.

© NASA

e rs s

te a l e r

rth ro po d s d

ly istant

© Er i c A

. L az

o -W

m ase

/W

iki

m

ed

on

m

ne a

om

ari

d

ar

em

to

rs

s pid

pide

4 whizzpopbang.com

Sea s

This stunning image shows hundreds – or perhaps even thousands – of galaxies smashing together. This ginormous galaxy cluster, called Abell 2256, was captured by six of the world’s most powerful telescopes. The images were then put together to form this picture, which astronomers have called the ‘flaming cosmic narwhal’ because of the jets of particles that look like a narwhal’s tusk and the glowing radio waves that look like flames. This ongoing collision is taking place 780 million light-years from Earth.

ia

C


© Shutterstock.com

SHAPE-SHIFTING

ROBOT

Engineers have made a tiny metal robot that can escape from a cage by melting through the bars! The 1-mm-robot was made by embedding magnetic particles in gallium, a metal with a very low melting point. Traditional robots are hard and stiff, whereas robots made from soft materials are flexible but weak. “Giving robots the ability to switch between liquid and solid states endows them with more functionality,” explained Chengfeng Pan, the engineer who led the study. The robot has even been used to deliver medicines to a model stomach. © Wang and Pan et al.

CALLING ALL CREATIVE KIDS! Do you like robots? Then check out these robot-tastic competitions for primary school children! Kids aged 5-7 are invited to unleash their creativity and draw a robot they’d like to see in the future, using whichever drawing materials they prefer. The robot can be designed to perform any task or job. Older kids aged 7-11 are being asked to fire up their imagination and write a short story about robots, with believable characters and a compelling plot. You could win some awesome prizes, from robotics kits and books to a tour of a robotics lab and a robotics masterclass!

FURRY FRIENDS

You know how good playing football or running around with friends makes you feel? Well, now vets have found that anxious dogs also benefit from exercising with friends. The researchers, from Tufts University in Massachusetts and the Centre for Canine Behaviour Studies in Connecticut, USA, studied 1,308 dogs suffering from fearful or anxious behaviour. They found that dogs that took part in social exercise became less nervous. The researchers think it’s not just the physical benefits of exercise that helped the dogs – spending time with friends also made them feel better.

Fi nd ou t m or e he re : bi t.l y/ 3R BU yT h En tr ie s m us t be up lo ad ed by th e 23 rd of Ap ril 20 23 .

© Shutterstock.com © Shutterstock.com


TRACKING THE TRACES

Forensic scientists, who find and study clues to help solve crimes, have a saying: every contact leaves a trace! That means that whoever took the cookies will have left traces behind – such as fingerprints, footprints or hair. All our detectives have to do is find the clues and use forensic science to solve the crime!

na An By

STE P 1: CRI ME SCENE HQ

C

la yb ou rne

Oh no! Emmi and Riley wanted a snack from the cookie jar. Riley baked a fresh batch this morning, so there were plenty in there, BUT…

WHAT????

First, let’s set up an evidence wall of photos, maps and everything we know about the case all in one place. Doing this helps detectives to make connections and figure things out. © Shutterstock.com

It’s EMPT Y!!!

ene

The crime sc

Location m

ap

SUSPECTS:

Someone’s snaffled the lot!

This is a case for science detective Emmi!

NCE:

KEY EVIDE

ts

Fingerprin

e

Fabric fibr No hairs

You sometimes

And forensic officer Riley!

And Atom the sniffer dog! Woof !

Footprints

see these in cartoons and TV shows, but real-life detectives use them too! Forensic scientists wear special outfits and gloves to make sure they don’t mix in any evidence from their own clothes and bodies!


l e

es!

STEP 2: CLUE-COLLECTING WKhono’sckthkneroce?k!

DUSTING FOR FINGERPRINTS

What kinds of clues do forensic scientists collect – and can we find any of them here?

Courtney Courtney who? Courtney criminals re cently?

F ingerprints

When we touch smooth surfaces, our fingers leave faint oil or sweat prints. To lift (collect) them, you dust them with powder, press tape over them, then peel it off and stick it to a card. Each person has their own unique fingerprints, so they can identify a suspect.

I've found three prints on the cookie jar!

Lift your own fingerp

Yo u will need Cocoa powder Clear sticky tape White paper

Each finger has its own unique fingerprint pattern.

What you do 1. First, press your finger onto a smooth, hard, pale surface, such as a white plate. If your hands are very clean or dry, use some hand lotion first.

Everyone has fingerprints

2. Sprinkle a little cocoa powder over the print. 3. Gently blow the excess powder away, leaving just the powder stuck to the print.

Answer on page 34

Clothing fibres

ade Clothes are mostly m , of tiny fabric fibres which can break off. ime Fibres found at a cr at scene could match wh ing. a suspect was wear

Hairs

Most of us shed several hairs every day – so criminals often leave a hair or two at a crime scene.

Footprints

Footprints can be very useful – they might match a suspect’s shoes or contain mud that shows where the culprit (the person who committed the crime) has been. They sometimes leave a trail too.

rints!

4. Carefully press a piece of tape over it, then peel it off.

Ooh! A light blue fibre!

5. Press the tape onto some paper.

The evidence!

Hmmm, no hairs here at all! Is our cookie culprit bald??? Or were they wearing a hat?

Now try collecting other fingerprints left on everyday objects. You could see if they match Whatever you can find! the ID cards from the Anything left at the crime scene pullout (page 17)! could turn out to be a useful clue.

A dropped crumb!

How many fingerprints can you find in this scene? Check your answer on page 34.

whizzpopbang.com 7


STEP 3: STUDYING THE EVIDENCE

Now to find out what our clues might reveal! F ingerprints

Forensic scientists enlarge fingerprints and compare them to the fingerprints of suspects. They look for patterns and features, like these:

Arch

Whorl

Arch

Clothing fibres

Looking at clothing fibres under a microscope can show unique details of how they are made – helping to match them exactly to items of clothing.

If someone’s fingerprints match these, we know they had their hand on the cookie jar! Loop

But that’s not enough evidence because lots of people could have touched the jar. We need something more!

This fibre is made from blue and white strands twisted together.

Footprints

Close-u

k. co m

p c l ot h e If you ha s ve (or ca n borrow strong m )a agnifyin g glass o microsco r a pe, try u sing it to a close-u have p look a t your clo thes.

© Sh

e utt

rst

oc

Shoes have different tread patterns, so forensic scientists can often match a footprint to a particular shoe brand and model from a database.

The culprit’s shoes should look something like this!


MORE ME T HODS

MAKE A FAKE!

What’s a gorilla’s favourite cookie? Chocolate chimp!

These aren’t the only clues detectives can use. Depending on the type of crime and the evidence they find, there are other methods too…

Make your own fake ancient map! (Just don’t let any forensic scientists se e it…)

Munch marks

A bite mark can sometimes be used to match a crime scene to a criminal. However, it doesn’t always help, as most people’s bites are quite similar. It works best for people with unusual or missing teeth.

Yo u will need Paper 2 teabags A mug A baking tray or roasting dish Pencil Black pen

Which bite is which?

What you do

Try asking your friends or family to take bites out of cheese slices or sandwiches, then see if you can match each person to their bite!

1. Ask an adult to pour boiling water over the two teabags in a mug, and leave for 20 minutes to cool down. 2. While you’re waiting, rip the edges off a sheet of paper.

Did you know?

In 1954, a burglar was found guilty of raiding a grocery shop after he left a big bite mark in a lump of cheese, and police matched it to his mouth!

3. Place the paper in the tray and pour the tea over it. 4. Carefully turn the paper over, then leave it to soak for a few minutes.

I smell cookies!

5. Gently remove the paper and leave it to dry.

Dog detectives

Ink and paper

Looking closely at ink and paper can help to solve forgeries, where someone makes a fake book or map and pretends it’s much older (and more valuable!) than it really is. For example, a famous fake called the V inland Map was said to be from the 1400s – but a forensic expert found an ingredient in the ink that didn’t exist until the 1920s!

Sniffer dogs can sometimes help to find missing people or objects by their smell. That’s because dogs have many more smell-detecting cells in their noses than humans do – in fact they’re thousands of times better at smelling than we are!

s

s/ Wikimedia Common

© Yale University Pres

6. Crumple up the paper then flatten it out again. 7. Now draw your map, first in faint pencil, then in black ink. Make coasts and islands wonky and wiggly

Add little mountains, rivers and old-fashioned writing

And dragons and sea monsters!

whizzpopbang.com 9


DNA EVIDENCE

Hairs are especially useful, as they contain cells with DNA inside, which can be matched to a suspect’s DNA. But there were no hairs at this crime scene! Can we find DNA anywhere else?

Yes! We’ve found

What is DNA?

a speck of the hungry thief ’s saliva on that clue-tastic cookie crumb that Atom found! Let’s test the D N A !

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid (say dee-ok-see-ry-bow-nyoo-klay-ic-a-sid), is a string-shaped chemical found inside the cells of living things. It contains patterns that act as instructions for how a living thing grows and works. Each individual has their own unique patterns, so DNA can be used to identify people too. DNA can be extracted from cells in hair, skin, saliva, blood and other body parts.

DNA is found inside the cells of living things.

DNA testing

In a forensics lab, scientists extract DNA from hairs or other evidence and cut it into pieces. They then use electricity to move the pieces through a special gel. This separates them, forming a pattern that looks a bit like a barcode and is different for each person.

The pattern for a particular person is called their DNA

t Elec

Gel electrophoresis

e rod

fingerprint

DNA sample goes in here

E

e rod t c le

D NO

MATCH THE DNA Here’s a DNA fingerprint from a crime scene, along with DNA taken from three suspects. Which one matches the crime scene DNA? Check your answer on page 34.

10 whizzpopbang.com

Crime scene DNA

Suspect 1 Suspect 2 Suspect 3


EXTRACT STRAWBERRY DNA

Cookie crumb clue!

So what did we find out from the DNA on our cookie crumb?

I’ve checked the results – and I’ve found something amazing! This DNA is NOT human!!!

Have a go at extract ing DNA yourself – from a str awberry!

Yo u will need

3 large strawberries Plastic food bag 2 glasses Washing up liquid Salt Coffee filter or piece of kitchen towel Alcohol hand sanitiser

Don’t look at me!!!

S O, W H O ’S G U ILT Y ?

Can you guess? gh – but r clues might not be enou On their own, each of ou a convincing case! together, they add up to

What you do

1. Put the strawberries in the bag and squish them into a pulp with your hands. 2. Mix 2 teaspoons of washing up liquid and 1 teaspoon of salt into half a glass of water.

No sign of any hair…

3. Stir well, then add 5 teaspoons of this mixture to the strawberries, and squish again.

Prints from three fingers and a thumb A light blue fibre…

4. Put the coffee filter or kitchen towel over the other glass and pour in your strawberry mixture.

I think it’s a match! Gakk, the evidence all points to you! Are you the COOKIE CULPRIT?

DNA that is NOT human!

I confess to the crime! I was starving, and they were just TOO tasty. But, to make up for it, I’ve just baked some more! Here they are! Footprints that came from this kind of shoe

Phew! Case closed! And cookies coming up!

5. Hold the filter closed and squeeze out the juice into the glass. 6. Gently pour hand sanitiser down the side of the glass, adding the same amount as the amount of strawberry juice you have. 7. Look for a white cloudy substance in the glass. This is the DNA! You might even be able to lift some stringy DNA out with a wooden spoon handle.

whizzpopbang.com 11


Raccoons

AL ANIM S TIC

AN

Spyglass to the ground, our vet Joe Inglis is on the trail of these mischievous mammals to find out if they really are as smart – and troublesome – as people think…

Raccoons are small, furry mammals that are native to the forests of North America, but now also live in many other habitats, including towns and cities. There are also large populations of wild raccoons in parts of Europe and Japan, after they were introduced as pets during the last century.

Furry felons About the size of a large cat or small dog, raccoons are covered in thick grey fur, which helps to keep them warm in winter. The fur on their faces is white with a black stripe across the eyes, often called a ‘bandit mask’ because it looks like the kind of mask a burglar or highwayman might wear!

Night-time nibblers

© Shutterstock.com

Raccoons are well-adapted to hunt for food at night, with super-sensitive front paws, a strong sense of smell and keen eyesight in low light. They also have very powerful hearing and can even pick up the sounds of worms tunnelling along underground so they can dig them out for a tasty snack! As well as eating invertebrates like worms and insects, raccoons also eat small animals and fish, fruit, nuts and bird eggs.

12 whizzpopbang.com


Raccoons wash their food before eating it Answer on page 34

Why do raccoons raid bins? Because we love junk food!

aiding raccoons They don’t just look like bandits – raccoons are super-smart and use their brain power to help them on real burgling raids! They are known to open latches and simple locks on bins so they can steal the contents.

Caught in the act! All this urban burgling can get raccoons into trouble; one was ‘arrested’ in Florida after being found going through important papers in an estate agent’s office, and another had to be rescued after getting stuck inside a snack vending machine. Both were released back into the wild without being charged by the police!

Find the one instance of the word RACCOON in the grid. It might be written forwards, backwards, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Circle it and check your answer on page 34.

R

A

C

C

O

N

R

A

A

N

O

N

O

A

C

R

C

O

R

O

C

N

O

O

C

A

C

O

O

R

O

A

O

C

O

O

O

N

R

C

A

N

N

O

O

C

A

R

O

whizzpopbang.com 13


es straight to a Footprints can lead detectiv ole trail to follow! culprit even if there isn’t a wh tists can tell a lot That’s because forensic scien shoe print. about a person from a single

Whose shoes?

• They can tell what type of shoe it is by the pattern on • They can look at how soft the ground is and how the sole (its tread).

deep the print is to work out what the person weighs.

• The size of the shoe helps them to work out the likely • The sole of the shoe might have scratches or scuffs height of the person. on it, or one side might be more worn down.

shoes to their prints to These shoes have left footprints in the snow. Match the check them on page 34. finish the message. Write your answers in the spaces and

The _ _ _ _ _ _ are in the _5 _3 _7 _1 ! 4

1

6

1

5

2

s

2 1

j

w

l

14 whizzpopbang.com

3


a Investigators will take photos of a footprint and sometimes make a cast by pouring liquid plaster or resin into it. Once it has set, the cast can be picked up and taken away to be studied. They also take away soil samples to look at under a microscope. They can check any suspects’ shoes for traces of soil that match the crime scene.

Hmmm, this soil looks like clay and I can see some plant seeds in it.

f

6

4

5

e

7 1 ice found a There’s been a bank robbery! Pol the scene at footprint and some other clues ence to evid of the crime. Can you match the wer ans r any of these suspects? Check you on page 34.

SUS PEC T 1

2

SUS PEC T 2

3

SUS PEC T 3


b... clu O C E

Emmi’s

PLASTIC BAG

Turn old plastic bags or packaging into homemade Easter gifts!

BUNNIES

Yo u will need

, -2 thin plastic bags (e.g. mailing envelopes or clean 1 dry food packaging) Scissors 8 cm by 5 cm A piece of cardboard (e.g. a cereal box) measuring Thin string, yarn or thread Another scrap of cardboard Coloured pens or crayons Strong glue, a glue gun or double-sided tape

1

2

c

a

b

on it, turn it If your plastic bag has printing a table, then inside out. Smooth it out flat on a tube. Now cut off the bottom so it becomes in a parallel make a series of loops by cutting line, 1 cm above your first cut.

Lay two loops at right angles, with the vertical loop inside the horizontal one at point b.

d

5

4

3

d

a

d

c a Tuck the bottom of the vertical loop (d ) through the top of it (c).

16 whizzpopbang.com

Hold the free ends of each m loop (a and d) and pull the until tight. Now repeat steps 3-5 ur yo of all you have used up ce pie g loops and made one lon later of yarn. You can add more if you need more yarn.

Wrap the yarn around the length of the cardboard rectangle 20 times. Carefully slide the bundle of yarn off the cardboard and ask someone to help you tie a piece of string tightly around its middle.

Continued on page 21 ➜


6

Cut the loops on each end and fluff it out into a pom pom shape. You’ll probably need to give it a trim! Now repeat steps 5 and 6, this time wrapping the yarn around the width of the cardboard rectangle to make a smaller pom pom. Glue or tape the pom poms together and leave to dry.

7

Cut out two ears, two eyes and a base with feet from the cardboard. You could add a tail, nose, whiskers and a mouth too – it’s up to you! Add details with coloured pens or pencils, then stick them in place.

I’d love to see your plastic bag bunny! Take a photo and ask an adult to tag us on social media @whizzpopbangmag and email it to Y@whizzpopbang.com

ECO

More

ideas...

Around 80 million Easter eggs are purchased in the UK each year, producing more than 8,000 tonnes of packaging! Help to reduce this waste by making a few Easter gifts like these pom pom bunnies or cooking up some homemade treats instead.

Continued from page 16

It’s up to us to save the planet. Lots of small actions can make a BIG difference! You could reuse Easter egg boxes to make features for other pom pom animals – why not try making a chick, a cat or a dragon?! The plastic bag yarn made in steps 1-4 can be used for finger knitting, knitting and crochet, too.

whizzpopbang.com 21


Riddles

Check your answers on page 34.

1. Police suspected a woman of smuggling. Every day, she was seen crossing the border on a motorbike carrying bags of sand. They stopped her and searched through the bags, but found only sand, so they let her go. But the woman was a smuggler – what was she smuggling across the border? 2. The night shift security guard at a museum calls the police and says there’s been a burglary. When they visit the museum, the police see broken glass on the ground outside, dirty footprints everywhere and there are precious artefacts missing. They arrest the guard. Why?

18 whizzpopbang.com

3. A diamond necklace was stolen from a jewellery shop. At the time of the raid, there were only four people in the store – Khalil, Amelia, Oliver and Nala. When police interrogated them, they gave the following statements. Amelia: “Khalil did it.” Oliver: “Amelia’s telling the truth.” Nala: “Oliver’s not lying.” Khalil:“Amelia did it.” After investigating, the police found out that only one person was telling the truth and the rest were lying. Can you work out who is the thief ?

What kind of shoes do cat burglars wear? Sneakers!


FINGERPRINT RECORD

PULL OUT pages 17-20 and get making!

Cut out the cards and collect fingerprints from your family and friends – and yourself. You can then use the cards to check against any fingerprints you find around the house!

Yo u will need A soft pencil Sticky tape Some plain paper

A magnifying glass The fingerprint cards below

What yo u do

Yo u should find

1. Cut out the fingerprint cards and write your name at the top of one of them.

The soft graphite in the pencil sticks to the unique pattern of ridges on your fingertips (called friction ridges). When you touch the sticky tape, the pattern is transferred to it. Look at page 8 to see some of the patterns you might find. Scientists use soft brushes and very fine powders to reveal fingerprints on surfaces. There are lots of different powders to choose from. Aluminium powder shows up well on lots of surfaces. Magnetic powder can enhance the details in a fingerprint. Fluorescent powder shows up well on multi-coloured backgrounds when an ultra-violet light is shined on it. Nanopowders have an extremely small particle size that can make old fingerprints clearer. Infrared powders are often used to enhance fingerprints found on banknotes.

2. Rub the pencil on the paper. 3. Press a finger onto the pencil markings and then onto the sticky side of some sticky tape. Peel the tape off your finger and stick it onto the fingerprint card in the correct place. 4. Repeat with the rest of the fingers on the same hand. 5. Get family or friends to record their fingerprints too!

whizzpopbang.com 17


A cat burglar has been on the prowl at the museum. Is anything missing in the second photo? Circle any differences you find and check them on page 34.

20 whizzpopbang.com


CLIMBING CAT BURGLAR! Yo u will need

String Scissors Sticky tape The climber A paper straw Two beads, larger than the opening of the straw TIP:

What yo u do

You will need to pull the strings outwards slightly.

1. Cut out the climbing cat burglar. (A ʼcat burglarʼ is a thief who climbs up a building to get in, just like a cat might!) 2. Cut two lengths of straw about 10 cm long. 3. Using sticky tape, attach the pieces of straw to the hands and feet of the climber, vertically. 4. Cut a piece of string about 1.5 metres long. 5. Thread each end of the string down through the pieces of straw, through a bead and then tie a knot to keep the bead in place. 6. Hook the loop of the string over a hook or door handle, then pull the ends of the string alternately to make the climber climb!

Yo u should find

Your cat burglar climbs up the strings! By angling the strings outwards, you create friction between the strings and the straws so that the climber doesn’t slip down. When you pull downwards on one string, that string becomes tauter and straighter, reducing the friction and allowing the string to slip down through the straw. Meanwhile, the friction on the other side of the string grips hold of the climber. Since this string is being pulled upwards, your cat burglar gets pulled up with it! Find a printable version of the pullout here: bit.ly/40p90Cj

whizzpopbang.com 19


Interview with a SCIENCE HERO

In my job I get to... info@thepetdetectives.com

© Colin Bu

tcher The

Pet Detect

ives Ltd

find missing pets

Colin and his detective dog use their skills (and some science) to solve animal crimes. If you have any questions of your own for Colin, you can contact him on:

Colin Butcher, S enior Investiga The Pet Detect ting Officer, ives

As a child, I lived in a Malaysian rainforest!

When I was young, I wanted to be a spy.

My grandmother worked at GCHQ (the UK government’s intelligence agency). I was interested in mysteries and books about crime investigations (like the Sherlock Holmes series). I challenged myself to solve complicated puzzles as quickly as I could.

The animals would come into our garden and at night, I could hear tigers roaring in the distance. My family always had pets: cats, hamsters and dogs. They were all rescued or given to us. We never turned an unwanted animal away. I currently have Molly (the pet detective dog), Teal (a dog I rescued from a puppy farm), and soon Blue will join us (a Labrador puppy who needs a new home).

To be a good detective, you need to be determined, thorough, patient and be a good listener.

© Colin Butcher The

Pet Detecti ves Ltd

I used to fly Sea King helicopters in the Royal Navy and sometimes we had to recover dogs that had fallen down cliff faces. It was very rewarding reuniting them with their owners, which is probably where I got the idea of becoming a pet detective.

22 whizzpopbang.com

dogs Teal and Molly, Colin’s


© Colin Butch

er The Pet De

tectives Ltd

Interview with a SCIENCE HERO

Molly is the only cat detection dog in the world!

We rescued her after three owners had given her up as she was so energetic and disobedient. She is a working cocker spaniel, so already had most of the skills needed to complete very difficult searches. To become a cat detection dog, she needed security, a good home, plenty of attention and 18 months of training. Now, we give her a sample of a missing cat’s scent from its bedding or a toy, and Molly uses it to find the missing cat.

In 2022 I found 80% of the cats I looked for!

d stolen Colin with a recovere

Shih Tzu dog

If you are patient and kind, you can teach a dog to do anything.

© Colin Butcher The Pet Detec

Molly, the cat detective dog

Colinʼs detective agency seek out all sorts of missing animals – even tortoises!

DNA samples can be used to solve animal crimes.

© Shutters tock

Read about some amazing cases solved by Colin and his team here! bit.ly/3HeSpcQ

tives Ltd

well-defined All dogs are born with incredibly train a dog to senses. However, if you want to the unique do something amazing (like find st first develop an scent of a missing pet), you mu dogs see, smell in-depth understanding of how e mastered and hear the world. Once you hav d and your bon this, you can form a very special you ask. dog will do just about anything

Mouth swabs are taken from animals and their DNA is kept on a database. Then, when an animal crime (like dog fighting, sheep ted, worrying or dog theft) is commit s bite or s lick l anything the anima se. aba dat can be traced back to the Find out more about Molly the Detective Dog by Colin Butcher is published by Penguin.


HOW STUFF

WORKS

Banknotes Some criminals try to make their own fake cash – illegal copies called counterfeits. But banks around the world have some cunning tricks to make their banknotes almost impossible to copy.

These new banknotes featuring the King’s portrait will be released in 2024.

© Shutterstock.com

Most modern banknotes are made from plastic polymers and use holograms as well as watermarks as a security feature. These are made by printing a super-thin layer of microscopic ridges onto a plastic film. When light bounces off this uneven surface, it forms a 3D image which changes as you look at it from different angles. On UK £10 notes, the hologram either shows the word ‘ten’ or the word ‘pounds’ depending on how you look at it. This kind of hologram is incredibly hard to produce, so most fake banknotes won’t have this feature.

© Bank of England

There is a see-through window on most modern banknotes where an inner foil layer is visible and should be of a specific colour for each note. For example, a UK £10 note has a metallic image visible through the window which is gold on the front of the note and silver on the back.

Another more simple security feature is the feel of the paper. Counterfeit (fake) notes often don’t feel as crisp and firm as real notes, as criminals find it hard to make them from exactly the same materials.


Older banknotes made from cotton or linen usually have a watermark. This is a faint printed image that’s only visible when the note is held up to a light.

MAKE YOUR OWN WATERMARKED BANKNOTE If you’d like to issue your own currency, and make sure none of your friends or family try to make co unterfeit copies, here’s how to do it:

© Shutterstock.com

Yo u will need

2 sheets of paper A tray of water A tea towel A ballpoint pen (that won’t be washed off in water)

What you do Microscopic text is another common

security feature as it’s hard for counterfeiters to print tiny text properly. The $1,000 Singapore note has their national anthem written on it, which can only be read with a magnifying glass!

Some notes, such as the euro (used in the EU), have a black security thread running across the note which is easily seen when the note is held up to the light.

1. Draw your banknote design on a sheet of paper. 2. Soak the banknote in the water for about a minute, then lift it out and allow as much water as possible to drip off. 3. Place the wet banknote on a table and gently dry it with the tea towel. 4. Lay the dry sheet of paper on top of the damp banknote and quickly draw your secret watermark using the ballpoint pen. 5. Lift off the second sheet of paper and then have a look at your banknote against the light – you should be able to see your watermark. 6. Once the banknote is dry, the watermark will disappear, but you can check if your banknote is genuine or a copy by holding the dry paper up to a light – the watermark will reappear!

Yo u sho uld f ind

© Shutterstock.com

Euro notes also have colour-changing text where the numbers showing the value of the note change from purple to brown depending on how it is viewed.

This method of watermarking paper works because the fibres in the paper become unstuck from each other when wet, allowing the pressure from the pen to push them apart so the paper gets thinner where the lines are. When the paper is held up to the light, these thin lines show up because they allow more light to shine through than the rest of the paper.

whizzpopbang.com 25


.

g.. in z a m A ly e m o s e w A 0 1

A S E K A F S U O M A F

es fooled These incredible hoax ber, you can’t many people – remem ything you see! always believe ever

1 4

Dr Beringer’s lying stones were

pieces of limestone engraved with animals, then hidden by his cheeky colleagues for the German scientist to find. He only realised they were fake after he’d published a book on them. His reputation was ruined.

Dr Koch collected fossilised whale bones and built them into incredible skeletons that people paid to visit. Hydrarchos was about 35 metres long and Dr Koch claimed it was a sea serpent!

2 3

In 2008, the BBC produced a trailer for a documentary called Miracles of Evolution featuring flying Adélie penguins (which definitely cannot fly!). The TV presenter’s name was ‘Prof Alid Loyas’ – an anagram of April Fools’ Day!

In 1912, Charles Dawson reported that he had found parts of an early human skull he claimed was the link between apes and man. After 41 years of controversy, the

P iltdown man

was proved to be part orangutan, part human skull.

The Piltdown Man was thought to have looked like this

5

Back in 1957, it was rare to eat spaghetti in the UK (no, this isn’t the hoax!). The BBC showed a film of a family harvesting pasta from their own spaghetti tree – and lots of people believed it!

26 whizzpopbang.com


S E I R E G R O F D N A S

6

Scientist Ronald Richter designed a fusion power facility called the Thermotron that he claimed could produce limitless power. The project was backed by the Argentinian president, but it was later investigated and found to be fraudulent.

7

This is what an

archaeoraptor was

said to have looked like, based on a fossil presented in the 1990s. But it was really a forgery made from a mixture of bird and dinosaur fossils.

9 10

8

Creatures half human and half fish have fascinated people for centuries and many fakes have been created. This merman was made from fish parts, bird claws, wood, wire, clay and fibre.

A fly preserved in amber, on display for years at the Natural History Museum, was thought to be 38 million years old. But, after a young scientist spotted a crack in the amber, it was found to be a Victorian fake.

The Cardiff Giant was a man carved from a 3-metre block of stone, then buried. When it was ‘discovered’ in 1869, people thought it was a giant fossilised man and paid to view it.

The latrine (toilet) fly

© 1. MWAK /Wikimedia Commons, 2. Shutterstock.com, 3. Popular Science Monthly Volume 82 / Wikimedia Commons, 4. Ellis, R. 1994. Monsters of the Sea. Robert Hale Ltd / Wikimedia Commons, 5. Robert Couse-Baker / Wikimedia Commons, 6. Wikimedia Common, 7. Entelognathus / Wikimedia Commons, 8. New York State Historical Association Library 2011/ Wikimedia Commons, 9. Horniman Museum and Gardens, 10. Melodi Diptera.info

whizzpopbang.com 27


28 whizzpopbang.com

C

SN ES GL ES

FR

A NC

SA. O, U

In the 19th century, girls from rich families were expected to get married and have children when they grew up. Frances did both of these things – marrying Blewett Lee, a lawyer, and having three children – but she later got divorced and changed her life when she was over 50.

Known as the ‘mother of forensic science’, Frances Glessner Lee´s incredible dolls´ house making skills helped teach police officers how to use science to solve crimes.

N

AG

As the daughter of wealthy parents, Frances spent lots of time sewing and learning other crafts. After having surgery for tonsillitis, Frances was inspired to learn about nursing by helping out local doctors.

EE

IC

Frances and her brother, George, were educated at home instead of going to school. She loved reading Sherlock Holmes detective stories and was really interested in police investigations.

L

BORN IN 187 8I

H

FRANCES GLESSNER LEE

ER

Sensational Scientists

By Joanna Tubbs

S WA

©

W

iki m

ed

ia c omm on

s

Convict the guilty, clear the innocent and find the truth in a nutshell.


AG

ot the ee if you can sp S dden around following clues hi scenes: the dolls’ house

SA. O, U

Frances was close friends with George Burgess Magrath, a medical student at Harvard University. They were both fascinated by the idea of using science to help solve crimes (what we now call forensic science) and felt that detectives needed medical training so they weren’t simply relying on instinct. Frances used some of her family’s fortune to set up a university department and library dedicated to legal medicine with George (who was later known as ‘America’s real-life Sherlock Holmes’) in charge.

5 footprints 1 dropped glove 3 green bottles 1 cracked mirror 1 red herring s on page 34. Check your answer

Later, Frances was made the first female police captain in the United States for her work training police officers to use evidence when solving crimes. She used her craft skills to create 20 incredibly detailed dolls’ house rooms based on real crime scenes. The rooms featured tiny details from scenes where people had died or been killed, including working mousetraps, carpet sweepers and window and door locks. She knitted clothes using pins and thread and added gory details like bloodstains and bullet holes at the precise angles they had appeared in the real crime scenes. Each scene cost a lot of money and took several months to make.

Recreating crime scenes in dolls´ houses can make cases easier to solve. © Laurie Shaull / Wikimedia

r Sample test fo cers fi of ce training poli

etective W.P. Bang

Name: Police D

ven: You've been gi del Crime scene mo Torch ass

Magnifying gl

e case

Notes about th

ents

Witness statem You have 1

e the case!

hours to solv

Commons

These ‘Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death’ were used as part of week-long training courses. Frances’s amazing scenes are now considered to be works of art and 18 of them are still used to train police officers today!

whizzpopbang.com 29


Email me at Y@whizzpopbang.com

F oR

der Club! Welcome to Y’s Won to share your This page is for you with our adventures in science hizz Pop Bang robot, Y, and other W atured on readers! Everyone fe an this page will receive e! enamel pin badg

Dear Y, How does an astronaut get oxygen in their suit and how do they get air to breathe on the space station?

CURIoUS K I DS

From Tommy, aged 6

Support System

An astronaut’s suit has a Primary Life ding some which – a backpack full of useful equipment, inclu – and any farts! adds oxygen and filters out the old breath delivered by supply is ion stat e Some of the oxygen on the spac e amazing recycling. missions, but most of it comes from som to astronauts’ sweat First, wastewater is collected and added trolysis (say and urine (wee). The water is treated by elec solar panels is by uced prod ty elec-troh-lih-sis), where electrici (H) and oxygen (O). used to split the water (H2O) into hydrogen ide enough oxygen Electrolysis and other back-up systems prov to last for months.

Brilliant mascots from issue 86!

Alex, aged 6, on added a ballo d te en sc to his mascot.

7, Freddy, aged , 4 ed and Ada, ag d te en sc made a eir mascot for th . ay nan’s birthd

made Flora, aged 7, use as this birds’ ho life ild W part of her ge ad b er Watch . n o ti ca li p ap

enamel badges Y’s Wonder Club Badges Collectable for you to earn! Help local wildlife to earn your Wildlife Watcher badge.

Investigate scientific questions to earn your Super Scientist badge.

Help save the planet to earn your Eco Hero badge.

E


Hi Y! What is gravity?

Jac, aged 7

S TA R R L ET T E

You’veis won th ! book

It’s great to see all your soaring pterosaurs from our Flying Beasts edition (Issue 88)!

Gravity is an invisible pulling force. It pulls things towards the Earth. Anything which has a mass has gravity – even you! The more mass an object has, the greater its gravitational force. So big planets like Jupiter have stronger gravity than Earth, and stars (like our Sun) have even more. A black hole has so much mass it can even pull in light. Gravity holds our atmosphere in place so we can breathe, and it keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun.

Harry, aged 6

Grace, aged 10

How gravity works is pretty complicated, but it’s to do with big objects bending space, causing other objects to be drawn towards them – a bit like the way a heavy ball on a trampoline would cause smaller balls on the same trampoline to roll towards it.

Elizabeth, aged 6

Hi, Why do pigeons’ heads move backwards and forwards when they walk? V iolet, aged 11

Maya really ing enjoyed mak n o ti la el st n the co e th m o fr h rc to s ie Starry Sk e 87). edition (Issu

Get problem solving to earn your Epic Engineer badge.

Write a report or a review to earn your Science Reporter badge.

ngly, a pigeon We are not yet exactly sure, Violet. Interesti ts think that’s ntis Scie ! head on a treadmill does not bob its e, which sam the stay s because the pigeon’s surrounding a clear keep on pige a help t means that head bobbing mus tion, -mo slow in on pige a h image when moving. If you watc s its keep it then ng, ethi som you’ll notice it fixes its eyes on ite a desp , Soon . ards forw es head completely still while it mov h up with the body, long flexible neck, the head needs to catc fix on something eyes the and so it moves it quickly forwards c pigeon walk! risti acte char new. When repeated, you get the Send your experiments, ideas, photos, reviews and questions to Y@whizzpopbang.com or Y, Whizz Pop Bang, Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ. Don’t forget to include your name, age and address. We can’t return any post, sorry.

To find out how to earn your badges, go to whizzpopbang.com/wonder-club. Schools can get involved too! Find out how here: bit.ly/39xNQ Q qV

whizzpopbang.com 31


um/ Test your m dog dad/sniffer

at they know! to see wh

1

How much can you remember from this issue? Test your knowledge with our super-duper quiz. Just tick the answers you think are correct, mark them using the answers on page 34 and then add up your score. If you need some help, check out the hints at the bottom of the page.

What are most banknotes made from ?

2

a) Plastic polymers

3

a) Skin

b) Papyrus

b) Liver

c) R ecycled loo roll

c) Legs

Raccoons are about the size of…

a) a hippopotamus

4

?

n bones

b) Fish parts and bird

claws

c) Fossilised whale bo

nes

c) a squirrel

6

A diatom is…

a) a type of single-celled algae

Frances Glessner Lee was also known as…

a) ‘America’s baked bean eating champion’

b) a n abbreviation of a tummy

b) ‘the mother of forensic science’

c) Whizz Pop Bang’s dog

c) ‘ maker of the world’s tiniest toilet’

bug called ‘diarrhoea tum’

7

What was Hydrarchos made from

a) Orangutan and huma

large cat or b) a small dog

5

Which of these body parts can’t humans regrow?

Dogs have more of these in their noses than humans.

What’s the difference between a church bell and a thief ? One peals from the steeple and the other steals from the people!

8

Answers on page 34.

DNA is short for…

I scored: ..........

a) Donkeys not allowed

1-3: Detective-in-training

a) Fish fingers

b) D oughnuts normally available

b) Smell-detecting cells

c) Deoxyribonucleic acid

c) Bogeys

Need a hint? Find the answers by reading these pages… 1) Page 24 2) Page 4 3) Page 12 4) Page 26 5) Page 35 6) Page 28 7) Page 9 8) Page 10

4-6: Prime puzzle solver 7-8: Super sleuth!


W ! IN

Crack the code! Look at the picture clues to fill in the letters and reveal the answer to the joke. Send in your answer to be in with a chance of winning one of four awesome intruder alarm kits!

Why do ducks make great detectives?

_ _ e_

_ _ _ _ _ _

___c_ a

b

! c _ _e !

_ _e

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

m

n

o

p

q

r

s

t

u

v

w

x

y

z

Magnetic intruder alarm kit Do you want to keep people out of your room?! Or protect your stuff from nosy siblings?! This magnetic alarm from brightminds.co.uk beeps when the door is opened to warn you of troublesome intruders. It’s a fun way to explore the science of how a magnetic switch works in an electric circuit.

WINNERS

Issue 90 competition winners Thank you to everyone who sent in their entries to our Plasma competition. The answer was CURRENT. These five lucky winners will each receive a plasma ball from brightminds.co.uk Eilidh McNeil, 7 Matthew Bennett, 11 Roisin Love, 6 Ralph Hemmings, 9 Alex Shukla, 8

Send a photo of your entry to win@whizzpopbang.com with ‘Detective competition’ as the subject of your email. Alternatively, post it to Detective competition, Whizz Pop Bang, Unit 7, Global Business Park, 14 Wilkinson Road, Cirencester, GL7 1YZ. Please don’t forget to include your name, age and address. Sorry, we are unable to return any post. Deadline: April 8th 2023. UK residents only. Full terms and conditions available at whizzpopbang.com.

whizzpopbang.com 33


JOKES What do o tw you call ? robbers f A pair o nickers!

in the All the toilets have police station been stolen. thing Police have no to go on!

Forensic scientists, who find and study clues to help solve crimes, have a saying: every contact leaves a trace! That means that whoever took the cookies will have left traces behind – such as fingerprints, footprints or hair. All our detectives have to do is find the clues and use forensic science to solve the crime!

na An By

STEP 1: CRIME SCENE HQ

C

la yb ou rne

Oh no! Emmi and Riley wanted a snack from the cookie jar. Riley baked a fresh batch this morning, so there were plenty in there, BUT…

WHAT????

First, let’s set up an evidence wall of photos, maps and everything we know about the case all in one place. Doing this helps detectives to make connections and figure things out.

Lift your own fingerprints!

You will need Cocoa powder Clear sticky tape White paper

Each finger has its own unique fingerprint pattern.

What you do 1. First, press your finger onto a smooth, hard, pale surface, such as a white plate. If your hands are very clean or dry, use some hand lotion first.

Clothing fibres

E:

Fingerprints

Clothes are mostly made , of tiny fabric fibres which can break off. Fibres found at a crime scene could match what a suspect was wearing.

Hairs

Most of us shed several hairs every day – so criminals often leave a hair or two at a crime scene.

Footprints can be very useful – they might match a suspect’s shoes or contain mud that shows where the culprit (the person who committed the crime) has been. They sometimes leave a trail too.

5. Press the tape onto some paper.

Hmmm, no hairs here at all!

The evidence!

Is our cookie culprit bald??? Or were they wearing a hat?

Now try collecting other fingerprints left on everyday objects. You could see if they match Whatever you can find! the ID cards from the Anything left at the crime scene pullout (page 17)! could turn out to be a useful clue.

A dropped crumb!

How many fingerprints can you find in this scene? Check your answer on page 34.

whizzpopbang.com 7

Page 10 – Match the DNA Suspect 2 matches the crime scene DNA. Page 13 – True/Untrue UNTRUE: Raccoons are often seen rubbing food in water, which led people to think they were washing off dirt, but scientists now think that this is just a habit rather than any attempt to clean their food.

N

R

O

A

C

R

C

O

R

O

C

N

O

O

C

A

C

O

O

R

O

A

O

C

O

O

O

N

R

C

A

N

N

O

O

C

A

R

O

Page 14 – Whose shoes? The message is: The jewels are in the safe! 1 – e, 2 – l, 3 – a, 4 – j, 5 – s, 6 – w, 7 – f

Answers Page 20 – Stop, thief! There are five missing jewels:

Page 15 – Suspect puzzle Suspect 3 matches the evidence. Page 18 – Riddles 1) Motorbikes. 2) If someone had broken into the museum, the shattered glass would have been inside. So the window must have been broken from the inside and the security guard was the only one there at the time. 3) Amelia is the thief and Khalil was telling the truth. If Khalil was the thief, both Amelia and Oliver would be telling the truth. If Oliver was the thief, none of the statements would be true. If Nala was the thief, none of the statements would be true.

Page 29 – Hidden clues 20 whizzpopbang.com Sensational Scientists

By Joanna Tubbs

FRANCES GLESSNER LEE Frances and her brother, George, were educated at home instead of going to school. She loved reading Sherlock Holmes detective stories and was really interested in police investigations.

As the daughter of wealthy parents, Frances spent lots of time sewing and learning other crafts. After having surgery for tonsillitis, Frances was inspired to learn about nursing by helping out local doctors.

Known as the ‘mother of forensic science’, Frances Glessner Lee´s incredible dolls´ house making skills helped teach police officers how to use science to solve crimes.

L

EE

S WA

BORN IN 187 8I

N

the See if you can spot around following clues hidden scenes: the dolls’ house

C

SA. O, U

Footprints

4. Carefully press a piece of tape over it, then peel it off.

Ooh! A light blue fibre!

O N

AG

Forensic scientists wear special outfits and gloves to make sure they don’t mix in any evidence from their own clothes and bodies!

3. Gently blow the excess powder away, leaving just the powder stuck to the print.

C O

IC

You sometimes see these in cartoons and TV shows, but real-life detectives use them too!

2. Sprinkle a little cocoa powder over the print.

C N

H

Footprints

Everyone has fingerprints Answer on page 34

KEY EVIDENC

No hairs

And Atom the sniffer dog! Woof !

F ingerprints

When we touch smooth surfaces, our fingers leave faint oil or sweat prints. To lift (collect) them, you dust them with powder, press tape over them, then peel it off and stick it to a card. Each person has their own unique fingerprints, so they can identify a suspect.

I've found three prints on the cookie jar!

Fabric fibre

And forensic officer Riley!

Courtney Courtney who? Courtney criminals recently?

The crime scene

SUSPECTS:

This is a case for science detective Emmi!

DUSTING FOR FINGERPRINTS

What kinds of clues do forensic scientists collect – and can we find any of them here?

© Shutterstock.com

It’s EMPT Y!!! Location map

Someone’s snaffled the lot!

STEP 2: Knock knock! CLUE-COLLECTING Who’s there?

A A

ER

TRACKING THE TRACES

R A

A cat burglar has been on the prowl at the museum. Is anything missing in the second photo? Circle any differences you find and check them on page 34.

SN

There are seven fingerprints: Y has one in the ‘try this’ activity and there are six on the walls and floor (although supersleuths might have also spotted the three fingerprints that Emmi found on the jar).

computer How did the ut of jail? et o programmer g cape key! s e e h t d e s u She

ES GL ES

Page 7 – Fingerprints puzzle

Who stole the soap out of the bathtub? The robber ducky !

A NC

UNTRUE: A few very rare people don’t have the ridges on their fingertips that make fingerprint patterns.

Page 13 – Raccoon word grid

to What happened n o ra the elephant wh cus? cir away with the him The police made bring it back!

FR

Page 7 – True/Untrue

Why should never let a you your crime pig in gang? Because it bound to sq ’s ueal!

©

W

iki m

ed

ia c omm on

s

Convict the guilty, clear the innocent and find the truth in a nutshell.

Frances was close friends with George Burgess Magrath, a medical student at Harvard University. They were both fascinated by the idea of using science to help solve crimes (what we now call forensic science) and felt that detectives needed medical training so they weren’t simply relying on instinct. Frances used some of her family’s fortune to set up a university department and library dedicated to legal medicine with George (who was later known as ‘America’s real-life Sherlock Holmes’) in charge.

5 footprints 1 dropped glove 3 green bottles 1 cracked mirror 1 red herring Check your answers

on page 34.

Later, Frances was made the first female police captain in the United States for her work training police officers to use evidence when solving crimes. She used her craft skills to create 20 incredibly detailed dolls’ house rooms based on real crime scenes. The rooms featured tiny details from scenes where people had died or been killed, including working mousetraps, carpet sweepers and window and door locks. She knitted clothes using pins and thread and added gory details like bloodstains and bullet holes at the precise angles they had appeared in the real crime scenes. Each scene cost a lot of money and took several months to make.

Recreating crime scenes in dolls´ houses can make cases easier to solve. © Laurie Shaull / Wikimedia

In the 19th century, girls from rich families were expected to get married and have children when they grew up. Frances did both of these things – marrying Blewett Lee, a lawyer, and having three children – but she later got divorced and changed her life when she was over 50.

28 whizzpopbang.com

Sample test for officers training police

Name: Police Detective

W.P. Bang

You've been given: Crime scene model Torch Magnifying glass case Notes about the Witness statements You have 1

hours to solve

the case!

Commons

These ‘Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death’ were used as part of week-long training courses. Frances’s amazing scenes are now considered to be works of art and 18 of them are still used to train police officers today!

whizzpopbang.com 29

Page 32 – Quiz 1) a 2) c 3) b 4) c 5) a 6) b 7) b 8) c


R A L U C A T C E SP

Diatom This is a super-close-up photo of a tiny diatom, taken with a powerful microscope. Diatoms live in soil, fresh water and the oceans. They are single-celled algae that collect energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. Diatoms remove carbon dioxide (a harmful greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere and release oxygen. There are lots of different kinds of diatoms of all shapes and sizes, suited to living in different environments. Because of this, they can help forensic scientists to link samples from crime scenes to suspects and victims.

e c n e i c s

The intricate cell walls of diatoms are made of silica (a type of glass). Fossilised diatoms, like this one, can make up thick layers of sediments that are used to make filters, paints and toothpaste!

© Anatoly Mikhaltsov, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons


SHOP ONLINE

£6.99

s acesuit How sp tronauts keep as fe sa

MA inside PeekCE a driverless car

SCIEN

HELLO TO SAYdesigner

Make your own astrosnacks!

arm robotic

OU T IS shPuadt onowa OF T H D! shpuppowet WO R L in like an

to the rob

o-r evoluti

a Makeof ience The scin sp DoodleBot ace living

I’m a

! These results were surpris ing!

I’m a

! These results were surpris ing!

scientist!

OOH!

OOH!

LTLES!

Y TM

YAY !

LTLES!

Y TM

TAB

TOP invest igation!

LTLES!

LOO

LTLES!

TAB

Y TM

RES K A U

I’m so proud of this!

this OVE iment! er

exp I L I love

this experime nt

EXPERIMENT

FAIL! I’m going to find out why!

I’m a SUPER scientist!

I love

this experime nt

EXPERIMENT

FAIL! I’m going to find out why!

I dis som cov NE eth ered W tod ing ay!

I guess ed this would happe n!

exp I L

I’m a SUPER scientist! I dis som cov NE eth ered W tod ing ay!

YEP!

I guess ed this would happe n!

I love

this experime nt

this OVE iment! er

I dis som cov NE eth ered W tod ing ay!

YEP!

I’m a SUPER scientist! I dis som cov NE eth ered W tod ing ay!

YEP!

I guess ed this would happe n!

YEP!

I guess ed this would happe n!

a

TRICKY

experimen t

£8.99

YAY !

Y TM

TAB

This was

a

TRICKY

experimen t

This was

a

TRICKY

experimen t

SCRAPBOOK & STICKERS

FREE UK P&P!

FROM

£4.75

E SPACID! U

WHIZZPOPBA NG.COM

on

Craft a

springy-armed Journey back in time for Y! some prehistor ic science

The e om awesrld wo of AI

OM ISSUE 71 WHIZZPOPBANG.C

Make a Stone Age poo!

ISSUE 76 NEWS SQ EXPE RIM ENTING FACTS SCIEN CE ES AMAZ S PUZZ WSLES AMA IMEN TS PUZZL EXPER ZING FACT EN CE NE E 78 S SCIE NCE TS SCI M ISSU NG FAC NEW S PBANG.CO WHIZZPO S AM AZI PUZ ZLE ME NT S ERI EXP

LOO

RES K A U

I’m so proud of this!

I love

this experime nt

This was

OOH!

I didn’ expect t these results!

YAY !

I’m a

super

scientist!

LOO

RES K A U

I’m so proud of this!

I’m a SUPER scientist!

WOW

! These results were surpris ing!

TOP invest igation!

I didn’ expect t these results!

LOO

I’m a

super

scientist!

TOP invest igation!

I didn’ expect t these results!

RES K A U

WOW

super

TOP invest igation!

TAB

Try some gravity-defying gardening

WOW

super

Craft an awesome model axe

JOKE BOOK

£10.99

BACK ISSUES

Tra aut! astron

Welcome

scientist!

Mix yo prehisur own to paints ric

DON! a SMILO Engineer

TS ROBOK ! C RO

239 9-28 40

THE AWESOM SCIE!NCE AZINE FOREKIDS MAGAZIN SCIENCE MAG E FOR KID Meet a THE AWESOME S! KIDS! E FOR space robot GAZIN

ESOME

THE AW

ISSN

RIDDLE BOOK

ISSN 2399-2 840

whizzpopbang.com/shop ISSN 2399-2840

at

PAPER CRAFT ACTIVITY BOOK

LAB COAT £19.99

£6.99

£8.99

PUZZLE BOOK

MAGAZINE BINDER £14.99


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.