September+ALS

9/22/2014 Pumpkins!

Here are some facts about pumpkins you probably didn't know before.You usually say that pumpkins are orange, but did you know that some pumpkins are yellow or red? Also, the word pumpkin came from the Greek word 'Pepon'. Pepon means large melon. Pumpkins have a thick shell that have seeds and pulp inside them. Did you know that the record of the biggest pumpkin was 1,810 pounds?! Also, pumpkins are edible. You can make pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin seeds and even pumpkin pie! And last but not least, did you know that 100 grams of pumpkin has about 26 calories of energy?! I hope you enjoyed my science discovery on pumpkins!!
 * [[image:waycoolscience7/pumpkins.jpg caption="pumpkins.jpg"]] ||
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin ||

9/29/14 StinkHorn Fungus

Have you ever been walking in your yard and smelled something disgusting? Well, it might be a type of fungus called Stinkhorn. It also might attract flies. If a fly gets on the fungus and touches another place right away, the fungus will probably start growing there as well. The spores from the fungus get on the fly, and when the fly lands somewhere else in your yard, the spores go there which grows another one. So, they are really hard to get rid of. To get rid of them there are some really simple steps. These steps are found at []. 1. Put on disposable gloves. Remove the reproductive "mushroom" and any nearby round white egg-looking growths as these are going to be new Stinkhorns soon.Secure the foul smelling removed material in a plastic bag. 2. Remove the immediate soil or medium, usually tree bark or other loose decaying plant material and also placing it into the plastic bag. This should only take a few minutes. 3. Tie off the plastic bag securely and place with trash collection, do not place with yard waste. Alternative 'kill' method may be carried out at this point by applying chemicals as not intended by manufacturer including bleach, fungal stain remover, or other household disinfectants to removed stinkhorn parts, however this is not recommended or needed. 4. Allow the affected area to dry out or receive sunlight would be best, if this is not possible an environmentally approved fungal killer purchased from your local nursery should complete this project and keep reoccurrences at minimum.

There is also another way to do this, which I believe is easier, that I also found at: []. 1. Locate the fungus. 2. Make a mixture of boiling hot water and bleach. 3. Plug your nose. 4. Pour the mixture (still hot) onto the fungus. 5. repeat steps once a day until the fungus is gone.

http://pratie.blogspot.com/2005/02/seeing-something-for-first-time.html "]] ||
 * [[image:waycoolscience7/stinkhorn.jpg caption="stinkhorn.jpg