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November 2005 Science Every Day Facts and challenges for the science explorer MONDAY SUNDAY TUESDAY 1 7 6 The black-footed ➤ ferret, previously believed extinct, was spotted in Wyoming in 1981. 13 14 14 Birthday of chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863–1944). 20 How else can information be entered into computers? 27 Birthday of pilot Dora Dougherty Strother (1921). 21 What would you invent to make computers easier to use? 28 Dougherty held world records in flight and also researched ways to make cockpits and instruments better for pilots. 2 The discovery of methane-producing organisms known as methanogens was reported in 1977. For more resources, click on the calendar at www.nsta.org/ elementaryschool#journal. 8 9 The black-footed ferret is found in prairie habitats, along with prairie dogs. The ferrets’ predators include owls, eagles, hawks, coyotes, badgers, foxes, and bobcats. 15 Baekeland was a pioneer of plastics and inventor of Bakelite, a plastic that doesn’t melt. 22 The National Science Foundation is a U.S. government agency that promotes science and funds research. 29 THURSDAY WEDNESDAY 16 Birthday of chemist James W. Mitchell (1943). 23 Birthday of Rita R. Colwell (1934), the first woman to lead the NSF. 3 Methanogens are found in oxygenfree environments, such as in sewage. 10 Read about other prairie plants and animals in “Ecosystem Journalism” on page 42. 17 FRIDAY 4 5 These organisms are so different from other bacteria they were classified as a separate group, Archaea. The first patent for a gasoline-powered car was issued on this day in 1895. 11 12 Name another ➤ species that was thought to be extinct but rediscovered. 18 Mitchell created techniques for measuring traces of substances, helpful in detecting environmental contaminants. 24 In the 1960s, Colwell created a computer program to track species of bacteria. SATURDAY 19 A patent was issued for the computer mouse on this day in 1970. 25 26 Colwell also made breakthroughs in the study of the disease-causing bacteria cholera. ➤ 30 Birthday of ➤ Nathanael Pringsheim (1823–1894), founder of algology (the study of algae). November/December 2005 75