Table of contents for Issue 309 - May 2021 in MiniMag

He is back … and you are invited to spend some time with Detective Nkomba! Enter the Word Warrior 2021 Competition NOW! Show us the end result of your in-depth interview in a written piece of no longer than three pages. Use the following as a guide: 1. Set the scene: are you a talk show host, a tv journalist or an investigating journalist?2. Introduce yourself and your guest to your audience;3. Show us through an intensive question and answering session how you uncover the truths, the unknown and the interesting facts about Detective Nkomba;4. Summarise and conclude your interview. REMEMBER: • Use your imagination and create an interview that you will be interested in reading.• Give your interviewer a personality and voice in your writing.• Ask open ended questions…

DMITRI MENDELEEV (1834 – 1907) The Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, was the first to observe that if elements were listed in order of atomic mass, they showed regular (periodical) repeated properties. He formulated his discovery in a periodic table of elements, now regarded as the backbone of modern chemistry. The crowning achievement of Mendeleev’s periodic table lay in his prophecy of then, undiscovered elements. In 1869, the year he published his periodic classification, the elements gallium, germanium and scandium were unknown. Mendeleev left spaces for them in his table and even predicted their atomic masses and other chemical properties. Six years later, gallium was discovered and his predictions were found to be accurate. Other discoveries followed and their chemical behaviour matched that predicted by Mendeleev. This remarkable man, the youngest…

Wouldn’t it be lovely to have summer all year round? About 1 400 different bird species have figured out a way to do this! These migratory birds travel thousands of kilometres without a map, GPS or calendar, but they know exactly when to leave and where to go. Some species are so precise that they arrive at a specific site on the same date every year! But how do they do this? Can you eat like a bird? Birds would like to escape winter’s icy fingers as much as any human, but their real reason for migration has to do with their stomachs. Birds have a very healthy appetite, with many species eating about 20% of their bodyweight (that’s equivalent to you eating 6-8 kg of food every day). Food…

Biodiversity is all the different living things on Earth. It is the things we need to keep us alive. Everything we need and use every day is dependent on the biodiversity around us. But the biodiversity around us is disappearing as more and more people need and want more and more things. The industries that keep our society functioning causes the climate to change, which will affect daily temperatures and rainfall, and this will impact on our food and water supply. Our environment will change in unpredictable ways. Our biodiversity, making up functional ecosystems, is the life insurance we need to face changes that are happening around us. So it is critical that we protect both the species that are alive today, and the ecosystems that they live in. If…

HAS GONE VIRTUAL! Since 1996, Scifest Africa has been educating and enlightening its audiences, offering a crucial doorway into the world of Science, Technology, Innovation, Engineering and Mathematics for young people. Scifest Africa identifies and designs unique inter-active events and educational resources with scientific integrity to advance science, facilitate learning in an informal and non-threatening way, and provide learners with an opportunity to discover science outside the classroom! Visit www.scifest.org.za to check out some mind-blowing workshops and science shows that offer fun for the whole family! Dr. Graham's Blow-Up Science Can you really launch marshmallows out of a vacuum cleaner, make rockets from common household items, or run an engine on liquid nitrogen? Prepare yourself for some seriously mind-bending science, as Dr Graham explodes his way through the chemistry and…

Blue cranes are not dependent on wetlands and this allows them to be more widespread than the other crane species within South Africa. Within South Africa the species can be found in the open grasslands and the grassland/Karoo ecotone. The species is frequently found in agricultural fields and in the Western Cape it is restricted to cereal crop fields and dry land pastures. Blue cranes, despite being very social animals, are extremely territorial while breeding, driving any other blue cranes from the breeding territory. They nest in summer and the laying date can be anytime between August and April. Non-breeding birds form non-breeding flocks during this period. After the chicks have fledged, they together with the adults, join the non-breeding flocks to form large over-wintering groups.…

The mail train comes to the rescue! ln the early 1880s, problems were experienced with the transportation of mail between Cape Town and Beaufort West. The mail train was commissioned in 1883. It was a huge success and effected a huge saving in manpower. Working on the mail train was challenging The mail was loaded and unloaded along the routes and sorted between the stations. It was very difficult to render a service in the swaying surroundings. Sleeping quarters were subsequently installed in the mail wagon. The sorters sometimes worked in poor light. An oil lamp which was knocked over once even caused a fire which gutted the mail wagon completely. The two travelling staff were so efficient that they sorted much more mail on the train than their colleagues…

1. Cut out the square template around the white dotted line.2. Fold two opposite corners of printed side together to form a triangle.3. Unfold. Repeat with the other opposite corners.4. Unfold. Turn paper printed side down. Fold all four corners to the centre.5. Flip paper over. Again, fold all four corners to the centre.6. Fold in half both ways. Insert fingers into pockets and push towards centre.7. Pick a colour and get started. GIVEAWAY To stand a chance of receiving one of two hopping Peter Rabbit 2 hampers, turn to page 32 and fill in your entry form! In PETER RABBIT 2, the lovable rogue is back. Bea, Thomas, and the rabbits have made peace as a family, but despite his best efforts, Peter can't seem to shake his mischievous…

Meet the element: It is time to get to know some of the most popular elements on our planet a little better. Nitrogen is the seventh element on the periodic table. Nitrogen atoms love to team up side by side to form N2 at most conditions on earth. This tasteless, colourless N2 gas is the most abundant gas in the air. In fact, every breath you take is nearly 80% nitrogen. Nitrogen is an important part of all living organisms. Proteins and amino acids have nitrogen as part of their chemical structures. DNA is a kind of protein with nitrogen present in every molecule. DNA, found inside cells, holds the blueprint of organisms that is passed on to the next generation. Without nitrogen, life would not be possible. The nitrogen…

Hi, it’s Captain Crisp, Omega Mind and The Incredible Hake! We are your meal time heroes and help Mom be her very own hero too. Since it is Mother’s Day, help her save time by having delicious crispy fish fingers for lunch! They are easy and quick to make and oh so yummy! Not to mention they are also good for your mind and body. Make it easy for Mom by keeping busy with these fun activities while she prepares your favourite treat. Add some colour to these cute sea creatures! Winner Quick Meals Category. Survey of 1 500 households by Answered Insight. Can you spot all ten differences? @SeaHarvestSA @FishnTips_SH…

Rabbits dig burrows to provide protection during the day and shelter in cold weather. Hares are larger than rabbits and can run faster. They do not dig burrows but rest in a dip in the grass called a form. Haring around Hares depend on speed to escape their enemies. Using their powerful hind legs and feet, they can reach speeds of up to 80 kmh over short distances. They often follow a zig-zag route, or leap into the air, to confuse the predator so it loses them. Speedy breeders Female rabbits have from one to nine young in each litter, and can produce up to 30 kittens (young) each year. When born, rabbit kittens are hairless, blind and helpless. They are not ready to leave their underground nest for three…

MUST WATCH! BRAND-NEW MOVIE BEN GEN 10 MOVIE The alien-fighting extravaganza returns! Join Cartoon Network this month as we welcome the incomparable Ben Tennyson back into the fold with a brand-new channel original movie, Ben Gen 10. Since the ten-year-old discovered the mysterious Omnitrix on a family vacation, life has been one big adventure! Why wouldn’t it be when the alien device allows him to transform into 10 different alien forms complete with unique superpowers? Ben Gen 10 presents Ben’s final adventure of the summer as he runs into a young Rex (Generator Rex), and suddenly, everyone is turned into aliens. Ben thinks it is Rex who has contaminated his Omnitrix; however, HEX, a self-proclaimed ‘Master Magician’, is hiding in the background. Will Ben 10 be able to save the…