Science Corner!Day 2

Scientist of the Day

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born into slavery in Missouri in January 1864.

When George was only a week old, George’s family was kidnapped from their home on the Carver’s plantation, the family who ‘owned’ them. However, the head of the Carver plantation, Moses Carver, hired a man named John Bentley to find them, but he found only baby George.

Moses Carver

After slavery was abolished at the end of the American Civil War, Moses Carver and his wife Susan raised George as their own children. They encouraged George to continue his intellectual pursuits, and "Aunt Susan" taught him the basics of reading and writing.

This was very unusual in the late 1800s as black people were not encouraged to be educated. However, George was very lucky as when he was growing up, he met many people who encouraged his interest in learning.

Carver applied to several colleges before being accepted at Highland College in Highland, Kansas. When he arrived, however, they rejected him because of his race.

He eventually went to college in Iowa, where he studied agriculture and botany (the study of plants). He wanted to learn if there was any way to devise better and more efficient farming methods so that his home in the south would not be as reliant on cotton farming. Cotton crops was not always successful during Carver’s time due to poor weather and over farming of the land.

In 1896, Carver became the head of the Agriculture Department at Tuskgee University. Carver taught there for 47 years, developing the department into a strong research center. He discovered new methods of crop rotation that improved harvest yields and soil health – the principles of his work are still in use today by modern farmers. He also worked very hard that all farmers knew these new methods of farming.

George Carver was responsible for improving the lives of farmers in America and, when his work was published abroad, worldwide. Improving farming methods led to better crops and harvests which meant that there was more cheap food for everyone. This was an important effect of Carver’s scientific research and one that he was extremely proud of.

Earth Facts• Magma is the hot liquid rock under

the surface of the Earth. It is known as lava after it comes out of a volcano.• The Earth isn't perfectly round, it is slightly flattened at the north and south poles.

• Hawaii is moving towards Japan at the speed of 10cm a year. This is because they are on different tectonic plates.

• The Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest of the Earth’s major oceans.

• Rock found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in America is more than 2 billion years old.• Scientists have dated the Earth as being between 4 and 5billion years old!!

Science Picture of the Day

Explanation – Voyager 1

This is a picture of Voyager 1. It was released in 1977 to explore our solar system and beyond. Its purpose was to take photos of space and record any interesting data.

It also transmits the contents of the ‘Golden Disk’ within it. This ‘Golden Disk’ contains recorded greetings and music from Earth to be transmitted constantly in case some alien friends are encountered.

After 36 years of exploring, Voyager is still going strong. Scientists at the time used a new form of nuclear battery which – as Voyager has proved – is still working perfectly. If Voyager is not damaged, the battery should last until 2025.

At present, Voyager has travelled over 18.7 billion miles from planet Earth. Therefore, Voyager is now ‘interstellar’ – it is travelling in a part of space outside our solar system and the sun’s influence. Aliens could be listening to our Golden Record!

Science Picture of the Day