Last night we gave away several copies of my new book,  Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes on Facebook and Twitter. We had a lot of fun chatting with some amazing teachers, parents and science enthusiasts and asking Steve Spangler Science trivia questions. In all, we gave away over 20 copies of the book. Now here’s your chance to own the book before it becomes available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Greenleaf Book Group gave us 200 advance copies to sell before the September 13th release date. I’ll even sign the books during this special pre-sale time. If you want a book before everyone else gets it, grab one today.

BUY NAKED EGGS AND FLYING POTATOES NOW

The new book contains easy experiments for the whole family – for science night, homeschooling science activities and science fair experiment ideas.

Here’s what people are already saying about Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes -

“Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes totally brings life to science in a fun and very engaging way. The pictures that accompany each experiment help to provide a great step-by-step visual which entices the reader to want to want to jump right in and start experimenting. As a parent, I appreciated and valued so much about this book. I highly recommend this book.” - Lori C. on her blog Lori’s LOLz. Click the link to read the entire review.

“What is most striking about this amazing book is the number and quality of photographs that are included. Sometimes the most difficult thing about performing an experiment or demonstration is not knowing what it looks like as you do it. This book solves that problem!” – Ellen P in Virginia.

“Steve loved the photography WOW and the experiments are well written. I loved the take it further section. It really makes you think out of the box. You did miss one warning though. There should be one “Do NOT read this book while eating. May cause choking do to laughter.” We will recommend this book to everyone we know. It is a must have book for kids and adults who haven’t grown up yet (or those in their second childhood). – Steve & Carissa W. in California

Molecular gastronomy sounds more like a condition than something cool to eat. It’s a cool kind of science that is sweeping trendy restaurants across the country.

Ingredients undergo change while cooking. Molecular gastronomy studies the physical and chemical changes that food undergoes while cooking. Certain ingredients produce certain reactions and it’s the newest trend for chefs to make fake caviar from sodium alginate. Instant ice cream is also created from using liquid nitrogen.

With a title like Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes, you know that this probably isn’t going to be your ordinary book of experiments. At the early stages of writing this book, we had to put our heads together and try to think of a way to make this book different from the thousands of science experiment books out there. It’s true… just saying the words science experiment book will spawn a contagious outbreak of uncontrollable yawns followed by hours of sleep. So, how was I going to inspire my team to help me create a book that was different? Take a look…

We started by building a list of the most popular science experiments that I’ve had the opportunity to present over the years – in the classroom, on television and on our website. The next step was to use amazing photography to capture the wow-factor of each activity. It’s no different that thumbing through the pages of a great cookbook… the photos grab your attention and entice you to read more about the recipe.

Colorado Signing at the Tattered Cover Book Store

Thursday, September 16, 2010 – 6:00 PM

Thanks to an amazingly creative editorial team, we took nearly 4,000 photographs over the course of 7 months and had to narrow down the final selection to 248 photos in a book that’s 160 pages. With all of this emphasis on photos, we hoped that the writing didn’t take a back seat. Our concern was answered when we received this review from a person who got their hands on an advance copy.

“If science books were like this when I was a kid, things might have been different for me! The first thing that grabs your attention is the photography – amazing photos that detail the entire process, and there’s no disappointment when it comes to the writing. After reading just a few pages, you can see that this guy is seriously funny.”

The end result is a book that oozes our passion for making science fun. If all goes well, that ooze is going to be contagious.

Step aside Mr. Wizard. Move over Science Guy. Take a seat Mr. Spangler. There’s a new scientist in town. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Science Kiddo!

My team @SpanglerScience on Twitter recently tweeted with Christian’s mom right before he performed his first online video experiment. They posted Christian as Science Kiddo making a Lava Lamp with a test tube, water, oil and food coloring. There’s nothing better than getting your hands dirty and doing science at the kitchen table. We love what you are doing science superhero, so keep up the good work.

The Prayer Vase or Genie in a Bottle is a guaranteed fun way to trick your friends using only items you can find around the house.

The science magician displays a bottle and a short length of rope. She explains that according to the ancient legends, a genie lives in the bottle. While you can’t see the genie, if you tickle him with something like a rope, it makes him mad and he hangs onto the rope. The rope is inserted into the bottle and jiggled a bit. When the bottle with the rope still inside it is turned upside down, the rope is seen to dangle unsupported from the bottle. The magician explains that the genie is even strong enough to make the bottle float. Now, the bottle and rope are turned right side up. While holding only the end of the rope, the magician lets go of the bottle and it is seen to float at the end of the rope. On command, the genie releases the rope, it is easily removed from the bottle and handed out for examination. The bottle may be examined, as well. Nothing unusual will be found. But how?

The Caring Strategies Summer Camp in Louisiana, held a science summer camp this year. Caring Strategies is a non-profit center that holds trainings, camps and events throughout the year for children.

Among the activities and lessons taught in science camp this summer, the children learned about UV rays, the power of sunlight and the need to use sunscreen. Each student made a bracelet out of Color Changing UV Beads. The teachers at Caring Strategies explained UV light to the students, then had them come up with their own theories and hypothesis for what would happen when the white beads were taken outside.

After theorizing and making their bracelets with the beads, the students ventured outside. What happened next demonstrates the true Wow! factor when children are able to make their own discoveries.

For more on the program, visit the Caring Strategies website and watch their science camp video to see how the students performed their experiment and what they learned.

Styrofoam is a material that won’t break down, can’t be recycled and will always remain on earth. Unless you know a little science.

Styrofoam is made up of long strands of styrene molecules with lots of air pockets. It’s called polystyrene. The styrene strands dissolve in acetone. They seem to disappear like magic when the acetone and polystyrene react together.

We must reduce our usage of styrofoam or replace it with more earth-friendly materials like corn. Packing peanuts made from corn will dissolve in water. Reusing styrofoam is another earth-friendly way to use styrofoam, but recycling it is not possible.

… and the soda continues to fly. On August 22, 2010, Mexico City became the Guinness World Record holder for the largest number of simultaneously erupting Mentos and cola geysers on Saturday with 2,433 participants. The Mentos Geyser Tube Toy keeps the soda flying!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you like your ice cream cold? Do you like your ice cream really, really cold at maybe around -321 °F? Visit The Crushery at 1579 Pearl Street in Denver and you will experience ice cream in a whole new way.

The Crushery makes ice cream treats using liquid nitrogen. They have about 10,000 ingredients to choose from and create that unique made-to-order ice cream favor. They also have vegan, frozen yogurt and sugar free ice cream.

The process freezes the ice cream and ingredients quickly – within about 5 minutes. The ice crystals inside the ice cream are very small compared to typical ice cream, allowing The Crushery’s ice cream mix masters to add almost any ingredient including popcorn. The popcorn stays crunchy instead of soggy.

When in Denver, make sure you visit The Crushery or make your own homemade ice cream using this rock and roll ice cream recipe.

If you are fortunate in your career, you have a mentor or someone you owe your inspiration and direction in starting down the chosen path in life. Chemistry teacher Doug Hodous at Heritage High School was my inspiration. As I sat across the hall from his classroom and listened to the occasional explosions and laughter coming from the room, I knew I needed to find a way into that class.

I caught the science bug in that chemistry class. I also noticed a cute blonde in that class that I later married. But that’s another story.

Doug and I did a signature experiment of his for my television segment this week. The demonstration involves a genie, a singing pipe and a secret for awakening the genie of the pipe.

We’ve learned that our office calendar is just a mere suggestion of what might actually happen during the week. Take today, for example. This morning started out as just as any normal Wednesday begins with one exception… the producers from Disaster House on the DIY Network called with a tiny request. “This is Chad and I was wondering if you could help us destroy a bathroom sink on the television show Disaster House.” Okay, that’s a pretty unusual request… one that I needed to ponder for about 13 seconds. “Well, I don’t see why not,” I said as I tried to control my 8th grade level of enthusiasm. “Just tell me when and where.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

The location was a home in Castle Rock, Colorado. The large, crime scene-like DISASTER HOME graphics on the roof were a dead give-away. When I arrived with my bathroom sink demolition expert, Jeff Brooks, the crew was eager to show us exactly what they had in mind. No surprises here… Josh Temple, the show host, wanted to use extreme measures to crack a porcelain bathroom sink. Sure, anyone could blow it up with C4, but we agreed that it would be fun to see if the sink could withstand some extreme changes in temperature.

At this point, some of you are already yelling, “Use liquid nitrogen!”, and you’d be right. It’s a logical choice… somewhat controllable… and has a cool danger factor that was just enough to scare the thunder out of Josh.

While I can’t give away everything that happened, I think it’s safe to say there were a few surprises. And the show producers were very cool in allowing us to take pictures and share them with you. The date has not been set for this episode of Disaster House to air, but we’ll but certain to keep you posted.

How long does it take to empty a soda bottle full of water? The answer lies in swirling the water to create a vortex. The vortex looks like a tornado in the bottle. The formation of the vortex makes it easier for air to come into the bottle and allows the water to pour out faster. My boys Scotty, Mark and Jack helped me with the demonstration.

To discover some of the scientific properties of air and water and empty a full bottle of water in seconds, read the Vortex Racing experiment.

It’s August and that means one thing for parents, children and teachers – back to school time. The parents are ready to shoo the kids out the door but the kids may or may not be excited about starting back up. Teachers are back in the classrooms prepping and planning and ready to meet their new students.

Back to school is an exciting and stressful time for everyone. If you are a parent, are you ready to send your kids back into the classroom? Have you done the school supply shopping and prepping that goes into this yearly event? If you are a teacher, are you ready to welcome the kids back to learning? Create a WOW! event to welcome your students back into the classroom – something to get them excited and engaged from the first day of school and all the way throughout the year.

There’s nothing like a hands-on science activity to pull out the first week of school like bubbles, beads, worms, slime or marbles. Steve Spangler Science is excited to offer The First Days of School Kit. This kit contains Jelly Marbles, Water Gel, Windbags and more with enough supplies for your entire class. It will have your students excited and engaged and ready to learn. This kit is also perfect for homeschooling groups, parents who like to donate supplies and activities to classrooms, after-school groups and back to school nights.

Jeff Vinokur is a science enthusiast who recently took his love for science and dance on NBC’s America’s Got Talent this summer.

On the show, Jeff performed science demos including erupting Insta-Snow, Insta-Worms and Exploding Hydrogen Balloons all while performing a dance routine. He shared a picture of the performance from the show from the Chicago Sun Times with us.

Jeff currently attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Biochemistry major. Besides being a passionate scientist, he is also an accomplished hip hop dancer.

He performed his Dancing Mad Scientist act for America’s Got Talent in the Chicago Theater and advanced to the Las Vegas round. Unfortunately, Jeff was eliminated as part of the top 100 acts. Only a small piece of his act made the show and is included in the clip below.

Mad About Science™ salutes the propane scientists at AmeriGas, the nation’s largest supplier of propane tanks and cylinders. Greg Rice and Chris Selepec from AmeriGas demonstrated the science behind propane tanks and explained propane tank safety at their facility in Commerce City, Colorado.

Greg and Chris demonstrated that propane is both a gas and a liquid. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Like with natural gas, an identifying odor is added so it can be easily detected.

They showed how the liquid quickly boils off and turns into a gas and talked about the importance of checking for leaks on your propane cylinders at home. A recent house fire in Parker, Colorado was partially due to an improperly connected propane cylinder to a barbecue grill that was up next to the house.

For more information on how to check for a propane leak, what to do if you smell gas, how to transport, store and dispose of propane tanks, visit the experiment on AmeriGas and the Science of Propane page.

You read it correctly – we are taking the Steve Spangler Science experience to the high seas for one week in 2011 with Holland America Cruise lines for Science at Sea 2011.

This is our second field trip to Alaska. In 2009, we set sail led by an award-winning group of naturalists and traveled from Anchorage along the inside passage to Vancouver, BC, Canada. It was an unforgettable trip…to read what our fellow passengers had to say about the excursion, visit the Science at Sea 2009 page.

Who should take the Science at Sea cruise? Teachers, parents, families, adventure-lovers - anyone who wants to experience Alaska with a naturalist on private shore excursions. It’s a true Alaskan adventure. This experience will be unique and customized to Science at Sea participants and won’t be available anywhere else.

The tour will begin on July 16, 2011 in Seattle with a one-day workshop hosted by Steve Spangler and lead naturalist John Scheerens. John will get you ready for your adventure with a preview of each of the customized shore excursions with his incredible insights and knowledge of the region. Steve Spangler will share some hands-on science activities you can use to teach some of the environmental science that is unique to Alaska. Don’t be surprised if Steve shares a few after-dinner science tricks you can use to amaze and engage your servers on a whole new level.

The tour will depart Seattle and cruise Puget Sound and will then travel to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria, British Columbia and end back in Seattle on July 24th.

Are you ready to plan your 2011 summer vacation? Visit the Science at Sea section to learn more about this amazing experience and to register. Hurry – this is a very popular Steve Spangler Science learning experience. Register early to confirm your spot. Reservations fill up fast.

We had a fun and informative discussion on solar energy and renewable energy sources during our Twitter party on Tuesday night. Thank you to everyone who joined in. We look forward to tweeting with you in the future. Follow us @spanglerscience to join the conversation.

During the Twitter party, we promised a post with more in-depth answers to our questions.

We talked a lot about Photovoltaics. Photovoltaics are simply defined as the method of turning the sun’s power into solar energy.

Solar energy puts the sun’s energy to work in the form of electricity, heating and lighting. A strong effort is being put into solar energy because it is reliable and has few environmental impacts. Solar energy is also an abundant and renewable resource.

Q1: Myth or Truth: Solar electricity cannot serve any significant fraction of U.S. or world electricity needs.
Q1 ANSWER: Photovoltaic technology can meet electricity demand but the system is not set up to do so yet.

PV technology can meet electricity demand on any scale. The solar energy resource in a 100-mile-square area of Nevada could supply the United States with all its electricity (about 800 gigawatts) using modestly efficient (10%) commercial PV modules.

A more realistic scenario involves distributing these same PV systems throughout the 50 states. Currently available sites—such as vacant land, parking lots, and rooftops—could be used. The land requirement to produce 800 gigawatts would average out to be about 17 x 17 miles per state. Alternatively, PV systems built in the “brownfields”—the estimated 5 million acres of abandoned industrial sites in our nation’s cities—could supply 90% of America’s current electricity.

These hypothetical cases emphasize that PV is not “area-impaired” in delivering electricity. The critical point is that PV does not have to compete with baseload power. Its strength is in providing electricity when and where energy is most limited and most expensive. It does not simply replace some fraction of generation. Rather, it displaces the right portion of the load, shaving peak demand during periods when energy is most constrained and expensive.

In the long run, the U.S. PV Industry Roadmap does expect PV to provide a “significant fraction of U.S. electricity needs.” This adds up to at least 15% of new added electricity capacity in 2020, and then 10 years later, at least 10% of the nation’s total electricity.

Excerpt taken from the U.S. Department of Energy

Q2: Myth or Truth: America accounts for over a 1/4 of world energy consumption with only 5% of the global population.
Q2 ANSWER: It’s true. America accounts for ¼ the world energy consumption with only 5% of the global population

The human ecological footprint is big. In some countries bigger than in others. There are around 2 billion world citizens without any electricity at all. To them the facts about solar energy are that they cannot flick a switch to bring it on and are often steeped in poverty. By contrast America accounts for over a quarter of world energy consumption with only 5% of the global population.

Excerpt taken from Alternate-Energy-Sources.com

Q3: Myth or Truth: Fossil fuels are a form of solar energy
Q3 ANSWER: Fossil fuels are stored solar energy from decomposed plant matter that grew by aid from the sun

Even fossil fuels are forms of stored solar energy. Coal, oil and gas formed hundreds of millions of years ago from decomposed plant matter. Plant matter that grew by aid of the sun.

Excerpt taken from Alternate-Energy-Sources.com

Q4 Myth or Truth: It is believed that 50% of the world’s energy needs will come from renewable sources by 2040
Q4 ANSWER: Shell has predicted 50% of the world’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2040.

Perhaps the future is here now. Shell has predicted that 50% of the world’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2040. Shell will also join in a massive renewable energy development project supported by the UAE. Several industrial heavyweights will join them: British Petroleum, Total, and Occidental Petroleum Corp, General Electric, Rolls Royce, Fiat and Mitsubishi.

Excerpt taken from Alternate-Energy-Sources.com

Q5: Myth or Truth: Photovoltaics cannot significantly offset environmental emissions.
Q5 ANSWER: PV will offset 10 million metric tons of CO2/year by 2027=to the increase emitted by fossil fuel electricity generation

PV systems produce no atmospheric emissions or greenhouse gases. Compared to fossil-generated electricity, each kilowatt of PV electricity annually offsets up to:

• 16 kilograms of nitrogen oxides
• 9 kilograms of sulfur oxides
• 2,300 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO₂)

If the industry grows by the 25% per year as predicted (see U.S. PV Industry Roadmap (PDF 674 KB) Download Adobe Reader). PV in the United States will offset 10 million metric tons of CO₂ per year by 2027 — equivalent to the annual increase emitted by U.S. fossil fuel electricity generation. This means that the emission rate will become negative thereafter as the PV contribution grows!

Excerpt taken from the U.S. Department of Energy

Q6: Myth or Truth: Using the sun’s energy for power is a new idea.
Q6 ANSWER: Using renewable energy is not new. It’s what people used before coal, oil and gas were found.

Of course, you know that using renewable energy is nothing new.

It’s what people used throughout recorded history before coal, oil and gas were found.

They burned what we now call biomass. Wood, dried animal dung and peat for instance, for heat and light. All part and parcel of the history of solar energy.

Sun worship by ancient civilisations is evidence of recognition of the sun’s central importance in sustaining life—renewing energy.

Native North- and South-American peoples worshipped the sun. So did the Babylonians, ancient Hindus, Persians and Egyptians. The Easter bonfire and the Yule log at Christmas time are remnants of European sun worship. In ancient Greece the deities of the sun were Helios and Apollo, with many temples devoted to them.

Ancient Greek interest in the sun transcended religious purposes. They were the first to use passive solar design in their housing. As early as 400BC entire Greek cities were built in this way.

The Romans later improved on these designs and they were the first to use glass for windows, thereby trapping solar warmth. The Romans even stipulated by law that it was an offence to obscure a neighbor’s access to sunlight. They were the first to use glasshouses to create the right growing conditions for exotic plants and seeds they brought to Rome from far-flung corners of their empire.

Excerpt taken from Alternate-Energy-Sources.com

Q7: Myth or Truth: Leaving your computer on when you leave work saves energy.
Q7 ANSWER: Switching the displays and terminals off at the end of the day would save 85 watts (per computer) or 255 megawatts.

In 2000, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories did a survey on computer equipment in the United States and California. They found that there are about 122 million displays and terminals in the United States (Kawanmoto, et. al.), of which 68 million are in commercial buildings and industrial facilities. About 15 percent are in California, which accounts for 10 million computers in non-residential use.

Thirty percent of the 10 million, or 3 million, are left on overnight without their power management capabilities enabled. Switching the displays and terminals off at the end of the day would save 85 watts (per computer) times 3 million; or 255 megawatts.

The California winter peak is in the evenings, so this analysis applies to that situation.

For summer, the challenge will be to encourage people to turn off their monitors when they leave for lunch or a meeting to conserve the 750-850 megawatts that these non-residential consumers use.

Computers should be shut off when not used for long periods of time, such as overnight. When you’re away from your computer, use the “sleep” or “energy-saver” mode. This will turn off the monitor, but your computer will not have to be restarted.

Even better would be to turn off the computer, monitor and peripherals using the surge protector – control strip. Some peripherals, such as modems – especially DSL and cable modems – draw power even if the computer is not using them.

Screen savers should be not used because they consume more electricity displaying graphics and moving images. And with modern monitors there is little chance that a screen will be “burned” and because they may actually impede the power-saving mode.

When looking to buy a new computer or monitor, look for the ENERGY STAR® label. An ENERGY STAR qualified computer uses 70 percent less electricity than computers without enabled power management features.

Excerpt taken from California Energy Commission

Come party with Steve Spangler Science and UV Skinz Tuesday, July 27^th from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. PST and learn about the myths and truths of renewable solar energy.

You will also have a chance to win some fabulous prizes during the party.

We will be using hastag #spangler and also have a special tweetgrid set up for the party.

During the party we will be asking you the myths and truths about sun energy and it’s uses as a renewable energy source. Your answer might just win you a prize!

You Could Win –

• An item of your choice from the UV Skinz website
• Steve Spangler Solar Science Kit that includes Solar Bag and the brand new  6 in 1  Solar Robot Kit.

Join Susan Wells, Social Media Strategist for SteveSpanglerScience.com and Blogger Kalisha Frazier from UVSkinz.com as your hosts. Please RSVP by leaving us a comment below with your twitter handle to be eligible to win giveaway prizes. You also need to follow @uvskinz and @spanglerscience.

Don’t forget to RSVP and join us on Tuesday, July 27th from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. PST to explore the myths and truths behind solar energy.

**Please keep in mind this party is for fun and educational purposes and is not based on political or personal views about renewable energy.

The Spangler team received its second Heartland Chapter Emmy Award last Saturday night at the awards gala held in Denver, Colorado. The award was received for the half hour television special – Spangler Science and Weather at Coors Field - that aired on KUSA-TV 9News in Denver, Colorado. But this award is extra special for the Spangler team because we share it with our own Bradley Mayhew who is credited on the Emmy as the editor.

The television special documented the first ever Weather and Science Day at Coors Field 2009. It was at this event that the Spangler team received its first Guinness World Record for the Large Physics Lesson – conducting a hands-on science demonstration with 5,401 people all at the same time.

Our first Heartland Chapter Emmy Award was awarded in 1997 while I was working at KCNC as the host of News for Kids, a nationally syndicated show that aired every Saturday morning.

Here’s a quick overview of the half hour special – Spangler Science and Weather at Coors Field…