Table of contents for Issue 355 - March 2025 in MiniMag

Here are a few things to think about: • Most people agree that it would be okay to get rid of a terrible genetic disease. But once that is allowed, people could argue that poor eyesight should also be fixed, and then something else. If we start changing people in this way, where do we stop?• Gene editing therapies are expensive. Therefore, we need to think about how poorer people and poorer countries could also use these types of treatments if they can’t afford it. It wouldn’t be fair if rich people were able to improve their own lives, whilst the majority of the population didn’t benefit.• If we allow ‘designer babies’, people might decide to choose traits that we value in society today but might not like tomorrow, or…

Neo-Crossword ANSWERS: 1. VAXXIE; 2. HANGRY; 3. GHOSTING; 4. WEBINAR 5. HASHTAG; 6. ACROSS: FREEMIUM; 6. DOWN: FINSTA; 7. UNPLUG; 8. JOMO; 9. STAYCATION; 10. BROGRAMMER; 11. DOWN: CYBERBULLY; 11. ACROSS: CLICKBAIT; 12. ADORKABLE; 13. TROLL; 14. BINGE-WATCH; 15. FLEX; 16. GLAMPING; 17. GOOGLE; 18. CRAY; 19. ADULTING; 20. PHUBBING; 21. SELFIE; 22. DEEPFAKE A newly coined word, expression, or usage that may or may not become widely accepted. Love your Lingo! Some of the coolest neologisms start as internet slang! For example, “meme” comes from the Greek word mimema, meaning “something imitated,” and was first used in 1976 by scientist Richard Dawkins – long before it became a social media sensation! CLUES 1. A selfie taken while getting vaccinated.2. A combination of "hungry" and "angry," meaning irritability due to…

Mary and Tom are parentless Irish siblings who arrive in New York City via ocean liner in 1886 and quickly find themselves on a wild, cross-country journey aboard a transcontinental “Orphan Train” where they meet an extraordinary new friend who will change their lives forever. Fuelled by curiosity, friendship, and teamwork, their dangerous and discovery-filled journey will introduce them to devious villains, surprising allies, unexpected heroes, and unimaginable adventures on a hilarious and heart-warming search for home. FILMFINITY IN CINEMAS 14 MARCH…

The Wet Sand Theory This theory builds on ancient depictions and modern experiments showing that wetting the sand in front of sledges reduces friction, making it easier to transport heavy stones. Workers might have used water to harden the sand, allowing them to drag massive stones across desert terrain with less effort. The Engineering Wonder The largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, originally stood at an astonishing height of 146 metres (now slightly shorter due to erosion). It was built using over 2 million limestone blocks, each weighing between 2 and 15 tons. Ancient engineers used ramps, levers and sheer manpower to move and position these massive stones. The pyramids were not just architectural achievements; they were also designed with astronomical precision. The Great Pyramid is aligned almost perfectly…

Forests cover nearly a third of the Earth’s land, and they are essential to life. They clean the air, keep our climate stable, and provide food and medicine. Trees also prevent soil from washing away, keeping rivers and lakes clean. One of the best ways to protect forests is by planting indigenous trees Ð trees that naturally grow in a region. These trees support local wildlife, improve soil health, and are more likely to survive in their environment. Many conservationists are working hard to regenerate forests by planting trees where they have been cut down. Every tree planted is a step toward a healthier planet! How does forestry work? Forestry is the science of managing forests in a sustainable way. Responsible forestry ensures that when trees are cut down, new…

Buffalo and bison may look similar, but they belong to different species and are found in different parts of the world. The reason why American bison are often mistakenly called buffalo goes back to early European explorers, who saw these animals and thought they resembled the buffalo of Africa and Asia. The name stuck, but now we know better! During the 19th century, bison were hunted nearly to extinction. With the expansion of railroads and westward settlement, bison were slaughtered in massive numbers – partly for sport, partly for their hides, and sadly, as a way to disrupt Indigenous communities. By the late 1800s, only a few hundred bison remained in the wild. Unlike cows, bison have never been fully domesticated. They remain wild animals with unpredictable behaviour. BISON BISON are…

Gene editing raises many ethical questions about what is right and wrong, making it a fascinating topic for debate teams. These discussions can be engaging and thought-provoking, as long as everyone remains respectful of differing views and ideas. To have a meaningful debate, it’s important to first understand the facts. CRISPR: Like ‘cut and paste’ for DNA In a gigantic breakthrough, scientists found a way of programming tiny ‘scissors’ to search for a very specific piece of DNA and then cut a piece out, put a piece in, or make a small change to it. It is similar to editing an essay you are writing by fixing spelling mistakes or making small changes to a word here and there. This gene editing technology, called CRISPR/Cas9 system, has been adapted from…

That’s how most people imagine a Palaeolithic (Stone Age) setting. Unfortunately, this scenario probably never happened in the time before farming. But there are three particularly misleading parts of this story that are common in stories about our past. ONE: Their unkempt hair Hair does not preserve in the deep archaeological record but we can make some educated guesses based on our knowledge of some of our closest relatives. Humans are a part of the family called "primates", and most primates have quite elaborate grooming strategies. You see, grooming is one way in which these primates bond with their buddies. Humans are very social: we live in huge groups and tend to try to look good for each other, just like many of these primates. Different cultures have difference ideas…

Today we know that the sky, or atmosphere, is a layer of air that surrounds our planet. Meteorology, the study of the atmosphere, is a branch of science that looks at what is going on in the sky especially about the weather and weather patterns over time. Earth’s atmosphere is made up of a mixture of different gasses: mostly nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen and a few more. Gravity – the same force that keeps you on the ground, pulls this blanket of gasses towards Earth and holds it in place. Scientists divide the atmosphere into five layers: the exosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere and troposphere. About half of all the air in the atmosphere is found in the lowest layer, the troposphere, which reaches from the ground to between 8-15 km…