Table of contents for Issue 360 - August 2025 in MiniMag

It’s Back to School – and that means revving up your brain engines for a brand-new adventure! In this issue, we zoom into the fast-paced world of motorsport in the movie Grand Prix of Europe, where precision, focus and teamwork rule the racetrack. Gami is back with maths puzzles that show how numbers keep things spinning smoothly – from race car timing to the thrills of theme parks! Get wild with us as we explore the mighty lion, the towering giraffe, the clever lizard and the shape-shifting octopus. Each animal has something incredible to teach us about survival, adaptation, and nature’s clever designs. And in EasyScience, we’re looking into the fascinating world of fungi! From tasty mushrooms to fuzzy mould, you’ll discover how these strange little life forms play a…

Pull the top of the mushroom or toadstool from the stalk, but take care not to damage the delicate gills beneath the cap. The spores are borne on these gills. Place the cap, gills downward, on a piece of clean, white paper. Place a jam jar over the cap to prevent it from drying up or being disturbed. After a few days, carefully remove the cap from the paper. You should see a pattern on the paper where the spores have fallen. Mushrooms, toadstools, mildews and moulds are all fungi. Since some are poisonous, be sure to wash your hands after touching them, and never eat any that you have picked yourself. Jobs in fungi research A fungi researcher is called a mycologist. Someone who studies the diseases fungi cause in…

Lions are the only big cats that live in socialgroups called prides. A pride can have up to 30 lions, including mothers, cubs and a few dominant males. The lionesses (females) work as a team to hunt for food while the males protect the pride from rivals. Each lion’s roar is unique and can be heard up to 8 kilometres away! What’s for dinner? Lions are carnivores, which means they only eat meat. They usually hunt animals like zebras, antelopes and buffalo. Lionesses are the main hunters, and they use teamwork, stealth and strength to bring down prey. Lions sleep for around 20 hours a day to save energy for hunting! Where do they live? Most wild lions live in the savannahs and grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa. They like open…

Why did the race car driver bring a calculator to the track? Because he wanted to multiply his chances of winning! Did you know? • F1 teams collect over 1.5 billion data points during a single race weekend! • Roller coaster designers use quadratic equations to plan every thrilling twist. • Theme parks use maths models to predict the weather and adjust ride schedules! On the Track The Grand Prix isn’t just about fast cars – it’s about fast thinking! Engineers and race teams use maths to: • Measure tyre wear to know when to make the perfect pit stop. • Calculate speed, distance and time so cars can take corners perfectly. • Use angles and geometry to design aerodynamic cars that slice through the air. • Analyse data to…

Ed Euromaus - The star of the park! This friendly grey mouse with big ears and a bigger smile is always ready for adventure. He’s often seen leading parades and helping visitors explore the park. Edda Euromausi - Ed’s smart and stylish friend. She’s clever, caring and always full of ideas! Louis, Böckli & Eurofant - A musical band of fun characters from different areas of the park. Louis the lion loves to rock, Bšckli the goat brings Alpine charm, and Eurofant, a blue elephant, is always up for a laugh. The mascots often wear outfits that match the different European regions they represent – so look out for a French beret, a Viking helmet, or even lederhosen! Ed Euromaus has been the face of Europa-Park since 1975 and even…

Giraffes can grow up to 5.5 metres tall! That’s taller than most double-decker buses. Their long necks help them reach the tastiest leaves high up in acacia trees, where few other animals can go. Even though their necks are so long, giraffes have just seven neck bones - the same number as humans! Giraffes have very long necks and legs, which makes drinking water a tricky task! To reach the water, they must awkwardly spread their front legs wide apart or bend their knees and lower their long necks all the way down. This position makes them wobbly and vulnerable to predators, so giraffes drink quickly and keep their eyes open for danger while they sip. Giraffes play an important role in their environment. By eating from tall trees, they…

The fungi kingdom There are over a million kinds of animals and nearly half a million kinds of plants, so it is essential to have some way of classifying them or arranging them into groups so that we can refer to them easily. Surely you have heard of the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom before? Fungi are placed in a separate kingdom because they are different from plants and animals. They live almost anywhere in the soil, water and air. Fungi have similar characteristics to plants and are sometimes mistakenly put in the plant kingdom, but they do not produce their own food like plants since they have no chlorophyll. Fungi take nutrients from the animals, plants or decaying matter on which they live. They reproduce by spores sexually…

In the following experiment you are going to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released during the growth of yeast. The growth of the yeast (it is alive, made of living cells!) stops when one of the nutrients required by the yeast is gone, or when the liquid gets too acid (low pH) and kills the yeast. ✓ When you add the warmth, the yeast starts feeding on the sugar. As it feeds, it breathes. Yeast breathes out carbon dioxide which fills the balloon. ✓ You have now captured yeast breath! Method ✓ Label each bottle with a number to keep track of what each one contains - control (water), treatment and contents - so that you can tell bottles containing the same solution (replicates) apart. Colour is not…

Every year on 12 August, the world celebrates INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY – a day to shine a spotlight on the power, creativity, and voice of young people everywhere! This special day reminds us that youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but also the changemakers of today. Whether you’re dreaming up inventions, standing up for the planet, helping others, or simply being kind – your actions matter. This year, let’s celebrate by thinking big, staying curious, and believing in the difference young minds can make! DON'T MISS YOUR NEXT EDITION OF MINIMAG! visit: https://www.minimag.online…