Hello. Nat here.
It's National Science Week, so we've got a special program today,
dedicated to all things science.
And spoiler alert, things are going to get messy.
To kick us off, the Australian Museum has seen a massive increase
in volunteers during COVID-19.
They've been helping scientists with all kinds of projects,
and you can get involved too.
Here's Cale.
There is science in everything.
Salvia Rosmarinus.
Canis familiaris
It's even on my socks.
The trouble is, scientists can't be everywhere at once...
..keeping track of the world around us.
But that's where you can come in.
Citizen Science is where people
that aren't professionally trained in science
can be involved in scientific projects.
Paul Flemons is manager of Citizen Science at the Australian Museum,
and he says there's lots we can do to help scientists and museums out.
What a lot of people don't realise
is that museums have a really active research program
that is looking at the history of animals,
as well as currently, and we need help in getting those digitised.
In 2011, Paul set up DigiVol,
a website designed to help us help science.
Here, you can help out projects from all over Australia,
from helping to count endangered dunnarts on Kangaroo Island,
to keeping track of Malleefowl predators via camera traps.
Paul says since 2011, more than 4 million items from the museum
have been analysed,
and more than 2 million were just in the last month.
When you're stuck at home, you want something interesting to do,
you want something to do which you feel takes you out of your...
..your own little space
and makes you feel like you're making a difference to the world.
So even though some of us can't go out and explore right now,
there's still plenty of science to be done from the comfort of your couch.
Ever wished you had a 770km-long self stick?
Well, if your answer is, "I guess,
"but it's so oddly specific a question
"I've never actually considered it,"
well, then, you're in luck.
This week is your chance to get a satellite selfie.
People in the ACT and Northern Territory have been invited
to head outside for a giant photo taken from space.
A satellite's flying over a total of three times,
and lots of people have already taken part.
Your last chance is tomorrow, between these times.
Alright, it's time to put on your lab coats
and chuck on your safety glasses
because we couldn't possibly celebrate science week
without trying out a few science experiments.
It's time for Fizz, Pop, Bang!
(BANG!)
That was a bit loud. Sorry.
For all of these experiments,
I highly recommend getting an adult to help you.
But I'm an adult, so we don't really need him.
I don't... Yeah.
For our first experiment, we're going to be making a pop rocket.
So we'll need some vinegar, bicarb soda,
a film canister and some water.
So you're going to want to mix up some baking soda with water
until it becomes a thick paste,
and then chuck some of the paste into the lid of the canister.
And in the canister itself, we're going to pour some vinegar.
Now, the next step's gonna happen pretty quickly.
We're going to put the lid on, tip it upside down
and that starts a chemical reaction
which produces carbon dioxide gas really quickly.
Argh!
When I was in school, people used to love sherbet,
but did you know that's actually pretty easy to make?
All you need is a tablespoon of icing sugar, a tablespoon of baking soda,
and a tablespoon of citric acid.
Then you just mix it all together.
And if anyone asks, this is chemistry, Mrs Cartwright.
Chemistry.
Mm! Mm!
(GIGGLES)
It's really sour!
Alright.
And finally, we're going to make something called elephant toothpaste.
But don't try this one at home, OK?
Leave it to the professionals.
So, Cale, what are we going to need?
So, we're going to need hydrogen peroxide, potassium iodide or yeast,
some washing detergent and a bit of food colouring, just for fun.
So the potassium iodide is something called a catalyst.
And when I chuck it in the mixture,
it's going to really quickly break apart the oxygen
from the hydrogen peroxide,
and we're going to see something pretty fun.
And just make sure you're wearing your safety goggles.
I'm wearing them!
Oh, I'm wearing them, Cale.
Here we go.
Oh!
Now, that's toothpaste fit for an elephant.
Probably a baby elephant.
Science.
That's all for today. We'll be back again tomorrow. See you then.
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation