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Science Fact

Our oldest radio broadcasts of the 1930s have already travelled past 100,000 stars.

Weird Science

Laughing can kill you? Fatal hilarity is death as a result of laughing too hard. In the third century B.C. the Greek philosopher Chrysippus died from laughter after watching a donkey eat a fig (yeah, we don't get it either). A recent case occurred in 1975 when Alex Mitchell, a 50-year-old bricklayer in England, died after watching a television show called The Goodies. Alex laughed for over 25 minutes until he finally collapsed on the couch from heart failure. His wife later sent a letter to the TV show thanking them for making his last moments of life so pleasant.

Graffiti !!!

We hear it time and time again. Reeko, you talk to much. Why can't we talk back? Well now you can. Reeko's Message Board let you ask science and experiments questions, post interesting science news, slap up some graffiti, or just yak with your buddies.

Crazy Stats

Distance the Earth has travelled through space since this page loaded:

Want more real-time statistics? Check out the Reeko's World Stats Counter.

Stats/Scores

Scientists online:4

Pages you've viewed: 8

Puzzle pieces found:

Total fires in lab today: 3

Number of new lab rats: 22

My Locker

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Track Reeko!

Using new RFID technology, you can now track Reeko as he moves about the lab! The "blip" is Reeko and will move from room to room as Reeko moves about the lab (he moves from room to room every couple of minutes or so). Hover over the map below for details on each of the rooms in the lab..

Did U Know?

Koalas sleep an average of 22 hours a day, two hours more than the sloth and four more hours than your dad (ask him about the extra sleeping hours he gets at work).

Lab Reports

Lab Monkey Report We are cranking out experiments for the little scientists as fast as we can and have rolled out several new (advanced) experiments during the past two weeks. Still, Reeko will not increase of banana quota to more than 12 bananas per day which we feel is highly unfair. The rats are fed several times a day and being the superior species, we feel we deserve as many bananas as we want. Reeko says the potassium in the bananas causes a chemical overload in our brains which results in us repeating ourselves over and over again. We of course, know that is not true. We of course, know that is not true.

Lab Rat Report There have been some strange noises coming out of Top Secret Section F. As usual, the monkeys won’t tell us what is going on but we heard them talking about some sort of "row bat" that Reeko is working on. We listened at the doorway and hear clanking noises coming from inside and see very bright lights flashing from under the door. Sometimes we hear Reeko talking to himself. Stay tuned – something big is coming!

Lab Cat Report Zzzzzzz.....

Wisecracks

Lend only dry pens (pens that are out of ink) to people who ask to borrow one. Eventually they'll leave you alone altogether.

More Info

Reeko’s tweetting on twitter and twittering around on Facebook! Check out Reeko on twitter.com for snippets on Reeko’s unusual escapades and be sure to sign up as a fan on his Facebook blog. While you're there, check out the encrypted messages and inside lab news.

Homemade fire extinguisher

Most people have fire extinguishers in their homes and in fact, we even place extra ones in the garage where Dad hangs out. All schools and businesses are required by law to have fire extinguishers on their premises. Fire extinguishers work by removing one of the critical ingredients for a fire - oxygen. In this experiment we demonstrate this process.

Fill the small dish with baking soda.
Place a short candle and a slightly longer candle upright in the baking soda
Place the dish into the bottom of the large bowl.
Have Mom or Dad light both candles. If Dad's handling the matches then go get that fire extinguisher out of the garage first.
Pour the vinegar into the dish of baking soda (not on the candles).

What happens to the candles? Which candle goes out first - the shorter one or the taller one?

When vinegar is combined with baking soda, the two react and produce carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas is heavier than the surrounding air so it sinks into the bottom of the bowl. As the reaction continues, more and more carbon dioxide gas is produced which begins to slowly fill up the bowl. When the level of carbon dioxide has risen to the level of the flame, the flame will go out from lack of air.

Parent/Teacher/Advanced Notes [click to expand]

Fire is the heat and light that comes from burning substances. In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier, a French chemist, proved that burning is the result of the rapid union of oxygen with other substances. As a substance burns, heat and light are produced.

Carbon dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas. It occurs in the atmospheres of many planets, including that of the earth. On the earth, all green plants must get carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to live and grow. Animals produce the gas when their bodies convert food into energy and living tissue. Animals release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is also created by the burning of any substance that contains carbon. Such substances include coal, gasoline, and wood. Fermentation and the decay of plants and animals also produce carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide makes up less than 1 per cent of the earth's atmosphere.

Experiment Supplies

Supplies: Candle, Baking soda, Vinegar

Other experiments that use some of the same supplies as this experiment

Look out, she's gonna blow!
Shiver me timbers, blow me down
Making homemade plastic
Blow up balloon