Showing results by author "Darcy Pattison" in All Categories

In 1915, British astronomer Arthur Stanley Eddington was fascinated with Einstein's new theory of general relativity. The theory talks about how forces push and pull objects in space. Einstein said that the sun's gravity could pull and bend light.

People were dying! Malaria is a deadly mosquito-borne disease that causes fevers, chills and often death. In 1969, the People’s Republic of China created a task force to find a cure. Working in the 1970s, Chinese scientist Tu Youyou reviewed the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) scrolls for ideas on where to start her research. She found 640 traditional treatments, and methodically started extracting compounds and testing them against malaria. Would any of them work? Follow the struggles of Nobel Prize scientist Tu Youyou as she works to find a cure to malaria.

Like Bill Nye, the Science Guy today, Chladni popularized science. But during his work as an entertainer, he struggled to find the time and finances do actual research. This story provides a glimpse at the life of Ernst Chladni, the Father of Acoustics. It's an amazing example of how scientists collaborate internationally. The story is based on Chladni's own description of the event.

In 1818, Jeannette Power, a young French woman moved to Sicily and fell in love with the Mediterranean Sea and the Argonauta Argo octopus, the weirdest octopus on Earth. At the time, though, the only way to study a marine animal was if it was dead on land. That wasn’t good enough. Jeannette wanted to study this creature alive. She had many questions: did it create its own shell, how did it reproduce, what did it eat, and did it know she was watching? She knew that careful observation was the only way to answer her questions.

In January 1776, George Washington had a problem: the British army controlled the city of Boston. The colonial army needed to force the British to leave. But how? Washington had a solution: ask his engineer Rufus Putnam to solve the problem. They needed to take control of the high ground, Dorchester Heights, just south of Boston. They could place cannons there to bombard the British army.

Did you know that you have a little bit of dinosaur in you? And it’s your cousin’s fault. She dared you to pitch a peanut high in the air and catch it in your mouth. You didn’t know it had a nitrogen atom that used to be in the egg of a Hadrosaurus. This humorous story follows a nitrogen atom as it journeys from dry bones to your skull–and beyond!

When a sudden downpour, a monsoon, falls in the desert, plants and animals explode with growth. Plants sprout, bloom, produce seeds and die within a couple days. Likewise, in a week, animals hatch, grow, mate, lay eggs, and return to hibernation or estivation.

In this exciting return to the KittyTube world, Angel’s brother, Quincy takes center stage. Somehow Quincy must keep his relationships straight and still manage to make the cut when the kitten actors are cut to only twenty kittens who will move on to the next phase. Follow Quincy’s path toward stardom.

Mom said, “No pets.” Then, they discover the cat’s owner. Erika has just moved next door to stay with her grandmother while Erika attends the Deaf School. She brought Fluffy, her cat, with her. Fluffy likes to wander the neighborhood and make friends. This delightful Halloween short chapter book is about cats, sign language, and a surprising friendship.

Can humans save a species from extinction? Yes! With patience, persistence, and a full dose of hope. This is the heartbreaking tale of a Galápagos giant tortoise species that was almost extinct, the herculean task of conservation work by scientists and volunteers, and a heartwarming tale of hope for our planet.

Brooke and her family are headed to the mountains for vacation. Brooke wants to snowboard, but she is scared. Her sister, Amy, isn't scared at all. Will Brooke be able to face her mountain fears?

It's the first day of school. Howie is worried. Will he find a friend? With high hopes, Howie goes to robotics club. But no one chooses him as a partner. Then Lincoln bounds into the room. The strange new bird is too big and fluffy. Howie hides! The teacher, however, puts the unlikely pair together. Will they be able to accept each other's wonky ideas and become friends?

When the family gathers for Grandma's birthday, they spend the day at the local K-9 Karnival. Cousins Dennis and Mellie get their faces painted, learn how to give a dog a bath, and march in a parade. At home, they write informative essays about the day. Two full mentor essays included. With the homework done, it's time for Grandma's birthday party!

Jake Rose's girlfriend, Em Tullis, has mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a one-word clue: "Phoke." His search takes him around the world to fabled Aberforth Hills in the North Sea, home of Earth's native aquatic people, the Mer, who are now known as Phoke. They've remained hidden for centuries, only emerging now in a desperate search for a cure to a Risonian water-borne illness.

Jake Rose joins the courageous crew of the Eagle 10 as they streak across the galaxy to Rison, the other blue planet. Their goal is to find the umjaadi starfish, the host of an organism that is deadly to the Phoke, the water people of Earth. The mission is foolhardy because Rison will soon implode. The catastrophe is mere days away from a science-gone-wrong scenario. Forced to enter the Risonian society at its darkest hour, the team struggles against local politics and race against time to find the starfish.

A test-tube baby, 15-year-old Jake Rose is half human and half alien. After living with his mother on Rison for most of his life, he finally comes to Earth to live with his human father's grandparents on Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound. His mother, Dayexi Quad-de is Rison's ambassador to Earth. She's tasked with finding Risonians a new home on Earth in a peaceful manner. Jake accidentally discovers that Earth's elite ELLIS forces are tying to sabotage Mt. Rainier and make it explode so that they can blame it on the Risonian aliens.

Put scientists out in the field — where they observe and learn from their subjects — and exciting things happen. Join 14 American scientists as they watch sleeping hippos, avoid cactus thorns, hide snakes under their skirts, make jokes, and draw elephants, termites, or squids.

Teams of kids are baking, building, and decorating. The project guidelines are clear: The winning house must stand upright on its own and a gingerbread boy and girl must fit inside. Sounds easy? It would be except…cookies burn, the icing is too thin, the house caves-in, someone is eating the candy decorations, and — oh! — they forgot about the gingerbread boy and girl.

The Complete Aliens, Inc. Series includes Kell the Alien, Kell and the Horse Apple Parade, Kell and the Giants, and Kell and the Detectives.

The stage was set for a showdown: Man v. Machine. On March 9, 2016, the AlphaGo artificial intelligence computer program played the board game, GO, against the world champion, Lee Sedol. The exciting historic meeting of minds unfolded across five difficult games. This story introduces concepts of artificial intelligence and helps kids understand the challenges and the promise of working with AI.