science museum of virginia

The Amazing Human Heart!

The Human Heart is pretty amazing! It's the power house of our circulatory system. One muscle with four chambers that pumps about 1900 gallons of blood every single day!  That's pretty impressive considering that this vital organ only weighs about 10 ounces.  Don't let size fool you though, the heart's work goes a long way, literally!  The average adult human circulatory system can actually reach about 60,000 miles.

Question Your World - Women in Science

Now is a great time for science. New inventions, discoveries, and groundbreaking research are constantly improving the quality of our lives. Women scientists have contributed greatly to our understanding of the world. Marie Curie helped us understand the very nature of the atom and radioactivity. Grace Hopper helped unlock the power of computers. Sally Ride and Mae Jemison helped us to understand the cosmos.

Celebrate Earth Day

This Earth Day, I could pass along “green” tips on how to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint, but I will save that for another time. Instead, let me make a suggestion: go OUTSIDE this weekend! Take your dog for a walk, plant a vegetable garden, play outdoor games with your children, visit a local park, take a hike and look for wildlife, or just sit in the sun and appreciate its warmth (with appropriate sunscreen, of course).

Question of the Week

Gas prices are on the rise again...  The world's supply of fossil fuel is limited and will eventually be exhausted.  Production is becoming more difficult and more expensive.  Many Americans are turning to renewable energy.  What exactly is renewable energy?  Can you name 5 renewable energy sources?

Question of the Week

The word "nerd" is a fairly recent addition to the English language and is now quite common in everyday speech.

When and where was the first recorded usage of the word?

(Hint:  Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday...)

Answer:  Dr. Seuss holds the honor of first printed usage of the word "nerd."  It appeared in the book If I Ran the Zoo, written in 1950.

WWII Morale Boosters

From the collection of the Virginia Aviation Museum (a division of the Science Museum of Virginia) are two World War II era morale boosters for troops. These booklets provided entertainment for those serving overseas during the war. The “Army Song Book” was published in 1941 by the Library of Congress and contains well-known songs such as “America the Beautiful” and the “Star Spangled Banner”. It also includes the official song of the U.S. Army Air Corps. Here is an excerpt:

Pages

Subscribe to science museum of virginia