SCIENCE BOND

While birds have been flying for millions of years, it's something relatively new to humans and we rely on some important scientific principles to achieve it. Beginning with simple kites, humans have moved on to develop gliders, airships, helicopters, commercial planes and even supersonic flight. Supersonic flight (breaking the sound barrier) is achieved when an object travels at a speed faster than sound (1235kph, 768mph). The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were American aviation pioneers who created the first successful airplane, thanks in part to their invention of 3-axis control, enabling the pilot to effectively control the plane. While a number of flight pioneers were working on their own powered flight at the time (including New Zealand's Richard Pearse) the Wright Brothers are widely credited with the first controlled and sustained human flig...

The word dinosaur comes from the Greek language and means ‘terrible lizard’. The word was coined by English paleontologist Richard Owen in 1842 and was meant to refer to Dinosaurs impressive size rather than their scary appearance. Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for over 160 million years, from the Triassic period around 230 million years ago through the Jurassic period and until the end of the Cretaceous period around 65 million years ago. The time period from 250 million years ago until around 65 million years ago is known as the Mesozoic Era. It is often referred to as the Age of the Dinosaurs because most dinosaurs developed and became extinct during this time. It is believed that dinosaurs lived on Earth until around 65 million years ago when a mass extinction occurred. Scientists believe that the event leading to the extinction may have been a massive asteroid impact or huge volcanic activity. Events s...

Born in England, Isaac Newton was a highly influential physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, alchemist and theologian. In 1687, Newton published Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, what is widely regarded to be one of the important books in the history of science. In it he describes universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, concepts that remained at the forefront of science for centuries after. Newton’s law of universal gravitation describes the gravitational attraction between bodies with mass, the earth and moon for example. Newton’s three laws of motion relate the forces acting on a body to its motion. The first is the law of inertia, it states that ‘every object in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an outside force’. The second is commonly stated as ‘force equa...

Albert Einstein was born on the 14th of March 1879 and died on the 18th of April 1955. Born in Germany to a Jewish family, Einstein made many contributions to the field of theoretical physics. Even when very young, Einstein showed great ability in both math’s and science. He was naturally curious and had a brilliant analytical mind. Einstein worked in a patent office evaluating patents for electromagnetic devices not long after he graduated. He produced perhaps one of the most famous equations ever: E = mc² (energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared). He is also well known for his theory of relativity. Special relativity being introduced in his 1905 paper “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” before Einstein developed the ...

Because of differences in gravity, a 200 pound person would only weigh 76 pounds on Mars. More gravity facts. Electric eels can stun both predators and prey with electric shocks of around 500 volts. More electricity facts. Energy from food is usually measured in joules or calories. More energy facts. Light from the Earth takes just 1.255 seconds to reach the Moon. More light facts. Sound travels at a speed of around 767 miles per hour (1,230 kilometres per hour). More sound facts. When traveling at 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour), cars use around half of their fuel just to overcome wind resistance. ...

Lions are the second largest big cat species in the world (behind tigers). The average male lion weighs around 180 kg (400 lb) while the average female lion weighs around 130 kg (290 lb). The heaviest lion on record weighed an amazing 375 kg (826 lb). Lions can reach speeds of up to 81 kph (50 mph) but only in short bursts because of a lack of stamina. The roar of a lion can be heard from 8 kilometers (5.0 miles) away. Most lions found in the wild live in southern and eastern parts of Africa. Lions are very social compared to other cat species, often living in pri...

In total there is said to be around 400 million dogs in the world. The domestic dog has been one of the most popular working and companion animals throughout human history. Dogs perform many useful tasks for humans including hunting, farm work and security as well as assisting those with disabilities such as the blind. Although experts often disagree, there is scientific evidence which shows that the domestication of dogs could have occurred more than 15,000 years ago. There are hundreds of different breeds of dogs. Examples of these breeds include: Bulldog, German Shepherd, Collie, Golden Retriever, St Bernard, Greyhound, Bloodhound, Chihuahua, Labrador, Gre...