This week we launched the 2012
Google Science Fair for students ages 13 to 18. For the Science Fair, young
scientists are asked to pose a question, answer it through scientific inquiry, and report the
results online. We’ll pick 90 regional finalists, then choose the top 15 to come to Google in
Mountain View, California. Nobel laureates and other distinguished folks will judge the
finalists.
Grown-up scientists working in the
Papua New Guinea rain forest recently heard what sounded like an insect call, then tried to
find out what was making the noise. Eventually they bagged leaf litter from the forest floor
and began to sort through it, when a tiny
frog jumped out. It was Paedophryne amauensis, and at an average
length of 7.7 millimeters, it’s said to be the world’s smallest vertebrate. So watch your step
the next time you’re walking around the rain forest.
Finally, in
celebration of today’s day and date, please take a look at these wonderful
photos from a Friday the 13th party in 1940, where attendees tempted fate by
breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder, and otherwise indulging in every superstition they
could think of. After you’re done, cross your fingers and hope for a great weekend.
Happy new year! Fridaygram posts are just for fun.
Fridaygrams are designed for your Friday afternoon and weekend enjoyment. Each Fridaygram item
must pass only one test: it has to be interesting to us nerds.
