Friday, 22 May, 2020
Titanic salvage mission; birth of a baby planet; kids footy training is back on; and Minecraft hits the dungeon.
LINKS:
What’s Up Fox?:
Reading: https://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/book/awful-auntie/
Listening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfZrBPiwlR8
Watching: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ-YJstgVdAiCT52TiBWDbg
– EPISODE TRANSCRIPT –
THE LOWDOWN
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When you look in the bathroom mirror this morning – take a moment to appreciate your nose. Because according to new research out of the United States, it could be the reason that kids seem to be less likely to get sick with the coronavirus.
You see, inside everyone’s noses are teeny tiny things called receptors – they help us smell things. And kids have many fewer active receptors of the sort that the COVID virus likes to attach itself too – than adults do.
The researchers from one of America’s most respected hospitals followed their noses and looked up the snozzes of more than 300 people. Why is your honker important? Because it appears to be the first point of contact between the coronavirus and the human body.
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A deep sea salvage team will be making its way to the wreck of the Titanic in the coming months, after a judge in America granted them permission to cut open a section of the sunken mega-ship to retrieve a telegraph machine – which was the device used on board to send and receive distress signals.
Lots of people have opposed the cutting open of the Titanic, arguing that because so many people died when the ship hit an iceberg and sank in icy waters on its maiden voyage over 100 years ago, the wreck should be left to lie in peace. But finally, the judge ruled that the information that might be retrieved from the telegraph machine was of sufficient interest to give the mission the green light. Stay tuned Squiz’ers – we’ll be sure to bring you updates on this story as they happen.
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops … and today, we’ve landed in … Chile .. in South America – which is the home of the Very Large Telescope … that’s actually its name … where astronomers have looked up into the sky and stumbled upon a planet in the process of being born.
At the moment, the planet is just a swirling mass of gas and dust (much like your brother…), but in several million years time – which is how long it takes for a planet to form – it will be a fully formed baby planet.
The planet is taking shape in orbit around a star called AB Aurigae – which is believed to be 2.4 times the mass of our own star – the sun – and located within our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
And how about this. It’s only 520 light years away. What’s a light year? It’s the distance that light would travel in a year. And given that light travels at about 300,000 kilometres per second — 520 light years is a long, long way away. Boom! Mind blown.
SPORTS TIME!
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They don’t call it the beautiful game for nothing. Kids soccer looks set to lead the way for a return to children’s sport across the nation with news yesterday that Football NSW had given the green light for a return to training.
From this morning, soccer players of all ages in NSW will be permitted to get back out onto the pitch. But so far it’s for training only – no games yet. And it can only be done in groups of no more than 10 people – including coaches – and there are no spectators allowed. Which means no mums or dads screaming from the sidelines. How nice will that be?
NSW Football just snuck in before the AFL, which has given the green light for community clubs to start training again from Monday – with a June 28 restart for actual games.
The hope is other parts of Australia will follow suit soon. Get amongst it!
POP CULTURE CORNER
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Look out Minecrafters …. The highly anticipated Minecraft Dungeons will be released next week and the excitement levels among gamers is rising by the minute.
Minecraft Dungeons promises to put you and up to three other players on quest through dungeons to battle with all sorts of enemies and save the world.
There are illagers and pillagers, vindicators, witches and geomancers – and even something called a chicken jockey. None of which makes any sense to me – so it’s certain to be a surefire hit with you kids.
WHAT’S UP FOX?
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Every Friday we check in with Squiz Kids ambassador, Flynn – known as the Fox to his friends – to see what he’s been reading, listening to and watching.
And this week, he’s been reading Awful Auntie by David Walliams .. the seventh book by the British comedian – this one tells the tale of Stella Saxby the heir of Saxby Hall, who is terrorised by her hideous old aunt.
In the listening stakes, this week it’s been the ‘If We Never Met’ remix on high rotation, by John K and Sigala. A very funky little number it is too.
And as for watching: it’s been a bit of a binge this week of Chris MD – the football-obsessed YouTube star.
There’s a link to all of these cool things in today’s episode notes.
THE S’QUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What telecommunications instrument is the salvage team about to cut a whole in the side of the Titanic hoping to retrieve?
- In which country in South America is the Very Large Telescope located?
- What’s the name of the popular video game that’s set to be released next week?
SHOUT OUTS
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Today’s birthday shoutouts… Harley from Lowesdale, Hayden, Jack, Ella and Nicholas from Sydney, Rosie from Tamworth, Isla and Violet from Newport, Quentin from Redlynch, Jasper from Prahran, Owen and Leroy from Brisbane, Gabby, Liam and Kyan from Inverell, Kyla from Warragamba, Felix and Imogen from Melbourne, Rob from Harrington, Isaac from Wallacia, Michael from New Gisborne, Ned from Newcastle, Theo from Tarragindi, Tyler from Calista, Liam and Lachlan from Cammeray, Ashton from Rose Bay, Arman from Dandenong, Lucy from Chapel Hill, Drew from Mona Vale, Lucas from Cairns, Oliver from Abbotsford, and Jesse from Nambucca Heads
And some belated birthday shoutouts…Danny and Ella from Sydney and Kita from Dorset, UK.
And finally, some weekend birthday shoutouts… Nate from NSW, Eva from Brisbane, Brian from Ashmont, Ruby from Blackburn, Caitlin from Crookwell, Felix from Williamstown, Charlize from Brisbane, Adriana from Epping, Isaiah from Cranbourne North, Mia-Rose from Orange, Havana and Dilara from Sydney, Tabitha from Canberra, Asha from Narraweena, Brooke from Frenchs Forest, Ashlyn from East Gosford, Emily from Mornington, Ella from Caulfield South, Liviya from Swansea, Tom from Heidelberg, Christina from Balmoral, Chase from Oran Park, Harry from Erskineville, Duncan from Morang, Adhip from Wentworthville, Emily and Abigail from Engadine, Archie from Fingal Bay, Alex from Lane Cove, and Robi from Dorset in the UK.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Telegraph machine
- Chile
- Minecraft Dungeons