SCIENCE REPORT Big prize for digital camera inventors FirstNews Issue 556 10th - 16th February 2017 The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering has been given to four engineers for their inventions which make digital cameras work. Have you ever wondered how your camera works, or how someone made a camera so small that it can fit in a mobile phone? Four engineers have just been awarded a 1 million prize for their work which has made tiny digital cameras a reality. The inventions were made over thirty years, and the digital cameras we have as a result have changed the world. Digital cameras are everywhere now. We ve got used to taking a quick selfie with a mobile phone, or using the camera on our computer to see friends as we chat. They are also sent into space and send back pin-sharp pictures of Mars. Pill cameras can even be swallowed and are used to take pictures inside the body! When asked about his invention, Eric Fossum, one of the award winners, said: I think it doesn t really sink in until you see people wandering around taking pictures with smartphones everywhere you go. Then the enormity of it hits you, that almost everybody on the planet is using my technology. It s just totally overwhelming. the prize winners Eric Fossum USA George Smith USA Nobukazu Teranishi Japan Michael Tompsett UK
Four Stories FirstNews Issue 556 10th - 16th February 2017 SCIENCE REPORT - BIG PRIZE FOR DIGITAL CAMERA INVENTORS 1) Four engineers have just been given a prize for their work on which gadget? smartphones 2) About the prize. digital cameras 3) Where are the prize winners from? computers Name of the prize: Prize money: Michael Tompsett Eric Fossum Nobukazu Teranishi George Smith 4) Name three ways that digital cameras are used today? 1. 2. 3. 5) What is a pill camera? 6) Explain how Eric Fossum feels about his invention. 7) Why do you think the writer asks you questions at the start of the news report? 8) Do you think that digital cameras have changed the world? Explain why you agree or disagree.
Four Stories FirstNews Issue 556 10th - 16th February 2017 SCIENCE NEW GECKO FOUND A new gecko that has tear-away skin has been discovered in northern Madagascar. Geckos are lizards and their bodies are covered in scaly skin. This new gecko has the largest scales of all geckos. It is nocturnal, meaning it only comes out at night. When a predator attacks, the gecko is able to shed its skin and flee, leaving the attacker with a mouthful of scales! Geckos which can do this are sometimes called fish-scale geckos. They have large, overlapping scales which easily fall off. The best thing is the skin grows back within weeks, leaving no trace of a scar. Scientists hope to learn more about how the geckos can grow new skin so quickly. The science behind it may be useful to humans in the future. It could help us learn how to grow skin or parts of the body. As well as regrowing their skin, geckos replace their teeth every few months. We have a lot to learn!
Four Stories FirstNews Issue 556 10th - 16th February 2017 SCIENCE - NEW GECKO FOUND 1) In which country has a new gecko been discovered? 6) What is this group of geckos sometimes called? Mauritius Malta Madagascar skinless geckos 2) What is unique about this new gecko? It is the only gecko which can shed its skin. fish-scale geckos skin slip geckos It has the largest scales of any gecko. It is the only nocturnal gecko. 7) Why are scientists very interested in learning about these animals? 3) This gecko has a very unusual way of escaping from hunters. Explain what it can do when attacked. 8) Imagine there was a superhero called Gecko Girl or Gecko Boy. What super powers would the hero have and how would the skills be useful? 4) How does the gecko do this? What is special about its scales? 5) What is described as the best thing about this skill?
Four Stories JUST THE JOB FirstNews Issue 556 10th - 16th February 2017 Find out about lots of different jobs and meet different people with Just the Job! This week we spoke to Fenella Holden, who works at LEGO. What I do I am Senior Design Manager for LEGO Friends. I work with a very talented team developing new sets for LEGO Friends each year. We build every day, coming up with the new sets, mini-dolls and labels for the sets. How I got my job I ve always had a passion for design, so when a job became available at LEGO, I jumped at the chance! I started at LEGO ten years ago. I have had the opportunity to create sets such as the Dolphin Cruiser, the Heartlake Shopping Mall and the Sunshine Ranch. In my current role as Senior Design Manager, I work with the talented design team to create the sets for the future. What I love about my job We often ask kids to test our future concepts (ideas). The most amazing thing is seeing how excited kids get about products you have worked on. What is difficult about my job I live in Denmark to be near LEGO HQ, so I miss my family a lot. fenella holden LEGO Friends designer What skills I need Creativity and a passion for building! You must also have a keen eye for detail, as the little things in LEGO sets are extremely important to make the set more enjoyable.
Four Stories FirstNews Issue 556 10th - 16th February 2017 JUST THE JOB - FENELLA HOLDEN 1) What does Fenella do at LEGO? She is an engineer who makes coloured plastics for the LEGO blocks. She designs new rides at the LEGOLAND theme park. She designs the LEGO Friends sets. 5) What has Fenella had to accept in order to do her dream job? She doesn t earn very much money from this job. She has to live in Denmark, so she is away from her family. She has had to do lots of exams and get good marks. 2) Find the words which tell you Fenella was very keen to start work at LEGO. 6) What skills do you need to do this job? 3) What does she love about her job? creativity fitness and strength an eye for detail 4) Fenella says she works with a very talented team. Why do you think it s helpful to work with a team doing this job? enjoying building computer skills team work 7) Why is it important to have a keen eye for detail? 8) What would be your dream job? Are you learning anything now which might help you do this job?
Four Stories FirstNews Issue 556 10th - 16th February 2017 BIG NEWS QUEEN CELEBRATES SAPPHIRE JUBILEE This week, the Queen became the first British monarch to have a Sapphire Jubilee. On Monday 6 February, Queen Elizabeth II reached an impressive milestone: 65 years on the throne. She is the first British king or queen to do so. The Queen, now 90, came to the throne following the death of her father, King George VI (6th), when she was just 25 years old. As the day she became queen also marks the death of her father, no grand celebrations took place. 41 large guns were fired by soldiers in Green Park, London. This is called a gun salute. A photo of the Queen wearing sapphire jewellery was released to mark the day. The spectacular blue jewellery set was given to her by her father as a wedding present. In 2015, the Queen became the UK s longest-reigning monarch. Before then, Queen Victoria had held the record the Queen s great-great-grandma!
Four Stories FirstNews Issue 556 10th - 16th February 2017 BIG NEWS - QUEEN CELEBRATES SAPPHIRE JUBILEE 1) The Queen has been our queen for 65 years. What is the name for this celebration? 5) Why were there no big celebrations on the day of the sapphire jubilee? the coronation sapphire jubilee golden jubilee 6) What two things did happen to mark the event? 1. 2. 2) Who was her dad? 3) How old was she when she became queen and how old is she now? 7) Who gave her the sapphire jewellery set, and why was it given? Who: Why: 4) What word used in the story means king or queen? 8) Who is Queen Elizabeth s great-great granny? Who is your oldest living relation? Do you know the names of any of their relations?