Intimate Strangers: Unseen Life on Earth; Science as Inquiry in Action

"When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute--and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity." While I ordinarily don't quibble with Albert Einstein, I suspect his playful definition of the slightly more complicated theory of relativity wouldn't earn much more than a "C" with most science teachers. I mean, c'mon, Big E, what's the hypothesis? Where's the control subject? Questions, questions. And, speaking of questions, we've all struggled with the one that has poor middle-schooler Kevin flummoxed at the 11th hour in Science as Inquiry in Action: namely, "What will I do my science project on?" After accidentally knocking himself out on an overhanging tabletop while retrieving a dropped orange, an unconscious Kevin finds himself visited by the full-bodied ghosts of scientists past: Benjamin Franklin, Madame Curie, and George Washington Carver. Taking the young man through a pair of experiments involving recreating a mini-tornado using a vacuum cleaner and dry ice, and turning a lemon into a (not terribly strong) flashlight battery, the mentors outline key concepts in conducting scientific experiments while introducing relevant vocabulary. While the opening set-up takes way too long (a full five minutes), and Carver's characterization as "one of the greatest scientists in history" owes more to political correctness than honest assessment, Science as Inquiry in Action, which includes some nice animation and live-action special effects, does a very good job of inspiring students to think about the logical elbow grease behind the magic of science. A companion volume, built around the same framing device, Science as Inquiry for Children, aimed at K-4, is also available for $29.95. Recommended. Aud: I, J. (R. Pitman)Without the spirit of scientific inquiry, and the invention of the microscope, the 17th century scientist Anton von Leeuwenhoek would not have discovered those "very little animalcules" that make you wary even of drinking water, lest a bajillion slimy protozoa wriggle down to your lower intestine and commit unspeakable horrors. Extremely small critters are the subject of A&E's 4-part series, Intimate Strangers: Unseen Life on Earth, and 10 minutes into the first volume, Tree of Life, I can honestly say I was sorry for all of the times I had slept through biology. Each fascinating episode focuses on a different aspect of bacteria and microbes and the significant role they play in our lives, with the opener taking a look at the "family tree" of all living things by mapping and comparing the DNA of the oldest life forms on earth (viewers will learn that they are much closer relatives to dandelions than they'd ever have thought possible). In another volume, Dangerous Friends & Friendly Enemies, viewers will learn about the colonies of helpful bacteria in and on our bodies that protect us from harmful bacteria and viruses, as well as how diseases are spread, and the massive detective work that was involved in solving outbreaks of plague, sweating sickness, the 1918 flu, and the contemporary struggle with new enemies such as the hantavirus. Using microscopic photography and computer graphics, the programs (the other two episodes are Keepers of the Biosphere and Creators of the Future) offer a close up look at the delicately balanced microbial world that is the basis of our eco-system, while exploring the complex questions and issues surrounding these unseen little strangers. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)