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Hidden Colors 1-5 Download

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Bridgett Reuteler

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Jan 25, 2024, 9:34:52 AMJan 25
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With the help of blue light and special long-pass filters, scientists have uncovered more of the undersea world's secrets. A study published today describes more than 180 species of marine fishes that glow in different colors and patterns, via a process known as biofluorescence.



hidden colors 1-5 download

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It's sometimes hard to remember that the beauty we see in fall colors is the result of the death of a tree's leaves. That there can be such joy in celebrating the death of something is a curious aspect of life worthy of a philosopher's attention. But even without the philosophical implications, we can learn much about life by studying death. In fact, when you think about in the larger context, every essay about fall colors is about death in some form. Today's essay is no exception. It focuses on the simple question of why some turn yellow and orange before they fall off and die.


As I have noted in several previous essays, the yellow and orange colors in leaves are revealed when chlorophyll, the pigment responsible for making leaves appear green, is lost from the leaf. During the summer, these pigments were masked by the chlorophyll. When a tree produces a deep orange-red color, it might also be synthesizing anthocyanins, which are a different class of compound and which provide the classic red to purple color in fall leaves. However, in this essay, we will concentrate solely on the yellow and orange pigments. An earlier essay of mine discussed the synthesis and function of anthocyanins (see the archive section of my fall color page: -colors).


Bright Egyptian blues, whites and purples once covered the statues depicting deities and mythical creatures guarding the fifth-century-B.C. temple. The colors were used to represent the water that some figures rose from, the snakeskin of a mysterious sea serpent, the empty space and air in the background behind the statues, and figurative patterns on the robes of the gods, the researchers wrote in the study, which was published Wednesday (Oct. 11) in the journal Antiquity.


To investigate the statues' past, archaeologists used luminescent imaging, a technique that causes trace chemical elements from hidden paint on the sculptures' surfaces to glow. The team quickly discovered hidden patterns emerging on the statues' surfaces, revealing floral designs and smudged figurative depictions.






Even though a plant leaf looks like it is mostly one color, it is actually made up of a mixture of pigment molecules. In this activity, a scientific technique called paper chromatography was used to separate the individual color pigments. You should see different colors at different locations as you go along one of the paper towel strips, and the order in which the colors appear should be roughly the same among the different color solutions you tested.


What are the different bands of color on the test strips? These are the different pigments in the leaves. The ones you may see on your paper towel strips are: green chlorophyll, yellow xanthophylls, orange carotenoids, and red anthocyanins. Pigments travel along the paper strip based on their interactions with the paper strip and the isopropyl alcohol solution. Pigments that are more attracted to the paper strip than the isopropyl alcohol stay near the bottom of the strip, where the solution was first "painted" onto the pencil line. Pigments that are more attracted to the alcohol than the paper strip usually travel farther up the strip. Because the color of the leaf depends on the mixture of pigments in it, different colored leaves will display different colors on their paper towel strips. For example, very green leaves may not have any red colors (anthocyanins) on their strips.


Xanthophylls are yellow pigments, and carotenoids give leaves an orange color. Photosynthesis also uses these pigments during the summer, but chlorophyll, a stronger pigment, overpowers them. These pigments take more time to break down than chlorophyll does, so you see them become visible in fall leaves. They are also found in carrots, daffodils, bananas, and other plants that have these vibrant colors. There are also anthocyanins, intense red pigments that are not made during the summer, only appearing with the final group of the fall colors. These molecules also give the red hue to apples, cranberries, strawberries, and more.


Although a leaf is a mixture of these pigments, you can separate the colors using a method called paper chromatography. In this method, a mixture (such as your pigment mixture) is applied onto a chromatography paper. The paper strip is dipped into a liquid, called the solvent or mobile phase. The liquid will start traveling up the paper strip and carry all the components within the mixture (such as your different color pigments) along through the chromatography paper. While traveling up the paper, each component interacts with the paper and the solvent differently depending on its chemical properties. Some of them are more attracted to the paper whereas others prefer to stay in the mobile phase. As a result, each individual component travels along the paper at a different speed. This is how with paper chromatography a colorful mixture of pigment molecules can be separated into each individual pigment component.


This nonfiction picture book, written and illustrated by Mia Posada, beautifully explains why leaves change color in fall. It highlights both the eye-catching colors of the season and the science behind the colors. Back matter offers additional scientific details for curious readers as well as suggested further reading and links to hands-on activities.


The author demonstrates the importance of polarizers when investigating interference colors in birefringence by considering a special case of cellophane placed on a smooth kitchen table illuminated from behind by an open window.(AIP)

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