Jump! Around the World – Parmida in Iran
Have you ever wanted to know what it is like to grow up in another country?
Now you can find out, as we begin our Jump! Mag tour of the world in Iran, where ten year old Parmida lives.
Do You Have the Denim Blues?
Since Levi Strauss and Jacob Davies developed jeans all the way back in 1873, denim jeans have become the garment we reach for at the weekend. They are attractive, hard-wearing and versatile, so it’s no wonder that we spend so much time in them, and so much money on them. In the US alone about 450 million pairs of jeans are bought each year.
But what do you wear when you get bored of jeans? Is there really a comfortable, suitably casual alternative? Lissie, who blogs at GrungetoGoddess has some ideas for those who have the denim blues.
It’s genetic, isn’t it?
Genetics is the study of how genes are inherited in a population. A scientist interested in genetics is a geneticist. If something is genetic, that means it is passed to you by your Mum and Dad. You inherit genes from your parents.
Genes control most aspects of human life, from eye colour to how fast you can run. There are some fun ways to demonstrate genetics in your own family.
Take tongue rolling. The ability to roll your tongue is what we call a dominant trait. If you have the gene for tongue rolling you will be able to roll your tongue.
What is Biotechnology?
Perhaps you have heard of the term biotechnology and wondered what it is. You may think you know already – after all, the parts that make up the word are very familiar: bio + technology. You have seen the first part of the word in biology, antibiotics, all sorts of words. It comes from Greek bios, which means ‘life’.
As for technology, it is not just about computers and smartphones. Technology is the practical use of knowledge to create useful things and solve problems. You might like to think of it as tech-knowledge-y. So, taking it one step further, biotechnology is about using biology in technology.
We talked to Alessandra Iscaro, a biotechnology researcher at the University of Florence, Italy, and she explained to us what it is all about.









