Science, Nature and Tech

S’not Nice but Necessary – Dr Matt Knows How Noses Work

The last time Dr Matthew Piccaver wrote for Jump! Mag, it was on the topic of poo, and today he’s going to tell you a bit about the part of your body that you might just have wrinkled in disgust… the nose! Find out how noses work but don’t get too comfortable, because it snot over yet …

Home, Health & Style

Better Late Than Never?

When you arrange to meet friends, do you arrive at the agreed time? Or do your friends have to wait because you are always late? Perhaps you are the one waiting for your perpetually unpunctual friend. Cas Germain explains why she is always late.

Language & Literature

The Contronym – a Word that Bends Over Backwards

I expect most of you have heard of antonyms, and even if you haven’t heard the word, you know them and use them every day. Antonyms are words that mean the opposite. For example, hot is the antonym of cold, rich is the antonym of poor.

But what happens when we have a word that doesn’t have another antonym – it is the antonym of itself?! You are probably wondering what on earth that could mean. Well, there are some words that have two meanings which are the opposite of each other. This makes the word its own antonym. Words like this are known as contronyms.

LEFT

Left and Left Behind

One very common one that we shall start with is a word that you use all the time without ever thinking about it being a contronym. This is left, which can mean “gone, departed” or “still there, remaining” . If you have gone, then you have left, but if everyone else except you has gone, then you are left!

Art & History

Does Atlantis Exist, and Where Does the Name Originate?

Around 350 BC, the Greek philosopher Plato wrote about an island situated in front of the Pillars of Hercules, that disappeared under the sea in one day and one night. According to Plato, the capital of Atlantis was built on a hill and surrounded by rings of water, which were joined by tunnels large enough for a ship to sail through. A huge canal connected the outer rings of water to the ocean.

The possible existence of the island of Atlantis has intrigued scholars and scientists over the centuries.

In 1800s a man called Ignatius Donnelly wrote a bestselling book called Atlantis, the Antediluvian World. After studying flood history, Ignatius put forward the suggestion that Atlantis was not fiction, but the recording of a natural disaster.

Most modern academics insist that Plato created the story, and was perhaps inspired by events that happened during his lifetime, but that the island never existed.

The subject of dreams, of magical tales and many a search, Atlantis has long captured our imagination. But where did all of this spring from?

Science, Nature and Tech

Drip Drip Drip

Can you imagine not being able to turn on a water tap? Can you imagine not even having a water tap?

Today’s challenge is to notice when you do something that we all take for granted – turning that tap and letting the water flow.

Washing your hands, cleaning your teeth, taking a shower. You are thirsty, so take a big gulp of water straight from that tap after playing outside in the sun.

Every time you turn on a tap of water, think about how easy it was and what you would do without running water.