By: Tom Wickersham

TAKE A TRIP TO THE FROZEN LAND OF ANTARCTICA

Do you like to travel? Have you dreamed of traveling to faraway or remote places where you can "get away from it all?" If so, have you ever considered traveling to Antarctica?

On Tuesday, October 19, you'll have the chance to take a virtual trip to Antarctica, where the lowest temperature was ever recorded on Earth--a chilly minus 126.9 degrees Fahrenheit.

Kenneth Verosub, professor of geology at UC Davis will be presenting his lecture "Living and Working in Antarctica" as part of Explorit Science Center's Cutting Edge of Science Lecture series.

Verosub, along with a team of 50 international scientists, studies the history of Earth's geomagnetic field. Their research is conducted at Crary Lab at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, the world's highest latitude paleomagnetic laboratory.

So take a trip to the Davis Senior Center on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. for a glimpse into the living and working conditions in the fifth largest continent, Antarctica.

The name Antarctica is derived from the Greek word "Antarktikos" meaning "opposite the bear." The "Great Bear," or the Big Dipper, is the constellation above the North Pole. The ancient Greeks thought the earth was a sphere and that there must be a southern landmass to balance the known, northern world.

The name has also proven to be appropriate because there are no bears in Antarctica.

Explorit's Cutting Edge of Science Lecture series is always free and open to the general public. The lectures take place at the Davis Senior Center, 646 A Street and are sponsored by Novo Nordisk Biotech, Inc.

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Speaking of snow and ice, have you ever witnessed a snow plow in action? The snow plow, a truck equipped with a plow to push snow out of the way, is a series of engine, exhaust and transmission systems. The plow up front, however, is nothing more than a simple machine called a wedge.

Like all simple machines, the wedge gives us a mechanical advantage, in this case the ability to push snow out of the way with less applied force.

You can learn more about wedges by visiting Explorit's new exhibition, "Leave it to Levers...and Other Simple Machines." The snow plow, an ax, and a chisel are all examples of a wedge.

Are there are other types of earth-moving equipment besides the snow plow that rely on simple machines? How about a crane?

For some of Explorit's youngest visitors (and many of their parents) pretending they are a crane operator at the pulley station makes learning about pulleys lots of fun. Here visitors test their ability to raise various weights with the least amount of effort.

Besides pulleys and wedges, other simple machines featured at Explorit are the lever, gear, wheel and axle, and the inclined plane. Can you find these simple machines in your everyday life?

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Explorit Science Center is located at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Leave it to Levers...and Other Simple Machines." Public hours are Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Regular admission is $3; members, teachers (with school ID) and children under 4 are free.