The average person's body holds 1.3 gallons of blood

There's more than a milk jug full of fluid coursing through your veins, where it functions somewhat like a courier service. Blood is responsible for both delivering the things your body desperately needs—like oxygen—and carting off the things it desperately needs to throw out, like the toxic wastes that end up being filtered out of the body by the kidneys. And it does all of this very, very fast. The heart, the organ responsible for getting all that blood to move around, pumps as much blood as is in the body every minute; when you're sitting still, that is. Up your activity level and your heart can end up pumping more than five gallons of blood per minute.

Earth Hour at DCS

Come join Discovery Center of Springfield for Earth Hour on March 28th from 8:30pm-9:30pmfor sixty minutes of outdoor community fun! Make a symbolic flip of a switch and turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour such as, overhead lights, microwaves, computers, neon signs, televisions, and outdoor lighting that does not impact safety. Earth Hour serves to unite our community with other cities worldwide to send a signal to our leaders that we demand action in finding a solution to the climate change issue. During Earth Hour there will be booths with information on energy efficiency, how eco-friendly is your lifestyle?, and more. Participate in interactive games for the whole family, listen to an unplugged music session, and socialize with others in our community who are passionate about our earth! This event will be held in the parking lot behind Discovery Center on St. Louis Street, March 28th, 8:30-9:30pm.

DCS Is Open on Monday to Celebrate Spring Break!

Although DCS is normally closed on Mondays; we will be open from 9am-5pm on March 23rd!

Spring Break 2009 is going to be out of this WORLD! Astronomy Week is six days filled with special activities, classes, contests, and more. No two days are exactly the same – each day will have a different theme with new classes, demonstrations, and activities! We hope to have a Skylab on site for the week. If you love astronomy, then plan on spring break at the Discovery Center – and be sure to ask your teacher about getting extra credit with our Extra Credit Passports! Each 30 minute class is $3.00 and pre-registration is encouraged. Museum admission applies.

Daily Themes:
Monday – Our Solar System
Tuesday – Mars Mania
Wednesday – Exploring the Universe
Thursday – One Small Step for Man
Friday – Our Solar System
Saturday – Amazing Astronomy

Most people hit their peak bone mass at age 30

Peak bone mass is the point where your body stops building up bone tissue. At that point, your bones won't ever increase in density. Men may be able to coast, but women lose a lot of their bone tissue during menopause and, according to the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the lower your peak bone mass, the more likely you are to develop osteoporosis later. Unfortunately, as much as 75 percent of bone mass is related to genetic factors you can't control. But women can take charge of the other 25 percent by making sure they get enough calcium and vitamin D (particularly in their teens); taking hormonal birth control (which the NIAMSD says is linked to high bone density); not smoking; and exercising regularly—but not too much. Young women who exercise or starve themselves to the point they stop having their period also lose large amounts of bone tissue, and may never be able to build it back.

You use 100% of Your Brain

Think you're only using 10 percent of your possible brain power? Think again. A little critical thinking will have you calling shenanigans on that myth. After all, if you removed 90 percent of your brain, you'd basically be left with the thinking power of a sheep, according to Eric Chudler, Ph.D., research associate professor in the department of bioengineering at the University of Washington. Dr. Chudler has attempted to trace the history of the "10 percent myth" and written several articles on the topic. He reports that, during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan, doctors can see what areas of the brain are being used, based on how much blood is being directed there. According to Dr. Chudler, 100 percent of the brain has been shown to have a function.