We have a new toy in the Electric Workshop at COSI. It's called an electroscope.

On the 1898 side of Progress, you might happen upon our Electric Workshop Show (check your daily schedule for show times). The Electric Workshop is one of COSI's hidden gems, a live demonstration all about the history (and future) of electricity. You can become an electric generator, make real lightning with our Wimshurst machine, and discover the mysterious power of a new kind of energy called radio waves.

Now we've added an antique electroscope to help reveal one of science's great discoveries: the entire universe is electrical. With the electroscope we discover the effect of separating electric charge.

But there's a further story to be told. The electroscope lies at the heart of another mystery of science – one that, believe it or not, we still haven't solved even in 2013.

Since my daughter was born nearly three years ago, I haven't traveled much. So it was with a lot of excitement that I boarded a flight this morning to attend a conference in Portland, OR.

Ever since I was a kid (remember when you still got little plastic wings instead of a full body scan?) I have loved flying. At 14 I was lucky enough to take some flying lessons and I've never fallen out of love with the science of flight, nor have I lost my appreciation for the physics of it.

Lift. Thrust. Weight. Drag.
It seems so simple... just four small words. But, the mechanics of flight are nothing short of amazing.

Right now, I'm inside an aluminum frame that is capable of lifting and holding 154,500 pounds of weight in to the air while cruising at 593mph thanks to two massive high-pressure turbofans producing 49,200lbs of forward thrust.

At COSI, we love to see families having fun while learning together. Last weekend we provided the opportunity to do just that at our 2nd annual Member Eggstravagant Scavenger Hunt! This event was designed to combine COSI's unique brand of learning and fun with a traditional holiday festivity.

Unlike the typical egg hunt, the Eggstravagant Scavenger Hunt gives COSI member families the chance to earn eggs and prizes by answering exhibit-based riddles and completing family challenges.