0:00:05 > 0:00:08# If you've got a question and you don't know where to go
0:00:08 > 0:00:11# Ask Nina for some help Cos she's got a science show
0:00:11 > 0:00:14# She makes sense of her senses While helping all her fans
0:00:14 > 0:00:17# By doing her experiments with potions and with bangs
0:00:17 > 0:00:19- # Touch your tongue - # Tongue
0:00:19 > 0:00:20- # Fingers - # Fingers
0:00:20 > 0:00:22- # Eyes, Ears - # Eyes, Ears
0:00:22 > 0:00:23- # Nose - # Nose
0:00:23 > 0:00:26# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:26 > 0:00:29# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:29 > 0:00:32# Luke helps us with our eyes and Felix with our touch
0:00:32 > 0:00:36# Ollie sniffs out smells and scents and Belle she hears so much
0:00:36 > 0:00:38# Bud is Ollie's brother He helps us with our taste
0:00:38 > 0:00:41# They're Nina's little Neurons and they're coming to your place
0:00:41 > 0:00:43- # Touch your tongue - # Tongue
0:00:43 > 0:00:44# Fingers
0:00:44 > 0:00:46# Eyes, ears
0:00:46 > 0:00:47- # Nose - # Nose
0:00:47 > 0:00:50# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know, yeah!
0:00:50 > 0:00:53# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know
0:00:53 > 0:00:55# Oh, yeah! #
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Oh, hello there.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00These are my cactus plants.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03I love all their different shapes and sizes.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06But I have to be careful because of their prickly spines.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09They stop them from being eaten by animals.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Hmm, I'm quite thirsty.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Some lovely cool water.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Now, plants usually need water
0:01:14 > 0:01:17but cacti don't need very much at all.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20They can go without water for a very long time.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22BEEPING
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Oh! I hear a beep, I see a flash,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25I wonder what they're going to ask.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31BOTH: Hi, Nina!
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Hi.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35We've got a question for you.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37What is a desert?
0:01:37 > 0:01:38That's a great question.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40What is a desert?
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Deserts are huge areas of land that are very dry.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45But what makes deserts so hot and dry?
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Oh, this'll be a brilliant question to explore!
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Why don't you come down to my workshop
0:01:51 > 0:01:55- and we'll investigate. - BOTH: See you soon, Nina. Bye!
0:01:55 > 0:01:56Bye!
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Well, I'm going to need some help to answer this one
0:01:59 > 0:02:01and I know just who to ask.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03OK, Neurons, time to get to work.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20ALL: Neurons at the ready, Nina.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23OK, today's question is, "What is a desert?"
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Which Neuron do you think will be most useful
0:02:26 > 0:02:28in helping us find the answer?
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- Me!- Me!- Me!- Me!- Me!- Me!- Me!- Me!
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Will it be fabulous Felix?
0:02:33 > 0:02:37I can help so very much if you need the sense of touch.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Will it be beautiful Belle?
0:02:39 > 0:02:41I send messages to brain from ear.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44If there's a sound, I'll help you hear.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Will it be lovely Luke?
0:02:45 > 0:02:48For looking and seeing, day or night,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I'll help you with your sense of sight.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Will it be awesome Ollie?
0:02:52 > 0:02:55If it's pongy or whiffy but you can't tell,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57my messages help your sense of smell.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Or will it be baby Bud?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Sour, salty, bitter or sweet,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04I'm your taste buddy whenever you eat!
0:03:07 > 0:03:09It's Felix.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11CHEERING
0:03:11 > 0:03:16ALL: Go Felix! Go Felix! Go Felix! Go Felix! Go Felix!
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Go Felix! Go Felix!
0:03:18 > 0:03:23Marvellous. A little touch can mean so much, Nina.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Today's question is, "What is a desert?"
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Deserts are places that feel hot and dry.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31So, our touch Neuron Felix will be helping us today.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33But stand by, Neurons,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35I have a feeling I may be needing help from all of you.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Right, I need to get the workshop ready before the explorers arrive!
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Abbey likes playing beauty parlour
0:03:43 > 0:03:45and Luca loves playing on his scooter.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47They want to know, "What is a desert?"
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Deserts are very dry and sandy.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I want to know, what is a desert?
0:03:55 > 0:04:01So today, for one day only, Abbey and Luca become the Explorers!
0:04:06 > 0:04:08- Hi, guys.- BOTH: Hi, Nina.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Welcome to my workshop and thanks for your great question,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13"What is a desert?"
0:04:13 > 0:04:16To find the answer, let's start using our senses.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20ALL: Whoop-woo! A senses experiment. We're ready, Nina.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22First, let's look at some pictures.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25How would you describe these deserts?
0:04:25 > 0:04:26There's lots of sand.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31Yeah. And some deserts have huge mountains of sand dunes.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33And they're very hot.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Some deserts are sandy and some are rocky,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38with different sorts of plants.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40But all deserts are very dry.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43And because deserts are so dry,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47it's difficult for plants and animals and people to live there.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49But being dry is what makes it a desert.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51What are those plants, Nina?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Those are cactus plants
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and here's a cactus plant in this desert.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Cacti and some animals, like camels, survive well in the desert
0:05:00 > 0:05:03because they're able to store water
0:05:03 > 0:05:05and they can go for a long time without a drink.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Where are the hot deserts, Nina?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11That's a brilliant question! Let's experiment.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16Now, we are going to pretend that this torch is the sunlight
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and that these pieces of card are the ground.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21And I need to dim the workshop lights.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Now, let's make some sunbeams with our torch.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28Oh!
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Now, what can you see on the card?
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- A circle.- Yeah, a circle!
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Now, can I ask you, Abbey,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38to draw around that circle for me?
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Fantastic job!
0:05:48 > 0:05:49Now, let's try again,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53but on this piece of card that's tilted.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Well, what's happened to our sunbeams now?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59They've spread out.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00Yeah, they have.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Now, can I ask you, Luca, to draw around this shape for me, please?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Excellent work!
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Fantastic. Now, let's put the lights up
0:06:17 > 0:06:19and see what's happened.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25We can see that our torch sunbeams have spread out more
0:06:25 > 0:06:28on the tilted card than on the flat card.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31And the same thing happens with the real sun.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37The sun shines straight down onto the earth around its middle.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42And further away from the middle, the sunshine is more spread out,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44just like our tilted card.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45Oh, yes, Nina,
0:06:45 > 0:06:50I see the sunshine is spread out much more away from the middle!
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Now, let's dim the lights again...
0:06:53 > 0:06:56..to show you this globe.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00The sun heats the Earth.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05And because the sun shines straight down onto the middle of the Earth,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07this is where it's hottest.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11But further away from the middle, the sunshine spreads out,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15so it's not as hot. Can you guess where the hot, dry deserts are?
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- Around the middle of the Earth. - That's right, Belle.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Hot deserts are around the middle of the Earth.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Where the sun shines straight down.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29Now, we live up here, and the sunshine is more spread out up here,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31so it doesn't get as hot as the desert.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Now, I'm just going to turn the lights back up.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38What else happens in a desert, Nina?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Well, to explore the other things that happen in deserts,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45we need to visit one of the hottest places on Earth.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54Oh, goody. I love this bit. I wonder where Nina is taking us.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Nina said it's one of the hottest places on Earth.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01May be it's a scorching-hot kitchen
0:08:01 > 0:08:05with sizzling pans of sausages! Mm!
0:08:05 > 0:08:10With aromas of roasting, hot food fresh from the ovens. Mm.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14There's no food, but it does look very hot.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Today we're visiting a very special desert -
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Death Valley in California, America.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25This is one of the hottest places on Earth.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42I'm sensing warm, salty smells.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Everything looks so flat and white.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59We are here, next to the desert floor,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02where the sun is beating down,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04making everything feel hot and dry,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and that makes it a great place to do this experiment.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Here we have a little bit of water mixed together with salt,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14and we want to see what happens if we leave this out in the sun.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18So, I'll just pop outside with it quickly.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46Ooh, let's see what has happened with our experiment.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48- What can you see?- The water's gone.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Yes! The sun has dried the dish, and the water's dried out.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56It's just like when the sun dries the ground at home after it's
0:09:56 > 0:10:00been raining. And look - all that's left in the dish is the salt.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04And the same thing has happened here, in Death Valley.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Many, many years ago, this part of the desert used to be a huge,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12salty lake. All the water from the salty lake has dried out,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16leaving just the salt behind. Deserts are huge, hot places,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19and the sun dries up everything around them.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Are deserts hot all the time, Nina?
0:10:21 > 0:10:23That's a great question,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26and I know a brilliant experiment to help us find out.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Let's go, Explorers.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32So, you asked, "What is a desert?"
0:10:32 > 0:10:36and so far we've found out that deserts are big, hot places
0:10:36 > 0:10:40where the sun shines during the day and dries everything out.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42But what happens in deserts at night?
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Is it still hot, or does it get cold?
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Well, let's find out. In here...
0:10:49 > 0:10:51I have some very special mats.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55They're special because they change colour
0:10:55 > 0:10:59to show if they're hot or cold. If they're hot, they go yellow or red,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and if they're cool, they go black or blue.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07- We're nice and shaded right now, so what colour are the mats?- Black.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Yes, they're black, because they're cool.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14We're going to pretend these mats here are the ground in the desert.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19Our hands are warm, so we'll pretend our hands are the sun, beating down,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21making the ground warm.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24So, let's put our hands onto the mats.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26That's it. Push down.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30That's it.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Now let's take our hand off.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'Look - the mats have changed colour.'
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- What's happened? - They've changed colour.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Yes, they've changed colour because they've heated up,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47just like the desert ground with the sun beating down all day.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- What's happened now we've taken the heat away?- They're black again.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Yes. Because the heat has been taken away, the mats have cooled down.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59The same thing happens in a desert at night, when the sun goes away.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02The ground doesn't keep the heat.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04It's only warm because the sun is heating it.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13So, you asked, "What is a desert?" and I think we've answered it.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Deserts are dry places with very little rain.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Hot deserts are around the middle of the Earth.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Because that's where the sun shines straight down.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Hot deserts get cold at night-time, because the sun disappears.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30And the ground becomes very cool.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Just like me, Nina! Ha-ha.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35So, I hope that's answered your question.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39- BOTH: Thanks, Nina! Bye! - You're welcome. Bye!
0:12:42 > 0:12:46If you want to know more about the science that's all around us,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49go to the Nina section on the CBeebies website.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Have fun.
0:12:50 > 0:12:56# Every day, the sun comes up It brightens up the sky
0:12:56 > 0:12:58# A brand-new day to understand
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- # A chance to ask ourselves why - Why?
0:13:02 > 0:13:08# There's a word of possibilities outside our front door
0:13:08 > 0:13:13# So every day Take a look around and explore
0:13:13 > 0:13:15- # Explore,- explore,- explore,- explore
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- # Exploring in the garden - Grass
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- # Exploring in the park - Rivers
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- # Exploring in the daytime - Mountains
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- # And even when it's dark - Planets
0:13:27 > 0:13:30# Look at the Earth Look at the sky
0:13:30 > 0:13:35- # Look at the world before us - Explore,- explore,- explore,- explore
0:13:35 > 0:13:37# We're always on the lookout
0:13:37 > 0:13:41- # We're Earth explorers - O-oh, o-oh
0:13:41 > 0:13:43- # We're Earth Explorers - O-oh, o-oh
0:13:43 > 0:13:47# We're Earth Explorers. #
0:13:47 > 0:13:52Exploring is about looking at the world, asking why, and finding out
0:13:52 > 0:13:56the answer. Whether it's deep underground, at the end of your
0:13:56 > 0:14:00playground, or up above the clouds, keep exploring our exciting world.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02See you again soon. Bye!
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- # Nina and the Neurons. # ALL:- Bye!
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd