Space calendar takes the Science Geek prize

American 3B Scientific

This necklace and set of earrings reflect the molecular structure for caffeine.

By Alan Boyle

Update for 5:35 p.m. ET Dec. 10: What suits a science geek best? A bit of space rock? How about a nice little hand-held microscope? Or jewelry that celebrates molecular structures? Maybe a science kit, or a spaced-out calendar?

The results are in from this year's Science Geek Gift contest, where?you help me decide which gift is best for science geeks. Here are the five top suggestions, which were sent in earlier this month in response to?my call for entries.

Molecular jewelry: Babagranny writes, "For my science-teacher daughter, I like to get molecular and chemical jewelry from American 3B Scientific."? The online shop offers earrings and necklaces that pay homage to the molecular structure of a variety of chemicals, including caffeine, estrogen, serotonin and theobromine (the alkaloid that gives chocolate its tangy flavor). Price: $45 for earrings, $85 for necklace.

Carson

The Carson MicroMax LED Portable Microscope fits in a pocket.

Portable microscope: Vlad in TN says the Carson MicroMax LED Portable Microscope is "pretty cool and very inexpensive for the cheap geek." It's a 60x-100x magnification microscope you can hold in your hand or tuck in your pocket, and features a built-in LED bulb for illumination. The gadget costs less than $15, which Vlad says is "the best reason you'll like it."

Thames & Kosmos

The Thames & Kosmos Physics Pro kit delves into statics and dynamics.

Physics kit: Amy brought a smile to my face with her suggestion. "My 10-year-old daughter confused Santa this year by asking for American Girl doll?stuff, and robotics and physics kits. High on her list is the Thames & Kosmos Physics Pro kit. [$80 or less] She wouldn't mind getting something to learn to do DNA sequencing either. She keeps telling me she needs these things so she can build a brain to operate the teleporter she is working on. She frightens me."

Aerolite.org

You'll find space rocks galore at Aerolite.org.

Meteorites: "Get them something literally out fo this world. A meteorite!" Zekenix writes. "Visit Geoff Notkin's website at Aerolite.org and pick up one of the meteorite samples they have for sale." The offerings range from inch-wide bits that go for less than $100, to big rocks costing thousands of dollars. For more out-of-this-world ideas, check out DVice's list of 16 gifts that come from space.

YearinSpace.com

The Year in Space 2013 Wall Calendar is packed with geeky goodness.

Space calendar: Steve Cariddi suggests "The Year in Space 2013 Wall Calendar," which he publishes in cooperation with the Planetary Society. "I designed this calendar to appeal to a wide-ranging audience, including kids. I also wanted it to be big, impressive, and chock-full of geeky space goodness: cool images, astronomy facts, daily moon phases, space history, sky events, biographies, etc." The calendar costs $12.95, which includes free U.S. shipping.

Source: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/07/15759322-when-it-comes-to-science-geek-gifts-outer-space-calendar-takes-the-prize?lite

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