Scientists Say

A weekly word defined, in a sentence and in context.

  1. Animals

    Scientists Say: Kakapo

    This is a flightless parrot that lives in New Zealand. Unfortunately, there are only 154 of them left.

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  2. Earth

    Scientists Say: Stratigraphy

    Stratigraphy is a branch of geology that looks at how rock layers are organized to understand how the world has changed over time.

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  3. Tech

    Scientists Say: Engineering

    Want to build a bridge, clean dirty water, make a new drug or build a machine? You’re going to need an engineer — someone who uses science and math to solve practical problems.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Ultrasound

    Ultrasound is a word used to describe any sounds higher than a person can hear. It’s also a technique used to see inside the body.

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  5. Environment

    Scientists Say: Runoff

    Water that flows through soil and into rivers, lakes and oceans becomes runoff. That runoff can carry part of the land — including its pollution — to the sea.

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  6. Life

    Scientists Say: Vacuole

    Cells can’t always get rid of trash or digest food immediately. This week’s word describes where they store their stuff.

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  7. Plants

    Scientists Say: Invasive species

    These are foreign species that are causing problems for native organisms and ecosystems.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Nocturnal and diurnal

    Nocturnal animals are active at night. Diurnal animals live it up during the day.

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  9. Life

    Scientists Say: Kelp

    Kelp is a kind of seaweed that forms huge forests under the ocean. But it isn’t a plant; it’s a type of algae.

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  10. Math

    Scientists Say: Uncertainty

    In science, uncertainty is a term used to express how much data might vary around a measured point.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Scientists Say: Lactose

    You might not think of dairy products having sugar, but they do. Milk is rich in a sugar called lactose.

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  12. Space

    Scientists Say: Oort cloud

    The very edge of our solar system is a crowded place. It’s full of ice and rocks in a bubble called the Oort cloud.

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