HS-ESS3-6
Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
- Animals
Rare as a rhino
Most species are rare. Some have always been rare. A problem develops when people are responsible for accelerating a species’ rarity to the point that extinction threatens.
- Microbes
Recycling the dead
When things die, nature breaks them down through a process we know as rot. Without it, none of us would be here. Now, scientists are trying to better understand it so that they can use rot — preserving its role in feeding all living things.
- Earth
Mailing off my microbeads
I was shocked to find out that my face wash contains plastics that might possibly harm marine creatures. So I’m donating it to science.
- Agriculture
Your food choices affect Earth’s climate
Producing food can put a lot of climate-warming pollutants into the atmosphere. But some foods, especially meats, contribute more than others.
- Animals
Decoding bee dances
Biologists have started eavesdropping on bees — or their dancing sign language — to identify where these buzzers prefer to forage. This info is pointing to which bee-friendly habitats may be most important to preserve.
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Science stars are on display at the White House
One hundred students from 30 states participated in the fourth annual White House Science Fair in Washington, D.C.
- Earth
Thirst for water moves and shakes California
Here’s a scary cost to pumping up groundwater to slake the thirst of crops in California’s Central Valley: It may uplift nearby mountains and trigger tiny earthquakes, experts find.
- Microbes
Arctic thaw is spreading wildlife diseases
Polar animals are encountering new, killer parasites as melting ice unlocks their access to new hosts.
- Life
Caught in the act
Scientists observe some evolutionary speed demons as they adapt over the course of just a few years to new environmental conditions.
- Chemistry
Explainer: Ocean acidification
Here’s why shellfish and other animals in the sea suffer when the ocean is forced to absorb too much carbon dioxide.
- Climate
Did Columbus contribute to a Little Ice Age?
Scientist shows a surprising link between the explorer and a dip in temperatures.
- Chemistry
DEET confuses mosquitoes
Scientists suspect the repellant messes with a mosquito’s sense of smell.
