HS-ETS1-4

Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.

  1. Genetics

    Explainer: What is epigenetics?

    Epigenetics is the study of molecular “switches” that turn genes on and off. Tweak those switches and there could be big health consequences.

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  2. Chemistry

    Got milk? Roach milk could be a new superfood

    Scientists have just figured out the recipe for cockroach milk. And that could be a first step toward making it part of the human diet. Yum!

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  3. Earth

    Earth’s tectonic plates won’t slide forever

    Earth’s surface morphs, owing to the movement of its tectonic plates. But those plates didn’t use to move so quickly. And in a few billion years they’ll grind to a halt, new research suggests.

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  4. Tech

    Teen offers technology that could help brain surgeons

    It can reproduce plastic models of the precise faulty vessels that need fixing. Now doctors can see them, hold them and practice on them long before they pick up a scalpel.

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  5. Brain

    Small region of brain recognizes facial expressions

    Scientists identify the brain region responsible for recognizing facial expressions in others. It helps us know whether others are happy or sad.

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  6. Animals

    What medicine can learn from squid teeth

    Scientists have identified what makes a squid's sucker teeth so strong. The findings may one day prove useful in medicine.

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  7. Tech

    How to make window ‘glass’ from wood

    Scientists have come up with a way to make wood transparent. The new material could be used in everything from windows to packaging.

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  8. Chemistry

    Particles in air help fatten clouds’ water droplets

    Making their own clouds has shown scientists how the fattest water droplets form. Understanding this could lead to better forecasts of climate change.

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  9. Chemistry

    Gotcha! New test stalks diseases early

    Chemists screen blood for disease markers by adapting a common DNA test. The test can find disease earlier, when it also may be easier to treat.

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  10. Genetics

    Genes: How few needed for life?

    Scientists rebuilt a microbe using its old genes. But not all of them. They used as few building-blocks as they could get away with and still have the life-form survive.

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  11. Physics

    Explainer: What are gravitational waves?

    Albert Einstein had predicted that large catastrophes, like colliding black holes, should produce tiny ripples in the fabric of space. In 2016, scientists reported finally detecting them

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  12. Animals

    Picture This: Plesiosaurs swam like penguins

    A computer model suggests plesiosaurs — ancient marine reptiles — swam like penguins, using front flippers for power and back flippers for steering.

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