HS-LS2-1

Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.

  1. Microbes

    Globetrotting microbes in airplane sewage may spread antibiotic resistance

    Along with harder-to-kill microbes, airplane sewage contains a diverse set of the genes that let bacteria evade antibiotics.

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  2. Climate

    5 things to know about the climate-saving benefits of tree planting

    A recent analysis of the benefits of massive efforts to plant more trees triggered a firestorm of controversy.

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  3. Microbes

    Drug-resistant germs kill some 35,000 Americans each year

    The new mortality rate may be way low, some experts say. Also troubling are two new germs that have emerged as big and urgent threats.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    By the numbers: How infectious measles and other diseases spread

    A number called R0 measures how contagious an infectious disease is. It helps explain why measles is so dangerous.

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  5. Animals

    Hunting hidden salamanders with eDNA

    The Japanese clouded salamander is an elusive beast. To find a new population, three teens turned to high-tech methods.

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  6. Oceans

    Small swimmers may play huge role in churning the seas

    Hoards of migrating shrimp and krill can cause large-scale water movements in the ocean, a new study suggests.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Scientists discover how norovirus hijacks the gut

    Noroviruses make people vomit, but scientists didn’t actually know why. It now turns out that those viruses cause their misery by attacking special “tuft” cells in the gut.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Which bacteria hang out in belly buttons? Here’s a who’s who

    Bacteria are everywhere — even in our belly buttons. One teen at Intel ISEF decided to find out what types people were harboring in their navels.

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  9. Plants

    Explainer: The fertilizing power of N and P

    Two elements — nitrogen and phosphorus — help plants grow. When the soil doesn’t have them, farmers might add them in the form of fertilizer.

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  10. Ecosystems

    America’s duck lands: These ‘potholes’ are under threat

    North America’s prairies are in trouble. Scientists race against the clock for clues about how to save the plants — and animals — that call it home.

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  11. Science & Society

    Shrimp on treadmills? Some science only sounds silly

    Research that may seem silly, at first glance, often has a rewarding aim. Here are some examples.

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  12. Animals

    Under blanket of ice, lakes teem with life

    Life under frozen lakes is vibrant, complex and surprisingly active, new research finds. In fact, some plants and animals can only live under the ice. But with climate change, will that continue?

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