HS-LS2-7

Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

  1. Environment

    Sea life may suffer as plastic bits alter metals in water

    This interplay between plastics and metals could affect how each affects the environment — and suggests opportunities for controlling their risks.

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  2. Animals

    Cougars pushed out by wildfires took more risks around roads

    After an intense burn in 2018 in California, big cats in the region crossed roads more often. That put them at higher risk of becoming roadkill.

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  3. Environment

    Bacterial ‘living wires’ could help protect the seas and climate

    Long, thin bacteria that conduct electricity may be able to help clean up oil spills and reduce emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

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  4. Earth

    Analyze This: Wildfires are pumping more pollution into U.S. skies

    Researchers wanted to study the health effects of wildfire smoke. But they realized they didn’t know where it was and how much exposure people had.

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  5. Science & Society

    What’s the fun in fear? Science explores the appeal of scary movies

    On its face, the appeal of horror doesn’t make much sense. But scientists are starting to uncover who’s most likely to enjoy scary films and why.

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  6. Animals

    Some ecologists value parasites — and now want a plan to save them

    Parasites get a bad rap as disease-causing, unwelcome guests on other organisms. But parasites are also imperiled, and scientists don’t want to lose them.

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  7. Health & Medicine

    Dogs and other animals could aid the spread of monkeypox

    Now that monkeypox has spread to a dog, researchers fear other species could help the virus become widespread outside of Africa for the first time.

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  8. Animals

    Palm-size marsupials may face extinction from wild ‘house’ cats

    After surviving Australian bushfires, the Kangaroo Island dunnart is losing ground as it's targeted by hungry predators.

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  9. Animals

    Let’s learn about amphibians

    Amphibians are named after the Greek word for “double life” because many transform from water dwellers to landlubbers as they grow up.

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  10. Plants

    Electric shocks act like vaccines to protect plants from viruses

    To protect crops against viruses in their home country of Taiwan, two teens invented a novel approach to fight blights.

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  11. Chemistry

    Let’s learn about cellulose

    The world’s most abundant natural polymer is finding all kinds of new uses, in everything from ice cream to construction.

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  12. Environment

    Ponds made to control floods can spew climate-warming gases, study finds

    Younger stormwater ponds can release more carbon in gases than they absorb, a study finds. That could aggravate global warming.

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