Search Results

How did the ancient Egyptians build the pyramids? It's an age-old mystery. A new study points to hydraulic engineering. But does this idea really hold water? Some experts in the field argue against new evidence being provided to support such claims. Learn how researchers use evidence to support claims while discussing the value of healthy skepticism in science.

In this study, humans and AI worked together to score the win. But it’s the human partners that got played. Learn how some methods for training AI can also teach AI to influence human behavior, then answer questions about the potential implications of a future world in which AI sways human behavior.

Scientists in the U.K. have mapped the life spans of different dog breeds and found surprising links to body size and nose shape. In this short activity, students can explore data about their favorite dog breeds in a furry fun research study

The sound of running water can evoke thirst or make for a relaxing environment. Physicists have recently figured out what causes the burbling of this alluring sound. Get your students thinking critically about this everyday phenomenon and explore possible variables behind it. Then have them read about a recent scientific study that explains the physical science principles behind the burbling water.

Scientists recently used bioacoustics and AI to study whether certain bird species still exist in the wild. Use this lesson plan to teach students about bioacoustics and instruct them to think critically about the role of AI in the research process.

Data science can help size up the probability behind myths, including that of the Loch Ness Monster. Use the example from the article to guide students through using the scientific method to investigate myths and have them think of an idea for a research study that could be done on a myth of their choice.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, provides a new way to focus a camera’s lens! Researchers have now used AI to overcome limitations in thermal-imaging technology — and they didn’t stop there. Learn how applying this AI to existing technology, such as self-driving cars, might solve safety problems and help transform what had been science fiction into reality. Apply knowledge to new applications and answer questions that confront the nuance sometimes lost by dichotomies as literary devices.

Gardens have many functions ranging from vegetable and fruit production to flood mitigation and erosion control. Gardens also can be a haven for pollinators and a repository for native plants. Over the course of a year, students will design a garden for their school or a community organization using scientific concepts they learn in class.

How clever! Bees use geometry tricks to make the most of their hive’s space. Learn how bees, wasps and other hive-makers accommodate changes in their colony’s needs, answer questions about evolution’s approach to problem-solving and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of analogies as literary devices.

In this quick activity, students will discuss confounding factors in their own lives and in scientific research to determine why it is important to identify and control for those factors. Learning Outcomes: Reviewing confounding factors and learning why it is important to identify them in science.

Students will answer questions about the online Science News Explores article “Think twice before using ChatGPT for help with homework,” which explains the pros and cons of using ChatGPT.

Students will discuss the meaning of AI and its uses before testing their ability to distinguish between answers written by students and answers written by ChatGPT. After taking a ChatGPT quiz produced by Science News Explores, students will talk about their results and the educational and ethical implications of using the chatbot. Learning Outcomes: Develop an understanding of artificial intelligence and apply that knowledge to current technologies that use AI.