Search Results

"Cats are liquid." You may have heard this playful saying before. Cats earn a reputation for oozing in and out of some tight spots. But lately, some scientists started wondering whether they’d fit through an opening of any size. Learn how scientists have developed controlled in-home experiments to address such questions scientifically. Answer questions about independent and dependent variables and compare two similar experiments in terms of experimental design.

A carnivorous plant enzyme and an enzyme from a symbiotic fungal friend expedite digestion of ants. Use this as an example of enzymes, to introduce catalysts to your students. Then have students investigate how enzymes relate to catalysts, create their own catalyst metaphor and find another example of a catalyst or enzyme. Have students share examples and, as a class, discuss why scientists are interested in learning more about enzymes or other catalysts and potential applications of catalysts.

To survive, creatures need to be able to sense many aspects of their environment, including food options. Scientists have recently discovered that the northern sea robin, an oceanic fish, has legs used for walking and also for tasting, to find buried meals. Begin a unit on natural selection/evolution by reviewing what these terms mean. Then, provide example organisms to explore their different types of adaptations (structural, physiological and behavioral). Finally, have students create their own species with adaptations specific to unique human- or natural disaster-influenced habitats.

Biologists didn't design their experiments looking for glow-in-the-dark feet, but sometimes scientific failures yield surprising discoveries. If glowing toes sound batty to you, learn how scientists illuminate the secrets of a flighty mammal while answering questions about the scientific process.

Scientists have discovered that Dicyrtomina minuta, a species of globular springtail, can perform the fastest backflip of any animal on Earth. In this activity, students will review how the team studied springtail backflips by analyzing high-speed footage. Then, they will research another Olympics-worthy competitor and describe how they’d measure performance in their imagined sports event.

Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Along with providing food and shelter for a variety of marine organisms, coral reefs reduce erosion and protect coastal cities from storms. However, coral reefs are threatened by the effects of climate change. In this activity, students will model the complex interactions that occur within corals, their ecosystem and the Earth’s spheres to learn about how climate change harms coral reefs. After modeling how these interactions change with increasing ocean temperatures, students will brainstorm potential ways to solve or mitigate coral bleaching.

Scientists studied ancient woolly mammoth DNA that had been freeze-dried in place, preserving it and retaining its shape. The researchers adapted a technique for studying the structures of chromosomes within a nucleus to determine which genes were turned on and off in the mammoth genome. In this activity, students will review what happens when genes are turned on by completing exercises that illustrate hypothetical DNA base pairing and simplified examples of transcription and translation.

Scientists have been able to study genetic activity in an ancient woolly mammoth’s DNA, thanks to a new method. Learn about the research study and the preservation of the DNA while thinking through the implications of having certain genes turned on or off.

Students will observe animal behavior via live camera feed and reflect on their observations. Then they will learn about how animal behaviorists use camera traps and field observations to infer meaning from animal behaviors.

Students will learn about the openVertebrate project and how it is digitizing vertebrate anatomy using CT scans. Then they’ll explore the archive, form a scientific question about one of the specimens and consider how to research that question.

Students will analyze and compare two graphs to summarize a recent report about animals protected by an international treaty called the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals before discussing the possible next steps and limitations of the treaty.

Scientists in Brazil have just discovered a creature that claims two small but fierce titles: the smallest known vertebrate and the smallest known amphibian. This raindrop-sized vertebrate earned a rather misleading name for itself — the “flea toad.” Use metric units to make and compare measurements and learn the differences between toads and frogs before discussing the misleading nature of the amphibian’s name.