Science

How Dinosaurs and Mammals Evolved on Planet Earth

by John Agbo, age 14

A long-held belief that dinosaurs suppressed mammals has been debunked. Recent fossil discoveries and new research show that mammals were better off than scientists originally thought.

There was a significant boom in reptile evolution during the Mesozoic Era, which was also when the earliest mammals emerged. Early mammals were small insectivores with big eyes, hinting that they were nocturnal.

It was only after the Cretaceous Period that mammals grew larger than house cats. Most scientists once considered dinosaurs “sluggish, dim-witted, and even freakish," they saw mammals as evolutionary underdogs, painting them as a superior order oppressed by the “tyranny of cold-blooded reptiles,” according to paleontologist and science writer Riley Black. Some scientists think this antagonistic relationship might have contributed to the extinction of dinosaurs. [Read More]

This Moth Is Known for Its Skull Marking and Dark Myths

by Bridgett McPark, age 12

Death’s-head hawkmoths are large, dark, and fluffy moths that are seen as an omen of death.

The moths live mostly in Southern Europe and are even spotted as far north as the Shetlands of England and in Ireland. This moth is one of the largest moths that migrates to the United Kingdom. They usually arrive in the UK during late summer and return to Southern Europe in October. Caterpillars are usually found in gardens and potato fields. They eat potatoes, tomatoes, flowers, and other plants such as the deadly nightshade.

The moth’s scientific name is Acherontia atropos, which is connected to the belief that the moth summons immense misfortune and even death to the house where it flies into. The scientific name is linked to Greek mythology. Acherontia relates to Acheron, a river in hell, while Atropos is one of the three Fates, who controls the destinies of all beings. The moths were also thought to contribute to King George III becoming unstable, since large moths were found in his bedroom, and rumors circulated that they were put there to drive him mad. [Read More]

New Research Shows Ancient Clovis Hunters Were “Megafaunal Specialists”

by Elim Eyobed, age 14

Imagine stalking mammoths across frozen tundras. This is how the Clovis people survived the Ice Age, hunting mammoths, bison, and other animals to thrive in a harsh, frozen world.

The Clovis people originated in Siberia and crossed the Bering Land Bridge to the Americas during the last Ice Age. Clovis is a term used to represent a whole culture known primarily for their stone tools, one of which was a weapon called the Clovis Point. This culture hunted large animals such as mammoths, but they also consumed other creatures such as bison and small animals. Research shows that they had an average of 12,800 calories per day, consisting of 21% bison and 79% mammoths and other small to medium animals.

Researchers from McMaster University in Canada and the University of Alaska Fairbanks have been trying to figure out who the Clovis people were and learn more about their culture to see how humans influenced the extinction of large mammals during the Ice Age. The researchers found that the tools they used had a large influence on their lives. Specifically, these tools determined their diet via limitations in the size, species, and quantity of the animals they could hunt based on their weapons. [Read More]

Homo juluensis: Possible 'New Ancient Human' Identified

by Dayanara Flores, age 17

A group of scientists has discovered an ancient human species while digging for fossils in East Asia. This newly discovered species is called ‘Homo juluensis.’

There is only one surviving species of hominin: Homo Sapiens, or modern human beings. However, there were other hominin species related to humans, which scientists are still trying to understand.

The species name Homo juluensis, meaning ‘big head,’ was chosen due to the notably large skulls of this hominin. In fact, scientists found that Homo juluensis has larger skulls and teeth than Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. The fossils of Homo juluensis include several pieces of skull that break easily. Only 16 individual fossils of Homo juluensis have been discovered. [Read More]

Dark Oxygen Discovered in Deep Ocean Environments

by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 14

Researchers exploring the Pacific Ocean have discovered what they call “dark oxygen,” created in the absence of sunlight. This discovery, found in deep ocean environments where sunlight cannot reach, raises new questions about how oxygen can be produced without photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis occurs when plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create sugars and oxygen. Scientists previously believed photosynthesis was the only way to produce oxygen. However, this discovery challenges that theory. Andrew Sweetman, a professor from the Scottish Association for Marine Science, led the team that found the "dark oxygen." He said, “I think we therefore need to revisit questions like: Where could aerobic life have begun?”

Although it's not yet clear how oxygen is created in deep, dark environments, researchers believe it might be connected to electrically charged minerals on the ocean floor known as polymetallic nodules. These nodules, which can vary in size up to that of a potato, may act like batteries, generating electrical charges that break down seawater and release oxygen. By linking multiple nodules together, researchers hypothesize they could produce higher voltages and increase oxygen levels. Tests conducted on the ocean floor have shown oxygen levels rising near these nodules. [Read More]

Robots and Ethics, Teaching AI to Make the Right Choices

by Will DeFour, age 14

In some nursing homes, robots help people with medications and health issues. In other scenarios, robots learn to distinguish between what is dangerous and what is not, such as grabbing a sharp knife or similar tool.

Robots have extraordinary abilities, allowing them to perform advanced tasks and work tirelessly. However, humans have many advantages over robots. One of those is the ability to make ethical choices. Engineers and philosophers are now working together to teach robots how to make the right decisions in different situations.

People make ethical choices daily; they don’t even think about it. They consider what will happen and the cost of changing their decision before deciding. These choices are easy for the brain because the human mind is an advanced organ that evolved over billions of years. Robots, on the other hand, are just complex algorithms that can’t make ethical choices. [Read More]

The World’s Population is Now 8 billion

by Jonah Smith, age 13

If you looked up on Google how many people were on Earth, the answer would be 7.8 billion people. But according to a recent United Nations report, in late 2022 our population finally hit 8 billion. The population is still rising, but the rate of growth has slowed. The rate the U.N. based their last predictions on was the rate of growth from 2017. At that time, the U.N. predicted that the world’s population could reach 11.2 billion people by the year 2100. With this new data, the population is now expected to peak during the 2080s at 10.4 billion people. Once it peaks, the numbers will plateau until 2100.

This new information also highlights the challenges linked with population growth, said Maria-Francesca Spatolisano of the U.N. during a news conference on July 11th, 2022. These challenges include meeting people's social and economic needs (food, water, shelter, etc.), as well as how people use Earth’s resources and alter the environment.

The population will grow differently across various areas. For example, high-income countries, which have low birth rates, will grow due to more people moving there, a U.N. report predicts. In low-income countries, populations will rise as there are more births than deaths. This report also states that in 61 countries, populations are expected to drop by one percent or more between now and 2050. The net effect is that overall, populations are still expected to rise. [Read More]

Anna’s Hummingbird Are Nature’s Flying Jewel

by Edna Torres, age 7

Anna’s hummingbirds are fascinating creatures with an outstanding appearance.

Adult males have a rose-red throat and crown. Females are green, dingy gray, and have small red spots on their throats. These hummingbirds are commonly seen in streams, side groves, gardens, and city parks throughout parts of the western United States and Canada.

A hummingbird’s diet consists of nectar and tiny insects. When feeding from flowers, they extend their long tongues deep into the center to extract nectar. To catch insects, they may snatch them mid-air or pluck them from leaves and bark. A fun fact about hummingbirds is that planting exotic flowering trees near their habitats can help expand their breeding range. [Read More]

Scientists Study Sleep-Deprived Mosquitoes to Prevent the Spread of Deadly Diseases

by Emily Rodriguez Lima, age 13

Humans and mosquitoes are more alike than you may want to believe; new research suggests mosquitoes prefer sleep over food when sleep-deprived.

As we all know, mosquitoes can be deadly, carrying diseases like Zika, Dengue, and Malaria. These diseases can cause death upon adults and even young children. Since most mosquitoes are active at night, people place nets over their beds for protection. Researchers are interested in mosquito sleep cycles, as awareness of sleep cycles can help predict diseases.

The presence of food can rouse a relaxing mosquito. It can be difficult sometimes to tell when they are asleep because they look similar to when they are simply relaxed. To better understand it, scientists track their behavior. Mosquitoes that have a long rests are more likely to land on people than mosquitoes that barely get any sleep. Oluwasuen Ajayi was part of a research team on mosquitos from the University of Ohio-Cincinnati. [Read More]

Scientists Discover the Largest Snake Lurking in the Amazon Rainforest

by Elim Eyobed, age 13

The northern green anaconda is a species that has been recently discovered in the Amazon rainforest. The anaconda is also known as the giant anaconda, emerald anaconda, common water boa, or southern green anaconda.

Many people thought there was only one kind of green anaconda, however, the scientific journal “Diversity” recently wrote that the “northern green anaconda” is a new species. The anaconda, as well as other big snakes, are considered “indicator species'' because they mostly signal the health of a whole ecosystem.

The green anaconda can reach up to 30 feet in length and weigh up to 550 pounds. Female anacondas are much larger than their male counterparts. Anacondas are usually dark green or brown on the outside, with darker spots going down their backs. The average lifespan of these snakes in the wild is about 10 years, but they can live twice as long in captivity. [Read More]

100 Foot Jump Breaks World Record

by Moore Vang, age 13

What can jump as high as the eyes of the Statue of Liberty? Well, the jumping robot can! The robot was designed by Elliot Hawkes, a mechanical engineer from University of California, Santa Barbara. With the ability to jump three times higher than any other jumping robot, it can also out-jump any living animal.

Hawkes has been working on the robot for seven years. “It started out as a stick with weights and rubber bands,” he said. Nobody would’ve called it a robot at the start of its creation because it didn’t have anything electronic or any motors on it, he recalls. This got him and his colleagues determined to find out, “Just how high can it go?” After many years of work, the robot reached heights as high as 100 feet. Hawkes and his team recorded this on the website Nature on April 23, 2022.

Various researchers studied how different types of animals jump. Hawkes didn’t want to copy any of the animals so instead, his team learned the types of features of certain animal jumpers and how to find ways around it. Muscles in the body of many animals including humans provide energy for jumping. These muscles pull on stretchy hamstrings that react just like a spring, launching the body high into the air. A muscle can only tense up and release once per jump. Weight is also a factor due to large muscles making the animal or human heavier. Typically, the heavier the animal, the harder it is to move against the force of gravity. [Read More]

The International Space Station Is Retiring, What Does this Mean for Space Exploration?

by Theodore Morrison, age 14

The International Space Station is considered a constant symbol of humanity's achievements in the fields of space science and diplomacy. Many will be shocked to learn that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has plans to retire and crash the station straight into the ocean in 2031.

According to The International Space Station Report, NASA is aiming to crash the ISS into the Pacific Ocean at a location called Point Nemo, the farthest point at sea from any landmass. To put the distance in perspective, it is 2,000 miles North of Antarctica and 3,000 miles East of New Zealand. The ISS will, probably, rest forever at a point known as the spacecraft graveyard.

This retirement isn’t without merit, though, as NASA confirms that they intend to use the ISS as an “analog for a Mars transit mission,” according to a NASA report. The ISS was a point for which science could advance, which has included 3D printing an item on the orbiting station, producing the fifth state of matter, growing organic food in space, and sequencing DNA. [Read More]

There’s a Chance the Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy Is Actually a Wormhole

by Allison Torres, age 14

Writers that love science fiction like the idea of wormholes. Go in a wormhole, and it might transfer you to another place in time.

Physicists have taken the time to study and talk about what it might actually look like inside a black hole. There could be a wormhole in the middle of our galaxy. One way scientists are able to confirm that wormholes exist would be to go through a black hole and see if there is a hidden bridge. Although, this would be a rare occurrence, since the Milky Way is more of a door than a dead end. They could also probably figure out if there is any presence of existing life on the other side.

Researchers have found that orbits of stars, such as S2, have been orbiting a giant black hole for years. Scientists say that if this star or other stars feel existence on the other side of a black hole then the star would perform a peculiar dance. [Read More]

Webb Space Telescope Sends New Images to Scientists on Planet Earth

by Ashley Mercado, age 13

NASA has finally revealed the first set of beautiful images taken from a new space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope. The first picture from the Space Telescope was a plethora of distant galaxies that go deeper than scientists have ever seen. NASA says the new Webb Telescope will eventually replace the Hubble Telescope. Some of Webb’s images show areas of the universe Hubble has already studied, and some show areas Hubble could not reach.

Webb used infrared light which allowed scientists to obtain a clearer images and show places they have not yet studied. NASA administrator Bill Nelson said, “Every image is a new discovery and each will give humanity a view of the universe that we’ve never seen before.” In the new images, astronomers are looking for two nebulae: the Southern Ring Nebula and the Carina Nebula. They are also looking for five galaxies, known as Stephan’s Quintet, as well as the recently discovered gas planet called WASP-96b. 0[Read More]

Unmasking the Age of Fingerprints: Unlocking Forensic Mysteries with Chemical Analysis

by Emily Rodriguez Lima, age 14

When you are done doing something involving your hands, they tend to get sweaty. Sweat is actually an oily chemical that is constantly being produced by your hands. This chemical helps forensic teams to identify peoples’ fingerprints during crime scene investigations. Scientists are using the chemical in these fingerprints left at crime scenes to reveal the age of the prints, but there is still an issue: scientists can't tell how old the prints are.

The oily chemical that fingerprints produce reacts with oxygen in the air. Examining the changes and degradation of the chemical after oxygen exposure helps scientists calculate the age of a fingerprint.

When researchers analyze prints, they use something called mass spectrometry. This technique is used to identify atoms and molecules in fingerprints by their mass. The chemical from each print changes differently, from one day to the next. Some even show changes within seven days. [Read More]

NASA's Osiris-REx Returns with Asteroid Samples to Avert Future Earth Collisions

by Valeria Moreno Lopez, age 17

A NASA spacecraft unleashed its sample findings that could help prevent a collision on Earth. After a seven-year expedition of observing the asteroid Bennu, a sample container landed in a Utah desert this past September. The sample is predicted to contain 250 grams of high-carbon dust and rocks from the asteroid.

In 2016, Osiris-REx, NASA’s third deep-space robotic mission, departed into space, costing over $1 billion. After two years of searching, the spacecraft landed on Bennu to gather material that has been dated back to 4.5 million years ago. Researchers will use this new data to improve the understanding of planet and life formation. To acquire the material, Osiris-REx inserted a stick vacuum connected to a container into the asteroid. However, much more dust and rocks were gathered than expected. This damaged the spacecraft’s container and lost a significant quantity of material. More than 100 grams were collected from extra material that was stuck on the outside of the container, bypassing the original goal of 60 grams.

From more than 500,000 asteroids that orbit our solar system, Bennu was chosen for the mission because of its elements. Its length is equal to one-third of a mile and it weighs nearly 172 billion pounds. The asteroid is 50 million miles away from Earth, but scientists found a concerning possibility that Bennu could hit Earth by 2182. They hope to use the sample data to prevent pocket collisions on our planet. One way is to change the trajectory using kinetic impactors. Dante Lauretta, the mission’s leader from the University of Arizona, said, “With each revelation from Bennu, we draw closer to unraveling the mysteries of our cosmic heritage.” [Read More]

Search for the Origins of Life Takes Scientists to the Ocean Floor

by Shalmat Shalom, age 14

There is an oil drilling ship that has been drilling near the Earth's mantle for decades in order to discover new information about how our planet has evolved. Scientists and engineers are excited about what they may discover. Many different scientists such as geologists and microbiologists plan to sail this ship in April from Portugal.

The oil drill ship is a machine that can dig deep into the Earth specifically below sea. It has helped scientists discover what is inside the Earth for many years. This machine helped dig a 6,750 foot hole 20 years ago in the Atlantic Ocean.

Scientists discovered a 14,000 foot underwater mountain. The mountain could have evolved by tectonic plates spreading apart. This will push close to the mantle, and “plump deeper layers of ocean crust that have not been reached before.” If they succeed, they could be the first in history. [Read More]

Secrets of the Ice: Archaeologists Discover Ancient Arrowhead inside a Melting Glacier

by Camila Cruz, age 15

As glaciers begin to melt, archaeologists in Scandinavia are discovering artifacts that help them learn more about the past. Recently, researchers found a well-preserved 1,500-year-old arrow, in what they believe is an ancient hunting ground.

The archaeologists who discovered the arrow are part of “Secrets Of The Ice”, a group of scientists and glacial archaeologists in Norway who explore and pinpoint glaciers. This arrow is not just any arrow. Not only is it believed to be older than the Vikings that inhabited the land from roughly 800-1100 AD, but it is also extremely well preserved.

The arrow was found between two rocks in Norway in an area where ancient people likely hunted reindeer. The archeologists think that the arrow was lost in the snow when one of the hunters missed a shot. Archaeologists believe the arrow was frozen into a glacier, and when the glacier melted it made its way down to where it was found. The fletching which helps stabilize the arrow while it’s flying is gone, but the arrowhead is still attached to the shaft, which is a unique discovery. [Read More]

Unveiling the Dangers of Light Pollution

by Valeria Moreno Lopez, age 16

Human activity has been a continuous danger to the environment and all living things. Right now, mounting research has put the spotlight on light pollution – the unrestrained and unnecessary use of artificial light. This type of pollution affects more than 80% of the world's population, with Singapore taking the lead.

Scientists have reported four main types of light pollution: sky glow, clutter, light trespass, and glare. Sky glow is the excessive brightness of the urban night sky caused by streetlamps, car lights, and factories. Living with high levels of this type of pollution makes it difficult to see stars at night, as it redirects their light and can obstruct the views of stars for astronomers and observers. Clutter is the unnatural grouping of lights, which are normally bright billboards and flashy tourist attractions. Since moonlight leads animals to their migration patterns, this often confuses animals and causes them to stray from their normal patterns. Light trespassing is light that reaches into an undesired space; such as light from a streetlamp seeping into a bedroom window. Lastly, glare is light that can cause discomfort and annoyance while driving, walking, or doing other daily tasks.

Beyond everyday tasks, light pollution is detrimental to human health and behavior. Light trespass, in particular, can disturb sleep and melatonin production, which requires surroundings to be fully dark to work properly. If not, many health issues develop, including fatigue, anxiety, stress, and sleep deprivation. Blue light, found in cell phones, computers, and even in popular LED light bulbs, also exposes people to the same damaging threats. Furthermore, studies reveal lower melatonin production is linked to cancer. As a result of this study, the American Medical Association advocates to control light pollution and discover the additional risks of nocturnal light. [Read More]

Why it's Important to Brush Your Teeth

by Jonah Smith, age 14

Your dentist will always tell you to brush your teeth. But why? Not brushing your teeth can cause tooth decay, an infectious disease caused by sugar-loving microbes that live in the mouth. A new study, however, might want to make you brush your teeth even more. Researchers have found that these tiny mouth microbes can combine to cause more damage than expected.

Damage from dental plaques causes cavities. Plaque coats the teeth in acid which breaks down the tooth’s hard enamel covering. Dental plaques are a type of biofilm and many types of microbes can form biofilms in the mouth. Young children who have severe tooth decay have a specific type of biofilm: the bacterium Streptococcus mutants and the fungus Candida Albicans. This fungus is a type of yeast that can cause infection in the human body.

To gather some more information, researchers collected 44 saliva and dental plaque samples from young children. Fourteen had healthy teeth and thirty had severe tooth decay. The scientists studied these samples to see what kind of germs lived in their mouths. The children with healthy teeth had bacteria, but no yeast, and children with tooth decay had both. [Read More]

Mars Rover Microphone Captures Sound from the Red Planet

by Sedona Afeworki, age 14

On September 27, 2021, a NASA rover detected a rumbling sound and forceful winds on Mars, later discovering that it was a dust devil.

A dust devil is a small vortex that swirls dust, debris and sand to great heights. The whirlwind on Mars was around 400 feet tall and about 80 feet wide, going fast at 16 feet per second. Its rumbling gusts went 25 miles per hour for around 10 seconds.

The sound of the dust devil on Mars is quite similar to how it sounds on Earth. However, the sounds are more quiet due to Mars’ thin atmosphere, which also makes the winds sound weaker. Last year, a dust devil went right over the range rover Perseverance currently on Mars. Scientist German Martinez, a co-author at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston stated, “it was fully caught red-handed by Persy.” [Read More]

The Mighty Sun, Stellar Powerhouse Illuminating the Solar System and Nurturing Life on Earth

by Daileni Cruz, age 10

The Sun was born nearly five billion years ago and still has quite a long time to live. The diameter of the sun is about 864,950 miles making the sun 109 times bigger than Earth. It also is 333,000 times heavier than our planet.

The sun has multiple layers that serve different purposes. The Sun's core is the source of its energy and is extremely hot. The surface of the sun is named the photosphere, which produces light and heat for planets. The corona is the largest outer layer and has solar winds that reach Earth. However, these solar winds are blocked because of Earth’s magnetic field.

The surface of the Sun can develop dark spots. Violent and rapid solar flares can cause eruptions near sunspots; these flares release magnetic energy. Another feature of the sun is the red loops around the atmosphere called prominences. These are large clouds of gas that extend outward around the Sun's atmosphere. Geomagnetic storms are caused by solar flares that can damage satellites and radio transmissions. [Read More]

Rising Tide of Colon Cancer: Younger Patients at Risk and Seeking Answers

by Sandy Flores-Ruiz, age 17

Colon cancer, the second deadliest type of cancer in the United States, has seen a rise in diagnosis in younger patients under 50. While doctors are not exactly sure of the reason for this increase, they might know contributing factors.

Colorectal cancer, also known as colon cancer, is a disease in the digestive system. This cancer usually begins with a growth of tissue called a polyp, which is caused due to abnormal production of cells. Removing this tissue in the early stages could prevent cancer, but many of the symptoms may not appear at first. Some of those symptoms could include changes in bowel movements, bleeding, abdominal pain, fatigue, and weight loss. [Read More]

Scientists Discover Fish are Self-Aware

by Jonah Smith, age 14

Humans can recognize their faces in mirrors and photos almost automatically. Ongoing research at Metropolitan University in Japan suggests that fish have the same ability. Being able to recognize your reflection or being self-aware, is an ability usually tied to intelligent animals, such as chimpanzees or humans. Finding this ability in fish suggests that self-awareness might be more common than scientists previously thought. [Read More]

Two 7,000-year-old Mummies Change How Experts Study the Sahara Desert

by Andrew Huang, age 12

Usually, when a mummy is discovered in the Sahara Desert, scientists expect it to have some sub-Saharan genes. However, when two mummies over 7,000 years old were discovered in the Takarkori rock shelter, an archaeological site located in the Tadrart Acacus Mountains of southwestern Libya, they did not have the sub-Saharan genes.

For the last 5,500 years, the Sahara has been a desert. In contrast, between 5,500 and 14,800 years ago, during what is known as the African Humid period, or Green Sahara, the Sahara was a lush place.

During this time, the Tadrart Acacus Mountains area was filled with wildlife, water, and humans. The site is located near the city of Ghat in Libya near the border of Algeria. Some of the best-preserved ancient rock art in the world is visible in the area. [Read More]

It Looks Like a Jellyfish, but it's Actually a Group of Zooids

by Amayah Henderson, age 12

A common misconception is that the Portuguese man o’ war (physalia physalis) is a type of jellyfish. The man o’ war, a siphonophore, is a group of organisms closely related to jellyfish but is not actually jellyfish. Siphonophores are interesting because they are colonies of genetically specialized individuals called zooids, with various forms and functions that work together as one.

The zooids which make up a Portuguese man o’ war are a type of organism known as a polyp. The man o’ war is made of four zooids: the bladder, tentacles, digestive system, and the reproductive system. The man o’ war has a gas-filled bladder to float and its crest-like structure as a sail called pheumatophore. These features allow them to drift across the water as they cannot swim, causing them to often drift onto beaches mainly after storms.

These creatures can be found in any of earth's warm waters, mainly tropical or subtotal oceans all the way to Canada and the eastern Atlantic. They eat a variety of small animals such as young fish, plankton and crustaceans. To catch prey, the man o’ war uses its tentacles that stretch up to 30 feet delivering a powerful nematocysts. Through their tentacles that have microscopic capsules with coiled barbed tubes, they paralyze their prey with venom and pull them into their gastozooids for digestion. [Read More]

'Tomato Frogs' May Look Cute, but Predators Beware!

by Andrea T., grade 6

Tomato frogs are adaptable to many environments. Even though tomato frogs can adapt to different environments, they still face threats. Habitat loss and pollution are concerns for their survival. On the endangered species list, they are listed as “Near Threatened." For people to help, they need to learn about tomato frogs.

Male and female tomato frogs are different in a few ways. Males are around 6 to 6.5 cm long and appear more brown than red. Female tomato frogs can grow to be 10.5 cm long and have the bright red color that they get their name from. Young tomato frogs are born with a tan or black color that turns into a brownish-red as they grow. The color change happens in just a few months.

These frogs are found only in Madagascar and are seen throughout the country. The majority of tomato frogs live in the northeastern part of the island, in places like Antongil Bay, Andivoranto, and Maroantsetra. Tomato frogs can survive in many environments, such as rainforests, coastal woods, wetlands, and even urban areas, including drainage ditches near villages. If there is soft ground to burrow into and slow-moving or still water nearby, tomato frogs can survive in them too. [Read More]

The Distinctive Eyes of the Black-Crowned Night-Heron Help it Catch Prey Underwater

by Enze Zhuo, age 13

The black-crowned night-heron is found all over the world. Like most herons, it lives in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and on oceanic islands like Hawaii. They are fascinating birds.

The black-crowned night-herons have interesting traits. They have large eyes that help them see better underwater and catch food. Their legs can also change color during breeding, from green to red or yellow. Their coolest trait is their two or three white, ribbon-like head plumes, which appear during breeding season.

The black-crowned night-heron eats frogs, lake fish, insects, mollusks, and worms. They like to live around freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, and live in large colonies rather than alone. They usually do not fight. They hunt at dawn and dusk, but can find food for their hatchlings during the day. [Read More]

New Medical Breakthrough May Someday Enable Human Adults to Regrow Teeth

by Brooklynn Miller, age 12

Researchers at Kyoto University Hospital in Japan began trials of a tooth regeneration drug, only a test for now, in October 2024. This is the first medical experiment solely focused on stimulating biological tooth regeneration in adults.

Surprisingly, it has been proven that the medicine is not merely creating something from an idea, but is rather unlocking a process the body already knows how to do. It is something we have already, and always, had.

This is the dormant tooth bud. Dormant tooth buds are a biological structure inside our mouths capable of making a third set of teeth. Our body has just been suppressing it. If it passes the tests, researchers say, the treatment should be available in 2030. [Read More]

Fifteen Years After Launch, the Juno Space Probe Discovers Jupiter Is Smaller than We Thought

by Oliver Zink, age 15

In 2011, NASA launched the Juno spacecraft to expand our knowledge of Jupiter. The information gathered has helped scientists develop new theories about the gas giant's atmospheric patterns.

The observations of the planet show that it is smaller and flatter than previously thought. Radio data from the spacecraft was used to refine measurements of the planet. The original measurement is from flybys that could not provide as much information. The difference between the old and new measurements is minuscule, but because Jupiter is so large, these measurements have a significant impact on theories. The updated size of Jupiter helps scientists understand the planet's interior and the events happening on and in Jupiter. The more knowledge we have of one gas giant, the more scientists can have a better understanding of other gas giants, even ones located outside of our solar system.

According to NASA, the planet's equator is around five miles narrower, and the poles are 15 miles flatter than initially theorized. The Juno mission is also investigating Jupiter to understand its origins and development by examining the planet's gravity and magnetic fields. The mission will also help explain Jupiter's auroras and the vivid swirling clouds that shape its atmosphere and patterns. [Read More]

After a Nuclear Disaster: Scientists Study the Wild Dogs of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

by John Agbo, age 15

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, at that time in Russia but now located in northern Ukraine exploded in April of 1986. The environmental damage was so great that 40 years later, the Chernobyl area is still uninhabitable by humans.

Animals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, which is about four times the size of New York City, are being studied by scientists and biologists to see how years of radiation exposure might have changed their anatomy.

The DNA of around 302 wild dogs found in and around CEZ, were examined by scientists from the National Humane Genome Research Institute and the University of South Carolina. Scientists conducted the study in 2023, and it showed that Chernobyl dogs exhibited genetic differences when compared to dogs from other nearby areas. [Read More]

The Painted Dogs Fighting for Survival

by Andrew Huang, age 12

African wild dogs, also known as painted dogs, are critically endangered. Around 6,600 painted dogs remain according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, which provides scientific data on various species, habitats, and threats to both.

A key threat to painted dogs are humans, who both intentionally and accidentally kill them. Humans target painted dogs when they attack livestock. Humans also cause habitat loss as we expand our land use. This leads to decreased availability of food sources for painted dogs. Furthermore, African wild dogs require a vast amount of land. For example, the Greater London area with 8.8 million people could only sustain one or two painted dog packs.

In contrast, many things are being done to save these unique animals. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is working to help these dogs. They help create and protect animal corridors, which are connected pathways between natural habitats that allow for wildlife to find food, mates, and new territories. The WWF also works to prevent conflicts between wildlife and humans, especially considering when painted dogs attack livestock. [Read More]

Could Seaweed Help Save the Planet?

by Will DeFour, age 16

Seaweed makes up only a fraction of the global food industry, yet its expansion could be a small step toward net zero carbon emissions.

Agriculture is one of the largest contributors to human carbon dioxide emissions. It is responsible for 80% of human-driven land destruction. Additionally, up to a third of all greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food production. Seaweed aquaculture on the other hand uses no land, and emits minuscule amounts of greenhouse gases during growth. Due to the lack of freshwater and fertilizer needed to grow it, seaweed is the least resource intensive, and one of the least impactful foods on the planet.

Encouraging the growth of the seaweed industry will not just lead to cleaner meals, but also cleaner products. Biodegradable plastic substitutes like bioplasts reduce land and sea pollution, and are less carbon intensive to produce. Seaweed is growing as a promising contender of this innovative field, as it is already more ecological than other crops and grows at up to two feet per day in some cases, making it plentiful. Seaweed is also useful in agriculture practices as a low impact biostimulant, releasing half the carbon as chemicals do in similar cases. [Read More]

The Secret Weapon of Early Humans

by Yizuo Pan, age 10

Humans have been finding new ways to hunt for millenia. But when did humans discover the strategy of dipping sharp weapons into poisonous substances? Recently, researchers found that humans have been dipping weapons into poison as a hunting technique for tens of thousands of years.

Sven Isaksson, a professor of ancient science at Stockholm University, discovered poison 60,000 years ago in South Africa. The next-oldest poison was only 35,000 years old. In Science Advance, Isaksson said, “It’s a big leap.” The discovery reinforces the theory that early Homo sapiens had advanced cognitive abilities. To tip an arrow with poison, hunters needed knowledge of local plants and the further steps.

Isaksson and his team examined artifacts discovered in 1985 at the Umblatuzana Rock Shelter in South Africa. The location has layers that are more than 10,000 years old. They examined poisonous arrows estimated to be 60,000 years old. They were surprisingly small, but the arrows had a strong poison. [Read More]

The History of Space Travel: From the Wright Brothers to the Moon and Beyond

by Andrew Huang, age 12

Boarding a spacecraft and flying around 238,855 miles away from civilization on Earth towards the dry and barren Moon; that was what Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot there, experienced. Many people talk about current space travel, but rarely do they discuss the history of space travel.

Orville and Wilbur Wright, also known as the Wright brothers, paved the way for space exploration when they flew for the first time, in an engine-driven airplane. After that, aeronautics rapidly began to grow. The U.S. Congress assisted this growth by organizing the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) which manages test flights and created various new aircrafts in 1915.

During the Cold War in 1957, the Soviet Union, America’s rival at that moment, launched their first man-made spacecraft known as Sputnik 1. In retaliation, the U.S. founded the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which expanded from NACA, but was more centered around flights to outer space. NASA headquarters is located in Washington, D.C., while other spacecraft launches are located at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. [Read More]

The Mighty Nile Crocodile

by Bruno Torres, age 10

Nile crocodiles are reptiles with very big, powerful jaws, making them deadly to other animals.

They have an average lifespan of 45 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. Their scientific name is Crocodylus niloticus. It is a carnivore, so it eats meat. A group of crocodiles is called a bask on land and a float on water.

The Nile crocodile weighs up to 2,183 pounds and measures up to 19 feet long. When a male crocodile spots a female, it bellows and splashes to get the female's attention. The Nile crocodile also grunts, groans, and inhales hard through their nostrils to produce a fountain-like spray. When the female croc and the male croc mate, she is ready to lay her eggs in nearly two months. The female croc sits in the area for a nest site. The eggs are usually laid on a riverbank, shoreline, or dry streambed. [Read More]

Don't Judge a Naked Mole Rat by Its Looks

by Coraline Esme Simkins, age 10

Naked mole rats are not a mole mixed with a rat; they are a unique subspecies of mole. These creatures have unique features and survival tactics to adapt to their environment. They can be found in eastern African countries, including Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, and Ethiopia. They typically live in dry grassy areas. Naked mole rats have wrinkled, pinkish-gray skin, beady eyes, and lizard-like ears with no outer covering. Naked mole rats have big front teeth that are located in front of their mouths. Since these creatures are blind, they rely on their sense of smell, ground vibrations, and touch for survival.

Naked mole rats eat large roots and tubers. They also consume their own feces for extra nutrients; they digest their food with tiny organisms living in their gut. A group of naked mole rats is called a colony, and they can have up to 300 naked mole rats. These can grow up to 30 years old and can weigh up to 1-1.5 ounces. A member of the colony is called a soldier and is usually heavier. The queen is the biggest one; she is not a naked mole rat with a mini crown, but rather the only naked mole rat that can produce babies. The queen naked mole rat can have a litter of 12 to 30 pups. The queen can reproduce up to five times a year. Naked mole rat pups weigh less than 0.07 ounces. The pups nurse for about a month, then start eating solid foods and are fed special feces that help with their digestion. By the time they are three to four weeks old, the pups will start to help dig the tunnels.

Naked mole rats dig tunnels with their big front teeth, closing their mouths behind their front teeth to prevent eating dirt. They usually dig after the rainy season because the soil is softer. These tunnels are about a mile long, maybe even more. The tunnels have a food chamber, a bathroom chamber, and a nest for the queen and the pups. [Read More]

Ancient Footprints Reveal How Humans Migrated out of Africa

by Dulce Vazquez, age 18

In 2017, human footprints were identified in a lakebed region of northern Saudi Arabia. Seven discrete footprints were spotted and identified as hominin.

Over 115,000 years ago, footprints were left behind by unknown individuals (humans) and prehistoric animals. Similar human footprints were found in other states. A special type of mud called ancient mud has helped observe non-hominin mammal tracks as it captures these footprints and preserves them for years to come.

In their research, scientists have identified a few factors that led to prehistoric human travel. No tool marks, knives, or animal bones used for hunting were found. When both human and animal footprints were found, scientists believe that humans and animals gathered together for sources, such as food and water. Homo sapiens (early humans) likely prioritized access to portable water over hunting. [Read More]

What Lies Beneath Antarctica's Ice?

by Owen Ayite Atayi, age 18

Antarctica is Earth's coldest and driest continent and is 98% covered by sheets of ice, containing 70% of the planet’s fresh water. Although it holds most of the fresh water on Earth, there are giant hidden basins beneath East Antarctica which have not been investigated.

This discovery highlights Antarctica’s tectonic history and helps scientists gain a better understanding of the continent. The East Antarctic ice sheet reveals unrecognized buried landscapes that are similar to each other. The structure of the ice sheet has numerous basins buried underneath, which together form a fan-shaped pattern that forms a larger basin. Researchers named this basin “Province”, and it contains several types of subglacials, including the Aurora and Wilkes basins. The Province basin also contains Lake Vostok, which is known as the largest subglacial lake on Earth. These basins have been around for tens of millions of years and are being recognized for their geological structures.

According to NASA's research team, the East Antarctic structure was formed through distributed rotational extension. This happens when continental crust expands outward at a central point. The pattern is often compared to a hand because the base of the thumb remains in place while the fingers extend. The fingers resemble the triangular basins that formed in the crust. [Read More]

Fusion Power Could Shape the Future of Clean Energy

by Will DeFour, age 16

Nuclear fusion has the potential to provide the world with virtually unlimited clean energy. It is the “grand engineering challenge of the twenty-first century,” stated the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Nuclear fusion produces electricity by combining readily available molecules, usually tritium or deuterium, into denser molecules, letting off energy when doing so. This is in contrast to fission energy, which is the same thing that powered the nuclear bomb. Fission energy generates electricity when a neutron strikes a dense nucleus, causing it to split, releasing energy and more neutrons, which in turn trigger a chain reaction. Fission energy accounts for 25% of low-carbon electricity and is key to fighting climate change. However, limited fuel abundance and the threat of a meltdown, like the one at Chernobyl, are forcing specialists to explore other options.

Fusion reactions occur at extremely high temperatures in a state of matter called plasma, or ionized gas. This naturally happens in the sun at 10 million degrees Celsius. The sun's extreme gravity naturally drives fusion, but for the same process to occur on Earth, those molecules would need to reach 270 million degrees Celsius. Although this temperature can be achieved in laboratories, maintaining these temperatures on a global scale requires something much bigger. [Read More]

The Fox Family

by Delia Moreno, age 8

The fennec fox is one of the smallest fox species in the world. They are known for their large ears, which account for about 20% of their body surface area. The Cape fox is another unusual fox known for its ears, but both species are interesting.

At night, when temperatures drop in the desert, the fennec and cape fox keep themselves warm using their thick, bushy tail to wrap around their feet. They also have a long, soft coat that keeps the fox warm during the cold desert nights. The fennec fox’s paws have fully furred soles to protect their feet from hot surfaces and provide a better grip on loose sand.

There are 23 species of foxes; another one of these is the Cape fox, which lives in the dry areas of southern Africa, northern Africa, and parts of the Sahara Desert. The Cape fox is a nocturnal fox that hunts early in the morning and in the evening. Some cape foxes are solitary, and even though they are with a mate, the female might want to be alone. Cape foxes are not territorial animals, so if another fox takes their territory, they will simply find another place to live. Even though this fox rarely makes noise, they can communicate through soft calls, chirps, whines, and barking when scared. [Read More]

Can You Spot the Insect?

by Arsema Biruk, age 9

Stick insects, or leaf insects, are also known as Phasmids. The scientific name for these insects is Phasmatodea. They can look like twigs, leaves, or pieces of bark. This insect spends most of its time in tropical or temperate forests around the world.

Phasmids are herbivores; their diet consists of leaves, and so much more. They are able to survive so well thanks to their camouflage. Most phasmids are brown, green, or black, so they can blend in with plants and tree branches of similar color.

Young phasmids initially resemble ants, which helps them survive, as some predators do not eat ants. Their size is like no other; most stick insects only grow up to 12 inches, but phasmids are the largest and can grow up to 22 inches. [Read More]

The Tiny Microbes Fighting Climate Change

by Evelyn Jakubczak, age 13

Trees are famous for absorbing carbon dioxide as they grow through photosynthesis, which also helps keep the environment clean. In reality, it is the tiny microbes in the bark that do most of the work.

Tree-bark microbes depend on hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide, in addition to carbon dioxide to survive. Around six trillion microbes occupy every square meter of tree bark. The amount of bark in the world is estimated at about 41 million square kilometers, roughly the area of North and South America combined.

Methane bubbles up from microbes in waterlogged areas of lakes. In a 100-year period, methane's climate-warming potential is 28 percent higher than carbon dioxide's. Over the years, scientists have measured methane emissions from lakes. The amount leaving the ground was half of what they expected. In 2017, several scientists realized that methane was seeping from the trees. People thought the trees were like chimneys, but in 2021, Luke Jeffrey and Chris Greening discovered the theory was incorrect. Together, they worked with broad-leaf paper-bark trees and discovered they were emitting 35 percent less carbon than they were taking up, which means the trees must be using some of it for energy. [Read More]

Invasive Spongy Moths Threaten Wisconsin's Trees

by John Agbo, age 15

The spongy moth, formerly known as the gypsy moth, and with the scientific name Lymantria dispar, has been reported to feed on hundreds of trees and shrub species. While in their destructive larval stage, their excessive feeding has caused defoliation of trees, which, given enough time, will cause the trees to either fall in a forest or in someone's backyard.

Female spongy moths usually lay eggs around August in masses of 500 to 1,000. The egg masses are beige and have a spongy consistency, followed by a velvety texture. These masses are usually on rocks, trees, lawn furniture, houses, and mailboxes. Caterpillars hatch their eggs in May in Wisconsin, and this stage of their life cycle is challenging; it lasts about 7 weeks, and they are at their most destructive. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources urges property owners to check for signs of spongy moth eggs in their foliage, because the damage they could cause would be financially devastating.

Spongy moth caterpillars have a distinctive look: a pair of red and blue bumps runs along their back, and they can grow to more than two inches in length. After the larval stage, the caterpillars enter the pupal stage, which lasts about two weeks, and then they become moths. Adult spongy moths live for two weeks with their sole purpose being to mate and lay eggs. Females are usually larger than males, white with black markings, and flightless. Males are dark brown and can fly in patterns during the day to find females. Female moths release a pheromone to attract males. [Read More]

Beware of Kissing Bugs!

by Bridgett McPark, age 13

Kissing bugs can cause Chagas disease, which is found in their feces. Their name may seem sweet, but in reality, the bug can give disease to humans and other animals. Chagas disease is also known as American trypanosomiasis and the silent killer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report stating Chagas disease is endemic to the U.S., meaning it regularly occurs within an area or community. Kissing bugs’ bites are generally not painful, allowing them to bite and feed without being noticed. They are nocturnal and attracted to light, thus their activity is most often at night and they crawl into human spaces when people are sleeping. People get infected from the bug bites, usually occurring around a person’s lip or face, where they deposit their feces. House pets, such as dogs and cats, can also get Chagas disease.

Kissing bugs can be identified by their cone-shaped heads, thin antennae, and slender legs. In the United States, they are commonly black or dark brown, with red, orange, or yellow stripes along the edges of their bodies. [Read More]

The Giant Cat That Once Roamed North America

by Lucas Abiy, age 8

You may have heard of lions, but have you ever heard about the American lion, also known as the American cave lion? These creatures lived during the last Ice Age and roamed North America.

These lions are not very well-known. In fact, scientists struggled to figure out whether the American lion was actually a lion or a giant jaguar. Studies show that the American lion is related to multiple breeds of lions from today.

The American lion had long slender legs and a long body. Their long legs helped them reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour. An average African lion weighs about 400 pounds however, the American lion weighed a little more than 500 pounds. The American lion is one of the largest cats to ever live. The American lion's diet consisted of many things from the ice ages such as Giant Groomed Sloths, Camelids, Bison, and sometimes small mammoths. [Read More]

How Stars Are Born, Evolve, and Die

by Amayah Henderson, age 12

Over many years, scientists have discovered that stars have both a birth and a death. All stars are born in an interstellar nebula cloud. These stars are born when gas collapses inward, causing it to spin around the star as it forms, creating a large disk of stellar material. During its birth, a star is imbalanced because of the gravity pushing inward and the hot gases that are pushing outwards. Following this stage, the two forces balance, leading to the three cycles. When stars are born, they can be different depending on their mass. They could be lightweight, mediumweight, or heavyweight.

Lightweight stars are typically 0.8 to eight times the mass of the sun. These stars spend billions of years in a stable phase, making energy by converting hydrogen to helium until the hydrogen is exhausted to create a massive red supergiant. After millions of years, the star's outer layers expand, leaving just a core compressed by gravity. What’s left is called a white dwarf star.

In contrast, a middle-weight star can be eight to 20 times the mass of the sun. These stars evolve faster, barely spending a few billion years in the stable phase, using all of their fuel. It then evolves into a supergiant with a nuclear supply that emits large amounts of light, then dies in a harsh supernova explosion, blowing away its outer layers and leaving a giant, city-sized core known as a neutron star. [Read More]

Megalodon: Ancient Terror of the Seas

by Lincoln Roos, age 12

Most people have probably heard of a megalodon. If you have not, a megalodonis an extinct shark and was the apex predator of its time. Megalodons roamed the ocean about 3.6 million years ago. The megalodon’s appearance was that of a massive shark with an elongated and slender body. It had large pectoral fins and was as long as two school buses, weighing about 203,000 pounds. This shark moved around the ocean at two miles per hour.

Hollywood likes to envision megalodons as big great white sharks because of their similar-looking teeth. However, they have many differences: great whites have a more torpedo-like body with a thicker middle. They do not look the same, and they are not in the same lineage. Instead, it would look like a lemon shark; it has the same look as the megoladon but is much smaller.

A megalodon would typically live in tropical and subtropical areas around the world because it is much harder for them to live in areas with colder climates. Megalodons needed to eat an even larger amount of food. Megalodons ate prey such as whales, large fish, and even other sharks. A megalodon's pups grew up in shallow waters near the shore, and when mature, they moved into deeper water. [Read More]

Playing Board Games May Have Brain Benefits

by Aarosh Subedi, age 13

Board games are known as a good form of entertainment and a way to spend time with family and friends, but they can also give people a break from screens, which can improve cognitive function and help with problem-solving.

There are social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of collaborative and competitive games. Board games and word puzzles also improve executive functioning, spatial recognition, and processing speed. According to a survey by WordsRated, 65% of U.S. adults love board games. Respondents reported an increase in social activity, which the scientists associate with a boost in serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and lowers anxiety.

Scandinavian researchers looked at preschoolers who played cooperative and competitive board games. Both types of games encouraged bonding and prosocial behavior. The studies found some differences. Competitive games bolstered problem-solving, brain function, and academic performance, while cooperative games gave more enjoyment. These benefits continued through each grade. As we get older, the health benefits rise. [Read More]

Why the Wisconsin River Flows Backward?

by Kevin Chen, age 17

One of Wisconsin’s most familiar rivers may have once flowed in the opposite direction. According to recent geological studies, the Lower Wisconsin River might have originally flowed eastward, not westward toward the Mississippi as it does today. This surprising possibility is changing how geologists interpret the area’s geologic past and reveals how thoroughly rivers can be shaped by natural forces over time. To understand this dramatic shift, researchers have turned to focus on what lies beneath the wider Wisconsin River Valley.

There are numerous signs of a much older landscape throughout the Lower Wisconsin River Valley. A flat layer of rock at the bottom of the valley suggests that a different river once shaped this area. The unusual slope of the buried valley floor points to a flow that moves eastward. Although much of the original surface has been worn away or buried, these underground clues give researchers important insight into the river’s ancient path and larger system. However, the river didn’t change course on its own—something much larger shaped its direction.

During the Ice Age, large glaciers moved across parts of the Midwest and reshaped the land. These massive sheets of ice could block rivers, change their flow, or create entirely new channels. In this region, glaciation likely reversed a river that once moved East to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. As ice covered and reshaped the land, drainage systems were disrupted, and new routes opened, forming parts of the modern Mississippi River Basin. Though the shift happened gradually, the effects are still visible in the landscape today. To better understand how the river valley formed, scientists needed tools that could look beneath the surface and into the past. [Read More]

How Poisonous “Blood Flowers” Help the Environment

by Ermiyas Abiy, age 10

The Tropical Milkweed flower is part of the milkweed family of plants. This plant is also known as the Bloodflower, Scarlet Milkweed, Silkweed, or Sunset flower.

The scientific name of for this interesting flower is Asclepias Curassavica, and the origins of the name are thought to be from Curacao, located in the southern Caribbean.

Blood flowers were thought to be native to the Caribbean, South America, Central America, and Mexico. However, these flowers have recently been found in other parts of the world. They typically grow in tropical and subtropical regions. This flower is usually found in fields, prairies, and swamps. [Read More]

Stephen Hawking’s Brilliant Life Despite the Odds

by Nae McNeail, age

Professor Stephen Hawking unfortunately passed away at the age of 76 in 2018. He was amazing in his academics and an outstanding mathematician before he passed.

Hawking was a hard-working, active man before he was diagnosed at age 21 with motor-neurone disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, from which he suffered for almost all of his adult life.

Stephen met his first wife, Jane, a few years before he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Jane and Stephen would have fallen in love with or without his disease. [Read More]

New Report Says Milwaukee’s Air Pollution Is Getting Worse

by Edwin Torres, age 13

Milwaukee was rated once again as one of the worst metropolitan areas in the nation for ozone-polluted air, according to the latest American Lung Association (ALA) report.

Ground-level ozone, also known as smog, happens when heat and sunlight mix with gases from smokestacks, cars, and other pollutants. Milwaukee was ranked as the 26th worst of 228 cities for ozone pollution, placed second amongst Wisconsin cities, only behind Sheboygan, which was ranked the 24th worst. The annual report compared metro areas throughout the country by using air quality data gathered between 2021 and 2023. It was discovered that 46% of Americans, equivalent to more than 156 million people, live in places with high levels of particle or ozone pollution. That’s almost 25 million more people compared to last year’s report.

Similar to prior years, people of color had a higher chance of being exposed to unhealthy air or were more likely to have illnesses, such as heart disease or asthma, that make them more vulnerable to polluted air. Although people of color comprise around 41% of the U.S. population, they make up more than 50% of individuals living in counties that the ALA ranked “failing” for the poor quality of the air. [Read More]

Engineers Build Air Powered Robot for Hazardous Exploration

by Niko Sayu, age 11

A team of mechanical engineers from the University of California, San Diego, has just created a robot that runs on air. It is made from a singular 3D printed piece. The fact that it can be printed cheaply and easily makes it advantageous in exploring dangerous places like Chernobyl or small mountain caves.

The team is led by engineer Yichen Zhai, who, along with a team of colleagues, created a machine that may revolutionize the exploration of hazardous environments forever. The robot is a six-legged crawler made from a type of flexible plastic used in hoses and shoe soles. It can be 3D printed in one piece, yet it is soft, sturdy, and durable. The robot took two and a half days for the engineers to print. Its flexibility and sturdiness, as well as the fact that it can be printed in almost any size, would make it an incredibly useful tool for any work on flooded or dangerous sites. Its electronics-free design can be helpful in places where flammable objects could be at risk as well.

The robot waddles with three of its legs at a time to avoid tipping over. It uses a can of pressurized air that flows in tubes and through chambers to power its “limbs ”so it can waddle. The crawler moves at a slow 1.6 inches (four centimeters) per second, which is faster than a snail, but still not quite as fast as a turtle. [Read More]

The Science Behind the Spin: How Aerodynamics Control Baseball

by Max Moreno, age 13

As a baseball flies through the air, it is governed by Newton's laws of motion. Newton's first law tells us that a moving object, such as a baseball, will continue moving in a straight line unless another force acts upon it.

A force can be thought of as a push or pull in a certain direction. Three main forces affect a baseball: weight, drag, and lift. Weight is the pull of gravity that makes the ball fall toward the Earth. Drag is the air pushing against the ball, slowing it down. Lift is a force caused by differences in air pressure above and below the ball, which can make it move in different directions.

Most baseballs weigh about five ounces and are made of a solid cork-and-rubber center wrapped in yarn. A white leather cover is stitched on the outside. Because of how the ball is built, the weight is spread evenly. The way the ball spins affects its movement, as spin alters the air pressure on each side of the ball. This effect is called the Magnus effect. For example, if you give a baseball a side-spin, it will curve to the side. This doesn’t just happen with baseballs; it can also occur with soccer balls, tennis balls, and golf balls, which also curve and affect how they spin. [Read More]

Why Fish Owners Should Watch for Fin Rot

by Lucas Abiy, age 8

Pet fish owners may want to dive in and learn about fin rot. It is one of the most common diseases in fish.

Fin rot is a disease that both saltwater and freshwater fish can catch. It is caused by different types of bacteria, most commonly Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, and Vibrio. Fish can develop fin rot when bacteria enter through a tear or injury in their fins or tail. A fish is more likely to catch fin rot when it experiences stress. Stress weakens the fish's immune system and allows bacteria to more easily take over. Fish can become stressed when their tank is overcrowded, when water quality is poor, or when they are bitten by an aggressive fish.

The symptoms of fin rot include frayed or ragged fins, often with black, white, or even red edges. In more advanced cases, the rot can spread toward the body. Other symptoms can include changes in behavior, such as lethargy or lack of movement. [Read More]

De los desiertos a los bosques, los animales se adaptan a los hábitats

Por Gerard Sanchez, edad 11

Los hábitats son entornos que proporcionan a los animales agua, refugio, alimento y espacio para vivir.

Existen diferentes hábitats, como los casquetes polares, las sabanas, los desiertos y las selvas tropicales. A veces, los hábitats no cuentan con todo lo que los animales necesitan, lo que puede provocar su muerte.

Los animales a veces evolucionan o se adaptan para sobrevivir en sus hábitats. Por ejemplo, los osos polares tienen gruesas capas de pelaje y grasa para sobrevivir al frío polar. Los puercoespines tienen largas púas para defenderse de otros animales en su hábitat. [Read More]

How Guinea Pigs Became Beloved Pets Around the World

by Sylvia Hoks, age 11

Many people own little furry potatoes, also known as guinea pigs. Not many think about how these rodents became household pets worldwide. How did they get their strange name, and what is their backstory?

Guinea pigs are normally looked at as fuzzy, large, hamster-like creatures. They have no relationship to pigs, so their name doesn’t exactly reflect their appearance. Their ancestors are actually part of the rodent and Cervidae family.

There are various assumptions about how these animals got their name. One thought is that they got their name from being transported on ships leaving either Guiana, South America, or Guinea, West Africa. Others say that the squeaking noise they make is similar to the sound pigs make. However, researchers still have not determined how they got this peculiar name. [Read More]

Scientists Discover Two 7,000-year-old Mummies Deep in the Sahara Desert

by Elim Eyobed, age 14

After a recent discovery by various scientists, archeologists and researchers, two of the world's oldest mummies were found buried deep in the Sahara desert.

Located in the Tadrart Acacus Mountains of Southwestern Libya by the middle of the Sahara lies the Takarkon rock shelter, archeologists found fifteen mummies at this location. Out of the 15, two seem to have naturally mummified.

Natural mummification is a process where a body is preserved without intentional intervention primarily due to environmental conditions, especially dryness and lack of oxygen. This phenomenon helped with the overall preservation of their DNA. Researchers used the DNA to try to determine the mummies’ origins. Their genes indicated the people likely came from sub-Saharan Africa; however, they also contained neanderthal DNA. [Read More]

Australia Is Home to the World’s Deadliest Creatures

by John Agbo, age 14

Though it’s the world's smallest continent, Australia contains more dangerous creatures than any other continent. This island is home to a diverse array of unique and fascinating animals and plants, each with their own level of severe danger and eeriness.

The Stonefish has spines that contain a neurotoxin that will kill you in under 60 minutes. It is found in the Red Sea, French Polynesia, and Queensland, Australia. Their camouflage skills are so good that if they stay still, whether in the sand or a cluster of coral, they are nearly invisible. There are two types of Stonefish, and their eyes easily identify them: the Estuarine Stonefish’s eyes are relatively small and are slightly elevated on their heads within a pit, while the eyes of the Reef Stonefish are on top of their heads. They are known to hide in coral reefs, under rocks, and in the shallows under the sand. If you are not careful, it is very easy to step on one of their 13 highly toxic spines. [Read More]

From Deserts to Forests, Animals Adapt to Habitats

by Gerard Sanchez, age 11

Habitats are environments that provide animals with water, shelter, food, and space to live.

There are different habitats such as ice caps, savannas, deserts, and rainforests. Sometimes habitats do not have everything animals need, which can result in their death.

Animals sometimes evolve or adapt to help them survive in their habitats. For example, polar bears have thick layers of fur and fat to survive frigid polar air. Porcupines have long quills to defend themselves from other animals in their habitat. [Read More]

The Science and Shapes of Clouds

by Semaia Zerzghi, age 10

What are clouds to you? Most people would maybe say, “clouds are puffs of white floating around in the sky, and sometimes, rain or snow falls from them.” Well, that's the short version, but there’s much more to clouds than meets the eye.

A cloud is a mass of water drops or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. They form when water vapor condenses in the sky. This process is called “condensation,” which allows us to see the water vapor. Sometimes the water evaporates from the ground and rises up to condense into clouds. The word “evaporate” means to change from a liquid to a gas at a temperature below the boiling point.

Clouds are separated into two major factors: location and shape. High clouds form several kilometers up in the sky. Middle clouds form between high and low clouds. Low clouds form within about a kilometer of Earth's surface. [Read More]

How the Brain Stores and Retrieves Memories

by Dellany Onyango, age 9

A memory is a record of information that your brain considers important and saves. Memories can last five seconds or five years. Three parts of the brain help with memory: the amygdala, the cerebral cortex, and the hippocampus.

The hippocampus, located in the cerebral cortex, is the part of the brain that stores memories. An undamaged memory gathers information like the current day or time and retains it for later use. When the brain receives data, it decides which pieces are important. This process involves three steps: encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Encoding is when your brain takes in information from your environment and converts it into a form that can be stored. Then, your brain stores that encoded information for future use, which is called storage. The final part of memory is retrieval, which brings stored information back out of storage in three ways: recall, recognition, and relearning. Recall involves actively remembering something without environmental cues. Recognition occurs when your surroundings trigger your memory. Relearning happens when you remember information faster and more easily the second time you learn it. [Read More]

Did You Know Red Pandas Are Not Actually Pandas?

by Arsema Biruk, age 8

In contrast to their name, red pandas are in fact not pandas. It may come as a surprise what animals they are actually related to.

Scientists were confused for a long time about what other animals red pandas were related to. Today it is known that red pandas belong to their own unique family, called Ailuridae, within the Order Carnivora. They share more distant connections to raccoons, skunks, and mustelids like weasels and otters, but they are not closely related to giant pandas or bears.

Most species in the Order Carnivora are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. Red pandas, however, are mostly herbivores. They eat fruits, flowers, bamboo leaves, and bamboo shoots, though sometimes they also eat eggs and small animals. Ironically, red pandas and giant pandas eat mostly the same things, but they aren’t related. An animal often compared to the red panda is the binturong, but they are not in the same genus. Both, however, are arboreal mammals that share some similarities. [Read More]

The Mystery of Brain Fog and How to Beat It

by Niko Sayu, age 11

You’ve probably heard of it — brain fog. It’s often thought of as something that only affects older adults, but that is not the whole story.

Brain fog is a term for a large collection of symptoms that many people experience in their lifetime. For example, you could be working, exercising, or just relaxing, and then you get a strange feeling. You are tired, fatigued, forgetful, and possibly even dizzy. Sound familiar?

It is perfectly reasonable if brain fog is not the first thing that jumps to mind. After all, brain fog has recently been associated with long COVID and the aftereffects of anesthesia. There are many factors that can contribute to brain fog. A common factor is lack of sleep. This happens because sleep loss inhibits proper communication between brain cells. This, in turn, leads to side effects such as fatigue, exhaustion, confusion, and a slow thought process. This can be extremely dangerous depending on the individual’s performed task. Another cause of brain fog is dehydration. Dehydration lowers blood volume and reduces the amount of oxygen and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and calcium in the body. [Read More]

Animals That Scare to Survive

by Edna Torres, age 6

Some animals will often make themselves appear intimidating to protect their lives. For example, some animals will roar or enlarge their bodies to defend themselves.

One creature that does this is the male stag beetle. These beetles have large, impressive jaws, but can’t actually bite with them. Instead, they use their jaws to fight other males for mating rights.

Another creature with daunting features is the frilled lizard. This lizard is not harmful but can be intimidating when it is threatened. This lizard spreads its frills wide, creating a large, frightening appearance to scare off predators. [Read More]

Parrots and People Share Surprising Similarities

by Bruno Torres, age 9

Parrots and humans have more in common than many might think. From being able to talk to living for decades, and even using tools, these birds are one of a kind.

Most parrots live in Australia, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Some species migrate within these continents to places like Mexico and New Zealand. Parrots can be between three and tand39 inches in height. This range is wide due to their extensive diversity, with over 400 species of parrots known to exist.

Most male and female parrots are almost identical, and it is hard to tell them apart. However, some species look very different, such as the Eclectus Parrot. Males from this species have green feathers, while the females have crimson and royal blue feathers; their beaks are black, and they have scarlet colored heads. [Read More]

The Ferret That Almost Disappeared

by Delia Moreno, age 8

The color of a black-footed ferret helps them blend in the wild and hide from predators.

Ferrets weigh from 1.5 to 2.5 pounds. Black-footed ferrets are characterized by their size. They are typically skinny with black fur on their face, feet, and tail. Male ferrets tend to be larger than females.

Ferrets used to roam from Southern Canada to Northern Mexico, but they are now mostly found in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, and Arizona. Black-footed ferrets can live up to three or four years in the wild. [Read More]

What Is a Binturong?

by Lincoln Roos, age 12

The binturong is a unique-looking creature that is often described as having the physical aspects of a bear, cat, and monkey.

The binturong lives in the forests of eastern Asia, high up in the trees. It uses its thick, padded tail to climb these trees and hang from them. However, as these creatures age and get heavier, adult binturongs will also need to use their arms to hold on to branches, not solely their tails like young ones. Along with its tail, the binturong also uses its claws to climb and grip trees.

A binturong can come in many colors, including brown, black, white, and silver, as well as having brown on the tips of its fur. Binturongs also have long ear hairs and brown, reddish eyes, which many think gives them a cute appearance. [Read More]

The Forces That Keep Planes Aloft

by Max Moreno, age 13

To many, flight seems inexplicable as humans aren’t biologically built to defy gravity, yet inventors found a way to send thousands of tons of metal carrying hundreds of people soaring through the sky.

Despite flying on planes being a normal occurrence, many don’t know the science behind plane flight or the forces at play. Lift is what allows planes to fly. It is a force generated when air flows over and under their wings. As planes move through the air, the pressure above their wings becomes lower than the pressure below them, creating an upward force. However, lift isn’t only generated by the wings; every part of the plane contributes, thanks to its aerodynamic shape.

Planes experience other forces as they fly, such as drag, which is the wind and air resistance slowing the plane down as it moves. Another force is thrust, which pushes the plane forward with the help of its engines. The last force is gravity, which constantly tries to pull the plane down. [Read More]

The Strange Arctic Landscape of Devon Island — by Kaleab Afeworki, age 13

Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island in the world. It is more than five times the size of Hawaii. This island is located in the Canadian Arctic. [Read More]

Lilac-Breasted Roller Wows With Its Colorful Feathers and Striking Appearance — by Sessina Zerezghi, age 8

Lilac-breasted roller, also known scientifically as Coracias Caudatus, was given its name in 1766 by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist. [Read More]

How a Meteorite Helped Create One of North America’s Largest Lakes — by Sofia Zapata, age 16

An asteroid created one of North America's biggest lakes, known today as Lake Manicouagan. This 214 million-year-old circular lake is visible on any map of Canada and is known as the “Eye of Quebec.” [Read More]

Appendix Cancer Has Rise Among Millennials and Gen X — by Ayelen Flores, age 15

Doctors and researchers have identified differences in the rates of appendix cancer depending on age group. Older age groups have significantly lower rates of developing appendix cancer: people born in the 1940s have rates of appendix cancer two to four times lower than people born in the 1960s to 1980s. [Read More]

Sheep Leaf Sea Slug Uses Photosynthesis to Survive — by Dulce Vazquez, age 16

The sheep leaf sea slug was discovered on Kurashima Island, in Japan, back in 1993. It can also be found in the marine environments of the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. It has a unique feature only found in a few other animals. [Read More]

Turn Food Scraps Into Soil, Not Methane — by Sofia Zapata, age 16

Methane is a gas worse than carbon dioxide when it comes to its negative effects on the environment. However, there is an easy way to reduce its production: composting. [Read More]

Flying Fish Use Fins to Soar Over Oceans — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 10

Some people might think that flying fish can fly after hearing their name. However, they actually glide through the air! They do this by speeding underwater, at a speed of up to 35 miles per hour, and then launching themselves with their pectoral fins up to 650 feet in the air. [Read More]

Recycling Turns Waste Into New Possibilities — by Dellany Onyango, age 10

Every year, Americans generate millions of tons of garbage, which slowly decomposes in landfills and causes pollution of land, water, and air. Recycling is a way to reduce that problem. [Read More]

Revolutionizing Data Transmission: Researchers Achieve Unprecedented Speeds Using Microcombs — by Daniel Li, age 15

A team of Danish researchers and physicists recently discovered a way to transfer almost 1.84 petabits of data per second - which is equivalent to nearly 122 Netflix movies playing simultaneously - using only one small chip. In recent years, achieving this would have required more power and more chips, even though the previous record for the highest data transmission rate using one chip was only set in 2020. [Read More]

What Happens When Galaxies Collide? — Kevin Chen, age 17

For years, scientists believed the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies were on a direct collision course. However, new research suggests that their future is far more uncertain. Several factors could influence the outcome in unexpected ways. [Read More]

From Moon to Mars: NASA's Ambitious Artemis Mission Set to Propel Human Exploration

by Will DeFour, age 13

Over 50 years ago, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Now, half a century later, another explorer will leave Earth's orbit and take another adventure, our first encounter with our closest friend, Mars. NASA plans to use the Artemis mission to return to the moon and reach Mars, some 140 million miles away, for the first time. To get there safely, first, it plans to use the moon to test new life support and spacecraft for the Mars mission. . [Read More]

Can You Tell the Difference Between a Floating Plastic Bag and a Jellyfish? — by Celestia McPark, age 7

The box jellyfish is a threat to humans and animals. They have 15 to 60 tentacles and they attack by injecting venom wherever their tentacle is stuck. [Read More]

Doctors Transplant Pig Heart in Human Recipient — by Dayanara Flores, age 16

In a groundbreaking medical achievement, surgeons performed the second-ever pig heart transplant into a human. This remarkable surgery took place on September 20, 2023, at the University of Maryland Medical Center and was carried out by the same team responsible for the initial pig-to-human heart transplant. [Read More]

El Reloj del Apocalipsis está ahora a 89 segundos de la medianoche — por Sofia Zapata, edad 15

La extinción de la humanidad puede estar más cerca que nunca. El Reloj del Apocalipsis se posicionó a 89 segundos de la medianoche el 28 de Enero, lo cual es lo más bajo que ha estado. Este reloj es un aviso a la humanidad para que tome control de las acciones que pueden llevar el mundo a su fin. [Read More]

Scientists Clone 13,000-year-old Wolf Species — by Will DeFour, age 15

Thousands of years ago, dire wolves were the apex predators of North America. With white fur and a large, muscular build, they could take down the behemoths of the Ice Age. They went extinct long ago, but scientists at Colossal Biosciences are using gene editing technology to recreate something not seen in over 13,000 years, a species they call “dire wolves.” [Read More]

Understanding the Health Impacts and Controversies Surrounding Daylight Saving Time — by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 13

Although daylight saving time is very popular with many people, it may have negative health effects for humans, according to some scientists. [Read More]

Doomsday Clock Ticks to 89 Seconds as Global Threats Grow — by Sofia Zapata, age 15

Doomsday Clock was set to 89 seconds until “midnight”– the lowest it's ever been. This clock is a warning to humanity to take control over threats that could lead the world to its end. [Read More]

Invasive Mussels Threaten Great Lakes but New Methods Offer Hope — by Will DeFour, age 15

As invasive mussels devastate the Great Lakes, scientists are looking into new ways to combat the threat and protect important parts of the local ecosystem, such as spawning grounds for native fish. [Read More]

How Seismic Waves are Studied to Peer Inside the Earth — by Alejandro Berrueta, age 11

Scientists continue to get more advanced as their knowledge of seismology increases. These advancements are helping citizens all around the world to take shelter before any disaster strikes, regardless if it is natural or manmade. [Read More]

Sand Boa’s Hunting Skills and Goofy Eyes Go Viral — by Lincoln Roos, age 12

An unusual creature thrives in the deserts of Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, this amazing creature is called the Arabian Sand Boa. Its name represents where it is from and the way it makes burrows deep in the sand. Being a nocturnal creature this snake hunts from dusk to dawn. [Read More]

Brain Wave Technology Could Help Assess Concussion Severity — by Kevin Chen, age 15

Researchers in Texas have discovered a new technology that could use brain waves to detect the severity of a concussion and compare injuries in a standardized way. Known as magnetoencephalography (MEG), this technology may offer a way for doctors to evaluate and quantify the seriousness of concussions by measuring brain waves, potentially indicating the healing progress of a concussion. [Read More]

The Science Behind Spring Bird Migration — by Ayelen Flores, age 15

It is the time of year when birds are flying miles and miles: spring migration has started. Birds undergo a huge transformation to prepare for anything on their journey. [Read More]

High Up in the Mountains Pikas Make Their Home — by Isabella Flores, age 7

The American Pika, or the Ochotona princeps, is a rodent-like mammal. This animal lives in North America. Their habitat is located in alpine terrain, high up in caves and cliffs, west of the Rocky Mountains. [Read More]

Why Does Blobfish Looks So Strange? — by Yemariam Bekele, age 9

True to their name, blobfish are bulbous, squishy creatures with weak bones. Deep underwater, they are unrecognizable due to the intense water pressure helping them hold their shape together. Their shocking appearance outside of the water has caused some people to coin the blobfish “the ugliest fish in the world.” [Read More]

Cave Explorers Discover Underground Forest in China — by Estefania Garcia-Fox, age 12

In a giant sinkhole in Central China, a team of scientists has discovered a mysterious underground forest. This sinkhole turned out to be 630 feet deep. A team of speleologists, people who study and explore caves, rappelled into the sinkhole in 2022 and discovered three cave entrances and a forest of ancient trees that grew to be more than 131 feet tall. Their branches stretched toward the sunlight and peeked through the sinkhole entrance. [Read More]

Himalayan Glaciers Face up to 80% Ice Loss by 2100 Amid Rising Temperatures — By Valeria Moreno Lopez, age 16

Scientists believe that nearly a quarter of the world's population could face severe natural disasters by 2100 due to the alarming rate at which the Himalayan glaciers are melting. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Nepal, has warned that the glaciers could lose up to 80% of their volume if worldwide temperatures increase by 3 degrees Celsius or more. [Read More]

Might a Modified Mouse Make a Mammoth? — by John Agbo, age 14

Researchers have taken a preliminary step toward the potential revival of the prehistoric woolly mammoth. However, one must consider whether this endeavor signals a promising future for Earth, a misuse of advanced technology, or humanity's attempt to intervene in natural processes, essentially trying to play God, as mentioned by a professor at Arizona University. [Read More]

The Rare "Walking Fish" of Mexico’s Lakes — by Edna Torres, age 7

The axolotl is a type of salamander from Mexico. They can be found in bodies of water in Mexico, such as Lakes Xochimilco and Chalco. A unique feature of these creatures is that they can regrow lost body parts. [Read More]

Henry Vilas Zoo Helps Save the Red Panda — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

With their unique anatomy and small size, red pandas look a little different than their giant black and white cousins. This furry animal is endangered and Madison’s zoo is trying to help them. Some of the reasons these animals are endangered are because of habitat loss, human interference, and poachers that kill them for their fur. [Read More]

Small Killers, Big Impact: A Creative Approach to Controlling Deadly Snail Parasites — by Camila Cruz, age 16

When we think of deadly creatures, our minds often gravitate toward large predators. However, the most lethal killers in the natural world happen to be quite small. [Read More]

Feathers, Fur, and Farmwork: The Role of Domesticated Animals — by Arsema Biruk, age 8

Domesticated animals are animals that humans have tamed. Domesticated animals provide important resources for humans. These animals can be kept as pets, are used as working animals, or serve as a source of food. [Read More]

Bursting into Bloom: The Life Cycle of Flowers — by Abigail Gezae, age 11

There are many steps for a flower to blossom. A key factor to making plants grow is the resource of light. This is what makes flowers bloom and causes leaves on a tree to change. [Read More]

April 7th Is International Beaver Day — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

Beavers are very important, so important, in fact, there is a worldwide celebration for them. These creatures make the environment better by making wetlands and watersheds cleaner. [Read More]

Asteroid “Mini Moon” Follows Earth, Spins Away Toward the Sun — by Siheon Park, age 12

The mini-moon was an asteroid that only stayed in Earth’s orbit for two months. This extraordinary asteroid caught scientists’ eyes, even though it was not visible from Earth without specialized telescopes. [Read More]

White Holes Could Be the Opposites of Black Holes but No One Knows if They Exist — by Kevin Chen, age 17

Black holes are among the most mysterious objects in the universe, pulling in everything that goes near them. But what if there were cosmic objects that did the exact opposite– expelling matter instead of capturing it? The concept of white holes emerges from the same set of equations that describe black holes, yet they remain purely theoretical. While nothing can escape a black hole, nothing could enter a white hole. Some physicists believe white holes might exist, while others argue they are not possible. [Read More]

Volcanic Eruptions Cause Birth of a New Island in the Pacific Ocean — by Kaleab Afeworki, age 11

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano had one of the most powerful underwater explosions and still holds unbreakable records. This volcano has erupted several times in the last decade and scientists continue to study its activity. [Read More]

Understanding the Impact and Differences of Generations — by Aarosh Subedi, age 12

Generations are a group of people born in a specific time period. Each generation is given a name, and the name’s purpose is to categorize each generation. Sociologists and generation researchers normally deem names for each age group based on previous social trends. [Read More]

Elephants Are Gentle Giants That Need Protection — by Dellany Onyango, age 9

The world's largest land animal is the elephant. It can weigh up to eight tons and grow as tall as 16 feet. [Read More]

Do Dolphins Use 'Baby Talk'? Examining Whistle Communication in Bottlenose Dolphins — by Dulce Vazquez, age 15

Typically, when adults speak to babies they use a high-pitched baby voice. Did you know dolphins do the same? [Read More]

Sandhill Cranes Have Flocked the Sky for Millions of Years — by Arsema Biruk, age 8

Sandhill Cranes draw attention as they fly through the sky in large flocks, called sedges. These large birds have been around for 2.5 million years and can be found in open areas around Canada, as well as northern and southeastern states in the U.S. During the summer, they are seen in bogs, marshes and prairies. During the winter, the cranes migrate in towards the south of the United States. [Read More]

Stars Light Up the Night Sky With Color, Power, and Patterns — by Aloniab Gezae, age 10

Stars are massive spheres of hydrogen gas that are visible in the night sky. They are primarily made of hydrogen, which is compressed by gravity into helium. This process releases a tremendous amount of energy and causes the stars to shine. [Read More]

How Humans Harnessed Fire — by Sedona Afeworki, age 14

Fire, a chemical reaction, is the burning of a combustible substance with oxygen, fuel, and heat. The reaction radiates heat and light. There are various uses for fire such as to cook food, to keep warm, and to light a candle. However, how did early humans use fire to their advantage? [Read More]

Hyraxes Are Small Mammals Closely Related to Elephants — by Sessina Zerezghi, age 8

Hyraxes are mistaken for rodents, but they are ungulates. People think they look like large guinea pigs with flattened hoof-like nails. Hyraxes are agile creatures that scamper and leap on steep rocks and branches. They are also gregarious which means they live in colonies of up to 60 hyraxes. [Read More]

Scientists "Rediscover" the Jambato Harlequin Frog in Ecuador — by Shalom Shalmat, age 14

Is it possible for an animal that has been extinct to make a comeback? Across Central and South America there is a group of bejeweled frogs that is doing just that. The group is called the Harlequin frogs, which is a category of 100 different colored frogs. [Read More]

Birders Flock to See Rare Jaegers at Wisconsin’s Jaeger Fest — by Allison Torres, age 16

The Parasitic Jaeger is a bird that spends most of its time at sea, except for breeding season in the arctic tundra. What makes them special are their rare sightings, which have mostly occurred around the Great Lakes in the winter. A group of birders in Wisconsin have created a tradition of looking out for these birds in their annual “Jaeger Fest.” [Read More]

Exploring Pluto, the Largest of Dwarf Planets — by Sessina Zerezghi, 8

Pluto is a dwarf planet that orbits the sun, but it is much smaller than the other planets. While Pluto isn’t very large, it is the largest known dwarf planet in our solar system. Pluto has a volume of about 1.5 billion cubic miles (or 6.4 billion cubic kilometers). Its diameter is 1,473 miles (2,370 kilometers), and it weighs approximately 1.31 × 10²² kilograms. [Read More]

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog Listed as Endangered in Wisconsin — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

A tiny frog that is native to Wisconsin is getting closer to extinction. This frog is called the Blanchard's cricket frog, and it’s only an inch long! [Read More]

Golden Gaze: All About the Common Goldeneye — by Isabella Flores, age 7

The Common Goldeneye is a unique bird that is known for its bright yellow eyes. [Read More]

NASA Finds Black Hole Growing Faster Than Expected — by Estefania Garcia-Fox, age 13

A “rapidly feeding black hole” was found earlier this year by a NASA telescope. This discovery holds many important clues to the evolution of supermassive black holes. A black hole is an immense object with a gravitation pull so strong that it can pull everything towards it, including light. Supermassive black holes exist at the center of most galaxies, and modern telescopes continue to observe them at surprisingly early times in the universe's evolution. [Read More]

The Aye-Aye Lemur Is Feared by Some but Needed by Nature — by Lucas Abiy, age 8

The aye-aye lemur looks scary as it has rounded eyes, rat-like teeth, and a big bushy squirrel-like tail. The lemur eats fruits, larvae, fungi, nectar, and insects such as wood boring beetles, clear-winged moths, wood wasp, and the green-headed flush head. This interesting Lemur lives in the jungles of Madagascar. [Read More]

The Little Bird With a Big Talent — by Edna Torres, age 6

The Rufous Hornero, also known as an ovenbird, is a small bird that builds very unique-looking nests. Their nest resembles an outdoor clay oven! [Read More]

Penguins Are Birds That Swim Instead of Fly — by Bruno Torres, age 9

Penguins look similar to each other, but there are actually a total of 18 species of Penguins. While the physical features of these birds make them look like they can fly, Penguins are actually flightless birds. Their feathers and bodies have adapted to swim underwater. [Read More]

White-Nose Syndrome Threatens Bat Populations Across North America — by Aubrey Bevenue, age 13

White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that is killing bats across North America, leading to the endangerment of multiple bat species. This disease was found in New York in 2006 and has spread to most of the U.S. and Canadian Provinces. [Read More]

How Ancient Egyptians Made Mummies — by Marco Flores, age 10

The mummification process was a type of ritual performed in ancient Egypt to preserve a deceased body for the afterlife. While many may have heard about mummies, few know about their significance in ancient Egyptian culture or the process of mummification. [Read More]

Scientists Say Elephants Have Names for Each Other, Just Like Humans — by Oliver Zink Age, 14

A new study shows elephants have names for each other just like people do. Scientists discovered this by using the sounds that elephants call each other, and the elephants reacted. [Read More]

Discover UW-Madison’s Zoological Museum — by Kevin Chen, age 16

Who would’ve guessed that you can find a 13,000-year-old giant beaver skull right here in Madison? It is among the 750,000 different species of animals in the UW-Madison Zoological Museum. [Read More]

New Wisconsin Center of Origins Explores Life Beyond Earth — by John Agbo, age 14

The question that has captivated humanity for centuries—“Is there life beyond Earth?”—is now at the forefront of research and exploration at the newly established Wisconsin Center of Origins, known as WiCOR. [Read More]

Sugar Gliders Are Tiny Flyers With a Sweet Tooth — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

This creature glides through the night sky but it's not a bat or owl. It is often mistaken for a flying squirrel. It's the sugar glider, a fascinating animal with a sweet tooth! [Read More]

James Webb Telescope Proves Our Universe Is Expanding Faster Than Science Can Explain — by Will DeFour, age 15

Recent observations from the James Webb Telescope confirm earlier findings that the universe is expanding up to 8% faster than previously believed. However, this old observation was never due to miscalculations and could be associated with dark energy. [Read More]

Whitetip Reef Sharks Help Keep Reef Ecosystems Balanced — by Isabella Flores Gonzales, age 7

Did you know that whitetip reef sharks are one of 85 species that make up the family of requiem sharks? These sharks have a habit of resting in shaded areas while motionless. [Read More]

Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Sets New World Speed Records — by Juan Esteban Palma, age 12

The Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is the fastest car in the world. This car can go up to 330 miles per hour! This is impressive because the previous top speed was 200 mph. The Jesko Absolut is a great model for future cars that want to achieve high speeds. [Read More]

The Ocean Helps Clean Up CO2 From the Atmosphere — by Will DeFour, age 14

Nine hundred and fifty billion tons. That is the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere right now. This number is only growing due to the burning of fossil fuels releasing greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide. Consequently, ice caps are melting, coastal cities are being flooded, and coral reefs that will not grow back for hundreds of years are being destroyed. [Read More]

Toucans Are More Than Just Big Bills and Bright Feathers — by Kai Shade-Adamus, age 8

There are roughly 10,000 species of birds always moving around the world. Birds, in general, are the descendants of feathered dinosaurs from long ago, and their limbs turned into wings over time. There are two types of feathers. One is the strong-stalked “contour.” where are the outer feathers. Beneath the contour feather are fluffier “down” feathers, which keep birds warm. [Read More]

Frogs Around the World Show Amazing Ways to Survive — by Isabella Flores, age 7

Frogs come from all over the world, living in dry environments such as deserts and very wet ecosystems like rainforests. While there are some poisonous frogs, many are harmless. Frogs eat various small insects, worms, and even larger species like mice and snakes. [Read More]

Sea Turtles Are Gentle Giants of the Ocean — by Semaia Zeregezhi, age 10

Sea turtles are tranquil, loving reptiles, and they can range in size from small to absolutely massive. The largest sea turtles can weigh more than eight people combined! Their shells consist of an upper part called a “carapace” and a lower section called a “plastron.” Hard scales, also known as “scutes,” cover all species of turtles except leatherback turtles. [Read More]

How Deep Sea Fish Use Light to Survive in the Dark — by Edna Torres, age 6

Many deep sea fish use light-producing organs to survive since the sun cannot reach the deeper level of the sea. [Read More]

How Barred Owls Threaten Spotted Owls — by Siheon Park, age 11

Spotted owls are threatened carnivores that inhabit forests, as well as wooded and rocky canyons across the American West Coast, the Southwestern United States, and western Mexico. [Read More]

Giraffes Are Graceful Animals of the African Grasslands — by Isabella Flores, age 7

Did you know that baby giraffes are known as calves? These calves are about six feet tall when they are born! [Read More]

Winter Finches Are Taking Their Time to Migrate — By John Agbo, age 14

This year’s Winter Finch Forecast released by the Finch Research Network suggests a slower year for migratory birds arriving in Wisconsin. [Read More]

Saving the Northern Bald Ibis Through Guided Migration — by Kevin Chen, age 16

Migration is crucial for birds like the northern bald ibis. Almost completely wiped out in the 17th century, the birds have been saved from extinction through breeding programs and human support over the last two decades. [Read More]

Bees and Wasps Are Similar Yet Surprisingly Different — by Dellany Onyango, age 9

Bees and wasps are winged insects that share many similarities but also have distinct differences. Both insects have a proboscis, a specialized mouthpart that helps them drink water and nectar. Female bees and wasps have an organ called an ovipositor, which can be used for either laying eggs or, in some species, as a stinger. Since male bees and wasps don’t lay eggs, they do not have an ovipositor and, therefore, cannot sting. [Read More]

Cómo las plantas acuáticas sobreviven en el agua — por Semaia Zerezghi, edad 9

Las plantas acuáticas son plantas que viven en el agua. Estas especies viven en el margen de estanques, ríos y pantanos. Un ejemplo de este tipo de plantas es la Vallisneria spiralis, una planta oxigenante, que suele estar en estanques y acuarios. [Read More]

Las mariposas son hermosas polinizadoras del mundo — por Sessina Zerezghi, edad 7

Las mariposas son uno de los insectos más conocidos alrededor del mundo por su belleza. Las mariposas son polinizadores y ayudan a las plantas! Muchos insectos como las abejas y mariposas, se alimentan de néctar y polen de las diferentes flores que visitan. [Read More]

Algae Is Vital to Marine Ecosystems — by Dayanis Torres, age 13

Algae is a type of seaweed in lakes and other bodies of water. There are different types of algae like green, brown, gold and red. Most serve the same type of purpose for different locations. [Read More]

UW Researchers Find North America's Oldest Dinosaur — By Camila Cruz, age 17

Earlier this month, the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum announced the finding of a brand new species of dinosaur – one that lived 10 million years earlier than when researchers thought the oldest dinosaurs roamed in North America. [Read More]

Learn About the Fat Tailed Savannah Monitor — by Lucas Abiy, age 7

The savannah monitor is a long and stocky lizard that lives in Central and West Africa, encompassing areas of Senegal to parts of Ethiopia. These lizards can live up to 30 years! [Read More]

Matching Set of Dinosaur Footprints Discovered in Africa and South America — by Sofia Zapata, age 15

Matching dinosaur footprints found in Africa and South America are helping scientists discover new things about dinosaurs that roamed the Earth 120 million years ago. [Read More]

The Science Behind Fireflies and Their Glow — by Dellany Onyango, age 9

Fireflies are small insects that belong to the beetle family, Lampyridae. They are famous for their ability to produce light from specialized organs located in their hind segment. This bioluminescence is the result of a chemical reaction in their bodies, where energy is released in the form of light. [Read More]

Why Snow Leopards Are Called Ghosts of the Mountains — by Sessina Zerezghi, age 7

Snow leopards, also known scientifically as Panthera uncia, are interesting animals. They are similar to lions, pumas, and other big cats. Unfortunately, these leopards are endangered. [Read More]

Sand Cats Thrive in Deserts as Tiny yet Fierce Hunters — by Chelsea Zheng, age 12

Despite being smaller than a common house cat, the sand cat is a fearsome predator. Unlike most other cats, this cat lives in the harsh desert and has accumulated various adaptations to survive in these areas. [Read More]

The Golden Eagle Is a Fierce Bird of Prey — by Lucas Abiy, age 7

The golden eagle is one of the best-known birds of prey. These eagles live in the northern hemisphere, including Eurasia, North America, the Scottish Highlands, and North Africa. [Read More]

These Big Cats Are Often Mistaken for Otters but Are Stealthy Predators of the Americas — by Lucas Abiy, age 7

The jaguarundi cat is an amazing creature. Due to their small stature and slender body, these wildcats are commonly mistaken for weasels or otters. [Read More]

A "New" Kind of Bear Appears in the Arctic — by Siwoo Park, age 12

Pizzlies or grolar bears are the offspring of grizzlies and polar bears. While it is a rare occurrence for these two kinds of bears to mate, changing climates and global warming have expanded the habitat range of some species, leading to more overlap and intermingling between these two types of bears. The Grolar bear is a representation and sign of how animals are adapting to the ever-changing climates of Earth. [Read More]

Learn All About the Unicorns of the Ocean — by Reety Subedi, age 8

Narwhals are popularly known as the “unicorns of the sea”. However, they are scientifically known as Monodon monoceros. [Read More]

The Life and Death of Trees, How Nature Takes Its Course — by Ian Kosharek, age 12

The death of a tree is inevitable. From its initial germination to the damages it endures throughout its growth, a tree will eventually surrender at the end of its lifetime. [Read More]

Desert Blonde Tarantula Thrives in Harsh Desert Environments — by Lincoln Roos, age 11

The Desert Blond Tarantula is a species of arachnid that lives in the Sonoran Desert, California and Mexico. It survives in these areas with little water. This creature has many other names including the Arizona desert blonde, the Mexican Blond Tarantula, and the Western Desert Tarantula. [Read More]

The Basilisk Lizard Defies Gravity on Water — by Kai Shade-Adamus, age 8

The basilisk lizard is a fascinating reptile known for its ability to walk on water, thanks to its speedy, powerful legs. [Read More]

Three Wisconsin Birds that Weigh Less than an Ounce — by Joseph Zheng, age 10

American goldfinch, and house sparrow are all examples of small birds commonly found in the state. [Read More]

Humpback Whales Are the Big Singers of the Ocean — by Isabella Flores Gonzalez, age 7

The humpback whale is a marine mammal found in oceans around the world. These massive creatures can grow as long as 50-60 feet and weigh as much as 40 tons, making them one of the largest animals in the sea. [Read More]

New Study Traces Bees Back to Supercontinent Gondwana — by Jules Da Costa, age 16

Bees are vital insects for our natural world, and a recent study shows that they're much older than we previously knew and come from a supercontinent millions of years ago. [Read More]

Expired Canned Fish Led to a Breakthrough in Marine Parasite Research — by Theodore Morrison, age 16

Who would have guessed that expired canned fish could be valuable? For an ecologist and a graduate student, it was expired fish that held the key to the construction of a timeline of parasites in marine environments. Chelsea Wood and Natalie Mastick, the parasite ecologist and graduate student respectively, engineered an ingenious idea to study parasitic threats to marine life. [Read More]

The Pink Fairy Armadillo Is One of Argentina’s Rarest Species — by Siheon Park, age 11

The pink fairy armadillo is as small as a dollar bill and incredibly mysterious, spending nearly its entire life underground. These nocturnal creatures live in central Argentina, particularly in dry deserts and shrublands. [Read More]

New Cancer Treatment Wipes Out Rare Melanoma in Patient — by Ayelen Flores, age 14

A new cancer treatment has recently been approved and has shown positive results in some people. These types of therapies are not guaranteed to help every patient – however, one woman by the name of Toni English was a patient who saw results. The treatment has been able to completely wipe out her cancer. [Read More]

The Blue Glaucus Uses Stolen Venom to Survive — by Siheon Park, age 11

Sea slugs are brightly colored to help them camouflage into their underwater environment and warn other animals to stay away. Their vibrant shades are beautiful – perhaps the most eye-catching is called the blue glaucus, also known as the “sea swallow,” blue angel,” or even “blue dragon.” Blue glaucuses are found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. A group of blue glaucuses are called “blue fleets.” [Read More]

St. Louis Zoo Welcomes Red Wolf Cubs, Bolstering Endangered Population — by Sofia Zapata, age 15

Red wolves have been an endangered species since 1967, but recently four new red wolves were born at the St. Louis Zoo. [Read More]

Beware the King Cobra: Apex Predator of the Snake World — by Bruno Torres, age 9

The king cobra is one of the deadliest animals alive because of its venom. The king cobra’s eyes remain open, even while asleep due to the snakes not having eyelids. When the cobra feels endangered, it uses its reflexes on its neck and hood to scare away humans and any other threats. The king cobra has flexible bones that allow its jaw to open very wide to catch prey. Although its fangs are only about half an inch in length, they are strong and can bite through their prey. [Read More]

Bush Vipers Are Camouflaged Predators with a Venomous Bite — by Gerardo Sanchez Ramirez, age 10

Bush vipers are incredible snakes that have unique physical features and characteristics. [Read More]

Bizarre Discovery Off Japanese Coast Sparks Fierce Debate — by Mahalia Pearson, age 13

The Yonaguni Monument is under the sea near the island of Yonaguni, Japan. The island is the westernmost part of Japan, so far west that it is only 111 km from the east shore of Taiwan and 2,000 km from Tokyo. [Read More]

Incoming Asteroid Burns in the Atmosphere Over the Pacific Ocean — by John Agb, age 13

Earth narrowly avoided a small-scale disaster. On September 4, 2024, a small asteroid ignited in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, near the Philippines. Luckily, it burned up before causing any damage. [Read More]

Unmanned Vessel Searches Lake Superior for Site of 1968 Plane Crash — by Edwin Torres, age 13

An airplane carrying three researchers unexpectedly crashed into the waters of Lake Superior on Oct. 23, 1968. Since then, parts of the plane have drifted to the surface, but little is known about what exactly happened to the crew and plane. [Read More]

El ciclo de vida de un bebé lobo — por Joseph Zheng, edad 9

En la primavera, las lobas hembras dan a luz a crías recién nacidas en madrigueras después de nueve semanas de gestación. [Read More]

Why Light-Speed Travel Remains Beyond Human Reach — by John Agbo, age 13

n the latest space mysteries, people often ponder what would happen if we traveled at the speed of light. However, it is worth asking: is this even possible? [Read More]

Why Mysterious Giants Live in the Deepest Oceans — by Samuel Garduño Martínez, age 17

When comparing spider crabs on shore to those on the ocean floor, the 13-foot-wide ocean crabs put the meager shore crabs to shame. This trend of going deeper and getting bigger seems common in nature, prompting the creation of the famous adage, “the deeper they go, the bigger they get.” There is scientific data to support this assertion, however, terrestrial animals have also been known to grow to huge sizes. Although aquatic animals aren’t the only ones who have benefited from their larger sizes, gigantism has been a key factor in the survival of creatures in the mighty oceans. [Read More]

Colugos: Incredible Gliders That Soar Through Southeast Asia — by Delany Onyango, age 9

Although the colugo, a creature that resembles a flying chipmunk, cannot fly, it has the remarkable ability to glide through the air. The colugo has a patagium, which is the stretchy skin that connects its limbs, allowing it to glide between trees. When fully extended, their patagium can span up to 28 inches, helping them glide distances of up to 328 feet. The colugo can fold up its patagium to avoid getting caught in twigs or other sharp objects and uses its tail to steer while gliding. [Read More]

The Sungazer Lizard is a Tiny but Mighty Reptile — by Dagim Abiy, age 7

The sungazer lizard is fast and stubbornly defensive. The small lizard is covered with spikes all over its body that scare away many predators. [Read More]

Black Holes Are Mysterious Giants That Shape Our Galaxy — by Aloniab Gezae, age 10

A black hole is a region in space with an extremely powerful gravitational force. Black holes aren’t holes; rather, they are composed of extremely dense material packed into a tiny space, creating a remarkable force that pulls everything inward. This gravity draws in anything that comes near, and it is so strong that even light cannot escape. Black holes are called “black” because they are invisible in space. [Read More]

What Is Bluetooth? Exploring Its Uses and Security Tips — by Aarosh Subedi, age 11

Bluetooth is a form of technology that connects devices without the need for cables or wires. There are several interesting aspects of Bluetooth. [Read More]

The Dual Nature of Deadly Nightshade from Poison to Medicine — by Siwoo Park, age 12

Deadly nightshade, also known as Atropa belladonna, is a highly poisonous plant that has been used for centuries in cosmetics, poison, and for its medicinal properties. The plant is also featured in witchcraft, folklore, and mythology. [Read More]

How Do Freshwater Lakes Exist Deep in the Sahara Desert? — by Oliver Zink, age 13

In the middle of Earth's harshest desert lies a group of freshwater lakes that get their water from a single underground aquifer. These lakes, known as the Lakes of Ounianga, were originally filled with water when the Sahara was a much wetter region. The lakes are located in northeastern Chad, within the Ennedi Plateau region, in a basin near the Tibesti Mountains. The site became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012. [Read More]

Gila Monsters: The Venomous Predators of the Desert — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

Gila monsters are one of seven venomous lizards that exist in the world. They are some of the rarest creatures but are also endangered. [Read More]

OSIRIS-REx Delivers Asteroid Samples That Could Help Understand Our Solar System’s Origins — by Iliyan Hoskins, age 11

On Sept. 24, 2023, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered an important package that NASA had been anticipating for seven years. [Read More]

Sea Angels Are Tiny Marine Slugs with Big Survival Skills — by Siheon Park, age 11

Sea angels are semi-transparent marine slugs that swim near ocean surfaces and get their name from the way they glide with their wing-like appendages. [Read More]

Nebulae Are the Birthplace of Stars — by Malak Alquraishi, age 13

A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas. There are several different types of nebulae, and they are an essential part of the interstellar medium—the space between stars. Nebulae are among the most spectacular sights in astronomy. [Read More]

Caterpillars Are Small Creatures with Big Transformations — by Dilma Attidekou, age 10

Caterpillars are small insects that shapeshift into bigger insects known as butterflies. [Read More]

Cone Snails Deadly Venom Holds Promise for Medicine — by Siwoo Park, age 12

New research on cone snails and their venom has opened doors for possibilities in medicine. Cone snails are ocean-living mollusks that have a hollow, spear-like, harpoon tooth to hunt prey. These harpoon teeth are laced with a venom that is made of molecules called peptides. [Read More]

Exploring the Moon’s Formation and the Arrival of a Temporary "Second Moon" — by Semaia Zerezghi, age 9

The Moon was formed at the same time as Earth when a large object, roughly the size of Mars, collided with our planet. The debris from this colossal impact collected to form the Moon and Earth's gravitational force kept it in orbit. As a result of this crash, the Moon and Earth share many similar materials, although not identical. [Read More]

On a Remote Island in the Arctic Ocean, Scientists Study Life on Mars — by Dulce Vazquez, age 16

The Haughton Impact Crater is perhaps the closest thing we have to Mars on Earth, in addition to being one of the world's northernmost impact craters. The Haughton Impact Crater is found on Nunavut territory on Devon Island in the Arctic. [Read More]

Exploring Earth From Its Core to the Edges of Space — by Arsema Biruk, age 8

Earth is home to human beings and many other living things. Earth's formation took place around 4.56 billion years ago. About two-thirds of the Earth's surface is covered with water. On the remaining land, there are forests and deserts, providing habitats for thousands of animals and different species. [Read More]

What Makes Hurricanes and Tornadoes So Dangerous? — by Arsema Biruk, age 8

A hurricane is a violent storm that forms over warm oceans during the hottest months. It starts when warm, moist air rises and forms clouds full of water vapor. As the hurricane approaches land, it can cause terrible damage, although it often begins to weaken without the warm ocean waters to fuel it. [Read More]

Cougars, Lynxes, and Bobcats Exploring the Differences — by Dagim Abiy, age 7

The cougar, lynx, and bobcat are mostly found in northern climates, but they have many differences. [Read More]

America’s Mysterious Black Big Cat — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

The term “black panther” is an umbrella term to describe large cats with a black appearance. In the Americas, these black cats are mostly jaguars. Jaguars with an entirely black coat are unique since they nearly make up 11% of their population. [Read More]

Birds and Humans: A Sweet Collaboration in Honey Hunting — by Sedona Afeworki. age 15

While humans and animals have existed together for thousands of years, cooperation between humans and animals has only been observed in rare occasions and studies now attempt to understand why. [Read More]

Why Parts of New York City Are Slowly Sinking — by Sofia Zapata, age 15

New York City and other coastal cities are experiencing vertical land motion, with some areas sinking while others are rising. The regions that are sinking are facing a faster rate of subsidence compared to those that are rising. In New York City, specific areas such as lower Manhattan, southern Brooklyn, and Queens are slowly subsiding. Scientists have identified two primary factors contributing to this sinking. One potential cause is the alterations to the Earth’s surface due to construction and land modification, which make the ground less compact beneath buildings. Another cause traces back to the most recent ice age and the natural processes that followed. Around 24,000 years ago, a large ice sheet covered most of New England and upstate New York. After this ice sheet melted, the Earth's mantle has been slowly readjusting, leading to the gradual subsidence observed today. The land where New York City stands was once uplifted by the ice sheet, and as the ice melted, the land began to sink back down. [Read More]

The Danger of Ski Wax Chemicals on the Slopes — by Allison Torres, age 15

Who knew that such a healthy sport like skiing could leave deadly chemicals on the slopes? Ski waxes are often used to protect skis and help them glide across surfaces, but recent studies on their composition have raised concerns about their impact on the environment and human health. Researchers have discovered that PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as "forever chemicals," were found in ski wax on the snowy slopes of ski resorts in Austria. [Read More]

How Jane Goodall Changed the World of Science and Conservation — by Sandy Flores Ruiz, age 18

Valerie Jane Morris Goodall is most famously known for her research with chimpanzees and her 1965 documentary “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees”. Her research wasn’t easy. Goodall faced criticism for being a scientist without a college degree and a woman in a field that was primarily dominated by men. Nevertheless, she was able to make impactful discoveries and became a leader of the conservation movement. [Read More]

Extinction of The Largest Known Primate Ever to Live — by Theodore Morrison, age 16

Imagine as a species, being so big and unmaneuverable, that it starves to death. That was the probable reality for the Gigantopithecus Blacki who were massive beasts that dominated southeast Asia during the latest Ice Age. [Read More]

Wolves Are Powerful Predators with a Purpose — by Dagim Abiy, age 7

Wolves are wild and fierce creatures, but they are not a threat to humans. Wolves have their way of life from other animals. They evolved from carnivores 60 million years ago. The wolves that are now spotted across the world have been around for one million years. [Read More]

Learn About Cicadas, Nature’s Loudest Insects — by Mahalia Pearson, age 13

There are more than 3,000 different species of cicadas. These cicadas can be found in many different parts of the world. Cicadas normally fall into two groups: annual and periodical cicadas. The annual cicadas are found in many different places whereas the periodical cicadas are found mostly in the central and eastern regions of the United States. [Read More]

How Woolly Mammoths Survived the Ice Age — by Bruno Torres, age 8

One of the largest creatures to roam Earth thousands of years ago was the woolly mammoth. Woolly mammoths used their large tusks to fend off predators and find food underneath the snow. These creatures roamed across North America, Europe, and Asia and their diet consisted of many plant leaves and tree branches. [Read More]

The Eastern Pipistrelle, Wisconsin’s Smallest Bat Species, Was Recently Added to the Endangered Species List — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

The smallest bat in Wisconsin is the eastern pipistrelle. These creatures are so small that they can sometimes be mistaken for moths. [Read More]

Why are Baby Giraffes Born So Tall? — by Amelia Pearson, age 14

Baby giraffes, also known as calves, are impressively tall compared to other young animals, typically standing about six feet tall. Female giraffes are typically smaller than their male counterparts. [Read More]

How Using Language Propelled the Human Species — by Dayanara Flores Gonzalez, age 16

Scientists do not know exactly how language began; however, verbal communication allowed humans to build civilizations. [Read More]

From Mountains to Deserts, The Geoffroy's Cat Adapts to Life in Patagonia — by Kimberly Rodriguez, age 12

The Geoffroy’s cat is a small creature, only about the size of a domestic cat. Despite its size, this wild cat can hunt many other kinds of animals. [Read More]

Bald Eagles Soar Again, But Threats Persist — by Sessina Zerezghi, age 7

Bald eagles are the largest raptor in the world. Their population has increased over the decades but is sadly still being threatened. [Read More]

Investigation Reveals Cars Are Data-Collection Machines — by Daniel Li, age 16

Recent investigations by Mozilla's Privacy Not Included project have uncovered a startling reality about modern vehicles. Far from being mere transportation devices, these cars have transformed into sophisticated data-collection machines, raising concerns about privacy and personal data security. [Read More]

Tree Kangaroos Face Extinction as Habitats Disappear — by Siheon Park, age 11

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Rare Sighting of Gray Whale in Massachusetts Waters — by Aria, age 13

The recent sighting of a gray whale in the Atlantic Ocean has alarmed scientists. Typically, sighting this rarely-seen species is a good sign for the ocean; gray whales are intended to be spotted in the North Pacific Ocean, not the Atlantic Ocean. The species has hardly been seen in the Atlantic Ocean since its population faded in the 18th century. [Read More]

The Science Behind Fingerprint Formations — by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 14

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The Largest Leopard in the World Stalks the Forests of Iran — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

The Persian leopard, also known as the Caucasian Leopard, is a highly rare animal found in Iran. For decades, it has rarely been spotted outside of this country. [Read More]

Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning — by Camila Cruz, age 16

There’s been evidence for years that it’s better to take notes by handwriting than typing. New research is finally giving us an answer as to why. [Read More]

The Mighty Roar and Clever Mind of Lions — by Semaia Zerezghi, age 9

Panthera leo or lions are the kings and queens of beasts and are known for being terrifying regal creatures. However, what most people don't know is that lions are also incredibly intelligent. [Read More]

Sanderlings Are Arctic Breeders with a Love for Sandy Beaches — by Siheon Park, age 11

Sanderling birds have unusual lives. Their breeding habitat is the Arctic tundra, but they hate the cold! [Read More]

Exploring Galaxies: Shapes, Sizes, and Cosmic Mysteries — by Aloniab Gezae, age 10

All galaxies are made up of stars, gases, and dust. There are billions of galaxies across space, including the one Earth is in: the Milky Way. [Read More]

Blue Jays Are Nature’s Colorful Songbirds — by Abigail Gezae, age 12

Blue Jays are interesting animals with a variety of skills. They are beautifully colored birds, with blue and white on their stomach and chest. [Read More]

Africa’s Donkeys are Being Slaughtered for Medicine in China — by Owen Ayite Atayi, age 16

Africa’s donkeys are being slaughtered for a medicine used in China. The medicine that they produce is called e-jiao. [Read More]

Beluga Whales: Navigating Arctic Challenges — by Sessina Zerezghi, age 7

Beluga whales are one of nature’s amazing mammals. These whales live in the Arctic but move locations when the ice melts. In the fall, they move to the south as ice forms, returning in the spring when ice breaks apart. [Read More]

Journey Along the Grand Canal's Historic Waters — by Aubrey Bevenue, age 13

Venice's beauty comes from its buildings and water. The buildings date back to ancient history and are still used today. Additionally, many sculptures provide context about Venice and its rich history. [Read More]

Kiwis Are New Zealand's Fuzzy Flightless Bird Species — by Siwoo Park, age 12

A brown, fuzzy… bird! Kiwi birds are almost the size of a chicken and live in burrows. They are very mysterious; only three species have been discovered. [Read More]

Thorny Devils, Masters of Camouflage — by Ian Kosharek, age 11

Thorny devils are spiny, fierce-looking creatures native to the Australian desert, particularly favoring dry and hot climates in coastal areas of Australia. These creatures weigh up to three ounces and are approximately two centimeters in size, roughly the size of a hand. When they hatch, both male and female thorny devils are similar, but after a year, females become visibly longer, sometimes reaching twice the size of the largest males. Their lifespan ranges from 10 to 20 years. [Read More]

Learn About the Bright Colors and Deadly Poison of Poison Dart Frogs — by Ian Kosharek, age 11 `

Poison dart frogs, native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, come in many unique colors. [Read More]

Rapidly Intensifying Hurricanes Could be a Consequence of Climate Change — by Dulce Vazquez, age 15

Throughout several decades, it has been observed that hurricanes have seen a trend of increasing intensity. The increasing strength of hurricanes has led people to be unprepared for their effects. [Read More]

Stargazers in North America Get Ready for Eventful 2024 — by Camila Cruz, age 16

Stargazers in North America should start getting ready because they will have much to watch for in 2024. [Read More]

Black Widow Spiders Pose Threat Across North America — by Siwoo Park, age 12

The Black Widow, one of the most venomous spiders in North America, is known for its potent venom and red mark. This species of spider is responsible for several deaths. [Read More]

The Warm-Blooded Giant that Ruled Ancient Seas — by Dayanara Flores Gonzalez, age 16

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Marie Curie Was a Trailblazer in Science and Radioactivity — by Siwoo Park, age 12

Marie Curie, one of the world’s beloved scientists, was a pioneer in the study of radioactivity and her discoveries revolutionized cancer treatment. Through her discovery of radium, she became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields, and eight years later won a subsequent prize. [Read More]

New Breed of Supercomputer Aims for the Two Quintillion Mark — by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 13

There is a new type of supercomputer under construction known as an exascale supercomputer. Exascale refers to a supercomputer that can perform two quintillion operations in a second. This drastically compares with a phone which does 17 trillion operations and the human brain which does 228 trillion operations in a second. These computers can help rearrange human life. [Read More]

Dumb Phones on the Rise as Gen Z Looks to Limit Screen Time — by Allison Torres, age 15

Flip phones became popular in the 1990s and 2000s. At that time, they were a great invention in communicating with people wherever and whenever. [Read More]

Tracking Asteroid Apophis's Near Miss and Future Trajectory — by Iliyan Hoskins, age 11

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U.S. Military's PFAS Pollution Threatens Communities Nationwide — by Camila Cruz, age 16

It is hard to imagine that the U.S. military, whose number one goal is to protect, is also one of the biggest contributors to the spread of chemicals that cause cancer, kidney disease, and many other serious health problems. [Read More]

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Flies Toward the Sun — by Daniel Li, age 16

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Learn How Dinosaur Fossils are Formed — by Bruno Torres, age 8

When visiting dinosaur museums, one typically encounters large reconstructions of dinosaurs with what appears to be their bones. In reality, these structures aren’t bones and are called fossils. Fossils are features or remnants left behind after animals and plants die, they typically date back at least 10,000 years. [Read More]

The Science of Lucid Dreaming, Exploring the Sleeping Mind — by Dayanara Flores, age 16

The experience of knowing you're in a dream while you're still asleep is called “lucid dreaming.” Most people don't have lucid dreams, but some have tried techniques to become more self-aware in their sleep while dreaming. [Read More]

Amateur Fossil Hunter Finds “Underwater T-Rex” — By Iliyan Hoskins, age 11

150 million years ago, an ancient apex predator roamed the ocean. The species was called a Pliosaur, and it possessed jaws more than twice as powerful as those of today’s saltwater crocodiles. It killed its prey with just one bite from its 130 long, razor-sharp teeth, earning it the nickname "underwater T-Rex." The underwater T-Rex existed 150 million years ago, spanning the early Jurassic to the Cretaceous periods. An adult Pliosaur was a 30-foot-long sea creature capable of traversing the ocean at high speeds. That’s why scientists bestowed upon it the name underwater T-Rex. [Read More]

Three New Missions Planned to Explore Venus — by Chelsea Zheng, age 11

Venus is considered Earth’s twin due to its similar size and density. However both these planets have developed vastly different from one another. Earth was able to develop and sustain life, while Venus became a scorching and toxic planet. To further understand how Earth’s neighboring “twin” developed a harsh environment, scientists launched spacecraft to study Venus and continue to launch more in the future. [Read More]

Mysterious Golden Orb Found on Alaska Seafloor — by Dayanara Flores Gonzalez, age 16

A mysterious golden orb was recently discovered on the Alaska seafloor. Marine scientists have no idea what this orb might be, but scientists believe it might be an egg casing of a creature nobody has seen before. [Read More]

Exploring Mercury, NASA's Mission to the Solar System's Hottest Planet — by Lina Alquraishi, age 9

Scientists knew very little regarding the planet Mercury up until 1974, when NASA launched the Spacecraft Mariner, which opened the door to vast amounts of information. [Read More]

The Complex Steps and Technologies Behind Spacecraft Missions — by Aarosh Subedi, age 11

There are many steps before you launch a spacecraft, and many kinds of spacecraft are important to the technology we use today. Multiple types of satellites watch the world around us. Meteorological satellites give meteorologists information about what the weather will look like. Communication satellites make television possible to watch; navigation satellites help people guide their ships in water; geodetic satellites help record unknown places on Earth. Satellites that are used by militaries help perform observations to find enemies in specific places. Many more types of innovations are used to go to space. [Read More]

Quetzalcoatlus: The Flying Giant — by Aloniab Gezae, age 8

The Quetzalcoatlus is the biggest flying creature of the late cretaceous period. It is not a dinosaur, it is actually a pterosaur, which was a group of flying reptiles. Its wings were 40 feet wide. [Read More]

Two Black Holes Orbiting Each Other Were Discovered in Cosmic Light Show by Astronomers — by Allison Torres, age 14

Scientists have made a remarkable discovery - a previously hidden black hole has emerged from obscurity. This colossal black hole is accompanied by a smaller partner that had remained undetected until now. Astronomers have recently confirmed the emission of light from this smaller black hole. When these two black holes orbit each other, they generate bursts of light, known as a blazar, which emits intense radiation into space, specifically in the OJ287 region. [Read More]

The Profound Effects of Music on the Human Brain and Emotions — by Aissata Bah, age 13

Music serves as a form of art and tradition, expressing a wide spectrum of emotions, including anger, amusement, and sadness. It wields a remarkable emotional power that can transform one's mood, evoke physical sensations, and trigger the retrieval of long-lost memories. [Read More]

Venus, Earth's Mysterious Neighbor with Peculiar Traits — by Chelsea Zheng, age 11

Venus is the second planet from the sun and neighbor to Earth. Besides the moon, Venus is the brightest object that can be seen in the night sky. [Read More]

Navigating the Dangers of the Sea — by Daileni Torres-Cruz, age 10

Being at sea can be a wonderful experience, however, it can also take an unexpected turn for the worse. There are many dangerous occurrences in the sea. High winds during storms or volcanoes make big waves in the middle of the ocean that can cause ships to swerve off their courses. Ships may also collide with large icebergs, similar to what occurred on the Titanic in 1912. The Titanic was the newest and most luxurious boat at the time. The iceberg ripped a hole in its exterior, which caused it to sink to the bottom of the ocean. It was known as one of the worst accidents at sea. [Read More]

The System Scientists Use to Track Near-Earth Objects — by Dulce Maria Vazquez, age 14

The Torino scale is a system that predicts the chances of objects in space hitting the Earth. Established in 1999, the Torino scale rates potential of an asteroid to cause harm by looking at its size, and the probability that it will hit the earth. The scale ranges from zero to ten—zero means no danger and ten means that an asteroid is guaranteed to hit the Earth, and large enough that an impact would cause worldwide destruction. [Read More]

UW-Madison Researchers Use 3D Printing Technology to Develop More Efficient Electric Motor — by Sedona Afeworki, age 15

Four researchers from UW-Madison have achieved a groundbreaking feat by developing an electric motor using 3D printing technology. According to The Wisconsin State Journal, this prototype incorporates a "higher-percentage silicon electrical steel," which effectively reduces energy loss. [Read More]

Future Exploration of Enceladus Could Use Snake-Like Robot — by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 14

The idea of living somewhere other than Earth is fascinating for the future. Traces of chemicals needed for life have been detected from Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. Scientists are trying to find possible ways to explore Enceladus. [Read More]

The African Bongo: Big Horns? Low Branches? No Problem! — by Oliver Zink, age 12

The bongo is Africa's most colorful antelope. They can weigh up to 892 pounds and have spiral shaped horns which can grow up to 39 inches long. The bongos’ big ears help with hearing the slightest noise from predators. [Read More]

Four Consecutive “Supermoons” Visible in Wisconsin this Fall — by Dayanis Torres Cruz, age 13

In the coming months, there will be a lunar eclipse, a blue moon, and multiple supermoons. Supermoons are brighter and are seven percent bigger than the average size of a full moon because the moon is closest to Earth during these times. [Read More]

Craving Control: The Science Behind Junk Food Addiction — by Elim Eyobed, age 12

If you've ever had a craving for junk food, you're certainly not alone. Whether it's chips, pizza, donuts, or cake, these processed foods are so flavorful that they can become extremely addictive. As a result, it can be very difficult to stop eating. [Read More]

The Vampire Spiders Are the Secret Blood-Lovers of the Insect World — by Riya Adhikari, age 12

Everyone talks about blood-loving mosquitos, but does anyone talk about the blood-loving spiders? Evarcha culicivora, also called vampire spiders, are a type of spider that feeds on blood. They are called mosquito terminators. [Read More]

Investigating the Mysterious Snow on Saturn's Moon — by Amelia Pearson, age 13

The snow on Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, is able to bury almost any skyscraper on Earth. Scientists would like to find out why. [Read More]

The Cosmic Oasis and Jupiter's Largest Moons — by Amelia Pearson, age 13

One of the three largest moons on Jupiter, named Europa, is said to be the most promising place to find alien life in our solar system today. [Read More]

120-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Fossil Sheds Light on Bird Evolution — by Dayanara Flores Gonzalez, 15

Scientists have just discovered a 120-million-year-old fossil that could help us learn more about landbound dinosaurs and their evolution into flying birds. [Read More]

The Utahraptor: A Cretaceous Menace with Terrifying Toes — by Aubrey Bevenue, age 12

When it roamed the Earth centuries ago, the Utahraptor reached over seven feet tall. It had many feathers and was a vicious predator found in eastern Utah. It was the bigger version of the Velociraptor. [Read More]

In a Distant Part of our Solar System, Astronomers Find New Ring Orbiting a Small, Icy World — by Allison Torres, age 14

Billions of miles beyond Neptune, astronomers have found a new ring in space orbiting a small ice world named Quaoar. It was discovered by an international group of researchers with several Brazilian members. [Read More]

Florida Softshell Turtle Relies on Unique Defenses to Survive — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 10

The softshell turtle navigates the wild with a bumpy, flat, and softer outer shell and is often distinguished by its tube-shaped nose protruding from its face. Despite its soft shell, compared to a “typical” turtle, the Florida softshell turtle isn’t less protected, yet it can be more vulnerable to certain threats. [Read More]

From Near Extinction to 4.6 Million Strong Wood Ducks Return — by Isabella Flores, age 7

Why give a quack about wood ducks? It is because they look cool! A wood duck is about 17 to 20 inches long, which is about the same size as a crow. The male wood duck has lots of colorful feathers: blue, brown, green, orange, red, white, and yellow. The female wood duck has a dark back and a white eye patch on a gray head. These colors help the female camouflage. [Read More]

Endangered Sea Turtles Fill Key Role in Aquatic Ecosystems — by Layla Calahan, age 12

Sea turtles are very important to ocean ecosystems, and they have lived for 100 million years. Unfortunately, some species of sea turtles are critically endangered. [Read More]

Double-Wattled Cassowary, the World’s Most Dangerous Bird — by Lucas (Dagim) Abiy, age 8

Have you heard of the Double-Wattled Cassowary? It is considered to be the most dangerous bird alive. The Cassowary lives in forests of Queensland, Australia, the lower land of New Guinea, as well as the Islands of Seram and Aru. [Read More]

The Laughing Kookaburra Has the Loudest Call in Australia — by Marco Flores, age 11

The laughing kookaburra is located in different parts of Australia and has one of the most unique sounds in the world. [Read More]

Orcas Combine Intelligence and Strength in the Wild — by Yemariam Bekele, age 9

One of the deadliest animals in the ocean is the orca. Orcas are called the wolves of the sea because they hunt in groups called pods, and these pods work together to corral fish and other prey into tight spaces before eating them. Their diet includes seals, sea lions, penguins, squid, sea turtles, sharks, and even other whales. Orcas can eat up to 500 pounds (about 225 kilograms) of food per day and can weigh about six tons. These creatures grow up to 23 to 32 feet long and can live up to 80 years. [Read More]

Corgis Are Loyal Herding Dogs with a Long History in Wales — by Delia Moreno, age 7

Have you ever wondered about the origins of Welsh corgis? [Read More]

The Osprey Is Built for Hunting in Water — by Lucas Abiy, age 7

The osprey is an interesting bird with sharp eyes and narrow wings. It has an outer toe that can rotate and allows it to firmly grasp prey. This bird can carry prey almost as heavy as its body weight! The osprey also has a sharp hooked beak for tearing and ripping into other animals as well as long legs that make it easier to catch fish without going into the water. These physical features of the osprey are important because if its wings get too wet, it will have difficulty flying. [Read More]

Learn About the Fat Tailed Savannah Monitor — by Lucas Abiy, age 7

The savannah monitor is a long and stocky lizard that lives in Central and West Africa, encompassing areas of Senegal to parts of Ethiopia. These lizards can live up to 30 years! [Read More]

Yakutian Laika Dogs Make a Loyal Pet — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

Centuries ago, Yakutian Laika dogs were used for transportation during freezing weather in the region of Siberia, Russia. [Read More]

The Fastest Land Animal Faces Extinction Risk — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 9

heetahs are the fastest land animals in the world, however they cannot outrun their high risk of extinction due to human activity. Reporters in Eastern Africa have gathered information about the cheetah black market from interviewing people who have allegedly sold them. They say cheetahs are sold as pets, poached for their skin, and illegally traded. Eastern Africa is where most of the illegal trade occurs. Due to this, most of the cheetah population has declined. [Read More]

Cottonmouth Snakes Are Powerful Predator of Swamplands — by Sessina Zerezghi, age 7

The cottonmouth snake is a dangerous reptile. It has fast reflexes, strong jaws, and poisonous venom. The bulky coils of its body are full of strong muscles. [Read More]

Memes are Changing How the World Communicates — by Aarosh Subedi, age 11

You may think you are sending a joke when you share a meme with a friend. Although below the surface, memes are rapidly changing how the world communicates. [Read More]

Kangaroos The Powerful Hoppers of Australia — by Reety Subedi, age 7

Kangaroos are the tallest marsupials on the planet. When they stand up, they can measure over two meters tall, and large males can weigh around 90 kilograms. Kangaroos have two small front legs and two powerful back legs. Additionally, they have a very strong tail, which helps them balance when jumping and supports them during fights. [Read More]

How Raccoons Thrive in Cityscapes and Wilderness — by Siwoo Park, age 12

Raccoons, also known as trash pandas, are adaptable mammals that live in both rural and urban areas. These furry bandits will do anything to survive harsh environments. [Read More]

Learn About Wisconsin's Only Endangered Mammal — by Siwoo Park, age 12

Pine martens are recovering in Wisconsin after nearing extinction because of over-trapping and habitat loss. These furry, agile weasels are seeing a population upturn as environmental officials take steps to secure the pine forests they call home. [Read More]

El poderoso rugido y la mente inteligente de los leones — por Semeia Zerezghi, 9 años de edad

Panthera leo o leones son los reyes y reinas de las bestias y son conocidos por ser criaturas reales aterradoras. Sin embargo, lo que la mayoría de la gente no sabe es que los leones también son increíblemente inteligentes. [Read More]

Aprende cómo se forman los fósiles de dinosaurios — por Bruno Torres, 8 años de edad

Al visitar museos de dinosaurios, normalmente uno encuentra grandes reconstrucciones de dinosaurios con lo que parecen ser sus huesos. En realidad, estas estructuras no son huesos y se llaman fósiles. Los fósiles son elementos o restos que quedan después de la muerte de animales y plantas; por lo general, se remontan a al menos 10,000 años. [Read More]

Learn About Koala Parenting and The Early Lives of Joeys — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 8

Picture a jelly bean; now, picture a koala in the shape of a jelly bean. That’s how big koalas are when they are born. Koalas are a type of marsupial, which are animals that are born in a pouch. When a baby koala is born, it is called a joey. The joey is very petite, weighing one gram and only spanning two centimeters in length. The koala is hairless, blind, and has no ears, but it will eventually grow ears once it grows older. [Read More]

The 'Super Croc' That Could Have Hunted Dinosaurs — by Riya Adhikari, age 12

The Sarcosuchus Imperator, otherwise known as the “Super Croc,” was an ancient species of crocodile. It lived around 113 million years ago. [Read More]

Learn About the Armored Giant of the Dinosaur World — by Ermiyas Abiy, age 8

The Ankylosaurus was an armored dinosaur species that became extinct long ago. It was the heaviest armored dinosaur in the world. Surprisingly, there were spikes in their skin, too! With its solid and durable plates, this herbivorous dinosaur was very hard to attack and quickly defended itself. Their plates served as protection against carnivores, and male Ankylosaurs also used them in self-defense against other males to win over their mates. [Read More]

Ancient Human Footprints Found in White Sands National Park Raise Questions — by Dani Garduno Martinez, age 11

Many people usually imagine mammoths, dinosaurs, and ancient beasts when considering fossils. However, a large majority of people miss an important category: human fossils. A recent discovery was made in White Sands National Park in New Mexico. [Read More]

Hop into the World of Kangaroos — by Reety Subedi, age 7

Kangaroos are the tallest marsupials on the planet. When they stand up, they can measure over two meters tall and they weigh around 90 kilograms. Kangaroos have two small front legs and two powerful back legs. Additionally, they also have a very strong tail, which helps them balance when jumping. [Read More]

NASA Launching Unmanned Craft to Explore Metal Asteroid — by Theodore Morrison, age 16

An object traveling just above half the speed of sound. Sounds intimidating? Not for NASA, intend to launch an unmanned spacecraft into space to investigate an object which is made up of an unknown metal. NASA hopes to gain new insight from the asteroid in regards to Earth and its history. [Read More]

LED-Embedded Bandages: A Bright Future for Wound Care — by Amelia Pearson, age 13

There is a big difference between normal bandages and future LED-embedded bandages. Modern bandages are currently being developed at the University Of Southampton in England. These bandages can stop microbes from reproducing and can also kill the microbes. [Read More]

Learn all About Sea Otters, Nature's Aquatic Acrobats — by Joseph Zheng, age 9

Sea otters live in the water, specifically on the coast of the Northern and Eastern Pacific Ocean up until they reach three months of age. [Read More]

The Destructive Nature and Ecological Benefits of Wildfires — by Aubrey Bevenue, age 12

Wildfires have very destructive powers. Powerlines, campfires, lightning strikes, and other sources can start wildfires. Grasslands and forests are the main areas where fires can occur. [Read More]

The Greenland Shark's 400-Year Lifespan and Mysterious Existence — by Bruno Torres, age 7

Did you know that Greenland sharks can live for 400 years? That is more than the longest-living land animals. Along with their long lifespan, they are also known to be the biggest fish in the Arctic Ocean. The Greenland shark can live 7,200 feet underwater, where the temperature is between 28 to 44 degrees Fahrenheit. [Read More]

Discovering the World of Rays: From Manta Rays to Electric Rays — by Jeronimo Rosero, age 9

Rays are interesting creatures that have been around for 150 million years. They are calm animals but when you disturb them, they can attack using their venomous spines or barbs on their tails. There are various types of rays including stingrays, manta rays, butterfly rays, and electric rays. [Read More]

Water Can't Stop this Mighty Galapagos Lizard! — by Bruno Torres, age 8

[Read More]

Lumpectomy Advances Breast Cancer Treatment — by Dulce Maria Vazquez, age 14

A new study has found that many women with breast cancer can get rid of the tumors without having their breasts removed. This can be achieved through a lumpectomy, the surgical removal of multiple cancer lumps. This surgery usually lasts about 40 minutes with patients claiming that it is not a painful operation, Patients who dealt with many tumors have been studied using sensitive imaging techniques. [Read More]

New Research Leads to More Fentanyl Testing — by Camila Cruz, age 16

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 44. However, due to outdated drug testing standards in emergency rooms, fentanyl overdoses are often missed or mistreated. [Read More]

Cómo se estudian las ondas sísmicas para observar el interior de la Tierra — por Alejandro Berrueta, 11 años de edad; traducido por Samuel Garduño Martínez

Los científicos siguen siendo más avanzados, tal como su conocimiento de la sismología sigue incrementando. Estos avances están ayudando a los ciudadanos de todo el mundo a tomar refugio antes de un desastre, sin importar si es natural o artificial. [Read More]

The Closest Black Hole to Earth is just 1,500 light-years Away — by Emily Rodriguez Lima, age 13

There are plenty of black holes in outer space. Astronomers have found what they believe is currently the closest black hole to Earth. [Read More]

William Bebee Pushed Barriers in Scuba Diving — by Marie Pietz, age 11

Exploring the sea is something that most of us don’t think about, but it’s important to understand the dangers of it as well as seeing how it can be successfully accomplished. [Read More]

Webb Space Telescope Sends New Images to Scientists on Planet Earth — by Lah’Nylah Bivens, age 15

The James Space Webb Telescope launched on December 25th, 2021. It is the newest and most powerful space telescope. It has been sending images and data to scientists on Earth since early summer 2022. [Read More]

Greenland’s Frozen Hinterlands are Melting Faster than Expected — by Theodore B. Morrison, age 15

Climate change has been impacting the planet for ages since humans started producing greenhouse gases. One impact climate change has had is the melting of the glaciers, which scientists have been trying to track for some time. One group has been following a particular ice stream to help keep track of the effects of climate change. [Read More]

Plants: Poultice or Poison? — by Juan Esteban Palma, age 10

It is important for humans to understand that some plants have medicinal properties and have been utilized for centuries to heal wounds or maintain well-being. In ancient times, healing plants were grown in special gardens and used to heal injuries. Today, there are still many plants used for medicine or other needs. [Read More]

2.5-Yard Elephant Tusk Fossil Discovered in Israel — by Desteny Alvarez, age 17

Researchers in Israel recently found a 2.5-yard-long fossil that belonged to a long-extinct straight-tusked elephant. It is believed to be the largest fossil ever found at a prehistoric site in the country. [Read More]

Scientists Say Invasive Species of Crayfish Might Leave Wisconsin on its Own — by Lah’Nylah Bivens, age 15

The rusty crayfish appeared in Wisconsin 50 years ago. Since this crayfish is not native to Wisconsin it is considered an invasive species. The rusty crayfish pushed native crayfish out of their dens and ate the native aquatic plants, causing harm to the lakes. This harmed the local spawning grounds, leaving fish unprotected. Rusty crayfish may have found their way to Wisconsin by traveling in buckets to be used as bait. These crayfish are native to Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and the streams of the Ohio River Basin states. They also can be found in New Mexico, Northeastern states, areas in Ontario, Canada, and states surrounding Wisconsin. [Read More]

Study Reveals COVID-19 Pandemic Prematurely Aged Teen Brains — by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 13

New MRI brain scans show that teen brains have matured beyond the years of their physical age (as much as three to four years) after the Covid-19 pandemic. This shows the importance of this time for teens’ brain development. [Read More]

Learn More About Okapis — by Aarosh Subedi, age 10

Okapis are mammals that originate and live in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. Scientists say this animal looks like a cross between a deer and a zebra. However, its nickname is the “forest giraffe" and it is a relative of the giraffe. The Latin name of an okapi is Okapia Johnstoni. [Read More]

What's So Special About Earth? — by Ian Kosharek, age 10

Earth is a planet consisting of many essential layers and interesting features. These unique aspects of Earth make it a foundation for life and allow for the survival of species on the planet. [Read More]

Local Observatory Renamed For STEM Pioneer Jocelyn Bell Burnell — by Mariah Justice, age 17

“Astronomy compels the soul to look upward, and leads us from this world to another,” said Greek philosopher Plato. With the renaming event on September 7 for the Bell Burnell Observatory— previously the Oscar Mayer Observatory—Madison has a new facility for cultivating the exploration of astronomy. [Read More]

Who Created These Mysterious Pillars in Ireland? — by Jonah Smith, age 14

Strange pillars reside in County Antrim, Ireland. They have an unusual shape that appears to be man made. These tightly wedged pillars descend in tiers, in a staircase all the way down to the sea. These columns are mostly hexagonal, though the number of sides these structures have may vary. Although their shape implies that they are manufactured, the complete opposite is true. [Read More]

The Mammal that Helped Take Over the Globe — by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 12

Researchers have discovered a prehistoric mammal with a two to five years life cycle that they call the Manbearpig. The mammal’s short lifespan is likely due to their months-long pregnancy, a trait scientists believe helped mammals dominate the world after the extinction of the dinosaurs. [Read More]

The Only Canids Known to Fish — by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 12

For the first time, researchers observed a fox fishing for food. After seeing the red fox, they joined the group of land mammals that also hunt for fish. [Read More]

Should We Add Insects to Our Diet? — by Emily Rodriguez Lima, age 14

When we think about consuming bugs, most of us would immediately respond by saying, “ew!” Although bugs may look nasty or creepy, they are a good source of protein. If insects are raised and prepared correctly, the protein they carry can be beneficial for our bodies. Raising them requires less water, less land, and overall less resources than other animals. [Read More]

Would You Want to Live on Neptune? — by Dilma Attidekou, age 8

Neptune, the smallest out of all outer planets, is known for its blue color. Methane is the reason for its color. Neptune has less then four percent of methane within its atmosphere.[Read More]

Native Asian Moth Spotted in Washington State — by Justin Medina Ruiz, age 13

On July 7, 2022, a giant moth with a ten-inch wingspread was discovered in a garage of a home in the state of Washington. Thankfully, the moth species does not pose a public health threat. The Atlas moth originates from the tropical forests of Asia and has not been seen before in the U.S. [Read More]

Scientists Watch as Jupiter Comes Close to Planet Earth — by Allison Torres, age 14

Earlier this year, people were able to get a glimpse of Jupiter's rings and moons with only a telescope or binoculars. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and in September it passed closer to Earth than it has in 59 years. [Read More]

How Submarines Sparked Arctic Exploration — by Daniel Li, age 14

Built-in 1952, the USS Nautilus was the first submarine ever powered by a nuclear reactor and, coincidentally, also the first to ever reach the North Pole by traveling under ice. William Anderson, the commander of the Nautilus, wrote in his logbook, “Embarked following personage at North Pole: Santa Claus, affiliation: Christmas.” Spending multiple days underwater had not seemed to affect the commander’s sense of humor. [Read More]

First Plant Successfully Sprouts in Lunar Soil — by Daniel Li, age 15

The first seeds to ever sprout in lunar soil poked their heads above moon dirt at the University of Florida in May. Decades of research and experimentation led to this breakthrough which marks the first time terrestrial plants have grown in extra-terrestial soil. It also offers hope that astronauts will one day be able to grow food on the moon. [Read More]

New Fossil Discovery Sheds Light on a Mesozoic Era Species — by Chelsea Zheng, age 9<br>

The Ichthyosaur is well known by the name “sea dragon.” In February 2021, a 32 foot long Ichthyosaur fossil from 180 million years ago was found in England—the largest and most complete skeleton of its kind. [Read More]

Will the Tasmanian Tiger Roam the Earth Once More? — by Sandy Flores-Ruíz, age 16

For the past years —scientists have thought about reviving extinct species. Scientists in Australia and the U.S. have recently started a multi-million dollar project to bring back the Tasmanian tiger from extinction. [Read More]

New Super Computer Ranked Most Powerful in World — by Julian Medina Ruiz, age 14

Recently, a new supercomputer named Frontier passed a major milestone. This computer can perform one quintillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000) calculations per second. Frontier’s storage system is able to hold 33 times more data than currently housed in the entire Library of Congress. This new computer was introduced on May 30, 2022 by the TOP500, a list that ranks the 500 most powerful computers in the world. [Read More]

Asteroid to Approach Earth in 2029 — by Lah’Nylah Bivens, age 15

In the year 2029 there will be an asteroid named 99942 Apophis that will approach Earth for the first time. However, after years of calculation and observation scientists have stated that it will not make an impact on the planet. [Read More]

From Water to Land Back to Water Again: the Evolution of the Qikitania — by Giovanni Tecuatl Lopez, age 17

There are many speculations regarding evolution and how it took place. Many think of evolution as a linear timeline; but this is not always the case and such can be seen in creatures like the Qikitania and Tiktaalik. [Read More]

Primera planta brota con éxito en suelo lunar — por Daniel Li, 15 años

Las primeras semillas que brotaron en suelo lunar asomaron sus cabezas por encima de la tierra lunar en la Universidad de Florida en mayo. Décadas de investigación y experimentación condujeron a este avance que marca la primera vez que las plantas terrestres crecen en suelo extraterrestre. También ofrece la esperanza de que algún día los astronautas puedan cultivar alimentos en la luna. [Read More]

We Bet You Don't Know About this Hyena! — by Dayanara Flores Gonzalez, age 14

You might think there is only one type of hyena, but no, there's more! There are two different types of hyenas: brown hyenas and Aardwolf hyenas. These hyenas look like dogs, but they are cat-like carnivores. A carnivore is an animal that only eats meat. Brown hyenas can easily digest skin and bones with their sharp teeth. They scavenge for lions that have previously been killed by other carnivores or hunt for their own prey. [Read More]

How Dinosaur Eggs Reveal Differences in Species — by Camila Cruz, age 15

Modern birds have many similarities to dinosaurs, from their feathers and feet to hollow bones and laying eggs. Recently, paleontologists found another feature dinosaurs shared that is their unique way of hatching, called tucking. [Read More]

Orcas Learn to Hunt in Family Groups — by Tierra Flowers, age 13

On March 21, 2019, researchers in Western Australia were studying orcas, a species also known as killer whales. Suddenly, the scientists witnessed a phenomenon that no one had previously seen. They observed orcas killing the world’s largest animal, a blue whale. [Read More]

Japanese Scientists Discover that Saturn's Rings Will Dissipate — by Avaiana House, age 14

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System. It is known for the colorful rings surrounding it, made up of rock and icy materials. These rings consists of colors such as pink, red, brown or gray. [Read More]

From the Big Bang to Humankind: How Life Emerged — by Julian Medina Ruiz, age 14

About 12 billion years ago, a big explosion, presently known as the “Big Bang,” created the universe. [Read More]

A Star is Born: The Life Cycle of Stars — by Valeria Moreno Lopez, age 16

Every single birth of a star in the sky begins in an immense cloud of gas, dust, and debris. These colorful clouds are called nebulae, cosmic wonders that swirl around space undisturbed for millions of years. [Read More]

Smaller than a T-Rex, the Gorgosaurus was Faster and Hunted in Packs — by Emily Rodriguez Lima, age 13

There was a dinosaur named Gorgosaurus that was discovered a few years ago. The Gorgosaurus is a relative of the T-Rex, but were smaller, with a stronger bite and faster speed. [Read More]

What Will Happen to Earth When the Sun Dies? — by Juan Esteban Palma Zuluaga, age 10

Our sun, like other stars, will die. Stars only shine as long as they have a source of energy, and eventually that gives out. [Read More]

The Science Behind Spring's Most Popular Weed — by Malak Al Quraishi, age 12

When you're picking weeds, you may wonder how dandelions spread so easily across the grass. You might ask yourself, why are dandelions so effective at spreading their seeds widely? [Read More]

Pluto Is Not a Planet – It’s a Dwarf Planet — by Hiba Al-Quraishi, age 14

Pluto is referred to as a “dwarf planet” due to its diminutive size. Pluto is only half the size of North America which is why it’s categorized as a dwarf planet. [Read More]

As Electric Car Sales Increase, Ford and GM Struggle to Catch Tesla — by Giovanni Tecuatl Lopez, age 17

Have you ever wondered if Tesla has competitors in the electric car market? Both Ford and General Motors (GM) have Tesla as target number one; these companies, already in the electric car market, plan to close the gap between them and Tesla. [Read More]

The Canola Flower: Beautiful and Delicious! — by Sol Saray, age 10

Canola is a flower that blooms in late winter to early spring representing Jeju Island in South Korea. It is a type of rapeseed and is part of the mustard family. There is even a festival named after the canola flower. [Read More]

How an Ancient Civilization Thrived and then Collapsed — by Emily Rodriguez, age 13

A mysterious ancient civilization on the island of Malta collapsed within two generations, despite surviving for more than a millennium. [Read More]

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