Newly Discovered Sabre-Tooth Reveals Unknown Species

by Tierra Flowers, age 14

Scientists have found a new species of mammal—Diegoaelurus Vanvalkenburghae. It was a hypercarnivore which means that it exclusively ate meat. This saber-tooth tiger belonged to the animal family Machaeroidine as one of the first animals to have saber-like fangs. This sabertooth lived 42 million years ago in the tropical rainforest.

Only around a dozen of the fossils from the Machaeroidine were found. These fossils were seen in Wyoming and others were also found in Asia.

The lower jawbone of the sabertoothed animal was found in San Diego by a 12-year-old boy in the 1980s. By studying the structure of the lower jaw, scientists could identify and determine the shape and teeth of the animal. [read more]

Newly Discovered Sabre-Tooth Reveals Unknown Species

by Tierra Flowers, age 14

Scientists have found a new species of mammal—Diegoaelurus Vanvalkenburghae. It was a hypercarnivore which means that it exclusively ate meat. This saber-tooth tiger belonged to the animal family Machaeroidine as one of the first animals to have saber-like fangs. This sabertooth lived 42 million years ago in the tropical rainforest.

Only around a dozen of the fossils from the Machaeroidine were found. These fossils were seen in Wyoming and others were also found in Asia.

The lower jawbone of the sabertoothed animal was found in San Diego by a 12-year-old boy in the 1980s. By studying the structure of the lower jaw, scientists could identify and determine the shape and teeth of the animal. [read more]

Giant Jaguar or American Lion? Scientists Study a Species that Roamed Wisconsin During the Last Ice Age

by Jessica Lopez, age 13

The American Lion is an extinct big cat that populated North America about 11,000 years ago. This is around the same time that the humans who survived the Ice Age migrated to what is now known as Wisconsin. The American lion is also referred to as the American cave lion or the North American lion. It was one of the largest cats to exist on Earth.

The American lion has some similarities to other living species in the big cat family and with another extinct species, a type of European cave lion. For this reason, scientists have had difficulty pinpointing where this species exactly originated. Researchers have conducted various studies to try to determine the relatives of the American lion. It turns out that aside from being similar to many species of big cats, such as jaguars, the American lion seems akin to several species from Asia and Africa.

Another more recent study contradicts the hypothesis of the American lion being closely related to jaguars. Ancient samples of DNA were tested and now show that this lion was most directly related to the species of extinct European cave lions along with living African lions. [read more]

Gladys West Used Math and Science to Map Planet Earth

by Hiba Al-Quraishi, age 14

Gladys West was a splendid mathematician. She was an African-American woman who accomplished many things during her career. Glady West is best known for developing a Global Positioning System, which today we call GPS.

“When you’re working every day, you’re not thinking ‘What impact is this going to have on the world?’ You’re thinking, I’ve got to get this right.” said Gladys West.

Gladys West was born on October 27, 1930 on a farm in southern Virginia. She spent the majority of her childhood working on her family’s farm. In addition to farm labor, her mother worked at a tobacco factory and her father worked for the railroads. West viewed her parents as an inspiration for what she became. Early on in her life, Gladys decided that she did not want to work in farms or factories like her parents. She wanted an education. [read more]

A Deadly Hunter with a Fruity Name: The Lemon Shark

by Emily Bautista, age 13

The lemon shark is one of nearly 400 known species of sharks. Its length can be up to 10 feet and five inches, with its weight ranging between 265 to 330 pounds. The lemon shark's skin has a yellow tint, which gives the species its name. Its skin is covered in teeth-like scales known as denticles and it has the possibility to live at least 50 years.

Their usual diet is fish, including other sharks, rays, squid, and crustaceans. In fact, the lemon shark is a deadly hunter. The snouts of lemon sharks help them locate their prey by sensing electrical impulses. These sharks also have very sharp teeth that grow from the back to the front of their jaw. Their teeth are always growing to replace teeth that wear out or break.

Lemon sharks begin mating around the age of 12. Their gestation period, which is their pregnancy, usually lasts about 10 to 12 months. The breeding period for lemon sharks starts in early spring and summer. They give birth to about five to 19 pups. The lemon shark can be found on the coasts of North and South America, the Caribbean islands, and parts of the western coast of Africa. [read more]

Paleontologist Advait Jukar Studies Ancient Elephant Species

by Armani Stovall, age 13

Advait Jukar is a paleontologist from the National Museum of Natural History. Jukar studies and specializes in the study of elephant fossils and their ancestors. As a child, he was interested in many types of extinct elephant ancestors, such as mammoths, mastodons, and gomphotheres. His interest in these ancient animals led to his career in paleontology and his work today to study elephants and their ancestors.

[read more]

Rainbows, Fogbows and Their Eerie Cousins

by Sandy Flores, age 14

Is there only one kind of rainbow? The answer is no, there are many kinds of rainbows that many people do not know about. Primary rainbows, secondary rainbows, red rainbows, supernumerary rainbows, and cloud rainbows are all examples of the same phenomenon.

Rainbows develop when sunlight passes through falling raindrops. Each hue has a different wavelength, which slows and refracts a unique amount. This refraction is what causes the colors to separate and head in different directions, thus creating a beautiful arc across the sky. Rainbows are not always just half circles, though. They may form into a complete circle, but we are usually only able to see half of it, unless we are high enough to see the complete circle. There are also double rainbows, which are formed when there are two reflections inside a raindrop. The second rainbow is much fainter than the original rainbow.

Fogbows seem like ghostly cousins of rainbows. While they are formed in the same way as rainbows, fogbows tend to be very difficult to find. If someone finds one, they are most likely inside of the fog. Like rainbows, fogbows are always opposite of the sun. However, fogbows are caused by small droplets inside a fog or cloud rather than by larger droplets. They do not happen everywhere on Earth, only in specific locations where fog is common. [read more]

The Hair-Raising Science of Static Electricity

by Camila Cruz, age 13

Have you ever rubbed a balloon against your hair, causing it to stand up? This happens because of static electricity. This type of electricity is stationary, meaning it does not flow or move.

Hair has a positive charge. So when a person rubs a balloon on their hair, negative charges transfer to the balloon from the hair, leaving it positively charged and the balloon negatively charged . Because positive and negative charges attract each other, the hair is drawn towards the balloon causing it to look like the hair is standing up.

Static electricity can be much more forceful than just making hair stand up. For example, lightning is made with static electricity. When the clouds rub against each other, they charge up, creating an enormous spark called lightning. [read more]