Earth and Space Sciences
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Space
Postcards From a New Space Telescope
Have you heard about the James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning first images of deep space? Use this guide to help students explore the science behind pictures of exploding stars, dancing galaxies, cosmic cliffs and more, and discuss how images can be thought of as data.
- Astronomy
Pushing the boundaries of outer space
Students will answer questions about the Science News article “Here are the James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning first pictures,” which highlights dazzling cosmic wonders seen in farthest and clearest views yet of deep space. A version of the article, “Postcards from a new space telescope,” appears in the August 13, 2022 issue of Science News.
- Astronomy
New space images dazzle with data
Share a universal celebration in science with images of deep space from the James Webb Space Telescope. Have students collaborate to think about the science shown in the images and the implications of images as data. Learning Outcomes: Observe, interpret and compare data in images; explore universal questions about science.
- Earth
Climbers Help Scientists Vibe With Utah’s Rocks
In this guide, students will learn about a citizen science project that is helping scientists better understand the physical properties of rock formations. Students will then explore other citizen science projects that they could participate in based on their hobbies and interests.
- Earth
Joining forces for rock science
Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “How climbers help scientists vibe with Utah’s famous red rock formations,” which describes how researchers teamed up with rock climbers to collect data that can help assess the seismic stability of red rock formations in Utah. A version of the article, “Climbers help scientists vibe with Utah’s rocks,” appears in the April 23, 2022 issue of Science News.
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- Ecosystems
Mapping biodiversity
Students will look at data from a primary research article to explore how tree biodiversity differs across continents and biomes.
- Plants
Counting Earth’s tree species
Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “Earth may have 9,200 more tree species than previously thought,” which describes researchers’ efforts to estimate the number of tree species on Earth. A version of the article, “Earth may be hiding thousands of tree species,” appears in the March 12, 2022 issue of Science News
- Science & Society
Look to the Outliers
In this guide, students will learn about outliers and why some social scientists study them in an effort to improve people’s lives.
- Science & Society
Defying expectations
Students will answer questions about the online Science News article “Why do some people succeed when others fail? Outliers provide clues,” which describes how research into communities that defy expectations can reveal ways to help others.
- Science & Society
All about outliers
Students will define what an outlier is and discuss why outliers occur, how to identify them and how they can be useful for science and society.
- Chemistry
Wildfires May Boost Urban Ozone Levels
In this guide, students will explore chemical interactions within wildfire smoke and how urban air pollution can influence the reactions.
