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Earth’s climate doesn’t have to look like it does now. In fact, it usually hasn’t. Across 4.5 billion years, geologic forces have shaped the planet’s climate from its fiery infancy to the (for now) chilly present. Studying these changes may help us understand what may happen next because of climate change.

Investigate the health of your local watershed and explore how to monitor pollution and discuss the chances of a passing star causing a cosmic collision with these lesson plans paired to articles from the November issue of Science News Explores.

Pollution that runs off into streams, rivers and lakes can travel far because watersheds are connected by underground aquifers. Students will identify and describe the characteristics of their local and adjacent watersheds before describing how to monitor watershed pollution.

Computer models suggest a remote yet haunting possibility— that passing stars could carry the potential to warp Earth’s orbit, triggering a cosmic collision. Answer questions about cause and effect. Discuss matter from the scale of the tiniest quark to the vastness of the known universe.

Three types of ticks may spread alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat. Researchers think the condition is caused by molecules in the saliva of certain tick species. The best way to avoid the syndrome is to prevent tick bites.

Pair these lesson plans with articles from the October issue of Science News to review genetics concepts, explore natural and artificial selection and discuss the potential to virtually boost immune responses.

Exposure to germs triggers an immune response. But just thinking about germs might do it, too, new data show. Researchers used virtual reality to study how people respond to sickness in others. Learn techniques and tools researchers use to study how we respond to illness at three levels of biological organization — the behavioral, physiological and chemical. Answer questions about experimental variables, then discuss possible applications for virtually boosted vaccines of the future.

In this lesson, students will review genetics concepts, explore natural and artificial selection, and take a closer look at hybridization.

Researchers analyzed images of giant canyons on the moon to deduce the physics of how they formed. A massive impact 3.8 billion years ago shot out rock that plunged 3.5 kilometers into the lunar surface, carving two canyons in less than 10 minutes.

A sea of charged particles swirls in the ionosphere, a layer at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. Shifts in the ionosphere can muddle radio signals key for navigation systems. But pooling data from millions of phones equipped with GPS receivers could help fix errors caused by the meddlesome atmospheric layer.

Incorporate articles from the October issue of Science News Explores to learn how scientists used biomimicry to engineer a new type of robot and answer questions about the biological and chemical processes happening in plants that have evolved to increase their stench.

Inspired by nature’s greatest acrobats, roboticists have made engineering leaps — creating and upgrading an agile, jumping robot that can grasp branches like a squirrel. Learn how scientists use biomimicry to launch new approaches to old engineering challenges. At the same time, explore concepts of momentum in daily life, then answer questions about possible applications for squirrely robots of the future.