Search Results

Raindrops might fall on your head, but thanks to your eyelashes, they rarely drip into your eyes. Learn how the simple, elegant design of our eyelashes flicks away water. Answer questions about diverse functions of body hair, all while discussing the value of analogies as a literary device used to improve understanding of unfamiliar concepts.

Scientists have long suspected that a mysterious third force underlies the unique life-sustaining conditions of our planet but lacked the technology to measure it. Until now, that is. Learn how the interplay between different planet-wide energy forces gives rise to Earth’s cozy atmosphere. Then, explore how scientists use modern technology to study a newly discovered electrical field and fit this knowledge into their global understanding of how our planet supports life.

How did the ancient Egyptians build the pyramids? It's an age-old mystery. A new study points to hydraulic engineering. But does this idea really hold water? Some experts in the field argue against new evidence being provided to support such claims. Learn how researchers use evidence to support claims while discussing the value of healthy skepticism in science.

Sweating has a surprising purpose for one desert plant. Students will learn about a chemical adaptation that allows the plant to collect moisture in an arid environment. They’ll answer questions about using videos to collect data and then draw molecular diagrams that illustrate the plant’s adaptation.

Summary: Students will review the ideal gas law and use a simulation to explain the assumptions made in a recent study about how climate change is impacting baseball. Learning Outcomes: Exploration of the cause and effect of manipulating conditions of a gas using a simulation, identifying relationships of variables using a mathematical equation and application of theoretical concepts to real-world examples.

Students will review force diagrams and gravitational force and discuss planetary ring and moon formation using the concept of the Roche limit. Learning Outcomes: Applying gravitational forces and interactions in space to understand ring and moon formation.

Large swarms of insects could produce as much electricity as a storm cloud. In this guide, students will explore how insect-induced static electricity might affect the atmosphere, review the concepts of electric charge and electrostatic force, and apply those concepts to their own experiences and the biological phenomenon of insect swarms. In a quick activity, students will create a poem or song about serendipity in science.

Students will use their experiences of static electricity to learn about electric charge and electrostatic force, then apply the concepts to a biological phenomenon. Learning Outcomes: Reinforcement of Coulomb’s Law with interdisciplinary examples.

Students will read and answer questions about the online Science News article “Insect swarms might generate as much electric charge as storm clouds,” which explores how insect-induced static electricity might affect the atmosphere. A version of the article, “Insect swarms might electrify the sky” appears in the December 3, 2022 issue of Science News.

In this quick activity, students will create a TikTok video about the outcome of a NASA mission to knock an asteroid off course.

Did you hear about the spacecraft that crashed into an asteroid — on purpose?! In this guide, students will learn about NASA’s DART mission and discuss the core physics principles behind it.

NASA’s DART mission knocked an asteroid off course. Use the mission to teach core physics principles — including force and Newton’s laws of motion. Learning outcomes: Application of forces and Newton’s laws of motion.