This week, we learned …
… “The science says to us that, in fact, the way the brain functions and grows, it needs safety, it needs warmth, it actually even needs hugs. We actually learn in a state of positive emotion much more effectively than we can learn in a state of negative emotion. That has huge implications for what we do in schools.”
Learn more about the science of learning by enrolling in one of our free online courses!
… quick definitions of this year’s CES tech buzzwords.

Photograph courtesy NASA
… how Alexa is impacting children’s learning experiences.
Make a positive impact by using our Alexa app for the National Geographic GeoBee.
… the world’s loneliest frog found a friend.

Use our reference resource to find other amphibians at risk.
… protecting woolly mammoths might help save elephants.

Illustration by Raul Martin, National Geographic
Should we bring back woolly mammoths in order to protect them?
… as the Arctic warms, Svalbard is freezing.

Photograph by Prillen, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-3.0
Svalbard is one of the most popular destinations for our Grosvenor Teacher Fellows. Learn how one educator put her icy expedition to use.
… women are redefining ranching in the American West.

Photograph by William Albert Allard, National Geographic
What is ranching? Use our reference research to find out.
… protoplanetary discs can be perpendicular. Weird.

Illustration by University of Warwick/Mark Garlick
Take a look at the regular orbital plane to better understand the weirdness.
… dogs might be endangered species’ best friends.
How else are we putting canine noses to good, if unexpected, use?
… eating meat has dire consequences for the planet.

Graph by National Geographic magazine
What would happen if we all stopped eating meat?
… the top ten citizen science projects of the year.

Photograph by Carolyn Barnwell, National Geographic
Take a look at some more citizen science projects your class can get involved with!
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