Tag: algae

Classroom Ideas, Current Event Connection, Main

The Last Snow on Earth May Be Pink

ENVIRONMENT As glaciers thaw, one colorful group of microorganisms is thriving. (The New Yorker) Enough with the microbes—what else causes red snow? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit Text Set. Discussion Ideas The terrific New Yorker article explains the phenomenon of “watermelon snow.” What is watermelon snow? Watermelon snow, also called pink snow or blood snow, is … Continue reading The Last Snow on Earth May Be Pink

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Classroom Ideas, Current Event Connection, Geography In the News, Main

Did Tiny Algae Doom Mighty Dinosaurs?

SCIENCE Seventy million years ago, they all came to drink in the rapidly drying river: long-necked sauropods, fierce theropods, crocodiles, lizards, and raven-sized birds. They never left. (Science) How are animal remains fossilized? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit.   Discussion Ideas An intriguing new theory suggests that a series of harmful algal blooms (HABs) may have … Continue reading Did Tiny Algae Doom Mighty Dinosaurs?

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Current Event Connection

Coral Bleaching Crisis

ENVIRONMENT Scientists are warning that devastating bleaching of colorful coral is becoming a worldwide crisis. (Christian Science Monitor) Use our resources to learn more about coral reefs and the threats they face. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas Scientists have announced the emergence of a major worldwide coral bleaching event. What is coral bleaching? Read … Continue reading Coral Bleaching Crisis

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Current Event Connection, Main

Kelp Has Arrived . . . and It’s Raising a Stink

ENVIRONMENT Warmer air and water temperatures, combined with overseas tropical storms, delivered an ecologically desirable but olfactory disagreeable gift to the shores of Laguna Beach, California, this summer—copious amounts of kelp. (Los Angeles Times) Use our resources to see how kelp holds fast. Teachers: Scroll all the way down for a short list of key resources in our “Teachers’ Toolkit.” Discussion Ideas Laguna Beach, California, … Continue reading Kelp Has Arrived . . . and It’s Raising a Stink

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Main

Lichen It Already

A lichen is not a single organism, but made up of an “alga partner” and one ortwo “fungus partners.”  With genuine apologies to Robert Burns. Their love can be a bit crustose with areoles in bloom Their love can produce thread-like string, called hyphae, when they plume Their love has colonized the Earth from deserts to the ice These extremophiles exist on sand, on trees, … Continue reading Lichen It Already

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