SCIENCE Democracy isn’t just for humans. New research suggests African wild dogs make group decisions, too—and vote by sneezing. (Nat Geo) What are African wild dogs? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas The fascinating new research reports that some packs of African wild dogs sneeze to communicate. Do other wild animals use their voices to … Continue reading Democratic Dogs Vote by Sneezing
ENVIRONMENT They’re more venomous, more aggressive, and “Holy crap. I have never, in my entire career as an ant researcher, seen *anything* like this.” (The Atlantic) What are fire ants? Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas Take a look at some of the jaw-dropping photos of fire ant colonies floating in the floodwaters of the … Continue reading Floating Fire Ants Mess with Texas
Alison Travis, this week’s Educator of the Week, helped her students visit the dens of bears, the nests of birds, and the underwater homes of ocean creatures. Students followed their own curiosity to study an animal of their own choosing and used virtual reality technology to visit those creatures at home. Alison is a kindergarten teacher at Prospect Ridge Academy in Broomfield, Colorado. How would … Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Exploring Animal Habitats in Virtual Reality
SCIENCE Can something as simple as a treated net change the way mosquitoes actually behave? The answer may be yes. (NOVA Next) Learn more about the science of mosquito nets with our great little study guide. Discussion Ideas New research indicates that mosquitoes may develop behavioral resistance to insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). What are ITNs? Take a look at our study guide for some help. Insecticide-treated … Continue reading Are Mosquitoes Outsmarting Mosquito Nets?
What did you learn this week? Let us know in the comments or at education@ngs.org. This week, we learned … … how to terraform Mars. What materials are necessary to terraform Mars?What materials are necessary to terraform Mars? How would terraforming a planet determine what organisms could be introduced there? … pre-K might not be all it’s cracked up to be. What are your … Continue reading 11 Things We Learned This Week!
