ENVIRONMENT Tiny pieces of plastics are turning up in the feces of seals that feed on whole fish, demonstrating how seaborne contamination can move up the food chain. (Seeker) Use our inquiry-based activity to help guide student discussion about human impact on ocean animals. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas New research documents the presence … Continue reading Seal Scat, Plastic Pollution
SCIENCE What will happen to Astronaut Scott Kelly’s body during his year in space? With a nod to Leonardo, NASA diagrams it for us. (NASA) Do you really need to ask why astronauts are awesome? Well, here are 5 Reasons Why to get you started. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas First, a little background: … Continue reading What Happens to Astronaut Poop? Look to the Skies!
HEALTH “I watched the piles of feces go up the conveyer belt and drop into a large bin. They made their way through the machine, getting boiled and treated. A few minutes later I took a long taste of the end result: a glass of delicious drinking water.” —Bill Gates Bill Gates has drunk a glass of water made from human feces to showcase technology … Continue reading From Poop to Potable with Bill Gates
SCIENCE Marine biologists unravel baleen whales’ remarkable “manuring mechanism”—and secrets of the ocean food web. (NPR) Let our resources fill you in on all you ever wanted to know about marine food webs but were afraid to ask. Discussion Ideas Read the typically terrific article (with illustrations!) by one of my very, very favorite journalists, Bob Krulwich. Then, compare this photo of whale poop with this … Continue reading The Power of Poop, the Circle of Life
