Tag: radioactivity

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

Radioactive Lagoons at Atomic Test Sites

SCIENCE Scientists found lingering radioactivity in the lagoons of remote Pacific atolls where the United States conducted nuclear weapons tests more than 50 years ago. (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) The ocean isn’t the only place radiation is lingering—meet the scientists who pee plutonium. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit, including today’s simple MapMaker Interactive map.   Discussion … Continue reading Radioactive Lagoons at Atomic Test Sites

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Classroom Ideas, Current Event Connection, Main

Finland Finds a Place for Nuclear Waste

SCIENCE Other countries have hit political roadblocks in finding a lasting fix to the world’s nuclear waste problem. Finland, meanwhile, has been quietly breaking ground. (Wall Street Journal) What is nuclear waste? Use our great resource to better understand nuclear energy and its discontents. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas The Wall Street Journal article … Continue reading Finland Finds a Place for Nuclear Waste

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Current Event Connection

The Scientists Who Pee Plutonium

SCIENCE Members of the exclusive UPPU Club lived and breathed radiation . . . literally. (War is Boring) See the club’s group project here. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas The short essay never explains how the exclusive UPPU club got its name. What do you think? Pu is the chemical symbol of the element … Continue reading The Scientists Who Pee Plutonium

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Current Event Connection, Geography In the News

Animals Run Wild in Chernobyl

ENVIRONMENT Removing humans from the exclusion zone around the damaged Chernobyl nuclear reactor has allowed wildlife to return. (BBC) What happened at Chernobyl? Use our resources to find out. Discussion Ideas The entire human population around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station was evacuated in 1986. Why? Take a look at our short article on the disaster for some help. According to our article, “workers in … Continue reading Animals Run Wild in Chernobyl

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Current Event Connection, Geography In the News, Main

Crusty Old Australia

SCIENCE Australia holds the oldest continental crust on Earth, researchers have confirmed, rocks some 4.4 billion years old. (National Geographic News) Use our resources to learn more about the oldest stuff on Earth, and our planet’s other extremes. Discussion Ideas The new study suggests the Jack Hills zircons were part of Earth’s primitive crust, formed about 100 million years after the Earth itself. So, what … Continue reading Crusty Old Australia

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