All Stories by Bethany Brookshire
- Animals
Roadkill : Learning from the dead
Roadkill can be more than a smooshed-up carcass. Scientists study these highway casualties to learn more about wildlife and their environments.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Zika
Zika virus has burst into the news because it is linked with microcephaly — a condition where babies are born with small heads.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Precipitation
Chemicals can dissolve into a solution, but when they come out, they precipitate.
- Brain
Scientists Say: Amusia
When you can’t carry a tune, you might have amusia, a brain disorder where people can’t tell one note from another.
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Using the smallest words for the biggest concepts
Many people think that big scientific concepts require big, complex words. A new book shows that — in some cases — simple words work just as well.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Solution
In math, this is just the answer to your problem. In chemistry, this word means something else entirely.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Base
Bases are chemicals that contain negatively charged chemical groups made from oxygen and hydrogen. They lend coffee its bitter flavor and have pH rankings higher than 7.0.
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How kids ‘see’ scientists depends on what they read
When students draw a scientist, they rely on messages from textbooks and other media. Now do your own version of the experiment and see if your results match.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Acid
When a chemical tastes sour, ranks below 7.0 on the pH scale and has many hydrogen ions in its solution, it gets a special name.
- Genetics
Scientists Say: Mutation
Information in an organism is stored in a code. Here’s the word scientists use to describe a change in that code.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Keratin
Keratin is a fibrous protein that gives our nails and hair their strength.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Umami
What’s the word for something savory? Umami is a taste, and is often described as being meaty.
