All Stories by Katie Grace Carpenter
- Plants
Scientists Say: Fertilize
This word describes both a stage of sexual reproduction and the agricultural practice of adding nutrients to soil.
- Humans
Scientists Say: Prehistoric
Researchers rely on prehistoric tools and other artifacts to study the vast stretches of time before recorded history.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Vertebrate
Animals with spines, or vertebrates, come in all shapes and sizes.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Lignin
This rigid polymer transports water and gives trees their strength.
- Math
Scientists Say: Imaginary Number
These numbers may not be “real,” but they sure aren’t make-believe.
- Tech
Scientists Say: Robot
These task-doers handle jobs as simple as vacuuming the floor and as complex as navigating extraterrestrial terrains.
- Tech
A puff of air could deliver vaccines needle-free
A new Nerf gun-like device may make injections safer, faster and easier.
- Life
Scientists Say: Mycelium
These fibrous networks are the reason plants think fungi are such "fun guys.”
- Tech
This electronic bandage sterilizes wounds with flashes of light
Dentists have sterilized medical equipment with ultraviolet-C light for years. Applying this tech to bandages had proven a challenge — until now.
- Psychology
Scientists Say: Neurodivergent
This often-misunderstood word describes someone whose brain works a little differently from most.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Valence electrons
These far-out electrons do the hard work when it comes to chemical reactions.
- Ecosystems
Scientists Say: Predator and Prey
Ecological relationships between predators and their prey drive the evolution of plants, animals and microbes.
