HS-ESS3-1

Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.

  1. Environment

    Australian wildfires pumped smoke to record heights

    Wildfires in Australia in late December and early January spurred an unusual smoke plume that still hasn’t fully dispersed.

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  2. Health & Medicine

    Deadly heat: Expected by century’s end, it’s here already

    Instances of hot and humid conditions that threaten human lives are on the rise.

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  3. Earth

    Ancient Arctic ‘gas’ melt triggered enormous seafloor explosions

    Methane explosions 12,000 years ago left huge craters in bedrock on the Arctic seafloor. Scientists worry more could be on the way today as Earth’s ice sheets melt.

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  4. Archaeology

    Silk Road’s origins may date back millennia

    The mountain treks of ancient herders helped mold a cross-continent trade network known as the Silk Road.

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  5. Environment

    Fighting big farm pollution with a tiny plant

    Fertilizer runoff can fuel the growth of toxic algae nearby lakes. A teen decided to harness a tiny plant to sop up that fertilizer.

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  6. Oceans

    Explainer: What is a tsunami?

    Earthquakes and landslides can create huge waves that travel across oceans.

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  7. Environment

    Scientists Say: Fracking

    Liquid fuel sources such as natural gas and petroleum form deep underground between layers of rock. To retrieve them, engineers often use a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

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  8. Science stars are on display at the White House

    One hundred students from 30 states participated in the fourth annual White House Science Fair in Washington, D.C.

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  9. Oceans

    Sea changes

    Carbon dioxide is making the oceans more acidic.

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  10. Earth

    Quake leaves destruction, fear

    In Japan, an earthquake started a tsunami that caused a nuclear disaster.

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  11. Humans

    A diamond polish for ancient tools

    People in Stone Age China may have used diamonds to polish their stone axes.

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  12. Earth

    Digging into a tsunami disaster

    A powerful earthquake under the Indian Ocean changed Earth's surface and spin.

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