HS-ESS3-4

Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

  1. Animals

    Explainer: People can sicken animals

    Wildlife can sometimes become infected with germs shed by people.

    By Amanda Leigh Mascarelli
  2. Animals

    Tiny earthworms’ big impact

    Invasive earthworms change North American landscapes, for better or worse.

    By Cecile LeBlanc
  3. Environment

    Cleaning clothes dirties oceans

    Washing polyester fabrics sends plastics to sea.

    By Stephen Ornes
  4. Environment

    Swirling seas of plastic trash

    Long-lasting oceanic garbage threatens marine life.

    By Amanda Rose Martinez
  5. Health & Medicine

    Sunlight worsens jet pollution

    Chemical reactions caused by the sun’s rays worsen air pollution from idling jets at airports.

    By Stephen Ornes
  6. Animals

    Big fish in troubled waters

    Overfishing cuts number of large predator fish in the ocean.

    By Stephen Ornes
  7. Materials Science

    Battery powered to heal

    With its own first-aid kit, this battery can really keep going.

    By Stephen Ornes
  8. Environment

    Floor of Gulf got slimed

    Oil from BP spill was likely dragged down by bacterial goo.

    By Stephen Ornes
  9. Environment

    Planting seeds for better plastic

    Scientists are working to put the bio in plastics.

    By Emily Sohn
  10. Fossils

    Downsized dinosaurs

    Island living may have led to miniature versions of giant dinosaurs.

    By Emily Sohn
  11. Tech

    Cold house, hot house, green house

    Saving energy at home requires paying attention to the building's windows, walls, and roof.

    By Emily Sohn
  12. Environment

    Alien invasions

    Around the world, plants, animals, fungi, and other life forms are ending up in places where they don't belong.

    By Emily Sohn