HS-LS2-4

Use a mathematical representation to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem.

  1. Climate

    Analyze This: Climate change could make food less healthy

    Levels of important nutrients are lower in crops exposed to high levels of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. How high? Try levels expected to be typical 30 years from now.

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  2. Science & Society

    Cool Jobs: New tools to solve crimes

    Future investigators may identify criminals by the microbes they leave behind or by using DNA-like evidence from strands of their hair.

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  3. Agriculture

    Sheep poop may spread poisonous weed

    Fireweed is a poisonous plant in Australia. Sheep can eat it without hurting themselves. But a teen found those sheep may be spreading more weeds.

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  4. Animals

    Industrious badger caught burying an entire cow

    Badgers are known to bury small animals. That allows them to save a meal for future dining. Now researchers have caught them caching something much bigger: young cows.

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  5. Environment

    Cleaning up water that bees like to drink

    Plant roots suck up pesticides used on soils, then release them into water that can seep from their leaves. This is a sweetened water that bees love to sip. A teen figured out how to remove most of the pesticide with bits of charcoal.

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  6. Animals

    Malaria parasites lure mosquitoes to infected hosts

    Malaria parasites leave behind an alluring molecule in their hosts’ blood. It draws mosquitoes to sip it, helping spread the disease these carry.

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  7. Computing

    Germs power new paper batteries

    New paper-based batteries rely on bacteria to generate electricity. These ‘papertronic’ power systems may be a safer choice for remote sites or dangerous environments.

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  8. Environment

    Food-like smell on plastic may lure seabirds to eat it

    When plastic smells like supper, seabirds and other animals can be fooled into thinking it is food.

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  9. Environment

    Ocean of the future may make shrimp small and colorful

    Carbon dioxide released into the air can end up in the ocean, making it more acidic. A teen showed that this acidification could shrink shrimp and make them more colorful.

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  10. Tech

    Water sensor quickly detects algal poison

    A new sensor can detect poisons from harmful algae within minutes so that drinking-water plants can start timely treatments.

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  11. Ecosystems

    Earthworms: Can these gardeners’ friends actually become foes?

    Asian jumping worms can strip leaf litter from floor of U.S. forests, new data show. Many native plants need that leaf litter for their seeds to germinate.

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  12. Ecosystems

    Algae embedded in sea ice drive the Arctic food web

    Scientists traced where zooplankton in the Arctic get their energy from. Many open ocean species rely on algae found in sea ice, which is disappearing.

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