MS-ESS3-3

Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

  1. Earth

    ‘Tree farts’ make up about a fifth of greenhouse gases from ghost forests

    Heat-trapping gases from dead trees play an important role in the environmental impact of “ghost” forests.

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  2. Animals

    Common parasite may help mussels survive heat waves

    By whitening shells, the organism helps the shellfish stay cool on sunny days, a new study suggests.

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  3. Materials Science

    ‘Smart’ pasta morphs into fun shapes as it cooks

    The trick to this shape-shifting are grooves cut into the raw pasta. Those grooves affect how the noodles swell as they cook.

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  4. Environment

    Pond scum can release a paralyzing pollutant into the air

    New study finds blooms of blue-green algae can seed the air with a poisonous pollutant.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Warning: Wildfires might make you itch

    Western wildfires are on the rise due to climate change and land use. Now a study adds eczema to the list of health risks that smoke might trigger.

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  6. Earth

    Only 3 percent of Earth’s land is unchanged by people

    A sweeping survey of land-based ecosystems finds that very few still support all the animals they used to. Reintroducing lost species could help.

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  7. Agriculture

    New technologies might help keep drought-prone farms green

    After learning how much damage drought can do to crops, two teens designed ways to detect a thirsty plant and make sure it gets enough water.

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  8. Tech

    No animal died to make this steak

    The ribeye steak is the first of its kind, and the latest in a growing list of meats printed with a 3-D bioprinter instead of being harvested from an animal.

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  9. Tech

    New robots can clean virus-laden surfaces so people won’t have to

    Smart and nimble cleaning robots will soon help disinfect spaces. They twist and bend to hit hard-to-reach spaces with UV light or cleansing sprays.

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  10. Earth

    Here’s how lightning may help clean the air

    Airplane observations show that storm clouds can generate huge quantities of air-cleansing chemicals known as oxidants.

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  11. Ecosystems

    Analyze This: Invasive species cost the world billions each year

    A new study estimates that invasive species have cost the world more than $1 trillion since 1970. That’s almost certainly an underestimate.

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  12. Chemistry

    New recycling technologies could keep more plastic out of landfills

    Recycling plastics is really hard — especially into useful materials. But new chemical tricks could make recycling easier.

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