MS-LS1-3
Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
- Brain
A taste map in the brain is a scattering of tiny flavor islands
Some senses are highly organized in the brain. Taste is not. And that points to just how important it is.
- Animals
Touching allows octopuses to pre-taste their food
Special sensory cells in their arms’ suckers sense chemicals. Those cells allow them to taste the difference between food and poison.
- Health & Medicine
Strongest bones come from Goldilocks recipe of exercise and rest
Building strong bones for life depends on adolescents staying active and getting enough sleep. Sometimes a lot of sleep, like 11 hours!
- Animals
Ogre-faced spiders listen closely to snatch bugs from the air
Ogre-faced spiders can hear prey sneaking around behind them. Low frequencies can trigger a blind, backwards attack.
- Animals
The diabolical ironclad beetle is nearly unsquishable
The diabolical ironclad beetle is an incredibly tough little creature. A peek inside its exoskeleton reveals what makes it virtually uncrushable.
- Health & Medicine
Warning! Junk foods can harm a teen’s brain
The adolescent brain has a hard time resisting junk food. But high-fat, high-sugar diets can interfere with learning and pose risks to mental health.
- Health & Medicine
Teen athletes with even mild COVID-19 can develop heart problems
COVID-positive student athletes, some with no symptoms, have developed heart inflammation and more. They are new reasons to limit coronavirus exposure.
- Brain
Kids use more of the brain than adults do to process language
The brain continues to grow and mature throughout childhood. One big change occurs in which parts of the brain turn on as someone processes language.
- Climate
The faster trees grow, the younger they die
As climate change spurs forest tree growth, it also shortens trees’ lives. That results in a quicker release of climate-warming carbon back into the atmosphere.
- Animals
Let’s learn about bones
Bones hold us up and help us fight gravity with every step. They also make blood cells, hormones and more.
- Ecosystems
‘Vampire’ parasite challenges the definition of a plant
Langsdorffia are stripped down to their essentials. Lacking green leaves for photosynthesis, they steal energy and nutrients from other plants.
- Animals
A single chemical may draw lonely locusts into a hungry swarm
Swarms of locusts can destroy crops. Scientists have discovered a chemical that might make locusts come together in huge hungry swarms.
