Life
Scientists Say: Phenology
This field of science identifies the environmental cues behind life cycle patterns.
MS-LS1-4
Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
More Stories in MS-LS1-4
- Animals
As toddlers, chimps are major risk takers
Human kiddos are generally too closely supervised to be able to monkey around as much as young chimps. Instead, older kids — teens — are usually the bigger risk takers.
- Plants
Scientists Say: Pollination
Plants call upon wind, water or helpful animals to carry out this crucial step of their life cycle.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Kleptotrichy
Based on the Greek words for theft and hair, kleptotrichy is a more common bird behavior than people thought.
- Animals
Captive-breeding axolotls may help avoid their extinction
The axolotl program's success shows promise in helping protect this highly popular amphibian — currently found in only one lake — from dying out in the wild.
- Animals
Tick, tick, tick. In a first, a shark is heard making noise
The undersea world can host a symphony of fish grunts, hums and growls. Now add tooth-clacking sharks to the score.
- Humans
Biological sex is more complex than just male or female
Trying to define sex with just two options fails to reflect the wide range of natural variation in human genetics, hormones and biology.
- Animals
A springtail’s spring-loaded backflip is fast — really fast
Globular springtails can seem to vanish as they spin backwards at rates of up to 368 rotations per second! So don’t blink.
- Animals
Balmy ‘saunas’ help frogs fend off a deadly fungus
Hanging out in small sun-warmed hideaways could help some frogs resist deadly chytrid fungus, a new study finds.
- Plants
This squid-like ‘fairy lantern’ plant is new to science
A newly named species of fairy lantern — a parasitic plant — sports tentacles and grows among leaf litter and rotten logs in Malaysian rainforests.
