Animals
Physics explains how snakes climb and stand without limbs
Tree snakes can raise their body into the air without falling over. They keep their balance by bending their bodies close to their base.
MS-PS2-4
Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
More Stories in MS-PS2-4
- Physics
Why are skis so long?
Let’s strap skis to an action figure to see how long sticks of wood help people glide gracefully over snow.
- Plants
Magnets mimic gravity’s guiding hand for plants growing in space
Without constant gravity, plants waste energy twisting and coiling, trying to reach toward the sun. Teen ISEF finalists might have found a solution.
- Physics
Eyelashes help fling water from our eyes
The “micro-ratchet” structure and curvature of eyelashes could help keep eyes clear of rain, sweat and tears.
- Physics
Explainer: What is friction?
The force of friction always acts to slow things down. It depends on just two factors: the surfaces and how hard they press together.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Force
When an object experiences a force, its change in motion — or acceleration — depends on its mass.
- Earth
A new clock shows how gravity warps time — even over tiny distances
This clock measured how gravity changes the passage of time in different places — even spots just one millimeter apart.
- Physics
Explainer: All about orbits
A handful of rules can describe the route some object repeatedly takes around another in space. Calculating that path, however, can be quite complex.
- Physics
Explainer: The fundamental forces
Four fundamental forces control all interactions between matter, from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest structures in the universe.
- Tech
A new device uses atoms’ quantum weirdness to peer underground
Quantum sensors like this one could monitor magma beneath volcanoes or uncover archaeological artifacts.
