Animals
Analyze This: How sea slugs get their flashy colors
Crystals beneath the skin of nudibranchs, also called sea slugs, allow the creatures to make an array of intense hues with just one material.
MS-PS4-2
Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
More Stories in MS-PS4-2
- Life
Scientists Say: Biophoton
All living things glow with this mysterious light. But scientists need ultra-sensitive tools to detect it.
- Physics
Physics explains why sneakers squeak on the basketball court
We’re hearing a shoe’s sole wrinkling in bursts that repeat thousands of times each second.
- Physics
Could a Star Wars lightsaber work?
The main problem with real-world lightsabers is that they would pass through each other. This means no intergalactic duels between Jedis and Siths.
- Space
Scientists Say: Bolide
It starts as a flash. Then comes the sonic boom. The boldest meteors often go out with a bang.
- Physics
Could a person ever wield lightning as a weapon?
From the shocking powers of electric eels to laser-guided lightning, aiming electricity is more real than it sounds.
- Animals
Is it possible to be invisible?
Fiction is full of characters with the power to vanish. But some animals have real-life ways to become nearly invisible.
- Fossils
Here’s why ammolite gems have a rainbow shimmer
The fossils’ fabulous colors arise from delicate assemblies of crystal plates.
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Tenebrescence
Under ultraviolet light, some minerals adopt long-lasting new hues.
- Humans
Scientists Say: Chronohygiene
Artificial lights and other aspects of modern life can confuse our body’s internal sleep clock. But a few minor changes may grant us much-needed control.
