MS-PS4-2
Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
- Space
Scientists caught a black hole ringing like a bell
Two black holes merged, creating a new, bigger one. This event triggered the clearest ripples in spacetime ever observed.
- Physics
How polarized and UV-blocking sunglasses protect our eyes
Their filters can cut glare to help us see more clearly. The best ones also filter out the sun’s UV rays — even on cloudy days — to limit eye damage.
- Physics
Much of the sun’s light is green. Why does it look yellow?
Sunlight's peak intensity is at a green wavelength. Here’s why it doesn’t appear that way to us.
- Physics
Physics finally explains the sound of clapping
The “Helmholtz resonator” concept is responsible for the sound produced by hand-clapping.
- Microbes
Living lenses? Glass-coated microbes might take better photos
Bacteria with a gene from sea sponges can coat themselves in glass. Working as tiny, bendable lenses, they could lead to thinner cameras or sensors.
- Materials Science
Orange food dye can temporarily turn skin transparent
When mixed with water and rubbed on the skin, a common food dye allows researchers to peer inside the body of a mouse.
- Earth
Analyze This: Why do atmospheric ‘ghosts’ glow green after red sprites?
Green ghosts — blurs of light that sometimes follow lightning — get their color from oxygen and metals in space dust.
- Physics
Experiment: Making music with bottles
In this study, we investigate how the volume of air inside a bottle affects the pitch of the musical notes it can create.
- Humans
Experiment: Why does the moon look larger on the horizon?
In this experiment, let’s investigate Emmert’s law, which may explain the full moon optical illusion.
- Space
Scientists Say: Astronomical interferometry
This technique links up many telescopes to see the universe in finer detail than any single telescope could alone.
- Physics
Experiment: Measure the speed of light with a laser
Grab a laser pointer and some Jell-O, because today we’re measuring the speed of light.
- Plants
Flowers may electrically detect bees buzzing nearby
The discovery may reveal how plants time nectar production and share information with neighboring blooms.
