Lindsey Konkel | Science News for Students

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Lindsey Konkel

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Scientists are looking to change the recipe for ice cream so that this yummy treat won’t melt before we get to eat it.

Bestwork/iStockphoto

 Chemistry
Banana plant extract can slow how fast ice cream melts
Tiny plant particles delay the speed at which this treat will turn into a soupy mess
Mexico City

Mexico City is one major urban area frequently plagued by heavy air pollution. Studies conducted there and elsewhere show now link such pollution with lesions in the brains of adults and even children.

lanabyko/iStockphoto

 Pollution
Dirty air can harm your brain and stress the body
Studies show pollution can alter brain function in students and disrupt hormones
vape liquids
Liquids for electronic cigarettes come in a variety of flavors — with and without nicotine. A new study finds that vapors from even those without nicotine can still poison cells.
MakcouD/iStockphoto
 Toxicology
E-cigarettes don’t need nicotine to be toxic
Vaped liquids produce gases that can damage and kill human cells
cash register

Some cash-register receipts contains BPA. Scientists are worried about how much of this hormone-mimicking pollutant rubs off and enters the body. New data show it’s much longer than had been expected.

artisteer/istockphoto

 Toxicology
Touching receipts can lead to lengthy pollutant exposures
BPA can linger in the body for a week or more after handling treated paper
shoveling dirt

People often look at soils as just compacted dirt. In fact, soils are alive with microbes, worms and more. And their ingredients, which vary widely, can help everyone from crime fighters to anthropologists and climate scientists.

Jurgute/iStockphoto

 Earth
Cool Jobs: Unearthing the secrets of soil
These scientists get dirty to investigate unsolved mysteries
periodical cicada on a leaf

Periodical cicadas spend most of their life underground, sucking sap out of tree roots. Once every 13 or 17 years, they all emerge from the ground to mate and then die.

USDAgov

 Chemistry
Why are cicadas such clumsy fliers?
Chemical analysis of the insects’ wings by a teen and his dad now offers clues