HS-LS2-1

Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales.

  1. Agriculture

    Organic food starts to prove its worth

    Organic food often comes with a higher price. But research is showing that food grown this way can be better for the environment — and possibly for us.

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  2. Microbes

    The bugs within us

    Hordes of bacteria live inside people and other animals. This ‘microbiome’ can affect the development of the blood-brain barrier, food choices — even mating.

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  3. Animals

    Return of the bed bug

    Bed bugs have staged a comeback over the past 15 years. The bloodsucking parasites succeeded through a combination of evolution and luck.

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  4. Environment

    Deep-sea fish show signs of exposure to pollution

    A new study suggests deep-water fish may have health problems linked to human pollution. Eating these fish may expose diners to the same pollution.

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  5. Microbes

    Making a microbe subway map

    We are surrounded by bacteria, fungi and other tiny organisms. Now, high school scientists have contributed to the first map of microbes in the New York subway system.

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  6. Animals

    Cats and foxes are eating up Australia’s mammals

    Since the arrival of Europeans in Australia, a startling number of mammal species have disappeared. A new study puts much of the blame on cats and foxes introduced by the early settlers.

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  7. Animals

    Scientists seek bat detectives

    Bats emit high-pitched calls in the night to find their way around. A citizen science project is eavesdropping on these calls to probe the health of ecosystems.

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  8. Animals

    Rare as a rhino

    Most species are rare. Some have always been rare. A problem develops when people are responsible for accelerating a species’ rarity to the point that extinction threatens.

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  9. Microbes

    The HIV cure — that wasn’t

    Immediate and aggressive drug treatment of a baby born with HIV appeared to have cured the girl. In fact, a follow-up shows, she still has the disease.

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  10. Animals

    Free app tracks fireflies

    Scientists are worried about firefly populations. Now you can use a free app to map firefly flashes, and contribute data to tracking the health of this popular summertime bug.

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  11. Animals

    Decoding bee dances

    Biologists have started eavesdropping on bees — or their dancing sign language — to identify where these buzzers prefer to forage. This info is pointing to which bee-friendly habitats may be most important to preserve.

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  12. Animals

    Move over cheetah: Mite sets new speed record

    A super-speedy species sprints faster than any other land animal — for its size, a new study finds. Scientists may someday tap this tiny mite’s technique to create robots and other devices that zip around at sensational speeds!

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