HS-LS2-2

Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.

  1. Ecosystems

    Secret forest fungi partner with plants — and help the climate

    Forest fungi are far more than mere mushrooms. They explore. They move nutrients and messages between plants. They can even help fight climate change.

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  2. Animals

    Baleen whales eat — and poop — a lot more than we thought

    The amount of food that some whales eat and then poop out suggests these animals have a powerful influence over ocean ecosystems.

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  3. Animals

    Cockatoos learn from each other how to open garbage bins

    The bin-opening behavior is an example of social learning. It’s also the basis of a foraging culture. Learn more in this web comic.

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  4. Genetics

    Explainer: What is RNA?

    A partner to DNA, cells use this molecule to translate the instructions for making all of the many proteins that your body needs to function.

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  5. Plants

    Well-known wildflower turns out to be a secret meat-eater

    Look closely at Triantha occidentalis, and you’ll see gluey hairs — and a trail of insect corpses on its stem.

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  6. Animals

    Analyze This: Some female hummingbirds go undercover

    Some female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds boast bright blue colors similar to males. That may help females blend in to avoid attacks.

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  7. Environment

    Cheatgrass thrives on the well-lit urban night scene

    Middle-grade campers team up with ecologists at Denver University to show that streetlights boost the growth of a reviled invasive species.

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  8. Animals

    Cloning boosts endangered black-footed ferrets

    A cloned ferret named Elizabeth Ann brings genetic diversity to a species that nearly went extinct in the 1980s.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    COVID-19 can infect kids — and risks sickening some severely

    Not all are equally impacted. Even among supposedly low risk groups, concerns intensify as the super-contagious delta variant sweeps across the globe.

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  10. Animals

    Uncovering secrets of the glasswing butterfly’s see-through wings

    The tricks of its transparency include sparse, spindly scales and a waxy coated membrane.

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  11. Earth

    Let’s learn about Antarctica

    This continent is dry, windy and very cold — and home to penguins, ice and a lot of scientific research.

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  12. Animals

    Spiders can take down and feast on surprisingly big snakes

    Snared in sticky webs and subdued by poison, even venomous snakes can become a spider’s soup.

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