MS-LS2-3

Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

  1. Plants

    No sun? No prob! A new process might soon grow plants in the dark

    Teamwork makes green-work! Collaborating scientists came up with an electrifying farming trick that could make sunlight optional.

    By
  2. Environment

    Ponds made to control floods can spew climate-warming gases, study finds

    Younger stormwater ponds can release more carbon in gases than they absorb, a study finds. That could aggravate global warming.

    By
  3. Environment

    Widely used pesticides may threaten Earth’s ozone layer

    Data show a major class of long-used “eco-friendly” copper chemicals unexpectedly react with soil, making gases harmful to Earth’s protective ozone layer.

    By
  4. Ecosystems

    Scientists Say: Decay

    This word can refer to rotting flesh or the transformation of radioactive atoms.

    By
  5. Environment

    Recycling a climate-warming gas could make ‘greener’ farmed fish

    Instead of warming the climate, methane gas can be collected to help farmers. Along the way, it may also save some fish.

    By
  6. Microbes

    Scientists Say: Bacteria

    Bacteria get a bad rap for making people sick, but only a tiny portion of these single-celled creatures cause disease.

    By
  7. Life

    In blazing heat, some plants open leaf pores — and risk death

    When heat waves and droughts collide, water is precious. Some thirsty plants try to cool off by opening tiny pores — only to lose water even faster.

    By
  8. Animals

    Rewilding returns lost species to strengthen ecosystems

    Restoring the missing species can help undo human-caused problems by aiding forests, slowing climate change and reducing wildfires.

    By
  9. Earth

    Scientists Say: Savanna

    Savannas exist where there is more rainfall than in a desert, but less than in a forest.

    By
  10. 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.

    By
  11. Animals

    Meat-eating bees have something in common with vultures

    Flesh-eating bees have acid-producing gut bacteria, much as vultures do. It lets them safely snack on rotting meat.

    By
  12. 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.

    By