Tattoos have a long history going back to the ancient world – and also to colonialism
The Picts, the indigenous people of what is today northern Scotland, were documented by Roman historians as having complex tattoos. Theodor de Bry, via Wikimedia Commons Allison Hawn, Arizona State University Tattoos have a long history going back to the ancient world – and also to colonialism. While most of us would likely care to […]
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Smelling in stereo – the real reason snakes have flicking, forked tongues
Long misunderstood, snake tongues have fascinated naturalists for centuries.reptiles4all/iStock via Getty Images Plus Smelling in stereo – the real reason snakes have flicking, forked tongues Kurt Schwenk, University of Connecticut As dinosaurs lumbered through the humid cycad forests of ancient South America 180 million years ago, primeval lizards scurried, unnoticed, beneath their feet. Perhaps to avoid […]
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Youth Can Connect Food Choices to a Healthier Planet
5 Ways Youth Can Connect Food Choices to a Healthier Planet Although many young people care deeply about global issues like food and the environment, they don’t necessarily see these matters as connected. By learning more about the source of their food and the benefits of making nutritious choices, eating appropriate portions, and minimizing food […]
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Why do cats knead with their paws?
Why do cats knead with their paws? A behavior from kittenhood persists in many adult cats. Byron Chin/flickr, CC BY-NC-SA Julia Albright, University of Tennessee Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. Why do cats like to […]
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High-speed camera mounted on a spinning lawnmower blade
High-speed camera mounted on a spinning lawnmower blade High-speed camera mounted on a spinning lawnmower blade Mounting a Chronos 1.4 high-speed camera on a spinning lawnmower blade, and dropping things into the upside-down mower, recorded at 5900fps. This started out as a project to see what the camera could take, it turns out it can […]
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Prepare Your Kids to Head Back to School
Prepare Your Kids to Head Back to School (Family Features) Whether your child’s stance on heading back to school is eager and enthusiastic or falls a bit short of that level of excitement, by working together your family can gear up for a successful school year. Transitioning back into school mode can feel overwhelming for […]
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To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring
To navigate the dangers of the web, you need critical thinking – but also critical ignoring Kids can be taught to read the web critically. Os Tartarouchos/Moment/Getty Images Sam Wineburg, Stanford University The web is a treacherous place. A website’s author may not be its author. References that confer legitimacy may have little to do […]
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Mary Ball Washington She’s well worth saluting.
Mary Ball Washington, George’s single mother, often gets overlooked – but she’s well worth saluting Mary Washington helped her son develop into the leader he became. While her son was the subject of several portrait artists, there is no record that Mary ever was. Stock Montage/Getty Images Martha Saxton, Amherst College On Mother’s Day, it […]
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Why we remember more by reading
Why we remember more by reading – especially print – than from audio or video When mental focus and reflection are called for, it’s time to crack open a book.Noam Galai/Getty Images Naomi S. Baron, American University During the pandemic, many college professors abandoned assignments from printed textbooks and turned instead to digital texts or […]
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Student loan debt is costing recent grads much more than just money
Student loan debt is costing recent grads much more than just money Kate Padgett Walsh, Iowa State University; Dalié Jiménez, University of California, Irvine, and Raphaël Charron-Chénier, Arizona State University President Joe Biden promised to forgive up to US$10,000 in student loan debt during his 2020 campaign. Now, a few months into his presidency, over […]
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How do people make paper out of trees and why not use something else?
How do people make paper out of trees, and why not use something else? Future notebook paper? Not4rthur/Flickr, CC BY-SA Beverly Law, Oregon State University Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. How do people make paper […]
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This supermoon has a twist
This supermoon has a twist – expect flooding, but a lunar cycle is masking effects of sea level rise This April full moon is known as the pink moon because it heralds the arrival of spring flowers. Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images Brian McNoldy, University of Miami A “super full moon” is […]
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You don’t have a male or female brain
You don’t have a male or female brain – the more brains scientists study, the weaker the evidence for sex differences Brain sex isn’t a thing. Sunny/Stone via Getty Images Lise Eliot, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science Everyone knows the difference between male and female brains. One is chatty and a little nervous, […]
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