Monday, December 13, 2021

Sci-fi science

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12/13/21

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Coming Soon

Life, as they say, imitates art. Celebrate National Science Fiction Day on January 2 with Science News for Students stories about real technologies inspired by sci-fi ideas. Engineers are already hard at work on diagnostic tricorders and tractor beams like those seen in Star Trek. Futuristic tools featured on Star Trek: The Next Generation, including eyewear for the visually impaired, are also in the works. Other sci-fi machinery, such as elevators to space and artificial gravity , are further off. But scientists are trying to make both concepts a reality.

Of course, science fiction doesn’t just provide inspiration for inventors. The genre challenges audiences to examine the philosophical and ethical questions raised by new innovations. Science News for Students, too, investigates some of the thorniest questions surrounding emerging technologies. Can you teach a robot right from wrong? Should humans exercise control over the weather ? Would reviving extinct species be responsible or reckless? If science fiction has taught us anything, it is that considering the implications of scientific and technological advances may be just as important as the advances themselves.

Catch up with the latest from Science News for Students

Let’s learn about the hunt for alien life: Finding extraterrestrials, from advanced alien civilizations to simple microbes, would be an unmatched discovery. Readability: 6.0 Resources: power words, word find puzzle,video

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. Readability: 7.5 Resources: power words, video,alternate version at Science News

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. Readability: 6.8 Resources:   power words, classroom questions, word find puzzle, video

Vikings were in North America 1,000 years ago: Wooden objects provide the most precise dating yet for a Viking settlement on the coast of Newfoundland in Canada. Readability: 7.4 Resources: power words

Genes point to how some bacteria can gobble up electricity: A new study shows how some microbes absorb and release electrons — a trait that may point to new fuels or ways to store energy.  Readability: 7.7 Resources: classroom questions, power words

Explainer: Understanding electricity: Here’s what allows you to plug in and power up the devices in your life. Readability: 8.0  Resources: power words

Scientists Say: Experiment: An experiment is a set of procedures to learn about the world — and an important part of the scientific process. Readability: 7.3 Resources: power words, audio recording

Analyze This

Excess nutrients from sewage can kill off fish and other creatures in coastal ecosystems. But which areas are at highest risk? In the latest installment in our data-literacy series, Analyze This, students can examine maps to learn about the location and severity of sewage pollution in coastal areas around the world.

Find out more about the resources available for using Science News for Students stories for learning. And if you like this newsletter, please share it with a friend or colleague. Did someone share this with you? Subscribe to this newsletter here. If you’ve got questions, suggestions or comments, email us at sns@sciencenews.org. Thank you for reading!