Frankenstein science

Dino feathers

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8/15/22 Thank you for subscribing to The Cheat Sheet, from Science News Explores. If you like this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up for our weekly updates. Got questions, suggestions or comments? Email us at sns@sciencenews.org and put “The Cheat Sheet” in the subject line. We’d love to hear from you. Coming Soon Frankenstein Day might seem like a holiday better suited for October than August, but it’s coming up on August 30. On this day — Frankenstein author Mary Shelley’s birthday — please enjoy some of our favorite stories about researchers attempting to bring back the dead, create synthetic life and construct unnatural combinations of organic parts.  Although no one has figured out how to electrically spark life like Dr. Frankenstein, some scientists have hacked the electrical signals between cells to change how animals grow tissue. Coaxing tadpoles to grow eyes inside their guts and growing brain tissue elsewhere in frogs’ bodies may lay the groundwork for fixing birth defects or regrowing organs in people.  Other scientists are combining pieces of living tissue in strange and creative ways. Whereas Dr. Frankenstein was stuck stitching together limbs, these innovators are working at the finer scale of cells to build robots that are part creature, part machine. Such “biohybrid” robots could someday be used to perform medical procedures or work in pollution cleanup. Meanwhile, 3-D printed meat made from an ink of lab-grown cells could offer an alternative to eating animals. And some scientists are even attempting to build individual cells from scratch, hoping to one day create artificial microorganisms for producing food, fuel or medicines.  Of course, it would be a disservice to Mary Shelley’s memory to discuss any of these research avenues without questioning the moral implications. That’s why many of our stories — and associated classroom questions — invite students to consider the thorny ethics of tampering with organics. These reflections are only becoming more important as modern science becomes, in some ways, even more fantastical than Shelley’s iconic monster novel. Catch up with the latest from Science News Explores Earth’s rock collection hints at how to search for life elsewhere: A new way to sort minerals focuses on how they formed. It provides new clues about Earth’s crystal past and how to find life on other planets. Readability: 7.2 Resources: power words, alternate version at Science News Warm feathers may have helped dinos survive mass Triassic die-off: Dinosaurs may have weathered freezing conditions about 202 million years ago, thanks to warm, feathery coats. Readability: 6.8 Resources: power words, alternate version at Science News Your face is mighty mite-y. And that’s a good thing: Tiny face mites live in our pores, getting food and shelter in return for eating our skin waste. A new study shows they can’t live without us. Readability: 6.0 Resources: power words Explainer: How the Doppler effect shapes waves in motion: The Doppler effect describes how waves are compressed or stretched when their source — or receiver — is moving. Readability: 7.0 Resources: power words Let’s learn about heat waves: Heat waves often occur when a high-pressure system lingers over a certain area. These deadly events are on the rise due to climate change. Readability: 6.0 Resources: power words, video, word find puzzle Scientists Say: Trauma: No one experiences trauma the same way. Its effects can be physical or emotional. Immediate or delayed. Brief or long-lasting. Readability: 7.4 Resources: power words, audio recording A New Magazine for Kids Learn more and subscribe to Science News Explores, a new magazine designed to satisfy young readers’ curiosity about how the world works.      SUBSCRIBE NOW   We’re on Instagram! Did you know that sharks have been around longer than Saturn’s rings? Learn more from our Instagram post about sharks, and follow @sn.explores for more fun science facts from our Let's Learn About series. Find out more about the resources available for using Science News Explores 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! Privacy policy  |  Update Profile  | Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe This email was sent by: Society for Science 1719 N Street NW Washington, DC, 20036, US