Superbowl Science

Schools start too early

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1/23/23 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. In the News With the Super Bowl fast approaching, it’s time not only to stock up on chips and dip, but also to dive into some football-related science! The physics of throwing a perfect spiral, for instance. Or how one statistician is using data to forecast things like player performance.  Of course, it’s impossible to talk about sports science without touching on head injuries, which are all too common in football. Studies of grade-school and college football players have shown that knocks on the head don’t have to cause concussions to leave marks on the brain. And some research suggests that brain disease is the rule rather than the exception for football players — although other data show that players are not necessarily doomed to long-term brain damage. New technologies such as better helmets could offer players more protection in future.  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   Catch up with the latest from Science News Explores Let’s learn about why schools should start later: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that for health reasons, middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Readability: 6.0 Resources: power words, word find puzzle, video Armored dinos may have used tail clubs to bash each other: Broken spikes on a fossil dino’s sides are consistent with the armored beast having received a mighty blow from another ankylosaur’s tail club. Readability: 7.6 Resources: power words, alternate version at Science News Explainer: All about carbon dioxide: Animals and other life on Earth exhale carbon dioxide, which plants use for photosynthesis. But too much of this gas can perturb Earth’s climate. Readability: 7.8 Resources: power words, video Green energy is cheaper than fossil fuels, a new study finds: Switching over to clean, renewable power — and away from fossil fuels — could save trillions of dollars by 2050, a new study finds. Readability: 7.6 Resources: power words, graph Neandertals were a lot like our human ancestors: From toolmaking to healthcare, new research finds that Neandertals shared many cultural and social similarities with our human ancestors. Readability: 6.3 Resources: power words, classroom questions, word find puzzle Explainer: What is decarbonization?: Lowering carbon levels in our atmosphere to stabilize the climate may start with switching from fossil fuels to greener energy sources. Readability: 8.1  Resources: power words, video Underwater cameras get a new power source — sound!: Needing no batteries, a new digital camera can run almost continuously to offer new, deeper insights into the ocean world. Readability: 8.1 Resources: power words, classroom questions Scientists Say: Fission: Nuclear fission is the process of splitting atoms apart to release huge amounts of energy. Readability: 7.5 Resources: power words, audio recording Opportunity It’s time for the New York Times 4th annual STEM Writing Contest! Students will choose an issue or question in STEM that interests them and write a 500-word explanation that engages and enlightens readers. Here is a rubric for the contest , which is open to students ages 11–19. Submissions are due Wednesday, February 15. Winning entries will be published by the New York Times. You can read last year’s winning essays here.   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