Rollercoasters, haunted houses, scary movies — we enjoy being scared, but have you ever wondered why? Some scientists think being scared is good for us!
Tag Archives: Science & Nature
How Plants Cope with the Desert Climate
How do desert plants survive their harsh climate? This article by Mark A. Dimmitt, Director of Natural History at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, explains the strategies plants use to keep the desert blooming.
Human Genome Project
Learn about the intensive research project that definitively showed the bonds among all humans.
What Is Infrared?
Your eyes are able to perceive many wavelengths of light as colors. But not all light is visible to the human eye. Here’s a closer look at some of what you can’t see—infrared light.
Modern Humans Retain Caveman’s Survival Instincts
Snakes and spiders top lists of things people fear, even though accidents and diseases are deadlier. The reason why harks back to the experiences of our early ancestors.
Teen Climber Survives Deadly Everest Avalanche
Matt Moniz was named “Adventurer of the Year” in 2010 by National Geographic when he was just 12! At 17 years old he realized his dream to climb Mount Everest but was also caught up in a deadly avalanche.
Out of Eden Walk
Paul Salopek is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who is retracing our ancestors’ migration out of Africa on foot. This epic journey began in Ethiopia in 2013 and will end this year at the tip of South America. Explore the walk and some of the latest stories from the journey.
Animal Intelligence
Get an overview of how intelligence appears across the animal world and why humans care so much about it.
Kids need to offset ‘screen time’ with ‘nature time’
This article and video discuss ‘nature deficit disorder’ and the benefits of being in nature on our emotional, physical, and mental health.
Woman On Street Attacked By Giant Snail, It Seems
The artist Julian Beever uses perspective to create amazing sidewalk art that looks three-dimensional—as long as you look at it from the right angle.
How a Nuclear Meltdown Works
Nuclear meltdowns are very rare but dangerous. Read about how nuclear reactors work and what causes a meltdown.
Phobias may be memories passed down in genes from ancestors
Why might someone whose grandfather mined coal be afraid to go underground? It’s no coincidence.
How Hate Works
Hatred is borne from many factors, both neurological and sociological; it can lead people to seek vengeance and leaders to implement large-scale atrocities such as the Holocaust.
Teenage brains in the digital world
Teens may be more immersed in the digital world than their parents, and that’s a good thing for their brains. This article explores how technology is making teens’ brains more flexible and better able to adapt to change.
Environmental Justice History
Read about the start of the environmental justice movement, when activists protested the location of hazardous waste sites in low-income and minority communities.
Finding Adventure Beyond Nature
Traveler and writer Amy Ragsdale shares how exploring both the parks and building-lined streets of New York City can trigger an examination of the relationship between man and nature.
Laws of Man and Laws of Nature
People have always sought to impose order on nature, not only by taming landscapes and creatures but also by developing an understanding of how and why nature works the way it does. In this blog post, Marcelo Gleiser ponders the differences between the laws humans make and the laws by which nature functions.
Your Guide to How the Eye Sees
Like anything you have with you all the time, you might take your eyes for granted. But how the eye translates the light falling onto an object into an image your brain can make sense of is pretty amazing. Here’s an overview.
Cyclops Myth Spurred by “One-Eyed” Fossils?
Greek mythology is filled with impossible events and bizarre creatures, but where did the idea of a one-eyed giant come from? Archaeologists have a theory.
Watch a Rescued Baby Wombat Bond with his Caretaker
Adorable baby animal videos are all over the Internet; find out the touching story behind one of them.