Science & Nature


Sunrise landscape, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN, and Oconaluftee Valley, Cherokee, NC

Seven Places to Get Outside This Summer– and the Environmental Heroes to Thank for Them

Source: Smithsonian Magazine

During these isolating times, outdoor areas can offer a safe space to explore while practicing social distancing and taking proper safety precautions. Skim the article and choose two locations to learn more about.


Haunted house

Evolutionary psychology explains why haunted houses creep us out

Source: The Conversation

An old and dilapidated house being reclaimed by greenery. Creaky floorboards and shifting walls that seem to groan. Intimidating exterior looming in the darkness. All possible elements of a “haunted house,” but what exactly do we find so scary? Read on to discover a psychologist’s take on the subject.









Loch Ness Monster in silhouette

Loch Ness “Monster” Sighted for the First Time in May of 1933, Igniting a Modern Legend

Source: History.com

On May 2, 1933, the newspaper Inverness Courier ran the first story of a couple who claimed to have seen “an enormous animal” splashing around in the local lake. Over the subsequent 92 years, the legend has only grown. What about you? Do you think there is something in Loch Ness? What convinced you?