DEET (short for N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is the most widely used insect repellent in the world for a very good reason – it works really, really well! Just a quick spray on exposed skin keeps mosquitoes, flies, fleas, chiggers, and ticks away. Developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and patented by the U.S. Army […]

Middle school students are often intrigued by the excitement of exploration and the adventures of explorers, as their enthusiasm for Indiana Jones attests. Space exploration should be no exception. With new images now available from the Mars explorer, Phoenix, teachers can capitalize on student interest in exploration to meet some of the Earth and Space […]

Distinguishing between science and science fiction can be a good reinforcement activity for students learning the characteristics of science. Cognitively, middle school students are able to differentiate between fantasy and reality. But because science is not always intuitively obvious, distinguishing science fact from science fiction can be more challenging. Today’s blog encourages you to use […]

Typically, a middle school life science study of cells explores the ways cells get what they need and get rid of waste, and the cell cycle concept, including how cells reproduce through mitosis. Discussion of cancer at this time is appropriate since cancer cells share the needs of normal cells in terms of obtaining nutrients […]

Many middle school curricula include attention to ancient American people and their cultures. This blog entry may be helpful in making connections to the nature of science and scientific enterprises as part of an integrated approach in studying the Anasazi or ancient Peublos. The story titled “Vanished: A Pueblo Mystery,” published in the New York […]

This week’s blog draws from several news sources—washingtonpost.com, The New York Times, Science News Online and Science Friday. All these sources have stories and photos related to a study published March 7, 2008, in Science by researchers Victor Polyak and Carol Hill. (Science Friday features a 15-minute audio clip of an interview with Polyak.) The […]

Is your unit on climate and weather approaching? Here’s some current research you can use to enrich students’ understanding of weather. It can help you make real-world connections from the textbook and classroom to the research scientists working to understand the science of hurricanes.
The news comes from ScienceDaily. The article, Increased Hurricane Activity Linked to […]

The irony of Greenland’s name has intrigued many of us, but according to a January 8, 2008, New York Times story, In Greenland, Ice and Instability, the irony may be short-lived. A series of unusually warm springs has increased the ice melt, and contributed to a cascade of related events. The melting ice is darker […]

Depression, Exercise, and Genetics
Chances are some your students or their family members are currently battling depression, and thus may be interested in this story. The link between regular exercise and mood enhancement has been known for some time now. Scientists have established that exercise increases levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, which in […]

With the popularity of science-fiction movies like Jurassic Park that simplify the effects of DNA and genes and ignore environmental factors, teachers may find it challenging to convey to students the important role of the environment on gene activities, and vice versa.
For example, individuals may possess a gene combination that could predispose them to certain […]