Students at public schools in Boston, Massachusetts, will soon be looking at the world in a new way. Social studies teachers there will be using a new type of map that shows the world’s continents in slightly different sizes and positions than we usually see them.
Author: Monique Conrod
Scientists Working To Save Arctic Ice Cap
A team of scientists has come up with a plan they say could help rebuild the Arctic ice cap. The ice cap is a huge area of sea ice that covers most of the Arctic Ocean all year round.
Usually, the sea ice gets thicker and spreads further each winter, but this hasn’t happened for the past few years.
Last month, the ice cap had shrunk to its smallest size since scientists began keeping records of it 38 years ago. The weather in the Arctic has been unusually warm this winter. Some days, temperatures have been 20 degrees Celsius higher than is normal for this time of year. This month, the temperature was above 0°C at least one day.
NASA Discovery: 7 Earth-Sized Planets
Scientists from NASA announced on February 22 that they have discovered seven planets orbiting a nearby star. The planets are all about the same size as Earth, and three of them are in what scientists call the “habitable zone.”
(The habitable zone is the area of space around a star where a planet is most likely to have liquid water on its surface. Scientists believe water is necessary for anything to live on a planet.)
Millions Around The World Join Women’s Marches
Millions of people around the world joined protest marches on January 21 to show their support for women’s rights and other causes.
The marches were inspired by the Women’s March, which was held in Washington, D.C., the day after Donald Trump officially became President of the United States. The Women’s March was organized to protest Trump’s policies. Many people believe his policies are a threat to basic rights and freedoms for women and for people of minority religions and races.
Canada’s New National Bird?
Will the gray jay be Canada’s new national bird?
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) thinks the gray jay should be named the national bird of Canada. It is hoping the federal government will make it official in time for the country’s 150th birthday in 2017.
Astronauts Will Turn Trash Into Tools
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) may soon be able to turn their used forks and knives into tools and satellite parts.
Tethers Unlimited Inc., an aerospace technology company, has developed a system that combines a waste recycling machine with a 3D printer.
Astronauts will put waste items made of plastic into the recycling machine, called the Positrusion Recycler. When they press a button, the Recycler will sterilize and melt down the plastic and turn it into 3D filament.
Space Probe Will Fetch Asteroid Sample
A NASA mission to bring samples from an asteroid’s surface back to Earth could help scientists better understand how our solar system began. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sept. 8. The unmanned probe is on a […]
Astronauts Return From Year In Space
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko returned to Earth on March 2 after a 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station. The nearly one-year mission is the longest amount of time an American astronaut has ever spent in space.
Scientists Now Certain There Is Water On Mars
Scientists at NASA announced last week that they have found evidence of liquid water on Mars. The discovery has given scientists new hope that some form of life might exist on the planet.
Making Glue Less Sticky
Getting that last drop of glue out of the bottle will soon be easier, thanks to a new lubricant called LiquiGlide.
A lubricant is a substance that reduces friction between two surfaces. LiquiGlide reduces the friction between the walls of a container and the liquid it holds so the contents will slide out more easily.
