Science News for Kids articles from January 2008

Science News for Kids archives from January 2008

Arctic melt.
January 9, 2008... Earth's North and South Poles are famous for being cold and icy. Last year, however, the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean fell to a record low. Normally, ice builds in Arctic waters around the North Pole each winter and shrinks during the...

Monkey math.
January 9, 2008... You add like a monkey. No, really. Recent experiments with rhesus macaques suggest that monkeys do high-speed addition in much the same way as people do. Duke University researchers Elizabeth Brannon and Jessica Cantlon tested college...

Sweeeet! The skinny on sugar substitutes.
January 9, 2008... Cookies, soda, candy, chocolate: It can be hard to resist the temptation of sugary-sweet treats and drinks. But sugar is high in calories, and eating too much of it can cause w eight gain and other health problems. That's why millions of...

Babies prove sound learners.
January 16, 2008... It can be hard to know what newborns want. They can't talk, walk, or even point at what they're thinking about. Yet babies begin to develop language skills long before they begin speaking, according to recent research. And, compared to...

Diamond glow.
January 16, 2008... Diamonds are expensive because they're beautiful and rare. But fake diamonds often sell for a lot of money, too, because they can look very real. Now, scientists have discovered a way to distinguish certain genuine diamonds from...

Memory by hypnosis.
January 16, 2008... Hypnosis can seem like magic. When in this dreamlike state, people are easily convinced to do things they wouldn't normally do. Now, scientists have used hypnosis to study the mind's amazing and mysterious ability to focus on certain...

Heart revival.(Brief article)
January 30, 2008... When your heart works like it's supposed to, it keeps you alive and well. But when the heart fails, people can get very sick or even die. Now, scientists have found a way to turn dead rat hearts into living ones. It's a medical first, and...

Powering ball lightning.
January 30, 2008... Ball lightning is one of the strangest objects you might never see. The rare, basketball-sized fireballs occasionally form in nature after lightning strikes soil. They can float or bounce and last for several minutes before disappearing. ...

The secret lives of grizzlies.
January 30, 2008... The first time Lynne Nelson entered a den of hibernating grizzly bears, she felt a little nervous. The captive bears had known her since they were babies, but they hadn't eaten in weeks. And each young-adult animal weighed more than 150 pounds....