Science News for Kids articles from September 2006

Science News for Kids archives from September 2006

Dinosaur dig.
September 6, 2006... It was hot and dry when I spent the Fourth of July digging for fossils on the 5E Ranch north of Billings, Mont. This sort of weather isn't unusual in central Montana. Some parts of the state are nearly a mile above sea level and get only 10...

Bacteria power a tiny motor.(mycoplasma mobile)(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... There's a good chance that you've seen a horse pulling a carriage or dogs hauling a sled. For the latest use of animal power, however, you'd need a microscope to see the critters in action. Researchers in Japan have found a way to use...

A rainforest trapped in Amber.(Brief article)
September 6, 2006... A group of paleontologists has found gold in the western Amazon. No, not the type of gold that's made into jewelry or coins. Instead, the fossil-hunting scientists discovered ancient, gold-colored rocks that have tiny plants and insects trapped...

Copycat monkeys.
September 13, 2006... Imitation can be annoying--like when your little brother or sister repeats everything you say. It can also be fun--like during a game of follow-the-leader. Imitation is also an important way for babies to learn about interacting with...

Getting enough sleep.
September 13, 2006... One of the greatest things about growing older is that you get to stay up later. And it's not just your parents who make that decision. Your body gives you permission to enjoy the darker hours too. Recent research has shown that brain...

Roach love songs.
September 13, 2006... It's hard to feel romantic around cockroaches, but some male roaches whistle soft music to entice their sweethearts. The whistled sounds are surprisingly complicated and even almost birdlike. The chirps, trills, and squeaks of many insects,...

A puffy planetary puzzle.(HAT-P-1b )
September 20, 2006... Astronomers recently made a fuss about Pluto, saying that it's not really big enough to be called a planet (see "Pluto and the Plutons"). Now, they're making a fuss about a planet that might be the largest one yet discovered. The newfound...

Oldest writing in the new world.
September 20, 2006... You don't normally expect anything exciting to happen while building a road. But, several years ago, road builders in southern Mexico found a large stone slab covered with marks. Scientists have now concluded that these signs may be the oldest...

Sea giants and island pygmies.
September 20, 2006... The natural world is full of extremes. Elephants and whales are huge. Minnows and mice are small. But it's also possible to find pygmy elephants, enormous rodents, and giant squid. Such surprising size variations have sent scientists...

A change in leaf color.
September 27, 2006... Every autumn, traffic creeps along New England's roads as visitors look everywhere but at the road. These tourists flock to the region as soon as leaves begin to change color from a summery green to spectacular shades of red, orange, yellow,...

Flying on wings and legs.
September 27, 2006... A bird with feathered legs that help it fly may sound strange, but a scientist says that the earliest known bird could have used its legs in just that way. Archaeopteryx lived 150 million years ago and had teeth and claws like a dinosaur,...

How to silence a cricket.
September 27, 2006... Among the things that come to mind when thinking about night are darkness, the moon, bedtime, and, in many places, chirping crickets. The list may soon get shorter in the lowlands on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, where flies have targeted a...