Science News for Kids articles from September 2007

Science News for Kids archives from September 2007

Color-changing bugs.(Panamanian golden tortoise beetle )
September 5, 2007... A variety of animals can dramatically change the colors of their bodies to blend with the environment or to ward off predators, among other reasons. Such creatures, including chameleons and squid, usually switch shades by altering the size...

Lessons from a lonely tortoise.(Lonesome George)
September 5, 2007... Puerto Ayora, Ecuador-- At first glance, the world's rarest creature looked just like a big boulder. I had scanned a large, plant-filled enclosure several times before locating him: a 70-something-year-old tortoise named Lonesome...

Road bumps.
September 5, 2007... If you've ever been in a car that's traveling down a dirt road, you know how bumpy the ride can be. Dirt roads often develop ridges--and until recently, no one knew why. These bumps are usually several inches high, and they occur every...

Bee disease.
September 19, 2007... Honeybees are disappearing for unknown reasons around the United States (See "Where Have All the Bees Gone?"). The decline has been drastic: Last winter, bees disappeared from 23 percent of American beekeeping businesses. Causes of the...

Planet survivor.
September 19, 2007... In about 5 billion years, our sun will grow into a red giant star. Its outer atmosphere will swallow Mercury and Venus, the two planets closest to it. But what will happen to Earth, the next planet in line? No one is certain. Recently,...

The Buzz about caffeine.
September 19, 2007... You're drinking lots of cola at a party, when suddenly it hits: You! Are! Hyper! You jump around. You talk too fast. You laugh so hard that soda squirts out of your nose. Later, you can't fall asleep, and the next day, you're tired and feel...

Feathered fossils.
September 26, 2007... As dinosaurs go, Velociraptor mongoliensis is fairly famous. Three starred in the 1993 film Jurassic Park. Despite the creature's fame, scientists have found remains from only about 20 velociraptors. Most of those discoveries turned up in...

Listen and learn.
September 26, 2007... If you want to learn anything at school, you need to listen to your teachers. Unfortunately, millions of kids can't hear what their teachers are saying. And it's not because these students are goofing off. Often, it's the room's fault....

Wet or not?
September 26, 2007... Does Mars have liquid water on it or not? That question has been a hot topic for a long time, with evidence accumulating on both sides. The newest analysis has come out mostly negative. Based on the sharpest images ever taken of the Red...