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Latest science news, discoveries and analysis

The Maldives is racing to create new land. Why are so many people concerned?

Monkeypox virus: dangerous strain gains ability to spread through sex, new data suggest

DNA from ancient graves reveals the culture of a mysterious nomadic people

Atomic clock keeps ultra-precise time aboard a rocking naval ship

Who redefines airborne transmission: what does that mean for future pandemics, first glowing animals lit up the oceans half a billion years ago, breaking ice, and helicopter drops: winning photos of working scientists, ecologists: don’t lose touch with the joy of fieldwork chris mantegna, european ruling linking climate change to human rights could be a game changer — here’s how charlotte e. blattner.

Lethal AI weapons are here: how can we control them?

Living on Mars would probably suck — here's why

Dozens of genes are linked to post-traumatic stress disorder

What toilets can reveal about COVID, cancer and other health threats

How gliding marsupials got their ‘wings’, mini-colon and brain 'organoids' shed light on cancer and other diseases, how to freeze a memory: putting worms on ice stops them forgetting, your perception of time is skewed by what you see.

Any plan to make smoking obsolete is the right step

Will AI accelerate or delay the race to net-zero emissions?

Citizenship privilege harms science

Retractions are part of science, but misconduct isn’t — lessons from a superconductivity lab, we must protect the global plastics treaty from corporate interference martin wagner, current issue.

Surprise hybrid origins of a butterfly species

Stripped-envelope supernova light curves argue for central engine activity, optical clocks at sea, research analysis.

A chemical method for selective labelling of the key amino acid tryptophan

Charles Darwin investigates: the curious case of primrose punishment

Nanoparticle fix opens up tricky technique to forensic applications

Coupled neural activity controls working memory in humans

Robust optical clocks promise stable timing in a portable package, targeting rna opens therapeutic avenues for timothy syndrome, bioengineered ‘mini-colons’ shed light on cancer progression, ancient dna traces family lines and political shifts in the avar empire.

Shrouded in secrecy: how science is harmed by the bullying and harassment rumour mill

Londoners see what a scientist looks like up close in 50 photographs

How ground glass might save crops from drought on a caribbean island, deadly diseases and inflatable suits: how i found my niche in virology research, books & culture.

How volcanoes shaped our planet — and why we need to be ready for the next big eruption

Dogwhistles, drilling and the roots of Western civilization: Books in brief

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Science News Explores

Resources for using science news explores for teaching and learning, free resources to help students in the classroom or at home.

Jessica Yurinko/SSP

Science News Explores  publishes stories about recent research and current events across the full breadth of STEM fields. We offer several types of articles, including weekly features. Our articles are written for readers grades 5 and up, and many are paired to Science News articles appropriate for readers grades 9 and up.

Each article is associated with free additional content that can aid in learning and boost impact in classrooms and on overall science literacy. Some of these learning-specific resources are available to all website readers; others are available for free with registration.

Find out more about these resources as they’re updated by signing up for The Cheat Sheet , our weekly newsletter for educators and parents.

What’s in this guide

Article types, navigating science news explores, classroom resources available to everyone.

• Classroom resources free with registration
• More great resources from Science News Learning

News Stories : The latest in science news, written for everyone. These are shorter news pieces (typically 350 to 800 words), usually focused on a single research study or advance.

Features : Published weekly (usually on Thursday), these longer pieces (around 1,500 to 2,400 words) have a broader focus and include reference to several scientists and research projects.

Explainers : Science News Explores offers explainers on many topics, from areas of the brain to the greenhouse effect. Each is designed to help teens and others take a little deeper dive into the concepts that underlie the science and research we cover. Look for these explainers as convenient sidebars within news stories and features. Find a selection of our most-popular topics here , or check out the full collection .

Scientists Say : This series features a new vocabulary term every week. Want to know what “ keratin ” is, or how to pronounce “ niche ”? Find out here. Each term is defined, used in context and accompanies an audio clip so that students can hear how the words are pronounced.  Scientists Say  fulfills Common Core English Language Arts standards for reading informational text. Check out the full list of words here .

Experiments : In this series, we take students through real scientific research projects, showing kids how to apply the scientific method to develop their own experiments. We take normal classroom demonstrations and turn them into full experiments , with hypotheses, methods, results and analysis.

Let’s Learn About : This series presents a handful of stories on a topic, such as the sun or electric eels, along with relevant Scientists Say and explainers, a new word find puzzle and a link to fun content from somewhere on the internet, like an animal cam. These collections are meant to help kids learn more about a topic in STEM — with a bit of fun. Check out the full list of Let’s Learn About stories here .

Cool Jobs : Scientists aren’t just people working in labs wearing white lab coats. This series offers dozens of feature-length articles about careers in science, technology, engineering and math . From scientists who study  volcanoes  to those who study  art ,  crime scenes  or  pets , this series has something for everyone.

Invention and Innovation : Students today are growing up amidst a proliferation of new technologies. This series offers news stories on the latest in scientific innovations , from wet suits inspired by sea otters to tiny  robots that work in teams. This series is made possible with generous support from the Lemelson Foundation.

Analyze This : This series explores science through data, graphs, visualizations and more. Students are asked to interpret a visualization — and sometimes graph the original data. The series is intended to provide teachers with an easy-to-use tool for classroom learning about data interpretation .

Technically Fiction : These stories look into the science behind fiction , from Harry Potter and bigfoot to what it would take to make an elephant fly.

Wild Things : These stories use the graphic format of cartoons to tell fun stories about recent research in the realm of animal science.

Student Science Competitions : The Society for Science, which publishes Science News Explores , runs three student science competitions throughout the year: Broadcom MASTERS , the Regeneron Science Talent Search and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair . Science News Explores covers each event through profiles of competitors and highlights of winners .

Menu : Find links to story types, collections, classroom questions and more under “Explore” in the top navigation bar.

Topics : Stories are grouped into topics, such as “space,” “life” or “earth.” Each topic and any associated subtopics can be viewed in the dropdown menu at the top right of the page.

Search : Articles can be searched by keywords using the search bar at the top right of the page, located above the topics. You will then be able to narrow your search results by topic, date, NGSS or readability score. Add “questions” to your search to bring up classroom questions associated with that keyword.

Share on Google Classroom and more : Below the main image on every story, find share buttons for Google Classroom, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Reddit, along with buttons to let you print the article or share it over e-mail.

Further readings : Each article includes three further readings on the topic, located to the right of the story text. These links lead to other articles about similar topics, allowing teens to dig into a topic more deeply, following their scientific curiosity.

Power words : Each article comes with a set of “ Power words ” located beneath the text. These glossary terms help students understand the scientific words they may encounter in the news. Power words support Common Core English Language Arts standards for reading informational text.

Citations : Most articles will include a citation to any scientific research paper, report or meeting presentation referred to in the piece. The citation also includes a link, where available, so that educators and students can check out the primary sources of data and analyses that serve as the basis of news. This can be found at the bottom of the story page.

Additional classroom resources free with registration

Educators and parents may access the classroom resources listed below by providing an e-mail address in the classroom resources box on the upper right of the story. (We are trying to better assess how educators and parents use our site. We will not sell your e-mail address, but we may contact you with questions to help in our assessment. We promise not to spam you!) Once you enter your e-mail once, you will not be asked again for 30 days, or unless you use a different device to access the site.

Readability level : Each article includes a  readability score , indicated by a Flesch-Kincaid grade-level score of 6.0 to 9.0, which corresponds roughly to grade/year in school. You can also search for stories within a specified readability range.

Classroom/discussion questions : As of fall 2020, most articles contain a link to a series of classroom questions. The questions are broken into groups to be answered before, during and after reading to enhance reading comprehension. Some questions also can be used to stimulate classroom discussions. You can easily find these questions by searching for a topic plus “questions.”

Word find : Each feature-length article and entry from the Let’s Learn About series contains a word find puzzle, incorporating Power Words used within the article.

Another version in  Science News : Many Science News Explores stories have a corresponding version in  Science News . Science News stories tend to use more advanced terms and more complex sentence structures — and thus read at an upper high school to college-level Flesch-Kincaid score. In some instances, educators may wish to have some of their students tackle the Science News version and other students the one in Science News Explores . Both are written by the same team of renowned journalists and contain the same facts, citations and sources.

Next Generation Science Standards : Many stories contain codes related to the Next Generation Science Standards that they support. In addition, stories are searchable by the appropriate middle-school or high-school codes.

More great resources from Science News Learning : Science News Learning offers a digital library with more than 300 original STEM-related lesson plans that are connected to Science News and Science News Explores articles. They cover the breadth of the sciences. Lesson plans include comprehension questions , discussion prompts and activities that engage students with core high school and middle school concepts. All materials are tagged with Next Generation Science Standards.

Educators can access the lesson plans (for free) by providing an e-mail address when prompted. Public school educators who would like to join the program, which includes print copies of Science News mailed to your school along with other professional learning opportunities, can find out more information or sign up here . 

Science News Explores, Science News and Science News Learning are all part of the Society for Science .

Latest News

Eerie, orange skies loom over Athens as dust storm engulfs southern Greece

Sascha Pare published 24 April 24

A Saharan dust storm that reached southern Greece on Tuesday (April 23) has turned the sky over Athens and other Greek cities an apocalyptic reddish-orange hue.

DNA analysis spanning 9 generations of people reveals marriage practices of mysterious warrior culture

Kristina Killgrove published 24 April 24

Researchers reconstructed the relationships among nearly 300 Avars, people from a 1,500-year-old mysterious warrior culture in the Carpathian Basin.

Hidden 'biosphere' of extreme microbes discovered 13 feet below Atacama Desert is deepest found there to date

Researchers have found microbes thriving 13 feet beneath the scorched surface of Chile's Atacama Desert, marking the deepest discovery of microbial life in the region to date.

Enormous explosion in 'Cigar Galaxy' reveals rare type of star never seen beyond the Milky Way

Sharmila Kuthunur published 24 April 24

An incredibly brief, ultrabright explosion has led astronomers to a newfound magnetic star outside the Milky Way, which could be the first of many extragalactic magnetars, according to new research.

Giant prehistoric salmon had tusk-like teeth, just like a warthog's

Caroline Tien published 24 April 24

The largest salmon species ever discovered, Oncorhynchus rastrosus may have used its distinctive, tusk-like teeth to compete with rivals, defend against predators and dig nests.

Teotihuacan: Ancient city of pyramids

Owen Jarus last updated 24 April 24

This 2,000-year-old complex in Mexico was one of the largest urban centers in the ancient world.

Planet Earth

Massive heat wave and a supercell thunderstorm caused deadly, baseball-size hailstones to rain down on Spain

By Patrick Pester published 23 April 24

A giant-hail event that hit Girona in northwest Spain in 2022 was fueled by climate change, with a marine heatwave helping to intensify the storm that killed a small child.

Scientists discover once-in-a-billion-year event — 2 lifeforms merging to create a new cell part

By Sascha Pare published 22 April 24

Researchers think a microbe that was engulfed by an algal cell 100 million years ago has since evolved into an integral part of the cell's machinery.

• 2 Giant, 82-foot lizard fish discovered on UK beach could be largest marine reptile ever found
• 3 Global 'time signals' subtly shifted as the total solar eclipse reshaped Earth's upper atmosphere, new data shows
• 4 Scientists discover once-in-a-billion-year event — 2 lifeforms merging to create a new cell part
• 5 NASA's downed Ingenuity helicopter has a 'last gift' for humanity — but we'll have to go to Mars to get it
• 2 Scientists create 'toxic AI' that is rewarded for thinking up the worst possible questions we could imagine
• 3 4 solar flares simultaneously erupt from the sun in rare 'super' explosion — and Earth could be hit by the fallout
• 4 Ancient, 30-foot relative of great white shark unearthed in Mexico quarry
• 5 NASA reveals 'glass-smooth lake of cooling lava' on surface of Jupiter's moon Io

Explosive black hole flare from the center of our galaxy reconstructed from 'a single flickering pixel' using AI and Einstein's equations

By Robert Lea published 23 April 24

An explosive flare from the Milky Way's central black hole has been translated from 'a single flickering pixel' into a detailed 3D model using AI and Einstein's general relativity equations.

4 solar flares simultaneously erupt from the sun in rare 'super' explosion — and Earth could be hit by the fallout

By Harry Baker published 23 April 24

In the early hours of Tuesday (April 23), quadruple solar flares near-simultaneously exploded from across the sun's surface, and there's a good chance that one of these outbursts launched a solar storm toward Earth.

archaeology

Weapons chest found on wreck of 15th-century 'floating castle' sheds light on 'military revolution at sea'

By Tom Metcalfe published 23 April 24

The chest could help archaeologists understand the fire and explosion that sank the vessel.

George Washington's stash of centuries-old cherries found hidden under Mount Vernon floor

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 23 April 24

Enslaved people picked the cherries around 250 years ago, likely in pre-Revolutionary War times.

Fake Botox injections have sickened 22, hospitalized 11, CDC warns

By Nicoletta Lanese published 23 April 24

The CDC warned doctors about "counterfeit or mishandled" Botox injections that have caused clusters of illness in the U.S.

Detecting cancer in minutes possible with just a drop of dried blood and new test, study hints

By Emily Cooke published 22 April 24

Early tests suggest that a new tool that requires only a single drop of blood could detect three of the deadliest forms of cancer.

Can faking a smile make you feel happier?

By Tyler Santora published 22 April 24

Lab research often gives one answer about whether smiling can make you feel happier, but does that translate to the real world?

Glow-in-the-dark creatures appeared in Earth's oceans 540 million years ago

By Nicola Williams published 23 April 24

Bioluminescence traces back to the Cambrian era — 540 million years ago — and could have been used for communication, courtship and camouflage among the earliest ocean creatures.

Why do cats' claws retract but dogs' claws don't?

By Skyler Ware published 21 April 24

Why don't dogs claws retract like felines' do?

Southern grasshopper mouse: The tiny super-predator that howls at the moon before it kills

By Megan Shersby published 20 April 24

The southern grasshopper mouse is largely immune to the venom of the Arizona bark scorpion and will resort to cannibalism when times are tough.

Human Behavior

Why do people feel like they're being watched, even when no one is there?

By Angely Mercado published 18 April 24

The causes range from innocuous media exposure to severe mental illness.

Why did the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima leave shadows of people etched on sidewalks?

By Stacy Kish last updated 27 March 24

The nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of WWII left shadows of people on the ground and buildings. Here's why.

Why do babies rub their eyes when they're tired?

By Ashley Hamer published 18 March 24

Babies usually rub their eyes when they're tired, but why?

Physics & Mathematics

Scientists are one step closer to knowing the mass of ghostly neutrinos — possibly paving the way to new physics

By Ben Turner published 19 April 24

By precisely measuring the mass of neutrinos — ghostly particles that stream through your body by the billions each second — physicists could find some glaring holes in the Standard Model of particle physics. A new experiment has taken them one step closer.

The universe may be dominated by particles that break causality and move faster than light, new paper suggests

By Paul Sutter published 17 April 24

With the nature of the universe's two most elusive components up for debate, physicists have proposed a radical idea: Invisible particles called tachyons, which break causality and move faster than light, may dominate the cosmos.

Largest 3D map of our universe could 'turn cosmology upside down'

By Sharmila Kuthunur published 12 April 24

Scientists using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument have unveiled the largest 3D map of the universe ever. The results suggest that dark energy, the mysterious force pulling the universe apart, may be weakening, challenging prevailing theories of cosmology.

Inside the 20-year quest to unravel the bizarre realm of 'quantum superchemistry'

By Sam Lemonick published 29 March 24

More than two decades ago, scientists predicted that at ultra-low temperatures, many atoms could undergo 'quantum superchemistry' and chemically react as one. They've finally shown it's real.

Bismuth is so strongly repelled from magnets, it levitates. How?

By Victoria Atkinson published 23 March 24

The element bismuth can "float" between magnets due to magnetic levitation. What's the science behind this phenomenon?

Best chemistry sets 2024: amazing at-home chemistry sets for kids and adults

By Jake Green last updated 15 March 24

Get the reaction you're looking for with the best chemistry sets for kids and adults.

Scientists create 'toxic AI' that is rewarded for thinking up the worst possible questions we could imagine

By Drew Turney published 23 April 24

Researchers at MIT are using AI to train AI not to give toxic responses, using a new method that replicates human curiosity.

Save more than 50% on this Wi-Fi-enabled air purifier at Walmart

By Lloyd Coombes published 22 April 24

Deal Save big on a Dr J Professional air purifier for your home at Walmart, now under $100.

Google builds an AI model that can predict future weather catastrophes

By Drew Turney published 22 April 24

A new system uses generative AI to predict weather faster and more cheaply than ever — while detecting difficult-to-spot extreme weather events — beating the world's major weather agencies.

Environmental Science News

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Wednesday, April 17, 2024

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The Widest-Ever Global Coral Crisis Will Hit Within Weeks, Scientists Say

Rising sea temperatures around the planet have caused a bleaching event that is expected to be the most extensive on record.

By Catrin Einhorn

The world’s coral reefs are in the throes of a global bleaching event caused by extraordinary ocean temperatures, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and international partners announced Monday.

It is the fourth such global event on record and is expected to affect more reefs than any other. Bleaching occurs when corals become so stressed that they lose the symbiotic algae they need to survive. Bleached corals can recover, but if the water surrounding them is too hot for too long, they die.

Coral reefs are vital ecosystems: limestone cradles of marine life that nurture an estimated quarter of ocean species at some point during their life cycles, support fish that provide protein for millions of people and protect coasts from storms. The economic value of the world’s coral reefs has been estimated at $2.7 trillion annually .

For the last year, ocean temperatures have been off the charts .

“This is scary, because coral reefs are so important,” said Derek Manzello, the coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program, which monitors and predicts bleaching events.

The news is the latest example of climate scientists’ alarming predictions coming to pass as the planet heats. Despite decades of warnings from scientists and pledges from leaders, nations are burning more fossil fuels than ever and greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise .

Substantial coral death has been confirmed around Florida and the Caribbean, particularly among staghorn and elk horn species, but scientists say it’s too soon to estimate what the extent of global mortality will be.

To determine a global bleaching event, NOAA and the group of global partners, the International Coral Reef Initiative, use a combination of sea surface temperatures and evidence from reefs. By their criteria, all three ocean basins that host coral reefs — the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic — must experience bleaching within 365 days, and at least 12 percent of the reefs in each basin must be subjected to temperatures that cause bleaching.

Currently, more than 54 percent of the world’s coral area has experienced bleaching-level heat stress in the past year, and that number is increasing by about 1 percent per week, Dr. Manzello said.

He added that within a week or two, “this event is likely to be the most spatially extensive global bleaching event on record.”

Each of the three previous global bleaching events has been worse than the last. During the first, in 1998, 20 percent of the world’s reef areas suffered bleaching-level heat stress. In 2010, it was 35 percent. The third spanned 2014 to 2017 and affected 56 percent of reefs.

The current event is expected to be shorter-lived, Dr. Manzello said, because El Niño, a natural climate pattern associated with warmer oceans, is weakening and forecasters predict a cooler La Niña period to take hold by the end of the year.

Bleaching has been confirmed in 54 countries, territories and local economies, as far apart as Florida , Saudi Arabia and Fiji. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is suffering what appears to be its most severe bleaching event; about a third of the reefs surveyed by air showed prevalence of very high or extreme bleaching, and at least three quarters showed some bleaching.

“I do get depressed sometimes, because the feeling is like, ‘My God, this is happening,’” said Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a professor of marine studies at the University of Queensland who published early predictions about how global warming would be catastrophic for coral reefs.

“Now we’re at the point where we’re in the disaster movie,” he said.

The most recent confirmation of widespread bleaching, prompting Monday’s announcement, came from the Western Indian Ocean, including Tanzania, Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles and off the western coast of Indonesia.

Swaleh Aboud, a coral reef scientist at CORDIO East Africa, a research and conservation nonprofit group based in Kenya and focused on the Indian Ocean, said coral species that are known to be thermally resistant are bleaching, as are reefs in a cooler area considered to be a climate refuge.

Recently he visited a fishing community in Kenya called Kuruwitu that has worked to revive its reef. Many of the restored coral colonies had turned ghostly white. Others were pale, apparently on their way.

“Urgent global action is necessary to reduce future bleaching events, primarily driven by carbon emissions,” Mr. Aboud said.

Scientists are still learning about corals’ ability to adapt to climate change. Efforts are underway to breed coral that tolerate higher temperatures. In a few places, including Australia and Japan, coral appear to be migrating poleward, beginning to occupy new places. But scientists say a variety of factors, such as how much light penetrates the water and the topography of the sea floor, make such migration limited or unlikely in much of the world. Plus there’s the problem of ocean acidification; as seawater absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it becomes more acidic, making it harder for coral to build and maintain reefs.

Dr. Hoegh-Guldberg, who has studied the impact of climate change on coral reefs for more than three decades, was an author of a 2018 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that found the world would lose the vast majority of its coral reefs at 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, and virtually all at 2 degrees. Current pledges by nations put the Earth on track for about 2.5 degrees by 2100. Still, he has not lost hope.

“I think we will solve the problem if we get up and fight to solve the problem,” Dr. Hoegh-Guldberg said. “If we continue to pay lip service but not get on with the solutions, then we’re kidding ourselves.”

Catrin Einhorn covers biodiversity, climate and the environment for The Times. More about Catrin Einhorn

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The Use of Current Events as Assessment Tools

Introduction.

An important student learning outcome for students in biology courses is the ability to apply the information attained to “real life” situations. Newspaper articles covering course-related material provide an avenue for students to see how the material discussed in the course relates to life outside of the course. Assessment of students’ understanding of the articles provides an opportunity to measure how well students are able to apply information to situations outside of traditional coursework.

Newspapers have been described in the literature as tools to facilitate active learning in the science classroom. An article by Bondos and Phillips ( 2 ) describes using newspaper articles as the basis for a non-majors biology course. An article by Mysliwiec, Shibley, and Dunbar ( 4 ) describes incorporating newspaper articles in the science course to encourage active learning and to help students understand the role of science in their lives. As a result of their study, students reported that the assignments helped illustrate that “biology actually has something to do with our lives” and “it was interesting to read articles that we had just learned about in class.”

Current events can be used in a variety of ways to assess students’ application abilities. I use current events as assessment tools in several of my courses, including an allied health microbiology course and a non-majors genetics course. These tools can be adapted to fit any level of student or biology discipline.

Current events can be used as in-class active learning activities. I often give students short articles either at the start of class to help reinforce previous material or at the end of class to reinforce the current topics. The students read the article independently, but I give them the opportunity to work with a partner and discuss the questions. Articles in local papers are nice to use because the students typically feel comfortable and not intimidated by the content. It is also valuable to use articles with mistakes. Having the students identify the mistakes not only shows me that the students are learning important concepts, but it also alerts the students to the importance of critically evaluating what they read.

Another use of current events is as an independent assignment. Independent current events assignments serve as an excellent tool for encouraging students to pay attention to science in the news. An assignment that I use in both my microbiology and non-majors genetics classes requires students to find their own current event article that relates to some aspect of the course. The students must summarize the article, discuss how it relates to the course, and analyze the article for accuracy and relevance. This assignment gives students the opportunity to use what they have learned in the classroom, and gives me the opportunity to assess how well they are applying their knowledge. It also provides me with a great source of articles for use in future classes.

Current events can also be used as a means to measure improvement in students’ ability to understand current events. I always tell my students that I hope that after taking one of my courses, they can better understand the news. In an effort to see if that improvement was actually happening, I conducted a classroom research project during the winter and spring quarters of 2009 ( 3 ). The purpose of the project was to evaluate whether students improved in their ability to understand a subject-related newspaper article by the end of the course compared to their ability at the beginning. Additionally, I used a survey to collect data on the students’ perceptions of the use of current events in the classroom. This study involved approximately 57 students enrolled in an allied health microbiology class. The study included administering a pre- (first week of class) and post- (last week of class) current event news article assessment. In both cases, the students were given the same news article to read during class and then given a worksheet including both factual and application style questions related to the information in the article. The students were allowed to keep the article, but I did not return the pre-assessment questions. This prevented students from being able to “study” the answers before the post-assessment. The assessment article chosen related to many important course concepts including pathogens, virulence, and antibiotic use/misuse ( 1 ). Comparison of the pre- and post-assessment scores on both the factual and application style questions provided valuable insight into how well students increased their knowledge of the subject, as well as how they improved in their ability to apply that knowledge.

Analysis of the classroom data showed that the average correct responses on the factual questions improved from 41% on the pre-assessment to 77% on the post assessment (see Fig. 1 ). Average correct responses on the application questions improved from 14% to 63%. The improvement in scores from pre- to post-assessment was significant ( p < 0.001). There was a significant interaction effect in that student performance on application questions improved more than performance on factual questions ( p = 0.002). These data show that students are not only acquiring more microbiology knowledge, but they are also improving on their ability to apply that knowledge to a variety of contexts. Analysis of student responses to survey questions and open-ended comments showed that students valued current event assignments. Some of the student comments included: “I like tying course material to events outside of class …” and “I enjoyed the news articles, they helped me understand the information we learned in class a lot more. I liked applying what I learned to real life situations.” The results of the survey questions also showed that the students found the current events valuable. The average of students’ responses was 4.7 out of 5 with 5 being “strongly agree” when students were asked whether or not they felt that the current events helped them apply course material to “real world” situations.

Results for pre- and post-assessments. Sample factual question: “How is Clostridium difficile transmitted?” Sample application question: “Why would antibiotic therapy make a patient more susceptible to a Clostridium difficile infection?”

The results of my study are consistent with what has been reported in the literature. Current events can be used in numerous ways to help students connect classroom topics to real life situations. They are readily available and can be adapted to any class or student level. In addition, students see them as valuable.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the students in Microbiology in winter and spring quarters of 2009, and Robin Lightner for assistance with data analysis. This study was approved by the University of Cincinnati Institutional Review Board — Social and Behavioral Sciences as exempt. There was no supporting source for this project. The author and the affiliated institution did not receive payment or services from a third party for any aspect of this work. The author has no financial relationships or any other relationships/conditions/circumstances that present a potential conflict of interest.

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Students want to do more science experiments at school but have less access to practical work, says Royal Society and EngineeringUK survey

A new survey  for the Royal Society in partnership with EngineeringUK looking at attitudes towards science subjects, has revealed that despite 71% of students in years 7–11 wanting to do more practical science in schools (68% across years 10–11), access to hands-on practical work has declined.

Access to hands-on practical science for GCSE pupils has almost halved – possibly accelerated by COVID lockdowns – with video demonstrations on the rise, replacing hands-on practical work and teacher-led demonstrations. The proportion of years 10–11 (GCSE) doing hands-on practical work at least fortnightly dropped from 44% in 2016 to 26% in 2023. 

Doing practical science is a key incentive to learn science for students in years 7–9, with 52% choosing this as a motivating factor. Other encouragement factors include having a good teacher, finding science interesting, and relevance of science to real life. However, only two in five (42%) young people in years 7–13 consider an understanding of science as important to their everyday life.

Professor Ulrike Tillmann FRS, Chair of the Royal Society’s Education Committee, says:  "The wonderful thing about science is that it has a practical side. It is not just in your head, you can touch and feel it – whether in the classroom or as part of everyday life. Access to effective hands-on learning that students can tangibly connect to the real world will help make science feel more relevant and meaningful and provide valuable skills for life and work. The present situation means many young people may emerge from school without a sound appreciation of scientific methods, which are crucial for understanding how science works and being able to engage with scientific issues."

Appetite for more practical work is higher among groups with lower levels of engagement in science, including students who are not interested in science or who see science as ‘not for me’. The ‘not for me’ group is most likely to include girls, and students with a white or mixed ethnicity, and makes up 32% of young people surveyed in years 7–13.

The report also shows a drop in students’ interest in science and computer science subjects. Interest in science at school has declined from 76% in 2019 to 71% for years 7–9, and a clear gender gap has developed. In 2019, boys and girls in this age group were closely aligned in interest (77% vs 75%), but while interest has since dropped slightly to 76% for boys, there is a sharp fall to 65% for girls.

Lack of confidence or perceived ability in the subject is impacting interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) subjects and careers, particularly among girls. The perception that science is difficult is cited as the main barrier to studying science in years 7–9 by half (50%) of girls compared to less than a third (31%) of boys. Girls in this group are also less likely to think they are ‘good’ at the subject (43% vs 53% boys). 

Students are also increasingly less inclined to pursue a STEM career as they progress through school (especially girls in relation to technology, engineering and mathematics). For those in years 10-13 not interested in a STEM career, 57% of girls say this is because they don’t enjoy the subjects (vs 41% boys) and 38% (vs 20% boys) say they don’t feel they are good at them.

Dr Hilary Leevers, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK, says:  "We need hundreds of thousands more people entering STEM careers to get on track to meet net zero, to improve sustainability, and for the UK to prosper. The evidence of a declining interest in science is a serious wake-up call. It is clear that any future government must ensure that science and computer science are taught in a way that better interests students and boosts rather than undermines girls’ confidence. We must also ensure that all students have careers experiences that highlight opportunities in areas like engineering, that are barely visible in the current curriculum, but have critical workforce needs."

For students in years 10-13 who are interested in a STEM career, motivating factors include pay (42% for girls vs 50% for boys), societal benefits (35% for girls vs 26% for boys) and wanting to help others (37% for girls vs 18% for boys). According to the report, this may suggest the need for students to be better informed about the range of STEM career options available.

The survey was commissioned by the Royal Society in partnership with EngineeringUK, with support from Wellcome. More than 7,000 students between years 7 and 13 (aged 11–18) in state-funded schools and colleges in England during July to September 2023 were surveyed as part of the Science Education Tracker to assess young people’s attitudes towards and experiences of science education and careers. The first iteration of the survey was run by Wellcome in 2016 and repeated in 2019 . This report is the third iteration and is the first to include questions about engineering.

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Young people should have every opportunity to lead rewarding lives, and this significantly depends on having access to the best possible education. Ensuring that future citizens from all backgrounds experience a good education is the most effective pathway to fulfilling careers, meaningful engagement with society and developing a sense of place and purpose in a rapidly changing world.

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Teach Current Events With These Free Worksheets From The Week Junior

Article summary worksheets and news accuracy tips for grades 3-8! 🗞️

The Week Junior magazine is a kid-friendly, unbiased current events news source. It’s a safe and trusted partner to help you explain to kids what’s happening in the world while providing fun reading content including puzzles, recipes, crafts, and more. 

The benefits of using current events in the classroom are practically endless. News stories help students better understand their communities, new perspectives, and real-world events. Introducing current events in the classroom can promote critical thinking, empathy, reading skills, global awareness, and so much more. Whether you’re assigning weekly current events summaries or conducting a single lesson, our free current events worksheets for grades 3-8 are the perfect companion.

Inside, you’ll find two options for current event summaries. In addition, our savvy news reader tips and activity will guide students through determining if an article is trustworthy. In a world of so many media outlets, news literacy is a crucial skill!

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Current Events Summary Worksheets

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• When giving current events assignments, give students the option to use one of two article summary worksheets to get started.
• Choose from a graphic organizer–style worksheet or a traditional fill-in worksheet to evaluate an article.

News Accuracy Worksheets

• Begin a lesson on news literacy. Use the list tips to educate students on determining a news article’s accuracy and credibility.
• Then, have students complete the corresponding worksheet to practice what they learned and evaluate a news article on their own.

The Week Junior , an Unbiased Classroom Current Events Resource

The Week Junior magazine is an awesome way to expose 3rd through 8th grade readers to current events through a kid-friendly, unbiased magazine. There’s something for every student, with sections on sports, culture, movies, crafts, recipes, and so much more! Get a free issue of The Week Junior , and watch kids dive into this interactive reading resource.

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Astronomy Current Event Assignment

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Elevate your students’ engagement with the wonders of the cosmos through our  Astronomy Current Event Assignment . In this assignment, students take the reins of discovery as they seek out articles related to astronomy, delving into the latest developments and breakthroughs in the field.

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Clear instructions and expectations guide students on what to include in their summary, ensuring a focused and comprehensive exploration of their chosen astronomical topic. This assignment not only hones students’ research and summarization skills but also fosters a deeper connection to the dynamic world of astronomy.

By incorporating current event activities, students not only stay abreast of the latest astronomical discoveries but also develop critical thinking skills as they analyze and synthesize information. This resource sparks curiosity and encourages students to explore the relevance of astronomy in our ever-evolving world.

Grade Levels: 6th – 12th Total Pages: 2 Teaching Duration: 45 minutes

What busy teachers like you have said: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hannah K. says, “Great way to have students dig into current events in our Astronomy unit.”

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Environmental Science Current Events Assignment

Environmental science is a study of current events.  As new technologies develop, as politics change, and as the human population grows, our impact and influence on the environmental also changes.

For this current events assignment, students will find an environmental science (less than 3 years old) article addressing some aspect of environmental science that covered recent in class. To maximize the effectiveness of the article search, try this current events custom search engine . 

This assignment works well as an end-of-unit application assignments. Students can find more current issues, research, or technologies and apply some of the basic concepts from their environmental science class in a new way. The custom search engine is useful in narrowing the sites that students can use, and eliminating much of the "noise" found on a typical search.

A grading rubric for the current events assignment is also included in the document below.

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UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science - Open House 2024

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Members of the public, potential students and newly accepted students found out how current UVA Engineering students are making the world a better place by creating knowledge and technologies to advance every aspect of human life. (All photos by Sanjay Suchak for UVA Engineering)

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