Author Archives: Jennifer Cutraro

Fast-flying fungal spores

Using high-speed cameras, scientists identify the fastest spores on Earth.

Posted in Microbes, Fungi & Algae | Tagged , , , ,

What is a planet?

The ancient Greeks first coined the name “planet,” a word that means “wandering star,” according to David Weintraub, an astronomer at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Aristotle, the Greek natural philosopher who lived over 2,000 years ago, identified seven “planets” …

Posted in Space | Tagged

Plastic-munching microbes

Microbes may soon help make it easier to recycle your soda bottle, helping to create new demand for what has historically been a low-quality recycled material.

Posted in Chemistry | Tagged , ,

The trouble with Pluto

Removing Pluto from the planet list is just the latest in an age-old debate on how many planets make up the solar system

Posted in Space

Farms sprout in cities

Farming in the city is already happening on the small scale. The Science Barge in New York City, shown here, grows tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers and other crops in greenhouses. Energy comes from solar panels, windmills and a generator that runs on bio. Credit Enrico Sacchetti

The farms of the future may be where you would least expect to find them — in towering skyscrapers in some of the world’s largest cities

Posted in Agriculture

Girls are cool for school

Preschool boys perform better in classes where the girls outnumber them

Posted in Brain & Behavior

The two faces of Mars

A single impact might explain why the Red Planet’s surface looks smoother in the north and rugged and rocky in the south

Posted in Space

Pluto, plutoid: What’s in a name?

Former planet gets new label

Posted in Space

Hey batter, wake up!

Baseball teams that travel across the country may be at a disadvantage when they play

Posted in Body & Health

Bug, bug, go away

News snapshot from Science News for Kids

Posted in Chemistry