April 2021 Highlights in Science

Scientists do some awesome things. What new things did we learn in April 2021? That don’t have to do with COVID?

A Kids’ Guide to Climate Change - The New York Times published an interactive children’s book about climate change. The text is easy to understand and kid-friendly, but also interesting to read as an adult. The illustrations are beautiful and the interface is intuitive. I would read it to my 3.5-year old, but would also share it with her if she were older.

Mars Helicopter - Ingenuity is a helicopter NASA sent to Mars along with the Perseverance rover, in order to test out the craft on Mars. Flying a helicopter on Mars is a lot different than flying one on Earth, most notably because of Mars’ thin atmosphere. Ingenuity had two successful (though short) flights on Mars, which is important for future plans for studying and exploring Mars.

Cell Clocks and Animal Sizes - Ever wonder how some animals grow big and some stay small? Scientists studied developing chick embryos to learn how cells use an internal clock to decide when to start and stop growing, determining the animal’s size. Scientists have started to identify and observe the proteins that control this internal clock.

Thank you for sharing stories you found this month! Have you learned anything else interesting in April? Email me at robin@stemsmartconsulting.com.