I recently read The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. One of the issues Pollan calls readers’ attention to is the meaning of “organic.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture appears to have a clear sense of what it means to be organic. See their web page on which 12 links to organic farming-related documents appear. Most […]

Success stories in animal preservation are not very common. Since 1973 when the Endangered Species Act was passed, only 16 species of over 1,350 have been delisted. The whooping crane is not one of them, although its numbers have increased from 21 in 1941 to over 350 today. On February 22, 2009, the NYTimes.com published […]

According to TV’s CSI, forensic science can do no wrong. Thus, if you are a criminal, wear gloves and a hairnet, brush over footprints left in the dirt, and leave no evidence behind.
Remember the O.J. Simpson trial for the murder of Nicole Brown? It appears the police botched the evidence collection, calling the investigation into […]

When you conjure up an image of cells, what do you see? What do you think? You may see a snapshot of an animal tissue, perhaps with actively dividing cells. That’s understandable because, as animals ourselves, we’re aware that cells come from other cells, thus the need to undergo mitosis, or cell division, frequently.
But one […]

It’s flu season. Have you been vaccinated? Many of us choose this option because it makes sense to us personally; we prefer to avoid illness wherever possible! Have you had your child between the ages of 6 months and 18 years immunized, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)? That question may cause […]

I have just returned from the regional conference of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in Cincinnati, Ohio. As usual, I’m filled with inspirational new knowledge regarding science and instructional approaches. I have already created a review activity using my newfound knowledge, not 24 hours post-conference, and I cannot wait to implement it this week!
But […]

Well, it’s almost that time again. You can almost see it, smell it, taste it—that perfectly cooked, magnificent bird! How on earth could it ever be a nuisance, and what do trees have to do with anything? After all, their time will come—next month.
Back up. Where did that bird come from? More than likely it […]

Sounds like a riddle, but it’s not trivial. We’ll get back to that in a minute. First consider the scenario: The class arrives from physical education. Today’s activity was mat ball, a variation of dodge ball involving lots of kids and lots of contact with balls and mats. They’re pumped, a little sweaty and out […]

For us humans, especially in urban settings, the seasons come and go with regularity and cause relatively painless changes in our lives — longer days, shorter days, setting clocks forward or backward as we just did. But for most other animal species seasonal changes do not go unnoticed.  Further, when climate change impacts patterns of […]

Halloween is approaching and the gore of blood is often a part of the scene. But how about turning your students on to the beauty of blood—the amazing beauty of how it accomplishes all it does?
In middle school, students often investigate the circulatory system and memorize the flow of blood from lungs to heart, to […]