Click below for important information for your class this year.
Class Expectations & Procedures (ALL)
Collaboration on Assignments Policy
Electronic Devices Policy
Grading Policy
Honor Code & Cheating
Make-Up Work & Late Work
Re-Testing
S- According to recent studies, it has shown that plants and flowers that are packed closed together in formation tend to be more resilient to stress. Because of the plant being so closely packed together, it sends more than 2,000 stress responses to the root, causing the plant to become more adapted to things like light, waterlogging, cold, etc. In result, the plant becomes immune to these things and has less stress to the plant.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/plants-touching-stress-resilient
S- Scientists have been studying why ammolite gems have a rainbow shimmer. They observed and examined the crystal plates that make up its nacre. They also looked at the plates in other ammonite fossils.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/ammolite-gems-rainbow-shimmer
Antarctic fish make their nests on the ocean floor. This may help protect their eggs. Scientists found the nests using ann underwater robot.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/antarctic-fish-arrange-nests
There are life forms that have survived in space. Spores, bacteria, plant seeds, and tardigrades have all lived and survived in space. These life forms could help scientists test life’s limits, and offer clues about space.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/lets-learn-about-life-forms-that-have-survived-in-space
Because of a new discovery in these two kinds of blood tests, kidney failure, heart disease, or even death could be prevented. Creatinine and Cystatin C are tests used to look further into kidney health, but when put together, it can tell doctors more about what someone’s future health has to bring.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260121034146.htm
Myopia has been linked to increased pollution levels. Scientists in Tianjin, China tested 29,971 students from elementary to High school, and they found, through a trained AI model, that increased nitrogen dioxide gas and ultra-fine particles in the air were linked to myopia.
There’s a hidden ecosystem beneath snow that insulates the ground and allows plants, microbes, and animals to survive and stay active during winter. Climate change is reducing snow cover, threatening this system and causing harm to forests and wildlife that depend on it.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-subnivium-snow-threat
The study shows that early responses in nasal cells especially the rapid release of interferons play a big role in controlling infection. Limiting how severe symptoms become. When this response is delayed the virus spreads and triggers excessive mucus and inflammation, which can worsen breathing problems.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260122074702.htm
More people have been becoming worried about how our environment and health is becoming damaged from waste. A research in South Australia has started to help this by testing different biodegradable materials trying to see how long it takes for each to break down. Calcium caseinate is the main protein in milk which came out to be one of the easiest to break down and help the soil.
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-turn-milk-into-biodegradable-plastic-that-vanishes-in-soil/
Carrie Nugent, a planetary scientist, and a team of undergraduates compared the likely hood of an astroid hitting earth. Though this event would be rare, Nugent and her team says it is preventable. They found that the likelihood of an astroid hitting earth is higher than being struck by lightning. They presented a graph of tragic unlikely events to compare the likeliness of an astroid hitting earth.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/what-chances-asteroid-hits-earth
Scientists have discovered a new way to weaken dangerous fungi, which can help fight drug resistant fungal infections that are becoming harder to treat. Instead of directly killing the fungus , the molecule butyrolactol A sabotages a vital internal system, making existing antifungal drugs work again and potentially restoring treatment options once thought useless. https://www.sciencedaily.com/realeases/2026/01/260121034134.htm
Washington State University researchers in Guatemala discovered that water bottles that we think are purified and safe to drink actually carry numerous kinds of bacteria. The bacterias found in the water are prone to spreading antibiotic resistance in our bodies.
Weather is very dynamic and may change many times from day to day or from season to season. Changes in weather take place over a relatively short period of time, such as hours or days. A sudden thunderstorm, a blizzard or a hot day are all examples of weather.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/weather-climate-difference
Radioactive materials don’t give animals superpowers, but they can quietly harm cells and linger in the environment for decades. Studying cases like radioactive wasp nests or wildlife in exclusion zones helps scientists track where contamination remains and how it may affect both animals and people.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/radioactive-animals-radiation-risks
Real-life creatures can pick up radiation on or in their bodies, too. When this happens, though, they don’t get or pass along superpowers. Nor do they glow, as is often shown in popular media. Animals exposed to radiation may look healthy and act normal. But radiation can damage cells and tissues. And once in the environment, radioactive materials can pose risks that last a long time. Scientists want to understand where these are and what threats they pose.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/radioactive-animals-radiation-risks
Scientists discovered that two ancient objects from a treasure in Spain were made from metal that came from a meteorite, not from Earth. This shows that people long ago used rare space materials and had advanced skills for their time.
https://www.sciencealert.com/strange-metal-from-beyond-our-planet-spotted-in-ancient-treasure-stash
Penguins are having to adjust rapidly to human caused climate change. Scientists have found that they are changing the time of year that they breed and they are struggling to adapt. The scientists used time lapse cameras on over 35 groups of penguins to find this information https://www.sciencealert.com/penguins-may-be-adapting-to-a-rapidly-warming-climate-but-at-a-cost
Stem- A global study suggest that a hidden mismatch between two common blood tests could quietly signal series trouble ahead. When two routine kidney tests tell different stories it may be an early warning sign of life-threatening disease. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260121034146.htm
People studying the cause of people hearing voices have found out why. It is said to be because of the brain ramping up inner thoughts to make them sound external, this is found in mostly schizophrenic people.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260122074033.htm
Weather refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere, like a rainy day or a hot afternoon, and it can change quickly over hours or days. Climate describes long-term patterns of weather in a region, showing what conditions are typical over many years. The article explains that weather is dynamic and can vary often, while climate is much more stable over long time periods. It also notes that studying both helps us understand local conditions and how they change over time.
https://www.snexplores.org/article/weather-climate-difference
weather describes short term conditions in the atmosphere. like todays tempature or a storm this week climate refers to the long term average of weather patterns in a place usually measured over 30 years or more
Rocks in Australia, buried deep have a valuable niobium deposit, formed after a break up of an ancient super continent. Tectonic riffs opened pathways, allowing magma to come to the surface. They have a key ingredient, in high strength steel, electric vehicles, and emerging energy technologies. This showing niobium, has important minerals for the earth, and showing these metals under Australia
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260122074028.htm
according to the article plants in forest may communicate with eachother. plants that grow in forest don’t need light to break through the canopy and studies have shown that some plants can tell when light will come through and “alarm” other plants
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/plants-touching-stress-resilient