Welcome to SciNews!

natc_print2747x3600ppiSciNews is an education outreach project funded by the NASA Space Grant Consortium. Below are the most recent issues of SciNews, a program providing short lessons (<30 mins) for use in K-12 classrooms that are based on current scientific events/findings that are in the news. To learn more about the SciNews project click here -or- click on the “about scinews” tab in the menu above. ENJOY!

*After a hiatus in funding, SciNews is back in 2015! We have archived our past lessons here so please download and use the materials. Don’t forget to take a short survey if you do use the lessons, this is imperative for our continued funding!

Issue 34: Fossilized Dinosaur Brains! (Maybe)

Back in 2004, fossil hunter Jamie Hiscocks found what he knew was no ordinary rock on a beach south of London. When he showed it to renowned paleontologist Martin Brasier at Cambridge University, Brasier immediately knew this brown blob was something special.  In fact, Brasier though the rock had a striking resemblance to the inside of the skull of an Inguanodon-like dinosaur! After 12 years of discussion, thought, and research, the scientists involved concur that this specimen may very well be the first ever dinosaur brain matter discovered! This is particularly exciting in part because it gives scientists information about the structure of dinosaur brains (similar to modern birds and crocodiles, as suspected!) and also because brain tissue is particularly delicate and has never before been found preserved in rock. This fossil find suggests that many other types of fossils previously thought impossible could exist in the world, furthering our knowledge about life millions of years ago.  

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Issue 33: Earth’s Earliest Life

Scientists have dated the age of the earth to 4.5 billion years with confidence, but the question of when life formed on earth is still uncertain. One of the ways to investigate is by looking at fossils in ancient rocks, but because the surface of … [Continue reading]

Issue 32: SpaceX Explosion

  Space exploration is expensive, difficult, and dangerous. The recent failure of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was a huge loss of money and effort for many different people: The scientists and engineers who constructed the rocket (valued at $60 … [Continue reading]

Issue 31: OSIRIS-REx: Mission to Bennu

On September 8th, 2016, NASA launched the OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft. Its mission is to intersect with the Bennu asteroid, which passes close to the earth every 6 years. OSIRIS-REx will map the surface of Bennu, land on Bennu and take a sample, then … [Continue reading]

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