• Can you find the octopus? Watch the video and see if you can answer the questions below.

    What survival adaptation is the octopus using?

    What are some reasons does the octopus uses this strategy?

    If you had this adaptation, how would you use it?

  • Without pollinators, a large percentage of human agriculture would cease to function. Birds, bats, butterflies, and wasps all do some pollinating, but bees are really the champions. Concern over declining bee populations has lead to calls for reduced use of insecticides and for individuals to plant bee-friendly landscaping.

  • Sometimes it is difficult to demonstrate that a force is needed to change the motion of an object. This video from the International Space Station during a "reboost" burn shows astronaut Jeff Williams taking advantage of the free fall environment to do just that. When the rockets are firing, there is a net unbalanced force on the space station, but not on Jeff. The station starts to accelerate, but until he comes in contact with the wall, he does not.

  • Many NSTA members will remember Jeff Goldstein's keynote address from the 2011 national conference in San Francisco. He has teamed up with John Boswell at Symphony of Science to produce a gift to teachers as the school year begins. His speech has been transformed into a moving musical message of inspiration and hope. Enjoy, and have a great year!