検索キーワード： 科学・テクノロジー

Deep underground, unseen forces are at play to move the continents around our globe.

The Steller's sea cow, a cousin to the manatee, was hunted to extinction just 27 years after it was discovered. Another century passed before humans realized the need to preserve endangered species. Today scientists are working to ensure its cousin, the Florida manatee, doesn’t meet the same fate.

Bees pollinate the flowers of the plants we eat. Without pollination, plants can't grow fruits and seeds. Which foods would you miss if we didn't have honeybees? So next time you're eating a meal, stop and thank the bees for their hard work!

Bees, moths, birds, and bats are all pollinators. But what are they actually doing? Why do flowers make pollen and why do they need it? Listeners will discover that without pollinators, we wouldn't have fruit or vegetables to eat, so it's up to us to protect these vital animals.

How is lightning created? And what is thunder? What kind of weather creates the most lightning? This science story shows how lightning is like the spark from static electricity, but much bigger.

Thomas Edison first developed direct current for New York City, but was challenged by Nikola Tesla, who believed his alternating current was a better solution.

Ice is nice, everyone agrees (in summer, anyway). But what is it, exactly?

How can the moon or sun seem to disappear right before our eyes? When the moon, the Earth, and the sun align just right in their orbits, they can cause a solar or lunar eclipse! Find out how light and shadow work together to trigger these cool events.

Beliefs about the shape of the earth have varied over the millennia, but the Ancient Greeks were able to observe that our planet is round and even Eratosthenes attempted to measure its size. It was not until explorers had fully charted the globe that most people were really able to comprehend its spherical shape.

Some everyday problems can be solved using a series of steps called the Engineering Design Process.

For thousands of years, people have been using the engineering design process.

When light has more energy, it creates short waves. When it has less energy, it has long waves. But only a small amount of these waves are visible to humans.

Electrons are extremely tiny charged particles that we can push around with magnets. This provides us with electricity.

At every stage in a tree's life cycle, it provides a home for many animals and insects.

What does it take to fuel a rocket to space? Rocket scientists use hydrogen and liquid oxygen, but could anti-matter engines and black-hole drives fuel our spacecraft of the future?

One way astronomers search for planets is by looking for the shadows they cast in front of stars.

The Sun is our closest star. Stars produce heat, light, and do not orbit other celestial objects.

Al igual que los humanos, los delfines aprenden jugando, observando y experimentando. Algunos comportamientos aprendidos son cosas divertidas para pasar el tiempo. En diferentes partes del mundo los delfines han aprendido algunas técnicas de caza fascinantes. Sin importar si el comportamiento aprendido es enseñado de generación en generación o aprendido mediante la observación, esos delfines tienen habilidades de caza únicas que solo pueden encontrarse en esas zonas.

Al igual que las familias de los humanos, las familias de los animales tienen diferentes formas y tamaños. Muchos padres animales en la naturaleza tienen roles inusuales y generosos en la crianza de sus hijos. Mientras que algunos padres animales puede que nunca conozcan a sus descendientes, hay algunos que protegen y dan cobijo a sus pequeños. Otros alimentan o enseñan a sus hijos. Aprendamos más sobre cada uno de estos padres salvajes y sus tareas esenciales.

Marine mammals known as cetaceans are broken into two large groups: toothed whales (including dolphins and porpoises) and baleen whales. One group has a single blowhole to breathe air, the other has two. One group has tall dorsal fins to help maintain balance as they chase prey. The other scoops up water and prey in their large mouths as they swim slowly along—they don’t need large dorsal fins. One group uses echolocation, the other doesn’t. Learn more about what these animals have in common and how they are different in this latest installment of the Compare and Contrast Series.