Ask a Scientist

Read Will's kid-friendly article "How do some fungi turn insects into zombies?" in two reading levels (for middle to high school) and in Spanish at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-do-some-fungi-turn-insects-into-zombies/.

Find the original paper we adapted at https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mbio.01872-21.

Read a follow-up kid-friendly article "Which chemical makes ants walk like zombies?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/which-chemical-makes-ants-walk-like-zombies/

See photos of zombified insects and of Will's tattoos and read the full transcript of the interview in our companion post at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/lesson-ideas/ask-a-scientist-podcast-e10-will-beckerson-zombie-insects-researcher/.

Learn more about Will's most recent work, including a Zombie Ant VR game and his popular TikTok channels at https://www.williamcbeckersonphd.com/.

Read Jay's student-friendly article “What does hummingbird coloration tell us about competition?” at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-does-hummingbird-coloration-tell-us-about-competition/ It's available in two reading levels in English and also translated into Spanish.

Visit Jay's website to learn more at https://jayjinsing.github.io/ReadingList/ 

Original paper: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2022.0332

Review paper mentioned in the interview: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-019-1019-7

For a full transcript of this interview and photos, go to https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/lesson-ideas/ask-a-scientist-podcast-jay-falk-hummingbird-researcher/

Read Jen's student-friendly article “What can we learn from carbon on Mars?” at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-can-we-learn-from-carbon-on-mars/ It's available in two reading levels in English and also translated into Spanish.

For a full transcript and photos, go to https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/lesson-ideas/ask-a-scientist-podcast-e8-dr-jen-stern-space-scientist-nasa/

Original paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/suppl/10.1073/pnas.2201139119 

Read the interview transcript at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/lesson-ideas/ask-a-scientist-podcast-e7/

You can read the student-friendly article by Sarah "How can leopard seals survive climate change?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-can-leopard-seals-survive-climate-change/ as well as watch a video of leopard seals.

This article is also available in Spanish and in a text-to-speech audio version.

For a full transcript and photos, go to https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/lesson-ideas/ask-a-scientist-podcast-e7/

Their original paper was published in the journal Frontiers Marine Science: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.976019/full 

Get the latest updates on Sarah's research at https://www.sarahskienle.com/.

You can read the student-friendly article by Junjie "How do glassfrogs become transparent?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-do-glassfrogs-become-transparent/ as well as watch videos of glassfrogs.

Read the interview transcript at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/lesson-ideas/ask-a-scientist-podcast-e6-dr-junjie-yao-glassfrogs-researcher/

Our related Lesson Idea video showcases a blood circulation educational game for middle school students: https://youtu.be/jbOj7sDoT9s.

Get the latest updates on Junjie's research at the Duke Photoacoustic Imaging Lab at https://photoacoustics.pratt.duke.edu/.

Their original paper was published in the journal Science https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl6620 and was on its cover.

You can read the student-friendly article by Rob and Jen "Can a robotic arm be controlled by the brain?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/can-a-robotic-arm-be-controlled-by-the-brain/ in two different reading levels.

See photos and read the transcript at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/lesson-ideas/ask-a-scientist-podcast-e5-jen-collinger-rob-gaunt-biomedical-engineers/

Learn how to build a simple robot at home from our Lesson Idea video: https://youtu.be/3egVbGQvUsE

Get the latest updates on Jen and Rob's research at Rehab Neural Engineering Labs at the University of Pittsburgh and watch videos with the robotic arm at https://www.rnel.pitt.edu/research/neuroprosthetics/intracortical-brain-computer-interfaces

Their original paper was published in the journal Science: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abd0380

Read the student-friendly article by Emily Fairfax "Would beavers make good firefighters?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/would-beavers-make-good-firefighters/ It is accompanied by an original lesson plan: Beavers - a townhall role-play activity

Get the latest updates about Emily on her website: https://emilyfairfaxscience.com/

Read María-Teresa's student-friendly article "How can the eruption of a volcano affect the ocean everywhere on Earth?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-can-the-eruption-of-a-volcano-affect-the-ocean-everywhere-on-earth/ It's available in two reading levels in English and also translated into Spanish (here).

Watch the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupt here.

Read Allison's student-friendly article "How do gender stereotypes impact girls’ interest in science?" at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-do-gender-stereotypes-impact-girls-interest-in-science/

You can watch our Ask-a-Scientist video interview with Allison at https://youtu.be/XETkx3uj3f0

Allison is the director the Identity and Academic Motivation lab (I AM lab) at the University of Houston in Texas. Learn more about her here: https://uh.edu/education/iamlab/about/

Check out the lab's website for opportunities to enroll yourself or a child in research. You can also browse through studies currently recruiting children at https://childrenhelpingscience.com/

Read more about failure resumes here.

Learn more about Russell’s accomplishments and background here.

Read Russell’s adapted article here.

Click here to check out our Ask a Scientist videos, including a a short video interview with Russell. 

You can find a summary of Russell’s work here in the NYT.

Check out these episodes of Paleocast (a paleontology podcast) if you want to learn more about the evolution of horseshoe crabs.

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