The Basics of the Nitrogen Cycle The nitrogen cycle is nature's way of making nitrogen useful for living things. What is Nitrogen? Nitrogen is a gas that makes up 78% of the air we breathe, but it must be converted into different forms to be useful to plants and...

Three Main States of Matter Matter exists in different states, each with unique properties that define its shape, volume, and movement. Solids have a definite shape and volume because their particles are tightly packed and vibrate in place. Some metals can be...

Light Microscope Light microscopes use glass lenses and visible light to magnify microbes, cells, and tiny organisms up to 1,000 times. You can view live specimens and use stains to highlight details. Staining Techniques: Gram Staining helps identify bacteria as...

Understanding Natural Selection Natural selection is a process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. Key Components: Variation: Individuals in a species show differences in their traits. Inheritance: Some...

What is CRISPR? CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. It’s a special tool that allows scientists to cut and edit DNA (the instructions that tell cells what to do). Bacteria use CRISPR to remember virus attacks and fight them off...

Speed & Velocity Speed tells how fast something moves, while velocity adds direction to that motion. Speed: Distance traveled over time (e.g., 60 miles per hour). Formula: Speed = Distance ÷ Time Units: meters per second (m/s), kilometers per hour (km/h), miles...

Organization of the Periodic Table The periodic table is a masterpiece of organization that groups elements based on their properties. Elements are arranged in rows (periods) and columns (groups or families). A symbol, atomic number, and atomic mass represent each...

What is the International Space Station (ISS)? The ISS is a state-of-the-art science lab orbiting 250 miles above Earth.  The ISS is a massive spacecraft and research facility built by 15 countries. It orbits Earth at a speed of 17,500 mph, completing 16 orbits a day....