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Science

Space

Grand Opening

January 13, 2022

On January 7 and 8, NASA’s new space telescope unfolded its huge, flower-shaped mirror. The James Webb Space Telescope will soon reach its destination a million miles from Earth. Its mission: to find evidence of how galaxies formed, more than…

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People

8 Questions for Sylvia Earle

December 29, 2021

Sylvia Earle is a marine biologist. She’s also one of the ocean’s biggest defenders. TIME’s Aryn Baker spoke to her about how to protect the ocean and Earle’s dream of access to submersibles for all. 1. You’ve written several books…

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Animals

That's Why

December 9, 2021

Why does a squirrel have a bushy tail? It’s for. . . A. storing nuts. B. keeping up with fashion trends. C. staying warm in winter. The answer is C. When a squirrel is in a…

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Inventions

That's Why

December 1, 2021

Why does an airplane fly? Because. . . A. it doesn’t like to walk. B. it’s lifted by fast-moving air. C. heat from the Earth lifts it up. The answer is B. When an engine pulls a plane forward,…

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Sports

That's Why

November 22, 2021

Why are tennis balls fuzzy? So they... A) feel like a hug. B) don't go too fast or bounce too far. C) don't scratch the court. Tennis balls are made of rubber. Without a felt covering, they would bounce too…

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Environment

Restoring Forests

October 22, 2021

Aadya Joshi looks out at a landscape near Mumbai, India, and sees a line of eucalyptus trees. They were planted to replace forest that was cleared for timber. The view doesn’t make Joshi happy. Eucalyptus trees don’t grow naturally in…

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Spanish

Space

See You Later, Lucy!

October 21, 2021

NASA launched a robotic spacecraft called Lucy on October 16. For 12 years, Lucy will explore asteroids near Jupiter. These space rocks could reveal how planets were formed. Lucy will fly into a group of asteroids called the Trojan entourage.…

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Space

Suited Up

October 14, 2021

Astronauts walk in the Negev desert, in Israel, on October 10. They are part of AMADEE-20, a simulated Mars mission to train astronauts from Europe and Israel f…

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Space

That's Why

October 7, 2021

Why does the moon have craters? They're from. . . A) astronauts digging. B) moon decay. C) asteroids and meteorites. Asteroids and meteorites often crash into the moon’s surface, causing craters. But on the moon, there’s no water, weather, or…

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Space

Making a Splash

September 23, 2021

After three days of orbiting the planet, the Inspiration4 crew returned to Earth in the SpaceX Dragon capsule. On September 18, the crew splashed down in the At…

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