Moments in science

The stage was set for a showdown: Man v. Machine. On March 9, 2016, the AlphaGo artificial intelligence computer program played the board game, GO, against the world champion, Lee Sedol. The Game: Go is the oldest board game in the world. Games are perfect tests for A.I because they keep score. It's easy to see when the A.I. is improving. The Man: Korean Lee Sedol was the world's top Go player. He expected to win all five games of the match. Could...

In 1818, Jeannette Power, a young French woman moved to Sicily and fell in love with the Mediterranean Sea and the Argonauta Argo octopus, the weirdest octopus on Earth. Amazing weird fact: The Argonaut octopus creates a delicate shell for itself which it uses to travel up and down in the water and as a safe place to raise its young. At the time, though, the only way to study a marine animal was if it was dead on land. That wasn't good enough. Jeannette...

Sound and Sound Waves What if your science experiments were so interesting that even an Emperor wanted to know more? In 1806, scientist Ernst Chladni (KLOD-nee) left Germany for a three-year road trip, entertaining Europeans with his science. He made wires, columns of air, and solids vibrate. He wrote about this in his native German language, but his French scientist friends wanted to read about it in French. How could he get the cash he needed to...

"The text of the book is wonderfully clear and easy to follow, and the illustrations are great, both lively and informative. The story of the eclipse unfolds dramatically, and the science is explained vividly and correctly." Daniel John Kennefick, Astrophysicist and Science Historian"… Pattison takes a complicated scientific theory and makes it not just fairly understandable, but entertaining as well." Kirkus Reviews Ages 7-12ELEMENTARY SCIENCE...

"A compelling, kid-friendly, and visually appealing erosion story." – Kirkus review2021 Notable Social Studies Trade Book list Ages 7-12ELEMENTARY SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES - Soil Erosion and the Dust BowlWhen the dust storms of the 1930s threatened to destroy U.S. farming and agriculture, Hugh Bennett knew what to do. For decades, he had studied the soils in every state, creating maps showing soil composition nationwide. He knew what should be...

"People were dying! Malaria is a deadly mosquito-borne disease that causes fevers, chills and often death. In 1969, the People's Republic of China created a task force to find a cure. Working in the 1970s, Chinese scientist Tu Youyou reviewed the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) scrolls for ideas on where to start her research. She found 640 traditional treatments, and methodically started extracting compounds and testing them against malaria. Would...

William Gilbert discovered the wonder of magnets and Earth's magnetic mysteries. William Gilbert wondered why the compass needle pointed north. He finally concluded that Earth itself is "a great magnet."

Junior Library Guild Selection Kirkus Review - *Starred* review "…captures the sense of wonder that comes from discovery…"SLJ ReviewPW Review –"… a gratifying narrative arc while presenting an important truth about science…an inviting story."Eureka! NonFiction Book Award Honor – California Reading Association2020 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book Ages 7-12Elementary Science – POLLENHow long does it take for science to find an answer...