Science News for Students - Spring 2021

Innovat ion tackles a wor ld of new chal lenges Most people will remember 2020 as the year a coronavirus emerged and spread like wildfire across the planet. While persistent, widespread concerns about this COVID-19 pandemic dominated headlines, important and clever research on plenty of other topics debuted throughout the year, as well. Science News for Students cov- ered many of those developments, including the 18 innovations reported here. Read about tree-powered forest-fire alarms and artificial skin that can “feel.” Silk is becoming a new source for body implants, and bacteria could form the basis of a new “living” concrete for builders. Some scientists have found a way to turn trash into a cool rawmaterial known as graphene. Others are working to cloak sound by giving some construction materials a new twist—literally. For people interested in medicine, there are new technologies to kill cancer with ultrasound and to admin- ister medicines with painfree microbarbs. New studies in mice show it may soon be possible to edit our genes to treat or lower someone’s risk of obesity. Engineers even unveiled newways to get life-saving oxygen to patients with COVID-19 or other diseases. And if you wear flip-flops, you may enjoy the news on efforts to at last make these rubbery sandals biodegradable. Dive into these stories and more, together with explainers that allowyou to explore the science behind some of the new inventions. And for fun, check out this year’s crossword puzzle based on terms found in the stories. —Janet Raloff

SCIENCE NEWS MEDIA GROUP PUBLISHER Maya Ajmera EDITOR INCHIEF Nancy Shute SCIENCE NEWS FOR STUDENTS EDITOR Janet Raloff MANAGINGEDITOR Sarah Zielinski STAFFWRITERS Bethany Brookshire, Carolyn Wilke WEBPRODUCER Lillian Steenblik Hwang SCIENCE NEWS EDITOR, SPECIAL PROJECTS Elizabeth Quill NEWSDIRECTOR Macon Morehouse DIGITAL DIRECTOR Kate Travis FEATURES EDITOR Cori Vanchieri MANAGINGEDITOR, MAGAZINE Erin Wayman ARTDIRECTOR Tracee Tibbitts SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE PRESIDENTANDCEO Maya Ajmera CHIEFOF STAFF Rachel Goldman Alper CHIEFMARKETINGOFFICER Kathlene Collins CHIEF DESIGNOFFICER Stephen Egts CHIEF PROGRAMOFFICER Michele Glidden CHIEF, EVENTSANDOPERATIONS Cait Goldberg CHIEF COMMUNICATIONSOFFICER Gayle Kansagor CHIEF ADVANCEMENTOFFICER Bruce B. Makous CHIEF TECHNOLOGYOFFICER James C. Moore CHIEF FINANCIALOFFICER Dan Reznikov

BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR Mary Sue Coleman VICECHAIR Martin Chalfie TREASURER Hayley Bay Barna SECRETARY Paul J. Maddon AT LARGE Christine Burton

Science News Media Group (SNMG) is a program of Society for Science. It offers readers bold, trust- worthy, award-winning journalism, informative imagery, educational products and access to archives going back to 1924. A part of the SNMG, Science News for Students is a free digital resource serving students, parents and teachers. Our series on technology and innovation and this special compilation are both made possible with generous support from the Lemelson Foundation.

MEMBERS Craig R. Barrett, Adam Bly, Mariette DiChristina, Tessa M. Hill, Tom Leighton, Alan Leshner, W.E. Moerner, Dianne K. Newman, Thomas F. Rosenbaum, Gideon Yu, Feng Zhang, Maya Ajmera, ex officio

ONTHECOVER: Despite this fanciful image, quashing cancer with ultrasound is not science fiction. It already works on cells, and hope- fully will scale up to treat people, too.

IN THIS ISSUE

BIODEGRADABLE FLIP FLOPS ‘LIVING’ CONCRETE WATER FROM AIR

SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE SPRING 2021

Society for Science is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1921. The Society seeks to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement: to inform, educate, inspire. Learn more at societyforscience.org. Copyright © 2021 by Society for Science. Title registered as trademark U.S. and Canadian Patent Offices. Republication of any portion of Science News for Students without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For permission to photocopy articles, contact permissions@sciencenews.org.

Targeting cancer cells with ultrasound

Illustration by Stephen Egts

INVENTION & INNOVATION SERIES | SPONSORED BY THE LEMELSON FOUNDATION

JIM WEBB

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