Alison Pearce Stevens

United States

Freelance Science Writer at Freelance

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Articles

Scientists Say: Circumnutation

2 weeks ago | snexplores.org | Alison Pearce Stevens

Circumnutation describes the slow, circular movements the growing tips of young plants make throughout the day. Although it usually can’t be seen with the naked eye, all plants move. These are movements powered by the plants themselves, not movement due to wind. Plants slowly sway from side to side, a process called nutation (noo-TAY-shun). Circumnutation is a type of nutation in which plants move in a circle or ellipse.
Dinosaurs are still alive. Today, we call them birds

1 month ago | snexplores.org | Aaron Tremper |Alison Pearce Stevens

Across the river from Washington, D.C., sits Potomac Overlook Regional Park. Hiking paths wind through acres of forest and cultivated land. Peer into the thick woods and you may glimpse a chipmunk or even a deer. And at the visitor center, there are real-life dinosaurs. One of these is Twiggy. Sitting on her caretaker’s arm, her massive brown eyes blink in the afternoon sunlight. Ribbons of brown and white streak her chest. This mimics sunlight hitting speckled tree bark.
Orange food dye can temporarily turn skin transparent

1 month ago | snexplores.org | Alison Pearce Stevens

biology: The study of living things. The scientists who study them are known as biologists. cancer: Any of more than 100 different diseases, each characterized by the rapid, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. The development and growth of cancers, also known as malignancies, can lead to tumors, pain and death. develop: To emerge or to make come into being.
Does plastic last for thousands of years in the environment?

2 months ago | whoi.edu | Alison Pearce Stevens

Plastic pollution is a serious—and growing—environmental problem, with millions of tons of bags, bottles, fishing gear and more piling up on land and floating out to sea. But just how long does it last—and how can we innovate new materials to address the problem moving forward? WHOI scientists are investigating both issues. It’s easy to think the sole problem with plastic lies in its long life. Some estimates put the lifespan of some kinds of plastic as high as 1,000 years.
Scientists Say: Lava bomb

Feb 3, 2025 | snexplores.org | Alison Pearce Stevens

angle: The space (usually measured in degrees) between two intersecting lines or surfaces at or close to the point where they meet. ash: (in geology) Small, lightweight fragments of rock and glass spewed by volcanic eruptions. atmosphere: The envelope of gases surrounding Earth, another planet or a moon. core: Something — usually round-shaped — in the center of an object. (in geology) Earth’s innermost layer. Or, a long, tube-like sample drilled down into ice, soil or rock.
Analyze This: In movies, wetlands often get a bad rap

Jan 21, 2025 | snexplores.org | Carolyn Wilke |Alison Pearce Stevens |Kathiann M. Kowalski |Jennifer Weeks

In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Frodo Baggins travels through the Dead Marshes on his way to fulfill his quest: to destroy a very powerful ring. As Frodo plods along, sidestepping eerie flames that burn on the ground, he stares into pools of murky water. The faces of the dead, killed in a long-past battle, gaze back. Frodo falls in and the ghostly specters reach to claim him. Free educator resources are available for this article.
Scientists Say: Frost Quake

Jan 6, 2025 | snexplores.org | Alison Pearce Stevens

Arctic: A region that falls within the Arctic Circle. The edge of that circle is defined as the northernmost point at which the sun is visible on the northern winter solstice and the southernmost point at which the midnight sun can be seen on the northern summer solstice. The high Arctic is that most northerly third of this region. It’s a region dominated by snow cover much of the year. crystal: (adj.
Shark intestines inspire pipes with a strictly one-way flow

Dec 16, 2024 | snexplores.org | Alison Pearce Stevens

3-D printing: A means of producing physical items — including toys, foods and even body parts — using a machine that takes instructions from a computer program. That program tells the machine how and where to lay down successive layers of some raw material (the “ink”) to create a three-dimensional object. angle: The space (usually measured in degrees) between two intersecting lines or surfaces at or close to the point where they meet.
Wayward baby puffins get help from a community-led Puffling Patrol

Dec 11, 2024 | snexplores.org | Alison Pearce Stevens |Stephen Ornes |Sarah Zielinski |Jenny Krumrine

Free educator resources are available for this article. Register to access: Client key* E-mail Address* Already Registered? Enter your e-mail address above. When baby Atlantic puffins in Iceland venture out of the cliffside burrows where they had hatched, they look for the light of the moon.
Teen chemist uncovers potentially harmful preservatives in pet food

Dec 2, 2024 | snexplores.org | Maria Temming |Sarah Zielinski |Alison Pearce Stevens

cancer: Any of more than 100 different diseases, each characterized by the rapid, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. The development and growth of cancers, also known as malignancies, can lead to tumors, pain and death. chemical: A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (bond) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made when two hydrogen atoms bond to one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H2O.