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Thing Explainer

Submitted by smlong on Tue, 07/30/2019 - 13:19

Today you will write a science comic similar to those in the Thing Explainer.

Rules!

You must hand draw your comic (It's okay if it is not a masterpiece).

You must label your comic using only the 10,000 most commonly used words. 

You can use this website to find out if your word is part of the 10,000. :

https://xkcd.com/simplewriter/

Select one of the following scientific stories to tell in your comic.

1. Bombardier Beetles - Draw a cartoon explaining how bombardier beetles spray chemicals to defend themselves

http://news.mit.edu/2015/how-bombardier-beetles-produce-defensive-spray-0430

2. Barreleye Fish - Describe the unique anatomy of the barreleye fish, what the shield is used for and how they rotate their eyes.

http://www.mbari.org/barreleye-fish-with-tubular-eyes-and-transparent-head/

http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1643/CG-07-082

3. How Wolves Change Rivers - Describe how the reintroduction of wolves changed the rivers in Yellowstone.

https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wolf-reintroduction-changes-ecosystem

4. The sea cucumber and the pearlfish - Describe the unusual relationship between the pearlfish and the sea cucumber, the sea cucumbers unique defenses and how the pearlfish avoids them.

https://www.wired.com/2014/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-pearlfish/

5. Decapitated flatworms can avoid light - describe the visual anatomy of flatworms and their ability to avoid light without heads

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2142167-flatworms-can-still-see-even-after-they-are-decapitated/

6. Slave making ants - describe how some ants make enslave other ant colonies rather than start their own.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151028-a-few-species-of-ant-are-pirates-that-enslave-other-ants

When done, take a photo of your comic and upload it as an in-class activity. We will look at them at the end of the class.

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