Scientists recently discovered that some deep ocean fish, like a species of Pacific dragonfish, have skin that is raised in complex geometric patterns in order to trap the few photons from the sun that make it to their depth like a ball in a pinball game. Trapping the photons makes the fish essentially invisible in the ocean - they appear to be the darkest black, darker than pigments we can manufacture. There is a bird of paradise species that is a tiny bit better at absorbing light (99.9% effective vs. 99.95%), but their feathers use a different formation to absorb photons, making the deep sea fishes’ strategy completely new to science. You can read about it here if you’re curious: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/fish-black-oceans-deep-sea-animals/
For your essay this week, find a news article about the natural world that fascinates you.
Summarize the article: describe the main idea of the story, include at least three supporting details, and make sure to emphasize why this news is important to science and our understanding of the natural world. Write about why you chose this article, what surprised you about it, and what you learned.
These websites might be helpful to you as you search:
National Geographic News: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/latest-stories/
National Geographic Kids: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/news-bites/
DOGO News for Kids: https://www.dogonews.com/
Smithsonian Magazine News: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/
Expectations:
Essays should be edited for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and clarity. An adult or older student can help you with editing if needed. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence. Please cite your source, including the title, author, website/publisher, and date of publication.
Fourth graders should write at least two paragraphs, fifth graders should write at least three, and sixth graders should write at least four paragraphs.
Remember to write your name on your work, please.
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