Real-world disasters, including hurricanes, can draw students into STEM subjects, writes Anne Jolly, an author and former teacher. In this blog post, Jolly shares ideas and resources for lessons that can give students a sense of purpose as they develop coping skills for events from this year, including floods, wildfires and the pandemic.

The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has finally collapsed after a snapped cable doomed the historic radio telescope back in August. The observatory, run by the National Science Foundation, had been in operation for nearly 60 years, playing a key role in numerous scientific discoveries.

Whitmer Career and Technology Center in Ohio this year launched a new advanced manufacturing program to prepare students for careers. Superintendent Kadee Anstadt says the program is part of an effort to grow the community's skilled workforce.

China's Chang'e-5 lander has arrived on the moon's surface to begin its mission to collect rocks and dust to bring back to Earth for examination. The lander is expected to gather about 2 kilograms of material from the Mons Rumker area of the moon before transferring it to the return module for the journey back to Earth.

A gentle vibration not only induces fruit flies to fall asleep, it helps them sleep longer, according to a study published in Cell Reports. Researchers said that after the flies got used to the vibrations, they responded less to efforts to wake them, suggesting they were experiencing deeper levels of sleep.

Ancient rock art that stretches across about 13 kilometers has been found in the Amazon rainforest in Colombia and is described in Quaternary International. The rock art, which dates back between 11,800 and 12,600 years, depicts various ice age beasts, such as giant sloths and mastodons, as well as handprints and hunting scenes.

Researchers have detected an extremely bright light produced by the collision of two neutron stars, which may have resulted in the formation of a magnetar, according to findings scheduled for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. The collision was detected earlier this year by the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, followed by other observations that detected a kilonova glow, which is believed to happen as a result of such collisions.

The Sontag Foundation has awarded two grants for $600,000 each to a pair of Cornell University researchers studying brain cancer. The Distinguished Scientist grants were awarded to Marcos Simoes-Costa, who is studying the ways genetic circuits affect cells in the embryonic stage, and Dan Landau, who is researching glioma cells.

An Illinois school district recently opened two state-of-the-art facilities for career education in the culinary arts and advanced manufacturing. Antoinette Rayburn, the manager of the college and career readiness programs, said the culinary program teaches industry basics and some students already have secured entry-level jobs in the industry.

Essential workers in Michigan have until the end of the year to apply for free tuition at Grand Rapids Community College as part of the Future for Frontliners program. About 1,700 have been accepted so far, and another 6,000 applications are under review.