harum.koh/Wikimedia Commons April 28 & May 12, 2018 Fight Like an Animal April 28 & May 12, 2018 Fight Like an Animal About the Issue Science News article(s): “Fight like an animal” Readability score: 8.5 Science News for Students article(s): “Fighting ‘like an animal’ may not be what you expect” Readability score: 7.5 The article “Fight like an animal” describes strategies that animals have developed to fight their same- species rivals. Students can focus on information reported in the article, follow connections to earlier articles about animal weaponry and pursue cross-curricular connections in experimental design, biology and engineering. This experimental design–focused guide is inspired by the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair — the world’s largest international pre-college science competition that brings together approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries. During Intel ISEF, held this year in Pittsburgh, from May 13 to May 18, students showcase their independent research and compete for prizes. This guide will cover the steps required for developing a research question and testable hypothesis. Once this year’s fair concludes, encourage your students to search for information about the winners and other projects that might pique the students’ interests. In a supplemental activity that draws from Science News, Science News for Students and previous educator guides, students can design an experiment to investigate what makes an ideal sugar cookie. April 28 & May 12, 2018 Fight Like an Animal What’s in this Guide? Article-based observation: Questions focus on several different strategies and natural weapons that animals use to fight rival animals of the same species. Quest through the archives: Use this short section to explore and compare other articles about animal weaponry as reported by Science News since 1924. Cross-curricular discussion: Experimental Design questions focus on understanding experimental variables. The graph of rhinoceros beetle body size and horn length is used as an example for defining variables from a related study. Biological Sciences questions address the early steps of planning a science research project through the exploration of an animal weaponry study. Engineering questions focus on generating bioinspired engineering research project ideas related to animal weapons. Please use the following link to access the activity: Cookieology: Experimental Design 101 Purpose: To learn and practice the initial steps of designing a science research project. Procedural overview: Design a scientific experiment to create the ideal sugar cookie. If time and resources allow, run the experiment, collect and analyze data, and report your results. Approximate class time: One class period, or more if students will be conducting their experiments. April 28 & May 12, 2018 Fight Like an Animal Standards Next Generation Science Common Core ELA From Molecules to Organisms: Reading Informational Text (RI): 1, 2, 4, Structures and Processes: HS-LS1-1, HS- 5, 7 LS1-2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Writing (W): 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 Dynamics: HS-LS2-8 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Speaking and Listening (SL): 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 Traits: HS-LS3-1, HS-LS3-2, HS-LS3-3 Biology Evolution: Unity and Diversity: Reading for Literacy in Science and HS-LS4-1, HS-LS4-2, HS-LS4-3, HS-LS4- Technical Subjects (RST): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 4, HS-LS4-5 8, 9 Engineering Design: HS-ETS1-1, HS- Writing Literacy in History/Social ETS1-2, HS-ETS1-3 Studies and Science and Technical Subjects (WHST): 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9 April 28 & May 12, 2018 Fight Like an Animal Article-Based Observation: Q&A Directions: These questions are based on the article “Fight like an animal.” Due to the length of the feature article, students can read the introduction and then divide into five groups to concentrate on one section of the article. The sections are: (1) “Deadliest matches,” focused on nematodes (Steinernema longicaudum), (2) “Territorial female slayers,” focused on fig wasps (Pegoscapus sp.), (3) “Walk away,” focused on sea anemones (Actinia equina), (4) “Worth the fight?” focused on Caribbean mantis shrimp (Neogonodactylus bredini) and (5) “Paradoxically peaceful,” focused on Asian rhinoceros beetles (Trypoxylus dichotomus). Each group should answer questions as they relate to the group’s specific animal. Groups should then report their findings to the rest of the class. After the presentation is complete, show the related video embedded in the article, “How to fight like an animal.” 1. What animal did your group study? Possible student response: Nematodes, fig wasps, sea anemones, Caribbean mantis shrimp or Asian rhinoceros beetles. 2. What exactly was your animal competing for? Possible student response: A mate, a food supply, resource-rich real estate or some combination of those. 3. What weapon did your animal evolve to help it compete? Possible student response: Nematodes have squeezing muscles and sharp spicules. Female fig wasps have jaws capable of decapitating competitors. Anemones have inflatable toxin-injecting stingers. Caribbean mantis shrimp have clublike arms. Male Asian rhinoceros beetles have long horns. 4. What offensive strategy did your animal employ with that weapon? Possible student response: Nematodes squeeze rivals to death. Fig wasps decapitate rivals. Anemones inject rivals with a tissue-damaging toxin. Caribbean mantis shrimp pound on the shell of a rival with a club that can accelerate as fast as a bullet shooting out of a .22 caliber pistol. And male Asian rhinoceros beetles use their horns to flick rival males away from female beetles. 5. What counterstrategy do other animals belonging to that species use when confronted by a rival? Possible student response: Rival nematodes could squeeze or avoid their challengers. Rival fig wasps could attempt to decapitate their challengers. Rival anemones could engage in the battle or “walk away” from a challenger. Rival Caribbean mantis shrimp could outnumber the pounds of a competitor. Rival Asian rhinoceros beetles could stealthily find a way around opponents. 6. What human weapons are similar to the weapon of your animal? Possible student response: Similar to nematodes: constricting nets or steel traps. Similar to fig wasps: axes or guillotines. Similar to anemones: poison darts. Similar to Caribbean mantis shrimp: fists, clubs, bombs and artillery. Similar to Asian rhinoceros beetles: canes, pry bars, cattle prods and lances. 7. Does your animal tend to kill its rivals or merely send it away? Possible student response: Nematodes and fig wasps tend to kill. Anemones, Caribbean mantis shrimp and Asian rhinoceros beetles tend to send their opponents away. 8. What factors determine whether an animal will kill its rivals or send it away? Possible student response: What makes animals fight to death or simply stop fighting in the middle of a battle is still a question for scientists. Some animals, such as anemones, can’t hurt their rival without also harming themselves, so fighting to a rival’s death may also cause serious self-harm. Other animals, such as mantis shrimp, seem to know when they are outmatched in a battle, and will simply stop fighting at a certain point. On the other hand, once a female fig wasp has found her soon-to-be fig, she’ll fight to kill other female arrivals who try to share her fig’s resources. Female fig wasps have evolved lethal weapons (powerful jaws) for this purpose. 9. What questions do you still have after reading the article? Possible student response: What other interesting animal weapons and competition strategies exist? Is it inherent in human nature to be similarly competitive with other humans over limited resources, or can we work together peacefully and productively? What new weapons could be genetically engineered into animals? How could human-made weapons and competition strategies be designed or improved based on weapons and strategies used by nonhuman animals? 10. After discussing with your classmates the species featured in “Fight like and animal,” which animal would you choose to be in an intraspecies battle? Explain. Possible student response: I would be a Caribbean mantis shrimp because the battle against my rival wouldn’t be lethal. Also, administering my defenses likely would not weaken my chances of survival. Deploying my weapon wouldn’t physically harm my body structure. I would have an extraordinary weapon to use on my prey. April 28 & May 12, 2018 Fight Like an Animal Article-Based Observation: Q Directions: These questions are based on the article “Fight like an animal.” Due to the length of the feature article, read the introduction and then divide into five groups to concentrate on one section of the article. The sections are: (1) “Deadliest matches,” focused on nematodes (Steinernema longicaudum), (2) “Territorial female slayers,” focused on fig wasps (Pegoscapus sp.), (3) “Walk away,” focused on sea anemones (Actinia equina), (4) “Worth the fight?” focused on Caribbean mantis shrimp (Neogonodactylus bredini) and (5) “Paradoxically peaceful,” focused on Asian rhinoceros beetles (Trypoxylus dichotomus). Each group should answer questions as they relate to the group’s specific animal. Groups should then report their findings to the rest of the class. 1. What animal did your group study? 2. What exactly was your animal competing for? 3. What weapon did your animal evolve to help it compete? 4. What offensive strategy did your animal employ with that weapon? 5. What counterstrategy do other animals belonging to that species use when confronted by a rival? 6. What human weapons are similar to the weapon of your animal? 7. Does your animal tend to kill its rivals or merely send it away? 8. What factors determine whether an animal will kill its rivals or send it away? 9. What questions do you still have after reading the article? 10. After discussing with your classmates the species featured in “Fight like an animal,” which animal would you choose to be in an intraspecies battle? Explain.