Cores for Kids Activity Source: International Ocean Discovery Program Background The JOIDES Resolution is a ship that operates on behalf of the International Ocean Discovery Program and is one of a handful of vessels designed specifically to drill into the ocean floor for scientific research. The cylinders of sediment and rock that are recovered from the ocean floor — ​called “cores” — ​can be considered time machines, revealing secrets from Earth’s past about geology, climate change, and the origins and extremes of life. [Read More]

Lasting Impressions: Making Models Activity Source: National Park Service Background Fossils are evidence of organisms that have lived in the past. A fossil can help us understand when and where organisms lived. Scientists can also use fossils to figure out what different environments were like in the past. One type of fossil is known as a mold fossil, which forms when an organism is buried, then decomposes, but the sediment keeps the shape (impression) of the organism. [Read More]