Mystery Fish
Secrets of the Coelacanth
Part of the On My Own Science series
In 1938, off the coast of South Africa, a woman found a strange blue fish with four stubby fins, pointed spines, and a funny looking tail-it was a coelacanth! Until that very moment, the world had believed that coelacanths were extinct. Suddenly, scientists around the world were excited-could more of these unusual creatures be found and studied? Discover how scientists worked to solve the mystery of these extraordinary fish.
SuperCroc Found
Part of the On My Own Science series
110 million years ago, a lush river flowed through the heart of what is now a desert in Africa. Lurking in the depths of the river, a humungous monster waited for its prey to come to the river's edge to drink…and to die. More than 40 feet long, this giant ancestor of the crocodile stalked and killed dinosaurs. In 1997, dinosaur hunter Paul Sereno discovered the enormous reptile fossil named SuperCroc. Learn how modern science uncovers the ancient past in this thrilling account of a prehistoric predator.
Volcanoes Inside and Out
Part of the On My Own Science series
Why does a volcano erupt? How many different kinds of volcanoes are there? Once believed to be the work of a fire god named Vulcan, volcanoes have long fascinated people. Looking at three different types of volcanoes-composite, cinder cone, and shield-uncover how and why these magnificent and deadly mountains change the earth for the better, and for the worse.
Shipwreck Search
Discovery of the H. L. Hunley
Part of the On My Own Science series
What a discovery! Deep under the Atlantic Ocean, divers found a shipwreck like no other. It was the H. L. Hunley, a submarine that had sunk during the Civil War! A team of scientists from all over the world came to work on the discovery. How would they raise the Hunley from the ocean floor? How would they open the submarine? And what would they find inside?
Why Does It Rain?
Part of the On My Own Science series
Where does rain come from? What are clouds made of? Follow water as it makes its way through the entire water cycle. Then go back in time to the very first rainfall millions of years ago. Discover how water and rain transformed Earth from a lifeless rock into the beautiful, water-filled planet we live on today.
The Flyer Flew!
The Invention of the Airplane
Part of the On My Own Science series
Tells the story of the Wright Brothers' invention of the airplane, climaxing in the triumphant first flight of the Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.
Real-Life Sea Monsters
Part of the On My Own Science series
Long ago, sailors told tales about terrible monsters that lurked in the sea. Many of their stories may have been based on amazing-but real-sea creatures. Giant squid catch their food with tentacles and fight huge sperm whales. Manatees breathe air and must eat 100 pounds of food every day. Fifty-foot long oarfish have silvery, snakelike bodies. What monsters could they have inspired? Find out more about these real-life sea monsters and the scary stories sailors told about them!
Packed With Poison!
Deadly Animal Defenses
Part of the On My Own Science series
In the ocean, a box jellyfish dangles tentacles covered with venom-filled stingers. The jellyfish uses its stingers to kill its prey. But its venom can also kill humans within minutes. The brightly colored poison dart frog is deadly to humans too. Just a speck of its poison can kill a person. These two creatures are among the most venomous and poisonous animals in the world. How do animals use their poisons? When are humans in danger?
Saving the Whooping Crane
Part of the On My Own Science series
Whooping cranes once lived all over North America. But by the 1940s, only one tiny flock was left. These beautiful birds were in danger of dying out. Scientists decided to start a second flock of whooping cranes, but they had a serious problem to overcome. Whooping cranes need to migrate. They live up north in summer, then fly south to spend winter in warmer locations. Usually young cranes follow older cranes when they migrate. How would the scientists teach the new flock where to go?
Saber-Toothed Cats
Part of the On My Own Science series
Do you know which ice-age animal had a body similar to a bear's, a short stubby tail, and razor-sharp, 7-inch teeth? A Smilodon! Fierce predators, Smilodons were large saber-toothed cats that lived more than 11,000 years ago-so how do scientists know so much about them? By studying their fossils and the parts of the world where they once lived! Dig through the past to uncover how these remarkable predators once lived-and died.
Woolly Mammoths
Part of the On My Own Science series
Mammoths roamed Earth for more than two million years. They lived in Europe, Asia, and North America. Then ten thousand years ago, the mammoths vanished. What caused them to die out? Scientists are still trying to find out. In Woolly Mammoths, learn about how mammoths adapted to a changing planet and the possible reasons about how they became extinct.
The Search for Antarctic Dinosaurs
Part of the On My Own Science series
Rocks, ice, and snow. That is all Dr. William Hammer and his crew can see when they look at the land around them on Earth's coldest continent. But on top of a mountain, the scientists discover a 190-million-year-old fossil. It is the remains of the first dinosaur found on mainland Antarctica. Learn more about the hunt for fossils in Antarctica and what life might have been like there millions of years ago.
Ben Franklin's Big Shock
Part of the On My Own Science series
Describes Ben Franklin's interest in and experiments with electricity, what he learned about electricity, and his famous experiment with lightning.