Species Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity Spotlight

In this week's spotlight: a pair of science projects for buggy, backyard exploration. What does it mean for an area to be have a lot of biodiversity? Why is this important to the health of an ecosystem? How do scientists measure biodiversity? You can explore by doing a study of the biodiversity of insects in your own backyard using a homemade bug collector. This week's hands-on science project and activity guide either an independent project or a family investigation. How many types of insects will you suck into your bug collector?

• Bug Vacuums: Sucking up Biodiversity (full Science Buddies Project Idea)
• Species Science: Exploring Bug Biodiversity (science activity at Scientific American)