NIEHS Kids' Pages Science and Health Hot Topics, Careers and Projects

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Environmental Health and Science Hot Topics

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General Resources

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Children's Health

NIEHS Children's Health Initiatives & Materials:

Other Resources:

HHS for Kids
Chemicals Around Your House
Select a room of the house, or go into the backyard to explore. How many chemical products can you find?
Web Sources for Consumer Information on Children's Environmental Health
EPA's Children's Health Protection
Children's Environmental Health Network

Frog Deformities -- Are They An Early Warning Sign?

(Note -- links designated with a External (Non-NIEHS) Site

take you outside the NIEHS Kids' Pages;
don't forget to come back.)

Dissect a Frog Online!
Frogwatch USA
You can participate. US Geological Survey Biological Resources Division) has launched Frogwatch USA, a new volunteer-driven frog and toad monitoring program, and they need your help to inform the public about it.
And visit the Frog Web
An NIEHS Scientist's Role
Why Are The Frogs Malformed?
NIEHS Frog Deformities Research
Freaky Frogs
A Thousand Friends of Frogs/What You Can Do
Deformed Amphibian Research at Hartwick College
Exploratorium -- Frogs
Aimed at younger users, this site features stories on frogs, frog-researchers, and frog myths; a brief tour of Frog City USA; interactive exhibits exploring frog calls and camouflage in nature; and instructions for making a rainstick, audio recordings of the rainforest, and a collection of annotated frog links.
Frog Leap Brainteaser (Just for Fun!)

DNA, Genes, and Clones

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid (pronounced dee-ox-ee-rye-bo-noo-clay-ic acid), contains instructions for everything our cells do throughout our lives. But what is DNA? It is a long molecule made of two twisting, paired strands. Each strand is made of four chemical units, called nucleotide bases. The four chemical units are strung together in a precise order, just as letters string together to make specific words. Each of your genes contains a segment of DNA that is typically several thousand base pairs long! A genome is all the DNA combined - your complete genetic inheritance.

Scientists are now spending a lot of time studying genes and DNA because that will help us learn more about ourselves and help us stay healthy. The NIH Human Genome Project

, of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health, has started a worldwide effort to determine how many genes we have, how our cells work, how living things evolve, how single cells can develop into such complex creatures (like you!), and what exactly happens when we become sick. The NHGRI studies should also help us find new ways to prevent and treat diseases.

But our genes are not the only thing that determines whether we will be healthy or sick. Our environment and how it reacts with our genes is also very important. So the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has started an Environmental Genome Project to help us understand which genes are more likely to be affected by our environment. And those studies will help us understand why some people get sick from exposures (like cigarette smoke), but others do not.

As for cloning (creating something genetically identical to something else), only animals have been cloned so far. But even if you had a clone, YOU could still be healthier than someone just like you genetically if you provide a better environment for yourself. Here are some ways to do that:

Always wash your hands before eating or preparing food and after using the bathroom -- this is your best protection against food-borne infections.
Don't smoke -- and don't allow smoking around you! Second-hand smoke may affect you and unborn babies too. (Learn About the Dangers of Smoking from Mama Didn't Know and Smokefree Kids.)
Make sure your home is free of lead and allergens, like dust mites, cat dander, and cockroaches if you are allergic to them.
Wash raw fruits and vegetables carefully -- particularly if grown near your frequently sprayed roses
Be sure to eat five or more fruits and vegetables a day to reduce your risk of cancer. Popeye says "I yam what I yam!" -- but remember, he still eats his spinach for good health.

Gene, DNA, and Cloning Resources

(Note -- links designated with a External (Non-NIEHS) Site

take you outside the NIEHS Kids' Pages -- don't forget to come back.)
Making it in a Tough Environment -- You and Your Genes -- in story book form, for the younger students and elementary classrooms.
The National Human Genome Institute Educational Resources

DNA from the Beginning (An Animated Primer)

Creating a Cloned Sheep Named Dolly Link to a Non-NIEHS Site

NIEHS Environmental Genome Project
The National Human Genome Research Institute Link to a Non-NIEHS Site

EXPRESS YOURSELF!

Submit your comments or creations,
or participate in a contest or survey.

Note -- sites marked with link to a non-NIEHS site

are NOT NIEHS sites. Please read the following information carefully before proceeding to other websites.

When you encounter this image link to a non-NIEHS site

NASA invites you to send your name into space! Non-NIEHS Site
Web Weather for Kids Contest
Middle schoolers from around the USA are being invited to join Boulder,Colo., students in going head to head against a Denver television meteorologist in an on-line weather forecasting contest. The contest is open to anyone born between 1986 and 1991. Mike Nelson, an on-air meteorologist at KUSA-TV in Denver will join middle schoolers in predicting the weather each day between February 8 and 11. Each participant will predict highs and lows and give a thumbs up or down for precipitation the following day at Denver International Airport, using data available on the Web site. Scoring is based on how close each participant comes to forecasting Denver’s high and low temperature each day of the four days, and whether rain or snow does or does not fall.
Frogwatch USA Link to a Non-NIEHS Site
You can participate. US Geological Survey Biological Resources Division) has launched Frogwatch USA, a new volunteer-driven frog and toad monitoring program, and they need your help to inform the public about it.

Thought-Provoking Quotations

We are just starting this collection and would like to include input from a variety of cultures focusing on our world and our health. So please let us know of any quotes you would like to suggest relating to nature and health.

Education
Environment: