Social and news media reports triggered a bed bug panic in Paris during the city’s Fashion Week. But, experts say it has been ‘hyped up” because the tiny insects have been feeding on human blood for thousands of years and are found worldwide. The number of bed bugs rises and falls, and it seemed to drop in the COVID pandemic when people traveled less. The creatures often hitchhike in luggage. Public panic over the bugs also rises and falls as it travels about the globe. A decade ago it swept New York City. Panic eventually ends, but not the bugs.
Class discussion: There is no evidence bed bugs spread disease, but the irritating bites can cause skin rashes or allergic reactions. Are you scared of these tiny bugs? Why or why not? Would you avoid traveling to Paris or some other city because of bed bug reports? Would you cancel a trip to next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris? What panics have been spread by social media and news reports? How can you tell if a threat is real or just hype? What evidence do believe? Do you proceed with caution or hide away after an alarming report? Can you Keep Calm and Carry On?
• Tropicana resort imploded in Las Vegas making way to A's stadium
• A huge cavern helps Tokyo prepare for a changing climate
• SpaceX launches rescue mission for 2 NASA astronauts stuck in space
• Shohei Ohtani: Greatest baseball game by the greatest player?
• Friday the 13th: The psychology behind the superstition
• Vance says school shootings are a 'fact of life’
• California startup makes waves with electric boat for water
• Trained dogs help save lives at Spanish beach
• WHO declares mpox outbreak a global health emergency
• 3 teens arrested in plot to attack Taylor Swift concert
• Biden and Harris greet freed Americans
• Large wildfire creates ‘fire tornado’ in California
• Mayor of Paris follows through on promise to swim in Seine
• Mass tourism protesters in Barcelona spray water at tourists
• How much is AI meddling in elections?
• New Yorkers react to proposed mask ban on subway
• Americans are taking notice of one of Earth's most popular sports: cricket
• Robotic 'Third Thumb' helps perform challenging tasks single-handedly
• Dangerous jobs: U.S. prisoners often work without basic protections
• Tiny Mexican taco stand gets a Michelin star
• Scores of starving pelicans found along California coast
• How bird flu could threaten cow cuddling
• How sun storms can affect electronics on Earth
• Seaweed microbots could one day treat cancer, researcher says
• Space isn't as colorful as photos make it seem
• Invaders from underground are coming in cicada-geddon
• Baltimore bridge collapse timeline
• Death toll rises and new details emerge from Moscow concert hall terror attack
• Would you eat this lab-grown 'beef rice'?
• Ocean temperature hit record high in February
• Thousands of Russians defy Putin with protest chants at Navalny’s funeral
• Snow lacking, French ski resort turns to new activities
• AI a hot topic at California music tech show
• How surging demand for krill is raising concerns over Antarctica's future
• Taylor Swift swarmed by conspiracy theories
• Bird flu devastates farms in California’s ‘Egg Basket’
• Dog helps Michigan police rescue owner from icy lake
• The weirdest and best of CES 2024
• Japan Airlines fireball: passenger videos record their miracle escape
• Brazil’s congress votes to limit Indigenous land claims
• Will floating farms grow as world warms?
• Polar bear sightings surge in small Canadian town due to lack of sea ice
• More hostages released during Israel-Hamas truce
• Test of giant rocketship goes better, but blows up again
• Iceland volcano: Thousands evacuated over eruption fears
• ‘Einstein was wrong’ – new study of universe poses fundamental questions
• Animals run faster from human voices than they do from lion roars
• ‘Einstein was wrong’ – new study of universe poses fundamental questions
• ‘Einstein was wrong’ – new study of universe poses fundamental questions
• ‘Einstein was wrong’ – new study of universe poses fundamental questions
• Average teen gets more than 200 cell phone notifications a day
• Space capsule brings NASA’s first asteroid samples to Earth
• New technology aims to put a whole new spin on space travel
• Rescuers search earthquake rubble in Morocco
• Thousands gather for 60th anniversary of March on Washington
• Russia's unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft smashes into the moon
• Why the Maui wildfires spread so devastatingly fast
• A Ukrainian orphan's journey to freedom
• Saguaro cacti suffering under Arizona's extreme heat
• Lionel Messi scores game-winning goal in his debut $1 million match
• No one died in alleged TikTok boat jump challenge
• U.S. military struggles to find qualified volunteers
• Golf merger with Saudis ignites outrage
• Paralyzed man walks again with help of a 'brain bridge'
• Advanced 3D model goes inside Titanic wreck
• The promise and peril of artificial intelligence
• 7th grader saves bus driver and classmates
• 'Wrong place' shootings in America
• Meet New York's first ever 'rat czar'
• China simulates striking Taiwan in military drills
• Crews practice rescues high above Las Vegas
• West Coast salmon industry braces for fishing ban
Colorado NIE Weekly lessons
Colorado NIE Youth Content
Lessons & Classroom Activities
Resources by grade level