Turtles ahoy! (a real
implementation of the scientific method)
did you ever wonder how baby sea turtles can
run down into the ocean after hatching,
paddle thousands of miles across the north
atlantic, and find their way back years later to
the same beach they were born?
curious about these creatures, a biologist at university of north
carolina at chapel hill has discovered at least part of the answer. baby
loggerhead turtles, no bigger than a child's hand, use the earth's magnetic
fields and waves to orient themselves and direct their marathon swims.
in a recent issue of scientific american magazine, biologist kenneth lohmann
describes experiments showing their biological compass. working with
florida atlantic university science researchers, lohmann tied loggerhead
turtle hatchlings (newborns) to a device and placed them in a large glass tank
filled with water.
within minutes of placing the hatchlings in total darkness,
researchers observed that the turtles all swam in the same direction. in fact,
most of them swam towards points located between magnetic north and
east, directions that would lead them away from florida's east coast and
toward the gulf stream currents. the biologists also found that when they
reversed the magnetic field, the turtles swam in the opposite direction-
toward the southwest.

1. circle and label the question that is going to be investigated.
2. what is the hypothesis?
3. what is the independent variable?
4. what is the dependent variable?
5. what are the constants?
6. describe the data and analysis.
7. what is the conclusion?