JUNE / JULY 2022 • NAT GEO KIDS (^27)
TAKE THE QUIZ: WHICH TYPE OF EXPLORER ARE YOU?
natgeokids.com/june-july
“Once my team caught a 10-foot-long
female dusky shark that we hoped to tag
and study. But first we had to secure it to the side of the boat.
“You need one strong researcher to hold the dorsal fin, or
back fin, while another ties special ropes around the tail and
the pectoral fins on the sides. But the two workers weren’t
communicating well—and the shark could tell. While no one
was holding the dorsal fin, the shark quickly rolled, which
released the side fins’ rope. We were left with just the tail rope.
“I knew we might hurt the shark if we kept it in this posi-
tion. So I cut it free without taking samples or attaching a tag.
This mistake was a reminder of how strong and agile these
sharks are and how important it is to follow the rules: They
keep everyone safe!”
“I was gathering samples from salt ponds to look at the
micro-algae and other extremophiles—organisms that
live in this super-harsh environment. But I’d lost my
three-foot-long grabber tool I use to scoop up water
into a bottle without getting too close to the edge.
“I didn’t want to go back, so I grabbed the bottle with
my hand and stepped near the pond’s edge and—crunch.
My foot broke through a layer of solid-looking salty crust
into a pool of goopy mud that clung to my leg like quick-
sand. I panicked, but luckily my partner was able to pull
me out. Now I have an even longer grabber—one that’s
five feet long—and I learned to never forget it again.”
THE SCIENTIST Ariel Waldman
COOL JOB Microscopic wildlife filmmaker
THE LOCATION San Francisco Bay Area, California
THE SCIENTIST Nora Shawki
COOL JOB Archaeologist
THE LOCATION Tombos, Sudan
THE SCIENTIST Aviad Scheinin
COOL JOB Marine conservationist
THE LOCATION Mediterranean
Sea, Israel
SINKING
FEELING
JEWELRY
JUMBLE
SHARK SPIN
THIS THREE-FOOT
GRABBER HOLDS
A BOTTLE TO HELP
ARIEL WALDMAN
COLLECT SAMPLES.
AVIAD
SCHEININ
(LEFT) HOLDS
A TAGGED
SANDBAR
SHARK WHILE
EYAL BIGAL
MEASURES
THE FIN.
A DUSKY SHARK
SWIMS OFF
THE COAST OF
SOUTH AFRICA.
“I was digging down toward an ancient tomb when we
came upon the skeleton of a woman who was wearing a
necklace. The jewelry was made of my favorite stone, lapis
lazuli. I thought, ‘This is incredible!’
“I forgot all my training and excitedly reached down to
pick up the necklace. But of course, over the past 3,000
years, the thread had disappeared. So all the tiny beads
scattered into the shifting sand under my feet. I froze,
then painstakingly picked up every last bead—all 43 of
them—and placed them in a bag. I learned to be more
patient and control my excitement: I need to check that
everything is stable before handling artifacts.”
NORA SHAWKI
DUSTS OFF A
SKULL THAT
WAS WEARING
A BEADED
NECKLACE.
BEAD
FIN
g
m
oo
fo eter
g
m
oo
fo eter
g
m
oo
fo eter
maropa
(Maropa)
#1