Curiouser and Curiouser

Researchers and developers at MIT and the Smithsonian Institute are trying to get kids interested in science — by turning it into a game, says The Boston Globe's Alli Knothe. In early April, they plan to launch a new website called Vanished, in which middle schoolers will use scientific tools and methods — data collection, research, and peer consultation — to help solve a scientific mystery. For eight weeks, they will receive weekly clues on the site and access to games that "will help them achieve an understanding of scientific concepts they will need to solve the mystery," Knothe says. The idea, the developers say, is to get kids excited about science and get them thinking about pursuing scientific careers.