While autopsies are among the most reliable methods of validating clinical diagnoses they have been steadily declining. In the 1940s, the rate of autopsies was about 50%. By the mid-1980s, the rate had dropped to between 10% and 15%. The reasons for the decline include the fact that autopsies are costly and not reimbursable, too heavy reliance on modern technology such as MRI and CAT scans, and the hospitals' fears of litigation.The following chapters tell the human and medical stor...

The Sizzling Six are back to solve another environmental issue—this time while spending the summer at a beach cottage in southern Alabama. When one of the worst oil spills in history threatens the critically endangered diamondback terrapins, the Sizzling Six rush into action to help protect them. But as the oil continues to spread throughout the Gulf of Mexico, time is running out for the terrapins and other marine life. The Sizzling Six quickly learn that cleaning up after the spill is no...

Why birds vanish with the changing seasons remained a mystery until 1822, when a German teenager shot down a white stork with a three-foot Mozambican spear impaling its neck. It was the first important clue in solving the puzzle of seasonal bird migration . . . Migratory birds connect teenagers living on different continents in a way they never could have imagined. Teens across time periods and cultures uncover more clues to unravel the mysteries of bird migration. But birds that once fill...

The Sizzling Six is a group of teenage girls who have solved every eco mystery thrown their way. In their newest adventure, monarch butterflies are in grave danger! The town of Mortaburg is threatening to destroy an important local haven for these beautiful insects on their long migration journey south. The Sizzling Six members are in a race against meddling city officials, and the weather itself, to save the endangered monarchs. With the help of a mysterious neighbor and a school project,...