Across
- 3. Faster or easier route than the usual path
- 6. Person who studies the natural world through experiments
- 9. Curved path of a planet or spacecraft around another object
- 10. Harmful substances added to air, water, or land
- 11. Long period with little or no rainfall
- 12. Legal case brought to court by one side against another
- 15. Two or more atoms bonded together
- 16. Icy object in space that forms a glowing tail near the Sun
- 18. Land used for growing crops or raising animals
- 20. Group of people connected by shared ancestry or culture
- 22. Fourth planet from the Sun and target of future human missions
- 23. Large passenger ship used for vacations at sea
- 25. Overflow of water onto normally dry land
- 26. Tiny basic unit of matter
- 27. Ability to do work or cause change
- 28. Force that pulls objects toward each other
- 29. Long-term pattern of weather in a region
Down
- 1. New device, method, or idea that solves a problem
- 2. Violently rotating column of air touching the ground
- 4. Rare virus spread mainly by rodents that recently made headlines on a cruise ship
- 5. Preserved remains or traces of ancient life
- 7. Sudden shaking of the ground caused by moving plates
- 8. Machine programmed to perform tasks
- 13. Day-to-day conditions like rain, wind, and temperature
- 14. Process of turning used materials into new products
- 17. Insurance company accused in lawsuits over claim payouts
- 19. Rocky object that travels around the Sun
- 21. Huge system of stars, gas, and dust held together by gravity
- 24. Community of living things and their environment