Spooky Science: Halloween with SciStarter! 🎃

SciStarter Newsletter − 2026

Bats flying at dusk, giant spiders spinning webs, ghostly forests, and mysterious sounds… It sounds like Halloween, but it's also science!

Some of nature's spookiest sights and sounds have fascinating explanations, and scientists need help studying them. This Halloween, get into the spirit with six citizen science projects that turn creepy encounters into real scientific discoveries.

Whether you're watching bats online, hunting for spiders, or discovering what's lurking in your own home, there's a way to participate!

Cheers!

The SciStarter Team

Bats Count! Bat Cam Emergence Count

Bats are a classic part of Halloween. Watch a bat camera in Connecticut and count big brown bats as they emerge from their roost around sunset.

Your observations help researchers monitor a bat maternity colony and understand how bat activity changes over time.

This is a great way to study nocturnal wildlife without leaving home!

Location: Online

Go Batty!

Horrible and Heavenly Sounds

What makes a sound spine-chilling or delightful?

Listen to recordings ranging from beautiful birdsong to unpleasant noises, then rate how they make you feel.

You can even upload your own recordings!

Researchers are investigating why some sounds are pleasant and others make us cringe. Perfect for anyone who loves a good Halloween sound effect!

Location: Online

Make Some Noise!

Who Eats Whom?

What eats what in the wild? Help scientists uncover animal diets by photographing feeding interactions, from birds catching insects to deer munching leaves.

Submit observations through iNaturalist to contribute to a growing global database of food-web relationships.

As a SciStarter Affiliate project, Who Eats Whom also lets participants automatically earn credit on their SciStarter Dashboards when their accounts are connected!

Location: Global

Take a Bite Out of Science

Never Home Alone: The Wild Life of Homes

You're never truly home alone…spiders, beetles, and countless other tiny creatures may be sharing your space.

Photograph the insects and other animals you discover indoors and submit observations through iNaturalist.

Scientists are studying the surprisingly diverse ecosystems inside our homes, where some species have even been discovered that were previously unknown to science!

Location: Global

Meet Your Creepy-Crawly Roommates!

Ghosts of the Coast

Ghost forests are real, but they aren't haunted! These eerie stands of dead trees form when rising seas and saltwater intrusion damage coastal forests.

If you encounter a ghost forest, submit an observation using a simple online survey. Your contribution will help researchers document how coastal landscapes are changing.

Location: Coastal USA, particularly the Mid-Atlantic

Boo!

Get Your Free, LinkedIn-ready Badge!

SciStarter's Foundations of Citizen Science training is free, self-paced, and entirely online.

In about an hour, you'll learn how to contribute to real research, find projects that match your interests, and build skills in data collection and scientific inquiry.

Earn Your Free Digital Badge

SciStarter Classic: GoBituary (Like an Obituary, but On-the-Go!)

Watch this SciStarter Classic LIVE webinar with the leaders of GoBituary, a crowdsourced history project that empowers participants to research and write about the stories of people in different cemeteries around the world, starting with the Miami City Cemetery.

Watch the Recording

Do NASA Science LIVE Event: Help AI See Space Better

Get ready for an out-of-this-world season of science! Do NASA Science LIVE is back with free, interactive events where you can meet NASA scientists, explore real research, and contribute to exciting discoveries.

Join us virtually November 19 for Help AI See Space Better, featuring NASA's Artifact InSPECtor project and astrophysicist Dr. Aimee Schechter.

Explore telescope images and help train AI to distinguish real cosmic objects from tricky artifacts. No science experience needed—just your curiosity. Register to attend as an individual or host.

Hosts, don’t forget about our free Event Toolkit.

Save Your Spot

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New projects & events featured on SciStarter

Project (Online): Rubin: Blobs and Blurs
Event (Online): Hosting Your Next Event: Tips, Tricks, (& Treats)!
Project (Middleborough, MA): Nemasket Bridge Clearances
Event (Online): Library Network Webinar: Plan Now for Citizen Science Month 2027
Project (Global): AirMapper: DIY Air Quality Monitoring

…and thousands more featured on the project finder and the event finder! Find an online or local project or event near you.

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