E157: How do groups of ants make shared decisions? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-do-groups-of-ants-make-shared-decisions/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/kvr4f2NfooESummary: Researchers wanted to discover which group decision-making strategy weaver ants used when transporting their prey back to the nest.Abstract: Have you ever noticed that animals living in groups tend to work together? For example, African elephants typically walk in a line for safety and follow the age and experience of the oldest and largest female. This is called “follow the leader” strategy. But what about the humble ant? Ants often work together to transport large food items back to their nest. Since ants can’t talk to each other to make decisions, they must rely on other senses to work as a team. We wanted to find out how weaver ants cooperate to move large items. So, we observed ants in the lab trying to move objects. We discovered that no single ant takes the lead. Instead they pool their opinions to decide on which direction to go. This is known as the “wisdom of the crowd” strategy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
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9:13
E156: How does limiting sugar early in life affect adult health? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-does-limiting-sugar-early-in-life-affect-adult-health/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/pL6MsH4OHmcSummary: Researchers exploit the end of World War II sugar rationing to examine the link between limited sugar exposure up to age two and health problems as adults.Abstract: What do soda, ice cream, and candy have in common? They all contain lots of added sugar! While sugar makes foods taste great, too much added sugar can negatively impact a person’s health. For instance, studies link high added sugar levels to type 2 diabetes and hypertension. These diseases often occur later in life.Because of World War II, the United Kingdom rationed several foods, including sugar, from 1940 to 1953. In September 1953, sugar rationing ended. This event likely caused diets to be lower in sugar before and higher after that date. We looked at the data and noticed that there was indeed an increase in the amount of sugar people ate right after the sugar rationing ended. We wanted to understand how being in a place with either very little or a lot of sugar early in life affected a person's health as an adult. So, we studied adults born in the UK around the end of sugar rationing who were later diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hypertension. For this group, we found that restricting sugar until age two decreased the chances of developing type 2 diabetes and hypertension. It also delayed when these diseases started. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
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9:21
E155: How did mammals evolve to live in the sea? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-did-mammals-evolve-to-live-in-the-sea/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/a5DHR61VJOMSummary: Researchers compared neuropeptides in cetacean and land mammal DNA to explore how mammals evolved to live underwater.Abstract: Marine mammals are well adapted to living in the sea. For example, whales and dolphins are excellent divers, hold their breath for long periods, and can sleep underwater. However, this was not always the case. In fact, whales and dolphins (collectively known as cetaceans) evolved from mammals that once lived on land! How did cetaceans develop these abilities to live underwater? A group of chemicals called neuropeptides may hold the answer. These chemicals play important roles in numerous bodily processes including sleep, feeding and the maintenance of blood pressure. We compared the neuropeptides found in cetaceans with those found in land mammals. We wanted to see how they are different. We found that marine mammals have lost the ability to make many of the neuropeptides that land mammals still have. So, differences in neuropeptides may explain how cetaceans adapted to live in a marine environment. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
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9:37
E154: Which chemical makes ants walk like zombies? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/which-chemical-makes-ants-walk-like-zombies/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/-u5sFXvMWYYSummary: Researchers wanted to see how Ophiocordyceps infects ants, causing them to turn into "zombies", through the release of chemicals like aflatrem, which impacts their movement and alters their genes.Abstract: Have you ever seen an ant acting strange? Sometimes, ants are infected with a fungus called Ophiocordyceps that can change their behavior. The fungus causes them to walk like a zombie, climb up nearby plants, and bite to hang on tightly. It does this so that the wind will help spread its infectious spores. But how does this happen?Our previous research discovered that Ophiocordyceps fungi can make a chemical similar to one called aflatrem. Since these types of chemicals are known to cause trouble with walking in other animals, we wondered if it might be causing the zombie walk in ants, too. To test our hypothesis, we injected ants with aflatrem and found that it makes them move more slowly. It also causes them to stagger like they are dizzy! We also discovered that aflatrem can change how much some genes are turned up or down in the ants. By making it harder for ants to walk, we think the fungus uses aflatrem-like chemicals to keep the ants from leaving once they are in the perfect spot for the biting behavior. This helps the fungus to spread its spores better. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
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10:35
E153: What can fossils tell us about growing up? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-can-fossils-tell-us-about-growing-up/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/CCO7RT8lOnUSummary: A new fossil find shows that the ancestors of mammals grew up more slowly in the Jurassic Era than they do now.Abstract: Did you know that some animals like crocodiles and sharks keep growing larger as they get older? Mammals are not like that. We only grow during the first part of our lives. We were curious about how this trait evolved, so we used X-rays and 3D imaging to look at two small mammal-like fossils from the Jurassic. The fossils were from a juvenile and an adult. We found they grew more slowly than mammals do today. This helps us better understand the evolution of mammals. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencejournalforkids.substack.com
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