E173: Why are some sea snails moving north? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: or watch at: https://youtu.be/JKoJhxkvFYQSummary: Scientists wanted to find out how sea snails were adapting to new habitats in colder waters.Abstract: If you lived in sunny California, would you want to move north? Well, some sea snails are doing exactly that! We were curious about Kellet’s whelks, a type of sea snail. They usually live in the warm waters of Southern California and Mexico. Now, we’re finding them further north in colder water! We collected Kellet’s whelks from the California coast – some from the south and some from the north. We kept them in separate tanks with identical conditions. Then we compared the DNA of their babies.The northern snails had 2,770 genes that were working differently. These differences were so clear that we could tell if a baby snail’s parents came from the south or north just by looking at its DNA. We also found that the northern snails’ genes show some changes that help them survive in the colder water up north! Our findings are helping scientists understand how ocean animals are adapting to a changing climate.You are one of half a million educators in the U.S. who use our articles and videos in class. All our content is FREE, no paywalls, no need to subscribe. But recent federal cuts have made it hard for us to win grants to fund our mission. We are a small non-profit, and without support, we may not make it.If you enjoy our content, please consider donating - https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/support-us.html 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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E172: What are good ways to track melting glaciers? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-are-good-ways-to-track-melting-glaciers/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/BUo2SaeYdKoSummary: Researchers combined datasets to more accurately measure changes in glacier melt around the world.Abstract: Have you ever watched an ice cube melt on a hot day? Well, that’s happening to glaciers all over the world. Glaciers have important impacts on water resources, runoff, and sea level rise. Keeping track of how glaciers change is important to predict and plan for these downstream impacts. We wanted to create a more recent record of how glaciers have changed from 2000 to 2023. So we compared and combined data about glaciers collected using different methods. We found that glaciers worldwide lost about 5% of their mass in this period. In different regions glaciers lost between 2% and 39% of their mass. We saw slight differences between data collection methods that could add up over time. We expect glacier loss to continue, which will lead to some regions losing their glaciers by 2100. It’s important to use the most accurate and up-to-date information to make predictions about glacier loss in the future. You are one of half a million educators in the U.S. who use our articles and videos in class. All our content is FREE, no paywalls, no need to subscribe. But recent federal cuts have made it hard for us to win grants to fund our mission. We are a small non-profit, and without support, we may not make it.If you enjoy our content, please consider donating - https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/support-us.html 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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E171: Why is bird flu making cows sick? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/why-is-bird-flu-making-cows-sick/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/Hf7bk_O6LIASummary: Scientists tracked how the bird flu virus spread from birds to dairy cows and other animals.Abstract: Did you know bird flu can affect animals other than birds? Bird flu usually affects wild birds like geese and farm birds like chickens. But sometimes it can “jump” to other animals. This includes cats, cows, and even humans. We wanted to understand this process better.When cows started getting sick from bird flu and stopped producing milk, we examined how this happened. We looked at the amount of virus and where it was present in the cows. We sampled their milk and several other tissues. We found that the virus mainly infected the mammary glands, which produce milk. We studied the genetic changes in the virus’ genetic code. This helped us better understand how it spreads. We discovered that the bird flu virus moved between cows and from cows to other animals in the farms easily. We also learned that the virus moved between farms. It is important to track outbreaks and reduce activities that could spread the bird flu virus. This can help us prevent more animals and humans from getting sick.You are one of half a million educators in the U.S. who use our articles and videos in class. All our content is FREE, no paywalls, no need to subscribe. But recent federal cuts have made it hard for us to win grants to fund our mission. We are a small non-profit, and without support, we may not make it.If you enjoy our content, please consider donating - https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/support-us.html 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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E170: How does climate change affect mental health? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-does-climate-change-affect-mental-health/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/Pr2AJ_6sm2ISummary: Researchers develop a way to determine the level of climate change anxiety a person experiences.Abstract: Did you know that climate change affects people’s mental health? Some people experience climate change anxiety. They have extreme worries and fears about the future because of climate change. We wanted to describe the levels of climate change anxiety that people experience more clearly. We used a survey called the Climate Change Anxiety Scale. We also used a survey about stress, anxiety, and depression. We used the results to determine cut-off scores. We found that a total score of 21 means a person has mild to moderate climate change anxiety symptoms. A total score of 23 means a person has severe climate change anxiety symptoms. We also found that many young people have climate change anxiety. Measuring climate change anxiety can help health care professionals provide support. It can also help governments make policies to reduce climate change. These policies should improve people’s mental health.You are one of half a million educators in the U.S. who use our articles and videos in class. All our content is FREE, no paywalls, no need to subscribe. But recent federal cuts have made it hard for us to win grants to fund our mission. We are a small non-profit, and without support, we may not make it.If you enjoy our content, please consider donating - https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/support-us.html 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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E169: How do lizards find food to eat? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-do-lizards-find-food-to-eat/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/WzUBIZ_qGjESummary: Scientists watched lizards navigate a maze to learn more about how lizards use their senses to find food.Abstract: What is your hide-and-seek strategy? Maybe you search one area at a time, look for signs of movement, or even listen to see if you can hear your friends. Wild animals use lots of different strategies when they search for food. Guatemalan beaded lizards come from a desert valley surrounded by rugged mountains. They like to eat bird and lizard eggs, as well as insects, baby birds and small mammals. These can be hard to find! We wanted to know what strategies these lizards use when they are hunting for their next meal. We designed a maze experiment to help us figure it out. We placed food in a maze and watched how the lizards navigated the maze. We found that they were good at remembering where they’d already looked. They did best when there was a scent trail for them to follow. They did not do as well when they had to detect airborne scent from a distance. These experiments help us know more about the strategies these lizards use in the wild!You are one of half a million educators in the U.S. who use our articles and videos in class. All our content is FREE, no paywalls, no need to subscribe. But recent federal cuts have made it hard for us to win grants to fund our mission. We are a small non-profit, and without support, we may not make it.If you enjoy our content, please consider donating - https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/support-us.html 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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