E163: How do octopuses coordinate their arms? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at:  or watch at: https://youtu.be/TaEPrsglDkoSummary: Researchers explored the nervous system of octopuses to understand how they coordinate eight arms and hundreds of suckers.Abstract: Have you ever tried patting your head and rubbing your stomach simultaneously? Coordinating two arms at the same time can be difficult. So imagine if you had eight arms, like an octopus! The nervous system helps animals coordinate their movements. It also helps them sense and respond to their environment. Each type of animal has a nervous system that is organized differently. We wanted to know how the octopus's nervous system is organized. To find out, we looked at the nerves inside octopuses’ arms. We found that the main nerve cord in each octopus arm has segments. These segments can communicate with each other. They are also linked to individual suckers. This helps octopuses make large, smooth movements, like swimming. It also helps octopuses make tiny targeted movements, like moving a single sucker. So, the layout of the nerves in the arms tells us how octopuses make such complex movements! 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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E162: How can there be oxygen in the deep sea without light? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-can-there-be-oxygen-in-the-deep-sea-without-light/Â or watch at:Â https://youtu.be/T1KXbjH6TY8Summary: Researchers explored how oxygen could be produced in the deep sea.Abstract: Have you ever wondered what goes on at the bottom of the ocean? We do! During experiments near the seafloor, we detected oxygen production. It did not make sense. Photosynthesis produces oxygen. But there is no light in the deep sea for photosynthesis! We wanted to know where the oxygen was coming from.So, we went back to do more experiments. We tested multiple hypotheses. We thought that we might have accidentally added oxygen to our experiments. Or that there were organisms in our samples producing the oxygen. We only found one hypothesis with good support. Metallic rocks on the seafloor seem to have produced the oxygen. We need to know a lot more about this process before we can understand how it happens and its impact on the deep ocean community. 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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E161: What can you do with a microscopic robot? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/what-can-you-do-with-a-microscopic-robot/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/Vl9UUr90ch0Summary: Scientists built a microscopic robot that can interact with light in useful ways.Abstract: Can you imagine a robot so small that you can’t even see it without a microscope? No, it’s not science fiction! Microscopic robots, or microbots, are tiny machines that are about the same size as a red blood cell. That’s only a few millionths of a meter across, about a tenth of a hair's diameter. Making a robot this small is hard. Controlling a microbot is especially challenging!We developed a new type of microbot that can be controlled remotely using an electromagnet. The basic shape of the robot is simple. They have two sides and bend in the middle like an inchworm. They are covered in special, super tiny magnets. By adjusting a magnetic field, we can make microbots walk, swim, and fold themselves up like origami! Their tiny size even lets them change how light bounces off a surface. We think these microbots have a lot of potential! 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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E160: How many legs does it take to escape a predator? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-many-legs-does-it-take-to-escape-a-predator/ or watch at: https://youtu.be/5orR9Vr5BBMSummary: Researchers wanted to learn whether using two legs instead of four helps jumping rodents escape their predatorsAbstract: Why do animals have such different shapes and sizes? Many animals are hunted by predators. Prey animals have features that help them escape these predators. For example, some animals like frogs have two powerful back legs to jump away from predators. Other animals, like deer, have four legs that help them run away to safety. Some rodents use two legs, while many other rodents use four legs. But which ones are better at avoiding predators? We compared the bipedal kangaroo rat with the pocket mouse, woodrat, and ground squirrel. We created fake predator attacks and measured how each rodent responded. We found that pocket mice and kangaroo rats jumped away the fastest. This might be because both are small and have strong back legs. Woodrats and ground squirrels jumped lower and slower. So, rodents jumping with two legs were better at reacting to attacks. This means using two legs may be an advantage for rodents when avoiding predators. 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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E159: How can we predict extreme winter weather? [SJK Audio Edition]
Read this article at: https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/how-can-we-predict-extreme-winter-weather/Â or watch at:Â https://youtu.be/aX88S-pYOncSummary: Scientists analyzed data to determine what factors affect the formation of a weak polar vortex.Abstract: Some winter days are so cold and snowy that you feel like you are living at the North Pole. But what causes the weather to be so cold? Freezing temperatures and heavy snow at lower latitudes often follow a weak polar vortex. A polar vortex is a band of strong winds that traps a large mass of cold air above the North and South Poles. When the polar vortex weakens, extreme cold air moves away from the poles. We wanted to work out what factors cause a weak Arctic polar vortex event. We found that warmer ocean temperatures cause air pressure changes. This change in air pressure causes a shift in the polar vortex in the upper atmosphere. Our results can help predict weak polar vortex events in winter. Predicting these events will improve the ability to forecast extreme cold and snow. 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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