APES Current Events

This article is about how glaciers on Baffin Island up in the Canadian Arctic are in trouble. These glaciers have now melted down to dimensions that they have not been at in the last 115,000 years. The melting has exposed ancient plants that were frozen. Researchers say these plants haven't seen light in at least 40,000 years. My thoughts are this is a rising concern. A issue that is right in front of us. Humans have been causing these issues ever since they have started to release green house gases into the air. the world as a whole really needs to make this a man topic and make its a agenda to chance ways that can benefit everyone. The article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/baffin-island-glaciers-shrinking-climate/

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/giant-pandas-may-have-only-recently-switched-eating-mostly-bamboo?tgt=nr Giant Pandas only recently began consuming bamboo as their primary food source about 5,000 years ago. This is a lot more recent than scientist's had previously thought, as the scientists were about 2 million years off their previous prediction. This shows that the panda bears had previously adapted to many different environments and living conditions, with the different isotopes of oxygen and carbon molecules in their bone structures. It is interesting to note that panda bears had adapted so much more than scientists previously realized. This is important because they may need to adapt in the future depending on the conditions of their environment. It is also interesting, and somewhat concerning, to see that the scientists were off on the pandas diets by 2 million years. It is quite unbelievable, and makes me wonder how many other events they are off by with that big of

A sample of an insect fossil trapped in opal was found in Java. It was bought by Brian Berger, a gemologist in Philadelphia, who studied the fossil. He believed that it was a fossil that was trapped in amber, but secondarily coated in the opal gemstone. It is still awaiting more studies to determine the insect species, but if it is trapped in only opal, it could be a new species. I believe that this is important because it could lead to more discoveries of new species of insects, which could help scientists understand more about dinosaurs. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/01/strange-fossil-may-be-insect-in-opal-gemstone-java-paleontology/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/polar-vortex-record-cold-subzero-temperatures-midwest-america/ Across the United States, people have been experiencing consistently frigid temperatures due to the polar vortex that is a swirling mass of Arctic air that hovers around the North Pole all year round. During the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, its amount of land coverage increases and it dips down further than usual. Scientists are developing theories that suggest that climate change could cause colder temperatures like those being experienced lately could become more regular and last longer depending on the time of year. More extreme temperatures could be the result of further climate change. It's very interesting to read about why the extremely cold temperatures we have been experiencing are occurring. At the same time it is slightly alarming to think about the dangers these cold temperatures present to people in even further north locations that feel the ef

As all pollution is bad, people tend to forget that ocean pollution exists as well, which is all together, about twice the size of Texas which substantially lies in between the waters of California and Hawaii. Therefore, with pollution being a major issue, specifically water pollution in this case, new prevention's are being created such as waterwheels in which trap trash before floating to other areas of water, picking the debris up as it washes up on shore and simple tactics like less plastic use and special recyclable plastic that can be broken down. In other words, ocean pollution is returning and strategies are continuously being made where ocean pollution will decrease if humans recycle the correct things and minimize the use of plastic as well as, if the fishing industry contributes to the overall cleanup and start using buoys to mark off certain areas, pollution will be easier to keep up after, since the fishing industry is one of the major correspondents to ocean pollution

Article Link In 2001, the year I was born, Topton, Pennsylvania only had 13 days where the temperature reached 90 degrees. In 2019, Topton can expect to have 16 days where the temperature reaches 90 degrees. This number could reach up to 37 days by the time I'm 80 years old. Studies show that temperatures will continue to rise even if we lower greenhouse gas emissions, but lowering these numbers could prevent temperatures from reaching even greater levels. Higher temperatures have been found to increase illness and death for the elderly and infants, as well have as lower food production. I find this to be very scary. The temperatures in our own hometown have already risen since my birth and will continue to raise dramatically throughout my lifetime. Not only could this effect the environment, but it could also effect illness and death rates for children and elderly people. We definitely need to take action to lower emissions as soon as possible before this issue gets any more o

In China, where air pollution is very high, scientists have conducted a study to see how air pollution affects people's happiness. They conducted the study on a social media platform, analyzing thousands of posts. They discovered that when air pollution is higher, people are more depressed. This affects women more than men, and more on weekends than weekdays. This is very interesting, because it's a new way of looking at different data to make conclusions about our environment. If this is used more it could show how many different environmental factors affect us. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/chinese-tweets-hint-happiness-drops-air-pollution-rises

Off the coast of Hawaii, there is a pool of tiny plankton living their lives; however, their new buddy has becoming plastic, which is becoming a major threat in oceans. When plastic trash is broken down, it turns into a microplastic, which is created by wear and UV light. Not only is this plastic living in the ocean, it is also now being found in table salt. My reaction to this article is not good, because we as people inhabit the Earth, and if we do not take care of our Earth, than we will no longer live. Although I do not know the severity of consuming plastic, I do know that if we continue putting plastic in our oceans that the marine life will probably start to die. If we start changing now, we can start saving the oceans. There are solutions that have been thought of, but we must put those solutions into action so that they work. Read More:  Striking photos reveal plastic and plankton side-by-side

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-voyager-2-probe-enters-interstellar-space NASA's Voyager 2 has recently exited the heliosphere and is now in a place in space that is between stars, and therefore outside the magnetic field of our sun.  This is the second time in history that a man-made object has gone beyond the heliosphere, the first being Voyager 1.  I find this to be incredible.  Its crazy that NASA can still communicate with an object that far out in space.  The article said that it takes information from the probe 16.5 hours to get back to earth.  I just wonder how far out the probe will go before Earth loses contact with it completely. 

Link Since the year 1442, Lake Suwa in the Nagano Prefecture has held great significance because Shinto priests annually record the date the lake cracks and refreezes. This creates a ridge stretching from shore to shore. During most years since the Industrial Revolution, the lake has not froze. Lake Suwa is one of many lakes that are recently being noticed to not completely freeze during winter. Lake freezing is essential to lake ecology and the culture of the people living near them. With this, lake freezing acts as a reset button for, allowing still, cool water for growth and development. If this process is skipped or shortened, feeding cycles can be altered, and populations can be harmed. I feel that raising awareness for lake freezing could be the first step to reform. When we think about global warming, we often think of its effects on the poles, not necessarily its effects on landmarks close to us.   

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46993649 Researchers have genetically modified chickens to lay eggs that contain health promoting drugs that can help arthritis and cancer. The drugs are said to be 100 times cheaper to produce when they are laid than when they are produced in a factory. These researchers hope that they can produce the drugs in commercial quantities. The chickens aren't harmed and they just think that they are laying normal eggs. It only takes three eggs to produce enough dosage of the drug and chickens lay about 300 per year. The researchers hope that they can use the chicken drug to promote animal health too.

Link As the golf balls continue to rot they emit toxic chemicals into the water. Fifty thousand golf balls ended up in the garbage because of Weber and her father. All of the golf balls stank when they were taken out of the water. As they were collecting the golf balls more golf palls ended up in the ocean because of the golfers. They can have a small impact on the ocean because of the toxins but as the golf balls degrade or if anything plastic degrades, the marine animals can eat it and that would cause a massive impact.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/vitamin-d-supplements-lose-luster?tgt=nr Vitamin D supplements have proven to not be as amazing as they were once thought to be. Although the market for the supplements is still quite popular today with a one billion dollar market for vitamin d specifically. I don't find it that surprising that the supplements aren't as earth shattering as many people assumed. I also don't think the market for them will shrink anytime soon since misinformation about the vitamin and what it can do will still be spread around.

click here to read about sleep Scientists have found that our cells try to keep in rhythm with the sun. If this sleep pattern is broken we can develop illnesses such as, dementia, diabetes and heart disease. Our phones and electronics send out this blue light that messes up our sleep schedule and causes us to have problems falling asleep. The average american sleeps 2 hours less than people who lived 2 centuries ago. I think that a big factor in Americans sleeping less is the use of phones and other electronics. I myself am guilty of the late night scrolling on my phone. Maybe if we use something to filter out that blue light we would have better sleep cycles and overall better health. Another contributing factor is the fear of missing out on important events.

Coral reefs are going down hill because of global warming, but in the red sea they are able to live through these conditions.  The gulf of Aqaba in Red Sea is a very helpful and beneficial place that these coral reefs live.  Not only are they able to survive, but they are able to reproduce like they live in regular and good water conditions.  As this continues researches are going to test and sea how Coral is able to withstand these conditions in the Red Sea.  This is interesting because I did not know much about coral and the impact that global warming has on it. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190121153636.htm This ice melting in Greenland is due to global warming. Growing rivers of water are streaming into the ocean during the summer, which is contributing to sea levels rising. These findings could create complications for coastal US cities, as well as island nations that are vulnerable to the rising levels. The only thing to do to keep this from happening is to adapt and mitigate further global warming. This doesn't surprise me that much. Global warming is becoming a huge issue and not many people seem concerned about it right now because the consequences of it aren't here yet. 

Parent corals from the Gulf of Aqaba that experience increased temperatures and ocean acidification stress during the peak reproductive period are not only able to maintain normal physiological function, but also have the same reproductive output and produce offspring that function and survive as well as those which were produced under today's ambient water conditions. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190122171328.htm

Parent corals from the Gulf of Aqaba that experience increased temperatures and ocean acidification stress during the peak reproductive period are not only able to maintain normal physiological function, but also have the same reproductive output and produce offspring that function and survive as well as those which were produced under today's ambient water conditions.

All of the winds that go in the direction toward Alaska so they continuously smack into the open ocean for miles and miles. While the wind interacts with the waves they become larger and way more powerful. Once the waves got to the United States they were gigantic. Once people started noticing the high and extreme waves in the ocean, The National Weather Service updated a "high surf alert up and down the West Coast for 2 days." The winds made a low pressure system in the center of the state of Alaska. The only difference between these waves and a tsunami is that tsunami's go inward to land while these waves are many feet high but do not. https://www.livescience.com/64338-monster-waves-west-coast.html

Fifty years ago, scientists began injecting fluid into rocks underground. The goal of this was to create small earthquakes that could overall get rid of bigger earthquakes. They tried to research when and where earthquakes would strike and think of how to prepare for them. Looking forward, it was found that a bunch of small, man-made earthquakes do not stop big earthquakes from occurring. Pushing the liquid into the underground rocks actually creates more major earthquakes. Oklahoma has recently experienced a lot of earthquakes due to fluid injections many years ago. Overall, humans were always stupid and tried fighting fire with fire. We got a little bit smarter, but not much, although we like to be cocky and think we're the best species alive. I wonder if Californians were the ones to think of this. The lack of water over there really gets to their heads. I'm happy I'm chilling on the east coast https://www.sciencenews.org/article/50-years-ago-scientists-tried-control-

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/climate/americans-global-warming-poll.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront It is estimated that 73 percent of Americans said that global warming is real and is happening. This has jumped 10 percent since 2015. When asked if people in the United States were being harmed by global warming right now, 48 percent of the respondents agreed. This is an increase of 9 percentage points since last March. About two thirds of the people surveyed believed global warming was affecting the weather in the United States. Half of those surveyed said that warming influenced last year's wildfires in the West.

Cigarette filters are the number one plastic pollutant, despite the recent controversy over plastic straws, bottles, and bags. These have cellulose acetate, which is not biodegradable. 90% of the six trillion cigarettes produced have plastic filters. Two-thirds of these are littered on the ground. Cigarettes filters are toxic to aquatic animals, and often end up in the water, killing them. There have been a few solutions to this that have been developed: adding fees to cigarette packs, fining litterers,  creating filters out of hemp, flax, or cotton, and making cigarette companies provide public ash trays. This is unsurprising to me, as much of the world still smokes today. I believe people should raise more awareness about how cigarettes not only affect smokers, but the environment as well. The public ashtray idea seems to be a very good idea to help prevent littering, and the biodegradable filters, despite still having toxins, is a step in the right direction. Cigarette filters a

Scientists can tell how long a day on Saturn is by looking at the ripples in its rings, a day is 10 hours 33 minutes and 38 seconds. Christopher Mankovich an astronomer states that Saturn is nine times as big as the Earth but Saturn’s day is half as long. Knowing how fast the planet rotates can help scientists determine how it is structured. Some scientists think Saturn has a solid core that is way heavier than the Earth but others say that the different layers are rotating at different speeds. I think this is an interesting idea and it is amazing how much shorter their day is from our day.

Desalination plants are used in areas that don't have enough clean water. The plants take ocean water and turn it into freshwater by taking the salt and other minerals out. As the water leaves, it either goes out as fresh water and goes to people or it goes out as extra salty brine. Scientists found that for every liter of pure water made, there is 1.5 liters released back which is highly concentrated brine. The brine goes to the bottom of the ocean and it kills marine life. I think that they should try and improve desalination plants and realize the affects of the desalination plant. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/desalination-pours-more-toxic-brine-ocean-previously-thought

Trump’s Wilderness Deal Will Decimate the “Most Important Wildlife Refuge in All of Alaska” Zinke rejected the warnings of his department’s scientists. JANE KAY JANUARY 14, 2019 10:21 AM what Does this road really mean for the fishing industry, & the population of the town.

Scientists found a way to "hack" photosynthesis to make the plants grow bigger and faster. Scientists believe that if it works, farmers will be able to grow more food sustaining the growing population. Scientists tried using an enzyme to see how it would affect the process, but the results showed that it wouldn't help the growth but inserting a gene would help its growth. I think this is a great idea o "hack" photosynthesis because it can help feed more people in the future and it will give everyone more food.  https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/plant-scientists-have-found-way-hack-photosynthesis-here-s-why-ncna956706

Every winter monarch butterflies arrive in California each winter, waiting to return home in spring. This year the flight seemed for perilous than ever. A nonprofit group has conducted a yearly census of the butterflies and they dropped a total 86% this year. In 2017 the total monarch butterflies were a total of 148,000, but in 2018 there were a total of 20,456. Their at a great risk of extinction by 72% in 20 years. There has to be a way we can help them, I think it's horrible that something like could end so quickly. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/science/monarch-butterfly-california.html

Global emissions had started rising again in 2017 and 2018. The IPCC has calculated many different scenarios that could happen. In one of the less optimistic scenarios, they would have to take additional precautions which will begin in 2030 or by 2050. We will end up having to implement "negative emissions". Materials systems is currently researching how artificial photosynthesis will bind CO2 with greater efficiency. T he material system that is being used by May and Rehfeld is not about trying to produce hydrogen with sunlight, but instead it is about trying to bind CO 2 molecules and trying to convert them into stable chemical compounds which will help impact the environment. In my opinion this seems like a very beneficial way to cut back on carbon emissions but I also believe it could go wrong. I think we wouldn't be able to use technology like this until later when we become more advanced and can study the long term effects on the different studies they are doing. 

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/phones-reveal-radiation-exposure-after-nuclear-disaster  This article really makes puts me in awe about science now a days. The article is talking about how if any big radioactive disaster happens you'll be able to find out where not to go when your phone glows. It talks about how the phones glow under high heat which shows where the radiation is at the moment. It can also be used to detect radiation in humans.

The Oceans Are Warming  Fast, and Our Lives  Are About to Change Vanishing coral reefs, intensifying hurricanes, rising seas —  new studies confirm the toll of climate change

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/desalination-pours-more-toxic-brine-ocean-previously-thought?tgt=nr Desalination is leading to increased amounts of brine being put back into the ocean. This is beginning to cause problems, since often this brine is still hot from processing and of course extremely salty. Since it is denser than regular ocean water, it sinks to the bottom of the sea and poisons marine life. Since it is hot and doesn't hold oxygen as well, it can also deplete oxygen wherever it goes. While desalination is important in order to provide potable water to many, it can lead to environmental damage. Some solutions for reducing the release of brine are using it for watering salt-tolerant crops or evaporating it into salt. However, desalinization is expensive as it is and many companies do not want to spend so much money on these costly changes. While desalinization is necessary in some areas to provide water for people to drink, it is also essential that we find ways t

A species of worm called California Blackworms get tangled together and form worm balls. (Spheres, not testicles:) A recent study by Saad Bhamla found that when these worms bunch together, they gain properties of both solids and liquids. The worms hold themselves together like solids, and don't fall apart and "splash" when they are dropped. However, they also "melt" when exposed to hotspots, and "freeze when exposed to cold-spots. This melting and freezing is really just the worms disentangling themselves to get away from the hotspot, and re-tangling to keep warm. Gathering into these balls increases the worm's chances of survival greatly, according to a study conducted by Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin. Worms aren't the only species that form large groups to survive, other worm species and fire ants also show similar interactions. This article shows that the worms are capable of gathering, and if enough of them come together, they could create an uprisin

Over 450 millipedes have recently been found and completely fossilized in 100-million-year-old Burmese amber. The scientist used micro computed tomography technology, this helped identify 13 out of the 16 main groups millipedes.   I think this is extremely important because it helps show the evolution of the of animals and how they have changed and might have adapted to new or changing environments. This also shows how  technology plays a major role in the world. With out technology it would have been very difficult to differentiate the species. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181219115600.htm

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/climate/ocean-warming-climate-change.html The oceans are currently warming at rates 40% faster than what had previously anticipated. Oceans absorb 93% of the earth's heat and have been critical in preventing land from warming at higher rates. Marine life is beginning to move in response to the warmer waters and people living in tropic areas who heavily rely on fish as a food source could be hit hard. With an increase in water temperatures, sea levels will inevitably rise causing coastal flooding and storm surges. I think this information on ocean temperatures needs to be treated as the global crisis that it has proven to be. There needs to be a global agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions that could be contributing to this issue in order to preserve marine life and prevent catastrophes to human civilization, as well.

https://www.livescience.com/64249-seal-eel-stuck-nose.html If you click on the link you'll see a picture of a fairly large eel hanging from a seal's nose. (Don't worry it's not too graphic) The research program observers are not sure how this keeps happening. They have concluded that it's most likely one of the three situations that keep causing this to happen. The seals may have been sniffing out for food and got an eel stuck in its nose, maybe the eel accidentally got caught inside the seal's nostril after flinging around as self defense, OR the seal regurgitated the eel and it came out of the nostril. One eel was TWO FEET into this poor seal's nose.. That's unsettling to think about it.... I hope scientists find out why this is happening all of a sudden and figure out a way to reduce this, it could really hurt both of these animals.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190103110611.htm To me I would've thought that the older more mature sharks are stronger, but after reading this article it makes sense that the younger ones are more stiff. It's the same with humans, the older you get the more muscle mass you lose. This article was about a group of students who decided to do an experiment to see which shark was stronger. Unlike many would've thought, it turns out that the baby shark is actually stronger.

Link Four ways to help clean up ocean trash include Mr. Trash Wheel (the name of a waterwheel in Baltimore), collecting debris as it accumulates on land, using less plastic, and rethinking the cycle to get companies to use less plastic.  I think these ways are a good start to reducing the amount of plastic and other waste that are harmful to the environment.

 The Senate voted to confirm at least four of President Donald Trump‘s nominees to top environmental posts Thursday in last-minute votes just hours before the 115th Congress adjourned.  https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/01/senate-confirms-4-trump-nominees-to-top-environmental-posts-in-last-minute-vote/ This story was originally published by HuffPost. It appears in Mother Jones as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Hypoxic dead zones are what occurs when dissolved oxygen levels in water drops. Water drops so low that living animals like fish suffocate while living there. This usually occurs in coastal waters, but a new study shows that intense storms flows can erode some streams to become a series of pools that trap nutrient-laden runoff. The elevated nutrient levels spur great oxygen consumption that cause the pools to become hypoxic until the next storm flushes them out. The intense flows changed the shape of the streams so much that water stopped flowing. The streams became pools containing high levels of organic matter like nitrogen from leaking sewer pipes, fertilizer, and pet waste.