APES Current Events

Alston's Singing Mice live in cloud forests in Costa Rica. These mice "sing" to each other in a rapid fashion similar to human conversation. New studies are showing that these mice use two different parts of their brains for these conversations. Scientists have discovered that the orofacial motor cortex (OMC) controls conversation speeds, length, and response time. When drugs were used to alter the capabilities of the OMC, mice were not able to converse as well as they had before. I think this was a really interesting study. Being able to locate the different parts of the brain that controlled speech in mice creates hope that this can be done for humans in a more precise manner. Of course, this will not line up perfectly with the human brain since the study was done on mice. However, this is hopefully a step in the right direction for researching disorders that reduce the ability to converse, and maybe even finding treatments or cures. Article:  https://www.sciencenews...

With climate change heating up the oceans, fewer and fewer fish are being caught. The global sustainable catch average has decreased by 4.1%, and in places such as the Sea of Japan, the decrease has gone up to 35%. The average surface temperature of the Earth's oceans has risen by half a Celsius, and 8% of the fish populations decreased as a result. Many people rely on seafood as their diet, and if the fish population is too low that we cannot harvest and eat them, we will lose a main food source.   Link to article

Link  A pesticide that a local orchard, in Washington, was spraying on Easter while the Perez family was away, gave the Perez family stomachaches, vomiting, trouble breathing, diarrhea and scratchy throats. The pesticide chlorphyrifos  had drifted over to their property form the neighboring orchard. Apples, corn, soybeans, and Christmas trees are all sprayed with the pesticide. There are better alternatives to chlorphyrifos but they are more expensive, and no matter how hard you try not to have the pesticide drift onto someone else's property it will end up on another property some how.

click for whale A 12 month old whale calf has been found 50 feet from the ocean in a mangrove forest. People don't know where it came because of how far from shore it is. Theories state that it was a storm that brought it up to shore. I think its sad that the whale died because of how young it was. Its also crazy how far from shore it was found too. I think this whole this is just strange because no one seems to know much about the whale or how it even got there.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/deep-sea-creatures-mariana-trench-eat-plastic/ Plastic has reached all parts of the sea. Amphipods live in the deepest trenches, and microplastic pieces were found in over 72 percent of the amphipods collected. Plastic was found in five sampled trenches, including the Marina trench which is 72,000 feet under the sea. Traps with bait were used to collect the amphipods, and their digestive systems were closely examined. The deeper the trench, the more plastic was found. Amphipods could possibly transfer this plastic throughout the food chain. This issue is highly alarming, and greater reform must happen immediately. The current wave of reform with reducing straw use is a good place to start, but we need to increase the urgency with our efforts. 

Desalination, which extracts minerals and salts from water to make it drinkable, is a practice often used to solve the world's water shortage. However, research has shown that this process releases salty water, or brine, back into the oceans, which is toxic to marine life. Regions with more water shortages release more brine. There has been no attempt by any government to fix this problem, but suggestions have been made. If there is no action soon, the increase of this practice can lead to many negative impacts on marine life. Desalination pours more toxic brine into the ocean than previously thought

The question of why zebras have stripes is answered: the black and white stripes on their coat are used to deter flies from biting them. They dressed horses in similarly, and found that both the horse and zebra's stripes prevented flies from landing on them. The stripes disorient flies due to the high contrast between the black and white. It could work similarly to the barber pole optical illusion. I think this is interesting because it shows how zebras evolved to adapt to their environment, and it explains what the stripes they have are used for. This article correlates to what we're learning in class right now. Why Do Zebras Have Stripes? Scientists Camouflaged Horses to Find Out

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/reason-butterflies-dont-mate-genetics-written-dna-180971456/ I thought this was a really interesting article. These butterflies don't reproduce with each other because if they mix each other's species then the wings will have a different pattern and get easily hunted by predators. The two sexes are different species and so when they mate the chances of survival for the offspring are too low for generations to continue. I thought this article was neat because it shows that these butterflies are capable of understanding the consequences of if they mate with the wrong butterfly. These animals have to be really picky about who they mate with so that the offspring has a chance to survive.

This article is talking about how congress has voted on a bill to pass a protection on over two million acres of land in the country. The bill nearly covers every state in protecting land from future mining. the bill also highlights that the Land and Water conservation fund will be authorized. The fund helps pay for conservation nation wide. A big step in protecting land. My thoughts are that this is great for the environment and the future of our thinking. This  is a big step in people realizing whats going now, hopefully opening new eyes to the problems. Great for untouched land to be preserved from mining and drilling. Article - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/congress-vote-public-lands-protection/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2018/09/30/newly-discovered-hummingbird-species-is-already-endangered/#67a0eec351aa A newly discovered hummingbird is already classified as critically endangered. These hummingbirds are special compared to other ones, because they live in a unique climate. Unlike other hummingbirds they live in a high elevation low temperature climate. Its sad that these hummingbirds are already deemed critically endangered when we just found them so recently. Conclusion humans suck for killing off cool species and I hope we can find a way to somehow save them.

In the texts it mentions that scientists might have been able to find a way to turn carbon dioxide into coal, and help rewind global warming. While this is still in theory, it also states that if we want to rewind what global warming has been doing, we need to do a lot to help the Earth. The article states that in recent years researchers have found solid metal catalysts , which are compounds that can speed up chemical reactions and turn CO2 into solid carbon. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/02/liquid-metal-catalyst-turns-carbon-dioxide-coal

The Blue Macaw species had inspired the kids movie Rio. Theres are still some of the Macaws that are living in captivity but, the ones that are in the wild are now extinct. Based on studies that they are doing, 7 other bird species are likely extinct. 5 of them that are now missing came from South America. This definitely highlights the problem of deforestation and how it ends up affecting nature and animals. This news seems to be abrupt but the researchers had come to the conclusion after several years of research. Researchers believe that the last known individual had disappeared in 2001. The macaws are able to survive very well in captivity. Researchers are hoping to reproduce these animals and get a big enough population in order to release some into the wild. https://people.com/pets/blue-parrot-spixs-macaw-extinct-rio-movie/

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/first-mammal-extinct-climate-change-bramble-cay-melomys/ In the text it talks about how global warming was a cause of global warming and sea waters rising. The mosaic-tailed rat, could be the first of many to go due to global warming. This could also be the start of this, we need to focus more on the environment, and need to start to contribute more. 

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/physics-periodic-table-future-superheavy-elements?tgt=nr In 2015, another element was added to the periodic table, element 117: tennessine. This was formed from a rare element, berkelium, that was found in a laboratory in Tennessee. This chemical was sent across the Atlantic to Moscow, where it was treated with calcium ions to form a new, extremely rare element. Scientists are hoping to complete the seventh row of the periodic table, and only need 3 more elements to do this. It is challenging because rarer elements decay faster, causing some issues when trying to make new elements. This is extremely interesting. The fact that the periodic table is constantly evolving to form new radioactive elements is amazing, as maybe these different elements can be extremely helpful in new ways. Hopefully, the seventh row of the periodic table can be finished, because nobody knows how helpful this could be in the future.

Dark matter is believed to made up of non-baryon material. Dark matter consists of particles that do not absorb, reflect or emit light. Dark matter is a material that cannot be seen directly. Dark matter exists and scientists know it exist because of the effect it has on objects that we can observe directly. Understanding dark matter is important in the process of understanding the size, shape and future of the universe. The amount of dark matter in the universe will determine if the universe is open, closed, or flat. As a galaxy spins it should be torn apart but gravity is what holds it together. Scientists believe that dark matter is what may be helping gravity hold the galaxy together and not spin out of space. Click here for link.

read if ya want? Is this an article about me? Surprisingly, no. Paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe are progressively breaking out under the paint surface. These break outs form dry, cracking bumps that flake off like a biscuit. In previous years, these bumps were said to be the sand particles picked up from around her home in New Mexico. However, it has recently been found that the actual reasoning for these "break outs" are metal soaps mixed with the paint, forming chemical reactions. Georgia O'Keeffe's artwork is not the first to experience something like this. Other artists whose works have these bumps are Vincent Van Gogh, Francisco de Goya, and Rembrandt. There is a "medical scan" available that can remove the bumps from the paintings and even the tone of the painting, similar to how photoshop or facetune works, but with minimal effort. The paintings are being studied to see how environmental factors affected the painting. Scientists are figuring out ...

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-phoenix-is-working-to-beat-urban-heat/  Phoenix's summers have deadly health threats to some people who have asthma or trouble breathing when outside in the sun. When people are outside for a couple hours, they will develop dehydration along with head and chest pains. A mother living in phoenix says, "It feels like you're drowning in a swimming pool or you have a pillow over your head." In 2017 due to the urban heat 172 people died and the rate continues to grow. Phoenix citizens are trying different solutions to try and decrease the number of deaths each year. The first activity they tried was known as "HeatReady." HeatReady is exactly what you think, it warns people when the heat becomes extreme. Citizens will receive text messages and phone calls to get them ready for it. The other activity they are trying is "Nature's Cooling Systems." Nature's Cooling Systems plan to redesign the neighb...

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gene-people-dogs-scent-smell-stress A study from the University of Foggia in Italy, found that dogs could not find people that have a shorter version of a gene that is involved with stress management. The two police dogs were able to identify the man and women with the longer version of the gene two out of three times when the people were stressed, but were unable to identify  the man and women with the shorter version in any of the three tries when the people were stressed. This affects humans because when someone is kidnapped with the shorter version of the gene and become stressed their scent will be changed enough from their regular scent making it extremely hard for police dogs to find them. It does not necessarily mean that dogs are useless to finding missing people as a large percentage of kidnappings are usually done by parents, relatives, or someone the victim knows, meaning the abductee will not necessarily become stressed and possibly...

In this article some say the fight to malaria may be treating the mosquitoes of parasites first. They tested this with a female mosquitoes that land on a drug-coated glass surface and are exposed to the treatment by their foot taking all the drugs in. After the experiment was done it was a success and mosquitoes were infecting humans anymore. I say this is a great way to prevent illness, especially since malaria is such a killer disease that has killed millions.  https://www.sciencenews.org/article/treating-mosquitoes-drugs-new-way-fight-malaria?tgt=nr

Climate change risks the increase of foodborne illnesses from flies. A recent study shows that as the climate temperature increases, the more active flies are. It is not uncommon for flies to come in contact with spoiled foods or infected animal feces which allows them to spread diseases. These diseases can eventually affect humans. This is very interesting because I know how much of an impact climate change has. However, I never realized that it could cause insects or animals to potentially affect human health. This can be really dangerous and hopefully we begin to pay more attention on how much we affect the planet as a whole. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-increase-campylobacter-infections-flies

Rising sea levels due to climate changes has caused floods along the United States coastlines. It has been recorded that the floods last about a few hours once every week. These floods have affected traffic patterns leading to a revenue loss for businesses. Miyuki Hino, an environmental social scientist at Stanford University, and her colleagues observed flood events caused by tides and looked at parking transactions in a nearby lot to look for changes in parking revenues. Drops in visitation occurred at the same time as flood events, which contributed to about 3,000 less visitors based on how severe the flooding was. They also looked at daily revenues for downtown businesses on dates that flooded, which showed that revenues dropped between $86,000 to $172,000. These numbers are only expected to increase as seas are expected to continue to rise in the future. Not only are the losses in revenues going to be devastating, but the physical damages that these floods will cause to society ...

Link By decoding a shark's genome, it revealed the genomes huge size as well as possible evolutionary changes that had occurred over time.  Scientists also found that their genome has the highest number of genes called LINEs.  Scientists thought these sharks would have a higher risk of developing cancer, but it turns out they don't, suggesting they may have developed cancer-protective abilities. By finding out this information, we now know more about how sharks have evolved and it may help with protecting them from extinctions since their numbers are dropping.  I think this discovery of great white shark's genomes is important for developing new theories to help us better understand these creatures of the sea.

Article Greta Thunberg is a 16-year old Swedish girl who has recently become a very famous climate change activist. When Greta was younger, she experienced severe depression. She was always and invisible girl who felt isolated and didn't talk much. However, she has begun voicing her opinions on the urgent need for action to prevent climate change. While Greta is not used to the spotlight, she says that she enjoys being heard by others. I think Greta is a great example for our generation. Greta is extremely brave a is not afraid to voice her opinions. If my generation all follows in Greta's footsteps, governments across the globe will have no choice but to hear our voices and try to solve the issue of climate change.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/first-mammal-extinct-climate-change-bramble-cay-melomys/ As of June 2016, scientists are led to believe a small rodent that lived in Australia, the Bramble Cay melomys, are the first mammal to go extinct as a result of global climate change. The island where they had been living since the 1700s have shrunk from 9.8 acres to 6.2 acres, which means that the Bramble Cay melomys lost approximately 97% of their habitat. Sea levels have risen eight inches from 1901 to 2010 that puts animals relying on island habitats at a great risk for extinction. I think this extinction serves as validation of the detrimental effects that climate change is having on the planet. If sea levels continue rising, extinctions such as this will occur at faster rates and deplete biodiversity greatly.

The temperatures in the arctic are rising according to scientists.  That is creating more energy to create thunderstorms.  The less energy is used during summertime for cyclones.  With these cyclones the air in the summer time could be bad.  Also these cyclones could create more deadly and powerful hurricanes.  From 1979 the energy available has declined 6 percent and energy that makes small thunderstorms has gone up by 13 percent.  This is confusing in some aspects but i find it interesting how the storms are made and how hurricanes could become stronger. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190218153218.htm

Mardi Gras is a super fun holiday for people in New Orleans but a super depressing holiday for the environment because of all the waste that ends up in the ocean. As the Earth continues to revolve around the sun, people continue to harm the environment, and groups have started to develop with the mission to create a greener Earth. In terms of Mardi Gras, people have created recycling programs to collect the beads and other trash that festival-goers leave everywhere. Also, biodegradable beads have been made and can replace these plastic beads that harm the environment. If greener things were not so darn expensive, our environment could potentially see a greener lifestyle sooner, but that is not the case right now. My reaction to this article is yikes. I know everyone loves to party, but the environment should not have to suffer. It is nice to know that there have been greener alternatives being developed. However, if they are not used, there is no point. Mardi Gras can be equally fun...

https://www.enn.com/articles/56852-world-s-biggest-bee-found A team of scientists have discovered what they believe to be the world's largest bee called Wallace's giant bee. The bee is known as the Megachile pluto has a wingspan larger than six centimeters. Even though the bee has this massive size, it has been lost since 1981. The team of scientists went out to search for the bee and photograph it. They were able to find it in North Moluccas which is an island group in Indonesia. This species of bee is very rare. A member of the team Honorary Professor Simon Robson stated, " Amid such a well-documented global decline in insect diversity it’s wonderful to discover that this iconic species is still hanging on.”  

https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=297651&org=NSF&from=news A new species of dinosaur has been discovered in Africa. This dinosaur is named  Mnyamawamtuka moyowamkia and it is unique for the shape of its tail bone. Its tail resembles a heart shape. This species evolved during the Cretaceous Period nearly 100 million years ago. 

Climate change is increasing the amount of floods coastlines are receiving, and this is hurting businesses. Studies using social media, parking transactions, and daily revenues showed that small businesses had fewer customers during floods. Some people don't want to leave their homes during floods. Imagine that. This is important because it shows how the affects of climate change can influence and affect us. Link to Article

A massive cavity in the Thwaites glacier has been found by NASA. This particular glacier has been responsible for almost 4% of the worlds rising sea levels in past years. The glacier is so massive it holds enough water to rise sea levels by over two feet. These giant cavities within the glaciers are formed by warm currents carving out the ice. This in turn allows for more warm currents to flow making the glacier deteriorate quicker.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nasa-mars-opportunity-rover-dead?tgt=nr After 15 years on Mars, NASA's longest roving rover, Opportunity, has been declared dead because of a dust storm.  In 2004, NASA launched twin rovers, Opportunity and Spirit.  Spirit's journey ended in 2010 with a stuck wheel, but Opportunity has continued to roam Mars for 15 years.  The amazing part of the story, was that Opportunity was only expected to last on Mars for a 90 martian days.  Opportunity exceeded this mission greatly and continued to report back to NASA about Mars for 5,111 martian days until June 10, 2018.      I find it amazing that the rover survived that long in Mars' harsh environment.  We've learned so much from the pictures and information that Opportunity has sent back to Earth over the years.  I just wonder what the next phase of exploration on Mars will bring. 

Crop diversity has changed and actually is going up this means that all the farms in Asia, Europe North and South America are beginning to look similar.  The researchers are seeing that one crop takes up a lot of space in farms.  For example Soybeans, wheat, rice and corn make up 50 percent of land.  This is a major issue and needs to be solved.  I believe that this is interesting because I never thought about this and did not believe that it was a problem, but it is. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206161446.htm

Black leopard confirmed in Africa for first time in 100 years. They  obviously have not seen the movie  :)

A team developed a chemical conversion that can convert polyolefin plastic into polymers, monomers, naphtha, and fuel. They're trying to produce high quality gas and diesel fuel from this process. With the amount of polyolefin waste produced each year can cover 4% of the worlds gas or diesel fuel usage. I think this can be very useful because of all the plastic waste in our oceans. It'll help reduce the pollution in the oceans and it'll create a clean fuel we can use at the same time.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/science/axolotl-dna-genome-sequence.html Axolotl's are Mexican amphibians with an appearance resembling a tadpole-like fish. The species is under threat by habitat degradation and the importing of invasive species, however many of them live in labs around the world. The most complete look at their DNA has recently been published and could contribute greatly to human regeneration medicine. These creatures are nearly limitless in their ability to regenerate almost any part of their body including half of their brain. I think this research presents many opportunities for scientists to learn more about the axolotl's regeneration powers and apply some of that knowledge to other animals with similar abilities.

An important factor for photosynthesis in plants is photo respiration. Some field studies showed that genetically modifying this in plants (Tabasco) has increased plant growth by 40 percent. If this study work on other plant types, it can increase the production of crops. I think this is a really good idea to help the production of crops to help make food. However, there's the chance that this study ends up failing on other plants, going back to square one. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-way-genetically-tweak-photosynthesis-boosts-plant-growth

Large volcanic eruptions can have lasting effects on climate and have been held responsible for severe climate effects in earth's history. Researchers at Uppsala University used different method to compare two pitch stones found at two different sites. Samples display two identical texture and composition.  A researcher's geochemical data identify the Red Hills as the most likely vent area for the eruption. Using the same location for reconstruction estimates that the eruption was a similar magnitude to Krakatoa. Before scientist thought the Scottish sector did not have any large explosions at the time PETM, but he current study the researchers conclude that large explosive volcanic events in the Scottish sector of the North Atlantic Volcanic Province were likely a major contributing factor to the climate disturbance.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-model-how-prehistoric-shark-cut-through-prey-scissor-jaws-180971384/ I thought this was a really cool article because it shows how species can change to better survive. The Edestus shark used to have teeth that were shaped like scissors but they died out a long time ago or changed. If sharks still had teeth like this I think a lot more people would be scared of them

With a study from Tulane University are questioning the rise in sea levels in coastal areas like Louisianan. The study came to the conclusion that  "Around the world, communities in low-lying coastal areas may be more vulnerable to flooding than we realized." A different approach we could do to change the outcome of the sea levels rising is to measure shallow subsidence using surface-elevation tables that would be inexpensive. Researchers  Molly Keogh and Torbjörn Törnqvist are arguing that looking at tides gauges may not be the only factor in the sea level rising  "As a result, tide gauges do not record subsidence occurring in the shallow subsurface and thus underestimate rates of relative sea-level rise,"   said Keogh they do believe there is more to the sea levels rising then tide gauges. My reaction is that we have to make an effort sooner then later to change what it is happening before it is to late.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01...

Article The amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the environment are proliferating and something must be done about it. Teenagers in Alaska created a petition in favor of regulating the greenhouse gas emissions. However, the politicians are not taking it as seriously as they should be because they just have their own interests in mind. The negative impacts that these gases have on humans and the planet are rapidly worsening. Action must be taken in order to stop the damage from occurring and extend the amount of time that people can safely inhabit Earth.

The cold weather that we have endured over the past couple of days has be brutal, but also has been very deadly. One case was a 18 year old in  Chicago , he attends the University if Iowa. Classes had been canceled due to the temperature drop and he was found unconscious outside a campus building, a short walk from his dorm, he died later at a hospita l.  He was only one of at least 21 people who died and the government believe it to be related to the bitter weather system, the freezing conditions have sent many people to hospitals with symptoms of hypothermia or frostbite, and business, schools and colleges have been closed. I believe it to be quite scary that these below zero temperature could be so deadly. Next time we are advised us to stay inside, we should take it.  University of Iowa Student Is Among More Than 20 Dead in Midwestern Deep Freeze

The Earths atmosphere and the oceans are playing an important role in moving heat from one part of the world to another. These patterns are changing in the face of climate change. Without heat transfers the world's hottest spots would be sizzling and the worlds coldest climates would be more frigid and uninhabitable. Click here for link:

https://newsela.com/read/record-cold-animals/id/49111 With this polar vortex going on, the city of Chicago is getting hit very hard with the cold weather. The cold is impacting all types of animals outdoors. Animals have taken refuge into trees, frost lines, and even in abandon houses. One of the main animals that are in danger are the cats, who are finding under cars, abandon houses, and dumpsters. Shelters are asking people to leave out food and water and even better, cut boxes to provide shelter for stray animals. Even zoos are struggling to keep their animals warm. I found it surprising that animals were even making it into abandon houses in order to stay warm. I also thought it was interesting to read that even zoos were having a hard time keeping away the cold from their animals.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/polar-vortex-death-toll-rises-as-midwest-awaits-thaw Around most of America the Midwest has been experiencing the effects of the harsh Polar Vortex. Temperatures have dropped to -30 and below! With wind chills being as low as -50. Two people died died in Illinois, one being killed by a snowplow and another from falling while trying to get into his home. Another person was found frozen in her unheated home. If you live in the eye of the vortex, it is extremely dangerous being outside for more than 10 minutes, frostbite can happen very quickly. This is the worst I have ever saw weather, I feel so bad for the people who have to live in the -50's. I hope everyone stays safe, and I kind of feel bad about complaining on how cold it is here... at least we can go outside and not get frostbite right away.

Flying squirrels are already gifted with a flap of skin between their limbs that allows them to glide long distances.  However, new research shows that when these animals are exposed to ultraviolet light their fur glows a pink color. This makes these squirrels one of the only mammals known to florescence. I thought this was interesting because I didn't even know flying squirrels existed, let alone that they glow pink. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/flying-squirrels-fluorescent-secretly-glow-pink/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/lakes-ice-freeze-less-climate-change/ It talks about how before the industrial revolution lakes would freeze and would sometimes unfreeze to refreeze but sense the revolution some don't freeze over and some don't refreeze after being frozen. We need to work more on helping the environment because the impact over the years has impacted a huge amount that we need to work on.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/earth-core-solidified-just-time-save-magnetic-field?tgt=nr This website suggests an interesting theory of how our planet gained it magnetic field. Scientists now believe that the circulation of the heated liquid iron was the cause for why the Earth first formed a magnetic field. Scientists now believe that the Earth's heat was losing its ability to hold its magnetic field. Once Earth started to lose its magnetic field the core began to crystallize which helped continue its polarity through geodynamo.

One month into 2019, meteorologists are very concerned with the extremes of weather. In U.S this week, temps have dropped to the -20s and has killed 16 people and delayed 2,300 flights. People in major cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis were advised to stay indoors. On the other side of the world, Australia is experiencing record high January temps that are causing wildfires. Could this all be because of climate change?