Pub Date : 2024-07-03DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1252697
Verena Foerster, Marine Simon, F. Schaebitz
Why does drilling into a dried-out lake in eastern Africa get scientists excited? Simple answer: the lake’s sediments store valuable information about how past climate change shaped the environment where our earliest ancestors lived. Those sediments serve as a natural record of Earth’s ancient climate. While much is known about human evolution from fossil discoveries in eastern Africa, the role that climate change might have played for human biological and cultural evolution remained unclear for a long time. But now we have drilled 278 m into the ground at the bottom of the old Chew Bahir Lake in southern Ethiopia, which has given us some detailed answers. This natural record covers the last 620,000 years of climate history from one of the proven habitats of ancient Homo sapiens, and it can help us to unravel connections between climate and human evolution.
{"title":"Drilling in an African Lake to Find Out Whether Climate Change Drove Human Evolution","authors":"Verena Foerster, Marine Simon, F. Schaebitz","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1252697","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1252697","url":null,"abstract":"Why does drilling into a dried-out lake in eastern Africa get scientists excited? Simple answer: the lake’s sediments store valuable information about how past climate change shaped the environment where our earliest ancestors lived. Those sediments serve as a natural record of Earth’s ancient climate. While much is known about human evolution from fossil discoveries in eastern Africa, the role that climate change might have played for human biological and cultural evolution remained unclear for a long time. But now we have drilled 278 m into the ground at the bottom of the old Chew Bahir Lake in southern Ethiopia, which has given us some detailed answers. This natural record covers the last 620,000 years of climate history from one of the proven habitats of ancient Homo sapiens, and it can help us to unravel connections between climate and human evolution.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":" 77","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141680477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-01DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1229029
E. Stamkou, D. Keltner
Have you ever exclaimed “Wow!” when looking at the stars, fireworks, or rainbows? This is the magical feeling of awe. Awe makes us feel small in a big world full of mysteries. Awe makes us focus on things other than just ourselves. Could awe make children more caring and helpful to other people? We tested this idea in two experiments. We showed children movie clips that made them feel awe, happiness, or nothing special. We found that children who felt awe became more helpful and caring. They counted more food items for a food drive for refugees and were also more likely to give away their chocolate treats or museum tickets to refugees. They even had a special change in their heart rates and breathing patterns. This bodily change made them feel more relaxed and connected to others. Awe is an amazing force because it makes kids kinder!
{"title":"Wonder-Full Hearts: Awe Turns Children into Caring Champions","authors":"E. Stamkou, D. Keltner","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1229029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1229029","url":null,"abstract":"Have you ever exclaimed “Wow!” when looking at the stars, fireworks, or rainbows? This is the magical feeling of awe. Awe makes us feel small in a big world full of mysteries. Awe makes us focus on things other than just ourselves. Could awe make children more caring and helpful to other people? We tested this idea in two experiments. We showed children movie clips that made them feel awe, happiness, or nothing special. We found that children who felt awe became more helpful and caring. They counted more food items for a food drive for refugees and were also more likely to give away their chocolate treats or museum tickets to refugees. They even had a special change in their heart rates and breathing patterns. This bodily change made them feel more relaxed and connected to others. Awe is an amazing force because it makes kids kinder!","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"297 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141692385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-01DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1337067
Lina Aragón, Kenneth J. Feeley
Some organisms can produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis. These organisms transform light energy, carbon dioxide, and water into sugars, which allow them to grow their bodies, reproduce, and be a source of energy for other organisms. Studying photosynthesis in nature and in the laboratory has given scientists important insights into the effects of climate change on plants and other photosynthetic organisms. For example, such studies help scientists understand whether there will continue to be enough food for humans to eat as the climate changes. In this article, we discuss the importance of photosynthetic organisms; how light energy, carbon dioxide, and water are transformed into sugar during photosynthesis; the challenges that today’s land plants face; and how and why scientists measure photosynthesis in plants.
{"title":"Solar-Powered Life: How Plants And Other Organisms Produce Their Own Food","authors":"Lina Aragón, Kenneth J. Feeley","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1337067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1337067","url":null,"abstract":"Some organisms can produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis. These organisms transform light energy, carbon dioxide, and water into sugars, which allow them to grow their bodies, reproduce, and be a source of energy for other organisms. Studying photosynthesis in nature and in the laboratory has given scientists important insights into the effects of climate change on plants and other photosynthetic organisms. For example, such studies help scientists understand whether there will continue to be enough food for humans to eat as the climate changes. In this article, we discuss the importance of photosynthetic organisms; how light energy, carbon dioxide, and water are transformed into sugar during photosynthesis; the challenges that today’s land plants face; and how and why scientists measure photosynthesis in plants.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"4 36","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141701167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-23DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1258674
Niklas Leicher, Bernd Wagner, Thomas Wilke, Sebastian Krastel
Lake Ohrid is located on the border of Albania and North Macedonia. It is believed to be the oldest and most biodiverse lake in Europe. Several hundred meters of sediments have built-up on the lake bottom since its formation. These sediments are a record of what happened both within the lake and in its environment in the past. Therefore, Lake Ohrid is a unique place to learn more about Earth’s history. Drilling down into the lake bottom to get samples of sediment layers allowed us to unravel the secrets of the lake’s history. The sediments revealed that the lake formed between 1.9 and 1.4 million years ago. They showed past environmental and climate changes in the Mediterranean region. Tiny fossils showed the evolution of the lake’s biodiversity in the past, which benefitted from the lake’s long and stable existence. The stability of Lake Ohrid’s ecosystem is now threatened by increasing human impacts. Protecting this unique place is needed.
{"title":"Unraveling the Secrets of Lake Ohrid, Europe’s Oldest Lake","authors":"Niklas Leicher, Bernd Wagner, Thomas Wilke, Sebastian Krastel","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1258674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1258674","url":null,"abstract":"Lake Ohrid is located on the border of Albania and North Macedonia. It is believed to be the oldest and most biodiverse lake in Europe. Several hundred meters of sediments have built-up on the lake bottom since its formation. These sediments are a record of what happened both within the lake and in its environment in the past. Therefore, Lake Ohrid is a unique place to learn more about Earth’s history. Drilling down into the lake bottom to get samples of sediment layers allowed us to unravel the secrets of the lake’s history. The sediments revealed that the lake formed between 1.9 and 1.4 million years ago. They showed past environmental and climate changes in the Mediterranean region. Tiny fossils showed the evolution of the lake’s biodiversity in the past, which benefitted from the lake’s long and stable existence. The stability of Lake Ohrid’s ecosystem is now threatened by increasing human impacts. Protecting this unique place is needed.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"33 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141107066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-23DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1271484
Michel Goldman, Philippe Sansonetti
The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time—many people got sick and even died, most people had to stay home from school and work, and fun things like going to the movies, traveling, and visiting friends and family were discouraged. However, the pandemic also taught us some key lessons. We learned that it is important for scientists and doctors to work together closely to understand health threats. Collaboration led to fast production of a safe, effective, COVID-19 vaccine. We learned that diseases can quickly spread all over the world, which taught us about the need for global cooperation and equal access to vaccination and other health services. The pandemic also showed us how critical it is to understand health information, so that we can tell accurate information apart from false claims. These lessons will shape our future, hopefully leading to even greater advances in science and healthcare that will create a healthier world.
{"title":"Toward a Healthier Future: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Michel Goldman, Philippe Sansonetti","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1271484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1271484","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time—many people got sick and even died, most people had to stay home from school and work, and fun things like going to the movies, traveling, and visiting friends and family were discouraged. However, the pandemic also taught us some key lessons. We learned that it is important for scientists and doctors to work together closely to understand health threats. Collaboration led to fast production of a safe, effective, COVID-19 vaccine. We learned that diseases can quickly spread all over the world, which taught us about the need for global cooperation and equal access to vaccination and other health services. The pandemic also showed us how critical it is to understand health information, so that we can tell accurate information apart from false claims. These lessons will shape our future, hopefully leading to even greater advances in science and healthcare that will create a healthier world.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"51 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141103070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-21DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1302457
Susan J. Debad, Magdalena Kowalska
In this article, we explore the importance of cooperation in science. Just as various construction trades must work together to build a skyscraper, scientists from separate fields can cooperate to tackle complex scientific challenges. This is called interdisciplinary collaboration, and it is a great way to do science. By bringing together knowledge and tools from multiple fields, scientists can uncover creative solutions and make meaningful connections that they might not have reached on their own. We give an example of how collaboration between particle physics and medicine—two fields that seem very different from one another—come together to improve healthcare. Using the tools of particle physics, scientists are enhancing cancer diagnosis and treatment. Interdisciplinary collaboration is the best way to address many of the complex issues we face today, like controlling climate change or fighting cancer, and it can help scientists and doctors make a lasting impact on human lives and the health of our planet.
{"title":"“Building” Human Health: When Doctors and Physicists Work Together","authors":"Susan J. Debad, Magdalena Kowalska","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1302457","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1302457","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, we explore the importance of cooperation in science. Just as various construction trades must work together to build a skyscraper, scientists from separate fields can cooperate to tackle complex scientific challenges. This is called interdisciplinary collaboration, and it is a great way to do science. By bringing together knowledge and tools from multiple fields, scientists can uncover creative solutions and make meaningful connections that they might not have reached on their own. We give an example of how collaboration between particle physics and medicine—two fields that seem very different from one another—come together to improve healthcare. Using the tools of particle physics, scientists are enhancing cancer diagnosis and treatment. Interdisciplinary collaboration is the best way to address many of the complex issues we face today, like controlling climate change or fighting cancer, and it can help scientists and doctors make a lasting impact on human lives and the health of our planet.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"45 13","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141113798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-21DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1338446
Susan J. Debad, Olaf Blanke, B. Herbelin
Our amazing brains allow us to do incredible things, yet they remain mysterious in many ways. Researchers have discovered some situations in which the brain can be “fooled”, and these insights into the brain’s inner workings have led to some exciting new technologies, including virtual reality (VR). In addition to its well-known role in gaming and entertainment, VR has some amazing uses in the field of medicine. VR can help patients manage pain, and it can also help surgeons practice delicate procedures and guide them during operations. Other advances called brain-machine interfaces can listen to the brain’s chatter and translate thoughts into commands for computers or even robotic limbs, which could greatly improve the lives of people with certain disabilities. In this article, we will explain how researchers are using findings from cutting-edge brain research to produce exciting new technologies that can heal or even enhance the brain’s functions.
{"title":"The Mind-Bending World of New Brain Technologies","authors":"Susan J. Debad, Olaf Blanke, B. Herbelin","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1338446","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1338446","url":null,"abstract":"Our amazing brains allow us to do incredible things, yet they remain mysterious in many ways. Researchers have discovered some situations in which the brain can be “fooled”, and these insights into the brain’s inner workings have led to some exciting new technologies, including virtual reality (VR). In addition to its well-known role in gaming and entertainment, VR has some amazing uses in the field of medicine. VR can help patients manage pain, and it can also help surgeons practice delicate procedures and guide them during operations. Other advances called brain-machine interfaces can listen to the brain’s chatter and translate thoughts into commands for computers or even robotic limbs, which could greatly improve the lives of people with certain disabilities. In this article, we will explain how researchers are using findings from cutting-edge brain research to produce exciting new technologies that can heal or even enhance the brain’s functions.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"7 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141117717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-28DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1305706
Laura J. Niccolai, Saskia H. Wulff, E. Versluijs, Mélanie Spedener, Barbara Zimmermann, Anna Hessle, M. Tofastrud, Olivier Devineau, Alina L. Evans
Have you ever wondered how we can watch animals in the wild without actually being near them? In Norway, cows roam freely in the deep forest during summer. While the cows enjoy the freedom, it can be tricky to keep them safe from carnivores like wolves and bears, as no shepherds or dogs protect the herds. Keeping an eye on the cows is important! Farmers and researchers use GPS to track animals, just as we do for phones or cars. However, GPS does not tell us much about what the animals are doing. That is where movement sensors come in. These sensors store information about the tiniest body movements and reveal what the animal is doing at any time. Is the cow’s head up or down? Is it walking or running? Based on the data, we could distinguish 20 different behaviors! Now we can spy on cows, see what they are up to in the forest, and help farmers better care for them.
{"title":"Forest Cows Secrets: Cracking the Code With Movement Sensors","authors":"Laura J. Niccolai, Saskia H. Wulff, E. Versluijs, Mélanie Spedener, Barbara Zimmermann, Anna Hessle, M. Tofastrud, Olivier Devineau, Alina L. Evans","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1305706","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1305706","url":null,"abstract":"Have you ever wondered how we can watch animals in the wild without actually being near them? In Norway, cows roam freely in the deep forest during summer. While the cows enjoy the freedom, it can be tricky to keep them safe from carnivores like wolves and bears, as no shepherds or dogs protect the herds. Keeping an eye on the cows is important! Farmers and researchers use GPS to track animals, just as we do for phones or cars. However, GPS does not tell us much about what the animals are doing. That is where movement sensors come in. These sensors store information about the tiniest body movements and reveal what the animal is doing at any time. Is the cow’s head up or down? Is it walking or running? Based on the data, we could distinguish 20 different behaviors! Now we can spy on cows, see what they are up to in the forest, and help farmers better care for them.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"121 30","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140370342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-28DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1242605
Shreesha S. Rao, G. Haugland
For many people, a delicious salmon dish satisfies their taste buds. Salmon farming is a big industry, providing food for millions of people every day. However, the journey of this delicious meal from the ocean to your plate depends on lumpfish, a cool-looking fish that protects farmed salmon by eating sea lice. Sea lice are small parasites known to attack salmon and can cause disease if not removed. Since lumpfish are vulnerable to diseases, it is crucial to understand more about this organism’s complex immune system, as this will help keep them healthy so they can then do their important “job” of eating sea lice. In this article, we will explain how we study the way the fascinating lumpfish defends itself against diseases.
{"title":"How Do Lumpfish Protect Themselves Against Viruses?","authors":"Shreesha S. Rao, G. Haugland","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1242605","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1242605","url":null,"abstract":"For many people, a delicious salmon dish satisfies their taste buds. Salmon farming is a big industry, providing food for millions of people every day. However, the journey of this delicious meal from the ocean to your plate depends on lumpfish, a cool-looking fish that protects farmed salmon by eating sea lice. Sea lice are small parasites known to attack salmon and can cause disease if not removed. Since lumpfish are vulnerable to diseases, it is crucial to understand more about this organism’s complex immune system, as this will help keep them healthy so they can then do their important “job” of eating sea lice. In this article, we will explain how we study the way the fascinating lumpfish defends itself against diseases.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"137 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140369460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-27DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1326347
R. D. da Silva, Fabio Santos do Nascimento, C. A. Oi
Wasps are insects that many people tend to dislike. But have you heard that wasps perform really important services in nature, such as pest control and pollination, and that they can also serve as living indicators of environmental health? We can learn a lot from wasps. Most people do not know that wasps have a sophisticated communication system—they use their eyes to see, their antennas to smell, and their legs to feel vibrations. The bodies of adult and young wasps are covered by a mix of odors, which carry information about which family they belong to. We decided to do experiments to see if wasps can recognize their eggs because, to us, all wasp eggs look very similar. In this article, we will show you that wasp eggs carry odors that wasps can recognize, and this helps the entire colony to function properly.
{"title":"How Wasps Recognize Their Eggs","authors":"R. D. da Silva, Fabio Santos do Nascimento, C. A. Oi","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1326347","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1326347","url":null,"abstract":"Wasps are insects that many people tend to dislike. But have you heard that wasps perform really important services in nature, such as pest control and pollination, and that they can also serve as living indicators of environmental health? We can learn a lot from wasps. Most people do not know that wasps have a sophisticated communication system—they use their eyes to see, their antennas to smell, and their legs to feel vibrations. The bodies of adult and young wasps are covered by a mix of odors, which carry information about which family they belong to. We decided to do experiments to see if wasps can recognize their eggs because, to us, all wasp eggs look very similar. In this article, we will show you that wasp eggs carry odors that wasps can recognize, and this helps the entire colony to function properly.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"4 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140375218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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