Pub Date : 2024-03-20DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1248252
Daniel Berger, Michael C. Hout
Whenever you read books, listen to music, or watch TV, your brain is using signals made from electricity and chemicals to help you understand the world around you. Your brain is full of cells called neurons that communicate with each other through these signals. Chemicals released from neurons transmit messages to their surrounding neighbors, telling the neighbors whether they should send a signal too. But it is electricity traveling down the length of the neuron that causes the release of those chemicals in the first place. Because electricity is involved in communication between neurons, scientists can use magnets to change the flow of electricity in the brain and explore how that affects behavior. A method called transcranial magnetic stimulation allows scientists who study the brain to stimulate the brain from outside a person’s head (through the skull). This gives scientists clues about brain functioning without requiring dangerous brain surgery!
{"title":"Modifying Brain Activity Using Magnets","authors":"Daniel Berger, Michael C. Hout","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1248252","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1248252","url":null,"abstract":"Whenever you read books, listen to music, or watch TV, your brain is using signals made from electricity and chemicals to help you understand the world around you. Your brain is full of cells called neurons that communicate with each other through these signals. Chemicals released from neurons transmit messages to their surrounding neighbors, telling the neighbors whether they should send a signal too. But it is electricity traveling down the length of the neuron that causes the release of those chemicals in the first place. Because electricity is involved in communication between neurons, scientists can use magnets to change the flow of electricity in the brain and explore how that affects behavior. A method called transcranial magnetic stimulation allows scientists who study the brain to stimulate the brain from outside a person’s head (through the skull). This gives scientists clues about brain functioning without requiring dangerous brain surgery!","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"85 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140224951","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 : 2024-03-20DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1284583
Laís Lautenschlager, Kenneth Feeley
Many animals eat fruits and then get rid of any seeds that they swallow through defecation (pooping). This can be good for plants because it moves seeds around, and the seeds can grow into new plants using the dung (poop) as compost. In some cases, many animals will poop in the same spot, creating “bathroom” areas called latrines that help them to bond with other individuals of their species, communicate, and mark their home regions. These latrines can also attract many other animals that eat seeds, insects, and even poop. Unfortunately, humans are causing many animals to become less common or even extinct as we destroy their habitats or hunt them for food and fur. If we lose these animals, we also lose all the good things they do for nature. We must protect natural habitats so these important animals can keep living—and pooping!
{"title":"Poop Is Cool! Animal “Bathrooms” Help Animals And Plants","authors":"Laís Lautenschlager, Kenneth Feeley","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1284583","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1284583","url":null,"abstract":"Many animals eat fruits and then get rid of any seeds that they swallow through defecation (pooping). This can be good for plants because it moves seeds around, and the seeds can grow into new plants using the dung (poop) as compost. In some cases, many animals will poop in the same spot, creating “bathroom” areas called latrines that help them to bond with other individuals of their species, communicate, and mark their home regions. These latrines can also attract many other animals that eat seeds, insects, and even poop. Unfortunately, humans are causing many animals to become less common or even extinct as we destroy their habitats or hunt them for food and fur. If we lose these animals, we also lose all the good things they do for nature. We must protect natural habitats so these important animals can keep living—and pooping!","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"358 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140227830","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 : 2024-03-20DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1339950
Jennifer A. Ross, Sharon Levy
Many of us have heard the saying “words matter”. This is especially true when talking about substance use disorders and addiction. Substance use disorders affect millions of people, including adolescents and young adults. Addiction is a long-term medical condition. In many cases, people with addictions want to quit but find it difficult. For example, many of us know someone who would love to quit smoking but is having trouble because they are addicted to nicotine. People who use substances may feel judged by others, which can make them hesitant to talk openly about their substance use or its effects on their lives. It is important that we all know how to talk about addiction non-judgmentally, which starts by knowing the correct words to use.
{"title":"The True Meaning of Addiction (And How To Talk About It!)","authors":"Jennifer A. Ross, Sharon Levy","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1339950","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1339950","url":null,"abstract":"Many of us have heard the saying “words matter”. This is especially true when talking about substance use disorders and addiction. Substance use disorders affect millions of people, including adolescents and young adults. Addiction is a long-term medical condition. In many cases, people with addictions want to quit but find it difficult. For example, many of us know someone who would love to quit smoking but is having trouble because they are addicted to nicotine. People who use substances may feel judged by others, which can make them hesitant to talk openly about their substance use or its effects on their lives. It is important that we all know how to talk about addiction non-judgmentally, which starts by knowing the correct words to use.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"53 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140225282","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 : 2024-03-20DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1146773
Michael Dubois, Amy S. Finn
Staying focused is important for nearly every human activity, yet we often struggle to do it. When we are unable to focus our thoughts, we say that we are mind wandering. Mind wandering is very common and occurs in every healthy mind. In fact, mind wandering may even reflect the regular way of thinking, unless people make special efforts to prevent it. But is all mind wandering the same? Why does the mind wander, and when? What effect does mind wandering have in our lives? In answering these questions, we will show how mind wandering can even be helpful for things like creativity and learning.
{"title":"Mind Wandering Can Be a Good Thing","authors":"Michael Dubois, Amy S. Finn","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1146773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1146773","url":null,"abstract":"Staying focused is important for nearly every human activity, yet we often struggle to do it. When we are unable to focus our thoughts, we say that we are mind wandering. Mind wandering is very common and occurs in every healthy mind. In fact, mind wandering may even reflect the regular way of thinking, unless people make special efforts to prevent it. But is all mind wandering the same? Why does the mind wander, and when? What effect does mind wandering have in our lives? In answering these questions, we will show how mind wandering can even be helpful for things like creativity and learning.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"357 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140227837","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 : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1043659
Cristina Genovese, E. Eronen-Rasimus, M. Corkill, Mareike Bach, Ilka Peeken
Sea ice, frozen seawater, is more than a “white desert” in the Earth’s polar regions. The solid part of sea ice is mostly pure ice, similar to what you could make by putting tap water in a freezer. It also contains an intricate network of pores, pockets, and channels—known as a brine network—which develops each season. The brine network is filled with a very salty solution that contains nutrients that ice-associated organisms (bacteria, algae, and small animals) use as food. Algae are especially important because they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide some of the oxygen we breathe every day. However, ice organisms are witnessing the consequences of human pollution and climate change. Although the polar regions are located far from human areas, the ocean circulation carries pollutants to the poles. This article examines what is happening in the seemingly inhospitable but crowded brine network, including the latest observations on the accumulation of human pollution.
{"title":"Sea-Ice Organisms Face Human Threats","authors":"Cristina Genovese, E. Eronen-Rasimus, M. Corkill, Mareike Bach, Ilka Peeken","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1043659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1043659","url":null,"abstract":"Sea ice, frozen seawater, is more than a “white desert” in the Earth’s polar regions. The solid part of sea ice is mostly pure ice, similar to what you could make by putting tap water in a freezer. It also contains an intricate network of pores, pockets, and channels—known as a brine network—which develops each season. The brine network is filled with a very salty solution that contains nutrients that ice-associated organisms (bacteria, algae, and small animals) use as food. Algae are especially important because they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide some of the oxygen we breathe every day. However, ice organisms are witnessing the consequences of human pollution and climate change. Although the polar regions are located far from human areas, the ocean circulation carries pollutants to the poles. This article examines what is happening in the seemingly inhospitable but crowded brine network, including the latest observations on the accumulation of human pollution.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"9 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140244561","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 : 2024-03-14DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1295235
Harry Dowsett, Marci Robinson
Scientists learn about Earth’s future climate by looking at geological records from the past. About 3 million years ago, most of the east coast of the United States was under water. Sediments collected on the ocean floor show that the ocean environment was warmer and supported more species back then. Some of these sediments are now exposed above water as cliffs along the James River near colonial Jamestown in southeastern Virginia. Tiny fossils and other evidence in these sediments, which we call the Yorktown Formation, show us how the environment and ecosystems were affected by global warming in the past, and they hold many clues as to what Earth may look like in the future.
{"title":"What Cliffs Near America’s Earliest Settlements Tell Us About Climate Change","authors":"Harry Dowsett, Marci Robinson","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1295235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1295235","url":null,"abstract":"Scientists learn about Earth’s future climate by looking at geological records from the past. About 3 million years ago, most of the east coast of the United States was under water. Sediments collected on the ocean floor show that the ocean environment was warmer and supported more species back then. Some of these sediments are now exposed above water as cliffs along the James River near colonial Jamestown in southeastern Virginia. Tiny fossils and other evidence in these sediments, which we call the Yorktown Formation, show us how the environment and ecosystems were affected by global warming in the past, and they hold many clues as to what Earth may look like in the future.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"12 15","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140241681","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 : 2024-03-13DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1137114
L. P. Suescún-Bolívar, Patricia E. Thomé, Natalia Carabantes
Corals and tiny algae act as a team of engineers to form the building blocks needed to create the amazing coral reef ecosystem, which supports much of the marine life in the tropical oceans. These incredible ecosystems can extend for thousands of kilometers, like the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Coral reefs would not exist without the help of the microscopic algae that associate with the coral and provide it with important nutrients for its survival. This article features the collaboration of amazing corals and their microalgae partners. You will learn about the processes that support the construction of coral reefs, their abilities to resist the threats that currently affect them (climate change, contamination), and the actions that can be taken to keep them safe and maintain the services that these ecosystems provide to other marine life.
{"title":"Coral Reefs: A Story of Two Longtime Friends","authors":"L. P. Suescún-Bolívar, Patricia E. Thomé, Natalia Carabantes","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1137114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1137114","url":null,"abstract":"Corals and tiny algae act as a team of engineers to form the building blocks needed to create the amazing coral reef ecosystem, which supports much of the marine life in the tropical oceans. These incredible ecosystems can extend for thousands of kilometers, like the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Coral reefs would not exist without the help of the microscopic algae that associate with the coral and provide it with important nutrients for its survival. This article features the collaboration of amazing corals and their microalgae partners. You will learn about the processes that support the construction of coral reefs, their abilities to resist the threats that currently affect them (climate change, contamination), and the actions that can be taken to keep them safe and maintain the services that these ecosystems provide to other marine life.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"2020 39","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140246075","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 : 2024-03-13DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1242820
Stefani Díaz-Valerio, Heiko Liesegang
The starting point of this story is an imaginary garden. Within this garden we find plants, insects, and Bacillus thuringiensis, a friendly type of bacteria that helps humans in the fight against different pests. These bacteria are quite successful in nature, partly due to their ability to go into “sleep mode” when the conditions are not good for them, and their production of powerful weapons that help them survive. This article will tell you about these fascinating features, and we will explain how humans can use the weapons of these bacteria for environmentally friendly crop-protection strategies. Some of B. thuringiensis’s weapons may also help in the fight against certain dangerous parasites that infect humans and animals. Investigations of bacteria and their weapons can inspire us to find novel solutions for current challenges in agriculture and health.
{"title":"Inspired by Nature: Fighting Pests With Friendly Bacteria","authors":"Stefani Díaz-Valerio, Heiko Liesegang","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1242820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1242820","url":null,"abstract":"The starting point of this story is an imaginary garden. Within this garden we find plants, insects, and Bacillus thuringiensis, a friendly type of bacteria that helps humans in the fight against different pests. These bacteria are quite successful in nature, partly due to their ability to go into “sleep mode” when the conditions are not good for them, and their production of powerful weapons that help them survive. This article will tell you about these fascinating features, and we will explain how humans can use the weapons of these bacteria for environmentally friendly crop-protection strategies. Some of B. thuringiensis’s weapons may also help in the fight against certain dangerous parasites that infect humans and animals. Investigations of bacteria and their weapons can inspire us to find novel solutions for current challenges in agriculture and health.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"15 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140247545","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 : 2024-03-13DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1267614
Bengisu Cagiltay, Emmanuel Senft, Bilge Mutlu
You have probably seen movies in which robots do things like drive cars, deliver groceries, and fight space battles. But have you ever thought about what a robot could do for you? In the field of human-robot interaction, scientists study how robots can help people and what people think of robots. In this article, we meet three children in a classroom of the future and find out what robots do for them and how those robots know what to do. At school, Mia works with a robot friend who helps her learn a foreign language. Noah has special needs, and a robot in a hospital helps him learn about feelings and how to get along with other people. Last, Ari has a robot at home that helps her read, chats with her siblings, and helps her parents.
{"title":"What Can Robots Do For You?","authors":"Bengisu Cagiltay, Emmanuel Senft, Bilge Mutlu","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1267614","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1267614","url":null,"abstract":"You have probably seen movies in which robots do things like drive cars, deliver groceries, and fight space battles. But have you ever thought about what a robot could do for you? In the field of human-robot interaction, scientists study how robots can help people and what people think of robots. In this article, we meet three children in a classroom of the future and find out what robots do for them and how those robots know what to do. At school, Mia works with a robot friend who helps her learn a foreign language. Noah has special needs, and a robot in a hospital helps him learn about feelings and how to get along with other people. Last, Ari has a robot at home that helps her read, chats with her siblings, and helps her parents.","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"5 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140248293","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 : 2024-03-12DOI: 10.3389/frym.2024.1191969
Susan M. Bailey
As part of the NASA Twins Study, our investigations related to telomeres and DNA damage responses (genome stability) during long-duration spaceflight have important implications for the health and performance of astronauts participating in exploration missions, as well as for long-term aging and disease risk outcomes. Together with the other Twins Study investigations, results will guide future studies and development of personalized medicine approaches for evaluating health effects for individual astronauts as we make our way back to the moon and beyond. Particularly as the number and diversity of space travelers and even space tourists increases over the coming years, identifying individual differences in response to the extreme environment, experiences and chronic exposures associated with space travel, exploration, and eventual habitation of other planets, represents a critical next step for ensuring future astronaut performance and health during, and improving disease and aging courses following, such missions. Ad astra!
{"title":"Twins And Telomeres-In Space!","authors":"Susan M. Bailey","doi":"10.3389/frym.2024.1191969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1191969","url":null,"abstract":"As part of the NASA Twins Study, our investigations related to telomeres and DNA damage responses (genome stability) during long-duration spaceflight have important implications for the health and performance of astronauts participating in exploration missions, as well as for long-term aging and disease risk outcomes. Together with the other Twins Study investigations, results will guide future studies and development of personalized medicine approaches for evaluating health effects for individual astronauts as we make our way back to the moon and beyond. Particularly as the number and diversity of space travelers and even space tourists increases over the coming years, identifying individual differences in response to the extreme environment, experiences and chronic exposures associated with space travel, exploration, and eventual habitation of other planets, represents a critical next step for ensuring future astronaut performance and health during, and improving disease and aging courses following, such missions. Ad astra!","PeriodicalId":73060,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers for young minds","volume":"280 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140249387","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}