By: Cleo Newton

According to an article by UUF.UK, the top 10 most endangered animals include the following:

Number 1: The Javan Rhino.

This rhino used to be found throughout South-East Asia. There are only around 75 of these rhinos left. Because they are so low in numbers, they are one of the rarest rhino species. Reasons for their decline include: habitat loss, and hunting.

Number 2: The Amur Leopard

There are about 100 Amur Leopards left in the wild. Because they are only found in a small region in the far east of Russia and north-eastern China, they have been critically endangered since 1996. Some threats that Amur Leopards face include: habitat loss, prey scarcity, and fragmentation (meaning they are spread far apart geographically).

Number 3: the Sunda Island Tiger

Also known as the Sumatran Tiger, they are the smallest tiger species: they weigh up to 140kg. These tigers are only found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. There are only about 600 of these tigers left in the wild. Some things contributing to their population decline include: habitat loss, and the expansion of the human population.

Number 4: the Mountain Gorilla

These gorillas live in a landscape belonging to Virunga. The area they live in has a history of being politically unstable. Because there are already over 500,000 people living near the mountain the gorillas live on, it would be more harmful if more humans were to move there. They have a population of just over 1000 in the wild. The Mountain Gorillas have been doing better thanks to the conservation efforts and other help from through the International Gorilla Conservation Programme.

Number 5: the Tapanuli Orangutan

The Tapanuli Orangutan are the most endangered great ape species, with only 800 living in the wild. They live in a tropical environment. Unfortunately, the Tapanuli Orangutan have suffered from losing over 40% of their forests in the province of North Sumatra from: mining, agriculture, hydroelectric and geothermal development.

Number 6: the Yangtze Finless Porpoise

Back in 2018, there were still around 1000 of these porpoises in the wild. But because there haven’t been any sightings of these porpoises in a while, China moved them up to “first level protected” in 2021. Things that have impacted their population number include: water pollution and overfishing.

Number 7: the Black Rhino

Most Black Rhinos live in Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Their biggest threat is poaching; they are killed for their horn. Poachers kill them then take their horn for illegal horn trade. Over the last 10 years, almost 10,000 rhinos have been killed.

Number 8: the African Forest Elephant   

Like the Black Rhinos, the biggest factor contributing the their population decline is poaching. Some other factors include: habitat loss and agriculture. Today, these elephants only take up about 25% of their original habitat space. People don’t actually know how many of these elephants are left, but they think that over the last 31 years, their population might have declined by about 86%.

Number 9: the Sumatran Orangutan

There are less than 14,000 Sumatran Orangutans left in the wild. They are critically endangered and deal with threats like: agriculture, logging and plantations. These apes have lost about 60% of their habitat between the years 1985 and 2007.

Number 10: the Hawksbill Turtle

Their population has decreased by at least 80% in the last 30 years due to: nesting habitat loss, illegal trade of their shells, accidental capture in fishing gear, plastic pollution, and climate change. People think there are about 20,000-23,000 of these turtles left in the wild

Animals play a very important role in the environment; they help keep a balance in the ecosystem. Remember, it is important to respect these animals because as they are important to the environment, they are also important to us. Hurting them may also negatively impact humans.

By: Chloe Rocha

What causes people to dream? There is a theory that dreaming helps you consolidate and analyze your thoughts. According to HealthClevelandClinic.org some people see dreams as a way to “rehearse” various different situations and challenges that a person can experience during the daytime.

Dreams occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) cycle. During the night you cycle through this stage periodically. Studies show that someone’s brain waves during their REM cycles are almost as active as they are when they are awake. The forebrain is what generates the dreams but the brain stem is what generates REM sleep. If your brain stem is damaged then you will experience dreams but not go into REM sleep. But if it is flipped the other way, and your forebrain is damaged, then you won’t dream but you will go into REM sleep.

It is believed by experts that dreams can stem more from your imagination than from perspective. People living with post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to experience nightmares when they are sleeping.

Most people dream every single night but they often don’t remember it every time. This is because you will be more likely to remember your dreams if you are awakened during, or just after, the dream. If you write down what you remember of your dream as soon as you wake up, that can help you start to remember them.

There is no good way to study dreams in people, simply because of the fact that the memory of the dream can fade so quickly. However, scientists believe that the relationship between space and time changes when you dream. During a dream, time may seem to last for a very long time or pass very quickly.

The neurotransmitters, or brain chemicals, is something that can have to do with the reasoning behind why dreams can be so strange sometimes. During REM sleep some neurotransmitters can be more pronounced while others are suppressed.

By: Natalia Gercheva

As many of you may know, on October 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse occurred. In this article, I will be discussing what a solar eclipse is, the different types, the difference between a solar and lunar eclipse, and when the next one will be, so you have a chance at seeing it yourself!

A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth. This obscures the face of the sun either fully or partially, and casts a shadow on Earth. A total eclipse can last anywhere from 10 seconds to 7.5 minutes.

There are 4 different types of solar eclipses which are: total, annular, partial, and hybrid eclipses.

A total solar eclipse is when the moon is completely blocking the face of the sun. The sky will darken, as if it were dusk or dawn.

An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth. The moon will appear smaller than the sun, and does not completely cover it. As a result, it creates what looks like a bright disk ring around the moon.

A partial solar eclipse happens when the sun, moon, and Earth are not perfectly lined up. Only a part of the sun will appear to be covered, giving it a crescent shape.

Lastly, one of the least common is the hybrid solar eclipse. This occurs because Earth’s surface is curved, and an eclipse can shift between annular and total as the moon’s shadow moves across the globe.

Solar eclipses can often be confused with a lunar eclipse, which is when Earth’s shadow falls upon the surface of the moon, turning it a striking red over the course of a few hours. Solar eclipses are only visible from a narrow strip of land over which the moon’s shadow passes.

Lunar eclipses are visible from the whole nighttime hemisphere due to Earth’s large shadow. Solar eclipses occur 2-5 times per year, but due to the moon’s small shadow being cast on Earth, the same spot only gets to see a total solar eclipse for a few minutes about every 375 years.

Lunar eclipses happen 0-3 times per year, and if you live on the nighttime half of Earth when the eclipse happens, you are much more likely to see it. Luckily, NASA can predict both solar and lunar eclipses for 1,000 years into the future.

It is extremely important to protect your eyes if you are looking directly at the sun while watching a solar eclipse. You can look through solar filters, like eclipse glass, or use handheld solar viewers.

Many of you may remember in August, 2017, there was a total solar eclipse. I remember watching it outside using the solar glasses, but I never understood exactly why the sky was going dark. On October 15th, this year, I was looking out my window trying to watch the annular solar eclipse. Unfortunately, it was an extremely cloudy day, so I was only able to view a small portion of it for a few seconds. The next annular eclipse will be October 2, 2024, and I hope to see it then!

I highly recommend checking the future eclipses website on NASA every few months so you can mark your calendars for the upcoming eclipses. On April 8, 2024, North America will experience a total solar eclipse! It truly is an incredible sight to see, where you get to view the solar system’s wonders through just your window or from your backyard!

TFor more information, please visit:

• https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/

By: Samson Belihu

The Ocean Cleanup is an organization working on cleaning the ocean.
Millions of pounds of plastic that are in the oceans as we speak.

Millions?

Yes, millions of pounds worth of plastic under the oceans, and thanks to this organization, they are doing their best to get rid of the plastics in the oceans.

They have impacted the world in a good way. According to their website, they have worked on cleaning 1000 rivers around the world. They said we can halt 80% of river pollution reaching our oceans. And they have also picked up 100 million kilograms of plastic. If we transfer that into pounds, that’s more than 220 million pounds of garbage and plastic.

Imagine what the ocean would have been like without this organization. They have saved the oceans and the animals that reside in the ocean. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit that continues to develop and scale technologies to rid the oceans of plastic.

On September 20, 2023, they made a video of the biggest plastic extraction they ever made: 18,360 kilograms, which rounds up to 40,000 pounds worth of trash. If you want to watch the video: here’s the link: https://youtu.be/wjF0gB29OG4?si=rD4kMgL7qu0DaRLz

Their goal is to remove 90% of the plastic that is in the ocean. This isn’t the only time they have gotten thousands of pounds of plastic. They have started this journey ever since 2013. Dutch inventor Boyan Slat founded The Ocean Cleanup at the age of 18 in his hometown of Delft, the Netherlands, and is still going at it. That equals up to 10 years of cleaning up trash from the ocean.

For more information, please visit:

• https://theoceancleanup.com/

By: Isabelle Baidoo

Frogs have become a very common pet in recent years due to their small and cute stature. Although they seem like they would be pretty simple pets, they require lots of care and attention.

Research before purchasing a frog is crucial to proper care. Some things you should know before making a frog part of your household is that all amphibians have very absorbent skin. This skin will easily take in chemicals, natural oils, and lotions found on human hands which are all toxic to frogs. Before handling a frog you must wash your hands thoroughly with filtered water, and make sure you use no lotions or creams on your hands. Then before handling, put gloves on to ensure the frog’s safety.

Another thing you need to know is that frogs don’t understand clear glass barriers, which are commonly found in tanks/aquariums. This can cause the frogs to rub their noses against the glass in an attempt to try and reach things outside their tank. This can be prevented by putting paper along the outside of the tank so they can’t see what’s on the outside.

Most adult frogs do not need to eat daily, and should only be fed every 2-3 days. Juvenile frogs under the age of one should be fed daily to ensure proper growth and health.

Yellow Banded Dart Frog

The first frog recommended as a pet in this article is the Yellow Banded Dart Frog, also known as the BumbleBee Dart Frog. These frogs are in the Poisonous Dart Frog Family and are found throughout South America in tropical rainforests. They are commonly found near water in the wild and are expert climbers. These frogs are still very abundant in the wild, but the majority of pet frogs for sale in the US are bred in captivity.

These frogs are insectivores and commonly eat small fruit flies and pinhead crickets. They are yellow and black in coloration and have yellow and black splotches all over their bodies. They are a relatively small frog at only 1.5 inches long. The Yellow Banded Dart Frog lives for roughly 10 years in captivity and as pets.

These frogs require a 10 gallon tank with 75F-85F temperatures and a high humidity percentage. Without roughly 90% humidity it is much more difficult to keep these frogs healthy. These frogs are not meant to be handled often, and if they are, their handler must wear gloves due to their venomous skin.

White’s Tree Frog

Then there is the White’s Tree Frog, native to Australia and Southern New Guinea. These frogs can grow up to 3-5 inches in length and live for 7-10 years.

In the wild, they spend most of their time in trees so they need lots of climbing enrichment. This can be made by having branches laid vertically across their tanks.

A tall 15-20 gallon tank is recommended for one frog. They need their tanks to maintain a 75F-85F degree temperature during the daytime and 68F-75F in the evenings. Lighting should be subdued and if lighting is needed at night the use of a nocturnal light bulb is crucial. 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark is recommended for the White’s Tree Frog. Their tank should remain at 60-70% humidity.

The White’s Tree Frog is nocturnal, meaning they’re more active in the nighttime. They are quite sedentary and docile, and often become fairly tame and tolerant of handling so long as their owner treats them well, and the frog itself is healthy.

Their diet ranges from how big and how old the frog is. Fully grown White’s Tree Frogs might take a pinkie mouse on occasion but not often. These frogs are not to be over fed because obesity is a common issue these frogs face. Large frogs should be fed every two to three days, ranging from live bugs such as: crickets, insecticide free moths, beetles, cockroaches, grasshoppers, or earthworms.

Burmese Chubby

The Burmese Chubby, also known as the Asian Painted Frog, is a large frog from Southeast Asia. They are excellent swimmers, climbers, and diggers. They live up to 10 years and adapt to new environments very well and quickly. They’re 2-3 inches long and have brown coloring with cream bands wrapped around their bodies.

These frogs require a 10-15 gallon tank and can be
housed with one other frog with caution. They don’t
croak often and when they do it’s a rather quiet and subdued noise which makes them great for people who don’t want to constantly hear croaking from their pet. Although they are a quiet breed it’s better for them to not be handled, the Burmese Chubby is better off inside its enclosure away from hands.

They can be fed a range of live insects such as: crickets, locusts, flies, and earth worms. As an occasional treat, owners can feed these frogs waxworms and mealworms but not too many and not too often. On average they will eat five crickets every two days.

African Bullfrog

Then lastly, the African Bullfrog, which is loved for its unique size and behaviors. They originate from South Africa and are commonly found in Tanzania. They’re a non-venomous species and they spend the majority of the year buried underground. This is their way of staying cool in hot temperatures and avoiding predators. With good attention and care they can live up to 35 years as pets. They are easygoing and tolerate handling once in a while.

Male African Bullfrogs are much larger than females and can grow up to 10 inches in size. They’re olive green in color and have yellow or cream throats.

They need a 20 gallon tank with plenty of moist dirt for digging and coverage. The temperature of the tank should be 72F to 85F. A temperature drop to 68F during the night may be beneficial to their health.

They need to eat at least 3 times a week due to their larger size, but when they’re less than a year old they should eat daily. These frogs are carnivores and eat small fish fry, brine shrimp, frozen blood worms, small white worms, or earthworms.

By: Isabelle Baidoo

Axolotls have been on earth for roughly the last 10,000 years, inhabiting central Mexico. Much of their suitable habitat has been drained or dried up, so there are only two spring-fed lakes left that they can inhabit wildly. Axolotls breed very easily in captivity and quickly develop new colors and sizes.

They have feathery gills spouting from either side of their heads, webbed feet, a dorsal fin that runs down their body, and a tail. Although axolotls have gills, adult axolotls have functional lungs and can breathe through their skin. Axolotls are unique compared to other salamanders because they reach adulthood without going through metamorphosis. Instead of going to land once they’re fully developed, they remain aquatic and keep their gills.

These creatures have the ability to completely regenerate their limbs. Regeneration is initiated by injuries or wounds, but not all injuries result in limb regeneration. Small cuts, scrapes, or bruises wouldn’t result in complete regeneration but their healing time is much faster than humans.

Axolotls suck in their prey through their small smiling mouths, they eat crustaceans, mollusks, insect eggs, and small fish.

The pet trade of axolotls started from Paris, France in 1864 when Mexican traders brought axolotls to Europe, Europeans across the continent were intrigued by the exotic creatures. This led to the excessive breeding of axolotls in captivity.

The pink axolotls you commonly see as pets have been bred to be those colors; wild axolotls are mostly gray, brown, or black. Pink axolotls are extremely rare in the wild since they can’t camouflage well.

When keeping an Axolotl as a pet you must take into consideration that they prefer cool water. Their water temperature should be less than 70 degrees F. When feeding your pet, experts recommend you attempt to replicate its natural diet as closely as possible. You can do this by feeding them a combination of earthworms, brine shrimp, and daphnia. Daphnias are a small aquatic crustacean.

By: Hannah Gliedman

What is the Golden Record?

In 1977 spacecrafts Voyager 1 and 2 were launched into space. Their goal was to take pictures of Jupiter. Because this was going to be the first man-made thing to reach interstellar space the NASA team decided to put aboard a record that would encapsulate all human existence in 90 minutes. The record would be used to communicate with other life forms about planet earth. It showed images from our universe, our home, us and just about everything on earth. It played sounds from every generation from all around the world. This record is a symbol of the human condition, and it’s called the Golden Record.

Creation of the record?

NASA enlisted Carl Sagan, a committee chair, and his team, to create the record. They wanted to put aboard an object that, if found, would signal to the finder where it came from. A main problem the team had when creating the record was fitting the entire history of earth into a 30 minute frame, because at the time records could only hold about 30 minutes of playtime. The team at NASA figured out how to maximize the speed and get the playtime up to 90. Now all they had to do was figure out what they wanted to fill it with.

How it works

Because there is a very slim to none chance that beings that evolved completely separate from us would understand our language, NASA scientists had to create a way for aliens to understand. They used the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen, this diagram shows hydrogen particles transitioning through parallel and antiparallel spins. When this happens electromagnetic radiation is released with a period of about .7 nanoseconds and a wavelength of 21 cm, so they hope that aliens will associate that tick with those measurements.

What’s on the record?

The record starts with sounds from planet earth telling the story of earth through sound: volcanos, thunder, crickets, birds, fire, laughter, Morse code, airplanes, a baby crying, and greetings from 55 different languages, and music from all sides of the globe.

The chances of an extraterrestrial being finding the spacecraft before its inevitable decay in a billion years is slim. The chances of it decoding it and sending a message back is even smaller, because by the time we receive their message humans will cease to exist, but that’s not the point. Yes, it would be cool to have communication with other living creatures in the universe, but that’s not the point. The point of the record is to have something, anything out in the universe that shows that we were here, so that when the sun expands and humans and earth are destroyed there is something out there to prove to someone that humans existed.

By: Trump Vang

Fungi are a common occurrence throughout the world. They can resemble the common mushroom, with their round tops and cylindrical stems, or a branched mass of matter taking any shape possible. Although past their appearances, what are they actually?

Fungi are organisms composed of cells, and are a type of eukaryotic organism (Has an easily defined nucleus). They are a part of their own kingdom, known as Fungi, and differ from their commonly associated plant kingdom.

These organisms feed on deteriorating material or sometimes other living things. Through their efforts, they’re able to properly grow and reproduce in order to keep their species going. Just like some plants, Fungi release “seeds”, known as spores in the air to  spread their species. Unlike seeds from plants, their spores are often microscopic, with some even reaching 2 micrometers.

Species of Fungi:

There are many different types of Fungi, having evolved for their specific purposes in the environment today. Although, some stand out through their appearance, ways of reproducing and growing.

For instance, take the Devil’s Fingers Fungi. It’s a mushroom that has four to eight “fingers” that protrude from its base. Along with its appearance, it also shows itself to smell like rotting flesh due to its slime coating. Surprisingly enough, this type of fungi is actually edible, despite its appearance, although its taste is very bitter.

Adding onto appearances, is the Veil Lady fungus. This type of fungus is a mushroom, with its appearance resembling a mushroom with the addition of a skirt/veil that it surrounds itself in. The mushroom is able to spread its spores by attracting flies and insects to itself. Just like the Devil’s Finger, the Veil Lady is edible, being commonly used within cuisines and certain traditional dishes.

Another unique type of Fungi is the Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani. This fungus can infect ants, turning their behavior awry. It’s able to properly take over its host to put itself in a good position to grow and reproduce. When its host dies, the fungus releases spores, allowing for the cycle to reproduce when a spore comes in contact with an ant. Through this reproduction method, the fungus is able to spread, and grow in this process. 

There are a multitude of mushrooms that could be expanded on, but these three species show the diversity within Fungi as a whole.

Fungi are organisms that spread themselves through spores, whether it be through air, animals, etc. They’re unlike anything else that has grown, be it animals, plants, bacteria, etc. Their unique appearances and growth patterns have attracted us to them for what seems to be centuries. Along with this, their unique qualities through taste, mechanisms and structure, have allowed us to use them whether it be for cooking, technology or even construction.

By: Biftu Osman

As the weather began warming up, there has been a sky rocketing rise of mosquitoes in Minnesota. The big question is: Why are there so many mosquitoes this year compared to the past few years?

Mosquitos are born in water and typically live in moist and dark places. Due to the large amount of rainfall, and all the snow melt from this past winter season, mosquitoes have been given the perfect weather to breed and thrive in.

The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District predicts; “…this season is the biggest for mosquitoes in more than two years. Water samples are showing high counts of larva ready to blossom into bite-ready adults.”

The most common mosquito type in Minnesota is the floodwater mosquito. Their eggs can last as long as 7 years and due to the drought these past few years, they haven’t been hatching much.

This summer, due to the flooding in the Mississippi River, all the past year’s eggs as well as this year’s eggs are all hatching. Once floodwater mosquito eggs are placed in water, it only takes them about a week to be fully developed and hatched.

The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District says on the average peak days of summer, they receive around 100 calls a day in complaints about mosquito swarms. This season they’ve received around 350 calls in just one day.

The biggest hot spots where mosquitos have been thriving this year are in the Twin Cities area. Specifically, the big bodies of water like the Mississippi River and Minnesota River.

Although the mosquito situation this season makes it seem inevitable to get bitten by mosquitos, there’s multiple strategies to try and prevent it. One of the most effective ways to treat mosquito bites is using insect repellent.

If you’ve already been bitten, some efficient techniques to treat it are rubbing it with an ice cube/ice pack or applying anti-itch cream/lotion.