Official Kids Mag

42,000 Year-Old WOrMs Nematodes, or roundworms, are pretty clever little creatures that can live in all sorts of different environments. There could be as many as 40,000 different kinds. But recently, a couple of nematodes from glacial arctic samples were revived after almost 42,000 years proving that freezing is not fatal. Samples previously discovered in antarctica were reawakened after 60 years. It is thought that in situations where they might freeze and die, they in fact go into a death-like state of suspended animation. They are able to pump water out of their bodies and produce proteins so that they do not freeze and die. When water or moisture returns, they are able to re-animate. The process is called cryoconservation. arctic samples of permafrost were taken by researchers from moscow and Princeton. The sample of permafrost taken from the Kolyma river in northeastern Siberia was estimated to be about 42,000 years old. Back in the lab the samples were defrosted and the worms observed moving and eating. Further study is needed to understand how their adaptive mechanisms really work. Off icialKidsMag.com • march 2019 • 47 The WeaTher OuTside is FrighTFul This winter has seen some weather extremes all over the world. and weather men and women are using terms such as snowmaggedon, bomb cyclone, arctic blast and polar vortex. It's been so cold that ocean sharks have frozen to death, penguins at zoos were taken indoors and bubbles made outside would freeze to delicate balls of ice. The surrounding landscape of Niagara Falls, where the spray reaches a surface have frozen to create an icicled, sculptural display. a bomb cyclone is a cyclone (a rotating low air pressure storm) that meets a blast of icy Northern air from the arctic—hence the term arctic Blast. a polar vortex is a real weather term describing normal low pressure at both the North and South Poles. This pressure tends to strengthen in winter creating winds that blow down from the Poles. snowmaggedon is a mash up—snow and armageddon which is defined as a monumental battle between good and evil. You're probably familiar with the hummingbirds that visit your backyard, but one species that was thought to be extinct was recently rediscovered! The Blue-bearded helmetcrest is a hummingbird that hadn't been seen since the 1940s until researchers in colombia spotted some while out in the field. The helmetcrests are quite strange-looking too! They have head tufts like a cardinal and a funny throat patch that looks like an old man's beard. The rediscovery has thrilled the science world, but they're also concerned that the crazy-plumed birds are still in danger of going extinct. Why? The researchers say that their habitat is being burned by people hoping to transform the jungle into pastures for cattle and pigs. Your class can help the plight of the Blue-bearded helmetcrest at the researchers' website, Proaves. You'll also get a lesson in Spanish, too! While you won't see any helmetcrests visiting a hummingbird feeder near you, offering nectar to your neighborhood hummingbirds is a great way to experience the little beauties that visit the U.S. and canada every summer. Source: Focusing on Wildlife | Writer: John Simcoe (jsimcoe@woodstream.com) huMMingBirds WiTh Beards

• Cover