Animals that were oceans apart are now together, due to melting Arctic ice

By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff

12.21.15

Animals have been showing up in strange places lately.

Gray whales live in the Pacific Ocean. In the spring of 2010, though, a single gray whale was spotted in the Mediterranean Sea. It was the first time a gray whale was seen in the North Atlantic in about 200 years. 

How Did YOU Get HERE?

Other animals that live in the Pacific have been appearing in the Atlantic as well. Likewise, creatures that live in the Atlantic Ocean have been seen in the Pacific. 

What is going on? A group of scientists, led by a scientist named Seabird McKeon, published a paper about the strange pattern. The paper was released on Nov. 30 in the magazine Global Biology. It said that the reason animals are moving between the Atlantic and the Pacific may have to do with climate change. 

Between the Atlantic and Pacific are giant continents. Sea creatures cannot cross them. Connecting the two oceans to the north is the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic is one of the coldest places on earth. Because of how cold it is, big parts of the Arctic Ocean are covered in ice. 

Melting Ice Makes Travel Easier

The ice usually keeps animals from using the Arctic to move between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Animals like whales and seals have difficulty getting through the ice. It gets in the way of their swimming and can block them from coming up to breathe. Birds can fly over the frozen ocean, but the ice prevents them from diving for fish.

These days, however, the ice is starting to melt. The climate is changing. Each year, the earth is getting a little warmer. As the Arctic has warmed, ice has started melting. As a result, passageways have opened up in the ice. 

McKeon and his team believe that this has allowed certain animals to cross through the Arctic, letting them move between the Atlantic and the Pacific. It is like a bridge has opened up between two oceans that used to be separate. Animals that used to always be apart can now mix. Scientists call this mixing "faunal exchange."

Studying "Faunal Exchange"

Many animals could become part of the faunal exchange. Birds such as Arctic terns, common eiders, Atlantic puffins and short-tailed shearwaters may start to move between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Beluga whales, ringed seals and Atlantic white-sided dolphins may do so as well.

No one can say for sure what effects the faunal exchange will have. To get some idea, though, McKeon and his team examined past examples of faunal exchange.

The Great American Biotic Interchange was a large faunal exchange. Several million years ago a thin strip of land called the Isthmus of Panama formed between North and South America. The new bridge allowed land animals to cross between the two continents for the first time. As a result, animals from North America invaded South America. They beat out many of the native animals there for food. 

Watch Out For Killer Whales!

McKeon and his team also looked at what happened when killer whales moved into Hudson Bay, a large body of water in Canada. As their name suggests, killer whales are hunters. All of the sudden, the animals in Hudson Bay had to be on the lookout for a new predator. Faunal exchange, in that case, altered the delicate balance of predators and prey.

McKeon and his team argue that the current exchange between the Pacific and Atlantic may have the same kinds of effects. It may lead to genetic changes as well. As animals move to new territories, they mix with different kinds of animals. Sometimes these new neighbors interbreed. New kinds of animals might be born as a result.

What Next?

At this point, scientists can only wait and see, and study. Most scientists seem to agree that faunal exchange between the Pacific and Atlantic is already occurring. It seems like it will only increase as more passages open up in the Arctic. The effects of faunal exchange, however, remain to be seen.

Questions:

1. Where do gray whales live in and where were they found in now?

2. Why the animals are moving between the Atlantic and the Pacific?

3. Why do animals cannot cross between the Atlantic and Pacific?

4. Why does the ice keeps animals from using the Arctic to move between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans?

5. What does "faunal exchange" mean?

6. What are the effects of current exchange between the Pacific and Atlantic?

Why Conflict is a Good Thing?

Conflicts between people are a normal, natural and inevitable part of life–at work, at home and in all our relationships with others. Unfortunately, most of us don’t really accept this fact and we still get surprised and distressed when it’s clear that a conflict has emerged.

As long as everything is going along smoothly, it’s easy to be considerate and respectful of another person’s needs. They are in no way interfering with our own. But the emergence of a conflict can change all that–now we can feel threatened, anxious and angry. The same person whom we enjoyed working with yesterday now seems like an adversary. That’s because of our vast, past experience with conflict, most of which was negative.

We have a negative attitude toward conflict primarily because we haven’t learned constructive ways to deal with it–in fact, the converse is true: we have learned destructive ways of handling conflict. As children, as students and as employees (and too often as spouses) we have experienced losing in a conflict because parents, teachers and bosses use/d their power to win at our expense. Even though we know the feelings of resentment, anger, dislike, even hostility that we experience as a result of losing, the win-lose posture is deeply ingrained and when we get in positions where we have power over people, we often choose to win at their expense.

A great deal of research shows the damaging effects that win-lose conflict resolution has on interpersonal relationships. It creates distance, separation, dislike, even hatred. It’s the main reason people leave their jobs for new ones and marriages break up.

How conflicts get resolved is the critical factor in any relationship. In fact, it is the most critical factor in determining whether a relationship will be healthy or unhealthy, mutually satisfying or unsatisfying, friendly or unfriendly, deep or shallow, intimate or cold.

As most of us are aware, there is an alternative to the win-lose posture. It’s often been called “win-win” or “no-lose” because the goal is to find a solution to the conflict that meets the needs of both people. Resolving conflicts this way requires three important attitudes and behaviors: 1) the attitude that conflict in general presents the opportunity for constructive change; 2) the willingness to engage in the process of mutually searching for a solution that meets the needs of both people; 3) the communication and problem solving skills that it takes to make this win-win method work. Too often, people want to resolve conflicts this way, but either are not truly willing in their heart of hearts to work for a mutually-acceptable solution or do not have the skills required to work together to find one. When this occurs, the win-win method is doomed to failure.

When you’re in conflict with another person, you both are usually aware of it at some level. There’s a sense of disruption, unease, something is not right. The communication between you might change, perhaps becoming superficial or terse. Or there’s silence.

Once you’re aware that you’re in conflict, what you do next really matters. Acknowledge that a conflict exists. Very often, we decide not to acknowledge this hoping that the conflict will somehow go away or resolve itself. That rarely happens. Only when conflicts are brought out into the open, do they have the chance of being dealt with effectively.

And as I just mentioned, dealing with conflict effectively requires skills–skills that are proven to work, sometimes like magic. When you have these skills, the idea of facing conflicts with others is not nearly so daunting, and in fact can be stimulating and energizing. (There are very few intractable problems to which there are no mutually-acceptable solutions.)

Dialogue is the key element in constructive conflict resolution. Dialogue is made up of two very different communication skills, both of which are essential–listening with empathy and non-blameful self-disclosure. As Reuel Howe states in his book, The Miracle of Dialogue: “…it must be mutual and proceed from both sides, and the parties to it must persist relentlessly…when two persons undertake it and accept their fear of doing so, the miracle-working power of dialogue may be released.”

The importance of listening with empathy to the other person’s needs, feelings and beliefs cannot be overstated. This means experiencing what it feels like to be in the other person’s shoes at that moment and then reflecting what you hear back to them to check whether you understood correctly. This can be very difficult to do especially when you have strong opposing viewpoints or feelings, but it’s possible when you’re truly intent on understanding. Something amazing happens when people feel understood and accepted at a deep level. Their need to hold onto their preconceived solution to the conflict often dissipates. And often their strong emotional feelings subside.

The other essential part of dialogue is non-blameful self-disclosure. Now it’s your turn to talk about your needs and disclose your feelings without blaming the other person. Ideally, they will be committed to listening empathically to you, to put themselves in your shoes, to experience your reality. When that happens, you too can feel catharsis, and be more open to finding a mutually-satisfying solution. Once the basic needs of each person are clearly defined and understood, moving through the other steps needed to find a solution can be done in a climate of mutual consideration and respect.

Having positive conflict resolution experiences like these are both rewarding and reinforcing. And that’s a great thing.

A hot dog a day can cause cancer, scientists say

By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff

Grade Level 5Word Count 730

PARIS, France — Bacon, hot dogs and bologna taste good to most of us. Unfortunately, it turns out they can be very bad for your health. The World Health Organization (WHO) said such meats can cause cancer.

The WHO is part of the United Nations. It is a group whose members are countries that work to solve the world's problems.

Cancer is a terrible disease that kills millions of people every year. It causes cells in the body to grow uncontrollably. Lumps form inside the body and spread, and can lead to death.

Bacon, Bologna And Colon Cancer

The WHO scientists looked at two kinds of meat: processed meat and red meat. Processed meat is meat that has been flavored or preserved, often by adding chemicals. Bacon, hot dogs and bologna are all processed meats, along with sausages, beef jerky and anything smoked. Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, lamb and goat.

The WHO said processed meat is definitely linked to cancer. In particular, it can lead to cancer of the colon. The colon is also known as the large intestine. The colon helps the body digest or break down food and prepare waste for elimination.

The WHO said red meat probably can cause cancer as well. So far, there is not enough proof to be completely sure, however.

Happy Doctors, Angry Meat Producers

The new WHO report is the most complete study yet on the link between meat and cancer. Doctors have long suspected there was such a link.

The report was prepared by the WHO's cancer agency. The agency looked at more than 800 earlier studies on possible links between meat and cancer.

Cancer experts welcomed the new report.

Meat producers are angry. The North American Meat Institute represents U.S. meat producers. It has begun to fight back against the new WHO report.

The meat institute said cancer is a complicated disease, with many causes. It said cancer is "not caused by single foods."

Hot Dogs, Smoking And Danger

For the first time, the WHO has put processed meats in the same danger group as smoking. Its findings do not mean that hot dogs and salami are as bad as cigarettes. It only means that there is a proven link to cancer.

Eating one hot dog a day is enough to increase your chances of getting cancer. Eating several slices of bologna a day is also enough to raise your risk of getting cancer. The more processed meat a person eats, the higher the risk of getting the disease.

Still, eating processed meats is much less dangerous than smoking cigarettes. Smoking three cigarettes a day is far worse for you than eating three slices of bologna a day. It is around 27 times more likely to give you cancer.

Even so, the risks of eating certain kinds of meat are real. Experts have long warned of the dangers of chemicals used to preserve, flavor or color meat.

Cancer Risk And Healthier Choices

The risk of getting colon cancer from eating processed meat is small, said Dr. Kurt Straif of the WHO. However, the risk increases, the more of it you eat.

Every year around 34,000 people die of cancers linked to eating processed meat. Usually these are people who ate a lot of processed meat.

Doctors have long advised against eating lots of red or processed meat. They have done this not just because of the cancer danger. The high levels of fat and salt in these types of meat can also lead to heart disease.

Cancer expert Susan Gapstur said the WHO report is "an important step" in helping people make healthier food choices. She suggests choosing fish or chicken instead of red meat or processed meat.

Food scientist Gunter Kuhnle accepts the WHO's findings. However, he thinks people should not become overly worried. Processed meats are nowhere nearly as likely to cause cancer as cigarettes are, he said. Eating a little bit is probably not dangerous.

Kuhnle said the new findings are very important. However, they should not be used to alarm or frighten people, he said.

Short Stories - A Glass of Milk, paid in Full

A Glass of Milk, Paid in Full

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk.

He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”

He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit. Year’s later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.

She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She began to read the following words:

“Paid in full with one glass of milk.

Signed, Dr. Howard Kelly.”

1. Who is Dr. Howard Kelly?

2. What do you understand about the writing on the side of the bill “Paid in full with one glass of milk."?

3. If someone in your life does something nice/helped you once, will you do the same for him/her?

4. What is the moral value of the story?

Short Stories - Forrest Gump (Summary)

Summary of Forrest Gump

Born in Greenbow, Alabama in the early 50ies, Forrest Gump has a difficult childhood. His low intelligence, IQ and disabled feet give people the reason for teasing the boy. Only his mother, a proud single woman, believes in Forrest and wants her son to live a normal life. 

Since his first day at school Forrest has been knowing Jenny Curan, a cute little girl, but she also suffers from terrible childhood experiences that mark her for life.   In his teens Forrest Gump successfully plays for a football team after surmounting his physical handicap.

In the army he meets his best friend Bubba, a young black soldier, who inspirates Forrest and his future life. After being sent to Vietnam, Forrest starts a shrimp business at the Golf Coast in order to keep Bubba’s spirit alive who did not survive the Vietnam War. Helped by his former Vietnam superior Lt. Dan, Forrest Gump accidentally earns a lot of money from his shrimp business.  But nevertheless, Forrest tries to live a simple life and all he wants is to meet Jenny again. He met her several times before, but they always separated for some reasons. 

During his chequered life, Forrest is an inspiration for many people although he himself does not realize the impact he leaves. Finally, Forrest meets Jenny again who surprisingly has got a child with Forrest. Only a little time after their marriage Jenny dies and for Forrest a totally new stage of life starts: the role of a single father.

1. What makes Forrest successful despite his disability?
2. The famous quote from the movie. What do you think?
 "Life is like a box of chocolate, you'll never know what you gonna get."

Short Stories - Hades and the King of Corinth

Hades & the King of Corinth

The people of ancient Corinth believed their king, King Sisyphus of Corinth, was the cleverest king who ever lived! They were always bragging about him.

But no one bragged about the cleverest thing their king did. That is because most people knew nothing about it, for a very good reason!

One day, the king of Corinth was busy trying to come up with an idea to solve Corinth's fresh water problem. He saw Zeus fly by, carrying a lovely river spirit in his arms.

"That Zeus," sighed the king. "What a trouble maker!"

Soon after, the river-god Asopus flew by. "Have you seen my daughter?" he bellowed at the king.

"If you will give my city a source of fresh water, I will tell you what I saw," King Sisyphus shouted back. Immediately, a crystal clear stream of fresh water bubbled up.

"Zeus took her that way," the king pointed.

The king knew Zeus would be angry when he heard what the king had done. But Corinth desperately needed a source of fresh water. And now they had one.

Sure enough, Zeus was furious. He told his brother Hades to take King Sisyphus down to the underworld immediately!

"When they tell you I am dead, do not put a gold coin under my tongue," King Sisyphus whispered urgently to his wife. Being a good wife, she did exactly as the king had asked her.

Because the king was a very important person, Hades himself met the king at the River Styx, the entrance to the underworld. Because no gold coin was placed under his tongue, the king arrived at the entrance to the underworld as a poor beggar.

"Where is your gold coin?"  Hades demanded to know. "How can you pay for a trip across the River Styx and arrive in the underworld?"

The king hung his head in shame. "My wife was too cheap to pay for the passage."

Hades mouth fell open. "You go right back there and teach that women some manners."  Hades sent the king back to earth immediately, where he was magically alive and well again.

The king and his beloved wife laughed when he told her about it. But he never told anyone else. You never knew when the gods might be listening.


1.  Why do you think King of Corinth is alive again?

2. Do you believe in myth and why?

Short Stories - They're Made out of Meat

THEY'RE MADE OUT OF MEAT

by Terry Bisson

"They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"Meat. They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"There's no doubt about it. We picked up several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, and probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."

"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars?"

"They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come from machines."

"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."

"They made the machines. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."

"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in that sector and they're made out of meat."

"Maybe they're like the orfolei. You know, a carbon-based intelligence that goes through a meat stage."

"Nope. They're born meat and they die meat. We studied them for several of their life spans, which didn't take long. Do you have any idea what's the lifespan of meat?"

"Spare me. Okay, maybe they're only part meat. You know, like the weddilei. A meat head with an electron plasma brain inside."

"Nope. We thought of that, since they do have meat heads, like the weddilei. But I told you, we probed them. They're meat all the way through."

"No brain?"

"Oh, there's a brain all right. It's just that the brain is made out of meat! That's what I've been trying to tell you."

"So ... what does the thinking?"

"You're not understanding, are you? You're refusing to deal with what I'm telling you. The brain does the thinking. The meat."

"Thinking meat! You're asking me to believe in thinking meat!"

"Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat. Dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal!  Are you beginning to get the picture or do I have to start all over?"

"Omigod. You're serious then. They're made out of meat."

"Thank you. Finally. Yes. They are indeed made out of meat. And they've been trying to get in touch with us for almost a hundred of their years."

"Omigod. So what does this meat have in mind?"

"First it wants to talk to us. Then I imagine it wants to explore the Universe, contact other sentiences, swap ideas and information. The usual."

"We're supposed to talk to meat."

"That's the idea. That's the message they're sending out by radio. 'Hello. Anyone out there. Anybody home.' That sort of thing."

"They actually do talk, then. They use words, ideas, concepts?"

"Oh, yes. Except they do it with meat."

"I thought you just told me they used radio."

"They do, but what do you think is on the radio? Meat sounds. You know how when you slap or flap meat, it makes a noise? They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even sing by squirting air through their meat."   

"Omigod. Singing meat. This is altogether too much. So what do you advise?"

"Officially or unofficially?"

"Both."

"Officially, we are required to contact, welcome and log in any and all sentient races or multibeings in this quadrant of the Universe, without prejudice, fear or favor. Unofficially, I advise that we erase the records and forget the whole thing."

"I was hoping you would say that."

"It seems harsh, but there is a limit. Do we really want to make contact with meat?"

"I agree one hundred percent. What's there to say? 'Hello, meat. How's it going?' But will this work? How many planets are we dealing with here?"

"Just one. They can travel to other planets in special meat containers, but they can't live on them. And being meat, they can only travel through C space. Which limits them to the speed of light and makes the possibility of their ever making contact pretty slim. Infinitesimal, in fact."

"So we just pretend there's no one home in the Universe."

"That's it."

"Cruel. But you said it yourself, who wants to meet meat? And the ones who have been aboard our vessels, the ones you probed? You're sure they won't remember?"

"They'll be considered crackpots if they do. We went into their heads and smoothed out their meat so that we're just a dream to them."

"A dream to meat! How strangely appropriate, that we should be meat's dream."

"And we marked the entire sector unoccupied."

"Good. Agreed, officially and unofficially. Case closed. Any others? Anyone interesting on that side of the galaxy?"

"Yes, a rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence in a class nine star in G445 zone. Was in contact two galactic rotations ago, wants to be friendly again."

"They always come around."

"And why not? Imagine how unbearably, how unutterably cold the Universe would be if one were all alone ..."

Source: http://www.terrybisson.com/page6/page6.html

Short Stories - A Hole in the Fence

A Hole in the Fence

In a small village, a little boy lived with his father and mother. He was the only son for them. The parents of the little boy were very depressed due to his bad temper. The boy used to get angry very soon and taunt others with his words. His bad temper made him fall for angry words. He scolded kids, neighbors and even his friends due to anger. He invited all worries for his parents through the verbal usage. While he forgot what he spoke in anger, his friends and neighbors avoided him. 

His mother and father consoled him in many ways to give up his anger and develop kindness. Unfortunately, all their attempts failed. Finally, the boy’s father came up with an idea. 

One day, his father gave him a huge bag of nails. He asked his son to hammer one nail to the fence every time he became angry and to lose his temper. The little boy found it hilarious and accepted to do what his father said. 

The nails drove him to hammer in the fence for 30 times on the first day! Every time he lost his temper, he ran to the fence and hammered a nail. In the next few days, the number of nails hammered on the fence was reduced to half. The little boy found it very difficult to hammer the nails and decided to control his temper. 

Gradually, the number of nails hammered to the fence was reduced and the day arrived when no nail was hammered! Yet, the boy did not lose his temper. He told his father that it was several days that he did not hammer any nail and he did not lose his temper! 

Now, his father told him to remove the nails every day as he had controlled his anger. Several days passed and the boy was able to pull out most of the nails from the fence. However, there remained a few nails that the boy could not pull out. 

The boy told his father about the same. The father appreciated him and asked him pointing to the hole, ‘What do you see there?’

The boy replied, ‘a hole in the fence!’ 

He told the boy, “The nails were your bad temper and they were hammered on people. You can remove the nails but still see the holes in the fence. Again, you cannot pull out a few nails. The fence never looks the same! It has scars all over! You can stab a man with a knife, but the wound will remain there forever. Your bad temper and anger were like that! Words are more painful than physical abuse! Use words for good. Use them to embrace the relationships. Use them to show your heart!”

1. Why does the boy's father asked him to hammer the nails to the fence?

2. What does the holes in the fence shows?

3. What is the moral value of the story?