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.