Welcome weather watchers and future meteorologists. Today we are going to take a look at one of Mother Nature’s deadliest and most destructive yearly events—tornadoes.

What is a tornado?

Tornadoes are strong, spinning winds that form a column from a cloud to the ground. They look like giant, gray, funnel-shaped clouds. Tornadoes can travel long distances, with some known to travel over 200 miles. The winds of a tornado can reach speeds of up to 480km per hour. Tornadoes can cause great damage, including uprooting trees, overturning cars, and buildings, and lifting roofs and people. Tornadoes come in different shapes and sizes.

Tornadoes are formed when a thunderstorm has a special combination of winds. Inside the storm, there is a rotating column of air that can tilt and touch the ground. This happens when warm, humid air rises and cool air falls in the storm. The speed and direction of the winds can make the air spin faster or slower. Tornadoes are very powerful and dangerous, so it’s important to stay safe when they happen.

Most tornadoes occur in the United States, which averages about 1,200 tornadoes a year. The second country with the most tornadoes is Canada, which has about 100 tornadoes a year. Other countries that have a lot of tornadoes are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, and South Africa. Tornadoes can happen on any continent except Antarctica.

A hurricane cannot turn into a tornado, but it can spawn tornadoes. This happens when the hurricane’s outer rain bands contain strong thunderstorms that create spinning air near the ground. The spinning air can be tilted vertically by the thunderstorm’s updraft and form a tornado. Hurricane-related tornadoes are usually weaker and shorter-lived than those from supercell thunderstorms in the Plains, but they can still be dangerous.

A hurricane and a tornado are different in many ways. Here are some of them:

• A hurricane is a large-scale circulation of multiple thunderstorms that forms over water, with a diameter of hundreds to thousands of miles. A tornado is a small-scale circulation of a single thunderstorm that forms over land, with a diameter of a few hundred feet to a few miles.
• A hurricane can last for days or weeks, while a tornado usually lasts for a few minutes.
• A hurricane has lower wind speed than a tornado but can cause more damage and deaths over a larger area. A tornado has higher wind speed than a hurricane but can cause more localized damage and deaths.
• A hurricane forms near the equator over warm ocean waters, where the sea-surface temperature exceeds 76°F (26.5°C). A tornado forms in the high wind-shear environment of severe thunderstorms that develop over land.

Tornadoes form inside a thunderstorm when there is a collision between warm, humid air and cold, dry air. The cold air pushes over the warm air, creating an updraft. The updraft can start to spin when it is affected by winds blowing in different directions or speeds at different altitudes. This creates a rotating column of air that the thunderstorm’s updraft can tilt vertically and form a tornado.

To stay safe during a tornado warning, you should follow these steps:

• A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted or indicated on weather radar. You should take action and move to a safe place immediately and protect yourself from flying debris.
• Immediately go to a safe location such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar or a small interior room on the lowest level of a sturdy building.
• Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls. Protect yourself by covering your head or neck with your arms and putting materials such as furniture and blankets around or on top of you. This is to protect you from flying debris.
• Keep listening to radio, TV, or other news sources for updates on the tornado situation. Stay in your shelter until the tornado warning is over.
• Do not enter damaged buildings. If the building you are in has been damaged, exit with extreme care and stay out. Look around for things that might fall or dangerous debris. Do not use matches or lighters inside.

• A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to occur. You should be ready to move to a safe place and stay alert for updates on the weather situation.

If you ever find yourself facing a tornado, keep all of our safety tips in mind.

AIME

Buzzing greetings, curious nature enthusiasts! Have you ever wondered how bees communicate with each other? Prepare to be amazed as we dive into the captivating world of bee dances. Today, we’ll unravel the secrets behind the mesmerizing movements of bees and discover how they use their unique language to share important information within their hive. From intricate waggles and figure-eight patterns to the captivating dance floor of the hive, we’ll explore the extraordinary communication system that allows bees to navigate, share directions to nectar sources, and even inform their hive mates about potential dangers. So, put on your imaginary bee wings, join the hive, and let’s buzz our way into the fascinating realm of bee dances!

A healthy colony of honeybees functions as a buzzing, whirring, well-oiled machine. At the peak of summer, a productive hive can have members numbering in the tens of thousands. Beekeepers consider a strong, mature colony to have between 50,000 and 60,000 members. Everyone in the hive has a job, and each does it effectively. Honeybees tirelessly gather nectar, make honey, raise their young and ensure colony survival. At the heart of this exceptional work mentality is effective honeybee communication.

Interpersonal honeybee communication enables the colony to complete tasks, safeguard against potential threats and thrive as the superorganism that it is. Honeybees employ many forms of communication, and each one is fascinating.

Honeybees use all of their senses to find the best flowers, including smell, color, shape, location, petal textures, and time of day. But what does a bee do when she wants to tell her sisters what she has discovered?

Honeybees and most insects can see most colors you and I see—green, blue, and violet. Honeybees cannot discriminate reds very well, but in exchange they can see ultraviolet light—the same light we use sunscreen to protect our skin from. Most flowers have taken advantage of this and have ultraviolet patches called nectar guides. These guides help attract bees to land and show the bees where to get nectar.

How does a honeybee tell her sisters when she finds the locations of rewarding flowers, a drinking hole, or even a great new home? She will fly home and dance. That’s right, dance. Experienced bees use the angle of their body relative to the hive ceiling to tell their sisters the direction and approximate distance of whatever they are dancing for. Then the well-informed sisters go off and check out this location for themselves.

Karl von Frisch won the Nobel Prize in 1973 in part for deciphering the language of the bees. In some of his first experiments, he put a honeybee hive in a field with a single nectar feeder for the bees to collect from. Dr. Frisch then sat and watched the bees inside their hive.

After long hours of observation, he noticed the bees doing a waggling behavior inside the hive. He traced and measured animals as they did this behavior throughout the day. By doing this, Dr. Frisch noticed the bees changed the angle that they danced at the same rate as the sun moving through the sky. He discovered the bees were using dance to point their sisters to the sugar feeder relative to the sun. Dr. Frisch and others deciphered other aspects of bee communication. But, there is still much to learn about bees.

In the dark chambers of the honeybee hive, bees don’t rely on their vision to communicate or get around. Instead, they communicate by touch, sound, taste, and pheromones. (Pheromones are a chemical substance produced and released into the environment by an animal, especially a mammal or an insect, affecting the behavior or physiology of others of its species.)

Food sharing within the hive is constant and integral part of communication. Hungry house bees will stop foragers or other house bees to ask for food and will receive sustenance if it’s available. Food travels through the hive quickly. Because of this, any contamination by pesticide, chemical or other foreign substance makes its way through the hive within 48 hours.

The queen communicates to all the members of the hive through her pheromones. There is a constant flow of communication from the queen and her attendants (several dozen bees that care for her and tend to her needs), sending the queen’s pheromones out through the hive in a ripple effect, through the sense of touch. If the queen were to die, or be replaced, the entire hive would become aware within about 48 hours and sense the changes through the ripple effect of the new queen’s pheromones being transmitted by the new queen and her attendants, several dozen bees that care for her and tend to her needs.

Honeybees have an exceptional sense of smell—one superior to that of mosquitoes or even fruit flies. They prefer sweet smells best of all, which motivates them to visit sweet-smelling flowers in search of nectar. They also use this exceptional sense of smell to pick up their hive mates’ and queen’s pheromones.

Foragers returning from the field communicate with others through a series of movements called waggle dances that share precise geographical locations of excellent forage material. Besides the dances, returning bees share nectar with the new foragers, giving them additional information before they take off on their foraging trips.

The waggle dance isn’t used solely for sharing the location of nectar sources. When honeybees cast a swarm from their mother hive, the swarm sends scout bees in search of a new home. They return from their expeditions with precise information about potential new homesites, and they use the waggle dance to convey this information. The bees then “vote” on the best location relayed by the scouts and take off as a single unit to call the site home.

Researchers have spent decades studying the fascinating ways honeybees communicate. In a family unit of tens of thousands of individuals, bees share precise information, make big decisions that affect the entire colony and support one another for the greater good.

We could learn a lot from the individual honeybee and her hive mates.

AIME

Hey there, young athletes, and fans of speed! Get ready for amazement as we explore the exciting world of the world’s fastest runners. Today we’ll lace up our virtual running shoes and embark on a journey to discover the remarkable achievements and jaw-dropping feats of these exceptional athletes. From breaking records to leaving competitors in the dust, the world’s fastest runners have captured the imagination of sports enthusiasts worldwide. So, get ready to sprint alongside us as we dive into the world of speed, endurance, and the pursuit of greatness. Let’s meet the superstars who have blazed a trail on the track and continue to inspire us all with their incredible talents!

The 10-second mark had been widely considered a barrier for the 100 meters in men’s sprinting. The first man to break the 10 second barrier with automatic timing was Jim Hines at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Jim Hines, Ronnie Ray Smith and Charles Greene were the first to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m, all on 20 June 1968, the “Night of Speed.” Since then, over 170 sprinters have run faster than 10 seconds.

Major 100-meter races, such as at the Olympic Games, attract much attention, particularly when the world record is thought to be within reach.

The men’s world record has been improved upon twelve times since electronic timing became mandatory in 1977. Usain Bolt set a new world record of 9.58 seconds in Berlin in 2009.

The current women’s world record of 10.49 seconds was set by Florence Griffith-Joyner of the US, at the 1988 United States Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 16, 1988. Breaking Evelyn Ashford’s four-year-old world record by .27 seconds.

So far, only male sprinters have beaten the 100-meter 10-second barrier, the vast majority of them being of West African descent. Namibian (formerly South-West Africa) Frankie Fredericks became the first man of non-West African heritage to achieve the feat in 1991 and in 2003 Australia’s Patrick Johnson (an Indigenous Australian with Irish heritage) became the first sub-10-second runner without an African background.

In 2010, French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre became the first Caucasian to break the 10-second barrier. In 2017, Azerbaijani-born naturalized Turkish Ramil Guliyev followed and in 2018, Filippo Tortu became the first Italian to run under 10-seconds.

In the Prefontaine Classic 2015 Diamond League meet, Su Bingtian of China ran a time of 9.99 seconds, becoming the first East Asian athlete to officially break the 10-second barrier. Then Chinese sprinter Xie Zhenye ran 9.97 on June 19, 2018. On August 1, 2021, Su improved his Asian record at the Olympic semifinal in Tokyo with a time of 9.83. On September 9, 2017, Yoshihide Kiryū became the first man from Japan to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters, running a 9.98 (+1.8) at an intercollegiate meet in Fukui. Kiryu’s Japanese teammate Yuki Koike followed suit and ran 9.98 on July 20, 2019, and Ryota Yamagata ran 9.95 on June 6, 2021.

British sprinter Adam Gemili, an athlete with an Iranian-Moroccan ethnic background, became the first sprinter of Middle-Eastern and North African ancestry to legally break the barrier on  June 7, 2015, having done so earlier in the same season with an excessive wind reading.

On July 3, 2022, Yupun Abeykoon became the first Sri Lankan as well as first South Asian sprinter in history ever to break the 10-second barrier when he won the Resisprint International 2022 title in Switzerland. Yupun’s achievement also meant Sri Lanka became the 32nd country in the world to have a sub-10 sprinter, and Yupun also became the 167th member of the sub-10 club.

So, boys—and girls! Put on your best racing shoes and hit the running track. There’s a 10-second record holders’ list waiting for your name to appear on it.

AIME

Greetings, young explorers and lovers of hidden wonders! Are you ready to embark on a thrilling expedition into the mysterious world beneath our feet? Today, we’ll gear up with helmets and headlamps as we dive deep into the exhilarating realm of spelunking, also known as cave exploration. Spelunking is not just about descending into the darkness; it’s a chance to uncover the secrets of ancient formations, witness unique ecosystems, and marvel at the awe-inspiring beauty that lies hidden beneath the Earth’s surface. So, grab your sense of adventure, strap on your backpacks, and join us as we venture into the captivating underground world of spelunking, where every step reveals a new wonder waiting to be discovered!

First, what in the world is spelunking?

Short and sweet, it is the exploration of cave systems, especially as a hobby. (Just so you know, a cave system is a series of caves connected by passageways.)

The first thing you need to know about spelunking and caving is to never, ever, ever enter a cave alone. (Just so you know, caving is the exploration of the caves themselves.)

There is something about caves and cave systems that is mysterious and fascinating. Cave systems are an unexplored universe of mysterious tunnels, chambers, waterfalls, tight spots, and creatures.

Spelunking is more than just a walkthrough in a beautiful cave; it requires hiking, climbing, crawling, swimming, rappelling, and wriggling through tight spots, among others. With the chance of doing some, if not all, of the previously mentioned activities, we can say that spelunking comes with some degree of danger. But, with proper attention to safety, this extreme sport can be as safe as a regular walkthrough.

Here are some tips that will keep your spelunking experience as safe and thrilling as possible.

Educate yourself about spelunking. Spelunking, also known as caving, can vary from a light exercise walk and climb to an extreme and physically demanding rappel. Know how challenging the cave might be and if you are physically capable of doing it.

ALWAYS have a companion when spelunking – Never go caving alone. A small group of 4 to 6 people is preferable. If you’re not hiring a guide, make sure that at least two of your companions are experienced cavers and know the cave well.

Have the proper caving gear – Always carry a hard hat, a headlight, and proper shoes. Your light is the most important piece of equipment, so have three and keep extra batteries handy. Sometimes wearing gloves and kneepads–also known as a spelunker’s best friends–will save you from a lot of pain. You might also want to carry a facemask; some caves have a strong guano smell.

Wear proper clothes – Please… don’t wear your Sunday best. An old pair of jeans and a t-shirt will suffice. Your clothes will get wet and dirty; and, in most cases, don’t expect to get them clean. Your clothes should have a good fit on you and shouldn’t limit your movements’ flexibility.

Most caves have comfortable warm weather, but some chambers can go down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), so you might want to dress in layers with synthetic fabrics, like nylon and polyester. These fabrics dry faster–reducing the chance of hypothermia–and they are more resistant to scrapes and snags common to spelunking.

Test your ropes – Ropes are one of the most important pieces of equipment when you do an extreme spelunking with rappelling. Test your lifeline before caving; it must support you and your gear in a lingering hang. Use a safety line as a backup in case of a fall.

Carry a First Aid Kit – Cuts and scratches do occur often. Clean and medicate them immediately to prevent infections.

Check your breathing – Deep caves can have a reduced amount of oxygen. Check for oxygen using a match, lighter, or candle. If you start feeling dizzy, out of breath, or have a burning sensation in your throat, stop and exit the cave at a steady pace.

Keep your energy – Always carry energy bars and water to replenish your energy. Take breaks when necessary.

Never go caving when it’s raining – Caves can flood extremely fast and more often than not, it is unannounced. Don’t take that risk.

Leave Markers – As you go further in, leave markers to show your way out. On your return, pick up your markers. Don’t leave them in the cave as waste.

Don’t take unnecessary risks – Always look for the easiest way to navigate the cave. When you have the choice of jumping over a crevice or taking 5 minutes to go around it, choose to go around it. Injuries, even the smallest ones, are magnified by the difficulty of evacuating an injured person out of the cave.

Be patient and don’t force things – Go slow and take your time while crossing or crawling through tight spaces; a bad position can injure or cramp your muscles. If you don’t fit, don’t force it. Don’t run the chance of getting stuck.

Know what to do in case someone gets injured – If someone gets injured and can’t make it out of the cave on their own, stop there and send two or more people for help–police or paramedics. Make sure they know the exact location where the injured person is and the extent of the injuries. Never leave the injured alone.

Inform others about your caving plans – Sometimes you can get lost in a cave. In such cases, don’t panic and stay put. Always let people know about your spelunking plans. Inform more than one person with details, like when you are going, which cave, with whom, and when you plan to return.

If you are adventurous and haven’t tried spelunking, give it a try. Who knows…you might even get hooked on this thrilling and exploratory sport.

AIME