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The Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption is causing extensive damage in La Palma (Credit: INVOLCAN.org)

La Palma, one of Spain's Canary Islands, has been feeling the wrath of the Cumbre Vieja volcano since September 19, 2021. The explosive volcano, which came to life shortly after 3:00 pm local time, has been spewing out large amounts of molten lava, sometimes up to 20 feet (6 meters) high. The slow-moving rivers of magma have destroyed nearly 400 homes,buried dozens of kilometers of roads, and consumed hundreds of acres of farmland.

On Tuesday, September 28, 2021, the Canary Islands Volcanic Institute confirmed that the lava had started pouring into the Atlantic Ocean. Officials fear that the magma's interaction with the cold water will release toxic gases and small particles. They are asking area residents to stay indoors and keep their windows closed. Scientists are also concerned that the chemical reactions between the lava and water may result in powerful underwater explosions.

Experts are unsure when Cumbre Vieja, or "Old Summit," will calm down. La Palma's Teneguía volcano, which came alive in 1971, remained active for more than three weeks. "The only way to know is to know the total volume of eruptible magma under Cumbre Vieja," says Pablo J. González, a physical volcanologist at the Spanish National Research Council. "That piece of information is unknown."

The only silver lining is that no lives have been lost yet. Cumbre Vieja provided plenty of warning - in the form of 20,000 small earthquakes - during the week leading up to the first eruption. This, together with the magma's slow pace, has allowed officials to safely evacuate the over 6,000 residents in its path.

The massive volcanic eruption was captured in an image by NASA's Landsat 8 satellite (Credit: Earthobservatory.NASA.gov)

La Palma is among the smallest of the main eight volcanic islands in Spain's Canary Islands archipelago, which is strung along Africa's northwestern coast. The largely rural community of 85,000 residents depends on crops like bananas, avocados, and grapes for its livelihood. Unfortunately, the lava has buried many plantations and left thousands homeless. While it may take months, or perhaps even a few years, to recover from the destruction, the Spanish government has promised to do everything it can to help.

"The people of La Palma should rest assured that we have all the resources and emergency personnel necessary," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said after meeting the local officials on September 19, 2021.

Resources: elpais.com, Smithsonianmag.com, NPR.com,

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Canary Island Volcano Continues To Erupt After Two Weeks

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La Palma, one of Spain's Canary Islands, has been feeling the wrath of the Cumbre Vieja volcano since September 19, 2021. The explosive volcano, which came to life shortly after 3:00 pm local time, has been spewing out large amounts of molten lava, sometimes up to 20 feet (6 meters) high.

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https://www.dogonews.com/category/science

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DOGO News - Kids news articles on science! Kids current events; plus kids news on science, sports, and more!

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Read our kids news articles on science. Read news articles on science like “This Armored Ancestor Of Modern Crocodiles Roamed Earth Over 200 Million Years Ago”, “Powerful Solar Storms Create Dazzling Auroras”, and “Smart Orangutan Uses Medicinal Plant To Heal Wound”.

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TIME for Kids | Giants in Danger

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California’s KNP Complex wildfire forced the evacuation of Sequoia National Park on September 14. The blaze threatened the park’s giant sequoia trees. These trees are some of the largest in the world. By September 17, the fire had reached the…

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Photographer Nicolas Economou captured this shot of the Milky Way galaxy on August 16, near Nikiti, Greece. The Milky Way includes our solar system.Because of

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Fatma Almuhannadi

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Good news for American bald eagles! Since 2009, their population has quadrupled in the lower 48 states, according to a recent report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bald eagles were once on the brink of extinction. But efforts such as the banning of a harmful insecticide seem to have saved the bird. Deb Haaland, the secretary of the interior, called these results "a historic conservation success story."

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Good news for American bald eagles! Since 2009, their population has quadrupled in the lower 48 states, according to a recent report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bald eagles were once on the brink of extinction. But efforts...

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https://www.dogonews.com/2021/10/6/monterey-bay-aquariums-resident-sea-otter-kit-invents-the-shrimp-game

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Kit is one of Monterey Bay Aquarium's largest sea otters (Credit: Montereybayaquarium.org)

Most seafood lovers - animal or human - would find it hard to resist a tasty shrimp morsel. However, not Kit, a mischievous sea otter that resides at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium. Rather than gulping down the tiny crustacean, Kit used it as a game piece to play what the aquarium officials dubbed "The Shrimp Game."

In the video, captured by sea otter aquarists Stephany and Jess, the clever otter repeatedly pops out from the holes in the enrichment board - first to "hide" the shrimp and then to "find" it. Kit's fun game takes a surprising twist when fellow otter Ivy gets wind of the "free" food. What happens next has to be seen to be believed!

Kit was just five weeks old when she was found stranded in California's Morro Bay by a biologist in January 2010. The tiny pup was brought to the aquarium and, at just 11 months of age, became the youngest sea otter to go on exhibit. Her caretakers say the smart otter rapidly learned critical survival skills, like cracking open clams and eating live crabs without getting bitten! Kit, who now weighs 50 pounds, is one of the aquarium's largest otters. The talented mammal spends her time taking care of abandoned otter pups and . . . inventing new games!

Resources: montereybayaquarium.org

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Monterey Bay Aquarium's Resident Sea Otter Kit Invents "The Shrimp Game"

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Most seafood lovers - animal or human - would find it hard to resist a tasty shrimp morsel. However, not Kit, a mischievous sea otter that resides at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium. Rather than gulping down the tiny crustacean, Kit used it as a game piece to play what the aquarium officials dubbed "The Shrimp Game."

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Science News Explores publishes news from all fields of science for students from middle school and up, with resources for parents and educators.

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In the 1980s, about 4.5 million monarchs spent winter on the coast of California and northern Mexico every year. "There would be these forests full of monarch butterflies looking like leaves on trees," Elizabeth Crone told TIME for Kids. Crone...

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https://www.dogonews.com/2021/9/16/retired-circus-elephants-move-to-new-home-with-plenty-of-room-to-explore

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The first batch of 32 retired circus elephants arrived at White Oak Conservation earlier this year (Credit: whiteoakwildlife.org)

After years of intense public pushback, the now-shuttered Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus finally announced the retirement of their Asian elephant performers in 2016. While the decision was a resounding victory for animal lovers and activists, it raised a new issue. The mighty pachyderms were raised in captivity and lacked the skills to survive in the wild. Now, thanks to Florida-based White Oak Conservation, the animals have a new home - one where they can roam freely.

The two orphaned Florida panthers are among hundreds of endangered animals that call White Oak home (Credit: WOConservation/ CC BY-SA 4.0/ Wikimedia Commons)

Located about 30 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida, the sprawling 17,000-acre facility is home to between 350 and 400 animals comprising 35 endangered species. They include rhinos, cheetahs, giraffes, and okapis.

The conservation center welcomed the first batch of retired circus elephants in May 2021. The 12 female elephants, which include two sets of full sisters and numerous half-sisters, range from 8 to 38 years old. To make the transition easier, they were socialized together for several months majestic animals will be joined by the remaining 20 as soon as the before being moved. The additional areas to house them are completed.

The 2,500-acre sanctuary is modeled after the elephant's natural habitat in the wild. The diverse environments include pine forests, meadows, and wetlands, all connected for easy transition by foot. The animals can wander in the woods, relax in the mud, or swim in one of the eleven specially-built water holes. The elephants can also spend their days relaxing inside the specially-built barns close to their human caregivers.

"We are thrilled to give these elephants a place to wander and explore," said the conservation center's owners Mark and Kimbra Walter. "We are working to protect wild animals in their native habitats. But for these elephants that can't be released, we are pleased to give them a place where they can live comfortably for the rest of their lives."

White Oak Conservation is not the only non-profit helping rehabilitate retired circus elephants. On September 23, 2021, Georgia-based Elephant Refuge North America (ERNA) will welcome Bo. The 34-year-old male elephant has spent the past 30 years performing for the George Carden Circus.

Bo will be housed in a seven-acre habitat complete with pastures, woods, a pond, and a new custom-designed, fully automated elephant house. The pachyderm's habitat will be expanded to 100 acres once ERNA can raise sufficient funds to reinforce the perimeter fencing. The conservation center also hopes to add nine more retired elephants to the sanctuary.

Resources: whiteoakwildlife.org, elephantaidinternational.org

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Retired Circus Elephants Move To New Home With Plenty Of Room To Explore

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After years of intense public pushback, the now-shuttered Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus finally announced the retirement of their Asian elephant performers in 2016. While the decision was a resounding victory for animal lovers and activists, it raised a new issue.

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https://www.dogonews.com/2021/9/16/retired-circus-elephants-move-to-new-home-with-plenty-of-room-to-explore

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The first batch of 32 retired circus elephants arrived at White Oak Conservation earlier this year (Credit: whiteoakwildlife.org)

After years of intense public pushback, the now-shuttered Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus finally announced the retirement of their Asian elephant performers in 2016. While the decision was a resounding victory for animal lovers and activists, it raised a new issue. The mighty pachyderms were raised in captivity and lacked the skills to survive in the wild. Now, thanks to Florida-based White Oak Conservation, the animals have a new home - one where they can roam freely.

The two orphaned Florida panthers are among hundreds of endangered animals that call White Oak home (Credit: WOConservation/ CC BY-SA 4.0/ Wikimedia Commons)

Located about 30 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida, the sprawling 17,000-acre facility is home to between 350 and 400 animals comprising 35 endangered species. They include rhinos, cheetahs, giraffes, and okapis.

The conservation center welcomed the first batch of retired circus elephants in May 2021. The 12 female elephants, which include two sets of full sisters and numerous half-sisters, range from 8 to 38 years old. To make the transition easier, they were socialized together for several months majestic animals will be joined by the remaining 20 as soon as the before being moved. The additional areas to house them are completed.

The 2,500-acre sanctuary is modeled after the elephant's natural habitat in the wild. The diverse environments include pine forests, meadows, and wetlands, all connected for easy transition by foot. The animals can wander in the woods, relax in the mud, or swim in one of the eleven specially-built water holes. The elephants can also spend their days relaxing inside the specially-built barns close to their human caregivers.

"We are thrilled to give these elephants a place to wander and explore," said the conservation center's owners Mark and Kimbra Walter. "We are working to protect wild animals in their native habitats. But for these elephants that can't be released, we are pleased to give them a place where they can live comfortably for the rest of their lives."

White Oak Conservation is not the only non-profit helping rehabilitate retired circus elephants. On September 23, 2021, Georgia-based Elephant Refuge North America (ERNA) will welcome Bo. The 34-year-old male elephant has spent the past 30 years performing for the George Carden Circus.

Bo will be housed in a seven-acre habitat complete with pastures, woods, a pond, and a new custom-designed, fully automated elephant house. The pachyderm's habitat will be expanded to 100 acres once ERNA can raise sufficient funds to reinforce the perimeter fencing. The conservation center also hopes to add nine more retired elephants to the sanctuary.

Resources: whiteoakwildlife.org, elephantaidinternational.org

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Retired Circus Elephants Move To New Home With Plenty Of Room To Explore

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
After years of intense public pushback, the now-shuttered Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus finally announced the retirement of their Asian elephant performers in 2016. While the decision was a resounding victory for animal lovers and activists, it raised a new issue.

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Looking for a good book this summer? TIME for Kids is here to help. Our editors selected 10 of the most exciting books of the season. Then we handed them off to our team of TFK Kid Reporters to get their opinions. Here, TFK Kid Reporter Zara Wierzbowski reviews We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly.

We'll be posting more reviews all summer. Check back next week for another great summer page-turner.

This work of historical fiction takes place in 1986. As the country awaits the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, three very different siblings-Cash, Fitch, and Bird-must navigate challenges of their own.

I would rate this book a 10 out of 10, because I couldn't stop reading it. For one thing, I enjoyed the storytelling style: Each chapter focuses on one of the kids' perspectives. Anyone interested in science, sibling relationships, and friendships will enjoy reading We Dream of Space.

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Looking for a good book this summer? TIME for Kids is here to help. Our editors selected 10 of the most exciting books of the season. Then we handed them off to our team of TFK Kid Reporters to get...

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NASA's SOFIA Finds Water On The Moon's Sunlit Side!

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The presence of ice in the permanently shadowed craters around the Moon's poles has been known for some time. However, researchers had been unsure if the hydration detected on the satellite's sunlit areas was "molecular" water (H2O), or hydroxyl (OH), a molecule that's one hydrogen atom shy of becoming water.

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If physicists had a "Most Wanted" list, dark matter particles would be right at the top.

Dark matter is an invisible material that lurks throughout the cosmos. In fact, it makes up about 85 percent of the matter in the universe. Unlike the ordinary matter inside you, your computer, the planet and all the stars in the sky, dark matter doesn't produce or reflect any light. For decades, physicists have tried to identify the particles that make up this mysterious substance. But so far, all searches have come up empty.

Hold on, you might say. If dark matter is invisible, how do we even know it exists? Dark matter is detectable because of the gravitational tug it exerts on visible objects. This is similar to the way you can tell it's windy outside without being able to see wind. You know there's wind because you can see it rustling the leaves on trees.

The first clues that dark matter exists came in the 1930s. An astronomer named Fritz Zwicky peered at a distant swarm of galaxies and found something odd. The galaxies were moving fast. In fact, they were moving so fast that the galaxy cluster should fly apart. So there must have been some unseen material hiding among the galaxies, holding the cluster together with its gravity.

In the 1970s, astronomer Vera Rubin found that stars swirl around spiral galaxies much faster than expected. At such high speeds, these stars should fly apart. To avoid shredding themselves, galaxies must be held together by dark matter's gravity.

Most scientists are now convinced that dark matter exists. But they still have no idea what it is. Many different types of particles have been proposed to explain dark matter. Yet experiments designed to search for those particles have so far only ruled out contenders. As a result, some physicists have an alternate idea. Maybe dark matter doesn't exist at all. Maybe at very large scales, gravity simply behaves in strange ways we do not yet understand.

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Want to know more? We've got some stories to get you started:

Spin in this Milky Way bar may show cosmic dark matter does exist The gravitational pull of dark matter may be slowing down a rotating bar of stars at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. (7/19/2021) Readability: 7.4

If dark matter particles could kill us, they would have already The fact that dark matter hasn't killed anyone yet puts limits on how large these mystery particles can be. (8/6/2019) Readability: 7.7

Strange X-rays point to possible 'dark' matter Since dark matter can't be directly observed, scientists have to come up with creative ways to find it. One method is searching for X-rays from deep space. (2/20/2017) Readability: 7.9

Despite decades of evidence that dark matter exists, scientists still don't know what it's made of.

Explore more
Scientists Say: Dark matter Explainer: What is a planet? The dark side of the universe Distant galaxy seems filled with dark matter Ancient light may point to where the cosmos' missing matter hides Cosmic mystery: Why are many galaxies dark? Some white dwarf stars point to possible dark matter Mapping the invisible
Activities

Having a hard time imagining how scientists "see" invisible dark matter? Try this at-home experiment from NASA. Drop some beads or other small items into two plastic bottles, then fill one bottle up with water. Like dark matter, the water is transparent, but its effects can still be detected. You can see this when you compare how the motion of visible objects, such as beads, differs between the two bottles.

Power Words
More About Power Words

astronomer: A scientist who works in the field of research that deals with celestial objects, space and the physical universe.

cosmic: An adjective that refers to the cosmos - the universe and everything within it.

cosmos: (adj. cosmic) A term that refers to the universe and everything within it.

dark matter: Physical objects or particles that emit no detectable radiation of their own. They are believed to exist because of unexplained gravitational forces that they appear to exert on other, visible astronomical objects.

galaxy: A group of stars - and usually dark matter - all held together by gravity. Giant galaxies, such as the Milky Way, often have more than 100 billion stars. The dimmest galaxies may have just a few thousand. Some galaxies also have gas and dust from which they make new stars.

gravity: The force that attracts anything with mass, or bulk, toward any other thing with mass. The more mass that something has, the greater its gravity.

mass: A number that shows how much an object resists speeding up and slowing down - basically a measure of how much matter that object is made from.

matter: Something that occupies space and has mass. Anything on Earth with matter will have a property described as "weight."

Milky Way: The galaxy in which Earth's solar system resides.

particle: A minute amount of something.

physicist: A scientist who studies the nature and properties of matter and energy.

star: The basic building block from which galaxies are made. Stars develop when gravity compacts clouds of gas. When they become hot enough, stars will emit light and sometimes other forms of electromagnetic radiation. The sun is our closest star.

swarm: A large number of animals that have amassed and now move together. People sometimes use the term to refer to huge numbers of honeybees leaving a hive.

universe: The entire cosmos: All things that exist throughout space and time. It has been expanding since its formation during an event known as the Big Bang, some 13.8 billion years ago (give or take a few hundred million years).

X-ray: A type of radiation analogous to gamma rays, but having somewhat lower energy.

Maria Temming is the assistant editor at Science News for Students. She has bachelor's degrees in physics and English, and a master's in science writing.

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If physicists had a "Most Wanted" list, dark matter particles would be right at the top. Dark matter is an invisible material that lurks throughout the cosmos. In fact, it makes up about 85 percent of the matter in the universe.

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Most polar bears could disappear by the end of the century, scientists say. Global warming is to blame.

According to a study published this month in Nature Climate Change, most polar bear populations will be in serious decline by 2080. The cause is melting sea ice. Polar bears hunt seals on the ice. Without ice, the bears must roam on the shore, where they are spending more and more time away from their main food source. That means the animals could starve.

"There's not enough food on land to sustain a polar bear population," Péter K. Molnár told the New York Times. He is the study's lead author.

Lack of food leads to another problem: Mother bears may not be fat enough to produce milk for their cubs. Some bear populations could stop having babies, leading to a rapid decline in numbers.

Polar bears are the largest land carnivores on the planet. They help keep other animal populations in check. Losing them would throw habitats off-balance. "Their loss would reverberate throughout the ecosystem," Marika Holland says. She's one of the authors of the study.

Arctic sea ice usually melts in the spring and summer, then grows in the winter. But now, the ice is taking longer to grow back. Weather statistics say the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Ice in the region has declined 13% every 10 years since the 1970s.

The Arctic is home to roughly 25,000 polar bears. Scientists have long known that the animals are in danger. This study, which looked at 13 of the world's 19 polar bear populations, is the first to identify when they could disappear.

But the study also notes that it is still possible to slow Arctic melting. The world can reduce the burning of fossil fuels and lower the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. It would have to be a drastic reduction. Bringing emissions to only a moderate level will still mean the loss of some polar bears.

Saving the bears is up to us, Holland says. "I believe that there is hope," she says. "But humans need to act quickly to turn that hope into a reality."

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Most polar bears could disappear by the end of the century, scientists say. Global warming is to blame. According to a study published this month in Nature Climate Change, most polar bear populations will be in serious decline by 2080....

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Kit is one of Monterey Bay Aquarium's largest sea otters (Credit: Montereybayaquarium.org)

Most seafood lovers - animal or human - would find it hard to resist a tasty shrimp morsel. However, not Kit, a mischievous sea otter that resides at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium. Rather than gulping down the tiny crustacean, Kit used it as a game piece to play what the aquarium officials dubbed "The Shrimp Game."

In the video, captured by sea otter aquarists Stephany and Jess, the clever otter repeatedly pops out from the holes in the enrichment board - first to "hide" the shrimp and then to "find" it. Kit's fun game takes a surprising twist when fellow otter Ivy gets wind of the "free" food. What happens next has to be seen to be believed!

Kit was just five weeks old when she was found stranded in California's Morro Bay by a biologist in January 2010. The tiny pup was brought to the aquarium and, at just 11 months of age, became the youngest sea otter to go on exhibit. Her caretakers say the smart otter rapidly learned critical survival skills, like cracking open clams and eating live crabs without getting bitten! Kit, who now weighs 50 pounds, is one of the aquarium's largest otters. The talented mammal spends her time taking care of abandoned otter pups and . . . inventing new games!

Resources: montereybayaquarium.org

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Monterey Bay Aquarium's Resident Sea Otter Kit Invents "The Shrimp Game"

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Most seafood lovers - animal or human - would find it hard to resist a tasty shrimp morsel. However, not Kit, a mischievous sea otter that resides at California's Monterey Bay Aquarium. Rather than gulping down the tiny crustacean, Kit used it as a game piece to play what the aquarium officials dubbed "The Shrimp Game."