Harnessing energy from the ocean
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VOL. 8 • NO. 2 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
page 8
Harnessing
energy from
the ocean
SC IE
N CE S O U P
page 10 page 28
Dino-like dragons?
Time for treehouses
2WK22_01_Cover.indd 1 10/8/21 2:39 PM
VOL. 8 • NO. 2 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
6-9 10-13 14-17
SCIENCE SOUP TIME MACHINE CITIZEN SHIP
Mighty micro- Imagining LEGO gets
orgs and dragons and serious and
wonderful remembering Lee gets
waves the Aztecs removed
18-21 22-25 26-29
TAKE APART SMART CRITTER FILE JET BALLOON
Pipe organ Crabs donate Afghanistan
repair and blood and falls and
coral reef cows get treehouses
mapping potty-trained rise
also in this issue: 3 PUZZLING TIMES | 4-5 NEWS SHORTS | 30-31 EVEN MORE NEWS SHORTS | 32 PUZZLING TIMES
A sheep leaps from a truck for
the annual Soldier Hollow Classic
Sheepdog Championship on
September 1, 2021, in Midway,
Utah. The weekend-long
competition tests the herding
skills of some of the world’s
most highly trained border
collies and their handlers.
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION: Publication title: WORLDKIDS. Publication number: 700-950. Filing date: 10/1/2021. Issue
frequency: Bi-monthly. Number of issues published annually: 6. Annual subscription price: $35.88. Complete mailing address: PO BOX 20002 ASHEVILLE,
NC 28802. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office: 12 All Souls Crescent Asheville, NC 28803. Full names and complete mailing
addresses of publisher, editor, and managing editor. Managing editor: Rebecca Cochrane, PO Box 20002 Asheville, NC 28802. Owner: God’s World Publications,
PO Box 20002 Asheville, NC 28802. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages,
or other securities: None. Tax status: Has not changed during preceding 12 months. Extent and nature of circulation—Total number of copies: Avg. 12 mos: 19,784.
Single issue: 23,296. Total Paid Distribution: Avg. 12 mos: 19,571. Single issue: 23,166. Free or nominal rate distribution. Total free or nominal rate distribution:
Avg. 12 mos: 213. Single issue: 130. Total distribution: Avg. 12 mos: 19,784. Single issue: 23,296. Copies not distributed: Avg. 12 mos: 0. Single issue: 0. Total: Avg.
12 mos: 19,784. Single issue: 23,296. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. –Rebecca Cochrane, Managing Editor
RICK BOWMER/AP
KRIEG BARRIE
WORLDkids, Issue 2, November 2021 (ISSN #2372-7357, USPS #700-950) is published 6 times per year—September, November, January, March, May, and July for $35.88 per year,
by God’s World News, God’s World Publications, 12 All Souls Crescent, Asheville, NC 28803. Periodicals postage paid at Asheville, NC, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER:
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2 worldkids • NOVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_02-03_Contents_PT.indd 2 10/8/21 2:41 PM
FALLING LEAVES: It’s that time of year again.
1
Trace each leaf’s path to figure out where it
lands. Write the leaf’s number in the circle at
the bottom of its trail.
Now take the letters
from each leaf’s path
1 2 3 4 5 and unscramble them to
complete the words on
the corresponding line.
1 “FOR
2 EVERYTHING
O A 3 THERE IS
T 4 A SEASON”
H 5 E C C L E S I A S T E S 3: 1
R
C
S F H
G
S S
V S
S
Y R N
E
,
es,
84.
.
RICK BOWMER/AP
KRIEG BARRIE
ear,
ER:
cca
63,
s. Answers
on page 5
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 3
2WK22_02-03_Contents_PT.indd 3 10/8/21 2:44 PM
The full-size
replica is
tracing the
original
ship’s
route.
A Copy Sets Sail
BOOM! A ship’s cannons fire a powerful salute. Make
way for the Götheborg! (pronounced yeh-tuh-BOR-eh)
Not the old Götheborg. The new one.
The old Götheborg was an armed merchant ship from
Sweden. It sank in 1745. This one is just as big: 197 feet
long. That makes it the longest operational wooden
sailing vessel in the world. Just like the first Götheborg, it
has three masts. Builders invested more than a decade to
create it. They built with the same materials and tools
ship builders would have used on the original.
When Fido is . . . a Hyena The Götheborg and her crew will trace the old ship’s
route to Asia. The goal: improve trade relations between
A hyena may not be your average house pet. But in Asia and Sweden. Götheborg will visit London, Lisbon, Palma
northern Nigeria, some men keep the creatures in their de Mallorca, Athens, Alexandria, Djibouti, Muscat, Chennai,
GÖTHEBORG: AP PHOTO • SHIP MODEL: DORSET COUNT Y MUSEUM
homes. They display them at festivals. They even use Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
their dung or saliva to make health remedies. Whew! Can you find those cities and countries on a map?
Abdullahi Jahun comes from a line of hyena men. He Ask a grown-up for permission to track the ship’s
learned how to tame and handle hyenas from his father. progress here: https://www.gotheborg.se/.
Now he makes a living from entertaining crowds with his At each stop, new crew members will come aboard to
own animal. “This was my job from when I started help with the journey. Anchors aweigh!
walking as a child,” he says.
Mr. Jahun captured his hyena from the This model shows how
wild. He takes it to events such as festivals, cargo was stored on
coronations of traditional rulers, and merchant ships.
SALTON SE A: AP PHOTO
durbars. A durbar is a type of parade
WILFERT: HANDOUT
where horsemen in colorful costumes
show off their skills.
Hyenas can be quite dangerous to
people. But that doesn’t stop hyena men. Mr.
Jahun even allows children to sit on his hyena’s back!
4 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_04-05_Shorts4.indd 4 10/8/21 2:45 PM
Beacon the Lifeguard
Beacon the Newfoundland is training to become a
lifeguard. She has some big shoes to fill. But no
worries. Those puppy feet will grow . . . and grow . . .
and grow. Soon the dog will weigh up to 130
pounds. “That dog will be able to pull them in,”
says her trainer Greg Wilfert. “And it’s going
to be pretty impressive when she does it.”
The little Newfie is learning from the
best. Mr. Wilfert has worked as a lifeguard
at the beach in Scarborough, Maine, for
50 years in a row. He has watched many
Mr. Wilfert
is training swimmers grow up. Some kids he
Beacon. lifeguarded are grandparents now!
Newfies love water. They are strong
swimmers, and, like St. Bernards, are
highly trainable for rescue work. In some
ways, dogs make better lifeguards than
people do. They can easily jump into
water and paddle out to swimmers fast.
Dogs are strong. Just one can pull a boat full
of people to shore.
Many batteries
Got Lithium? require Lithium.
Near California’s dying Salton Sea, super-hot liquid
is drilled from deep underground and collected in vats.
The vats connect to tubes. The tubes spit out . . .
dishwater? Nope. Not dishwater. Lithium.
The Salton Sea isn’t a sea. It’s a lake—or, it was a lake.
Once, tourists and fishermen flocked there. But storms in the
1970s destroyed resorts and marinas. Floods wrecked homes.
Then drop by drop, the lake started to evaporate. Fish died.
With fewer fish to eat, fewer birds migrated overhead. Many
people left too. Towns near the Salton Sea felt deserted. Now
the Salton Sea is nearly completely dried up.
GÖTHEBORG: AP PHOTO • SHIP MODEL: DORSET COUNT Y MUSEUM
Lithium is an ultralight metal that can be extracted from
Lithium could salt water. It’s also an important ingredient in rechargeable
be a new
beginning for batteries. People will pay for it. Will this lithium bring
Salton Sea. money back to the Salton Sea area?
SALTON SE A: AP PHOTO
cows that used the wrong spot. | JET BALLOON, p26-29, Afghanistan, Treehouses 1. c, 2. c, 3. b, 4. b. | PAGE 32 PUZZLE: A. 4, B. 3, C. 1
Cows 1. b, 2. c, 3. b, 4. a, 5. Answers will vary but should include that scientists rewarded the cows that used the right spot with a sweet treat and gave only water to the
WILFERT: HANDOUT
recreation, gifts for others, etc. | TAKE APART SMART, p18-21, Pipe Organ Repair, Coral Map 1. b, 2. b, 3. c, 4. a | CRITTER FILE, p22-25, Horseshoe Crab Blood, Bathroom for
c, 4. d, 5. Answers will vary but may include some of the following: tithes or offerings, home rent or mortgage, water, power, food, gas, books, toys, pet care, hygiene items,
electricity generated at sea is more efficient. | TIME MACHINE, p10-13, New Pterosaur, Aztecs 1. b, 2. a, 3. a, 4. c | CITIZEN SHIP, p14-17, LEGO Budget, Lee Statue 1. d, 2. d, 3.
Extremophiles, Wave Energy 1. d, 2. c, 3. c, 4. b, 5. Answers will vary but may include: The company didn’t want to have to service that equipment at sea, and so using
PAGE 3 PUZZLE: 1. leaf pile, 2. bag, 3. tarp, 4. wheelbarrow, 5. trash can; 1. For, 2. everything, 3. there is, 4. a season, 5. Ecclesiastes | QUIZZES: SCIENCE SOUP, p6-9,
More news shorts online everyday at kids.wng.org
—-——- —- NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 5
2WK22_04-05_Shorts4.indd 5 10/8/21 3:52 PM
Some creatures can
survive harsh conditions.
Some love harsh conditions.
Snow? Salt? Heat? Volcanic
acid? If these microorgan-
isms could talk, they would
say, “Bring it on!”
We have a name for these
Don’t worry! This
tardigrade–or water critters: extremophiles.
bear–is not shown Extremophiles are micro-
actual size. Phew. scopic creatures that live in
It's really about half a
millimeter–smaller than extreme conditions. Scientists
the period at the end of watch these amazing, tiny
this sentence.
What’s unique about Sulfolobus?
Meet Dunaliella salina. It’s a type of algae . . . EXTREME Sulfolobus is made of just one cell and lives in
algae. D. salina flourishes in salt pans. Salt pans are wide, flat, active volcanic springs. (Volcanic springs are
dried out places. These spots are too salty for most life. Salt born when underground water meets magma.
draws moisture from cells. It can literally suck the life out of The result is hot!) Most living things would boil
most creatures. Salt pans also receive a lot of ultraviolet (UV) to death in Sulfolobus’ home-sweet-home. And
radiation from the Sun. UV radiation can damage or kill many if the heat didn’t kill them, the volcanic acid
living things. would break them into bits. Sulfolobus helps
Yet D. salina survives. Where does its superpower come scientists. They use it to study
from? The algae carry high levels of a liquid chemical called healthcare, genetics, and
glycerol. They’re also loaded with vitamin A. Glycerol protects the environment.
from salt. Vitamin A fends off UV damage. Lesson learned!
People put D. salina in makeup and face
creams. This helps protect from Sun
damage and keeps skin moist.
TARDIGR ADE: AP PHOTO
SCIENCE
SOUP
6 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_06-09_SS.indd 6 10/8/21 4:22 PM
Some parts of Earth are
hard places to live. They’re
extremely sunny, salty,
cold, acidic, or pressurized.
Still, wherever scientists
search—ocean depths,
volcanic springs, solid
oxygen, and even radiation But tardigrades lived. ice—they find flourishing
organisms. They wonder, don’t stop these itty-bitty Later, they multiplied. organisms. After all, God
What makes them so beasties. They live all over How might they be made His creation “very
hardy? What can they Earth: on mountaintops, useful? Biologists suggest good.”
teach us that will help deep in the ocean, and putting their tiny genes In the next story, you’ll
humans? maybe even in your into crops to help them meet some more small
You may have heard of driveway. survive drought. And could living things with extreme
water bears, or tardi- In 2007, scientists tardigrades help us find a survival skills. Can they
grades. These favorite launched tardigrades into way to use vaccines give us ideas to protect,
extremophiles look part space. The water bears without refrigerating diagnose, and treat
chubby bear and part were exposed to cold, them? humans?
one-eyed alien. No water? airless space full of From single-celled For by Him all things
No worries. Tardigrades radiation from the Sun and organisms to mammoth were created, in heaven
survive. Antarctic cold, stars. A person in that blue whales, God created and on Earth, visible and
300-degree heat, a lack of situation would explode! an Earth teeming with life. invisible. — Colossians 1:16
Some Cyanobacteria lie beneath
frozen lakes in Antarctica. Brrrr! But
cyanobacteria seem to
like the cold. They
need very little heat
and light. The
cyanobacterium is
a hard-core
microorganism that
can capture the
Sun’s energy even
deep in an ice-covered
lake. Cyanobacteria use a
purple pigment to absorb green light.
Researchers use cyanobacteria for
dietary supplements, fertilizer, food
production, food colorings, fuel, energy,
and medicines.
Some like it hot. Thermus aquaticus
likes it almost boiling! These bacteria
live in thermal springs. As temperature
rises, T. aquaticus stays in shape. It’s
still intact above 140°F! That’s the
TARDIGR ADE: AP PHOTO
temperature required to pull apart
and copy DNA in order to study it.
T. aquaticus’ heat-resistance allows
scientists to copy strands of DNA. This quality
really came in handy this year. Scientists used T. aquaticus to
develop a common type of COVID test.
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 7
2WK22_06-09_SS.indd 7 10/8/21 4:23 PM
Can you grab a wave and turn it and turn it into usable
into electricity? Oscilla Power, Inc., electricity.
(OPI) knows that’s possible. For Electricity from waves
starters, the company is working on doesn’t produce waste
a wave-powered, floating science like dead batteries do. It
station. won’t release dangerous
These days, there are more than gases into the air like
8,000 marine platforms set up in some energy sources do
oceans around the world. The either.
platforms serve different purposes. So how will OPI power its
Some are bases for underwater floating science station? It
exploration. Others are connected to starts with a large buoy that
oil and gas drilling rigs. Still other floats in water. That buoy is
floating platforms are science anchored to a heavy plate that hangs
OSCILL A POWER, INC.
stations. Researchers use these under it. A chain of iron-aluminum
marine platforms for all kinds of rods is tethered to both the buoy and the wave energy. The coils turn the
experiments. But to do so, they need plate. As the buoy floats, the ocean’s wave energy into electricity. That
energy to power lights, equipment, movement stretches and pulls the electricity flows through a cable,
and communication devices. rods. They wiggle with energy from where it can be put to work as a
Solar panels or batteries provide the waves. Coils on the rods capture power source.
that power to many floating science The United States government
stations. But solar panels require must think that OPI is on to some-
OPI BUOY: OSCILL A POWER, INC.
maintenance. So do batteries—which thing smart. The United States
also need a source of recharging.
WHY? Department of Energy gave the
“Worthy are you, our Lord
Scientists at OPI don’t want to make and God, to receive glory and company a grant. A grant is a gift of
service calls to their honor and power, for you created money. The government funds big,
floating science stations. all things.” (Revelation 4:11) helpful ideas. Collecting energy from
So they have a new plan. By studying the energy in moving ocean waves and turning it into
They will harness the water and using it to make clean, constant electricity is
energy in ocean waves electricity, people use God’s defi nitely a BIG IDEA!
creation for good and recognize
His power and provision.
8 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_06-09_SS.indd 8 10/8/21 4:23 PM
ocean. This creates waves. The
strongest waves are in deep water.
Researchers plop a platform, or
Ocean waves form when wind around the world, all the time. floating science station, into that
passes over the surface of the sea. That’s a lot of unused energy! deep water. The platform has tools
Scientists see the movement. An ocean wave carries kinetic on board to grab energy from the
Where there is movement, there is energy. That is energy of motion. waves that crash into it. Machines
energy. So scientists wonder how According to the United States take that wave energy and turn it
ocean waves can be useful. Office of Efficiency and Renewable into electricity. The electricity can
People around the world use Energy, the energy in one wave be stored in batteries. Or it can be
electricity every day. What if ocean could power an electric car for used right away by running it
waves provided some of that hundreds of miles. Scientists are through power cords to provide
electricity? After all, over 70 figuring out how to take a wave’s electricity for the platform’s
percent of the Earth’s surface is energy and turn it into electricity. equipment. Electricity is also sent
covered with water. That means Here’s what they are up to: back to shore through cables that
waves are moving and cresting all First, the wind blows across the are attached to the platform.
OPI’s ocean platform 1
is called Triton. It has
five important parts.
3
1. SURFACE FLOAT: 2. REACTION 3. TENDONS: Three tight
4
A bright yellow buoy RING: A heavy rods that connect the surface
that floats on top of ring attached to float to the reaction ring
the ocean’s surface the surface float, 2
also called a
heave plate
4. COILS: Iron- Developing technology helps us
aluminum spirals on understand waves and the energy
each rod capture 5. CABLES: Electricity- they carry better than ever before.
wave energy and conducting cords that carry Psalm 107:25 says, “For He com-
turn it into electricity back to shore manded and raised the stormy wind,
electricity which lifted up the waves of the sea.”
God stirs up ocean waves. He also has
5 the power to calm them. Psalm 107:29
OSCILL A POWER, INC.
says, “He made the storm be still, and
the waves of the sea were hushed.”
1. What are extremophiles? 2. Which are algae? 3. What did the 4. What is kinetic 5. Why did
OPI BUOY: OSCILL A POWER, INC.
a) organisms that can talk a) cyanobacteria government give OPI energy? OPI not want
b) scientists who study b) Thermus to help the company a) stored energy to use solar
microorganisms aquaticus research wave energy? b) energy of panels or
c) blue whales c) Dunaliella a) research tools motion batteries on
d) microorganisms living salina b) science textbooks c) heat its floating
in extreme conditions d) Sulfolobus c) a grant d) static science
d) a boat electricity platforms?
Answers
on page 5
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 9
2WK22_06-09_SS.indd 9 10/8/21 4:24 PM
On his lunchbreak near Richmond, plucked its daily dinner from Tim Richards
Australia, Len Shaw uncovers a the ocean. “It wasn’t built to eat with a
reconstructed
jawbone fossil. What a find! What did broccoli,” he tells The Guardian.
skull of the
this giant bone belong to? A dragon! Some of the teeth were over an Thapunngaka
Well . . . almost a dragon. inch long, designed to grip sawi
Mr. Shaw dug up his fossil over something large.
10 years ago, in 2011. At last, The researchers gave the
researchers have determined what fossil a name: Thapunngaka
creature the fossil came from. The shawi. That name comes from an
jawbone belonged to the largest kind indigenous Australian language.
of pterosaur ever found in Australia. (Indigenous people lived in a
A pterosaur isn’t a dinosaur, even place before others came to
though its name sounds like one. It’s settle there. The Wanamara
a different type of extinct reptile. A language once spoken in
big one. The pterosaur had wings. Australia is now extinct.) The weight bones built for flying. These
And when this one spread those pterosaur’s name combines the word likely decayed quickly. Or perhaps
wings out, they spanned nearly the thapun (pronounced ta-boon) and many pterosaurs died over water
length of a school bus! ngaka (pronounced nga-ga). These and were gobbled up by beasts in
Led by Tim Richards, researchers Wanamara words mean “spear” and the sea. No bones left to discover!
studied the fossil. They say the “mouth.” Imagine this savage-looking
flying reptile had a skull over three Mr. Richards says this is an pterosaur soaring above you. Mr.
feet long. About 40 sharp teeth exciting find because pterosaur Richards says, “It would have cast a
nestled inside. According to Mr. fossils are so rare. What makes them great shadow over some quivering
Richards, this pterosaur likely uncommon? Pterosaurs had light- little dinosaurs somewhere.”
SHAW: TIM RICHARDS/COVER IM AGES/AP • THAPUNNGAK A SHAWI:
Don’t look up!
An artist’s
rendering of the
Thapunngaka
UNIVERSIT Y OF QUEENSL AND/COVER IM AGES/AP
sawi
TOOTHLESS: PAR A MOUNT PICTURES
TIME
MACHINE
10 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_10-13_TM.indd 10 10/9/21 4:37 PMJ.R.R. Tolkien
painted this
watercolor of
Smaug in 1937.
Close your eyes and imagine “His back is made of rows of be the source of these thoughts
a dragon. shields. . . . One is so near to and stories? Maybe. Maybe not.
Okay, open! another that no air can come Some societies associate
What was your dragon doing? between them.” dragons with the serpent in the
Guarding treasure like Smaug in “His sneezings flash forth Garden of Eden and the enemy
The Hobbit? Overseeing a light. . . . Out of his mouth go dragon in Revelation. In other
princess locked in a castle? flaming torches. . . . Out of his words: Dragons are bad guys.
Roasting enemies with fire nostrils comes forth smoke.” Other cultures have totally
breath? Was it flying? Did it look “In his neck abides strength, different ideas about dragons. In
like a big dinosaur with wings? and terror dances before him.” China, dragons are thought to
Did it have a snakelike shape “His heart is hard as a stone.” bring good fortune (or luck). Their
similar to the dragon floats in Scientists do not agree about thunderous voices and wavelike
Chinese parades? Or was it as dragons. Did a version of these bodies represent rain for crops.
SHAW: TIM RICHARDS/COVER IM AGES/AP • THAPUNNGAK A SHAWI:
cute as Toothless from How To fantastical creatures ever live as The ancient Chinese concept of a
Train Your Dragon? real animals? Or did people just dragon was many animals
The book of Job discusses a think they did? One thing is sure: combined into one. A dragon had
creature called Leviathan. Could Even if dragons didn’t exist in real the horns of a stag (male deer)
these words from chapter 41 life, they certainly existed in the and the forehead of a camel. It
UNIVERSIT Y OF QUEENSL AND/COVER IM AGES/AP
describe your dragon too? stories of people groups from all had the neck of a snake, the belly
“Around his teeth is terror.” over the world. Could pterosaurs of a sea-monster, the scales of a
carp, and the claws of an eagle.
TOOTHLESS: PAR A MOUNT PICTURES
Toothless from How To
Train Your Dragon,
the Welsh flag, and
a Chinese dragon
(from left to right)
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 11
2WK22_10-13_TM.indd 11 10/9/21 4:37 PMMexico City is a loud, busy place. Car engines roar, horns honk, people shout.
There were no engine noises there 500 years ago. But there was an ancient Aztec
city on the same land. On the five-century anniversary of its collapse, people in
Mexico City want to remember. The Aztecs are part of Mexico’s heritage.
The Aztecs were once a powerful, ruling force in the area that is Mexico
today. The empire’s capital city was called Tenochtitlán (TEN-ock-TEET-lahn).
It was established in 1325 on swampy land. The Aztecs transformed that
boggy ground into a magnificent city. Aztec builders constructed
Tenochtitlán on manmade islands in Lake Texcoco. The city’s center held
a temple complex. It had pyramids and a king’s palace.
“Tenochtitlán was a huge city. It had public institutions, a whole
system of government, public servants, schools, public services. It was a
totally organized city,” says Raúl Barrera Rodríguez. He’s an archaeologist
at Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.
Aztec society was sophisticated for the time. Politics, intelligence, and
art were important. So were their gods—and war. The tribe entered battle
often. Tragically, the Aztecs sometimes offered their enemies as human
sacrifices to their bloodthirsty, imaginary gods. A man is dressed as an Aztec
In 1521, the Spanish conquistador (conqueror) Hernán Cortés and his army Caballero Águila (eagle warrior)
during a commemoration of
took over Tenochtitlán. Hundreds of thousands of people died in that epic battle. the fall of Tenochtitlán.
The Aztec empire fell. Many of the natives who survived the fighting died from
diseases that the Spanish forces brought with them. The
Spanish built their city—Mexico City—on the Aztec ruins.
Fast forward to today. A painted line on Mexico City’s
streets will show the ancient boundaries of Tenochtitlán.
A life-sized replica of the Aztecs’ twin temples stands
nearby. Women sell corn tortillas and amaranth (an
ancient grain) sweets on city streets, just as they would
have in the 1500s. Street vendors offer artwork and
artifacts. These remind people of the type of life that
once thrived in Tenochtitlán. Plaques mark historical
sites in the city. They serve as gentle reminders of a
not-so-gentle history.
A map of Tenochtitlán from 1524
that was based on the eyewitness
account of Hernán Cortés
TOP: AP PHOTO
AP PHOTOS
A replica of an Aztec
temple stands in the
center of Mexico City.
12 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_10-13_TM.indd 12 10/9/21 4:51 PMdeveloped a complex calendar system.
Education was highly valued by the
Aztecs. So were art and agriculture.
Much good came from the culture of
this fierce warrior tribe. But so did
much evil.
In Psalm 106, the psalmist
remembers God’s faithfulness to His
people, even when they rebelled. The
Israelites worshiped a false god.
“They exchanged the glory of God for
the image of an ox that eats grass.”
(verse 20) “They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.” (verse
36) The psalm also says that the
Israelites poured out innocent blood
that they too sacrificed to the pagan
These ancient stone skulls excavated idols. What a horror!
from an Aztec temple represent But God remembered His promise
sacrificial victims. They are on of faithfulness to His people. Verse 45
display at a museum in Mexico City.
says, “For their sake He remembered
His covenant and relented according
Conquest. War. Bloodshed. Death. human blood. They sacrificed other to the abundance of His steadfast
The Aztecs were a savage tribe. They humans at their temples. They thought love.” God did not give the Israelites
did many things that did not please this gruesome act would keep the the punishment they deserved for
God. They adored false gods. They gods happy. And they thought happy their evil actions. He knew that their
murdered people. They prized power gods would let them remain powerful. sin would be covered by the blood of
but not human life. Today, it is popular “It was a deeply serious and their (and our) Savior Jesus Christ.
to revere (or honor) all native cultures. important thing for them,” says John God created all people with dignity.
But not all cultures act honorably. All Verano. He’s an anthropology professor That means He made everyone
humans are capable of evil. And terrible at Tulane University in Louisiana. worthy of respect and honor. But still,
evil came out of the Aztec empire. The Aztecs were good at many we must be careful never to call evil
The Aztecs built magnificent things. They had advanced engineering good. God created the Aztecs—like all
temples to their gods. But their religion skills. They built artificial islands as a people—in His image. He made them
was ghastly and false. They believed foundation for Tenochtitlán, their worthy of bringing Him glory. But they
that they owed a debt to the gods. capital city. They constructed pyra- destroyed other bearers of His image.
That debt could be paid only with mids and temples. The Aztecs also They chose evil over good.
An Aztec
The Aztecs considered the calendar
ruins of Teotihuacan sacred. stone
1. savage 2. abides 3. sophisticated 4. dignity Answers
TOP: AP PHOTO
a) fantastical a) dwells a) advanced a) different feelings on page 5
AP PHOTOS
b) fierce b) flashes b) fake b) a strong attitude
c) extinct c) thunders c) primitive c) God-given worth that is due respect
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 13
2WK22_10-13_TM.indd 13 10/9/21 6:33 PMI love
my city.
This is a
scene from
Mr. Warren’s
LEGO city.
Jay Warren loves city ready for filming. A lot of the work annual budget. Just like with LEGOs,
LEGO bricks. He was already done! They used stop the parts of the city’s budget come in
loves them so motion animation to make a four-and- a lot of shapes, sizes, and colors . . . .”
much he has built a-half-minute LEGO video explaining What must a city budget include?
a LEGO city over the city budget. (Two things: A budget The video shows: clean water, trash
several tabletops is a plan for spending money. Stop pickup, police, road work, and more. A
in his game room. This fall, all that motion animation is a filmmaking LEGO person drinks from a tiny LEGO
LEGO love paid off. technique where you move objects cup. Itty bitty garbage trucks pick up
“It’s a hobby,” Mr. Warren tells just a tiny bit at a time, photographing trash. A little LEGO police officer chats
NBC DFW, “one that I’ve had since I each movement. When you string the with a LEGO citizen. A teensy LEGO
was a kid.” Now all grown up, Mr. photos together, it looks like the construction worker uses a cute
Warren has an important day job. He’s objects are moving on their own.) jackhammer to fix the LEGO road. Now
the Director of Communication and Lights, camera, action! that’s fun budgeting!
Legislative Affairs for the city of “I love my city,” says a LEGO lady
Arlington, Texas. One part of his job is in the video. While she speaks, we get
to explain to Arlingtonians how the views of Mr. Warren’s city: streets,
city spends the dollars they pay in cars, buildings, a playground with
taxes. Sounds boring, right? It would flowers and trees, a café, the inside of
be. But Mr. Warren used LEGO to do it. a library, and more. “It has great parks
City videogra- for my kids, safe neighborhoods with
phers stopped friendly people, good libraries, and
in at Mr. smooth roads.” Then LEGO lady asks,
CITIZEN Warren’s “How does all that get done?”
SHIP house. They “Good question,” answers a LEGO WHY: Budgeting matters for citizenship
found the man. “Keeping a city running takes a on Earth and in heaven. God cares about
how we steward what He entrusts to us.
whole LEGO lot of work, and it starts with the
14 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_14-17_CS.indd 14 10/9/21 5:19 PMYour country has a budget. Your state has a budget. And God cares where our money goes. He owns all the
Your town has a budget. Ask your mom and dad: Do they wealth in the world . . . plus the world itself, of course! He
have a budget? Do you? entrusts nations, states, cities, families, and individuals with
WHY all the budgets? That’s simple. Money is hard to just a little of His treasure. Their job is to steward what He
earn and easy to spend. Keeping careful track of where it has given in a way that blesses others and gives Him glory.
goes helps it go further.
States: States collect taxes too. Families: Your family keeps
Nations: As much as possible,
This money is spent on schools, track of earned money. This is
a nation’s government needs to
health and hospitals, highways and used for electricity, heat,
keep its people safe. It also has
roads, police, courts, and so on. internet, food, giving to church,
the task of basic levels of care for
clothes, doctor visits, insurance,
everyone. A national budget
cars, house payments
answers these questions: How
or rent, vacations,
much money in taxes will be Cities: Arlington is a good example
savings . . . and
collected? How will that money be here. Cities help pay for some of
much more!
spent? How much will go to the the same things states do: schools,
Good budget-
military for people’s protection? hospitals, and roads. They also pay
ers notice
How much will be spent on for commonplace things that make
where every
highways? How much will help pay life safe, smooth, or fun. This
dollar goes.
for healthcare? How much will includes fire departments, water,
help support people in need? sewers, and parks.
Remember: God doesn’t give
You: Imagine something you would really, really like to buy but don’t really us things mainly so we can have
need. How do you know whether you can afford it? them. He gives to us so we can
You have to know: How much money do I have? share with others—just like He
As soon as you know that, you can subtract three other numbers: does with us!
• How much money do I need to spend on necessities? Let the thief no longer steal,
• How much money should I give to church or others in need? but rather let him labor, doing
• How much money do I want to save? honest work with his own hands,
Can you afford the thing you want? Yes—if it costs as much so that he may have something
as or less than the amount you have left. If not, keep saving up! to share with anyone in need.
— Ephesians 4:28
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 15
2WK22_14-17_CS.indd 15 10/9/21 5:24 PMmodern capsule contains items from
the year 2021. They include an
Do you expired vial of the Pfi zer COVID-19
recognize that
statue? vaccine. Capsule contents also
document the way people felt about
race-based disagreements too. That is
A shiny new one way to remember history
capsule was without giving it public glory.
packed with Good time capsules keep con-
items from
2021. tents safe for decades. They can be
fun and informative to open
later! Psalm 77:11 tells us to
remember what God does in
our lifetimes. It says, “I will
remember the deeds of the
Where is it? A time capsule its base in early September. They left Lord; yes, I will remember
dating from 1887 is supposed to be the pedestal in place—at least for a your wonders of old.”
inside the pedestal—or base—of a time. It was covered in graffiti by
Virginia Civil War statue. Historians protesters. Two weeks later, two
Sometimes
felt sure it was there. But so far, no miles away, a new statue went up. It there is a
one has found it. celebrates emancipation. That means tension—or a stress to
The search began after crews freedom for slaves. manage—between
remembering
removed a statue of Confederate Crews working at the Lee statue history well
General Robert E. Lee. Workers spent used ground-penetrating radar to and treating
about 12 hours moving huge stones search for the time capsule. They also its less
honorable
from the base. They dug through had metal detectors and other events
dirt, looking for the time capsule. A construction equipment. Though rightly.
newspaper article from 1887 suggests they didn’t fi nd it, workers hid a new
Civil War trinkets are tucked inside time capsule inside the pedestal. The The new statue celebrates emancipation.
the capsule. The paper says the
container holds a photograph of
President Abraham Lincoln.
The General Lee statue stirred up
people’s emotions. The famed Civil
War figure owned slaves. He fought
for the South in the Civil War. The
huge monument honoring General
Lee stood in Richmond, Virginia’s
capital. Many people felt divided
over its place there.
Some say the statue was a painful
reminder of a dark time. Before and
during the war, some of God’s
image-bearers—slaves—were used
and often abused by others—slave
owners. That’s why one side wanted
the statue taken down.
Others think the statue helped Crews could not find the Civil War
time capsule in the pedestal . . .
people remember American his-
tory—even the bad parts. That side
wanted it to stay.
Government leaders
removed the statue when
people began fighting
over it. It was lifted off
. . . but they hid
AP PHOTOS
AP PHOTOS
a new one in
its place.
16 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_14-17_CS.indd 16 10/9/21 5:35 PMVeterans Day in November and Martin Sometimes it’s hard to believe and
Luther King, Jr., Day in January. remember what we can’t see. That’s
History marks good things like women why museums and monuments can be
winning voting rights in 1920 and the helpful. They are tools to remind us of
first Moon landing in 1969. Around the important events. Psalm 105:5 says,
world, statues, monuments, and signs “Remember the wondrous works that
Do you learn history? It’s good to note important past events. He has done, His miracles, and the
look back at things that happened Virginia’s statue of Robert E. Lee judgments He uttered.”
long ago. Some events remind us of was a reminder of the Civil War. During
hard times. Others are happy memo- that war, the United States split into
ries. All things can help us recall that North and South. The two sides
God is the perfect author of history. fought over slavery. They also argued The statue of
National holidays mark events that over the government’s power. More Robert E. Lee
changed history. Countries around the than 200 years later, the Lee statue was removed
from the
world joyfully celebrate their indepen- made some people upset. The statue pedestal in
dence. Some holidays are somber, like stood 60-feet high in a public place in pieces.
Virginia’s capital city. That seemed to
say that maybe slavery wasn’t so bad.
General Lee owned slaves. But still, he
mes
a Ask God to help was an honored hero. That’s why
to you see how He Virginia’s governor decided to take the
en works in history as statue down.
well as in events
l today. Henry Marsh III is a civil rights
ng attorney. He was the first black mayor
in Richmond, Virginia. He thought the
Lee statue should be removed.
But removing it doesn’t mean
people should forget Robert E. Lee.
. Mr. Marsh thinks people can still
remember other parts of General Lee’s
life. For one, he was president of
Washington and Lee University.
Tradition says the Southern general
also had faith in Jesus.
The Bible tells us how God is
faithful to His people year after year.
Hebrews 11 shares stories of real
people like Noah, Abraham, Rahab, and
Gideon. God used them to write His
story. None of them lived perfect lives.
All were sinful people. But their faith
made them righteous in God’s sight.
This is how the statue looked before it was
vandalized, spray-painted, and dismantled.
1. What is a budget? 2. Which budget 3. What is missing 4. Who is 5. Think about the things
a) total collected taxes includes the military? from inside Virginia’s the author you want and need in
b) total city expenses a) the family budget Robert E. Lee statue of history? your life today. Make a
c) a person who works b) the city budget pedestal? a) citizens list of those things. Ask
for the government c) the individual a) Civil War coins b) Robert a parent to help you
d) a plan for spending budget b) ancient stones E. Lee attach a cost to each.
money d) the national c) a time capsule c) people What would a monthly
budget d) General Lee’s sword d) God budget look like for you?
Answers
AP PHOTOS
AP PHOTOS
on page 5
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 17
2WK22_14-17_CS.indd 17 10/9/21 5:29 PMThe pipe organ at St. Paul
Evangelical Church is be spared,” says Reverend Tim Pelc.
under repair.
He works at another flooded church
nearby. “But the blower system,
which supplies air to the bellows, is
located in the basement.”
The system at Reverend Pelc’s
church was “wiped out” by water. A
piano now leads the hymns. Other
area churches have the same
problem. So does the nearly century-
old Senate Theater in Detroit, home of
a Mighty Wurlitzer organ.
Time to get to work! Mr. Hufford
explains: A blower and other intricate
parts of an organ are commonly
installed in lower levels of a building.
They serve as the “lungs of the
organ.” He fi nds the organ’s wind
reservoir. If this wooden box doesn’t
work, the organ doesn’t work either.
Uh oh. The box is totally soaked.
“It’s going to the dump,” says Mr.
Hufford. “It’s done.”
The cost to fi x the organ? About
$12,000. The value of David Hufford’s
unique knowledge? Too much
to guess.
AP PHOTOS • ORGAN DIAGR A M: KRIEG BARRIE
David Hufford is no ordinary electrical system, elevator, and more.
repairman. His mission: get the music “Just astounding,” says Mr.
flowing again from a soggy, 63-year Hufford, thumbing through photos of
old pipe organ. the flooded church on his phone. But
What happened to the old organ at Mr. Hufford isn’t going to fi x the
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church boiler, electricity, or elevator. He’s a
in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan? A pipe organ expert. Not many people
flash flood happened to it. During a know how to do what he does. Right
big storm, the church fi lled with more now, the city needs him.
than seven feet of water. The flood “You might think that the pipe
Mr. Hufford holds the damaged parts.
damaged the church’s boiler, organ that sits high in the loft would
Stephen Warner is another technician working on the flooded organs in
Michigan. He also does regular organ maintenance. Each year, Mr. Warner spends
the weeks before Easter and Christmas helping churches get their organs in
tune. “The pitch of organ pipes can change with the temperature,” he explains.
Have you ever seen and heard a pipe organ in action? Huge pipes bellow out
powerful sounds. “The pipes themselves are singing,” says Mr. Warner. “You have
a sense of majesty. The sound of the organ seems like it came from a long time
ago, and it’s going to be here after we’re gone. It can go from an absolute roar to
A ninth-century a whisper—and everything in between.”
TAKE Psalter shows That seems like a fitting instrument to praise God with, don’t you think? God
APART men working to was here before us. He will be here after us. He is endlessly glorious!
SMART keep the air
flowing to an Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the Earth
early organ! and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. — Psalm 90:2
18 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_18-21_TAS.indd 18 10/9/21 5:40 PMJust how DO pipe organs work? Your feet play the pedals, which
Pipe organs are large and com- do not act like pedals on a piano at
plex. Their creators design them all. Piano pedals change the
A specifically for the buildings they will sounds of the notes you’re playing
be played in. Most organ parts are with your hands. Organ pedals
hidden. Did you know organs have are just another set of keys for
y- thousands of pipes? A behind-the- the feet to play.
of scenes forest of pipes can be found That seems like plenty for an
in a room-sized organ part called the organist to think about! But an
organ case. Each can produce only organist also needs to remember to
ate one note. Small pipes play high notes. control the stops. “Stops” are knobs Air enters a
Large pipes play low notes. Some beside the keyboards. They turn sets pipe’s toe
g. pipes sound like flutes. Others sound of pipes on and off. Does the organist hole and
passes across
like trumpets. Some pipes are want to play soft or loud sounds? the mouth, or
wooden. Some are metal. These Flutelike sounds or brassy sounds? whistle-like
t materials affect the sound produced. The organist uses the stops slot, to create
musical tones.
r. How do you play this massive to choose between many
machine? Your hands play the instrument voices.
keyboards. An organ keyboard looks It’s no wonder the
like the one on a piano. But large composer Amadeus Mozart
organs have up to five keyboards called the organ the king of
’s (called manuals). When you push a instruments. Playing an
key, a valve opens. That lets air into organ is something like
the pipe, making a sound. playing an entire orchestra!
AP PHOTOS • ORGAN DIAGR A M: KRIEG BARRIE
Pipes
Stops
beside the
Upper
keyboard
lip
turn sets
of pipes on
Mouth
and off to Slider
control the
organ’s Lower
voice. lip Valve or pallet
Wind chest box
Toe hole Air
Keyboard
s
Air
nk nk
cal li cal li
hani hani
This organ has Mec Mec
three manuals,
or keyboards. Stops
Foot pedals control the Blower
deepest bass notes.
Air reservoir
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 19
2WK22_18-21_TAS.indd 19 10/9/21 5:41 PMA screen grab shows part
of the Allen Coral Atlas.
Alexandra Ordonez Alvarez
from the University of
Queensland collects data
on a coral reef in Australia
for the Allen Coral Atlas.
the information in it to help preserve reefs around the
world—for the health of the whole world. “Our biggest
contribution in this achievement is that we have a
uniform mapping of the entire coral reef biome,” says
How do you make a map of all the world’s underwater Greg Asner. He’s the managing director of the atlas.
coral reefs? With a few million satellite images! Research- Hundreds of people worked to gather the images that
ers looked at more than two million such images of the were used to create the reef map. Everyone shared
Earth. They used those photos to create a helpful tool. It’s information about reefs so that satellites could be pro-
a complete coral reef map. gramed to focus on the right areas. Some of those images
The Allen Coral Atlas is named after late Microsoft showed coral reefs that had never been mapped before. In
co-founder Paul Allen. The online map is the fi rst global, fact, the Allen Coral Atlas maps about three-quarters of
high-resolution collection of its kind. It is a great reference the world’s reefs for the fi rst time ever.
for people working to save fragile reefs. But the map isn’t The project began in 2017. That’s when a researcher in
just for conservationists. It’s for everyone who’s curious Hawaii helped come up with the idea. Ruth Gates teamed
about coral! The Allen Coral Atlas is free to view on the up with Mr. Allen and Mr. Asner. Their goal was to use
internet. technology to locate and document all the reefs in
A coral reef is an area in the ocean made the world. Both Mr. Allen and Ms. Gates
up of thousands of tiny animals called passed away about a year after the project
coral polyps. But a reef is also home to WHY? began. But people kept the project going.
hundreds of thousands of other The Allen Coral Atlas “Ruth would be so pleased, wouldn’t
animals. A healthy coral reef shows us how many she?” says Mr. Asner. “She would just be
AP PHOTOS
AP PHOTOS
literally teems with life. beautiful and necessary tickled that this is really happening.”
The team that created coral reefs God scattered Th e sea is His, for He made it, and His
the Allen Coral Atlas wants across the vast oceans hands formed the dry land. — Psalm 95:5
of the globe.
20 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1 o
2WK22_18-21_TAS.indd 20 10/9/21 5:55 PMGreg Asner, managing director of
the Allen Coral Atlas, discusses
how the mapping was done.
What does a coral reef look like? Computers helped use the millions of
Does it waft in the waves? How satellite images to create detailed
colorful is it? Do fish get lost hiding maps. Map by map, the teams
in a reef? Are there reefs in every pulled together the completed Allen
ocean? Those are just a few of the Coral Atlas.
questions you might have about Some maps in the collection
reefs. The creators of the Allen show healthy, colorful reefs. Others
Coral Atlas also asked questions. The show bleached reefs. (Bleaching
collection of reef maps is for anyone happens when pollution or too-warm
who is curious about sea coral. After ocean water damages corals. When
A shark swims by a a coral reef
all, a team of curious people made it! corals are hurt, they lose their bright
near the Marshall Islands.
Scientists, technologists, and colors.) One section shows marine
conservationists worked together on habitats in coral reefs. Another shows
the project. Mapping all the coral high-resolution satellite photos for protected reefs.
reefs in the world was a lot of work. each map in the atlas. The University The creators of the Allen Coral
Everyone had to stay organized. of Queensland in Australia helped Atlas hope it will be used to help
People worked on one of five different produce the maps. Arizona State restore and protect coral reefs
teams. The Vulcan Inc. team managed University developed technology to around the world. Coral reefs aren’t
the project. The Planet team provided read the satellite images. The National just beautiful ocean structures. God
Geographic Society made them useful. Reefs keep sea
provided field scientists water clean. Each reef houses
1. intricate 3. reference and divers for the project. thousands or millions of sea critters
a) basic a) a phone call Their team spent time like fish, shrimp, worms, crustaceans,
b) complex b) a reminder under water, exploring the sponges, mollusks, eels, and more.
c) wide open c) a source of reefs in person. Reefs form barriers that protect
information For four years, all of shorelines from storms. They slow
2. massive the teams looked at down powerful waves. The new atlas
AP PHOTOS
AP PHOTOS
a) miniscule 4. waft satellite images. They will help many people enjoy and
b) huge a) move gently shared ideas. They talked protect these vibrant underwater
c) extinct b) sink about new discoveries. habitats.
Answers c) wash away
on page 5 NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 21
2WK22_18-21_TAS.indd 21 10/9/21 5:55 PMThe crabs are
flexible! Their
bellies and tails are
folded underneath
their heads.
The crabs
aren’t hurt.
The blue
stuff is
horseshoe
crab blood!
Science and nature are strange sometimes. Take matter? The blood is blue because it has copper in it. It is
horseshoe crabs, for example. They look like helmets with also fi lled with valuable proteins. Scientists use those
long prickly tails scurrying along the sea floor. proteins to check medical products for bacteria.
On the inside, they are just as unusual. Bright, milky, Back in the 1950s, scientists discovered that horseshoe
blue blood flows in their bodies. That sounds like science crabs have a strong immune system. That means their
fiction—not fact! blood is really good at fighting off bacteria. Scientists used
Believe it or not, that unusual blue blood is critical for the blue blood to develop the LAL test. That test makes
medical progress. It’s the only natural resource in the sure medical materials and supplies are free of bacteria.
United States that is used to make sure injectable Horseshoe crabs are the only domestic source of the LAL t
medicine isn’t contaminated. Clean needles depend on test’s key ingredient. MINI HORSESHOE CR AB: REBECC A VARNEY
the blue blood of horseshoe crabs. Foster Jordan is senior vice president of Charles River.
Every year, thousands of horseshoe crabs arrive in That company tests most of the world’s medical devices.
laboratories. Scientists safely collect their blue blood. The company uses crab blood to make sure things like IV
They take just enough blood so that bags, dialysis solutions, and even surgical cleaning wipes
the crabs aren’t hurt. Then the crabs are safe to use. “If it touches your blood, it’s been tested
go back home to the ocean. Many by LAL. And, more than likely, it’s been tested by us,”
ARIANE MUELLER
CRITTER of the crabs come from the coast says Mr. Jordan.
FILE of South Carolina. Synthetic (man-made) alternatives aren’t widely
What makes horseshoe crab accepted by the healthcare industry. That’s why scientists
blood blue? And why does that depend on crabs for medical supply cleanliness.
22 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
2WK22_22-25_CF.indd 22 10/9/21 6:03 PMThe horseshoe crab’s body is divided into three parts.
The head is called the prosoma. It is round and I have 10 legs and
U-shaped, like a horseshoe. It’s the largest 10 eyes, but no teeth.
body part. The brain, heart, My body looks like a
mouth, nervous system, helmet with a long tail.
largest set of eyes, and That tail comes to my
some glands all exist rescue when I’m clumsy.
inside the prosoma. It flips me over when
(What it doesn’t I get stuck on my back.
have in there?
Teeth!) It has 10 Inside my body,
a
legs that crush my blood is blue.
food before It is really good at
passing it to fighting bad bacteria.
the crab’s A long time ago, people
mouth. figured out how to use
b
my blood to help doctors.
My animal family lives on
The horseshoe
the ocean floor
crab’s belly is
We feed on worms, clams,
called the
c and algae.
opisthosoma. It
You might find us
looks like a triangle.
on sandy beaches
It has spines on the side
during a full Moon.
and a ridge in the center.
That’s when we come out
This part of the body has
of the water to breed
muscles for moving and gills
and lay eggs.
for breathing.
We lay thousands
PROSOMA of eggs, but most are
The horseshoe crab’s third body part is gobbled up by birds,
the tail. It’s called the telson. It is long reptiles, and fish.
and pointed and looks very dangerous. A hinge joint Some eggs hatch tiny
But it is harmless. connects these parts. larvae. (Each looks
like a “mini-me”
God made horseshoe crabs helpful to OPISTHOSOMA but without a tail.)
people. Hurray for horseshoe crabs! The larvae head back into
the ocean to grow
a legs
into adults.
b mouth Surprise! I’m not
They go c gills TELSON a crustacean.
back home
to the ocean I’m more like a scorpion
after giving or spider.
MINI HORSESHOE CR AB: REBECC A VARNEY
blood.
What am I?
A Horseshoe Crab!
ARIANE MUELLER
Tiny round horseshoe crab
eggs hide in the sand. It’s a “mini-me”!
NOVEMBER/D EC EMBER 202 1 • worldkids 23
2WK22_22-25_CF.indd 23 10/9/21 6:04 PMYou’ve heard of litter training a cat, housetraining a dog, and potty
training a toddler. What about stall training a cow?
As it turns out, cows can be potty trained . . . pretty easily!
Scientists put the task to the test. Eleven out of 16 cows learned to use
the “MooLoo” when they had to go. The project took only 15 days. Some
kids take quite a bit longer to potty train.
“The cows are at least as good as children, age two to four years, at least
as quick,” says Dr. Lindsay Matthews, an animal behavioral scientist at
New Zealand’s University of Auckland.
Why potty train a cow? Because, say researchers, it’s good for the planet.
Urine (pee) contains nitrogen. When mixed with feces (poo), it becomes
ammonia. If that mixture gets into nearby water, it taints it with nitrates
(a type of chemicals). It also creates the airborne pollutant nitrous oxide.
And cows do pee a lot. A single cow can produce about eight gallons of
urine every day!
Now: How do you potty train a cow? At the lab in Dummerstorf,
Germany, researchers mimicked a toddler’s training. They put cows in a
pen. When a cow urinated in the right spot, it got a reward: a sweet liquid
of mostly molasses. Cows have a sweet tooth. But if a cow urinated outside
the MooLoo after the training, it got a squirt of cold water.
Next, the researchers tested their progress. They let the cows roam
about the indoor facility. When the cows had to urinate, 11 of them pushed
into the pen, did their business, and got their sweet rewards.
Mission accomplished! Except . . . the researches didn’t train cows to do
number two in the MooLoo. But Dr. Matthews says he wouldn’t be surprised
if cows could learn that too.
Bones and hooves are ground
Cows—gotta
up and used in dog biscuits and
have ’em! These
animal feed. Guess where
beasts are good
bone china dishes come
for more than
from. Yep—cows again!
milk and steaks.
God made them
“MOO LOO”: AP PHOTO • ILLUSTR ATIONS: TONY DEOC A
walking suppli-
ers of all sorts
of useful things. Don’t have a cow! Have
It is said that the part that’s used in
100% of a cow yogurt, ice cream,
can be used— marshmallows, canned
everything but meat, and Jell-O. Gelatin t
the moo.
Makeup and face creams comes from cow bones
contain glycerin from tallow and hide. Some margarine
(cow fat). Ingredients for is made from a mixture of f
perfumes come from cows vegetable oils and cow s
too. And they smell better fat. It is often used in
than old Bessie ever did. cookies and candies. c
24 worldkids • N OVEM B ER/ DECEM B ER 2 02 1
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