ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How can everyday
people 1elp scientists
make new discoveries
about the rafural world?
few years ago, a cloud that appeared over Cedar Rapids, Iowa, made inter
national news. It looked nothing like the fluffy or wispy clouds people
were used to seeing. Instead, it
looked and moved like rough, roiling waves on a
stormy sea. Members of the Cloud Appreciation
Society, a group of ordinary ciHzens who are
also cloud enthusiasts, had seen the strange
cloud before in photos that people had sent to them over the years. The group believed there
was enough evidence to warrant the recognition
of a brand-new cloud classification. Thanks to camera phones and the internet,
everyday people have been increasingly sharing
the most unusual and breathtaking clouds they
spot-and helping meteorologists categorize
brand-new ones in the process. Steve Cohn, a
re.cently retired meteorologist from the National
Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado,
says this type of public enthusiasm helped the
World Meteorological Organization decide that
it was time to update its Intemat-ional Cloud
Atlas. The 121-year-old atlas se1ves as a global
reference for identifying clouds.
"The atlas is really important to meteorologists," says Cohn. "Keeping an eye on the clouds
can give us clues about cycles in weather
patterns. This helps with forecasts for the coming weeks and seasons. It also helps us understand Emth systems."
This yem·, Cohn led the international
committee that gave the atlas its first update in 30 years. It identified 12 new cloud classifica
tions, including the wavelike one the Cloud Appreciation Society fought for, which was given the name asperitas.
Continued on page 16 ➔
~OVEMBER 2c( 20171/, VISIT scHOLASTIC.COM/SCIENCEWORLD TO: 0 Watch a video © Download skills sheets CD View leveled text ~f; ~ ,()/4 / / / / / / / //////(((((((((((/((/////////((((({(((,,(,(,{((((((((///// / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / ////// / /// / ,· /
COMMON CLOUDS . Clouds are classified into 10 main gen uses. Each of those groups is categorized by its I t· In the atmo h
1 1 . . . oca 10n sp ere- ow a trtude, mrd altitude, or high altitude-and its general appearance.
Cirrocumulus
" Cirrostratus
, I Altostratus
~
1 cumulus "'.--
cumulonimbus - ~ --- . ___.._,Jliil~t--..--...-- , . . -9: - tratocumulus Strat~ i#fll"
Fl.L'CTUS Fluctus cl~uds have what look like curling waves, usually ,0 !ong their top
surfaces. ,> 2se formations are causec by layers of .. ' . .. . ":,
the atmosp:.ere moving 3: 1/ : ·. ~i~ .. . ,. differ,~ .. speeds. .~ .-,,¥,,1•
t:• -~ ~ '} ... ~~
,,·::iJ~t➔.~_.'.·-~-[.'~lslt'i":l, _.:::- ~-· --:: ... -.; __ ~, 1 ,,.... _ ... . . .......,_
VOLUTUS Volutus, or roll, clouds look like a sideways
tornado. They typically form during
stormy weather in areas where hot and
cool air mix.
//////41~/ NOVEMBER 20, 2017 f1////// //'////////////,,,
v-CLOUDS l 01
FASCINATING FORMATIONS
Take a look at four of the
new cloud classifications
recently added to the
International Cloud Atlas.
Clouds form when
heat from the sun causes water on Earth to evaporate, or turn from a liquid into a gas. As the water vapor rises into the
atmosphere or is carried by wind, the gas cools
and condenses back into a liquid. Tiny water droplets form on
airborne particles like dust. Billions of these droplets, and sometimes ice
crystals, gradually come together ;_i>~I•
/ftL:- :,. -~'. :.:-:; i , .;,: / :
'.": ;,.. , . .,:·,,
( ·, . ·:. ,: ffl :}
rt<..Y 1rfus··
enitus ' re c·aused
to form a visible mass .in the
sky-a cloud. No two clouds are exactly
alike. The heights and · temperatures at which clouds form affect how they look. In
: of~uman activity. ·: .. '-l.\iOne ·example is
England in the early 1800s, an amateur meteorologist named Luke Howard developed a system for classifying the many types of clouds. Howard's - -~66n~ ensation trails
._,.~tt),y aircrafts. nomenclature--or classification
system-works in a way similar to
CAVUM Cavum clouds
have a round hole within them. The hole forms where water in the cloud has evaporated.
~ ..... = J ~
• ""'
how Latin scientific names are given to plants and animals. Each cloud is named according to a genus-a broad group of related things-that is based on the cloud's altitude and general appearance. There are 10 of these groups. You may already know some of their names, such as wispy· cirrus, fluffy cumulus, blanketing stratus, and thunderous cumulonimbus clouds (see Common Clouds, p.15).
Each genus is further divided into several species-smaller groups with similar traits. Clouds' shapes or internal structures define their species. Species are broken down by variety based on their transparency or arrange-ment in the sky.
"The species and varieties really describe the character of the cloud," says Cohn. Talce, for exan1ple, the species and variety altocumulus castellanus: "It has turrets like a castle," says Cohn. There's also altocumulus lenticularis, which forms downwind of mountains. "When the wind flows over mountain ranges, air gets lifted," says Cohn. "Then, as it continues
downwind of the mountain, the air bobs up and down as a wave. In the right conditions,
ese rn,1mn~atocu · clour.!:'3 nre name
8 cr::vJ's mam (;l ;:u~ds, or ud
a lens-shaped cloud forms at the crest of each wave. Lenticular clouds are very cool."
NEW ADDITIONS The cloud atlas updates include a brand-new
! species of cloud called volutus ( see Fascinating \ Formations, left). It's a long, tube-shaped cloud
! that appears to roll across the sky. "It's very
~ rare to name a new cloud species," says Cohn.
i 'But people realized that the cloud they were I seeing didn't really fit the classification they had
rt always used." I The changes also include several new
a cloud created by a forest fire or volcanic activity. Human-made cloud featureshomogenitus-are recognized too. "A prime example is aircraft condensation trails, or contrails," Cohn says. As
winds cause contrails to spread, they become lmown as homomutatus.
WEATHER FORECAST When making weather predictions, today's
meteorologists rely on observations from hightech equipment like radar and computer models. But they can still learn by simply looking up.
"Clouds do a lot besides floating there in the sky," says Brian Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Washington, D.C. "We can learn a lot from their shapes, types, and movements. Bubbly, cotton-ballshaped clouds tell us that the atmosphere is
; features which better describe cloud varieties. !I ' (L tin unstable. Low, gray, flat clouds tell us that there ~ Along with asperitas there's also fluctus a ~ ' urf • is a large-scale rising motion in the atmosphere,
c) ; c) ;
·L
i for wave, or billow), which looks like a _s er s t ) and there is most likely a front nearby. High, i. Wave on top of a cloud. Cavum (for cavity ~ h d thin, and feathery clouds signify the early ~ j lllarks a hole that looks like it's been punc e th f CORE i approach of a storm system or at an area o
I into a thin cloud. Murus, cauda, and flumen 'th strong upper-level winds is nearby." QUESTION (forwa11 tail and flowing) are associated Wl Plus, looking at clouds is fun. And it doesn't A~----rd···: ····t······
' ' d . dicate co ing o ' stormy cumulonimbus clouds an m take an expert to find something special. the text, "No t 8ev two clouds are i ere weather conditions. . "People from all over the world helped us exactly alike."
I . . to the atlas 1s
Another important addition . al create the new atlas by sending in their cloud Do you agree? 11.. ds eated by speci , C hn "W d th b t Cite evidence i "'le recognition of clou er tagenitus- pictures,' says o . e use e es from the text
z conditions. Examples are catarac d examples to illustrate each cloud and feature. to support
i caused by th pray from a waterfall~an fr Everyone can participate and make a difference your answer. t SUvagenit efrs m the misty evaporation )~m in observing nature." ~ -Rene Ebersole ~
t us- 0 • (for flame 18 '
~":/:~~~~:~::;;~~~'.~j j}j)))~
U SCHOI ;\STIC
NAME: Science World
runent saence·
CLOUD SPOTTING PAGE 14
DIRECTIONS: Match each item in the left column with its definition in the right column.
1. cloud
2. meteorologist
3. evaporate
4.condense
5. nomenclature
6.genus
7. species
8. cumulus
9. cirrus
10. homogenitus
a. scientist who studies weather and the atmosphere
b. system for classifying and naming things
c. broad group of clouds grouped together based on their altitude and
appearance
d. genus of clouds that are characterized by a fluffy shape
e. smaller group of clouds grouped together based on simi\ar traits
f. cloud genus that is characterized by a wispy appearance
g. cloud type that is caused by human activity
h. mass of water droplets and ice crystals in the atmosphere
i. turn from a liquid into a gas
j. turn from a gas into a liquid
---------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------·····-- - ---- ----
b-:--:-r~-= -·
...
I
I
L =- ~ ( ,_. . .
. ---_.:,-_:·.. . . ·. ; . . ; . --. - J 7THOUT . ·. ·. ·.. -
"'~ . ,~~~ . .
.
. .
Life is full of challenges for animals born iacking hue
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why is coloring important to
an animal's survival in the wild?
his past spring, the Borneo Orangutan
Swvival Foundation mounted a,
special rescue mission. The founda
tion's conservationists saved a young
orangutan being kept in a cramped
cage in a village on the Southeast Asian island
of Borneo. Orangutans are endangered, so the
group aims to prote¢t as many as they can. But
this one was even more special than usual. That's
because instead of having an .orangutan's typical
reddish fur, she was completely white. The ape's
rescuers named her Alba, Latin for "white." She's
the only known albirw orangutan in the world.
Albinism is an inherited condition in which
the body can't properly produce colored
chemical compounds called pigmenf,S. As a
result, the skin, hair, fur, feathers, or scales of
albino animals are mostly colorless. Without
their typical coloration, these animals don't
usually fare well in the wild.
A RARE TRAIT Albinism has been documented in a~
t 300 animal species in North Amenca leas . d and in a wide range of species aroun
worldwide have albinism, though certain
populations have higher or lower rates.
Part of the reason for albinism's rarity has
to do with the genetics of this trait. Units of
hereditary material, called genes, control the
production of pi~ents. Pigment genes have
different versions, called alleles. People and
most animals inherit one allele from each parent.
Alleles associated with albinism are recessive,
which means that an organism will show the
trait only if it inherits two albinism alleles.
Many people-about 1 in 70-and many
animals carry one allele for albinism and one for
Continued on the ne:.t·t page ➔
gl b But it tends to be rare-only the o e. . . 'd als
f any thousands of mdiVI u one outo m . . .
thiS +--.iiit AlblillSm occurs m · ht have wc.w •
nug ll About one in 20,000 people
MEET ALBA: This albino orangutan will be kept
safe on a spe_~ial reserve.
people as we • _
LASTIC,COM/SCIENCEWORLD TO: 0 Watch a video @ Download skills sheets ~ View leveled tex
///////4 VISIT scHO_ , , / ////////////////////// #/,,✓,;
Pt .~r F·t.~f~~C
2
3
albi rn:, :::. ( __ tu,11~
4
albino lemur
5
alb ino rat snake
typical
pigmenta
tion. These
individuals
are carriers for
tJ1e trait. Because
albinism is recessive,
there is nothing unusual
A ,uut 1JwiJ' looks. But t'No
. p i :1 :-l· it l· '.! tt' , :tffil:'rs can Ju1\'e offsp1ing with
; J;_q , \( • ,1 1! 1 :', r 1 1,1,..:,,i ,,y 0 11 G t' l/ l'S, right).
~:vll1t · ,_ . . id,·1t, ·t· ::- uggests that animals born
"itlt a.l t.1i 11 1:;111 du11 ·1 far e well in the wild. One
t l· , L":>011 i ::, tkll a s t .. u·k-whit.e animal stands out
i ll its nat urnJ habitm, w1like an oniinary-colored
cornpaniou that bleuds in with its surround
ings. That makes it em,y for predators t.o spot
and catch an albino animal. 8ome studies, for
example, haYe fotmd that owls are more likely to
pounce on albino mice than brown ones. //: ./ / , ,,
,:/};~::f/ / %; Lack of color brings other problems too.
~~¾~ Albino birds often have trouble finding a
W;r~ 16~JANUARY 15, 2018 '////////////
mate and are
sometimes
even attacked by
members of their
own flock. The birds
may not recognize an
individual lacking the usual
markings as the same species.
The sun is another potential
danger for albino animals. The pigment
melanin-which creates tan, brown, or black
coloration in many animals-can be important
for protection from _the sun's damaging ultra
violet (UV) rays. In people, exposure to the sun
signals the body to pump up production of this
pigment. That causes skin to tan, which prO\ides
some defense against bums. Animals and
people with albinism, though, don't produce chis
pigment. That makes them especially stlSl't'~' □ ble
to sunburns and possibly deadly skin c,rnCt'!~ .
Albino crococWes, snakes, and lizards 1·'.tL·(·
special difficulties. Reptiles are cou.i-blooti ·./-
they rely on external heat to regulate tht' i, bL•-1y
temperatures and often bask in the sun w \\ :0.·rn
themselves up. Albino reptiles can't keep ,, :tn ll
the typical way without the 1isk of sunburn. They
tend to do better in captivity, where cm·t'ti.d, t' t-S
('an provide artifidal heat sow·ces like speci:tl
heah~d stones to keep them wann.
THE EYES HAVE IT Just because an animal's coloring is pale
doesn't mean it has inherited albinism. "There
are many naturally white animals, such as polar
beal'S, that aren't albinos," says Murray Brilliant
a geneticist at the Marshfield Clinic Research '
Institute in Wisconsin. One big clue that an
animal isn't albino is dark-colored eyes. True
albino animals don't produce dark eye pigments.
An ongoing study of squirrels across the
U.S. is showing how the occurrence of white
fur compares ·with that of true albinism. Of the
squirrels reported to have white fur, the survey
found that about 80 percent have dark eyes.
Only about 20 percent have red or pink eyes
that show they're truly albino. · "That pink color
comes from blood vessels in the back of the
eye," says Brilliant. The same is true for albino
rabbits and mice.
Other species with albinism, including people
and orangutans like Alba, don't have pink eyes
although camera flashes can sometimes make it
look that way in photos. Since humans and other
1
primates have more
types of eye pigments than other animals,
individuals with albinism tend to have eyes ·
that appear very light blue.
Eye pigments and the molecules involved in
making pigments are important for healthy eye
development. Without them, animals with albi
nism can have serious vision problems, which
can make spotting prey or predators difficult.
People with albini_sm often have vision prob
lems too. In his research, Brilliant has identified
alleles associated with albinism in people. "Now
we're working on understanding how the genes
function and developing therapies to enhance
vision in people with albinism," he says.
Poor vision is just one of the problems that
would put Alba, the albino orangutan, at risk in
the wild. To keep her safe, conservationists plan
to set up a spacious reserve for her to live in
with three orangutan friends-a fitting home for
a truly unique animal. ~ -Jennifer Barone
5
0 CORE QUESTION
Create a Punnett square that shows the offspring of a parent with albinism and a parent carrying one allele for albinism.
~
----------- -- ------ --- -- -------- ---- ---------- ------------ ------------------ --- - - - - -------- ------ --
PASSING ON GENES . . determine the chances of offspring
A chart called a Punnett square_ can . 11 1
s are shown with a h · . h rt dommant a e e . av1ng a particular trait. In the c a ' h p in offspring even if the
c . . d minant alleles s ow u ap1tal letter. Traits from O . 11 1 (such as those associated
ff Recessive a e es
0 spring inherit only one copy. 1 tter To create a Punnett square:
. ·th lowercase e . With albinism) are shown w1 a
€) The inside squares show the
0 Put one parent's alleles for a trait possible allele pairs of offspring
across the top and the 0ther's and therefore their chances of
along the left side. inheriting a trait. What percentage
Q Fill in the inside squares by f offspring from these parents h o .
combining the letters from t e would display albinism?
~Pood~tt~each. .
1///// / / /,, ,. / / / / ///////////// ~-~ ~&'&
Name: -------------------------------
PICKING PAIRS In "Creatures Without Color" (p. 14), you read about albinism in animals. You learned that for an animal to have this trait, it must inherit two alleles, or versions of a gene, for albinism-one from each of its parents. Follow the directions below to use Punnett square models to predict the probability that offspring will have albinism in each situation described. Refer to the "Passing on Genes" sidebar on page 17 for additional help.
SCENARIO 1 You are a· biologist who works with a species of highly endangered lizards at a zoo. You are planning a breeding program to produce baby lizards that will be released into the wild to boost the animal's population. You have
one female lizard and two male lizards at the zoo. The female lizard, named Lisa, is an albino. One male, called
Lenny, isn't albino, but he is a carrier of albinism with one recessive gene and one dominant gene.
lnllt Coloring
1. Complete the Punnett
square on the right to show
the likely pigment traits
of offspring produced by
breeding Lisa with Lenny. ~
A = traditional coloring a = albino coloring
Lisa
2. Use the equations below to determine the probabmty that Lisa and Lenny will have offspring that ...
• have albinism (aa) = Number of offspring with trait -:- 4 x 100 = ___ %
• have traditional coloring (AA or Aa) = Number of offspring with trait -:- 4 x 100 = ___ %
SCENARI02 The second male at the zoo, called Leo, is not albino or a carrier for albinism. He has two dominant traditional coloring genes.
1. Complete the Punnett Lisa square on the right to show
the likely pigment traits
of offspring produced by
breeding Lisa with Leo. 0 G) .J
2. Use the equations below to detennine the probability that Lisa and Leo will have offspring that .. .
• have albinism (aa) = Number of offspring with trait -:- 4 x 100 = ___ %
• have traditional coloring f.AA. or Aa) = Number of offspring with trait -:- 4 x 100 = ___ %
-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CONCLUSIONS 1. How do Lisa and Leo 's potential offspring compare with
Lisa and Lenny's? 2. Which pairing would you choose to breed new lizards
to be released into the wild? Support your answer with
evidence from the Punnett squares and the article.
Permission granted by Science Mbrld to rep,oduce for ciassroom use only. 02018 by Scholastic Inc. JANUARY 15, 2018
Science World Article Review /Summary Name of Article: _______ _
Rate Overall Article : 0-5 ___ _
Summary : (5 sentences, who, what, when, where, why)
3 science words used in article and a definition:
Name of Arb de: · ----,---_.;.. ____ _ Rate Overall Article: 0-S ----
Summary : (5 sentences, who, what, when, where, why)
3 science words used ih article and a definition:·