Animal Whisperer Made Possible by AI - by Tara Gopalan

If you have pets, you know that it's difficult to know what they want. Animals can’t speak human languages, making it hard for them to communicate. Zoologists can relate- All of our current knowledge on animal communication is based on behavior patterns, which can vary and are unreliable. However, a Chinese company has invented a way to translate cat meows into English using AI, and it may be one of our greatest breakthroughs in science yet.

The company attempting this ambitious project is called Baidu. It owns China’s largest search engine, and has developed a new level of advanced AI. Scientists have been trying to decode animal sounds for decades, yet it’s been nearly impossible until now. Animal languages vary, and they often don’t have set rules or words. Trying to understand, for example, cat meows using human conventions would be extremely inaccurate, since we have no way of knowing which pitch corresponds to which English word or idea. However, Baidu has a different approach. 

The company has collected a database of vocalizations, behavior patterns, and bodily movements from various animals to input into their AI program. The AI is supposed to identify the animal’s emotions at the time and then map them into the corresponding meanings. This way, humans can at least get an idea of the animal’s feelings and the reasons why they feel that way. Of course, facial signals in animals and humans don’t always correspond. For example, when chimpanzees are happy, their face shows a frown, and when they are smiling, they actually feel threatened. Because of this, the scientists grouped the data into the species group. If they tried to interpret a cat’s emotions, they would take the cat’s tail movement, meow pitch/length, and facial expressions and put it into the AI program. They would be able to use our current knowledge about cats to infer what the cat is trying to communicate, similar to google translate. 

This new technology is groundbreaking. When fully developed, we can not only understand animals more accurately, but there’s also a possibility to have full conversations with your pets. If the initial algorithm works, a database of cat “words” could be created and human languages could be translated. This discovery significantly widens the opportunities for scientists in behavioral science and veterinary medicine to consider animal needs in treatment and conservation efforts. Of course there’s always a margin of error for AI, but Baidu’s new program can at least give us a basic understanding of our animal friends. Maybe someday in the future, this technology can be used on endangered species, household pets, and maybe even ourselves. So- if you could talk to your pets, what would you say?

 https://www.azernews.az/region/241522.html

Big Corporations, Good or Bad? (Opinion) by Penelope Baxter

When you think of “big, evil” corporations, everyone thinks of Mr. Bezos and Amazon. But that isn’t the only “big and evil” corporation. In fact, people will still use them every day. In this article we go through the lesser known “bad” corporations. Specifically, Disney, Walmart, and McDonalds. But, this doesn’t mean you should no longer order a McCafe. It is recommended, but doesn’t mean you should. 

McDonald’s. 

McDonald’s’s CEO is Chris Kempczinski and has been since 2019. You may be thinking: “How is McDonald’s a bad company?” Well let’s start with the coffee incident. 

In 1992, a 79 year old woman named Stella Lieback spilled coffee on herself she had bought at McDonald’s. This may not seem like a big deal, but the coffee gave Lieback 3rd-degree burns. She sued McDonald’s, and asked them to cover medical insurance. But instead McDonald’s decided to go to court, which costs more money then the 20,000 dollars Lieback wanted. And this isn’t the only case of spilled coffee. There were 700 other cases of this, with other victims suffering 3rd degree burns like Lieback. McDonald’s coffee is around 180-190 degrees Fahrenheit, and the company doesn’t warn its customers of the damage of spilling it. Lieback won the case, but the jury did say it was partially her fault. What is even worse is that McDonald’s ran a smear campaign against her. A smear campaign is when someone rewrites the story, but makes it worse. McDonalds said that it was definitely Lieback’s fault, and totally not them making the coffee dangerously hot and not warning her. 

Walmart

Walmart has one problem. It's low, low prices. You may be wondering what this has to do with them being “evil”. The answer lies in why the prices are low. In a business, the owner has to pay their employees a fair amount. If the owner pays their employees $25 a day for example, and they have 30 employees, then each day they need to make at least $750. Let’s say for example it is a store that sells only cereal. If the store is popular, they can afford to set their prices lower because more people will buy. If it isn’t, then the store will need to set their prices higher. But Walmart wants a constituent price. And a low one too. So, because they are so popular, they set their prices low. But because they have so many employees and consumers, they can afford to pay their employees high. But the brains behind Walmart are money hungry. So, they keep their prices low and pay their employees low. 

Disney

Disney is one of the most popular movie companies in the world, despite having quite a backstory. Disney has shown depictions of racism in many of its movies. And in later years, have shown gender discrimination. In Peter Pan, Disney goes so far as to call the Native American based characters the slur “Redskin”. In Aristocats, a siamese cat is made fun of and is depicted playing the piano with chopsticks as a form of racism against Asian peoples. It took Disney a whopping 86 years for their first black princess. Gender discrimination has been shown in the hit TV series, The Owl House, created by Dana Terrence. Disney cancelled season 3 of the show, because the protagonist was lesbian. 

In conclusion, I’m not trying to say don’t eat at McDonalds and buy at Walmart and not watch Disney movies. You can still do it, just recognize they may not have the best morals. 

Sources: McDonald’s Corporation, Consumer Attorneys of California, The Lancer

Washington D.C. by William Petersen

Washington D.C, is our nation's capital, and when people hear it, they first think of the government or maybe the museums and monuments. But that is not the end of it. Sure, the government buildings, museums, and monuments are a huge part of D.C, but there is a lot more to see, including attractions and sights that are easy to enjoy at any age.

First, the cost of living in a two-bedroom apartment in D.C. is just about $3,000 per month, adding up to about $36,000 per year. For a one-bedroom apartment, it is about $27,000 per year. In Chicago, a two-bedroom apartment rents for about 29,000 a year, and it is a bigger city that has many tourists. 

Next, Washington, D.C, in 2023 was said to have about 673,972 people living in it. About 2.6 million people live in Chicago, much more than in Washington D.C. Washington D.C. is just under 4 times smaller than Chicago in square miles, with Washington D.C. at 68.34 square miles and Chicago at 231.66 square miles. This is because of the government buildings in Washington D.C. and all of the places to visit. This increases the price of the apartment buildings by a couple of thousand dollars. 

There are also many sights to see, like I said earlier, such as tourist attractions like museums, monuments, and tours. Washington D.C. also has many places to relax and exercise, including multiple hiking trails close to D.C. It has a zoo as well, which is a huge tourist attraction. The zoo has many animals ranging from mammals to reptiles, but my personal favorite is the Giant Panda. 

All in all, Washington D.C. is a great tourist attraction for all ages, with many sights to see and attractions to enjoy.

Gone in a Flash by Tara Gopalan

In today’s world, we take many things for granted. On the news we hear about exotic animals going extinct and plants dying out, but why does that matter? Our daily lives aren’t affected. However, throughout history, many of the things we take for granted today almost went extinct, and it took humanity coming together to save them. Today, I’m here to tell you about survivors of extinction that were overlooked.

Pumpkins and Squash

Every year in the United States, people make roast pumpkins for Thanksgiving and carve Jack-o-Lanterns for Halloween. However, if not for humans, modern day pumpkins might have gone extinct. 

Thousands of years ago, pumpkins were small, seedy, and bitter. Our current sweet pumpkins are the result of ancient domestication, which is why they are so appealing to humans. However, about 10,000 years ago, the giant animals that used to consume the bitter pumpkin seeds and disperse them went extinct. The new generations of animals were much more sensitive to bitter fruits, and since nobody was eating pumpkins, the pumpkin plant was on the brink of extinction. If not for Native Americans reviving and domesticating pumpkins, we wouldn’t have any food from the gourd family today. That’s certainly something to be thankful for!

The American Alligator

If you’ve ever been to Florida, you know that American alligators are an extremely common animal to see in lakes and ponds. In many places, they’re considered a staple animal of America. However, these majestic reptiles almost went extinct- multiple times! 

Starting in the 1800s, Americans learned of Alligator hide and meat being used for products in other countries. At the time, alligator populations were stable, so the hunting didn’t affect them greatly. However, by the 1950s, alligator populations had crashed due to excessive hunting, habitat loss, and pollution from pesticides. Those who understood the alligator’s significance fought to have them protected, but the media at the time portrayed them as beasts that were nothing but a nuisance, so all efforts were shut down. At one point, alligators only remained in 10 U.S. states, putting them at the brink of extinction. Thankfully, in these desperate circumstances, Florida outlawed gator hunting and the American Alligator was given protection under Federal law. And thank goodness! Within the span of 20 years, alligator populations made a full comeback. Next time you see an alligator, be glad it’s still here to see!

Bees

Bees are seemingly everywhere, and with the coming of spring, many people find them annoying or scary. However, bees also play a vital role in helping farmers grow produce. Without them, we wouldn’t have most fruits and vegetables, animals that consume them, or a balanced ecosystem. These issues may come sooner than we expect, though - common honey bees are going extinct, and it’s our fault. 

Bees populations started declining about a decade ago, largely due to human activities. We’ve claimed huge areas of land, popularized monoculture, and introduced harmful pesticides that destroy their food sources. In addition to all these issues, invasive species from other countries like hornets destroy bee nests and kill their queens, leaving thousands of beehives helpless. Global warming is also a danger to bees, since rising temperatures, changing rain patterns, and frequent droughts kill off flowering plants. While all bee species are somewhat affected by this, 8 different species have been declared endangered and about 40% of pollinator species are on the brink of extinction. Many other species have been revived by humanity, but bee extinction is an ongoing issue in the U.S and across the world. We need to save the bees before they go extinct forever.

To conclude, many animals have been at a risk of extinction throughout history, yet examples like the pumpkin and the American alligator have been saved because of human involvement. Today, thousands of common species are in a similar situation to bees and require human action to repopulate. We’ve seen that small changes to our lifestyles can save entire ecosystems, so why not take action now? With a little bit of effort, we can save the bees and all the other endangered species that have been overlooked so far. So what are you waiting for? Do some research, take action, and remember- at any moment, the animals that shape our world today could be gone in a flash. 

Sources:

https://www.wildhope.tv/article/the-american-alligator/

https://www.science.org/content/article/without-us-pumpkins-may-have-gone-extinct#:~:text=Seeds%20uncovered%20with%20ancient%20archaeological,their%20seeds%20all%20went%20extinct.

https://www.fairplanet.org/story/the-risks-and-dangers-of-bee-extinction/

Top 10 Dog Breeds To Consider by Makayla Hummel

Image Source: Unsplash

Getting a dog is a very big decision.  If you get the wrong dog, you’ll have to live with it for the rest of the dog’s life.  So what breed should you get?   In this article, I’ll break down the top ten dogs to get.   

10. Boxer - Boxer dogs are great pets, and they’re also effortless to train and maintain.

9. Great Dane - The Great Dane is really big, meaning there's more to love and they're also one of the biggest dogs.

8. German Shepherd - The German Shepherds are known for being “Police dogs” because of their intelligence and how easily they can train. 

7. Shih Tzu - The Shih tzu is very small, cute, and always wants to be by your side.

6. Beagle  - Beagles have an origin as hunters, but they are an incredibly popular dog breed, and they are very small and cute as well. 

5. Rottweiler - The Rottweiler is known for being smart, loyal, and protective of their owner.

4. Poodle - Poodles are easy to train and are very small and cute. Other than those things, they can be very smart and loyal.

3. Siberian Husky - Siberian Huskies love to use their voices as well as being super intelligent.

2. Australian Shepherd - The Australian Shepherd's unique fur makes them stand out amongst other dogs. They are very active and enjoy getting physical.

1. Yorkshire Terrier - The Yorkshire Terrier is a tiny, adorable dog, known to be loyal to their owners.

Regardless of the breed you get, remember that the most important thing you can give your dog is love!  

Rating Colors by Callie Rockmore

So, I've decided to rate colors from this website that says these were the most popular colors in 2024. I consulted an Better Homes and Gardens  article called “Every 2024 Color of the Year We Know So Far,”  so let's just get into it!

Stain French Blue: 

Probably 8 out of 10 for me;  I really like the color, but I can see why some people wouldn't like it because it's a muted kind of a blue, but it’s still colorful, so I think it was trying to appeal to two different type of people.  On the one hand, it's bright in the sun, kind of like a baby blue. But in the dark, it's more of a muted blue on the darker side. But to me, I love the color and I see the vision.

Ironside: 

To be completely honest,  I hate this color 3/10. It's like a muted brownish green grey? It’s …. as you could tell… not to my liking.  Iit has no sense of life in a home, and the only this it’s got going for it is it looks better in the light; in light it makes it look more green that is not as depressing. Iif this was in my room, I'd probably cry myself to sleep asking why I like to torture myself with this ugly color. I mean it's not the worst I've ever seen, but I've seen a lot of colors in my lifetime. And I feel like if you were going through something tough like, I don't know, your pet died and it's raining like how it does in Disney movies, it would look like the ground you buried it in, which personally I don't like. I mean -- no hate to you if you like -- but if you do, please just tell me why? Thanks. 

Peach Fuzz: 

Off putting name, but lovely color. The complete opposite of Ironside. 10/10.  I see why this is on here. It is a wonderful color I would love to wake up to;  it's very comforting. It's like sunset on a beach. It's lovely, it looks like a color you would see in a Disney scene where the main character reunites with their family. Anyways, complete cleanse after Ironside, this color.  If you brought a person over to your house whose mom painted everything Ironside color, they would never let you over to their house because yours is too good. Anyways, as you can, tell I love this color. 

Blue Nova: 

Nothing much to say about this I mean, it's just dark blue? I mean it's nice to look at, it's basically the same color as my jacket, so I like it. I mean, it depends if you like dark colors or blue so for me its a 6/10; no comment really. Not gonna lie, this can be said for the following colors: Theremal, Skipping Stones, Upward, Cracked Pepper, and Renew Blue. Anyways, these colors are ALL JUST A NON INTERESTING SHADE OF BLUE; you know what, there have been so many repeats of non interesting blue colors, it's now a 1/10.

Persimmon: 

I like this color.  It's kind of like Peach Fuzz;  it's just a deeper and a little darker, which I like: just not as much as peach fuzz, but it's really close. if you still want a nice peachy color but darker than normal, I would recommend this color.  Nice overall, so 8/10

Blue Bird: 

This is one of the only blues that wasn't basically the same. So already its score is going to be higher than it originally was, but that's like the only thing it has going for it, at least for any sane person. Because tell me, who would want a neon blue that isn't even the iconic neon blue?  What is this- goofy 90’s sweatband knock-off color blue?  Anyways, I don't like it that much. It just looks off for some reason and I can't put my finger on it.

Bay Blue: 

This color I think would be 10/10 for a beach house, but I doubt strongly if other houses could pull this color off.  It’s  like those things that say “The Beach is My Happy Place” in Maine gift shops. You know the thing I'm talking about - like those average tourist signs. Anyway, I believe this color would look really nice on a beach themed house.  Anywhere else, it would be like a 6/10.

Limitless: 

MORE LIKE LIMITED - THIS IS JUST A KNOCK OFF BANANA COLOR! Who thought it would be a good idea to call this banana  rip-off limitless?  This color is fine. I guess it just ripped off the natural banana color. It isn't even special.  I score it a 6/10 because it is just a  goofy rip off. I mean, if you don't want to spend money on that ugly paint, you could just rub bananas on your wall. It would honestly be better. 

Origins of Languages by Tara Gopalan

Languages are the key to human survival. Being able to communicate helped early humans survive, and is still an essential part of our lives today. All of us speak at least one or more languages, yet have you ever thought about where they came from? Every language has a story behind it, and I’m here to tell you about a few of them. 

Indo-European Languages: Includes languages from India, Europe, and Germanic tribes.

Mother Language: Proto-Indo-European

Proto-Indo-European is the oldest known ancestor of Indo-European languages. It likely originated in Southern Russia and Ukraine, and was last spoken 4,500 years ago. Many modern languages stemmed from it, including Spanish, Hindi, and English. Because these languages were created in the highlands between the Black and Caspian seas, they were spoken by a very limited amount of people until a couple thousand years after they were created. However, their descendants are currently being spoken by thousands of people around the world. 

Sino-Tibetan Languages: Includes languages from China, India, the Himalayas, and other languages of Asia. 

Mother Language: Hokkien

Hokkien is one of the oldest spoken languages in the world, from which many Asian languages stemmed. Hokkien has been found to be a dialect of another older language. However, there are no records of this root language, so Hokkien remains the oldest as far as we know. It is spoken in the Fujian Province, Taiwan, and parts of Southeast Asia. From it have come Cantonese, Taiwanese, Burmese, and Mandarin. 

Afro-Asiatic Languages: Includes languages from Northern Africa, Somalia, and the Middle East. 

Mother Language:  PAA

PAA stands for Proto-Afro-Asiatic. It originated in the Mesolithic period of humanity, and was likely developed by those living in the Sahara. From there, it was transferred to travelers from the Middle East and spread across the area. Many modern languages like Arabic, Somali, and Egyptian evolved from Proto-Afro-Asiatic, and were shaped into the languages we know today by travelers from Mesopotamia and Saudi Arabia. Sadly, many of the smaller languages have been lost, but others like Arabic are still spoken today. 

Mother of All Languages?

Although we can’t be sure what the first language in human history is, we know that it likely evolved 150,000 to 200,000 years ago in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is no name for this language, and linguists are still trying to trace our modern languages back to it. From it spawned the three language groups above, starting with Afro-Asiatic languages and moving towards Indo-European languages. Some studies theorize that this language is much older, perhaps having been created over 1.6 million years ago. So- what do you think? What is the root of all languages?

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Proto-Afro-Asiatic-language

https://www.angmohdan.com/the-root-of-all-human-languages/

Woobles Oscars by Aparna Anand and Olive Hollis

Welcome to the 2025 Woobles Oscars! Here, we awarded the most outstanding Woobles in three special categories: simplicity, cuteness, and best collabs! Make sure to check out the Woobles after this to hopefully find some new hobbies based on the 2025 Oscars Choices! 

What are Woobles, you ask? Well, the Woobles are a series of crochet kits that are tailored to beginners that are hoping to venture into the world of crochet. The kits mainly teach a crochet format called amigurumi, a term referring to the making of dolls and stuffed animal figures. 

Simplicity (Top 5):

• #1: Kiki the Chick

• Fewer parts to make and sew, no color changes required.

• Easy to make and uses beginner stitches.

• #2: Pierre the Penguin

• Bean-shaped with slightly smaller beans. That’s all. 

• Lesser parts for beginners to crochet + sew and satisfy the need to crochet something substantial.

• #3: Jojo the Bunny

• Uses beginner stitches and teaches easy embroidery. 

• Satisfies the need to crochet something substantial, so beginners feel like they have accomplished something.

• #4: Felix the Fox

• Small and easy to make.

• Incorporates embroidery and other details from other kits that allow beginners to build expertise.

• Teaches beginners to color change.

• #5: Fred the Dinosaur

• Introduces more parts that are similar to the ones in previous, simpler kits

• Aesthetically pleasing.

• New concepts are introduced, but it remains true to the stitches and other beginner-friendly kits.

Cuteness (collabs included):

• #4: Gertrude the Llama

• Hailing from the Andes Mountains, Gertrude the Llama bobs in with all her bobble stitch glory. This kit is rewarding with an adorable outcome and easy repetitive stitches that increases the repertoires of crocheters.  

• #1: Bjorn the Narwhal

• He’s an arctic pancake with flippers. Super rewarding to make and fun to take to pretend-swim.

• #2: Roosevelt the Moose

• Like a blob but somehow so much better. It’s easy to create and oh-so holdable, so it makes a great stress plush!

• #3: Flump the Gnome

• You can’t go wrong with a gnome, so this was bound to be a great kit from the start. He’s a grumpy garden guardian that is bound to capture your heart and any other pesky garden critters.

• #5: PB&J Bundle

• The most iconic collaboration but in crochet form? They are easy to crochet and their complementary tasty bond makes it the perfect sandwich to eat and to crochet. 

Best Collab:

• # BT21

• All innocent beans with faces. No explanation needed (Okay, but one of the most popular character combinations in crochet form? It’s bound to explode in popularity!).  Many wooblers (including ourselves) enjoy the vast characters in BT21 as creative crochet characters! 

• Harry Potter 

• Accurate enough to the actual characters that they make cute little beans, but you can still tell which character is which. Emulates the features of the characters and keeps the original look while adding a handmade touch. 

• The Lord of the Rings

• Similar to BT21, The Lord of the Rings is a highly popular fantasy book series, and characters’ iconic lines are bound to increase in popularity. Many of the characters are easy to crochet and properly resemble actual characters of the book series, which creates a satisfying feeling for avid crochet and fantasy fans.

• Peanuts

• Now with these adorable kits, you can hold your own Snoopy plush and Woodstock with so many accessories that you can add. This creates a great experience of crocheting new shapes but adding to the plush too!

• PAC-Man

• The iconic, vintage game turned into crochet is a big hit among Wooblers. The PAC-Man character is easy to crochet, and the kit comes with adorable accessories such as the fruits (cherries, strawberries) and ghosty pals!

• Beetlejuice

• These spooky Woobles can send you running to any door to escape the sand dunes! You’ll have fun with shapes and colors not used in many other kits, like teal.  

All About Mr. Quinter by Piper Troup

Mr. Quinter is the 7th grade Timber Rattler Science teacher. His room number is 307s. He has many stories to tell. Mr. Quinter has been teaching for 19 years and 18 of those years were in Huntingdon County. He moved schools because he wanted something different. Originally, before becoming a teacher, he wanted to be an ecologist and researcher. He found out he wanted to be a teacher when he was a lab assistant and enjoyed helping out and teaching other students. 

One of the stories is when he was talking about opposites attract to his class.  A student had a response to that…it was, “Then your wife must be a genius.” 

Funny, right? But there is something better: once when he was in the middle of a class, his pants split, so now he has an extra pair of pants on hand just in case. Even though there are a lot of funny stories to tell, he also has one scary one. 

One time when he was in class (homeroom) a student was eating their breakfast and started to choke, so Mr. Quinter went into action and did the Heimlich maneuver, saving the student. 

Teaching and telling stories is not the only thing Mr. Quinter likes to do; he has gone scuba diving in a cenote (a natural pit or sinkhole formed when limestone bedrock collapses, exposing groundwater). He also saw an octopus and a shark while diving. If you go to his room you can meet a classroom pet which is a snake named Noname (No-na-me). Mr. Quinter has had this snake for twelve years which is probably the age of the snake too. He got this snake from the high school in Huntingdon. They breed snakes there. Mr. Quinter has had four different snakes…each one had escaped and they were found in lockers, and other teacher’s rooms.  Noname is the only one who has stayed in the room. Then again there is always a very slim chance that the snake will escape. Well, this has been fun telling you about Mr Quinter!

What Happens in the Glitter Market? by Eddie Chote

When most people think of glitter they think of messy childrens projects and random sparkles. But did you know that in the glitter market, there are many odd usages that many people would never imagine. For example, 48% of all the glitter in the world bought per year is by the U.S. government for explosives and non-slick tires for transportation. 

Also 23% of all the glitter is used in boat paint, which kind of makes sense because cruise ships use glitter paint on the hull of the ship. The usage of the sparkly paint also makes sense because they probably don’t want fish running into the boats when they are using the boats. 

To continue, toothpaste takes up 9% because it is more visually appealing for people and glitter toothpaste makes companies like Colgate make more money per year than their other toothpaste.