Since the new millennium began, climatologists have increasingly recognized that the western Great Lakes climate is showing several distinct trends or changes in character. These changes may be attributed to landscape changes, atmospheric gases, or natural variability and are probably the result of a combination of all three. But we don’t have a definitive answer yet.

Among these changes are: (1) warmer winters; (2) higher minimum temperatures; (3) higher frequency of tropical-like dew points in the summer months; (4) and an overall increase in precipitation, with greater variance in extremes. These climate trends, not without precedent in some cases, have serious implications for various sectors of the economy (transportation, health, retailing, energy, agriculture, and tourism among others), as well as for management of natural resources and agricultural production systems. Evidence for these changing climate patterns and their effects can be found in almost any of the long-term climate data sets held by the Minnesota State Climatology Office. Effects of these climate changes have been both positive and negative, depending on the context. For example, warmer winters have been favorable for reducing energy costs of heating homes and commercial buildings. Conversely, the warm winters have extended the exposure time to the segment of our population that suffers health consequences from molds and allergens. Public discussion of these climate changes and their consequences is important and increasing in frequency among state agencies and state legislators. The climate change issue is clearly an ethical one, whether or not you come from a secular or religious stewardship perspective. It is an important issue that will be with us likely throughout our lifetime and beyond.

–Mark Seeley, Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate and author of “Minnesota Weather Almanac” published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

All foods carry certain level of risk, however the majority of foods present in our food supply are very safe for consumption either natural or processed. It is important to keep in perspective that while some highly publicized cases have been linked to specific brands of lettuce, spinach and juices, for the most part the majority of natural and fresh foods have never caused a single case of food poisoning. At the same time, most of the preservatives and chemicals used in processed foods have been thoroughly tested to be safe at the levels typically used in foods and not because some of them have been specifically questioned regarding their potentially toxic effects, most of those chemicals have also never been related to foodborne diseases. The bottom line is that consumers should continue to consume fresh and natural foods because the health benefits greatly outweigh the very low risks. Regarding processed foods, the consumer should be more concerned about their relatively high caloric levels than the preservatives added.

– Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition

Not surprisingly, there isn’t a wealth of research information on how birds respond to severe weather—researchers are frequently too busy responding to severe weather themselves to make detailed observations of birds. We do know that birds tend to move closer to the ground and under cover (e.g., in dense bushes) when they encounter severe winds and weather, and they work hard to remain facing into the wind. If the wind comes from behind them it will catch the feathers and lift them up, allowing rain to get underneath. Properly-arranged plumage is well oiled and sheds water efficiently—but a truly wet bird is unlikely to survive a storm.

It is very likely that some birds do get blown out of their hiding places and die during severe storms. We don’t know how common this is because the necessary research (which would be logistically difficult) hasn’t been conducted.

– Scott Lanyon, Director, Bell Museum of Natural History and Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

Yes all insects have hearts - just not the kind that humans have.

An insect heart is a single long tube that occurs on their "top" side (dorsal). They also have extra mini-hearts ("pulsatile organs") at the base of their wings and legs to return the blood to the abdomen.

Blood enters the heart in the abdomen and is then pushed through thetube and exits into the head cavity. The blood then exits the head cavity and moves through the other body cavities, but not in blood vessels. Insects have an "open" circulatory system that differs from human closed circulatory systems.

Another big difference between insectsand humans is that insects don’t use blood to deliver oxygen to their cells. They have miles of small air tubes (trachea) that deliver oxygen directly to their cells. It’s    a great delivery system for small animals but wouldn’t work in an animal our size.

– Susan J. Weller, associate professor, Department of Entomology and curator of Lepidoptera, Bell Museum of Natural History

Sweet foods are innately palatable. For example, infants demonstrate a characteristic facial expression after drinking sweet fluids, an expression associated with pleasure. On the other hand they grimace after ingesting a bitter solution.

In addition to changes in expression, humans and rats will work harder to obtain a sweet food than an unsweetened diet. Sweet substances affect some brain chemicals and the rewarding centers in the brain. Such involvement of reward centers make palatable foods very rewarding. Mixtures of fat and sugar are even more palatable to humans and animals, and such combinations of macronutrients are often referred to as junk food. They are called junk foods because they provide little more than energy, something not particularly healthful in an overweight or obese population. Healthier foods contain fats, carbohydrate and protein; but also are rich in micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals and other beneficial substances.

The food industry has and continues to work on foods that taste good, and are also healthy; however, more efforts are needed. We need foods that are low in caloric density, high in nutrients and still taste great.

– Allen Levine, Dean of CFANS