We often hear the word, but do you know what nicotine is . I dont really know exactly what it is, but i know youre not supposed to, like, have it and just can really damage your body. Nicotine is what gets you addicted to cigarettes. Well, nicotine is a drug. Its a stimulant. It acts on your Central Nervous system. Like heroin or cocaine, nicotine changes the way your brain works. It causes the body to want more and more as you continue to use nicotine. This means nicotine is addictive. But as dr. Carroll points out, its even more addictive if youre a teen. Teenagers have a developing brain, and during that developmental period, you are much more likely to get addicted to things like nicotine. To understand what being addicted to nicotine means, you need to understand what happens when your body stops getting nicotine. So when people quit smoking they will often experience what we call nicotine withdrawal. That is that, you know, theyre used to having nicotine on board, and then when they quit smoking, their body sort of has to get used to not having nicotine. So we call this withdrawal. When you go through withdrawal, you can get cravings. A craving is your brain causing you to want more. So with nicotine, you get a physical craving for another cigarette. That craving makes it hard to think about anything else. To give you an idea, we asked adults who smoked to describe what nicotine withdrawal feels like. It was really hard. Ive quit about three times in the seven years in which ive been smoking. Enormous cravings. Not just cravings for cigarettes, but cravings for food. Most of it are food which is not good for my diet. I was getting headaches. I had anxiety. I was nervous, biting my nails. You can tell that theyre really agitated until they get the cigarette. I would get anxious. I was like my craving would be like i need a cigarette i need a cigarette. And, unfortunately, these symptoms dont go away immediately. If youre addicted to smoking, the physical cravings last for about a month. So it takes quite a long time to get unhooked from cigarettes once youre hooked. And that means all kinds of cigarettes and tobacco products. Even many ecigarettes or vape pens contain nicotine. For example, heres what one maker of ecigarettes has printed on its pack. Need i say more . My upcoming report will blow you away. Hopefully not. Teen kids news will be right back. Usually, its pretty easy to figure out what the weather is snow, rain, sunshine. But then there are times when we could use a little help. So emily gives us the downlow on what happens up high in the sky. We hear a lot of different terms to describe powerful weather patterns, and some of them are a bit confusing. To help us sort them out climate scientist dr. Radley horton joins us from columbia university. Welcome. Thank you. Its good to be here. Whats the difference between a tornado and a cyclone . A tornado and a cyclone are both spinning weather patterns. Whats mostly different about them is their size. A tornado is a pretty small system. A tornado is often just a mile wide, sometimes smaller, but even though theyre small, theyre very, very dangerous because their winds are so strong. In contrast, a cyclone is basically the lowpressure system that you see when you look at a weather map. Its that big l on the map. A lot of times theyre a couple hundred miles wide, and the winds are generally not as strong. Generally, theyre not as dangerous as tornados, which of course, you need to take very seriously. Can a tornado really lift a house up like you see in the movie the wizard of oz . Well, definitely dont believe everything that you see in a movie, thats for sure, but being serious for a second tornados are extremely dangerous, right . We know that these winds are powerful enough not just to lift a house, but actually to destroy a house. So, whenever theres any kind of a tornado advisory, we need to take it seriously, we need to get indoors instead of watching it, and, if possible, get down to the basement just in case it really does do a lot of damage. Is there a difference between hurricanes and typhoons . You can basically think of them as the exact same thing. The only thing that differs is where they happen. A typhoon is a very strong tropical system thats located in the pacific ocean. When we have the same kind of storm in the indian ocean, we call it a cyclone. And when it happens in the atlantic or the eastern pacific, we call it a hurricane. You mentioned Tropical Storms. Are they just little hurricanes . Tropical storms are a little bit weaker than hurricanes. It all depends on how strong the winds are. If the winds are 74 Miles Per Hour or stronger, we call it a hurricane. If the winds are below 74 miles an hour, its a Tropical Storm. How about a tropical depression . Guess thats not just a storm feeling sad. [ chuckling ] no, youre right. A tropical depression is weaker than a Tropical Storm. Before you can get to a Tropical Storm or a hurricane, its got to start from somewhere. A tropical depression is weaker. Thanks, professor. Thank you. When it comes to understanding violent weather patterns, i guess its best to be on good terms with mother nature. This weeks driving tip is brought to you by the National Road safety foundation. [ horn honking ] coming up, can video games make you a better student . Well find out. Hooplahas motto is life with a smile. Their website features good news, inspirational stories, cute pictures, and funny videos. Sound familiar . Since teen kids news has a similar mission, were presenting you with our hooplaha pick of the week. Will is just incredible because he has such a challenge before him, and hes just met all of the milestones with such strength, and even the doctors are just amazed by him because he really has such a spirit thats really helping him not only to get through it, but to get better. Willy and i heard about art from the heart when william was first admitted to the hospital for his chemotherapy. We were told about it by the child life specialist at the hospital at yale, where hes being treated, so she put our name and williams name in as a potential candidate to have his room redone. A month afterward, they contacted us and told us that william had been selected. Art from the heart is an organization that does room makeovers for children suffering from cancer, and so we come into their home and do a mini room makeover whatever their interests are, whatever the colors they like. It makes it a nice place for them to hang out. He really had some clear ideas that he expressed to karen, and then they really did what he wanted. Hell remember that, and hell be happier with his room because its exactly the way he wanted. I wanted to volunteer with art from the heart because its something nice to do for these kids, and even if it only makes their day better for a little bit, its worth it. When i see the kids reactions to the room, its great because theyre so excited and theyre so happy to see that this one thing is is something that they can look forward to. I think its great. I think that they did an amazing thing. William loved the color combination, his loft bed, and the space, and he can use his room more. To look at its great, but also the idea that these kids volunteer their time to come and do this for children that are going through treatment like william is really just incredible. [ chuckles ] its really amazing. Sooner or later, it comes our way stress. Daniella gets some expert advice on how to handle it. Heres some good news for all you gamers out there. Professor of psychology, dr. Sian beilock, says video games actually can be good for your brain. Its true. Lets start with Early Childhood first. Theres research that shows that some types of video games may help develop motor skills. And then theres studies with college students. According to the data, playing videos games actually helps improve memory and attention. So, does that mean the more games i play, the better . No. You cant, unfortunately swap video games for doing your homework. Thats because the benefits of playing games max out after a certain point. Like everything else, all things are best in moderation. Thanks, dr. Beilock youre welcome. Ill help you focus on ways you can protect two of your most important possessions. A surprising number of visits to the emergency room are caused by problems with contact lenses and other eye injuries. So weve been looking into the issue. Heres harry with a report. Look up for me. Good. Blink. Look down. Good. Cornea looks good. Each year, almost a million kids suffer eye injuries. A lot of those happen around the home for example, an accidental poke in the eye or handling household cleaners. Whoo sports are another cause. In fact, every 13 minutes, someone is rushed to an emergency room for a sportsrelated eye injury. One of the biggest things i see is that one person thinks that the game is over, everybody else thinks the game is still going, and an eye injury can occur. So, what sports do you think are the most likely to cause eye injuries . Eye injuries . Um. Squash. Um. Field hockey because, like the ball is coming up and, um, tennis, definitely. Probably golf. Or maybe soccer. Eye injuries. Um. I would say. Lacrosse. I dont know. Maybe. Baseball if you were trying to catch a pop fly and then it hit you in the eye. I play basketball, and i know that a lot of eyes get injured with elbows and, like, just the roughness of the game. Theyre both correct. Basketball and baseball are where most accidents happen. Experts say wearing proper eye protection could reduce these injuries by as much as 90 . The kind of protection that you need depends on the sport. My dad is an eye doctor so anything with contact basketball, anything where people are going for the ball, you know even football, too, through the face mask so got to be careful about eye injuries. Sports where you wear a helmet like football, baseball, or hockey you should use a plastic eye shield. For other sports where you may get hit in the eye goggles might be the ticket. If you swim, goggles that are watertight are a good idea. Chemicals like chlorine can damage your cornea. I do track, so i dont need any eye protection for that. Actually, you probably do. Outdoor sports like track and skiing expose your eyes to the suns harmful ultraviolet light. So look for goggles that give full protection against u. V. A. And u. V. B. Rays. My sister and i really love to go on the moguls. Those bumps go really fast. Hannah was wearing glasses under her ski goggles. She thought she was protected, but she wasnt. And then i just fell. One of my sides of the glasses that connects to your ear, it just broke off. When youre playing sports and youre wearing glasses underneath your goggles, if you get hit in the face, the goggles can get compressed, and then compress the glasses. The lenses are usually shatterproof, but the frames can break, and a broken frame near the eye can certainly damage the eye. Thats why many athletes wear contact lenses. However, some parents think kids need to be teenagers before they can wear contacts. Not true. Hannah got her first contacts while still in grade school. The issue is more the maturity of the person and not the maturity of the eye. Once somebody is responsible enough to take a foreign body and put it on the front surface of their eye with clean hands, can learn when its appropriate to wear a contact lens, when its not, how to care for them and clean them, then im ready to fit them with contact lenses. Besides proper everyday care, the doctor has this advice teenagers are known for overwearing their lenses. I generally recommend that contacts not be worn longer than 12 hours a day. This gives the eye time to rest and oxygen time to reach the cornea, which is the front surface of the eye. Also, they share their lenses. This is a definite nono because you have bacteria that live on your system that can be transferred to somebody else. Lastly, sometimes i see teens taking out their lenses, or if their lens comes out, putting it in their mouth and then putting it back on the front surface of the eye. The bacteria that live in our mouth belong there and certainly not on the front surface of the eye. Thats risking infection and other problems. Then theres contact lenses some people wear just to make their eyes look more attractive. These are called costume or cosmetic contacts. If theyre not fit properly they can damage your eye. They can cause inflammation. They can scratch the cornea, which can lead to an infection which can lead to scarring and, in the worstcase scenario, vision loss. Contact lenses are medical devices, and theyre meant to be prescribed only by ophthalmologists and optometrists. Remember, even if you have perfect vision, protecting your eyes is an important goal to keep in sight. Its time for word. [ applause ] a chance to test your vocabulary by finding the real meaning of some rather interesting words. How about this one . Placebo. Its a noun. Does it mean. . Or. . Or. . [ alarm ringing ] placebo is. As in, shes not really sick. [ coughing ]. But a placebo seemed to make her feel better. Okay, heres another. Gargantuan. Its an adjective. Does it mean. . Or. . Or. . [ alarm ringing ] gargantuan means. It comes from the name of a giant in French Literature gargantua. How about gnu . Is it. . Is it. . Or is it. . [ alarm rings ] the answer is, gnu. As in, whats new at the zoo . A gnu so, howd you do . Thats word for now its a famous poem with a stirring message. But nicole says it needs a little help in the accuracy department. Heres the real story behind that famous midnight ride. Just about every schoolkid knows the phrase one if by land, and two if by. Sea. Sea . Sea. Sea. Like i said, we all know the line. Thats because its part of a famous poem written by Henry Wadsworth longfellow. It begins with the words. Some people believe that longfellows poem is about as accurate as a colonial musket with a bent barrel. Well, it is a beautiful poem, but its horrible history. And he should know. Bob damon is a historian. He explained to me some of the inaccuracies in longfellows poem. Lets start with its most famous line. One if by land. And two if by sea. Its wrong. The british were never going by sea. So it was a river, not a sea . It was definitely a river not a sea. And as a matter of fact, we might even say it was the back bay and the Charles River, as opposed to a sea. What is accurate is that the signal was given from this boston church, called Old North Church. The poem goes on to say that revere was across the river waiting for the signal. And i on the opposite shore will be, ready to ride and spread the alarm through every Middlesex Village and farm. And, in fact, he was not on the other side of the Charles River. He was being rowed across the Charles River by two friends while the lanterns were being hung. Then theres this part. And lo as he looks, on the belfrys height. A glimmer, and then a gleam of light . He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns. But lingers and gazes till full on his sight. A second lamp in the belfry burns. Not true he didnt need to find out what the signal would be. Paul revere was the man who helped to put the plan of the Old North Church signals into action. So he, of course, already knew which way the british soldiers were coming. Then why the lanterns . They were only a backup in case revere was caught as he crossed the river. Longfellow wrote paul reveres ride in 1860 almost 100 years after it happened. Heres another line from the poem. It was two by the village clock. When he came to the bridge in concord town. Well, that didnt happen, either. He was stopped in lexington and was never able to actually make it beyond lexington to warn residents in the town of concord that the british were gonna be coming. The poem also leads you to believe that paul revere was the only rider that night. Not so. There were several other men, the most important of which was william dawes, who rode off of boston neck, taking the land route to go and warn people in lexington and concord. The other man is a man named dr. Samuel prescott, who was actually out visiting his girlfriend that night and was roped into helping with the business when he met up with revere and with dawes in lexington. So, then why did longfellow leave out those two men . That is a great question, and there are many historians and academics whove researched that particular piece. Their answers seem to be that what longfellow was striving at was finding a way to inspire individuals to take up their place in history and to do an action that could help to change the course of events in their country. Others offer a different explanation. They say that the poems opening line. Listen, my children. And you shall hear. Of the midnight ride. Of paul revere. Just wouldnt have worked if dawes and prescott were added. Longfellow created a legend that turned paul revere into one of our nations most revered heroes, and that probably would never have happened if pauls last name didnt rhyme so conveniently. For teen kids news, im nicole. Well see you next time on teen kids news. Thanks for watching. Have a great week. Heres a shoutout to pr newswire for including teen kids news on their big screen in times square new york city. Jack hannas animal adventures, brought to you by seaworld and busch gardens. For more than forty years, working to preserve e world we share. Dive into an amazing red sea expedition. music