(upbeat music) - [Gabriel] Coming up next on "NEWS DEPTH," inflation cools but tariff pressure mounts.

We meet a group keeping the Ukrainian tradition of Pysanka alive.

An ancient animals' DNA has helped a return from extinction.

And Jeff tells us how dogs went from hunting to napping on your bed.

"NEWS DEPTH" is now.

(upbeat music) New data shows U.S. inflation slowed sharply in March, but the positive price news may be short-lived.

Hello everybody, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

Despite the drop in inflation, concerns remain as president Donald Trump's continued tariff policies, particularly against China could drive up consumer goods prices.

Economists warn of significant cost increases and supply chain challenges, adding uncertainty to markets already stressed by the ongoing trade conflict.

Michael Yoshida reports from Washington.

- [Michael] Thursday's Consumer Price Index data showed U.S. inflation cooled to an annual rate of 2.4% in March.

(beeping) Prices fell 0.1% from February the first time prices have fallen monthly since May, 2020.

Normally this trend would stoke optimism, but economists warn this latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't take into account how tariffs could impact consumer goods prices going forward.

- We are completely blind looking at the market.

Today's CPI numbers, for example, really tell us nothing.

- [Michael] President Donald Trump's aggressive trade moves have already upended global markets and could make imports and likely end products for consumers markedly more expensive.

Wednesday the president announced a 90 day pause on all of his recently announced so-called reciprocal tariffs except for those on China, which he raised again.

- Everybody wants to come and make a deal and we're working with a lot of different countries and it's all gonna work out very well.

- [Michael] Still, the escalating trade conflict with China, along with fresh pain from tariffs imposed on key goods, steel, aluminum and cars, stressing markets, consumers and businesses alike.

- What would've cost me maybe $30,000 with a reasonable tariff now is going to cost me almost $200,000.

- There is just not a pathway for everyone to pivot and change and magically create this manufacturing that doesn't exist today.

- Thank you for the report, Michael.

Many of Iowa's smaller grocery store owners say they are beginning to feel the pinch of price increases on imported goods.

Imported means that goods were brought from one country to another for sale.

Todd Megel checks out two independent grocery stores that are concerned that ongoing price hikes could harm small businesses and consumers alike.

- Probably about $5 go up, but it gonna go more.

- [Todd] Rice is piled high in the front window of the New Oriental Food Store downtown.

Sun Pilawan has owned the East Village business for 20 years.

She loves her customers, but hates to see her costs going up.

- [Todd] Do you worry about that?

- Oh yes, for sure.

Yeah.

Because the price too high.

- [Todd] She's also worried about how her loyal customers will react.

- Before they come to the shop they spend.

They don't have to think about.

Right now, they think about: Shouldn't I buy or not?

- [Todd] Pilawan says she's already seen price increases for basics like rice and noodles.

She imports just about all of her inventory from Asian countries.

- Rice noodle from last week, they up $10 already.

- [Todd] And is that a shock for you?

- Oh, we canceled the order.

(chuckles) - [Todd] You canceled the order?

- Yep.

Because too much.

- We hate to increase prices.

- [Todd] Stacey Brown is the manager of Wheatsfield Co-Op Grocery in Ames.

They just got a warning from vendors that products like coffee, wine, bananas, and seafood will have the first big price increases and more are expected as time goes on.

- It's hard.

We never wanna see our prices go up, especially for food.

I mean, everyone needs food.

- Thank you, Todd.

Tariffs on imports have caused an economic shakeup, but it's not stopping shoppers from spending this Easter holiday.

In today's "Consumer Watch," Jen Sullivan looks at how much your celebration could cost.

- [Jenn] Easter spending is expected to soar this year despite a lot of economic uncertainty.

Consumers are expecting to really go out for Easter this year.

- [Jenn] The National Retail Federation estimates consumers will shell out more than $23 billion this year, with people spending around $189 per person on average.

That's up $12 from last year.

Catherine Cohen from the National Retail Federation says even though some items are more expensive due to inflation, it's not holding people back from shopping.

- Through all of these tumultuous times, consumers have been very protective of these holidays.

- [Jenn] According to the NRF's recent survey, consumers will spend the most on candy and food and nothing says Easter like an egg-stravaganza.

- Easter is our highest consumption period of the entire year.

- [Jenn] Emily Metz with the American Egg Board says Americans are expected to eat or decorate 3 billion eggs this spring season.

The good news is egg prices have come down in the last few weeks according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Metz says fewer Avian flu cases have helped stabilize prices, but they're still much higher than this time last year.

- That has made a significant impact.

It's allowing our system to recover.

- [Jenn] So how can shoppers save this holiday?

- Certainly think about which decorations you can reuse from last year, whether or not you can encourage people to participate in a potluck.

- [Jenn] Colin also recommends painting wooden eggs instead of real ones.

- As Easter spending rises with shoppers scooping up everything from candy to decorations, one spring tradition definitely stands out, eggs.

But not just the brightly dyed ones that the Easter bunny hides, those are a lot of fun too.

We're talking about Ukrainian Pysanka: Intricately decorated eggs that are a stunning display of folk art, rooted in ancient pagan traditions and cherished during the Easter season.

Pagan is a blanket term for a religion that is outside of accepted western religions like Christianity and Judaism.

The term is often used to describe ancient pre-Christian religions.

In ancient Ukraine, pagans believed that the egg had magical qualities.

It symbolized rebirth and abundance in springtime festivals.

Of course, the egg was also adopted later on by Christians in Ukraine and around the world as a symbol of rebirth.

Up next, we meet a group of Ohioans, keeping the Ukrainian tradition of Pysanka alive with an egg-cellent exhibit.

- The eggs are folk art.

They're not just centuries old, millennia old.

They go back to pagan times.

- Pagans in the area that would eventually become Ukraine, decorated eggs as part of spring rituals with the idea that they symbolized rebirth and renewal.

The completed egg is called a Pysanka and that comes from the verb pysate, which means to write.

- Everybody comes up to me at the shows and say, "Oh, you painted all of those eggs?"

And I said, "No, I don't paint."

I said, "I write."

I'm actually writing a design with beeswax.

So I have a tool to write with.

This is a tool called a kitska.

It's basically a metal funnel attached to a wooden or a plastic handle, and you scrape wax into the wide end of the funnel.

You heat it by a candle and as the wax melts, it comes out of the narrow end of the funnel.

And that's what you draw onto the egg.

You're creating the design in reverse.

So you start with a clean white egg and you cover the parts of the egg that you want to stay white.

The wax seals off that part of the egg and the dye can't get in.

And so then you use the lightest color dye that you plan on using, usually yellow.

- What I wanna do next is in the center of the star, I'm gonna do teardrops.

I do designs that can take me anywhere from three to five hours to eight hours to 14 hours on a simple chicken egg.

Now I'm gonna do a few feather lines.

It then goes into the red.

Red dye's right over the orange.

And now we're gonna cover the entire star with wax.

It can be a little messy here and then it's ready to go into the final color, which is black.

And voila, this is what it looks like when it's done.

Okay?

It looks like really nothing.

You hold the egg close to the flame.

There's the white lines, the yellow teardrops, orange feather lines, and the red star.

- There's such a wide variety of different symbols that are used in styles and techniques and all of that, but it's such a uniquely Ukrainian thing.

This egg has a periwinkle pattern to it.

Periwinkle has a special place in Ukrainian folklore because the green vine of the periwinkle stays green for such a long time, even after the first snow.

You can see how green the periwinkle vine is and for that reason it's developed a significance of perseverance and persistence, which is kind of a lovely thought.

The Ukrainian Easter egg was always included in the Ukrainian Easter basket, so it's part of our Easter celebration.

- It's something that I grew up with, you know, we had 'em around the house, so we have 'em at home.

It's part of tradition, it's part of who we are as a people.

- I gotta say, those Pysanka looked egg-ceptional and I'm not yolking about it.

Alright, you know who always cracks me up?

Our cuteness correspondent news hound.

Let's see what he has for us in this week's "Petting Zoo."

(dog barks) Hey, News Hound.

What are you doing?

Just enjoying the sun?

It's nice to relax in the sun, but I hope you got your work done early.

So what do you have for us today?

Oh, it's a story about a woman in Missouri who was working to give chickens a new life post-egg production.

To learn more about how she is fostering and re-homing the chickens, you can check out the full "Petting Zoo" story on our website and YouTube channel.

Cool story as always, News Hound.

Thank you so much.

But before you head back out, I think you're gonna want to hear about our A+ award winner this week.

I promise you especially will like it.

Two years ago we asked Sofia from Erie, Pennsylvania, to help us design a cartoon News Hound.

You know, the one you see in the "Petting Zoo" intro?

This one.

For her awesome drawing and all of her work growing as an artist since then, Sofia is this week's A+ award winner.

Sofia's journey as an artist began in elementary school.

She was inspired by a friend who loved to draw and today she dreams of becoming a professional animator.

Animation for Sofia is the perfect blend of her two favorite things: art and storytelling.

Her animation process sometimes starts with storyboards, other times it jumps straight to key frames.

She likes to use free animation software like Flip a Clip and Open Tunes.

Her biggest artistic influences include Studio Ghibli.

She said one of her favorite movies is "Spirited Away."

She also told us a super cool animation history fact that there were ancient cave drawings in France that depict animals with multiple heads, legs or tails.

And when viewed under flickering light, like from a torch or bonfire, these images can appear to move, creating a primitive form of animation.

Sofia is currently in the 11th grade and has taken a lot of the art classes her school offers from studio art, art history, and even film production.

She describes her style as funky and she's constantly experimenting with new media, most recently, ceramics.

She told us that when we commissioned the cartoon rendering of "News Hound," her goal was to capture an energetic pose to reflect the dog's personality.

And I think she got it spot on.

(dog barks) To commission something means to request a production of a work of art.

Sofia even started her own Instagram account to be able to document and share her artwork.

Sofia draws almost every day and her advice to young artists?

Just start, don't worry if it's not perfect, you grow by doing.

That's great advice, Sofia, and congratulations on being this week's A+ award winner.

All of us at "NEWS DEPTH" headquarters are very proud of your accomplishments as an artist.

Plus, News Hound appreciates that you made him look so handsome.

You definitely got his good side.

Okay, let's head back to the news.

An ancient animal's DNA has helped it return from extinction.

Check this out.

These three young dire wolves were born in October and are being raised at a nature preserve.

They're named Romulus, Remus and Khalessi.

Biotech company, "Colossal Biosciences," says they used ancient DNA, cloning, and gene editing to alter the genes of the dire wolves' closest living relative, the gray wolf.

The team took DNA from a 13,000 year old tooth and a 72,000 year old skull to create a hybrid species that looks similar to the dire wolf.

Speaking of wolves, did you know that they are the ancestors of our loyal companions: dogs?

The canine species evolved from some wolves adapting to life alongside people, offering companionship, food, or labor.

Other domesticated animals like cats and chickens also live with humans because they've been selectively bred over thousands of years to be tame and helpful.

Jeff St. Clair explains these symbiotic relationships in this week's "Spot on Science."

- Think of all the animals you see in a zoo.

Lions, gorillas, flamingos, leopards, they all have one thing in common: They're wild.

But what about dogs, cats, hamsters, and chickens?

Why aren't they in the zoo?

Well, that's because they're domesticated animals.

Domesticated means an animal is tame enough to be a pet or live on a farm.

(upbeat music) Humans, over thousands of years, have managed to domesticate dozens of creatures to serve our needs, whether as pets, poultry, or pack animals.

But how did so many wild animals become people's best friends?

It turns out, that every domesticated animal has a wild relative.

Let's start with the dog.

Dogs don't exist in the wild.

They came from a type of wolf that lived alongside humans 25,000 years ago in Ice Age Siberia.

There are several theories about how dogs came to be.

No one knows for sure.

One idea is that some wolves followed human hunters to share our meals.

Another theory is that people followed the wolves and stole their kills.

Either way, similar hunting styles brought humans and wolves together, and over time, some of the wild wolves and ancient humans accepted each other as companions.

Over generations, people bred the wolves that were most docile.

That particular wolf species went extinct, but the dog was born.

What makes a dog a dog?

One thing is their tail.

The tail of a wolf hangs down.

A dog's tail curls up.

Most dogs faces are shorter than wolves and they're generally not as heavy, but most of the transformation happened on the inside.

Dogs are extremely loyal to humans and are willing to be trained.

The biggest difference?

Wolves can't be tamed.

The oldest evidence of dogs living with people is from a 15,000 year old grave in Germany that has the bones of two people and their dog.

Other animals soon joined the growing family.

Nomadic people in the Middle East around 14,000 years ago were the first to breed the rugged mountain mouflon into domesticated sheep.

A few thousand years later, people in Asia transformed the vicious wild boar into a gentle pig.

One of the most remarkable feats of domestication in all of history was the transformation of the massive wild ox, the Eurasian Auroch, into today's milk cow.

People in ancient Egypt, 10,000 years ago, found an easy solution to their mouse problem.

Wild cats easily adapted to living with humans in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

The cat is the one domesticated animal that deep down still thinks it's wild.

People in Southeast Asia around that same time started keeping wild jungle fowl as pets.

They noticed some birds laid more eggs than others.

These birds became chickens.

People in South America got into the act too.

They bred the first turkeys, Guinea pigs and llamas.

6,000 years ago, nomads in Ukraine tamed the wild horse, transforming human life forever.

People in Egypt, 5,000 years ago, tamed wild honeybees, the first domesticated insect.

The list continues to expand as dozens of wild animals like hamsters, goldfish, rabbits, hedgehogs and others have been bred for pets.

Although being domesticated has brought a lot of changes to how animals evolved, living among humans has benefited them too.

When animals became pets or farm animals, they got food, shelter and protection.

This helps them stay safe and healthy.

- That is fascinating.

Thank you, Jeff.

That brings us to the poll.

For this week's poll, we'd like to know, do you have a pet?

Visit our Poll page to vote.

You can choose between dog, cat, fish, bird, lizard, rodent, something else or, "No, I don't have a pet."

This is a multiple choice poll.

That means you can click all that apply to you.

And come back next week to see how many of your fellow students have pets.

On our last episode, we went out on a hike around Ohio with Grandma Gatewood and we wanted to know, what is your favorite state park?

With 39% of the votes, you said your favorite state park was Hawking Hills.

I went there a few years ago and I had a blast.

31% of you said your favorite park was a different park.

I'd love to hear all about your favorites.

Third place goes to Lake Erie State Park with 18% of the votes and about 4% of you said you love going to Mohican State Park.

That's our producer, Natalia's favorite, because she can take News Hound camping down there.

Also, about 4% voted for Buckeye Lake State Park and with 2% of the votes each, you said you liked Salt Fork State Park and Shawnee State Park.

Thank you all for voting.

Do you hear that?

(buzzing) I think there's a bug in the stu- I think there's a bee in the studio.

You know, bees might be small, but they play a huge role in keeping our world blooming and our plates full.

Let me explain.

Beekeepers are sounding the alarm over the dramatic spikes in honeybee die-offs.

Experts say hundreds of millions of bees have died in the past several months and it's unknown what's to blame.

But as Jack Ford reports, beekeepers say, the impacts may soon be felt not only at farms, but also at your local grocery store.

- [Jack] Creating the perfect environment is a labor of love for local beekeepers like Tom Babcock.

It helps the bugs thrive, produce honey and pollinate.

He says he's been lucky enough to only lose one entire hive.

- I've been doing this since 2010.

- [Jack] And you've never seen anything like this?

- Never seen anything like this.

Not the amount of losses.

- [Jack] Down the road, we met beekeeper, Laura Pascarella, who's facing the same fears and we suited up to get a firsthand look.

- But yeah, this is a thriving colony.

This colony so far is doing exactly what it should in the spring, but there are many beekeepers who find these thriving colonies and then they go back a month later and something has happened and they are no longer thriving.

There's something, they're either dying off or gone.

- [Jack] Pascarella says, this isn't just a scary sight for the beekeeper.

It's a scary reality that will have ripple effects across the entire agricultural economy.

Honeybees pollinate around 75% fruits, nuts and vegetables in the United States, around $15 billion worth of crops - A lot of people don't realize, but honeybees are number one food source pollinators.

And so if you are 60% short on your food pollinator for your crops, then you're gonna be short on your agriculture production.

- [Jack] A buzzing issue with major impacts.

- Thanks Jack.

Next episode, we'll have a brand new career call out segment featuring a professional beekeeper, but we need your help coming up with interview questions.

So tell us, what would you ask a beekeeper about their job?

Students can use our inbox form online or send us an email to Newsdepth@ideastream.org to send in their questions.

On our previous episode, we learned about some underwater discoveries in the Antarctic never before seen by humans.

And your writing assignment for the week was to imagine you were a scientist who just discovered a new aquatic creature.

Let's learn about your new discoveries by opening up our inbox.

Jake from McCormick Middle School in Wellington, sent us this cool drawing and wrote, "Dear NEWS DEPTH, I'm scientist Jake, and today in the Atlantic Ocean at 3:05 PM, I found a new creature.

It was at the very bottom of the ocean floor.

It has a pink and purple skin color and it swims so fast.

I like to call it the underwater Pink and Purple Snake."

Anie from Dodge Intermediate in Twinsburg sent in this imaginative drawing of a jellyfish and a starfish: "Dear NEWS DEPTH, if I would find a sea creature that no one had ever seen, it would look like a jellyfish that has a head of a starfish and would have a spike on it.

It would be very poisonous, and I would name it Jelly Star.

Arthur from Strongsville Middle School in Strongsville, shared the Captain's Log.

Dear NEWS DEPTH, So in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean I was sailing for new discoveries and I came upon a banana fish, which looks just like a banana that can swim.

It barely weighs anything since it's only six inches long, but it's something that no one ever knew of.

So I showed my fellow scientists the new discovery and told reporters, and eventually it got in the news.

Irelyn from Murask Elementary School also in Strongsville took News Hound on an underwater expedition.

Dear NEWS DEPTH, if I was a scientist who just discovered a new underwater creature, I would try to learn more about it and explore more and try to learn more about and its features and how it lives and what it eats and how it survives, like what prey and predators it has.

Tell News Hound I said, hi.

I love News Hound.

And Reggie from St. Raphael School in Bay Village, discovered a new luminescent octopus.

Dear NEWS DEPTH, if I found a sea creature, this is how it would look.

The creature is four feet high, it's related to the octopus and weighs 245 pounds.

It has eight arms, but glows.

This creature is unknown to humans because it lives 350 miles under water level.

The creature lives in the cold waters of the Arctic.

This creature will be called "polpo," which is the Italian word for octopus.

P.S.

News Hound is the best.

You are all so brave for diving into the deepest parts of the ocean to uncover these creatures.

We have some more student discoveries on our website if you'd like to find out what some other young scientists have found.

Anyway, I think it's amazing how many letters we've received this year.

Let's open some from this week.

Elena from Kensington Intermediate School in Rocky River sent us this poem answering our previous write-in question about tourism.

Here's an excerpt: Hotels, resorts, inns and all.

There's one that makes it all not fall.

Traveling around from nation to nation, all of this is called a vacation.

Okay, look at News Hound.

He's ready for his vacation.

Colton from Midview West in Grafton has an answer to our poll about cursive writing.

Cursive is a useful skill and it is a part of United States history.

Lexi from Sydney Middle School in Sydney, Ohio, wrote, "Every Friday my class watches your videos.

I love your videos.

I can learn a lot.

Also, you should give News Hound lots of treats, and shout out to Mr. Specman.

He is such an awesome teacher.

And fifth grader, Tiana from St. Catherine of Sienna in Cincinnati, wrote to tell us, "My classroom loves your show and that it is a part of our social studies.

We love all of your crew and your news pet buddies.

Mrs. Schmitt's class appreciates what you have taught.

Your kind words seriously mean the world to us.

Thank you so much.

Unfortunately, we are all out of time for this week, but we'll be right back next week with some more cool stories.

Until then, there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can send a letter.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio.

Zip code here, 44115.

And you can email us at Newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Plus you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit Subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat music) - [Girl] NEWS DEPTH is made possible by grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(upbeat music)