Researchers recently revealed a stunning new species of sea slug glowing in the ocean's darkest depths. Known as the "mystery mollusk" or&nbsp;Bathydevius caudactylus, this nudibranch inhabits the ocean's midnight zone, one of Earth's least-explored realms.



This discovery is more than just a new name on a species list - it's an illuminating dive into our planet's vast, hidden ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mystery-mollusk-in-the-midnight-zone">Mystery mollusk in the midnight zone</h2>



The "mystery mollusk," Bathydevius caudactylus as the scientists officially named it, inhabits the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/highly-unusual-bacteria-discovered-in-deep-sea-corals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ocean's deep abyss</a>, also known as the midnight zone.



But this isn't just about a new species - it's about an exciting lifeline into understanding our planet's largest habitat in more depth.



Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (<a href="https://www.mbari.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MBARI</a>) Senior Scientist Bruce Robison steered this explorative venture.



“Thanks to MBARI’s advanced underwater technology, we were able to prepare the most comprehensive description of a deep-sea animal ever made," noted Robison.



"We've invested more than 20 years in understanding the natural history of this fascinating species of nudibranch. Our discovery is a new piece of the puzzle that can help better understand the largest habitat on Earth."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-identifying-the-mystery-mollusk">Identifying the mystery mollusk</h2>



This unusual sea creature was first spotted in the year 2000, during an expedition using the institute's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named Tiburon. It was found gliding through the waters offshore of Monterey Bay at a depth of 2,614 meters (8,576 feet).



Confusion arose when the team initially struggled to identify this creature due to its anomalous appearance - a voluminous hood, a flat tail fringed with numerous, finger-like projections, and a set of colorful internal organs.



But after years of research and countless ROV sightings, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-pigs-unicumbers-strange-stunning-creatures-discovered-abyssal-plains-ccz/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mystery</a> was solved - this strange creature is, in fact, a nudibranch or sea slug.



<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="rLItWTv9qr-4019991-12187" type="single"]</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-nudibranch-unlike-any-other">A nudibranch unlike any other</h2>



The mystery mollusk isn't your ordinary nudibranch. It's the first of its kind known to dwell in the immense open waters of the bathypelagic zone, a region 1,000 to 4,000 meters (3,300 to 13,100 feet) below the ocean surface.



Also, the sightings of this fascinating creature span the Pacific coast of North America, from Oregon to as far south as Southern California. Plus, similar creatures spotted by NOAA researchers in the Mariana Trench hint at the mollusk's potentially widespread existence.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-survival-techniques-of-the-sea-slug">Survival techniques of the sea slug</h2>



Surviving in such harsh environments is no easy feat. How does the mystery mollusk manage? Interestingly, it has evolved unique survival strategies.



For instance, unlike most sea slugs that feed by rasping prey off the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-life-100-new-sea-creatures-found-in-chile/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seafloor</a>, it uses its cavernous hood to trap crustaceans, much like a Venus flytrap plant would do.



Moreover, to avoid predators, it has a clear body that blends with the surrounding waters and can emit a bright bioluminescence to deter and distract hungry predators. 



“When we first filmed it glowing with the ROV, everyone in the control room let out a loud ‘Oooooh!’ at the same time. We were all enchanted by the sight,” said MBARI senior scientist Steven Haddock.



“Only recently have cameras become capable of filming bioluminescence in high-resolution and in full color. MBARI is one of the only places in the world where we have taken this new technology into the deep ocean, allowing us to study the luminous behavior of deep-sea animals in their natural habitat.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nudibranch-family-tree-expands">Nudibranch family tree expands</h2>



Beyond its captivating appearance and survival tactics, what really stood out during the research was the mollusc's genetic uniqueness. 



Detailed examination of specific gene sequences emphasized that the mystery mollusk is distinct enough from other known nudibranchs to merit the creation of a new family, Bathydeviidae.



"What is exciting to me about the mystery mollusk is that it exemplifies how much we are learning as we spend more time in the deep sea, particularly below 2,000 meters," said Haddock.



"For there to be a relatively large, unique, and glowing animal that is in a previously unknown family really underscores the importance of using new technology to catalog this vast environment. The more we learn about deep-sea communities, the better we will be at ocean decision-making and stewardship.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wealth-of-deep-sea-discoveries">Wealth of deep-sea discoveries</h2>



This discovery is just one exciting piece in the puzzle of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-species-of-deep-sea-squid-discovered-that-broods-giant-eggs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deep-sea exploration</a>. MBARI's state-of-the-art technology has unveiled over 250 previously unknown deep-sea species to date, encouraging us to plunge deeper into these fascinating, otherworldly realms.



“Deep-sea animals capture the imagination. These are our neighbors that share our blue planet. Each new discovery is an opportunity to raise awareness about the deep sea and inspire the public to protect the amazing animals and environments found deep beneath the surface,” said Robison.



Indeed, each new discovery brings us one step closer to fully understanding and protecting our fascinating blue planet. And with this latest revelation of the mystery mollusk, we get to marvel at another fascinating dweller of the deep.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063724001845?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deep Sea Research</a>.



Image/ Video Credit: MBARI



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Mystery mollusk: Glowing sea slug found in the deep sea

Researchers recently revealed a stunning new species of sea slug glowing in the ocean's darkest depths. Known as the "mystery mollusk" or&nbsp;Bathydevius caudactylus, this nudibranch inhabits the ocean's midnight zone, one of Earth's least-explored realms. This discovery is more than just a new name on a species list - it's an illuminating dive into our planet's vast, hidden ecosystems. Mystery mollusk in the midnight zone The "mystery mollusk," Bathydevius caudactylus as the scientists officially named it, inhabits the ocean's deep abyss, also known as the midnight zone....

Cats have very sensitive ears and often respond to the presence of potential <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/killer-whales-are-not-short-of-prey-in-southwestern-canada/">prey</a> that they can hear but cannot see. In previous studies, cats have been shown to make mental representations of items that they have seen, but that subsequently disappear from sight. These tests of object permanence always present subjects with visual information, and have never investigated a cat’s ability to track the whereabouts of another individual through the use of vocalizations.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In a recent study by Japanese researchers, domestic cats were presented with auditory cues that came from their owner’s voice, from a familiar cat, or from a non-social source such as electronic sounds. Initially, the cats were habituated to the sound while it was played five times from a nearby speaker (speaker A).&nbsp;



After initial habituation, the cats were exposed to one of four different experimental conditions: they were presented with the same sound from the same location, the same sound from a different location (speaker B, more than 4 m away), a different sound from the same location or a different sound from a different location (speaker B). The behavioral responses to these tests were recorded on video cameras set up in the experimental rooms.&nbsp;



The researchers hypothesized that if a cat identifies a familiar individual (owner or familiar cat) from a vocalization and mentally maps the location of this familiar individual, then it should be “surprised” when the same vocalization is subsequently heard from a different location. This would simulate an “impossible teleportation” of the owner or familiar cat. If cats are not forming cognitive representations of the locality of the owner or other cat in this way, then they will not be surprised when the locality of the individual apparently changes.



The behavioral outcome of “surprise” was assessed by independent raters who watched the video footage recorded during each trial. They rated each cat’s surprise response by assessing a combination of behaviors, including moving ears, changing head direction, looking back towards speaker A (the initial source of the sound), and moving around the room.



The results showed that cats were most surprised when their owner’s voice was first heard from one locality (speaker A), and then immediately from another locality (speaker B). This indicated that the cats maintained a representation of their unseen owner from his or her voice alone, and expected the owner to be in the location of the most recent vocalization. The cats were surprised by the apparent teleportation of the owner to a new location.&nbsp;



By contrast, cats showed no surprise when a familiar cat was apparently teleported to a new location. They were surprised, however, when hearing the “meow” sound of a different cat from a different location.&nbsp; Cats are solitary organisms that are interested in the presence of other conspecifics mostly in terms of fighting them off their territory or mating with them. This explains the behavioral response under these experimental conditions.&nbsp;



Cats exposed to non-social, electronic sounds registered no surprise at all when the sounds moved inexplicably to a new location.&nbsp;



The findings, published today in the journal <a href="https://plos.org/">PLOS</a>, support the idea that cats mentally map their owner’s location from voice cues and are surprised when the owner turns up inexplicably in a different location. This corresponds with previous studies showing that cats can form mental images of objects that they have seen but subsequently become hidden from them.&nbsp;



The study authors conclude that forming mental representations of the outside world, and then manipulating those representations flexibly, is an important feature of complex thinking and a fundamental aspect of cognition. They state that continuing comparative research on this ability can help shed light on how intelligence has evolved in various species, and the potential influence of ecological factors.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cats mentally track their owners based on sound

Cats have very sensitive ears and often respond to the...

Scientists have long known that bad weather can make <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/migratory-birds-can-change-their-restless-ways/">migratory birds</a> disoriented during their annual fall migrations, causing them to wind up in territories they are not accustomed to (a phenomenon called “vagrancy”). However, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/">University of California, Los Angeles</a> (UCLA) has now found that disturbances to the Earth’s magnetic field can also lead birds astray even in perfect weather, and particularly during fall migrations.



With North America’s bird populations steadily declining, discovering the causes of vagrancy could help scientists clarify the threats birds currently face and how they adapt to those threats. For instance, birds winding up in unfamiliar territory may not find food or suitable habitats, and might die as a result. On the other hand, vagrancy could also turn beneficial sometimes, such as for birds whose traditional habitats become inhospitable due to climate change, and accidentally reach better suited geographic regions.



By comparing data from 2.2 million birds from 152 species that were captured and released between 1960 and 2019 with historic records of geomagnetic disturbances and solar activity, the researchers found that, since birds can sense magnetic fields using magnetoreceptors in their eyes, they are often affected by such disturbances.



“There’s increasing evidence that birds can actually see geomagnetic fields,” said study senior author Morgan Tingley, an associate professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA. “In familiar areas, birds may navigate by geography, but in some situations it’s easier to use geomagnetism.”



However, when the geomagnetic field is disrupted by, for instance, solar flares or sunspots, birds’ ability to use their magnetoreceptors can be impaired. “If the geomagnetic field experiences disturbance, it’s like using a distorted map that sends the birds off course,” Tingley&nbsp;explained.



The analysis revealed that the closest connection between vagrancy and geomagnetic disturbances occurred during fall migrations, and affected the navigation of both younger and older birds, suggesting that birds rely on geomagnetism regardless of their level of migration experience.&nbsp;



Moreover, although the scientists expected that geomagnetic disturbances linked to higher solar activity would be associated with the most vagrancy, the evidence showed that solar activity actually reduced the incidence of vagrancy. One possible explanation of this surprising phenomenon is that radiofrequency activity generated by solar disturbances could make birds’ magnetoreceptors unusable, thus forcing them to navigate by other cues instead.&nbsp;



“We think the combination of high solar activity and geomagnetic disturbance leads to either a pause in migration or a switch to other cues during fall migration. Interestingly, birds that migrate during the day were generally exceptions to this rule - they were more affected by solar activity,” concluded lead author Benjamin Tonelli, a PhD student at UCLA.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-26586-0">Nature Scientific Reports</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Magnetic field disturbances can lead migratory birds astray

Scientists have long known that bad weather can make migratory...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> (UT) has provided a first glimpse into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-were-going-strong-when-the-deadly-asteroid-struck/">dinosaur</a> and bird diversity in Patagonia during the Late Cretaceous, before the asteroid strike that wiped-out all the non-avian dinosaurs. The fossils the experts discovered and analyzed represent the first record of theropods – a group of dinosaurs including both modern birds and their non-avian dinosaur relatives – from the Chilean areas of Patagonia. The findings include both giant megaraptors and birds from the group that nowadays includes most modern avian species.



“The fauna of Patagonia leading up to the mass extinction was really diverse,” said study lead author Sarah Davis, who completed this research as part of her doctoral studies in Geosciences at UT. “You’ve got your large theropod carnivores and smaller carnivores as well as these bird groups coexisting alongside other reptiles and small mammals.”



The scientists focused specifically on theropods, with fossils dating from 75 to 66 million years ago. The analysis revealed that in prehistoric Patagonia, two groups of predatory theropods - megaraptors and unenlagiines – were found. While megaraptors reached over 25 feet in length and were among the largest animals in that region, the unelagiines ranged from chicken-size to over ten feet tall and were likely covered in feathers like their close relatives, the velociraptors.



The bird fossils the scientists discovered were also from two different groups - enantiornithines and ornithurines. The former (resembling sparrows but with beaks with teeth) had once been the most abundant birds on Earth, but are now extinct. By contrast, the latter include all modern birds living today.



Some previous studies suggested that the Southern Hemisphere may have faced less extreme or more gradual climatic changes after the asteroid struck 66 million years ago, thus making Patagonia and other regions a refuge for animals that survived the extinction. The new findings could help in investigating this theory by constructing a record of prehistoric life before and after the mass extinction event.



“We still need to know how life made its way in that apocalyptic scenario and gave rise to our southern environments in South America, New Zealand, and Australia,” said co-author Marcelo Leppe, the director of the <a href="https://www.inach.cl/inach/">Chilean Antarctic Institute</a>. “Here theropods are still present — no longer as dinosaurs as imposing as megaraptorids — but as the diverse array of birds found in the forests, swamps, and marshes of Patagonia, and in Antarctica and Australia.”&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2022.104163">Journal of South American Earth Sciences</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Fossils highlight dinosaur diversity in prehistoric Patagonia

A new study led by the University of Texas at...

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are considered to be one of the most contaminated cetacean species in the world. Being apex predators and capable of long-range migrations across oceans, these mammals consume prey from many locations in the world. Since toxins are often accumulated up the food chain, killer whale tissues may be a resting place for toxins that have entered the marine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-connect-with-the-environment-through-story-writing/">environment</a>, and its organisms, from human activities.&nbsp;



The authors of a new research study, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c04126">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a>, state that the potential health implications of selected ‘contaminants of emerging concern’ (CECs) and new persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in endangered Southern Resident and threatened Bigg’s (Transient) killer whales in the Northeastern Pacific (NEP) have not yet been documented. They set out to analyze samples of muscle and liver tissue from six individuals of each of these populations that were been stranded on the coast of British Colombia, Canada, between 2006 and 2018.



The researchers discovered that the whale tissue contained an array of chemical pollutants. The most prevalent were the CEC’s known as alkylphenols and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).&nbsp;



Just under half of the total pollutant load identified was derived from a substance called 4-nonylphenol or 4NP. &nbsp;This compound is used in the processing of pulp and paper, as well as in the production of soap, detergents and textiles. It can leak into the ocean via sewage treatment plants and industrial runoffs, where it is ingested by smaller organisms and moves up the food chain to reach top predators such as killer whales. The substance is listed as toxic in Canada, and can interact with the nervous system and influence cognitive function.&nbsp;



“This research is a wake-up call. Southern residents are an endangered population [of killer whales] and it could be that contaminants are contributing to their population decline. We can’t wait to protect this species,” said co-author Dr. Juan José Alava, principal investigator of the ocean pollution research unit at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF).



4NP is a CEC, which means it is a pollutant found in the environment that has, as yet, not been well studied. Because its effects are not yet understood, its use is not strictly regulated or monitored. “Very little is known of both the prevalence and health implications of 4NP as it has been studied in few marine mammals. This study is the first to find 4NP in killer whales,” said first author Kiah Lee, who undertook the research as an undergraduate at the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Colombia</a>.



“This investigation is another example of an approach that takes into account the health of people, animals and the environment, using killer whales as a case study to better understand the potential impacts of these and other compounds on animal and ecosystem health,” said study co-author Dr. Stephen Raverty, IOF adjunct professor and veterinary pathologist with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food.



The remaining 54 percent of pollutants identified in the killer whale tissues belong to a group of compounds known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they persist in the environment. They are widely used in food-packaging materials, stain and water-repellent fabrics, cookware, and fire extinguishers. Many are listed as new persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These substances are toxic and are released into the environment through human activities, thus adversely affecting the health of humans and animals. Many of them are banned in Canada.



The most common pollutant from this group, present in the whale tissue, was 7:3-fluorotelomer carboxylic acid, or 7:3 FTCA. There are currently no restrictions on the production or use of 7:3 FTCA, but one of its potential parent chemicals is on a list of toxic substances proposed to be recognized as a new POP by the European Chemical Agency, under an international agreement, the Stockholm Convention, on POPs.



“This compound has not been found in B.C. before and it was found in killer whales, which are top predators. That means the contaminants are making their way through the food system,” said Dr. Alava.



In a further aspect of the current research, the scientists analyzed the pollutant content of tissues in a fetus found in one of the dead southern resident females. They found that all the pollutants present in the mother’s tissues were also present in the fetus, implying that all of these compounds are transferred across the placenta. Maternal transfer ratios indicated that 4NP was the most easily transferred contaminant, with a maternal transfer rate as high as 95.1 percent.&nbsp;



The study authors said that although too few killer whales have been screened for CECs and new POPs to infer the magnitude of contamination impact, these results raise concerns regarding pathological implications and potential impacts on fetal development and production of a viable neonate.



The experts encourage governments to help protect the endangered southern resident killer whales, and other marine life, by halting production of the chemicals of concern, including 4NP, and emerging POPs like 7:3 FTCA, as well as identifying and addressing potential sources of marine pollution in B.C. and Canada.



It's not just the killer whales that are affected, said Dr. Alava. “We are mammals, we eat Pacific salmon as well, so we need to think about how this could affect our health as well as other seafood that we consume.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Toxin from toilet paper production found in killer whales

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are considered to be one of...

Tyrannosaurus Rex, a fierce predator that lived in the Cretaceous Period (83.6 to 66 million years ago) has long been thought to be a big, dimwitted brute. However, according to a new study led by <a href="https://www.vanderbilt.edu/">Vanderbilt University</a>, T. rex may have been much smarter than scientists previously believed it to be. In fact, this creature’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/habitual-social-media-checking-affects-adolescent-brain-development/">brain</a> has likely contained enough neurons to potentially allow it to solve complex problems and even form cultures.



“What if the asteroid [which wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago] hadn’t happened? That’s a whole other world that would have been terrifying,” said study author Suzana Herculano-Houzel, a neuroscientist and biologist at Vanderbilt.



Since the soft tissues that make up dinosaurs’ gray matter has not been conserved, Herculano-Houzel looked at T. rex’s bony brain case and compared it to the skeleton of its living relatives: birds. Extrapolating from an examination of the brains of emus and ostriches, she estimated that T. rex’s cerebrum had as many as three billion neurons, which is comparable to a baboon’s brain. In such a case, the dinosaur may have been able to use tools and even pass down acquired knowledge through generations.



Thus, while prior research argued that T. rex was a solitary, dumb beast, these new findings suggest that it may have been a clever social animal working in packs. This is confirmed by other studies that found mass burial sites in Utah and Montana, indicating that the carnivores moved in groups like wolves, as well as by the discovery of other fossils of male therapods guarding clutches of eggs (a social behavior frequently seen in modern birds).&nbsp;



Herculano-Houzel’s investigations hinge on treating theropods as a separate, warm-blooded group of dinosaurs – which may even have had feathers - instead of lumping T. rex and its relatives with all the rest of the dinosaurs. However, further research is needed to unearth more evidence of T. rex’s rich cognitive and social capacities.



“If they were hunters, maybe you find evidence of them hunting in groups, using some sort of social communication,” Herculano-Houzel concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.25453">Journal of Comparative Neurology</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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T. rex may have had brains and brawn

Tyrannosaurus Rex, a fierce predator that lived in the Cretaceous...

The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) is found on the main islands of Japan, except Hokkaido, and is the most northerly occurring non-human primate in the world. In addition, in parts of its range it inhabits sub-alpine regions&nbsp;of the Japanese Alps (elevation 1500–1600&nbsp;m), which become extremely cold and harsh during winters. Since the monkeys have little access to their preferred diet of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fruits-and-vegetables-can-reduce-adhd-symptoms/">fruits</a>, seeds, flowers and leaves when snow covers the ground, scientists have wondered what they eat in order to survive.



Previous research involving the DNA analysis of fecal samples from macaques living in Chubu Sangaku National Park during winter revealed evidence not only of the bark and leaves of bamboo (that stand out above the snow), but also of freshwater fish, mollusks and aquatic arthropods. It is very rare for monkeys to eat fish, unless the fish are dead or dying, trapped in receding pools. A research team led by scientists from <a href="https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/english/">Shinshu University</a> therefore decided to investigate how and where the macaques are catching fish to supplement their winter diet.&nbsp;



Between mid- and late January, 2022, the researchers entered the Kamikochi area of the Chubu Sangaku National Park in the Japanese Alps on a daily basis. They located troops of monkeys by tracking their footprints in the snow, and then followed them and observed their behavior along the Azusa River. The team used several cameras, including a shoulder-mount camcorder, to record macaque behavior. In this way, they followed three different troops of macaques, one for five days, one for four days and one for three days.&nbsp;



In addition, 12 infrared sensor cameras were set up as trail camera traps to record macaque behavior, for two months from the end of January 2022. The cameras were positioned in three areas – a small wetland and two small, spring-fed streams. The cameras recorded 1,122 instances of macaque behavior, with each recording lasting one minute. The researchers analyzed all photographic footage and divided the different behaviors into categories.&nbsp;



The results, published in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23799-1">Scientific Reports</a>, identified 14 cases of macaques hunting for actively swimming fish, and then consuming them. Their behavior along the river also included grabbing drifting invertebrates from the surface of the water, turning over pebbles and capturing food from beneath, and feeding on riverine plants. When fishing, a monkey commonly chased a fish into shallow water, where it attempted to hide between the rocks. The monkey then held the fish down in the stream with both hands and grabbed it with the mouth.&nbsp;



The river and associated small streams are supplied with warmer water from many groundwater springs and active volcanoes in the area, such that their waters keep a stable temperature of around 5–6&nbsp;°C, despite the snow and cold conditions. The streams thus flow throughout the winter and are accessible to the monkeys.&nbsp;



The catching and feeding behavior recorded in this study appears to be an extension of existing, documented behaviors of feeding on vegetation that grows above the surface of the snow, as well as on aquatic plant matter. These types of vegetation also often carry insects, a food source that is readily utilized by the macaques. The streams containing aquatic plants are also home to many cold-water salmonids, so it is a small step for the macaques to transition from locating insects in streams to locating fish.&nbsp;



“Video analysis has also shown that, during these behaviors, when the fish are nearby, [the monkeys’] attention is diverted to the fish. We interpreted this sequence of behavior as a pre-adaptation to fish-eating, and that fish-eating behavior may have evolved through these several stages,” said Masaki Takenaka and Koji Tojo, both from the Department of Biology at Shinshu University.



These “pre-adaptations” are the proposed mechanism for the evolution of the novel fish-hunting and eating behaviors observed, hypothesize the authors. They state that the macaques do not choose to eat fish as a preferred food source, but pressures brought about by the harsh winter conditions and the shortage of other suitable foods make this unique fishing behavior a matter of survival.&nbsp;



The researchers now wish to investigate how the fishing behavior is spread between members of the macaque group. Not all of them hunt for fish, or accept fish as a food, as evidenced by the fact that only 20 percent of fecal samples over three winters contained DNA from brown trout.&nbsp;



“Having obtained evidence that Japanese macaques in the Kamikochi area catch and eat live fish, the next step for us in this research was to investigate how these fish-eating behaviors spread within the macaque group," said Tojo. "Is it genetic? Is it a kind of culture that can be transmitted within the group?”&nbsp;



Now, after identifying 200 individuals across four distinct groups, Tojo and the team seek to identify relationships based on these individuals and their fish-seeking (or fish-avoidance) behavior, to see how it may be passed on to other individuals in the group and to future generations.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Japanese snow monkeys have learned to fish for food

The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) is found on the main...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a> has found that fishes living in the deeper parts of the oceans (below 200 meters depth in the water column) would most likely decrease in size as the climate continues to warm. According to the experts, this change may have major ecological effects, impacting a variety of marine ecosystems.



The scientists retrieved <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/as-oceans-warm-up-smaller-species-of-fish-will-dominate/">fish</a> otoliths – small stones located in the inner ear of bony fishes which facilitates their sound and balance perception – from sedimentary formations dating between 800 and 700 thousand years ago from the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. The morphology of these body structures is particular to each fish species, and their size directly reflects the size of the individual fish they come from, thus allowing researchers to get an idea of fish sizes in past fish faunas.



“Thanks to the otolith analysis we have found that fishes during the interglacial period were smaller in size by 35 percent, when the global temperature had increased by 4°C, which could happen again nowadays due to the ocean warming,” explained study lead author Konstantina Agiadi, a geoscientist and paleontologist at the University of Vienna.



This study is one of the first to address the consequences of climate change on the deeper parts of the oceans – the so-called “mesopelagic zone” (200 to 1000 meters deep). The researchers focused on changes in lanternfishes, a group of tiny mesopelagic fishes named for their capacity to produce their own light.&nbsp;



Currently, lanternfishes are major contributors to the biological carbon pump, a natural mechanism reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. After phytoplanktonic organisms absorb CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, each night lanternfishes travel hundreds of meters upward to the ocean surface and return to the mesopelagic zone, bringing massive amounts of carbon from the surface to the depths of the ocean. Moreover, these fishes make up more than half the fish biomass in the deep sea, and over 100 times more than the total global annual fishery catches.



“Knowing the response of these organisms to ocean warming is key, since they contribute to ecosystem stability, reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, and are a huge food resource for other organisms in the marine food web,” concluded study co-author Marta Coll, a researcher at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.icm.csic.es/en">Institut de Ciències del Mar</a>&nbsp;(ICM-CSIC) in Barcelona.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1994">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Deep ocean fishes will get smaller as the water warms

A new study led by the University of Vienna has...

Recently, there have been growing concerns in the scientific community that anthropogenic noise has a number of damaging effects on wildlife in urban environments. Anthropogenic noise contains a wide range of frequencies, types of sounds (such as those from traffic), and varying amplitudes, including sounds with rapid onset times which can be startling.



Although previous studies have argued that noise pollution can affect cognitive performance in many animal species, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-have-some-impressive-cognitive-skills/">songbirds</a>, a new study led by <a href="https://www.fau.edu/">Florida Atlantic University</a> is the first to test whether exposure to urban noise affects also the coloration of these birds’ beaks.



The scientists focused on zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a species of songbirds in which males have a colorful plumage of white, black, gray, brown, and orange, while females are all gray. In addition, males have bright red beaks and females have orange beaks. This beak ornamentation is a social signal and a secondary sexual trait which can signal a male’s quality and affect females’ mate preference, while also affecting dominance hierarchies in male zebra finches.



The researchers conducted two separate experiments to investigate the effects of anthropogenic noise on cognition, growth, and beak coloration in these songbirds. In the first experiment, they tested adult zebra finches on a variety of cognition assays during exposure to playbacks of urban noise versus exposure to other types of natural sounds. In the second experiment, the experts measured the cognitive performance on adult zebra finches after raising them with consistent exposure to urban noise.&nbsp;



Afterward, the team compared the birds' performance to that of birds exposed to “pink noise” (a type of noise control) or to normal sounds of the aviary. Moreover, the researchers tracked their growth and development of beak coloration during the first 90 days of the birds’ lives.



The analysis revealed that exposure to urban noise caused the birds to take longer to learn novel foraging tasks and association-learning tasks. Although exposure to such sounds did not seem to affect growth rate or adult body size, males tended to develop less bright beak coloration, while females developed beaks with brighter, orange coloration.



“Our finding suggest that urban noise exposure may affect morphological traits, such as beak color, which influence social interactions and mate choice,”&nbsp;said study senior author Rindy C. Anderson, an associate professor of Biology at FAU. “However, the mechanisms by which noise affects beak ornamentation remain unclear. If traffic noise raises corticosterone levels and corticosterone levels affect beak color, then it is possible that stress is mediating the effects of noise exposure on beak ornamentation.”



“Further research should investigate the effects of beak ornamentation on social hierarchies and mate selection in urban environments, and test whether social interaction in noisy environments can ameliorate negative effects from urban noise on traits such as problem-solving and neophobia or fear of new things,”&nbsp;she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10211-022-00406-0">Acta ethologica</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Urban noise affects the color of songbirds’ beaks

Recently, there have been growing concerns in the scientific community...

For a long time, scientists have used to associate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-are-more-aware-of-actions-than-objects/">dogs</a>’ aggressiveness solely with breed. However, a paradigm shift has occurred over the past decade, due to research linking behavioral profiles to factors such as dogs’ sex, age, metabolism, and hormonal patterns.&nbsp;



Now, based on a survey of 665 dog owners detailing the physical and behavioral features of their pet dogs, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www5.usp.br/">University of São Paulo</a> (USP) in Brazil has investigated how morphological, environmental, and social factors modulate canine aggressiveness.



The scientists found that aggressiveness was influenced both by physical traits such as weight and skull morphology, and by social and environmental factors like the type of household the dogs lived in, the animals’ life histories, and the owner’s gender and age. These findings confirmed the hypothesis that behavior is not only learned or influenced by genetics but also the outcome of interactions with the environment.



“The results highlight something we’ve been studying for some time: behavior emerges from interaction between the animal and its context. The environment and the owner-pet relationship, as well as morphology, are all factors that influence how pets interact with us and how we interact with them,” said study senior author Briseida de Resende, a professor of Psychology at USP.



“The owner’s gender was found to be a good predictor of behavior toward strangers, in that absence of aggressiveness was 73 percent more frequent among women’s dogs,” reported lead author Flávio Ayrosa, a psychologist at the same university.&nbsp;



Moreover, the dogs’ sex and snout characteristics also appeared to influence their aggressiveness. “The likelihood of aggressive behavior toward the owner was 40 percent lower among female dogs than among males,” Ayrosa said.&nbsp;



“Snout length was even more significant: aggressiveness toward the owner was 79 percent more likely among brachycephalic [dogs with short snouts] than mesocephalic dogs [characterized by a longer snout].”&nbsp;



In addition, the researchers also discovered that the heavier the dog, the less likely it was to display aggressiveness toward its owner, with aggressive behavior decreasing by three percent per extra kilogram of body mass.



However, the scientists stressed that the owner-related findings are not necessarily cause-and-effect correlations.&nbsp;



“We found relationships, but it’s impossible to say which comes first. In the case of the factor ‘walking the dog,’ for example, it may be that people walked their dog less because the animal was aggressive, or the dog may have become aggressive because the owner didn’t take it out enough,” Ayrosa explained.&nbsp;



“Traits such as weight, height, cranial morphology, sex, and age influence the interaction between dogs and their environment. They may spend more time inside the home because of them, for example.”&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105766">Applied Animal Behavior Science</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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What factors predict aggressiveness in dogs?

For a long time, scientists have used to associate dogs’...

According to a new study led by <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a>, when it comes to preserving coral reefs, what is going on above the water surface is as important as what is going on below it. By analyzing the productivity and biodiversity of the world’s symbiotic coral communities, the experts found that the maintenance of water optical quality in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-can-survive-if-given-the-chance-to-evolve/">coral reefs</a> is crucial to protect them and prevent reef degradation.



“Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth,” said study lead author Tomás López-Londoño, a postdoctoral fellow in Marine Sciences at Penn State. “To better understand that diversity, we looked at the role sunlight plays in the symbiotic relationship between coral and the algae that provide the oxygen for its survival. We found that underwater light intensity plays a critical role in the energy expended by the coral’s symbiotic algae to maintain its photosynthetic activity.”



Scientists have long known that sunlight is a major source of energy for basically all biochemical reactions that sustain life on our planet. Yet, sunlight’s impact on corals has often been overlooked. “What’s new here is we developed a model that provides a mechanistic explanation for the biodiversity patterns in coral,” López-Londoño explained.&nbsp;



“Central to that explanation is water clarity, meaning that preserving the underwater light climate should be a priority for coral reef conservation. It’s as vital as pollution mitigation, limiting ocean acidification, and reducing thermal stress.”



By studying coral grown in an aquarium at different depths and gradations of sunlight, the researchers developed a mathematical model describing the connection between the depth-dependent variation in photosynthetic energy to corals and gradients of species diversity. Then, they tested this model on existent data about reefs in contrasting water clarity, and discovered that much of the variation in species richness with depth is driven by changes in exposure to sunlight.



“The model is very elegant in that it takes into consideration only two things,” said study senior author Roberto Iglesias-Prieto, a professor of Biology at Penn State. “It looks at productivity, the potential that an alga has to extract energy from the sun, and the cost of living, the cost of the repair of the photosynthetic machinery. It’s a very simple notion and we found it explains the existing empirical data.”



The results suggest that highly productive underwater environments with plentiful access to sunlight may be a vital safeguard against the risk of species extinction. Moreover, the findings offer a new strategy for reef conservation: preserving the clarity of water. Local communities could be actively involved in this by reducing the sedimentation and pollution associated with human development.&nbsp;



“Unlike so much of the environmental threats that corals face, this is something that can and should be managed locally,” Iglesias-Prieto concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25094-5">Nature Scientific Reports</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Access to sunlight is critical for the survival of coral reefs

According to a new study led by Pennsylvania State University,...

Dolphins are highly intelligent, social mammals that tend to form alliances that rely on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-use-their-tails-more-for-communication-than-movement/">communication</a> between group members. Their underwater calls consist of a series of whistles, that are used to communicate with conspecifics, and clicks that are used in echolocation to identify prey items and objects in their surroundings. The animals are able to carry out cooperative tasks, such as rounding up a school of fish, that depend on successful underwater communication with others in the group.



Given the importance of underwater sound communication to dolphins and other cetaceans, it is natural to be concerned that the increasing noise levels in oceans worldwide could have significant negative impacts on the successful functioning of these animal. Ocean bed drilling, the establishment of offshore wind turbines, and increasing shipping traffic all produce underwater noise that is potentially disruptive.&nbsp;



Previous studies have found that animals from several different taxa, including mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates, respond to increased noise levels in their environments and may adopt mitigation strategies such as modifying the frequency, amplitude and duration of their calls, orientating themselves to minimize the interference from the noise source, or even moving to an entirely different area.&nbsp;



However, little is known about how successful these compensatory mechanisms are at overcoming the impacts of noise disturbance when individuals are actively working together.&nbsp;



A new experimental study by scientists from the University of Bristol, U.K., Syracuse University in New York, The Dolphin Research Center in Florida, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts has now tested whether the ability of two dolphins (living in human care) to solve a cooperative task is impacted by the presence of anthropogenic noise at different intensities. The results are published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.063">Current Biology</a>.



The two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiop struncatus.), known as Delta and Reece, had previously been trained to carry out a cooperative task that required them to understand the role their partner must play in the task, and use the sound of whistles to coordinate their behavior with extreme precision. The task required both dolphins to swim to their own stations at opposite ends of a pool. There, they had to press their own underwater button simultaneously with the other dolphin, or within a one-second time window.&nbsp;



The two dolphins were equipped with suction-cup sound recorders to document their vocalizations as they carried out the task. During each of the 200 trials, the dolphins were released from a starting point but, for certain trials, one of the dolphins was held back for five to ten seconds while the other was released immediately to swim to its underwater button. In the delayed-release trials, the dolphins had to rely solely on vocal communication to coordinate the button press with precision.



At the same time, the researchers chose five different noise-level categories. These were ambient noise level, and low, medium, high and very high noise treatments.&nbsp; A total of 20 trials was carried out at each noise level. The noise levels corresponded to 115 dB, 119 dB, 126 dB, 135 dB and 150 dB respectively, as recorded adjacent to each dolphin’s underwater button.



The researchers found that Delta and Reece were able to coordinate their button-pushing to within one second of each other in 85 percent of trials at the ambient (lowest) noise level. As the levels of noise played from an underwater speaker increased, both dolphins compensated by increasing the volume and duration of their whistles. Reese’s whistles were on average 1.85 times longer in the highest noise exposure trials than in the ambient noise trials, and Delta’s whistles were on average 1.66 times longer in the very high noise trials than in the ambient noise trials.



In addition to “shouting” louder and longer, the dolphins also changed their body positions to face each other more often, and swam to the other side of the pool to be closer to one another. Despite these strategies to help them cope with the loud noise, they were only able to achieve a success rate of 62.5 percent in trials at the highest noise level.&nbsp;



“This shows us that, despite them using these compensatory mechanisms, their communication was impaired by noise,” explained study first author Pernille Sørensen of the University of Bristol. “Our work shows that, despite their attempts to compensate, despite being highly motivated and the fact that they know this cooperative task so well, the noise still impaired their ability to successfully coordinate.”



“Those same reasons that make sound so advantageous for animals to use also make them susceptible to disturbance from noise in the environment,” said Sørensen. “Within the last couple of decades, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in human-made noise, and noise pollution in the oceans is no exception.”



While this research was conducted with dolphins living in human care, human-generated noise can potentially have detrimental effects on wild dolphins, too. “If groups of animals in the wild are, for example, less efficient at foraging cooperatively, then this will negatively impact individual health, which ultimately impacts population health,” said study co-author Stephanie King, associate professor at the University of Bristol.



“Our work shows that these adjustments are not necessarily enough to overcome the negative effects of noise on communication between individuals,” said Professor King. Since dolphins rely on their communication skills to successfully hunt and reproduce, noise levels can affect their behaviors, which in turn affect population health.



“This collaboration with international colleagues at the Dolphin Research Center provided us with a unique opportunity to investigate the impact of noise on animals working together in a controlled setting, something that is almost impossible to do in the wild,” said Sørensen. To study this in the wild, the researchers would need further understanding of when animals are actively working together and how cooperative behavior is coordinated. “Our results clearly show the need to account for how noise affects group tasks in wild animals."



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Dolphins must "shout" over underwater noise to communicate

Dolphins are highly intelligent, social mammals that tend to form...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</a> has developed a new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-can-help-predict-ecosystem-changes-when-animals-are-reintroduced/">DNA</a>-collection method that allows scientists to capture genetic information from wildlife without disturbing the animals or putting their own lives into jeopardy. The experts tested this protocol on elephant dung and managed to collect enough DNA to sequence the whole genomes not only of the elephants, but also of the microbes, plants, and other organisms associated to them.



“We combined existing methodologies in such a way that we are now able to use noninvasive samples to generate genome-scale data,” said&nbsp;study lead author Alida de Flamingh, a postdoctoral researcher in Genetics and Ecology at Illinois. “This allows us to assess wildlife populations without having to dart, capture, or immobilize animals.”



According to study co-author Alfred Roca, a professor of Animal Sciences at the same university, collecting DNA from animal dung is not something new. “Elephant fecal samples have been used for decades to study the genetics of elephants,” he said. “But this relies on very cumbersome methods, often involving chemicals that in some cases may be dangerous. The collections are bulky, they’re hard to ship and they have to be refrigerated, making the whole process very costly.”



Now, the researchers tested a less expensive alternative: using small data-collection cards that have previously been treated to prevent the samples from degrading, allowing to store them for months without refrigeration.



First, the scientists collected and analyzed samples from zoo elephants to determine how long after defecation the fecal samples would still yield viable genomic data. The analysis revealed that even after 72 hours, the samples could be reliably used for genomic sequencing. In a next step, the team tested this procedure on samples collected from wild African savanna elephants. The sequencing led to treasure trove of information.



“I was surprised. I thought we might get some elephant DNA from the cards, but I was thinking on the order of two percent. However, on average, more than 12 percent of the DNA was attributed to the elephant,” Roca reported.&nbsp;



Since this was achieved without using costly and time-consuming laboratory methods that target only elephant DNA, each sample yielded a vast amount of information not only about the elephants, but also the microbial composition of their guts, their habitat, and diet.



“It’s really beneficial to get an idea of everything that’s in there because now you can start asking questions, not only about elephant genomes but also about things like their health, their diet and whether there are pathogens or parasites present,” de Flamingh explained.



According to the researchers, when it comes to elephant genomes, the results are comparable with – or even better than - those obtained from blood samples. “You can explore the connectivity of different elephant populations, the level of genetic diversity, the level of inbreeding and relatedness among elephants. And I would say there are lots of reasons you don’t want to have to collect blood samples from wild elephants,” Roca said.



“It’s possible to do what you could do with blood, but it goes beyond that. You now can do analyses that you couldn’t do before with blood DNA, which only provides information about the elephant’s genome,” de Flamingh concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.1021004">Frontiers in Genetics</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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New DNA-collection method is harmless to wildlife

A team of researchers led by the University of Illinois...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



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Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



Rising sea levels pose one of the biggest societal threats associated with climate change. According to ESA, satellite altimeter missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 are essential in monitoring global and regional changes in sea level.



"Unbeknown to many, the island of Crete, Greece, plays an important role in the Copernicus satellite altimetry constellation and on an international stage," reports ESA.



"Satellite altimetry data have to be continuously monitored at the ESA’s Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration where different techniques have pioneered the use of transponders to provide the best measurements to validate satellite altimeters in space soon after launch."



Dr. Craig Donlon explains that, by understanding planet Earth through satellite measurements, we are able to find evidence of change.&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Satellites have become essential to our survival

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...