Recreational activities on mountain trails are pushing large carnivores like grizzly bears and wolves away from their native habitats, even when those trails lie hundreds of meters from where the animals roam.&nbsp;



A new study from the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/en/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Alberta</a> highlights the need for improved land management practices that allow people and wildlife to peacefully coexist. 



This issue is particularly pressing in the Bow River Valley, long recognized as a natural corridor linking the prairies to the Continental Divide.



Over the past 15 years, a team of researchers led by Peter Thompson set up camera traps at more than 1,600 sites in the Bow River Valley and surrounding areas. 



These traps were in place between 2007 and 2022, capturing over a million images of humans and tens of thousands of images of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grizzly-bears-help-huckleberries-thrive-in-a-changing-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">grizzly bears</a> and wolves.



The scientists then used statistical models to assess the relationship between human activity and carnivore presence on the landscape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-recreation-and-large-carnivores-nbsp">Human recreation and large carnivores&nbsp;</h2>



Upon examining the images and activity patterns, the researchers discovered a significant disturbance effect from busy trails, extending far beyond the immediate path.&nbsp;



The results showed that wolves and bears did not merely avoid the immediate vicinity of high-traffic areas; they stayed away from locations hundreds of meters away as well.



Thompson, formerly a postdoctoral fellow with Colleen Cassady St. Clair in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, is now a postdoctoral fellow at <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simon Fraser University</a>.



“We initially thought bears might use hiking trails as efficient routes when humans weren’t around, but they actually avoid these areas altogether,” said Thompson.



“Our results show that human recreation has significant effects on wildlife, substantially influencing their behaviour even hundreds of meters away from the trail.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-widespread-displacement-of-large-carnivores-nbsp">Widespread displacement of large carnivores&nbsp;</h2>



For grizzly bears, half of the displacement effect from high-use trails remained in effect up to 300 meters from the trail. For wolves, this displacement was observed up to 600 meters away. Thompson noted that the phenomenon is considerably more extensive than was previously believed.



“When trails become busier, people may not realize the extent to which they are disrupting wildlife movement and habitat security,” Thompson added.&nbsp;



This finding demonstrates that outdoor enthusiasts using high-traffic trails, especially in popular regions, could unknowingly be displacing wolves and bears from substantial parts of their natural habitat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-effects-of-recreation-on-wolves-nbsp">Effects of recreation on wolves&nbsp;</h2>



While grizzly bears are visibly impacted by busy trails, the displacement effect was even more pronounced for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gray-wolves-are-a-crucial-component-of-the-american-west/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wolves</a>. Their avoidance of human activity at distances of up to 600 meters likely relates to their year-round activity cycle, which intersects with winter recreation such as skiing and snowmobiling.&nbsp;



This further highlights how multiple forms of recreation can compound the stress on top predators.



“Wolves are even more affected by human recreation than grizzly bears, and they are active year-round, coinciding with winter recreational activities,” said St. Clair, Thompson’s former supervisor.&nbsp;



“This research highlights the critical need to manage human use in a way that allows people to share the landscape with these wary predators.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mitigating-the-impacts-on-large-carnivores-nbsp">Mitigating the impacts on large carnivores&nbsp;</h2>



The Bow River Valley is particularly significant for wildlife, functioning as a key passageway for many species.&nbsp;



Shifts in animal movement due to human traffic on trails could compromise the valley’s role as a corridor for genetic exchange and resource access.&nbsp;



If large carnivores are consistently deterred from these areas, the consequences could include altered feeding patterns, reduced breeding success, and changes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/danger-zones-climate-change-is-altering-predator-prey-dynamics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predator-prey dynamics</a>.



Land managers in this region may consider strategies such as creating buffer zones, limiting trail access during peak activity times, or issuing guidelines that reduce disturbance in critical wildlife areas.&nbsp;



Such steps might help maintain the valley’s ecological function and ensure that grizzlies, wolves, and other species can continue to move freely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-need-for-thoughtful-recreation-planning">Need for thoughtful recreation planning</h2>



The paper’s authors emphasize that as recreational use of mountain trails grows, the effects on wildlife will likewise increase.&nbsp;



Raising awareness about how trail use displaces animals, even far from the trail itself, could encourage more responsible behavior among outdoor enthusiasts.&nbsp;



Measures such as seasonal trail closures, visitor education programs, and designated wildlife corridors could help minimize the disruption to grizzly bears, wolves, and other sensitive species.



The findings in the Bow River Valley also reflect broader challenges faced worldwide as conservation areas strive to balance human recreation with wildlife protection.&nbsp;



By taking preemptive steps - whether through trail design, user quotas, or educational outreach - policymakers and conservation managers can better safeguard critical habitats for large carnivores and foster a more harmonious coexistence between people and nature.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reevaluating-our-use-of-mountain-trails-nbsp">Reevaluating our use of mountain trails&nbsp;</h2>



This study provides actionable insights into how recreational activities influence the distribution and well-being of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/apex-predators-can-help-restore-ecosystems-but-not-immediately/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">apex predators</a>.&nbsp;



With wolves and bears essential to ecosystem balance, preventing their displacement has ecological significance beyond individual species.&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to Thompson, these results show that human recreation has significant effects on wildlife, and these findings are a call to reevaluate how we manage and use mountain trails.&nbsp;



Through careful planning and targeted conservation efforts, there is hope that humans and large carnivores can continue to share these magnificent landscapes for generations to come.



The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14837" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.



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Mountain recreation displaces large carnivores from their habitats

Recreational activities on mountain trails are pushing large carnivores like grizzly bears and wolves away from their native habitats, even when those trails lie hundreds of meters from where the animals roam.&nbsp; A new study from the University of Alberta highlights the need for improved land management practices that allow people and wildlife to peacefully coexist. This issue is particularly pressing in the Bow River Valley, long recognized as a natural corridor linking the prairies to the Continental Divide. Over the past 15 years, a team of...

In the animal kingdom, high <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-may-be-linked-to-female-fertility-issues/">fertility</a> and reproductive success usually correspond with a shorter lifespan. Queen ants, on the other hand, are an exception to this rule. In fact, ant queens live 10 to 30 times longer than their genetically identical relatives that do not reproduce. A recent study from the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a> is shedding new light on this phenomenon.



In collaboration with experts at New York University, UF Professor Hua Yan has discovered that ant queens use a dual system to control their insulin. This system allows the queens to enhance both reproduction and lifespan simultaneously.&nbsp;



While the ant queens massively boost their insulin production to promote egg development, their ovaries also produce an insulin blocker that slows down the aging process. “Hopefully this finding allows us to better understand the aging process in many animals,” said Professor Yan, who also studies how ants communicate with pheromones to organize their society.



There are questions that remain about whether humans and other mammals could benefit from partially blocking the insulin pathway. For example, calorie restriction slows down insulin production in humans, yet is detrimental to reproduction.



The study, led by NYU researchers Comzit Opachaloemphan and Francisco Carmona-Aldana, was focused on Harpegnathos saltator ants, also known as Indian jumping ants.



When an Indian jumping ant queen dies, the workers duel to determine which ants will become pseudo-queens and reproduce. The new ant queens acquire longer lifespans, but this can be reversed if they are replaced by a true queen.&nbsp;



The researchers set out to investigate how lifespan extension can be switched on and off, and discovered that pseudo-queens produce much more insulin.



“It’s straightforward, the pseudo-queen is reproductive, so they need insulin. But insulin normally shortens lifespan, yet they have much longer lifespan – why? There must be something in the insulin signaling of the ants that differentially regulates reproduction and longevity," explained Professor Yan.



The research team discovered that an insulin blocker, Imp-L2, is produced by the newly active ovaries of the pseudo-queen. This insulin blocker slows down the part of the insulin pathway that is responsible for accelerated aging, and leaves the reproduction-boosting part of the signaling pathway intact.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>.



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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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Ant queens have a secret weapon to slow down aging

In the animal kingdom, high fertility and reproductive success usually...

Many bird species migrate large distances across the globe and this movement is integral to their behavior, survival and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humpback-whale-reproduction-is-linked-to-krill-abundance/">reproduction</a>. It is important to understand where they go, and when, so that effective conservation actions can be implemented, but it is not possible to track millions of birds as they travel from and to locations all over the world. Migratory birds rely on a predictable series of seasonally and regionally varying resources and are thus susceptible to the global changes in climate and weather patterns that are becoming more common.&nbsp;



Although the movement patterns of individual birds can be deduced from the recapture or recovery of ringed or tagged birds, these techniques are labor intensive and cannot be applied to large numbers of birds. In addition, the weight and shape of tracking devices make them unsuitable for most birds to carry, and they are often too costly to be used on more than a handful of individuals.&nbsp;



However, the world is full of avid birdwatchers who enjoy monitoring and reporting the presence of migratory birds. For example, citizen scientists contribute more than 200&nbsp;million annual bird sightings through eBird, a project managed by the <a href="https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/">Cornell Lab of Ornithology</a> and international partners.&nbsp;Datasets such as this provide enormous quantities of data on bird presence on a weekly basis, but do not track individuals birds to the end points of their migrations.&nbsp;



In collaboration with computer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/">Cornell</a> team has now developed a new predictive model using these two different types of data on the movements of migratory birds. In their paper, published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14052">Methods in Ecology and Evolution</a>,&nbsp;the scientists state that their model, called&nbsp;<a href="https://birdflow-science.github.io/">BirdFlow</a>, is capable of forecasting accurately where a migratory bird will go next, one of the most difficult tasks in biology.&nbsp;



“Humans have been trying to figure out bird migration for a really long time,” said study senior author Professor <a href="https://people.cs.umass.edu/~sheldon/?_gl=1*1j0ouo2*_ga*NjkzNDk1MDI0LjE2NTc3NDI2Mzg.*_ga_21RLS0L7EB*MTY3MzAxOTYwNi4yMzQuMS4xNjczMDIxNTk4LjAuMC4w&amp;_ga=2.230912479.1333256184.1672755734-693495024.1657742638">Dan Sheldon</a>, who is a passionate amateur birder. “But, it’s incredibly difficult to get precise, real-time information on which birds are where, let alone where, exactly, they are going," noted study last author Miguel Fuentes.



There have been many efforts, both previous and ongoing, to tag and track individual birds and, although data from this approach has produced important insights, it cannot give a complete picture that can be used to predict bird movements.&nbsp;



“It’s really hard to understand how an entire species moves across the continent with tracking approaches, because they tell you the routes that some birds caught in specific locations followed, but not how birds in completely different locations might move," said Professor Sheldon.



The new model combines data from tagged and ringed birds with the millions of sightings made by bird enthusiasts around the world through eBird. This is one of the largest biodiversity-related science projects in existence. The database comprises over one billion global bird observations, provided by hundreds of thousands of users. It facilitates state-of-the-art species distribution modeling through the Lab’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.ebird.org%2Fen%2Fstatus-and-trends&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cdrmiller%40umass.edu%7C61e2977796c44819ab0e08daf963edf5%7C7bd08b0b33954dc194bbd0b2e56a497f%7C0%7C0%7C638096504997203259%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C2000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=kfJj9kfBa%2FElrpfkC3N3AYBDtLOrS6zB41N6bZIEih8%3D&amp;reserved=0">eBird Status &amp; Trends project</a>.&nbsp;



“eBird data is amazing because it shows where birds of a given species are every week across their entire range, but it doesn’t track individuals, so we need to infer what routes individual birds follow to best explain the species-level patterns," explained Professor Sheldon.



The BirdFlow model draws on eBird’s Status &amp; Trends database and its estimates of relative bird abundance, and then runs that information through a probabilistic machine-learning model. This model is tuned with real-time GPS and satellite tracking data so that it can “learn” to predict where individual birds will move next as they migrate. The model is still being perfected, but should be available to scientists within the year, and will eventually also be accessible to the general public.



The researchers tested BirdFlow on 11 species of North American birds - including the American woodcock, wood thrush and Swainson’s hawk - and found that not only did BirdFlow outperform other models for tracking bird migration, bit it accurately predicted migration flows&nbsp;without&nbsp;the real-time GPS and satellite tracking data, which makes BirdFlow a valuable tool for tracking species that may literally fly under the radar.



The new model allows scientists to monitor bird movements and the ways in which these respond to global changes in climate. In North America alone, an estimated three billion birds have been lost in the last half-century, representing nearly a third of the continent’s avifauna. According to the researchers, the&nbsp;BirdFlow&nbsp;framework has the potential to “boost insights gained from direct tracking studies and serve a number of applied functions in conservation, disease surveillance, aviation and public outreach.”



“Birds today are experiencing rapid environmental change, and many species are declining,” said study co-author&nbsp;<a href="https://bvandoren.com/">Benjamin Van Doren</a>. “Using BirdFlow, we can unite different data sources and paint a more complete picture of bird movements, with exciting applications for guiding conservation action.”



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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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Machine learning may solve the mystery of bird movements

Many bird species migrate large distances across the globe and...

Since 1970, reports of large carnivore attacks on humans have increased. According to a new study published in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001946">PLoS Biology</a>, the frequency and context of these attacks depends on socioeconomic and environmental factors.



Giulia Bombieri of MUSE Science Museum in Italy and Vincenzo Penteriani of the National Museum of Natural Science (CSIC) in Spain collected information on reported attacks by 12 species of carnivores between 1970 and 2019.&nbsp;



Using scientific papers, web pages, and news reports, the experts identified 5,089 reported attacks by large carnivores that resulted in injury, of which 32 percent were fatal. Over the 49 year period, the number of reported attacks increased, particularly in lower-income countries.



"Large carnivores have long fascinated human societies and have profound influences on ecosystems. However, their conservation represents one of the greatest challenges of our time, particularly where attacks on humans occur. Where human recreational and/or livelihood activities overlap with large carnivore ranges, conflicts can become particularly serious," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



The research showed that a staggering 90 percent of attacks in low-income countries took place while individuals were farming, fishing, or grazing livestock. In high-income countries, attacks were most common during recreational activities, such as hiking, camping, or dog-walking. In high income countries, attacks were also less likely to be fatal.



Wild felids (large cats) and canids (dog-like carnivores) were responsible for more predatory attacks, while bears were more likely to attack when surprised, defending cubs, or in food-related interactions. The most fatal attacks occurred in lower-income countries where tigers and lions are present.&nbsp;



The findings suggest that approaches to reduce large carnivore attacks should be tailored to the socioeconomic context.&nbsp;



“When human recreational and/or livelihood activities overlap with large carnivore ranges, it is crucial to understand how to live with species that can pose threats to humans," said Penteriani.



"Factors triggering large carnivore attacks on humans depend on the combination of local socio-economic and ecological factors, which implies that measures to reduce large carnivore attacks must consider the diverse local ecological and social contexts.”



For example, high-income countries can implement education campaigns about high-risk behaviors and how to avoid dangerous encounters. In lower-income countries, zoning changes should expand protective areas and separate humans and livestock from large carnivore habitats.&nbsp;



However, these preventative measures may be challenging to implement as the global population grows.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Large carnivore attacks are increasing as human impacts expand

Since 1970, reports of large carnivore attacks on humans have...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/puzzling-fossil-has-the-body-of-a-bird-skull-of-a-dinosaur/">skull</a> of a fish that lived around 319 million years ago has recently been analyzed with by scientists from the University of Michigan and the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx">University of Birmingham</a>. The analysis turned up something unexpected. Within the fossilized skull, the researchers found a discrete, 3D object that could only be the fish’s brain.&nbsp;



This is unusual because soft tissues, such as brains, usually decay when an animal dies, and are seldom fossilized. It has allowed the researchers a window into the neural anatomy and early evolution of the ray-finned fishes, a major group that contains about 30,000 different species, roughly half of all known vertebrate species.&nbsp;



The ancient fossil skull was collected from the roof of a coal mine in Lancashire, UK, around 100 years ago and first described in 1925. At the time, it was identified as belonging to a new species, Coccocephalus wildi, and was put away in a draw in the Manchester Museum. No other fossilized body parts were recovered from the layer of soapstone where the skull was found.&nbsp;



The researchers were not looking for a brain when they used CT-scanning to visualize the structure of the skull. But the unexpected object detected within the skull displayed several features found in vertebrate brains: it was bilaterally symmetrical, it contained hollow spaces similar in appearance to ventricles, and it had multiple filaments extending toward openings in the braincase, comparable in appearance to cranial nerves.&nbsp;



The analysis of the findings has been published in the journal Nature, and the researchers say their discovery sheds new light on the preservation of soft parts in fossils of backboned animals. Although most of the animal fossils in museum collections were formed from hard body parts such as bones, teeth and shells, the researchers say their work shows soft parts can become fossilized under certain circumstances and can provide valuable information.&nbsp;



“An important conclusion is that these kinds of soft parts can be preserved, and they may be preserved in fossils that we’ve had for a long time – this is a fossil that’s been known for over 100 years," said study senior author Matt Friedman.



The small skull is the only fossil of the extinct species ever to have been found. For this reason, the researchers had to use non-invasive methods to analyze it. They suggest that&nbsp;C. wildi was an early ray-finned fish, roughly the size of a bream (6–8 inches long), that swam in an estuary and probably preyed on small crustaceans, aquatic insects and cephalopods, a group that today includes squid, octopuses and cuttlefish. Ray-finned fishes have backbones and fins supported by bony rods called rays.&nbsp;



The exceptionally preserved brain had another surprise in store for the researchers. Ray-finned fish show an unusual feature in the early formation of their brains. The embryonic neural tube grows through eversion (folding inwards) of the dorsal walls of the forebrain. This results in a forebrain formed in two solid hemispheres that do not enclose a ventricle (cavity filled with cerebrospinal fluid).&nbsp;



This is different from early brain development in all other vertebrates, for example mammals, birds and reptiles. Their embryonic neural tubes grow by evagination (folding outwards) of the lateral walls of the forebrain, which forms two swellings that each enclose a large ventricle. Thus ray-finned fish show a unique pattern of early brain development. But this is not true for C. wildi.&nbsp;



C. wildi is the only example of a ray-finned fish that does not show the brain development typical of its group. Its brain develops in the same way as in other vertebrate groups, making it different from all living ray-finned fishes. The researchers say that C. wildi thus gives an indication of what the original path of brain development could have been, and that the principle neuroanatomical feature of all modern ray-finned fish (namely an everted forebrain) originated somewhere subsequently along the evolutionary pathway of the group.&nbsp;



“This unexpected find of a three-dimensionally preserved vertebrate brain gives us a startling insight into the neural anatomy of ray-finned fish. It tells us a more complicated pattern of brain evolution than suggested by living species alone, allowing us to better define how and when present day bony fishes evolved," explained study senior author Sam Giles.



“Comparisons to living fishes showed that the brain of Coccocephalus is most similar to the brains of sturgeons and paddlefish, which are often called ‘primitive’ fishes because they diverged from all other living ray-finned fishes more than 300 million years ago.”



Thus, the exceptional small fossil gives a window into brain development at a time before the signature feature of ray-finned fish brains evolved, providing an indication of what the primitive brain anatomy could have been in the very early ray-finned fish. Since an everted forebrain is absent in C. wildi, it indicates that this feature evolved during later evolution of the group.&nbsp;



“Not only does this superficially unimpressive and small fossil show us the oldest example of a fossilized vertebrate brain, but it also shows that much of what we thought about brain evolution from living species alone will need reworking," said study lead author Rodrigo Figueroa.



The authors also highlight the importance of searching for fossilized brains within the skulls of other preserved fish and vertebrates. They state that preservation of brain tissue is likely to be more common than previously thought, and that if researchers assume brains will not have fossilized, they run the risk of overlooking potentially valuable information.&nbsp;



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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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319-million-year-old fish holds clues about brain evolution

The skull of a fish that lived around 319 million...

Rapid climate change is forcing many species to evolve and adapt quickly enough to avoid extinction, particularly those that do not tolerate a large degree of environmental variation, such as species from cooler high-elevation habitats, which often lack the genetic diversity that is crucial for adapting to global warming.



According to a new study led by <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> in Australia, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hybridization-among-wild-baboons-comes-with-hidden-costs/">hybridization</a> – the process of mixing different species – could potentially help the most vulnerable ones adapt and rapidly exploit novel genetic diversity from species that are already adapted to warmer environments. This concept is similar to how the historic mixing between our ancestors and Neanderthals seems to have improved the fitness of some modern human populations.



To test this hypothesis, the scientists traveled to the Wet Tropics region of northeastern Australia to collect samples of five species of tropical rainbowfish along an elevation gradient. Genetic analysis of the samples revealed both pure and hybrid populations of rainbowfish, and helped the researchers identify genes that enable rainbowfish populations to adapt to climate variation.



More specifically, the populations of cool-adapted upland species that have hybridized with a warm-adapted lowland species showed reduced vulnerability to future warming scenarios. “These mixed populations contain more diversity at genes we think are important for climate adaptation, and are therefore more likely to persist in warmer environments,” explained study lead author Chris Brauer, a research fellow in Landscape Genomics at Flinders University.&nbsp;



These findings highlight the underappreciated conservation value of hybrid populations, suggesting that hybridization may facilitate rapid adaptation to climate change. “Our findings are good news for biodiversity. They indicate that genetic mixing is an important tool for conservation that can contribute to natural evolutionary rescue of species threatened by climate change,” concluded senior author Luciano Beheregaray, a professor of Biodiversity Genomics at Flinders.



The study published in the journal <a href="about:blank">Nature Climate Change</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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Hybridization reduces vulnerability to climate change

Rapid climate change is forcing many species to evolve and...

There has been much research recently exploring the role of the gut microbiome in the health of humans and other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-we-communicate-with-animals-using-artificial-intelligence/">animals</a>. Indeed, mammalian gut microbes have been shown to affect aspects of development, digestion, physiology, metabolism, immunity, mental health and behavior. In addition, individuals with autism or autistic-like behaviour are known to have altered gut microbe communities. Thus, the relationship between the microbiome and behavior is reciprocal, since social interactions can influence the gut microbiome, which in turn can affect social behavior.



With these connections in mind, researchers from the University of Oxford, U.K., and the University of Boulder, Colorado, set out to investigate the relationship between the gut microbiome and the social behavior of wild rhesus macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta) on the island of Cayo Santiago, off Puerto Rico. In particular, they wondered whether monkeys with better social networks have healthier gut microbiomes compared to individuals that are less connected.&nbsp;



Macaques have an Asian origin and are found in many countries, including India, Thailand, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. A group of 409 was introduced onto the 15.2 ha island of Cayo Santiago in 1938, and their behavior and social relationships have been studied there ever since. They live in social groups composed of a few adult males and many adult females and their offspring, and grooming is their primary means of making and maintaining relationships. Grooming interactions are thus a good indicator of social connectedness between individuals.



In this study, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.1032495">Frontiers in Microbiology</a>, 50 uncontaminated fecal samples were collected from a specific group of macaques between 2012 and 2013. The group consisted of 22 males and 16 females between the ages of six and 20 years. Social connectedness between group members was measured in terms of the time each monkey spent grooming or being groomed during this two-year period, as well as his or her number of grooming partners. In this way, the researchers could correlate social connectedness with the gut microbiome composition of the monkeys in the group.&nbsp;



“Macaques are highly social animals and grooming is their main way of making and maintaining relationships, so grooming provides a good indicator of social interactions," explained study co-author Dr. Karli Watson from the Institute of Cognitive Science at CU Boulder.



DNA analysis of gut microbes was conducted by the researchers to find out how microbiome diversity within and between macaques was related to grooming interactions, whilst controlling for the effects of rank, sex, age, season and sampling year. The results showed that gut microbiome composition differed considerably between individuals in the group, as did the extent of social interactions.&nbsp;



Specifically, the amount of grooming an individual received was a significant factor explaining differences in microbiome composition between macaques. Put simply, monkeys that had more friends who groomed them also had more gut microbes associated with healthy functions, and fewer microbes associated with disease.&nbsp;



“Engagement in social interactions was positively related to the abundance of certain gut microbes with beneficial immunological functions, and negatively related to the abundance of potentially pathogenic members of the microbiota,” said co-author Dr. Philip Burnet, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford.



For example, genera more abundant in the most sociable monkeys included Faecalibacterium&nbsp;and&nbsp;Prevotella. Conversely, the genus&nbsp;Streptococcus, which in humans can cause diseases such as strep throat and,&nbsp;pneumonia, was most abundant in less sociable monkeys.



Lead author Dr. Katerina Johnson, a research associate at the Department of Experimental Psychology and the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Oxford, said: “Here we show that more sociable monkeys have a higher abundance of beneficial gut bacteria, and a lower abundance of potentially disease-causing bacteria. It is particularly striking that we find a strong positive relationship between the abundance of the gut microbe&nbsp;Faecalibacterium&nbsp;and how sociable the animals are.&nbsp;Faecalibacterium&nbsp;is well known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties and is associated with good health.”



These findings are also consistent with findings in human populations where autism is associated with an altered gut microbial community. Autistic individuals engage in less social contact and it is possible that limited social interactions influence the gut microbiome negatively. However, the converse may also be true, namely that a distinctly altered gut microbiome may affect behavioral traits and, therefore, sociability. In this way, it is possible that the relationship between these two variables is indeed reciprocal.&nbsp;



Although none of the monkeys in the test group was classified as autistic, some were more sociable than others, and took part in more grooming activities. Just as in human society, some individuals show more social behavior while others are more isolated. Grooming in macaques involves hand-to-mouth actions and this undoubtedly affects the microbial community in the gut. Previous research has shown that grooming leads to increased similarity in the gut microbiomes of individual monkeys in social groups.&nbsp;



“The relationship between social behavior and microbial abundances may be the direct result of social transmission of microbes, for example through grooming. It could also be an indirect effect, as monkeys with fewer friends may be more stressed, which then affects the abundance of these microbes. As well as behavior influencing the microbiome, we also know it is a reciprocal relationship, whereby the microbiome can in turn affect the brain and behavior,” said Johnson.



"As our society is increasingly substituting online interactions for real-life ones, these important research findings underline the fact that as primates, we evolved not only in a social world but a microbial one as well," said study co-author Dr. Robin Dunbar, a professor from the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford.



The authors conclude: “Our findings advance our understanding of how gut microbial communities may be associated with host behavior and reveal that social relationships may be intertwined with health and immune status&nbsp;via&nbsp;the microbiota.”



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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



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.

Can close friendships improve our gut health?

There has been much research recently exploring the role of...

Fleeing is not the only way in which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-have-some-impressive-cognitive-skills/">songbirds</a> protect themselves from predators. Many species are known to engage in mobbing too, a phenomenon where they gather aggressively around a predator, flying rapidly while producing loud vocalizations and stereotypic movements. Such a behavior is risky for both prey and predator, with some birds getting attacked and even injured by their mobbers.



Now, a team of researchers from <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> (OSU) has found that songbirds can tell when the risk of predation by a common predator is higher, depending on season and geographical features, and increase the frequency of mobbing behavior. By contrast, when the risk is minimal, they are more likely to avoid or ignore the predator.



“Mobbing must be energetically costly, because we find that its rare during winter, when food is scarce but there are still plenty of songbirds around,” said study co-author W Douglas Robinson, an ornithologist at OSU.



“On top of this effect, the likelihood of mobbing also increased as the number of songbirds present increased, diluting the risk to each mobber. Thus, songbirds can assess when the risk of predation from northern pygmy owls is highest and when there is safety in numbers.”



The experts studied mobbing of northern pygmy owls (Glaucidium gnoma) – a small, diurnal own species that usually attacks small mammals and songbirds by ambushing them from a hidden location - in western Oregon.&nbsp;



“The proportion of small birds relative to small mammals in the diet of the northern pygmy owl almost doubles from spring to summer, making birds the primary food source in summer. This is presumably because of the increasing availability of fledged offspring birds,” explained study lead author Madeleine Scott, a graduate student in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation at OSU.



In 2020 and 2021, the scientist played back hundreds of recordings of an advertising call of the northern pygmy owl at a variety of locations to provoke mobbing. Before and after each playback, they recorded the number of species of songbirds present within 50 meters from the speaker.&nbsp;



While overall, mobbing was observed in 8.1 percent of the trials, the behavior peaked (up to 23 percent) in late summer and autumn when the owls prey mostly on young birds, and was quite rare in spring and winter (one percent), when they usually hunt small mammals. Moreover, the probability of mobbing also decreased with altitude, correlating with the lower owl density at higher altitudes. Twenty-four species of songbirds engaged in mobbing, the most frequent ones being chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, Pacific wrens, and dark-eyed juncos.



According to the researchers, songbirds only mob if the threat is real and there are enough songbirds around to dilute the risk.



“Future research questions should study how the energetic cost of mobbing impacts the frequency of the behavior. For example, examining seasonal food availability and supplementing with additional feeders could reveal the how energetic considerations influence mobbing behavior,” Scott concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1092323">Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</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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Songbirds use mobbing behavior to deter predatory owls

Fleeing is not the only way in which songbirds protect...

Underwater,Funny,Photo,Of,Golden,Labrador,Retriever,Puppy,In,Swimming

Scientists have long known that playing sports can be highly beneficial for mental well-being in humans. Now, a team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.tufts.edu/">Tufts University</a> and the <a href="https://www.centerforcaninebehaviorstudies.org/">Center for Canine Behavior Studies</a> in Connecticut has discovered that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-are-more-aware-of-actions-than-objects/">dogs</a>’ anxiety levels can be lowered by social exercising too. The study revealed that canines suffering from generalized anxiety disorders which took part in sporting activities were more likely to get better.



The researchers examined a cohort of 1,308 dogs with at least one type of fearful or anxious behavior. Of these, 273 were diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, a condition in which dogs – as well as other animals, including humans – exhibit constant or near-constant anxiety regardless of the context, a phenomenon significantly impairing their quality of life.



According to Nicholas Dodman, an expert in Animal Behavior at Tufts, dogs “especially benefit from activities that feed into their natural instincts.” For instance, a sheepdog suffering from anxiety disorders was significantly helped after starting sheep-herding classes. “The dog was a nervous wreck. I suggested to the owner to take him to sheep-herding classes. After several trials herding real sheep he settled right down. His anxious behavior was gone,” Professor Dodman reported.



Other sporting activities that were found to be beneficial for anxious dogs included Flyball (a type of relay race with teams of dogs), agility courses, and “canine freestyle,” in which dogs are taught to dance to choreographed routines with their owners.



“Dog-sporting activities were highly effective for treating generally anxious dogs, with just over three times the odds of improvement,” the researchers wrote.&nbsp;“The reason for the beneficial effect of engaging in sporting activities may be because of the physiological benefits of mobilization but also the psychological aspects of social integration, accomplishment and enjoyment.”&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-veterinary-behavior">Journal of Veterinary Behavior</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



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.

Anxious dogs can benefit from sporting activities

Scientists have long known that playing sports can be highly...

There is a special relationship between the local net-casting fishers and a group of wild Lahille’s bottlenose <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-may-also-suffer-from-alzheimers-disease/">dolphins</a> (Tursiops truncatus gephyreus) that inhabit the coastal region around the city of Laguna, on the south Atlantic coast of Brazil. This association dates back generations and involves dolphins that enter the bay and help drive schools of mullet towards fishers that wait eagerly on the shore with their throw-nets. Although it is well known that the fishers benefit from this help, the reason why the dolphins behave in this way had not been scientifically tested.



However, the results of a long-term study by researchers on this unusual alliance have now been published in the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/journal/procnatiacadscie">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>. The researchers collected data on the co-operative fishing that takes place in the bay by combining drones, hydrophones and underwater cameras to capture the details of the partnership. They also conducted long-term demographic surveys of the dolphins and interviewed and observed the fishers.&nbsp;



The study was led by Mauricio Cantor of the Marine Mammal Institute at <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>. “We knew that the fishers were observing the dolphins’ behavior to determine when to cast their nets, but we didn’t know if the dolphins were actively coordinating their behavior with the fishers,” said Cantor.



“Using drones and underwater imaging, we could observe the behaviors of fishers and dolphins with unprecedented detail and found that they catch more fish by working in synchrony. This shows that this is a mutually beneficial interaction between the humans and the dolphins.”



The traditional, net-casting fishers and the dolphins are both after the same fish for food - shiny, fat mullet. The fishers don’t even bother to throw their nets if there are no dolphins present; instead, they simply stand in the shallows, waiting for dolphins to arrive. The fishers recognize each dolphin and refer to it by name. The dolphins drive the mullet closer to the waiting fishers and, when a group of mullet is close enough, the dolphins signal – with a slap of the tail or a specific dive – and the fishers cast their nets.&nbsp;



Catches of mullet in this bay are far bigger than in other areas where dolphins do not help. Furthermore, the researchers found that the dolphins benefit because, as a net hits the surface, the fish respond by turning away from it, dashing to escape it - straight into the mouths of the waiting dolphins. In this way, dolphins in this group catch more fish and shown a 13 percent increase in survival rates, when compared to populations of non-cooperative dolphins.



Synchronous fishing, between these two top predators, is thus beneficial to both parties. The practice is considered a cultural tradition in the city of Laguna, where it has occurred for more than 140 years and has been passed down through generations of fishers and dolphins. The cooperative fishing relationship is specific to this population of dolphins is not a genetic trait in the animals, but is learned, Cantor said.



“From the fishers’ perspective, this practice is part of the culture of the community in all kinds of ways,” Cantor explained. “They acquire skills passed down from other fishers, and knowledge is spread through social learning. They also feel connected to this place and have a sense of belonging to the community.”



Sadly, the practice is in decline and may well cease to exist if populations of mullet decrease, or future generations of fishers lose interest in learning the art of this unique fishing practice. There are historical and recent accounts of similar behaviors in a handful of locations elsewhere in the world, but the practice is becoming less common or has disappeared completely in most places. The rare nature of the practice is one reason it is being considered for a cultural heritage designation in Brazil, he said.



Predictive models run as part of the study show that the future of the practice could be threatened in the Laguna area as well, if fish populations decline. “The practice is unlikely to continue if either the dolphins or the fishers no longer benefit from it,” said co-author Professor Damien Farine of the University of Zurich and the Australian National University.



Professor Fábio Daura-Jorge of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil said researchers are already seeing early signs of decline in the practice. “If we take steps to document and conserve the knowledge and the culture of the practice, we can indirectly and positively impact the biological aspects, as well."



The experts suggest that conservation action is needed to ensure the future of the practice. Both the dolphins and the fishers are reliant on a strong and healthy fish population for the cooperative relationship to succeed. In recent years, the region has seen reduced availability of fish. There is also reduced interest in learning the tradition, said Daura-Jorge, who has been monitoring this population for the past 15 years.&nbsp;



“We don’t know what is going to happen in the future, but our best guess, using our best data and best models, is that if things keep going the way they are right now, there will be a time when the interaction will no longer be of interest by at least one of the predators - the dolphins or the fishers,” said Daura-Jorge. &nbsp;



The researchers noted that several conservation measures may be necessary to secure the future of the practice. The first is to try to identify the source of the mullet decline and take measures to better manage that species, such as reducing use of illegal nets through law enforcement, said Daura-Jorge.



Second, the researchers recommend steps to work with current and future artisanal fishers, stressing the cultural and economic importance of the net-casting practice. That might include offering incentives to encourage the traditional practice, such as setting a premium price for fish caught with this method.



“This phenomenon of mutually-beneficial interaction between wildlife and humans is getting more and more rare, and seems to be at global risk,” said Cantor. “The cultural value and the biological diversity are important, and it’s important to preserve it.”



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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



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.

Brazilian fishers and dolphins benefit from fishing together

There is a special relationship between the local net-casting fishers...

Aging female <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-monkeys-with-strong-friendships-survive-longer/">monkeys</a> cut down on socializing to prioritize their closest relationships, according to an international study led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>. The experts found that female monkeys “actively reduce” their social networks as they get older to focus on family and close friends.&nbsp;



"In humans, aging individuals have been shown to become more selective in partner choice as they age and to proactively focus on meaningful relationships, such as close friends and relatives. Intriguingly, social selectivity in older individuals may not be limited to humans. Several species of nonhuman primates have been suggested to show patterns of social aging that might indicate greater selectivity in social partners in later life," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"Evidence for social selectivity in some of our closest living relatives could hint at deep evolutionary origins behind this phenomenon and may suggest that selectivity is an adaptive strategy that individuals use to cope with the physical and physiological limitations they face as they age."



The research was focused on female macaques on an island off the coast of Puerto Rico known as Monkey Island, or Cayo Santiago. The experts analyzed eight years of data on more than 200 macaques to observe how the social lives of each individual changed. The results of the study confirmed that female macaques become increasingly selective as they age.&nbsp;



"Females spent similar amounts of time socializing as they aged, suggesting that network shrinkage does not result from lack of motivation or ability to engage, nor was this narrowing driven by the deaths of social partners. Furthermore, females remained attractive companions and were not isolated by withdrawal of social partners," wrote the researchers.



Professor Lauren Brent said this pattern of narrowing social networks with age is common in humans. “Our study offers the most conclusive evidence to date that social selectivity is not unique to humans, and therefore might have deeper evolutionary underpinnings.”



According to Dr. Erin Siracusa, there are many possible reasons why macaques become more socially selective with age. “For example, the benefits of social interactions might change with time. Young macaques might benefit from a wide social group that can help them explore and find potential mates."



“For older macaques, it might be easier and safer - in terms of everything from conflict to disease transmission - to stick with family and existing friends. New relationships also require more mental effort, so while we see no decline in time spent socializing, older macaques might save mental energy by shrinking their network.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2209180119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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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



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Aging monkeys focus more on meaningful relationships

Aging female monkeys cut down on socializing to prioritize their...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1143.93601">ZooKeys</a> has recently described five new species of tree-dwelling <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-snakes-evolved-from-just-a-few-surviving-species/">snakes</a> in the jungles of Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama. Famous environmental activists such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brian Sheth,&nbsp;along with organizations like <a href="https://www.rewild.org/">Re:wild</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.natureandculture.org/">Nature and Culture International</a>,&nbsp;chose the names for three of these species in honor of loved ones, while raising public awareness about rainforest destruction caused by (often illegal) open-pit mining operations.&nbsp;



The mountainous regions of the upper-Amazon rainforest and the Chocó-Darién jungles are home to a huge diversity of snake species. Unfortunately, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the proliferation of illegal open-pit gold and copper mining has reached critical levels and is now significantly threatening tree-dwelling snake populations.



Since neotropical snail-eating snakes such as those belonging to the genera Sibon and Dipsas are arboreal and cannot survive in areas devoid of vegetation, they are particularly prone to the negative effects of open-pit mining. Moreover, because they feed exclusively on snails and slugs - a type of prey occurring mostly along rivers and streams that is currently threatened by water pollution - they livelihood is even more endangered.



“When I first explored the rainforests of Nangaritza River in 2014, I remember thinking the place was an undiscovered and unspoiled paradise,” said study lead author Alejandro Arteaga, a researcher at the Biodiversity Field Lab in Ecuador. “In fact, the place is called Nuevo Paraíso in Spanish, but it is a paradise no more. Hundreds of illegal gold miners using backhoe loaders have currently taken possession of the river margins, which are now destroyed and turned into rubble.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



Since illegal miners are proliferating, ignoring landowner rights and even threatening anyone opposed to the extraction of gold or copper, the presence of conservation areas is no longer sufficient to help protecting endangered species. However, even when the mining operations are legal, such as in Panama, large-scale copper mining is critically affecting the habitat of two snake species (Sibon irmelindicaprioae&nbsp;and&nbsp;S. canopy).



“Both legal and illegal open-pit mines are uninhabitable for the snail-eating snakes, but the legal mines may be the lesser of two evils. At the very least they respect the limit of nearby protected areas, answer to a higher authority, and are presumably unlikely to enact violence on park rangers, researchers, and conservationists,” Arteaga explained.



“These new species of snake are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of new species discoveries in this region, but if illegal mining continues at this rate, there may not be an opportunity to make any future discoveries.”



Fortunately, three NGOs in Ecuador and Panama (Khamai, Nature and Culture International, and Adopta Bosque) have already started actions to safeguard the snakes’ habitat from mining operations. Since their quest for urgent land protection seems to be the only method of saving these snakes from extinction, providing international support for these organizations is vital.



Image Credit: Alejandro Arteaga



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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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South American snakes threatened by mining activities

A new study published in the journal ZooKeys has recently...

Have you ever watched an ant wandering around in search of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/swans-sacrifice-rest-to-defend-their-foraging-areas/">food</a> and wondered whether there is method in its movements? Probably not. But this is exactly what Stefan Popp and Anna Dornhaus, both from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a>, did when trying to understand how ants search their environments efficiently.&nbsp;



Most people assume that when ants need to find food that is in an unknown location, their best option would be to search in a random manner. Ants spend much of their lives searching for resources, but they must also stay close to their nest or colony, in case they need to return quickly. If they search randomly, they will be relatively efficient at locating resources, but will run the risk of returning to areas they have already searched. Alternatively, if they search in a non-random pattern, like a spiral or a left-to-right meander, they will not cross their path again but will be thrown by obstacles that obstruct their pathway and may end up deviating in a manner that takes them over territory they have already searched.&nbsp;



In order to find out which patterns rock ants (Temnothorax rugatulus) use when searching for food, the researchers transplanted five entire colonies into the lab, where they could track all ants automatically and under constant conditions. They gave the ants a large (2 x 3 m), empty arena and left them to search around for food for 5 hours. After video recording almost 5 km of ant tracks, which was equivalent to 1,384 individual tracks, they used statistical means to compare the ants’ movements with computer-generated random walk patterns.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We wanted to make sure that we are not just seeing patterns where there are none,” Popp said. “We then used a&nbsp;simple&nbsp;statistical method of detecting regularity in movement tracks to get a&nbsp;simple&nbsp;answer.”



The results, published in the online journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.105916">iScience</a>, showed that the ants used a mixture of distinctly systematic movements, along with random elements. A total of 78 percent of the ants systematically turned the direction of their search roughly every 10 mm. This means that a turn in one direction was usually followed by a turn in the opposite direction after roughly three ant body lengths. The researchers termed this regular movement “meandering.”&nbsp;



“Previously, researchers in the field assumed that ants move in a pure random walk when searching for targets of which they don't know their location,” said Popp. “We found that rock ants, show a striking, regular meandering pattern when exploring the area around their nests. This means that the ants smoothly alternate left and right turns on a relatively regular length scale of roughly three body lengths.”



The regular meandering movements are also interspersed with random elements. The researchers state that the ant tracks 1) cross themselves less often than random walks would, and 2) sometimes disperse more than random walks. This means that ants cover the search area more efficiently than if their movements were simply random, because they don’t waste time searching areas they have already covered. In addition, their systematic meandering takes them away from the nest rapidly, to areas that have not been searched as thoroughly. Thus, the movement system of the ants is more efficient than if they walked around randomly. Popp says he was most intrigued by the extreme forms the ants’ patterns could take from these simple principles.



“Parts of some tracks look like the curled threads&nbsp;one can pull out of a piece of clothing, and in some it looks like the meandering path meanders itself,” he said, “creating a seemingly fractal structure. It reminds me of some space-filling curves we know from math!”



The new study is the first to find evidence for efficient search through regular meandering in a freely searching animal, the researchers report. It also adds another complex behavior for ants, suggesting that there’s still more to learn.



Popp says he’s most fascinated in questions about the rules in an ant’s mind that allow such complex search patterns to emerge. He notes also that the ants have solved a problem of collective search over the course of evolution in a way that might find application for designing autonomous swarms of search robots or drones for use in disaster areas or unexplored landscapes.



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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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Meandering ants have a method to their madness

Have you ever watched an ant wandering around in search...

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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



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.

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



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.

How does salt makes things taste better?

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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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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 



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.

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



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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



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 province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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



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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



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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...