For nearly 10 years, California’s offshore seafloors have been missing a once-abundant, vividly colored predator: the sunflower sea star. 



This large starfish - capable of stretching over 3 feet wide - cruises the ocean floor in hues of orange, yellow, or purple, gliding swiftly on thousands of tube feet. Its multiple arms, which can number up to 24, allow for remarkable mobility.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-restoring-sunflower-sea-stars">Restoring sunflower sea stars</h2>



When a mysterious disease almost wiped out sunflower sea stars in 2013, a domino effect ensued. A large number of purple sea urchins devoured nearly all of Northern California's iconic kelp forests. 



Now, however, scientists are hopeful that the sunflower sea star might soon reclaim its place in the region’s marine environment. 



Several pioneering labs, including ones in the Bay Area and Monterey County, are successfully growing these starfish with the goal of bolstering the species and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunflower-sea-stars-could-help-save-kelp-forests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">restoring balance</a> to local ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sunflower-sea-stars-raised-in-tubs">Sunflower sea stars raised in tubs</h2>



At the <a href="https://www.calacademy.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">California Academy of Sciences</a> in San Francisco, behind a closed exhibit and through a locked door, biologist Riah Evin has been overseeing 137 sunflower sea stars raised in saltwater jars and tubs. In these containers, the starfish are fed bits of herring to sustain their growth.



These juvenile stars are among the remnants of 11 million embryos that Evin began working with in February. "These are the survivors,” said Evin. “That's way better than I had hoped for.”



Eventually, many of them will be displayed at the Academy of Sciences, giving the public a rare glimpse of a starfish that has all but disappeared from California’s coastal waters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientific-value-and-conservation-goals">Scientific value and conservation goals</h2>



More importantly, these sunflower stars are crucial to research. By raising them from infancy, Evin and other scientists are contributing to an international conservation effort to better understand the species and protect it from future crises.&nbsp;



Named critically endangered in 2020, sunflower sea stars were the subject of a conservation roadmap in 2022 that called on labs to breed and study them.



If scientists manage to decode the genetics behind their resistance (or susceptibility) to the disease that nearly eradicated them, they may eventually release healthy individuals back into the Pacific Ocean.&nbsp;



The hope is that reintroduced sunflower sea stars could help control the region’s exploding purple urchin populations, paving the way for devastated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-otters-have-protected-california-kelp-forests-for-a-century/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kelp forests</a> to regrow.



“There's a lot of promise in where the research will head,” said Andrew Kim, a research scientist at <a href="https://mlml.sjsu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moss Landing Marine Laboratories</a> on Monterey Bay, who is also growing sunflower sea stars. “I'm very hopeful.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-species-on-the-brink-of-extinction">A species on the brink of extinction</h2>



The statistics are sobering: since 2013, an estimated six billion sunflower sea stars have died from Baja California to Alaska because of an ailment known as sea star wasting disease.&nbsp;



With this critical predator absent, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gray-whales-struggle-as-purple-sea-urchins-destroy-kelp-forests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">purple sea urchins</a> have proliferated, ravaging entire undersea forests of bull kelp. Scientists say 96% of Northern California’s kelp forests have disappeared over that period.



Kelp forests are essential habitats for numerous marine creatures - from fish and abalone to sea otters. Otters, found south of the Bay, play a protective role by feeding on urchins, but their range does not extend far enough to rescue Northern California’s compromised kelp.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reintroducing-natural-predators">Reintroducing natural predators </h2>



While volunteers have tried “seeding” kelp and removing urchins by hand in select coves, experts believe that reintroducing natural predators like sunflower sea stars (and possibly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-otters-use-tools-to-access-larger-prey-and-protect-their-teeth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sea otters</a>) would be more sustainable and far-reaching. 



Sunflower sea stars are exceptionally effective hunters, moving quickly across the seabed to overtake urchins before extending their stomachs to digest the prey externally. Afterward, only a clean shell remains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maximizing-survival-and-preventing-cannabilism">Maximizing survival and preventing cannabilism </h2>



Yet researchers like Evin remain unsure of exactly how to keep these starfish flourishing. Scientists still do not fully understand the disease that decimated them, despite working on the puzzle for over a decade. In labs across the state, only six adult sunflower stars exist, and breeding techniques remain experimental.



“There's a little bit of a 'Thunderdome' going on,” Evin joked while describing the fiercely competitive environment in which younger stars can devour each other if food is scarce. One particularly aggressive individual managed to consume hundreds of its siblings.



Evin is also investigating what diet optimally sustains these stars, testing everything from urchins to prawns. This feeding research aims to maximize survival, preventing the cannibalism that can occur if the starfish lack adequate nutrition.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-with-sunflower-sea-star-larvae">Challenges with sunflower sea star larvae </h2>



Back in February, Evin traveled to <a href="https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Birch Aquarium</a> in San Diego, where she helped spawn an adult male and female sunflower sea star using a hormone injection. The pair produced billions of eggs and sperm, which fused into embryos. 



Those offspring, divvied up among institutions like the Academy of Sciences and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, are the foundation for current breeding trials.



Maintaining healthy conditions for tiny sea star larvae proved challenging - until Evin discovered they thrived in jars of saltwater spun by automated stirrers purchased from kitchen supply stores. 



The larvae eventually sprouted five arms, but many soon turned on each other, forcing Evin to fine-tune her feeding strategies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-mysterious-wasting-disease">Understanding the mysterious wasting disease </h2>



Scientists are also eager to analyze the starfish’s DNA to gain insights into the genetics behind the wasting disease. 



Before any reintroduction to the wild can happen, they must ensure they are not inadvertently reintroducing the pathogen into marine environments. Regulatory agencies want a clearer picture of the disease’s causes and transmission pathways.



“What we don’t want to do is reintroduce (the disease) to recovered sea star populations,” said Ian Kelmartin, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “To get a handle on that, we need to understand what the disease is.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-glimpse-of-hope-in-the-lab">A glimpse of hope in the lab</h2>



Until more is known, the starfish remain confined to facilities like Evin’s. Ashley Kidd, a project manager with the Sunflower Star Lab in Moss Landing, sees these labs as living arks - safe havens for a species on the brink.&nbsp;



“Zoos and aquariums are living arks,” she said. “It is tragic in a way, but very useful if you can use it in time.”



By nurturing sunflower sea stars in captivity, researchers aim to one day restore a key predator to the Pacific Ocean, where it can help rein in purple urchins and nurture the revival of kelp forests.&nbsp;



Whether that vision comes to fruition depends on cracking the mystery of sea star wasting disease and ensuring enough of these starfish can survive - and thrive - back in their underwater realm.



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Sunflower sea stars are nearly extinct, but scientists are growing them

For nearly 10 years, California’s offshore seafloors have been missing a once-abundant, vividly colored predator: the sunflower sea star. This large starfish - capable of stretching over 3 feet wide - cruises the ocean floor in hues of orange, yellow, or purple, gliding swiftly on thousands of tube feet. Its multiple arms, which can number up to 24, allow for remarkable mobility. Restoring sunflower sea stars When a mysterious disease almost wiped out sunflower sea stars in 2013, a domino effect ensued. A large number of purple...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supergene-transformed-the-social-hierarchy-of-fire-ants/">Fire ants</a> are an invasive species in the southeastern United States which are currently expanding their range due to climate change. When they sting, they inject significant amounts of venom that triggers immune responses in various animal species, ranging from lizards and livestock to humans.&nbsp;



In eastern fence lizards – a species occurring throughout the same region – repeated stinging by fire ants can lead to paralysis and even death. However, these lizards frequently eat fire ants. Now, a team of researchers from <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a> has found that eating fire ants may prepare a lizard’s immune system to be stung by the ants, thus increasing their resilience to these pests.



“We know that lizards from areas with fire ants have different immune profiles than lizards in areas without them,” said study senior author Tracy Langkilde, a professor of Biology at Penn State.&nbsp;“Because the immune system is so critical for survival, we wanted to determine if these differences in immune profiles can be directly attributed to lizards frequently being stung by fire ants, eating fire ants, or something else.”



The scientists examined six immune measures in response to three weeks of lizards either being fed dead fire ants or being stung by them three times per week. The analysis revealed that, when lizards were fed fire ants, three immune measures were enhanced in comparison with lizards being repeatedly stung: an elevation in the levels of a type of white blood cells called basophils; an increase in complement activity that helps antibodies and other parts of the immune system function properly; and a rise in a type of immunoglobulin antibody (IgM) known to be reactive to fire ant venom.



“All three of these immune aspects are expected to help lizards survive a fire ant attack,” said study lead author Catherine Tylan, a graduate student at Penn State. “For example, the fire ant-specific antibodies and complement could help bind up venom so it can no longer negatively impact the body. It’s possible that exposure to fire ant venom from the consumed fire ants stimulates an increased immune response, acting somewhat like a vaccine. So, eating fire ants may incidentally help lizards prepare for future venom exposure from stings.”



These findings could help explain the immune patterns observed in lizards in the fields. “Lizards caught from areas with fire ants have higher anti-fire ant antibodies and basophils than lizards from areas without fire ants,” Tylan reported. “This study showed these same immune responses when lizards were fed fire ants, suggesting that the difference in these two immune measures in the field may be a result of lizards eating fire ants.”



“Together, these results help us understand the potential health-relevant consequences of exposure to invasive species. Interestingly, our results suggest that native animals may be able to offset immune consequences of venom exposure by consuming these same species,” Professor Langkilde concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02939-8">Biological Invasions</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

Lizards that eat fire ants develop greater immunity

Fire ants are an invasive species in the southeastern United...

The loss of forests is not good news for bats. Clearance and harvesting of trees threaten the habitat of many bat species that make their homes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-in-protected-indigenous-lands-are-healthy-and-resilient/">forests</a>. Although policy makers understand the importance to biodiversity of in-tact forest habitats, it is unlikely that timber harvesting will ever stop. Humans need wood and so most forest areas will undoubtedly end up being managed for various human needs, including tree growth and removal, hunting and recreation.&nbsp;



This applies also to forests in eastern North America, where bats are additionally threatened by high mortality rates due to white-nose syndrome and collision with wind turbines. Timber harvest could affect bats either positively or negatively in these forests, depending on the management approach and the ecological needs of each species. Although there have been many previous studies on the potential impact of timber harvest on bats, there are many gaps in our understanding due, in part, to the logistical challenges inherent in studying these nocturnal, highly mobile animals.



According to recent <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois</a> research, certain forest management strategies actually suit the habitat requirements of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), meaning that this species is likely to co-exist successfully with, and even benefit from, managed forests in future. The study made use of radio telemetry to track the movements of 26 eastern red bats at a managed Indiana forest site. The study lasted three years and bats were tracked at various times during this period. The data were used to identify where the bats most often foraged and roosted.&nbsp;



“With white nose syndrome causing major declines in many bat species, the eastern red bat has become the most commonly detected bat in many Midwestern forests, making up 70 to 80 percent of the captures in our Indiana study site. So from that perspective, they probably have the most sizeable effect on the forest. To manage the landscape holistically, we should consider species that might have a disproportionate impact,” says&nbsp;<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elizabeth-Beilke">Elizabeth Beilke</a>, postdoctoral researcher in the&nbsp;<a href="https://nres.illinois.edu/">Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences</a>&nbsp;(NRES) at U of I, and lead author on the study.



The researchers attached tiny radio transmitters to as many red bats as they could capture, and tracked them between May and August, 2017–2019, in two state forests in south-central Indiana. The 26 bats included 18 females and 7 males (one female was tracked twice). During monitoring, the researchers installed themselves at spots on top of ridges to pick up the bats’ signals every five minutes, while the animals were active. They said this approach gave different data from what is normally obtained using acoustic cues only.&nbsp;



Professor&nbsp;<a href="https://nres.illinois.edu/directory/jmokeefe">Joy O’Keefe</a> says it’s an improvement over acoustic methods, where researchers listen for bat calls. With acoustics, researchers can’t distinguish individual bats, potentially missing important differences due to sex, age, health, and other factors. It is sometimes challenging to identify bat species from acoustic cues and, furthermore, bats do not always echolocate while they fly. Acoustic cues are also more difficult to detect in denser vegetation.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The results of the telemetry tracking and analysis, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120604">Forest Ecology and Management</a>, showed that eastern red bats foraged over a relatively small area (81&nbsp;ha or 200 acres) and traveled a maximum distance of 1404&nbsp;m from their roosts. They favored foraging near maintained openings in forest, near recent regeneration openings, roads, and ponds within the study area. In addition, they roosted preferentially near maintained openings, recent regeneration openings, and ponds, switching roosts every two days. They selected large, mature trees for roosting, and preferred to roost where vegetation was less dense.&nbsp;



“Red bats are selecting and using parts of the forest that are associated with forest management, including recent timber harvests and maintained forest openings. They're also using ponds, roads, and ridges more than we’d expect, based on availability. Our data suggest these bats can coexist with forest management,” Beilke says. “This is heartening because timber harvest isn’t going away; it’s a human need. But this work demonstrates that management practices like timber harvest aren’t inherently harmful to bats and could even benefit certain species.”



The results are similar to O’Keefe’s&nbsp;<a href="https://aces.illinois.edu/news/sending-bat-signal-forest-use-endangered-species">previous</a>&nbsp;findings for endangered Indiana bats and threatened northern long-eared bats in the same hardwood ecosystem site in Indiana. Those bats preferentially foraged and roosted near thinned areas, small patch cuts, and ponds.



“It seems like the more recent practice of harvesting smaller sections of the forest is a better approach, not only for regenerating oaks and hickories, but also for these bats. That’s opposed to large clear cuts, where we take out a lot of the forest at once. Oaks and hickories also respond well to shelterwood harvests, which offer shade to tiny tree seedlings during hot, dry summers. These partially shaded forest patches are the kinds of places bats prefer, as well,” O’Keefe says.



The researchers were encouraged by the finding that red bats can coexist with forest management practices, and may even benefit from them. They were delighted to capture one female bat twice during their study; not only did they capture her at the same site for two years running, but also she frequented the same spots in the forest in both years. O’Keefe says, “I think that's a testament to the forest. It must be good quality habitat for bats to migrate to winter sites and to come back.”



Although red bats are becoming the most common bat species in many forests, and they’re less susceptible to white nose syndrome due to their solitary roosting habits, the species is far from entirely safe.



“Unfortunately, eastern red bats die in huge numbers at wind turbines and a few recent papers have suggested they are declining range-wide. This is a shame because they’re very different from other bat species in this region. They roost solitarily in foliage, exposed to the elements, and give birth to three to four pups at once. Plus, they’re devastatingly cute,” Beilke says.



The authors conclude that, when considering habitat for eastern red bats in central hardwood forests, land managers should work to maintain large tracts of mature (&gt;90&nbsp;years old) forest, interspersed with young regeneration openings and provisions of perennial water, such as ponds. This will ensure suitable habitat for these fascinating small mammals.



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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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Eastern red bats do well in managed forests

The loss of forests is not good news for bats....

We are all familiar with the joy derived from sharing something noteworthy with a friend or family member. Even young <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-are-the-causes-of-sedentary-behavior-in-children/">children</a> develop gestures, such as pointing or holding out a hand, to direct a parent’s attention to something interesting. This behavior of "sharing for the sake of sharing" has always been seen as pretty much unique to humans, and not part of the common behavioral repertoire of other primates.



However, scientists have now documented the first instance of a wild chimpanzee appearing to show an object to another individual, apparently simply for the sake of sharing the experience. The report, published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">PNAS</a>, contains video footage of Fiona, an adult chimpanzee from the Ngogo chimpanzee community in Kibale National Park, Uganda, showing her mother a leaf during a grooming session.



“People love sharing experiences with each other – social media capitalizes on this trait, and even in our first year of life we start to show others interesting things we’ve found," said study lead author Dr. Claudia Wilke from the Department of Psychology at the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>&nbsp;



“It has been suggested that ‘sharing for sharing’s sake’ is a uniquely human trait, but our observation of these wild chimpanzees challenges this,” she explained. “We observed an adult chimpanzee showing her mother a leaf she had been grooming, not because she wanted her to do anything with the leaf, but most likely because she simply wanted her to also look at the leaf.”



“Our observations suggest that, in specific social circumstances, chimps may show each other objects of interest, to share attention about them, and that this behavior may not be unique to humans," said study co-author Simon Townsend.&nbsp;



While conducting behavioral research on the Ngogo chimpanzees between 2013 and 2020, the scientists recorded many instances of "leaf-grooming." This occurs during bouts of social or self-grooming, when a groomer plucks a nearby leaf, strokes it and manipulates it with the fingers or mouth as if grooming it, and stares closely at it. The function of this behavior has not yet been explained, although it is hypothesized to be a way of inspecting ecto-parasites, such as lice or ticks, that have been placed on the leaves.&nbsp;



In one instance, however, the video footage records Fiona holding a leaf and stretching out her arm towards her mother as though seeking her mother’s attention. Initially, the mother lowers her eyes to look at the leaf, but Fiona then thrusts the leaf even further towards her mother’s face, requiring the mother to adjust her head to pay full attention to the object. After obtaining the desired attention, Fiona stops gesturing to her mother, withdraws the leaf and continues to groom it.



The researchers examined video footage of more than 80 similar leaf-grooming events in order to rule out other explanations for the behavior. They could not find any evidence that leaf-grooming is related to eating (mostly the leaves are not eaten), or to initiating play behavior or grooming. In more than three quarters of the recorded clips of leaf grooming, chimps sitting next to each other do both pay attention to the leaves being used, but Fiona is the only chimp found to have gestured in order to encourage her mother to take a look.&nbsp;



“She’s not offering it for food. She doesn’t want her mum to do anything. She just wants them to look at it together, and be like ‘Oh, cool, nice!’” said study co-author Professor Katie Slocombe.



It is recognized that chimps use gestures to communicate with others, but this is usually to illicit a specific functional response. “Sometimes when they’re grooming in this community of chimpanzees, they’ll scratch a particular location on their body … and that indicates ‘I want you to groom me here,’” said Slocombe. “If they have their hands out towards something, it means ‘give me that.’”&nbsp;



The researchers say their results are consistent with the argument that Fiona gestured declaratively to show her mother the leaf, and that her gesture led to simultaneous attention to the leaf. This suggests that, in highly specific social conditions, wild chimpanzees, like humans, may be motivated to communicate cooperatively and share interest and attention simply for the sake of sharing.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Professor Frans de Waal, a primatologist at Emory University who was not involved in the work, described the observation as remarkable. “It signifies that chimpanzees, and perhaps also other apes, grasp that other individuals gather information the way they do themselves, and are willing to share information with others without any prompting or rewards or self-serving purposes,” he said.



Slocombe added: “While there is a need to identify further examples of this behavior in chimpanzees, our observations indicate that sharing attention for sharing’s sake is not unique to humans. It has been argued that our ability to share experiences helped us to evolve the cognitive abilities that set us apart from other species, such as our capacity for joint action, cooperation and language.”&nbsp;



“Our observations raise new questions about why humans share experiences more often than our closest living relatives and whether engaging in this behavior at a higher frequency than other species can still explain the evolution of cognitive functions underpinning human social behavior,” she concluded.



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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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Wild chimpanzees like to share cool things with others

We are all familiar with the joy derived from sharing...

Scientists have long been puzzled by a strange natural phenomenon: the fact that vibrant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-animals-got-their-complex-color-patterns/">color patterns</a> in various animal species seem to serve different roles. While some animals use these patterns to attract mates, others employ them to ward off predators.&nbsp;



By examining the role of color patterning in all the major groups of land vertebrates – amphibians, mammals, birds, crocodilians, turtles, lizards, and snakes – a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a> has identified a strong and consistent link between the function of animals’ bright colors and the activity patterns of their evolutionary ancestors. The experts found that species which use their bright colors as a sexual signal were descended from ancestors that were active during the day, while those that use such colors to deter predators had ancestors which were active during the night.



“This pattern generally seems to hold across land vertebrates, a group with about 40,000 species that evolved over 350 million years,” said study senior author John Wiens, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. “It doesn’t matter how a species produces the colors. The way that a bird makes red is different from how a lizard makes red, but this general pattern of day-night activity still works.”



The scientist discovered that vividly colored lizards and birds typically use their coloring as a sexual signal to attract mates, while colorful amphibians and snakes usually wear them as a warning signal for predators. While many of these amphibians and snakes are currently diurnal, their ancestors were nocturnal. Thus, there is no clear connection between warning colors and present-day diurnal or nocturnal activity.



Early in their evolution, most of the ancestors of modern species started out drab and dully colored. However, vivid coloration evolved over time across many different lineages and, since they helped animals survive and reproduce, they became established and passed on to future generations.&nbsp;



“Traits that we see today in species can be a result of their evolutionary history,” said study lead author Zachary Emberts, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona. “We were looking for evolutionary patterns, so we did two separate analyses, one that used their current day-night activity and one that used their ancestral day-night activity.”



Since ancestors of amphibians and snakes spent time interacting and mating with their conspecifics in the dark, having bright colors offered them no sexual advantage. Thus, their intense coloring may have evolved for a very different purpose: a warning sign for predators. “Animals generally use these colors either as a sexual signal or as a warning signal – rarely both,” Professor Wiens concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/evo.14636">Evolution</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

Why did bright colors evolve in the animal kingdom?

Scientists have long been puzzled by a strange natural phenomenon:...

A new project led by <a href="https://www.staffs.ac.uk/">Staffordshire University</a> and funded by <a href="https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en">Horizon Europe</a> aims to contribute forensic intelligence to help protecting endangered species such as wolf, bear, lynx, or sturgeon from remote parts of Europe. Over the next three years, the NATURE FIRST project will bring together 12 global partners to safeguard <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-biodiversity-crisis-is-actually-worse-than-we-thought/">biodiversity</a> and protect the habitats of many animal species that are currently threatened by human activities, by developing proactive and preventive capabilities for nature conservation and law enforcement through a combination of forensic intelligence and remote sensing technologies.



Spanning Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia and Spain, this project will focus on regions such as the Carpathian Mountains, the Danube Delta, the Stara Planina Mountains, the Os Ancares and the O Courel, by drawing upon real-time data from satellites, drones, cameras, and other technological devices to closely monitor these locations.



“The overall aim is to halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity in Europe. We want to improve natural habitats where certain species are an incredibly important part of the ecosystem. To achieve this, we need a better understanding of why and where biodiversity is declining and what the key triggers are,” explained Claire Gwinnett, a professor of Forensic and Environmental Science at Staffordshire.



“As most of the threats and pressures on biodiversity are man-induced, this project will combine ecology and forensic science. This novel approach will use remote sensing technologies, machine learning and wildlife forensic methods to detect and recognize traces of human activities that negatively affect the environment.”



The regions that the scientists will investigate cover vast land masses that can’t be easily monitored from the ground. Thus, the use of advanced technologies to detect biodiversity threats - such as poaching of flora and fauna, trafficking and trading of rare animals and plants, or setting fires to forests and other natural areas for agricultural and commercial purposes – is essential for preserving biodiversity.



“The aim of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 is to ensure that ecosystems are healthy, resilient to climate change and rich in biodiversity so that they can keep delivering the range of services essential to the prosperity and well-being of all of us. We are excited to be taking positive steps to help achieve this by working with such a fantastic group of global partners,” Gwinnett concluded.



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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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Forensics could be used to safeguard biodiversity

A new project led by Staffordshire University and funded by...

A recent study led by the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a> has shown that the lifespan of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honey-bees-cannot-fly-straight-after-ingesting-pesticides/">honey bees</a> kept in a controlled, laboratory environment is 50 percent shorter than it used to be in the 1970s. When the researchers modeled the effect of current shorter lifespans, the results corresponded to the increased colony loss and reduced honey production rates observed by U.S. beekeepers in recent decades.



Since bee colonies naturally age and die off, colony turnover is an accepted factor in the beekeeping industry. However, over the past few decades, U.S. beekeepers have reported unusually high loss rates, meaning they had to replace more colonies to keep operations viable.&nbsp;



To understand this phenomenon, scientists investigated environmental stressors, diseases, parasites, pesticide exposure, and nutrition. This new study is one the first to provide evidence of an overall decline in honey bee lifespans potentially independent of environmental factors, suggesting that genetics may be influencing the broader trends observed in the beekeeping industry.



“We’re isolating bees from the colony life just before they emerge as adults, so whatever is reducing their lifespan is happening before that point,” said study lead author Anthony Nearman, a Ph.D. student in Entomology at the University of Maryland. “This introduces the idea of a genetic component. If this hypothesis is right, it also points to a possible solution. If we can isolate some genetic factors, then maybe we can breed for longer-lived honey bees.”



While performing experiments on bees grown in the laboratory to assess the effect of supplementing the caged bees’ sugar water diet with plain water to mimic natural conditions, the researchers noticed that, regardless of diet, the average lifespan of the bees were half that of caged bees in similar experiments in the 1970s.



“When I plotted the lifespans over time, I realized, wow, there’s actually this huge time effect going on. Standardized protocols for rearing honey bees in the lab weren’t really formalized until the 2000s, so you would think that lifespans would be longer or unchanged, because we’re getting better at this, right? Instead, we saw a doubling of mortality rate,” Nearman reported.



Although laboratory environments are different from bee colonies, historical records of caged bees suggest a similar lifespan to colony bees. Moreover, previous research showed that, in the real world, shorter honey bee lifespans corresponded to less foraging time and lower honey production.&nbsp;



Initially, the scientists assumed that the caged bees could be experiencing some type of low-level viral contamination or pesticide exposure during their larval stage. Yet, none of them have shown any symptoms of such exposures, making the researchers think that a genetic component may be the lead cause of this worrisome decline in longevity.



Further research is needed to compare trends in honey bee lifespans across the U.S. and other countries, and to isolate and compare potential contributing factors in declining lifespans, such as genetics, the presence of viruses, or pesticide use in local bee stocks.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-21401-2">Nature Scientific Reports</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

Honey bee lifespans are mysteriously declining

A recent study led by the University of Maryland has...

Puffer fish, a delicacy in Japanese cuisine, contain a lethal toxin that can lead to food poisoning and a swift death if improperly prepared. The fish’s liver and ovaries contain a powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin (TTX). Though its purpose is unclear, puffer fish also have analogs of TTX that are non-toxic. Researchers at <a href="https://en.nagoya-u.ac.jp/">Nagoya University</a> have proposed that puffer fish use these toxin analogs to communicate using smell.&nbsp;&nbsp;



For the research, the team studied grass puffer fish. Grass puffers are considered a problem for recreational anglers as they eat bait and break fishing lines. Others enjoy their appearance and some people keep them as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pet-owners-are-happier-than-people-who-dont-have-pets/">pets</a>.



Since childhood, Professor Hideki Abe was delighted by the grass puffer’s “charming appearance." As a biologist, he was more intrigued by their spawning behavior. “I was fascinated by the hypothesis that their toxin may be involved in their spawning behavior as a pheromone,” he explained. Pheromones are chemicals that are perceived by fish using their olfactory senses and affect the behavior of others.&nbsp;



The grass puffer accumulates the neurotoxin TTX to discourage would-be predators. They also accumulate a non-toxic analog of TTX called TDT. To better grasp this phenomenon, the research team investigated the compound. The results showed that TDT serves as a smell that attracts other grass puffers and the olfactory sensory cells that they use to sense it.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Surprisingly, the team discovered that rather than responding to the toxic TTX, the puffer fish responded to its non-toxic analog, TDT, implying that it behaves as an odorant that attracts grass puffers.&nbsp;



The attractive properties of TDT were studied by putting grass puffers into a fish tank, and then introducing it to only one side. Responding to the chemical, the grass puffers gathered in the part of the tank where it was added.&nbsp; The results were not expected given previous TTX studies.&nbsp;



“The TTX used in earlier studies was derived from living organisms and had low purification; therefore, we assumed that it might not only contain TTX but other analogs, including TDT, which might have actually induced the odor response," said Professor Abe.&nbsp;&nbsp;



By using pure TDT, long-held beliefs about the role of TTX in pheromone signaling may be overturned.&nbsp;



“Prey animals contain both the toxin and its analog, so grass puffers may use the smell of TDT as a signal to find prey animals bearing TTX, such as flatworms, starfish, gastropods, and skeleton shrimp,” said Professor Abe.



Because TTX and TDT are located in the ovaries, it is released from the eggs of a female during spawning. This was found to protect eggs from predators while also attracting males.&nbsp;



These results are a new perspective and clarify the biological functions of the non-toxic analog. The researchers expect their work to impact future research on the reproductive behavior of puffer fish.



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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

Puffer fish communicate using non-toxic substances

Puffer fish, a delicacy in Japanese cuisine, contain a lethal...

A new species of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-killing-asteroid-scoured-the-worlds-oceans/">dinosaur</a> age has been identified from the Atlantic coast of Angola. An international team named the new genus and species Epapatelo otyikokolo. With wings spanning nearly 16 feet, this flying reptile was found in the same region as fossils from large marine animals currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.&nbsp;



The fossils date back to the Late Cretaceous which is extremely rare. “This new discovery gives us a much better understanding of the ecological role of the creatures that were flying above the waves of Bentiaba, on the west coast of Africa, approximately 71.5 million years ago,” said team member Michael J. Polcyn.&nbsp;



Paloentologists Louis L. Jacobs and Polcyn forged the Projecto PaleoAngola partnership with collaborators in Angola, Portugal, and the Netherlands to explore Angola’s rich fossil history. The international team discovered and collected the fourteen bones from Epapatelo otyikokolo in Bentiaba, Angola, starting in 2005. Bentiaba is located on the Angola coastline that the team&nbsp; called a “museum in the ground” because of the many fossils that were discovered.



Once they returned, the team spent 13 years with a small army of students to prepare the excavated fossils. Epapatelo otyikokolo is believed to have been a fish-eating pterosaur similar to large modern-day seabirds.



“They likely spent time flying above open-water environments and diving to feed, like gannets and brown pelicans do today,” said study co-author Louis L. Jacobs. “Epapatelo otyikokolo was not a small animal, and its wingspan was approximately 4.8 m, or nearly 16 feet.”&nbsp;



Since the study, more fossils have been discovered suggesting that the species could have been even larger in size. Pterosaurs were impressive creatures, with some of the largest species having wingspans of nearly 35 feet.



Many of those fossils are currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History “Sea Monsters Unearthed” exhibit.&nbsp;



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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



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.

New pterosaur species found on the coast of Angola

A new species of the dinosaur age has been identified...

A new study led by <a href="https://international.au.dk/">Aarhus University</a> in Denmark has found that, much like humans, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seals-can-perceive-rhythm-early-in-life/">seals</a> can both distinguish and react differently to various rhythms soon after birth. While the ability to distinguish rhythms has already been well-documented in birds, this is one of the first studies identifying this capacity in non-human mammals. According to the experts, these findings are an important step forward in our understanding of human musicality and its relationship with language development.



The scientists tested 20 harbor seal pups to see if they have an understanding of rhythm, by playing sequences of seal calls in different rhythmic variations and tempi over a period of 30 minutes. The experiments revealed that seals reacted differently, depending on which type of rhythm they were exposed to.



“We filmed the seals’ reactions to the sounds and measured how many times they turned their heads to look at where the sounds were coming from. We then examined whether there was a difference between how many times the seals turned their heads, and how long they looked towards the sound, depending on the rhythm we played. This allowed us to see whether the different rhythms produced different reactions,” said study senior author Andrea Ravignani, an expert in the neural processing of music at Aarhus.



According to the researchers, these findings may provide not only a better understanding of the seals’ sense of rhythm, but also of human language development, which is known to go hand in hand with the emergence of a sense of rhythm in infants. By showing evidence that another vocally plastic mammal can perceive different rhythms, this study supports the scientific hypothesis that the two abilities are interconnected.



“We can conclude that even very young, untrained seals can distinguish vocalizations from other seals, based on their rhythms. It shows that we are not the only mammals to show rhythmic understanding and learn vocalizations. The two abilities may possibly have developed in parallel in both seals and human beings,” Ravignani said.



Further research is needed to clarify whether seals can detect rhythms in sounds other than those produced by their conspecifics, whether they can perceive more complex rhythms, and whether other non-human mammals also have these capacities.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2022.0316">Biology Letters</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

Seals have a surprising sense of rhythm

A new study led by Aarhus University in Denmark has...

A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/home.html">German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment</a> has recently found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cows-are-relaxed-by-face-to-face-interactions-with-people/">cows</a> fed with industrial hemp silage – a common ingredient in animal feed – show increased yawning, salivation, and unsteady movements, which are potential indicators of cannabinoid intoxication. These compounds could also be transferred into the milk they produce, with some samples showing levels high enough to impact human health.



“Our study shows that feeding cannabinoid-rich industrial hemp silage made from leaves, flowers, and seeds leads to a decrease in feed intake and milk yield in dairy cows. A transfer of cannabinoids into foods of animal origin is conceivable when by-products of hemp production and the whole plant are used as feedstuffs,” the authors explained.



Due to recent changes in global cannabis regulations, there is currently an increase in demand for industrial hemp for a variety of uses, including insulation, the development of textiles, paper, ropes, bioplastics, and biofuels, as well as its widespread use as animal feed. Since hemp contains cannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its derivatives, it can induce psychoactive effects on animals that consume it.



To test the effect of industrial hemp on dairy cows, the researchers initially started adapting ten lactating Holstein Freisian cows by replacing up to 0.92 kilograms of the corn silage they usually consumed with low-THC industrial hemp silage. Afterwards, the cows were split into two groups and were fed either 0.84 kilograms or 1.68 kilograms of high-THC hemp silage per day. During the study period, the scientists measured the cows’ feed intake, milk yield, heart and respiratory rates, and body temperature, while also recording behavioral changes, such as muscle tremors, hypersalivation, or changes in coordination.



While the low-THC variety had no effect on the cows during the first experimental stage, both doses of the high-THC variety resulted in significant behavioral changes. Moreover, from the second day of exposure, the cows decreased their feed intake and milk yield. By using laboratory separation methods and computer models, the scientists measured the levels of cannabinoids transferred to the milk from the feed, and discovered that, although there was a less than one percent transfer rate, the large quantities of food the cows consumed meant that substantial amounts were present in the milk too.



While the current data is insufficient for drawing clear conclusions on the health risks for humans posed by consuming such milk, these findings will hopefully lead to further research on the effects of feeding cows with industrial hemp.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00623-7">Nature Food</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

Cows are getting high from industrial hemp

A team of researchers from the German Federal Institute for...

Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), also known as hairy or Asian two-horned rhinos, are among the most critically endangered large mammal species on Earth. They used to inhabit a continuous, vast area in East and Southeast Asia but the estimated remaining 50-80 individuals are now confined to around 10 fragmented populations that are scattered across Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo. Habitat loss, poaching and limited breeding opportunities continue to cause populations to decline and extinction is now a very real possibility for this, the smallest and most ancient of the five extant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rhinos-show-that-diseases-can-disrupt-conservation-efforts/">rhinoceros</a> species.



Due to the fragmented nature of the remaining population, breeding encounters between males and females are rare, and inbreeding is inevitable. This situation calls for an urgent reintroduction of new genetic material to stop the erosion of genetic diversity. Captive breeding programs involving the nine individuals in zoos around the world have been spectacularly unsuccessful and Kertam, the last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia, died in 2018, limiting the chances of introducing new genetic material even further.&nbsp;



However, a team of Berlin scientists led by Dr.&nbsp;Vera Zywitza and Dr&nbsp;Sebastian Diecke, head of the Pluripotent Stem Cells Platform at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin, feel that all is not lost just yet. They and their international partners have set out to turn skin cells taken from now deceased Sumatran rhinos into stem cells, from which they can then derive egg and sperm cells to be used in in vitro fertilization in the laboratory. The embryos formed in this way, which will be the offspring of Kertam and other already deceased or infertile individuals, will be carried to term by surrogate rhino mothers.



In the scientific journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.105414">iScience</a>, the team, led by first author Zywitza and last author Diecke, have reported their initial success in this ambitious project – they have produced induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from the skin cells of Kertam, which were taken by biopsy from this male before he died, and were kept frozen. These iPSCs are a powerful tool to fight extinction because they can be used to make every cell type in a body, including egg and sperm cells. Fertile and viable offspring have already been generated in the laboratory using iPSCs from mice, and the technique is increasingly being applied to a variety of other mammalian species.&nbsp;



Another advantage of producing iPSCs from rare and threatened species is that these cells never die, but continue to divide infinitely. This means they can preserve a copy of the genome from a threatened species for decades into the future, allowing scientists to use the genetic material potentially to resurrect the species. In fact, the technology platform developed its stem cell technologies as part of the BioRescue research project for the even more critically endangered northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni)&nbsp;– of which only two females now remain, living in a Kenyan wildlife reserve.&nbsp;



“Our current study has benefited a lot from the knowledge gained through this large-scale project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research,” says Zywitza. Professor Thomas Hildebrandt, head of the Reproduction Management Department at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, and his research group, were also significantly involved in the project.



Zywitza recounts how all those involved in the current study were surprised and pleased to discover that the methods used to turn the skin cells of northern white rhinos into stem cells also worked well with the cells of Sumatran rhinos. Under the microscope, the stem cells of both rhino species were barely distinguishable from human iPS cells. Nevertheless, there were species-specific differences: “In contrast to northern white rhino iPSCs, Kertam’s iPSCs could not be cultivated without feeder cells, which release growth factors that help to keep stem cells in a pluripotent state,” explains Zywitza.&nbsp;



The researchers see their success so far as the first step towards fighting the extinction of the Sumatran rhino using stem cell-associated techniques. Their next goal is to use Kertam’s iPS cells to grow sperm suitable for artificial insemination. “This step is more difficult,” says Zywitza. “To obtain sperm cells, we first need to use the iPS cells to cultivate primordial germ cells – the precursors of eggs and sperm.” They also plan to obtain iPS cells from other Sumatran rhinos to increase the genetic diversity in storage, since the reintroduction of genetic material in future will be crucial to support a healthy and self-sustaining Sumatran rhino population.



Reproduction expert Thomas Hildebrandt explains why efforts like these are necessary: “Measures are indeed being taken in Indonesia to preserve the Sumatran rhino population by bringing together the remaining individuals in wildlife reserves,” he says. “But females that have not been pregnant for a long time often become infertile, for example due to cysts that develop on their reproductive organs, or they may just be too old to bear young.”



“Even though our work is attempting to make the seemingly impossible possible – to ensure the survival of animals that would otherwise probably disappear from our planet – it must remain an exception and not become the rule,” emphasizes Zywitza. “Despite all the buzz around what we are doing in the lab, this can at best make a small contribution to saving these rhinos from extinction. The protection and conservation of the animals’ few remaining habitats is at least equally important.”



Image Credit: Ben Jastram, Leibniz-IZW



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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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The Sumatran rhino may have another chance at survival

Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), also known as hairy or Asian...

Cephalopods – a group of animals including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-reveals-violent-squid-attack-200-million-years-ago/">squids</a>, octopuses, and cuttlefish – are extremely intelligent creatures capable of behaviors such as processing information to change their shape, color, and even texture in order to blend with the environment, communicating with conspecifics, and using tools to solve problems – capacities that are possible due to the fact that they have the most complex <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/conspicuous-frogs-have-big-brains-to-evade-predators/">brains</a> of any invertebrates on Earth.



By studying the visual systems of these soft-bodied animals – which is where two thirds of their central processing tissue are located – a team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> discovered that their nervous system develops in a surprisingly similar way with that of vertebrates, despite the fact that the two groups diverged from each other over 500 million years ago.



The experts used a new live-imagining technique to watch neurons being created in the embryo in almost real-time, and tracked these cells through the development of the nervous system in the retina. The neural stem cells that they tracked behaved eerily similar to the way such cells behave in vertebrates during the development of their nervous system. These findings suggest that not only are they using similar mechanisms to make their big brains, but that the way in which the cells act, divide, and are shaped may essentially layout the blueprint required to develop this type of nervous system in both vertebrates and invertebrates.



“Our conclusions were surprising because a lot of what we know about nervous system development in vertebrates has long been thought to be special to that lineage,” said study senior author Kristen Koenig, an expert in cephalopod evolution at Harvard. “By observing the fact that the process is very similar, what it suggested to us is that these two independently evolved very large nervous systems are using the same mechanisms to build them. What that suggests is that those mechanisms — those tools — the animals use during development may be important for building big nervous systems.”



An innovative live-imaging technique allowed the researchers to observe how stem cells called “neural progenitor cells” are organized. These cells form a special kind of structure – known as a pseudostratified epithelium – which consists of elongated and densely packed cells. Moreover, the investigations revealed that the nucleus of these structures moves up and down before and after dividing – a movement through which the tissues are kept organized and growth is promoted.



Such a structure is used by vertebrates to develop their brains and eyes and was traditionally considered as one of the reasons the vertebrate nervous system could grow so large and complex. Surprisingly, this type of neural epitheliums appears widespread among invertebrates too. “One of the big takeaways from this type of work is just how valuable it is to study the diversity of life. By studying this diversity, you can actually really come back to fundamental ideas about even our own development and our own biomedically relevant questions. You can really speak to those questions,” Koenig concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.10.027">Current Biology</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

How did octopuses develop complex brains?

Cephalopods – a group of animals including squids, octopuses, and...

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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



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.

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?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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.

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

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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



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 rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites 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...