A new study reveals that rat infestations in many cities worldwide are on the rise, with Washington, D.C. emerging as the biggest hotspot. 



The study, which was focused on rat sighting reports from 16 global cities, attributes the increasing rat populations to warming temperatures, urbanization, and other human activities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rat-sightings-on-the-rise">Rat sightings on the rise</h2>



The researchers conducted a first-of-its-kind analysis using publicly submitted rat complaint data. They discovered that in 11 of the 16 cities analyzed, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rats-have-a-very-complex-social-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rat</a> sightings have increased in recent years. 



Based on individual city trends, Washington D.C. led the pack, followed by San Francisco, Toronto, New York City, and Amsterdam. According to the study, the rat reporting trend in Washington D.C. was three times greater than that of Boston. 



Only three cities - New Orleans, Louisville, and Tokyo - experienced significant decreases in rat reports, with New Orleans showing the largest drop. The experts suggest that New Orleans’ strategies could serve as a model for other cities seeking to control rat populations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-drivers-of-rat-population-growth">Key drivers of rat population growth </h2>



The research team performed statistical analyses of rat sighting reports and concluded that a little over 40% of the rising trend is due to warming temperatures. 



This <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rapid-surge-in-global-warming-may-have-an-unexpected-source/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warming</a> is primarily a result of burning coal, oil, and natural gas, which leads to milder winters and longer foraging periods for rats. 



Study lead author Jonathan Richardson, a biologist at the <a href="https://www.richmond.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Richmond</a>, explained the mechanism.



“We're seeing these increasing trends in rats in cities that are warming the fastest, probably because this is a small mammal that has physiological challenges in the cold weather months,” said Richardson.&nbsp;



“If we're warming the climate and winter starts a week or two later and spring arrives a week or two earlier, that's one, two, maybe even three or four weeks across the entire year where those rats can be above ground foraging, acquiring more food and maybe squeezing out one or two more reproductive cycles.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-urbanization-and-higher-population-density">Urbanization and higher population density </h2>



Even a few extra weeks of activity can have a dramatic effect, given that female rats can produce a litter every month. With each litter consisting of eight to 16 pups, this additional time significantly accelerates population growth.



In addition to the effects of warming, the study identified increased <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urbanization-is-a-threat-to-78-of-the-worlds-bird-species/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urbanization</a> and higher population densities as major factors. Rats thrive in built environments where food waste is abundant and human activity creates numerous shelters.&nbsp;



The experts note that these conditions allow rats to flourish in areas where people and their refuse provide a constant source of sustenance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rats-nature-s-ultimate-urban-survivors">Rats: Nature’s ultimate urban survivors</h2>



Rats have evolved to be remarkably adaptive in urban settings. New York City rat czar Kathleen Corradi stated during a conference that the rat is the third most successful mammal behind humans and house mice. So it evolved and engineered to live alongside us.&nbsp;



“They followed humans, Homo sapiens, across the continents and are in every single continent except Antarctica. So it's considered a wicked problem.”



Their ability to adapt and survive in close proximity to humans explains why rat populations are expanding even as cities implement various control measures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-consequences-of-rising-rat-populations">Consequences of rising rat populations</h2>



While rats are undeniably adaptable, their increasing numbers pose serious risks. When rodent populations soar, public health and urban infrastructure can suffer. 



"When rodent populations are high, people get sick, motor vehicles become disabled, mental health declines, fires are started and foods fouled," said Houston rat expert Michael Parsons, who was not involved in the study.



This statement captures the multifaceted impact of rat infestations. High rat populations can lead to increased transmission of diseases, disruption of transportation systems, and other societal challenges. 



People are understandably disturbed by rats, primarily due to an instinctive fear of creatures that can transmit disease.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quantifying-city-rats">Quantifying city rats</h2>



Rats are notoriously difficult to count accurately due to their secretive and elusive nature. The study did not count rats directly; instead, it analyzed rat sighting complaints submitted by city residents. 



Although these reports may not reflect the actual number of rats, they provide valuable insight into trends over time. Richardson emphasized that the long-term consistency of the reporting methods used in the study lends credibility to the observed trends.



Even though Washington D.C. exhibited the highest rate of increase, Richardson clarified that this does not necessarily mean the city has the most rats overall - it simply indicates that the number of rat complaints is rising faster than in other cities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prevention-over-poison">Prevention over poison</h2>



The study's findings suggest that traditional methods of rat control, such as poisoning and trapping, may not be sufficient to combat the escalating problem. 



Instead, prevention measures appear to be more effective. In cities like New Orleans, public authorities are taking proactive steps. 



For instance, educational workshops and community campaigns focus on reducing conditions that attract rats, such as improper waste management and excess food availability.



“In New Orleans they make a big effort to get out into neighborhoods and do educational workshops and campaigns to talk to residents about what makes a property less likely to have rats,” Richardson said.



Similarly, New York City has initiated innovative strategies, including replacing street garbage bags with rat-resistant containers and forming an elite volunteer group known as the “NYC rat pack.” 



Early results from these initiatives are promising, although comprehensive data have yet to fully reflect their impact.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-complex-urban-challenge">A complex urban challenge</h2>



While it is possible to better manage rat populations through improved urban planning and public education, complete eradication is unrealistic. 



As <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a> conservation scientist Neil Carter pointed out, we can fight them better, but in the end “people need to coexist with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-addresses-the-global-need-for-human-wildlife-coexistence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife</a> in urban environments, even with rats.”



“Zero rats is impossible," noted Richardson. “But I think an expectation that we need to live with the number of rats that we're seeing in many of these cities is also an unhealthy perspective on this problem.”



In conclusion, this study offers a critical, data-driven look at the complex factors driving rat population growth in urban environments. 



As cities continue to warm, expand, and densify, the challenge of managing rat populations will require innovative and sustainable approaches that focus on prevention and public awareness.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads6782" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



Image Credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer



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Rat populations are increasing in cities as temperatures rise

A new study reveals that rat infestations in many cities worldwide are on the rise, with Washington, D.C. emerging as the biggest hotspot. The study, which was focused on rat sighting reports from 16 global cities, attributes the increasing rat populations to warming temperatures, urbanization, and other human activities. Rat sightings on the rise The researchers conducted a first-of-its-kind analysis using publicly submitted rat complaint data. They discovered that in 11 of the 16 cities analyzed, rat sightings have increased in recent years.  Based on individual city...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lightning-map-reveals-weather-patterns-in-the-british-isles/">Lightning</a> during thunderstorms reminds us of the charged nature of earth’s atmosphere. However, static electricity is present in the air at all times, even during fair weather and away from thunderstorms. Electric fields in the atmosphere influence the movements of biologically relevant ions (e.g., nitrate, sulfate, radon) as well as dust particles. They are also known to facilitate animal dispersal and navigation. However, their origin has usually been thought to be abiotic and to involve local atmospheric electrical processes such as cloud electrification, lightning initiation, precipitation, aerosol charging, and radioactivity.&nbsp;



A new study, published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.105241">iScience</a>, contends that living organisms can also have an impact on atmospheric electricity and may even help us to understand hither-to unexplained spatio-temporal variations in the lower atmosphere’s electrical fields. In particular, the researchers focus on flying insects that form swarms and undertake mass movements, such as locusts, honeybees, and migratory species of butterflies.&nbsp;



“We always looked at how physics influenced biology, but at some point, we realized that biology might also be influencing physics,” said study first author Ellard Hunting, a biologist at the University of Bristol. “We’re interested in how different organisms use the static electric fields that are virtually everywhere in the environment.”



Insects such as honeybees gain a positive charge due to friction with air molecules as they fly along. This is a well-known phenomenon and has been proposed as a mechanism that helps pollen stick to a bee’s body as it forages from flower to flower. Given that bees form dense swarms at times of the year when they are looking for new locations to set up home, the researchers set out to measure the changes in electric field associated with the movement of these swarms.



The experts found that, as a swarm flew over their electric field monitor, there was a density dependent change in atmospheric electric charge of around 100Vm-1. The denser the swarm, the greater the increase in electric field force around ground level. This evidence suggests that a honeybee swarm contains enough charge to affect the atmospheric potential gradient, and that this source of electricity can represent an appreciable perturbing influence on the local electrical environment.



“How insect swarms influence atmospheric electricity depends on their density and size,” explained study co-author Liam O’Reilly, a biologist at the University of Bristol. “We also calculated the influence of locusts on atmospheric electricity, as locusts swarm on biblical scales, sizing 460 square miles with 80 million locusts in less than a square mile; their influence is likely much greater than honeybees.”



The researchers measured the electrical charge on individual desert locusts Schistocerca gregaria (805 + 295 Picocoulombs) and multiplied this by published estimates of swarm numbers to determine the possible effect of swarming locusts on local atmospheric electric fields. 



The results revealed that locust swarms have the potential to alter their local electrical environment to an extent that is comparable with meteorological events such as thunderstorms. Butterflies, on the other hand, were found to have far less of an effect on electric fields due to their tendency to move around at much lower densities. 



“We only recently discovered that biology and static electric fields are intimately linked and that there are many unsuspected links that can exist over different spatial scales, ranging from microbes in the soil and plant-pollinator interactions to insect swarms and perhaps the global electric circuit,” said Hunting.



“Interdisciplinarity is valuable here - electric charge can seem like it lives solely in physics, but it is important to know how aware the whole natural world is of electricity in the atmosphere,” explained study co-author Giles Harrison, an atmospheric physicist from the University of Reading.



"As atmospheric space charge enhances the aggregation and movement of aerial particles, it is conceivable that insect-derived space charges will also contribute to spatial changes in aerial particles," wrote the researchers. "For example, it could be speculated that insect-driven charged particle collection and transport could contribute to long-range transport of desert dust, providing alternative explanations for the transport of large particles, which cannot be explained by physical processes alone.”



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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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Insect swarms charge the atmosphere with static electricity

Lightning during thunderstorms reminds us of the charged nature of...

According to a recent study presented at the <a href="https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/bes-annual-meeting-2022/">British Ecological Society’s annual meeting</a> in Edinburgh on December&nbsp;20, 2022, animals that perceive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/time-fly-faster-older/">time</a> the fastest are those that are small, can fly, or are marine predators.&nbsp;



The scientists used data collected from a variety of studies that measured temporal perception in over 100 animal species through flickering light experiments, which recorded the rate of optic nerve sent information with the help of special devices called electroretinograms. The analysis revealed that animals with fast-paced lifestyles have visual systems which can detect changes at highest rates.



For instance, species such as blow flies or dragon flies were able to detect changes at the highest rate, having visual systems operating at 300hz (that is, they were able to detect changes 300 times a second) – a significantly higher rate than in humans, who can see at 65hz. In vertebrates, the fastest temporal perceptions belonged to the pied fly catchers (146hz), while animals such as salmon and dogs clocked in at 96hz and 75hz, respectively. The slowest time perception belonged to crown-of-thorn starfish (0.7hz).



“Having fast vision helps a species perceive rapid changes in the environment. Such detailed perception of changes is very useful if you move quickly or need to pinpoint the trajectory of&nbsp;moving prey,” said Kevin Healy, an expert in Macroecology at the <a href="https://www.universityofgalway.ie/">University of Galway</a>, who presented the study.



“By looking at such a wide range of animals, from dragonflies to starfish, our findings show that a species’ perception of time itself is linked to how fast its environment can change. This can help our understanding of predator-prey interactions or even how aspects such as light pollution may affect some species more than others.”



The scientists were surprised to find that many terrestrial predators have relatively slow temporal perception compared to aquatic predators. “We think this difference may be because in aquatic environments predators can continuously adjust their position when lunging for prey, while in terrestrial environments, predators that lunge at prey, such as a jumping spider, are not able to make adjustments once they’ve launched,” Healey explained.



Since having fast temporal perception is energetically costly and limited by how quickly neurons linked to retinal cells in the eye can recharge, many animals that don’t require such skills have slower time perception and use their energy for growth or reproduction.



Finally, the researchers found that variation in time perception can also occur within species, including in humans, with some studies showing that in football, for instance, goalkeepers can see changes at a higher rate.



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Which animals perceive time the fastest?

According to a recent study presented at the British Ecological...

Collisions with glass windows on buildings, fences, transportation shelters, and noise barriers are currently a major cause of bird mortality in many parts of the world. Public awareness of bird-window collisions has increased in recent years, due to surveys for dead <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-parks-could-boost-bumblebee-populations/">birds</a> beneath windows. But since collision events are difficult to observe directly, there are still substantial gaps in understanding how and why birds fly into windows, and what happens to them afterwards.



A recent study published in the journal <a href="about:blank">PeerJ</a> has now provided a first glimpse of what happens immediately before a bird collides – or avoids impact – with a window, by analyzing audio and video recordings of 29 collisions and nine near-misses at a residential setting with bird feeders. According to the researchers, birds’ velocity and angle of approach predicted the outcomes following collisions, with faster flights at near-perpendicular angles of approach being the most dangerous for birds.



Of the 29 collisions that were recorded, very few resulted in an immediate fatality and were detected by building inhabitants. Thus, some birds may suffer injuries, but manage to fly away, only to die afterwards far from the window site. This finding has major implications for estimating population-level impacts of bird-window collisions, suggesting that the number of collisions may be highly underestimated by traditional survey methods.



“Bird-window collisions happen all over the world throughout the year, but the frequency and severity of collisions seem to be underestimated by the public, especially at residential settings,” said study lead author Brendon Samuels, a doctoral student in Biology at the <a href="https://www.uwo.ca/">University of Western Ontario</a> in Canada. “One reason is that collisions happen suddenly and are difficult for people to observe directly. When birds fly away afterwards, it’s unclear what ultimately happens to them. Our findings highlight how common collisions can be in residential settings, especially where there are bird attractants like feeders.”



Moreover, although previous studies of bird-windows collisions have tended to focus mostly on quantifying the incidence of fatal collisions at larger structures, residential buildings are the most abundant types of structures with windows, and could thus represent the greatest cumulative threat to birds. In addition, since backyard bird feeding has gained in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, more birds are now drawn into high-risk settings.



According to the experts, new buildings can be designed based on practices that limit the risk of collisions. Moreover, existing building windows could be retrofitted by using simple materials to add visual markers to the exterior of the glass. Further research is needed though to characterize how birds orient their eyes to detect and avoid collisions with windows, so that collision deterrents may be designed optimally to match bird vision.&nbsp;



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Window collisions are a leading cause of bird mortality

Collisions with glass windows on buildings, fences, transportation shelters, and...

The phrase “to swallow one’s tongue” has circulated since at least the 1980s, signifying a variety of things such as falling silent to experiencing a general feeling of fear. While it is anatomically impossible for a human to swallow their tongue, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/">Florida Museum of Natural History</a> has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cane-toads-make-long-distance-calls-for-love/">cane toads</a> (Rhinella marina) actually achieve this feat every time they eat.



The scientists used X-ray videography to investigate toads’ feeding behavior, offering the first glimpse of what frogs do once their food reaches their mouths. The analysis revealed that cane toads swallow prey by using a complex pulley system of cartilage and muscle that travels so far down their throats, it butts up against their hearts.



“We know a lot about how frogs extend their tongues and how it sticks to their prey, but prior to this study, essentially everything that happens after they close their mouths was a mystery,” said study lead author Rachel Keeffe, who conducted this research as part of her doctoral degree in Biology at the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a>.



After placing the toads in a clear observation box, the researchers fed them a steady stream of crickets while filming them using X-ray videography. “We weren’t sure what was happening at first,” Keefe explained. “The whole floor of the mouth was pulled backward into the throat and the tongue along with it.”



Examining meticulous reconstructions of movements into 3D animations, the scientists observed that once the toad’s tongue has reached its fullest extent, the hyoid – a cartilaginous plate with loops and prongs attached to muscles on the floor of their mouths – retracted into their throats. Then, the tongue, which is directly attached to the hyoid, was slingshot back into the mouth. It still remains unclear how far back the hyoid can move, since its path is blocked by the toad’s heart, which the animal slides up against milliseconds before the tongue and its attached prey smash into the cartilaginous cushion.



Finally, in order to dislodge the concussed insect from its sticky tongue, the toad uses what the experts call a “hyoid dorsal ascent.” “The hyoid shoots up and presses the tongue against the roof of the mouth, after which it moves forward, essentially scraping the food off into the esophagus,” Keefe explained. The entire feeding process takes less than two seconds, with most of the time spent repositioning the tongue and hyoid after swallowing.



Since there is a rich diversity of feeding mechanisms among the over 7,000 known frog species, further comparative studies are needed to clarify whether the feeding behavior of cane toads is the rule or the exception.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/iob/obac045">Integrative Organismal Biology</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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Cane toads swallow their tongue when they eat

The phrase “to swallow one’s tongue” has circulated since at...

According to a new study published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2022.101488">Ecosystem Services</a>, conservation strategies often have a narrow focus, tending to prioritize economic or ecological values of various species, while ignoring other types of benefits, such as those related to well-being or morality. Looking specifically at the case of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/land-use-changes-affect-elephant-movement/">elephants</a>, the experts found that financial benefits including the role of elephants in ecotourism, trophy hunting, or labor often conflict with the elephants’ ecological, cultural, and spiritual contributions. Thus, overlooking the value systems of all the stakeholders involved in conservation, including local people, can lead to social inequality, conflict, and unsustainable strategies.



“We chose to look at elephants as the case study because their conservation can be especially challenging and contentious,” said study co-author Antoinette van de Water, an expert in human-elephant interaction at the <a href="https://ukzn.ac.za/">University of KwaZulu-Natal</a> in South Africa.&nbsp;“We’re not saying economic contributions aren’t important, but there’s a lot of different values at play and they all need to be considered in conservation strategies if they are going to succeed.”



According to van de Water and her colleagues, conservation decision makers frequently tend to take a single worldview when considering the value of nature. “Whether it’s economic, ecological, or social, a blanket approach to values can impact the success of a conservation strategy,” explained study co-author Lucy Bates, a zoologist at the <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/">University of Portsmouth</a> in the UK.



“Consider something like the ivory trade for example. International trade in ivory is illegal, but many southern African countries want to restart the trade leading to contention across the African continent. If you focus less on the potential economic value of ivory, and turn to other ways elephants can support communities, it can be a game-changer."



“On a smaller scale, you can also apply this framework to defining protected areas and what land could be made available to elephants. By listening to those living in these areas, you can get a clear understanding of how decisions will affect human life as well, and work out ways to resolve any issues.”



Thus, instead of focusing solely on financial and economic benefits, conservationists should also take into account nature’s non-material benefits, such as recreation, inspiration, mental health, or social cohesion, together with broader moral values, like human rights, environmental justice, rights of nature, or intergenerational legacy.



An approach incorporating moral values related to biodiversity conservation to create a positive loop between benefits to humans and to nature would help policymakers and managers better understand what elephants mean to people, why these animals are important in themselves, and what values and interests are actually at stake.



“What is really needed is a change of thinking. Conservation policies are often based on price tags. Our pluralist valuation system provides solutions that are not based on economic gains or political status for the few, but instead on long-term common good and the goals and aspirations of societies,” concluded van de Water.



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



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What is the value of elephants?

According to a new study published in the journal Ecosystem...

In a new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278443">PLoS ONE</a>, researchers have found that small turtles are often sold illegally as pets online. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibited the sale of small pet turtles in 1975 due to the number of illnesses they can cause, including Salmonella <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-reinfection-increases-the-risk-of-fatal-complications/">infection</a>.&nbsp;



"In the 1960s and 1970s, hatchling turtles became increasingly popular pets in the United States. By the early 1970s, about 4% of households in the U.S. owned at least one turtle, and about 15 million hatchling turtles, primarily red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), were being sold annually," wrote the study authors.



"As hatchlings, red-eared sliders are about the size of a U.S. quarter (24.3 mm), and their size, coupled with a lime green shell and red stripes on the sides of their heads, made them popular and highly desired as pets. During the same period, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was documenting salmonellosis, an intestinal disease caused by Salmonella bacteria, cases in the public, and it was estimated that approximately 280,000 cases per year were attributable to turtle ownership."



The researchers explained that small children, in particular, were contracting salmonellosis because of poor hygiene after handling turtles. They noted that salmonellosis can cause severe illness and death, especially in young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.



The experts set out to determine whether websites are selling small turtles, in violation of the 1975 regulation. They found that half of online sellers fail to provide information about the disease risk and the laws pertaining to small turtles.&nbsp;



"Despite passage of the Food and Drug Administration regulation nearly 50 years ago prohibiting the sale of these turtles, our research has demonstrated that internet sales of small turtles currently represent part of the thriving online pet trade in the U.S. Enforcement of the regulation is likely done in an ad hoc manner in brick-and-mortar pet stores, but there are jurisdictional challenges to enforcement of this federal regulation by state agents in most states," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"In addition, law enforcement agents at the state and federal levels may feel that they have more important issues regarding internet-based wildlife sales, including monitoring sales of endangered species or potentially injurious species, such as big cats or primates. However, salmonellosis outbreaks continue to occur in the U.S. and are regularly attributed to pet turtles, which represent a more expansive public health concern than that posed by potentially injurious animals."



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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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Small turtles are often sold online despite disease risks

In a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE,...

An international team of scientists has recently uncovered an extremely rare piece of evidence that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-dinosaurs-benefited-from-changes-in-global-climate/">dinosaurs</a> sometimes ate mammals. The experts discovered the foot of a tiny mammal approximately the size of a mouse preserved inside the gut contents of a&nbsp;Microraptor zhaoianus -a small feathered dinosaur that lived in the early Cretaceous period.



According to study co-author Corwin Sullivan, a paleontologist at the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/index.html">University of Alberta</a>, it is extremely rare to find conclusive evidence of dinosaurs’ diets because of how difficult it is for a dinosaur’s gut contents to be preserved.&nbsp;



“There was always interest in [Microraptor’s] diet because there had been previous specimens that contained remains of different vertebrates inside the rib cage, but we have the first one that contains parts of a mammal,” he explained.



The fossils of this Microraptor were found within Jurassic and Cretaceous lake deposits in today’s northeast China. Previous fossils belonging to this species discovered in the same region have been found with gut contents of fish, birds, and lizards, suggesting that they had highly diverse diets. However, it is not yet clear whether Microraptor consumed these animals in a predator-prey relationship or by scavenging.&nbsp;



Information about dinosaurs’ diets is crucial for learning more about the inter-species relationships existing at the time these creatures roamed the Earth. “We’re slowly gathering pieces of information about these past ecosystems and the animals that inhabited them. So what this discovery does is fill in a little bit of information in that it’s showing the diet of&nbsp;Microraptor&nbsp;was even broader, even more generalist, than we thought previously,” Sullivan said.&nbsp;



“That tells us something about this animal and, by extension, tells us that there were generalist carnivores in these ancient ecosystems — that that niche existed,” he concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2022.2144337">Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology</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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Rare evidence shows that dinosaurs ate mammals

An international team of scientists has recently uncovered an extremely...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-have-accents-that-vary-by-region/">Dolphins</a> and other marine animals are frequently affected by human disturbances in their habitat, including overfishing, noise pollution from shipping, construction activities, oil exploration, and navy sonar activity, as well as climate change. Although these types of disturbances can interrupt critical animal behaviors such as foraging or socializing, measuring them is difficult since the animals live under water.



Now, a team of scientists led by the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> (U-M) has developed wearable sensors for marine mammals similar to fitness trackers used by humans – known as biologging tags – that can monitor the movement and behavior of underwater creatures.



“Our goal is to use tag data to estimate foraging events, how many fish were consumed during a day, and connect that to estimates of how much energy dolphins use during the movement required to catch those fish,” said study senior author&nbsp;Alex Shorter, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at U-M. “This is important for conservation because we can then use our approach to estimate energetic costs when these animals are disturbed.”



By attaching the biologging tags between the blowholes and dorsal fins of six dolphins, the scientists managed to noninvasively measure features such as speed, temperature, pressure, and movement, during several swimming trials. In some of these trials, the animals started from rest at a floating dock and then swam an 80-meter lap underwater at speeds up to 21 kilometers per hour. When left to swim alone, the tags tracked movements for periods ranging from 9.5 to 24 hours. One dolphin tracked for a 24-hour period swam over 70 kilometers.&nbsp;



According to the researchers, this method could be extended to tag data from a variety of animals in the wild. “Our tag-based method is universally applicable to both animals in managed and wild settings, and can lead to a host of new research in monitoring the physical well-being of dolphin populations, which in turn will inform how we as humans are affecting their travel patterns, feeding requirements and lives in general,” said study lead author Joaquin Gabaldon, a postdoctoral researcher in Robotics at U-M.



“From a technological perspective, it is our hope that other researchers see the potential of dedicated on-tag speed sensing, and pursue the development of more adaptable speed sensors to enable energetics monitoring for a wider variety of marine animals.”



The study is published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.244599">Journal of Experimental Biology</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



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.

Dolphin activity trackers will help inform conservation efforts

Dolphins and other marine animals are frequently affected by human...

As climate change drives hotter temperatures worldwide, spring is arriving earlier than ever in parts of North America. According to a recent study led by the <a href="https://www2.uottawa.ca/en">University of Ottawa</a>, the shift to an early spring may have serious consequences for bumblebees and the crops that depend on them for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-pollination-discovered-between-red-seaweed-and-crustaceans/">pollination</a>.&nbsp;



The experts report that bumblebees are not shifting their activity to earlier in the year, which threatens their ability to find food sources or causes the bees to miss out on food altogether. The study is one of the first to examine the effect of seasonal weather changes in relation to bumblebees.



“This study represents crucial groundwork for understanding that climate can impact the seasonal timing of biological events,” said lead author and PhD student Olga Koppel.



“Bumblebee survival is strongly in our best interest, as we rely heavily on bee-pollinated agricultural crops, including vegetables, fruits, and even clothing fibres such as cotton. The over 40 bumblebee species that are native to North America provide this invaluable economic service.”



For bumblebees who emerge from winter hibernation before the arrival of spring flowers, survival is not likely. As a result,&nbsp; smaller colonies will appear the following year.&nbsp;



In collaboration with Professor Jeremy Kerr, Koppel examined the relationship between climate and the spring emergence of bumblebees. The researchers analyzed a database of specimens from museum collections across North America, which included 17,000 individuals of 21 species.&nbsp;



The results of the analysis confirmed that climate strongly explained variation in spring emergence timing in 15 of the 21 bumblebee species.



“This research has demonstrated that bumblebee emergence timing can be biased heavily in the direction of climate changes, which has implications for similar research on other species, as well as for the urgent conservation of these valuable pollinator species,” said Koppel. “This study provides a roadmap for evaluating large-scale temporal responses to climate change for many insects and other animals.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biological-conservation">Biological Conservation</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



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.

Bumblebees are waking up too early from hibernation

As climate change drives hotter temperatures worldwide, spring is arriving...

When <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebrafish-gene-editing-human-disease/">zebrafish</a> swim toward their intended targets, strong currents frequently push them off course. However, the tiny fish swim back to their original location, determined to finish their journey. In order to clarify how do animals know where they are in their environments and how this knowledge determines their choices, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.hhmi.org/">Howard Hughes Medical Institute</a> (HHMI) has investigated the brains of zebrafish when they are involved in such behaviors. The analysis revealed that the hindbrain – an evolutionary conserved or “ancient” region in the back of the brain – helps them compute their location and use to information to decide where they need to go next.



The scientists placed several zebrafish in a virtual reality environment which simulates water currents. When the current shifts unexpectedly, the fish are initially pushed off course, but they are able to correct for those movements and go back to their initial position. By using a whole-brain imaging technique, the researchers managed to search the animals’ entire brains to see which neural circuits are activated during their course-correcting behavior.&nbsp;



Although they expected to observe a significant amount of forebrain activation – where the hippocampus, a brain structure containing a “cognitive map” of the environment, is located – the experts were surprised to notice activation in several regions of the medulla, where information about the fish’s location was being transmitted via a hindbrain structure called “the inferior olive” to the motor areas of the cerebellum which enable the animals to move. When this pathway was blocked, the fish were unable to navigate back to their initial location.



These findings suggest that regions of the brain stem “remember” a fish’s original location and generate an “error signal” based on its current and past locations. “We found that the fish is trying to calculate the difference between its current location and its preferred location and uses this difference to generate an error signal. The brain sends that error signal to its motor control centers so the fish can correct after being moved by flow unintentionally, even many seconds later,” explained study lead author En Yang, a postdoctoral fellow at HHMI.



However, it is still unclear whether the same neural networks are involved in similar behaviors in other animals. Moreover, further research is also needed to clarify whether this hindbrain network could be the basis of other navigational skills, such as when fish swim to a specific place for shelter.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.022">Cell</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



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 can lost fish get back on track?

When zebrafish swim toward their intended targets, strong currents frequently...

For a long time, humans have wondered how to better move across wet or frozen surfaces safely, whether to improve shoes for walking on dangerous sidewalks, or tires to maneuver on roadways. Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.uakron.edu/">University of Akron</a> has investigated what makes it possible for some arctic animals, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/polar-bears-are-forced-to-hunt-for-food-on-land/">polar bears</a>, to run across the ice so effortlessly and gracefully without slipping or falling.



“We had an ongoing project for many years focused on ice; we were looking at the friction of materials and we were interested in this topic because we are in Akron and our national partners need to develop tires with a strong grip on the road in ice and snow conditions,” said study senior author Ali Dhinojwala, a professor of Polymer Science at Akron. “Nate [lead author Nathaniel Orndorf, a former doctoral student at the same university and currently a senior material scientist at <a href="https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/index">Bridgestone Americas</a>] had an interest in how nature has adapted to this solution for snow. The example that came to his mind was polar bears – and the research began from there.”



Previous studies investigated the microstructures (the papillae, or tiny bumps on the pad of the foot) of polar bear paws, arguing that they were evolutionary adaptations for improved traction on snow. However, these studies did not include other bear species, such as some closely related to the polar bear that the current study examined, including the brown bear, or the American black bear.



The scientists collected samples and replicas of bear paw pads from museums and taxidermists across the U.S. and examined them using a scanning electron microscope. Moreover, they also created 3D printouts of the structures in order to vary their diameter and height of features and tested them in snow to assess how they reacted to inclement conditions.



The analysis revealed that while all bears (except the sun bears, a more distant species relative to the other ones the experts investigated) had papillae on their paw pads, the papillae on polar bear paws were 1.5 taller compared to those of other species, a feature which helps them increase traction on snow. Although polar bears have smaller paw pads than other species – most likely because of greater fur coverage for heat conservation – their taller papillae compensated for this, providing a 30 to 50 percent increase in frictional shear stress.



“Papillae are not unique to polar bears. Previous work [in that area] made the implicit assumption that papillae themselves are adaptations for enhanced traction on snow without studying the paw pads of other bears. It was fascinating for us to discover that the other North American bears have them as well and that the physical characteristics of the papillae are what matters for traction on snow,” said study co-author Austin Garner, an assistant professor of biology at <a href="https://www.syracuse.edu/">Syracuse University</a>.



These findings could be applied to develop better automobile tires, as well as equipment for high altitude climbers or companies that specialize in delivering goods in bad weather.



The study is published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0466">Journal of the Royal Society Interface</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



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 do polar bears get traction on ice?

For a long time, humans have wondered how to better...

Many vertebrate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-are-a-powerful-driver-of-forest-recovery/">animals</a> communicate effectively using sounds that convey their state of emotional arousal and valence (whether they are experiencing positive or negative emotions). If you have ever heard a pig scream, you will know that this sound is extremely efficient at expressing emotional distress. Is it possible that humans can understand the emotional content of sounds made by different species? Darwin himself described similarities between how humans and other animals express emotions, which leads to the possibility that there is a universal system of expressing emotional content within mammalian groups.&nbsp;



In a new study by researchers led by the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>, participants listened to sounds made by several different ungulate species and answered questions about what they perceived the emotional state of the animal to be. Although previous research has shown that humans can detect the level of emotional arousal (bodily activation), there is very little research on whether humans can interpret the valence of another mammal’s calls.&nbsp;



For the investigation, more than a thousand people from 48 different countries listened to the vocalizations made by individuals from six mammal species. The sounds of goats, cattle, Asian wild horses (Przewalski's horses), domesticated horses, pigs and wild boars were played to participants online. This marks the first time that so many different animal sounds have been tested on humans, both in terms of arousal (i.e., stress/excitement).&nbsp;



The participants successfully identified the arousal states of the ungulate calls in 49 to 54 percent of cases. They were also able to identify the correct valence of the call, but there was a much larger variation in this variable between species (33–68 percent correct). These results were greater than would have been expected if the participants had simply made random guesses about the arousal state and valence associated with the animal’s call, indicating that humans are able, at least to some extent, to understand the emotional expressions of other mammals.



The researchers recorded the calls of test animals in various states of arousal, as assessed by the animal’s heart rate and body movement behavior. Each animal’s valence was also noted at the time that the call was made. For example, animals making calls while expecting to receive food were in a positive emotional state, whereas those experiencing food frustration made calls while in a negative emotional state. The emotional valence was also verified using behavioral indicators described in the research literature.&nbsp;



“Our results show that, based on its sounds, we humans can determine whether or not an animal is stressed (or excited), and whether it is expressing positive or negative emotions. This applies across a number of different mammals. We can also see that our ability to interpret the sounds depends on several factors, such as age, close knowledge of animals and, not least, how empathetic we are towards other people,” said study co-author Elodie Briefer.



Participants also gave details of their age, gender, occupation and level of education. They were asked whether they worked with animals of any sort and, just before completing the online process, were required to take an empathy test to assess the extent to which they understand and share the emotions of other humans.&nbsp;



The results, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, showed that people who do well on human empathy tests are also measurably better at decoding the emotional sounds of animals. In addition, the ability to understand the emotional content of animal vocalizations is most developed in people who are between 20 and 29 years old, and in people who regularly work with animals. Thus, the results suggest that an intimate knowledge of animals generally promotes the understanding of animals’ emotional lives.



“It was really surprising for me and very interesting that those who performed well in a recognized test to assess people's empathic level – towards other people, mind you – were also significantly better at understanding the emotional lives of animals,” said Briefer.&nbsp;



“We could have used other tests that measure how a person relates to animals, but to make it simpler, we stuck to this particular empathy test, which was translated and validated for the eight languages in the study. It is a recognized test, but it measures empathy towards other people. Nevertheless, we see a clear correlation with the ability to interpret animal sounds."



“This is good news for animal welfare. For example, farmers who want to ensure that their pigs are thriving are well-equipped to capture that. Today, animal welfare is defined by the emotional life of animals. Therefore, new knowledge provided by this study is important for both basic and applied research. On the one hand, it increases the understanding of animal emotions, and it opens opportunities to improve that understanding."



According to Briefer, the knowledge contributed by the study shows the path to concrete ways to work on improving animal welfare through an understanding of their emotional lives.



“For example, the development of an app where AI supports those who work with animals offers promising perspectives. But it is also important to note that there is nothing to prevent someone from beginning to improve their own skills now if they interact with animals on a daily basis,” Briefer points out.



“When students try the test in class, they obtain an average of 50 percent of correct answers on the first try. After we talk about the sounds and knowledge that we have about animal vocalizations, they improve. On their second attempts, they typically get above 70 percent correct. It is natural to explore this potential in future studies. I definitely think that it’s possible to practice and improve this ability for the vast majority of people,” said Briefer.



The researchers conclude that their results support the idea of a common emotional system between mammals, which may have been preserved throughout evolutionary history. They found that participants were able to recognize high and low arousal states in particular, but could also discern whether animals were experiencing positive or negative emotions at the time they made the vocalization.&nbsp;



According to Briefer, this may be because we in the mammalian family share common traits when it comes to how we express the intensity of our emotions (i.e., arousal), and these have been conserved throughout evolution. In contrast, the expression of emotional valence is more difficult to interpret and may not have been as highly conserved across species.



“Roughly speaking, higher-frequency sounds (in addition to other features) are often a sign of higher arousal, and lower-frequency sounds a sign of lower. If a subject uses the same standard to interpret animal sounds that he or she would use to understand a human, then it is often correct. We express arousal more similarly than valence because it is linked to stress pathways, which are evolutionarily well preserved in mammals."



The researchers say that domestication may have played a role in the ability of humans to recognize and empathize with the emotions of animals. Their results show that humans are better able to recognize the emotional expressions of domesticated species than of wild species. However, they do acknowledge that more research is needed to test whether humans can perceive subtle differences in animal calls conveying information about emotional arousal and valence.



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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.

Empathetic humans are better at understanding animal sounds

Many vertebrate animals communicate effectively using sounds that convey their...

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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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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 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



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.

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...