Scientists have recently described a new species of hermit crab that is sure to capture the fascination of both the scientific community and the general public.



Strigopagurus fragarchela, or Strawberry Claws as it is fondly known, is a large hermit crab species that sports a distinctive crimson hue on the tips of its claws and waling legs. Named after its vibrant, red appendages, the crab looks as if it got caught red-handed - or rather red-clawed - in a strawberry patch.



The scientific title of this new hermit crab <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-did-billions-of-crabs-vanish-from-the-bering-sea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> is a clever blend of the Latin form of "strawberry" (fragaria) and "chela." The name highlights a unique feature of this creature - its bright red claws and walking legs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncovering-the-hermit-crab">Uncovering the hermit crab</h2>



Peter Davie, an Honorary at <a href="https://www.museum.qld.gov.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queensland Museum</a>, and Dr. Marissa McNamara, the Collection Manager, are the scientists behind the discovery of this unique species of crab.



They found it lurking in relatively deep waters, around 120-260 meters below the surface, off the coast of south-eastern Queensland. And, in recognition of its distinct appearance, it has been given the common name "strawberry-clawed hermit."



According to Dr. McNamara, Strawberry Claws' distinctiveness doesn't end with its vibrant color.



She noted that the strawberry-clawed hermit possesses a unique method of producing underwater sound, something called stridulation, which is akin to the natural music that cicadas play above water.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hermit-crabs-of-australia">Hermit crabs of Australia </h2>



The experts knew instantly, upon discovering the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/billions-of-snow-crabs-vanished-due-to-rising-ocean-temperatures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">crab</a>, that they were on to something special. The identification of Strigopagurus fragarchela brings an exciting addition to its genus. 



Australia seems to be the stronghold for this family of hermit crabs. The land down under boasts four endemic species, and among these, two species are exclusively found in Queensland.



There is still much to learn about these unique hermit crabs. Most of their ecology remains a mystery, as they have only been collected in trawler catches.



However, the crabs undoubtedly play a crucial role in enriching the biological diversity of the continental shelf communities off south-eastern Queensland.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insight-into-hermit-crab-behavior">Insight into hermit crab behavior</h2>



The behavior of hermit <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mystery-mollusk-glowing-sea-slug-found-in-the-deep-sea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">crabs</a> such as Strawberry Claws provides a rich avenue for scientific inquiry. Hermit crabs do not create their shells but instead repurpose shells discarded by gastropods.



This behavior not only highlights their resourcefulness but also their role in the ecosystem in recycling valuable calcium carbonate material. 



Recent observations indicate that strawberry-clawed hermits are particularly discerning when choosing their homes, often selecting shells that complement and enhance their striking appearance.



This preference suggests a sophisticated level of decision-making that could offer insights into the cognitive abilities of these crustaceans and make them valuable subjects in behavioral studies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conservation-and-future-studies">Conservation and future studies</h2>



With the discovery of Strigopagurus fragarchela, attention turns to its conservation status and what measures might be needed to ensure its survival.



The influence of deep-sea fishing and potential climate change impacts on this species are currently unknown. 



Future studies are essential to develop a deeper understanding of their habitat requirements, ecology and life cycle. Collaboration between marine biologists, ecologists, and conservationists is crucial to formulating strategies that can protect these fascinating creatures. 



By preserving their environment, we not only safeguard Strawberry Claws but also contribute to the health of marine ecosystems as a whole. This new discovery serves as a catalyst for continued exploration and conservation in the vast, largely unexplored underwater worlds of Australia.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-untapped-mysteries-of-the-ocean">Untapped mysteries of the ocean</h2>



Queensland Museum CEO, Dr. Jim Thompson, has expressed high praise for the contributions of Peter Davie and Dr. Marissa McNamara. They made use of museum specimens of other Strigopagurus hermit crabs to support the identification of the new species.



"Our natural history collections are more than just preserved specimens - they are vital tools for&nbsp;<a href="https://phys.org/tags/scientific+discovery/">scientific discovery</a>, conservation and public education," Dr. Thompson said.



"The work of the scientists and researchers at Queensland Museum helps in providing a record of our state's biodiversity for future generations."



The discovery of the strawberry-clawed hermit crab is a fascinating reminder of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-life-100-new-sea-creatures-found-in-chile/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">untapped mysteries</a> our oceans hold.



We need to celebrate these curious and vital components of our rich biodiversity as we continue to explore the wonders of our natural world. After all, who knows what else is waiting to be discovered?



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.museum.qld.gov.au/collections-and-research/memoirs/nature-65/mqm-n65-7-davie-mcnamara" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature</a>.



Image Credit: Queensland Museum 



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Strawberry Claws: The hermit crab that sings underwater

Scientists have recently described a new species of hermit crab that is sure to capture the fascination of both the scientific community and the general public. Strigopagurus fragarchela, or Strawberry Claws as it is fondly known, is a large hermit crab species that sports a distinctive crimson hue on the tips of its claws and waling legs. Named after its vibrant, red appendages, the crab looks as if it got caught red-handed - or rather red-clawed - in a strawberry patch. The scientific title of this new...

The North American <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/monarch-butterflies-may-not-be-threatened-as-previously-thought/">monarch butterflies</a> (Danaus plexippus plexippus), a species famous for its multigenerational, cross-continental migration patterns, have recently been classified as endangered by the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN), the world’s leading scientific authority on the status of species. This decision comes after decades of steady decline in monarch populations driven by losses of the plants they need as caterpillars, combined with the impact of climate change.



“It’s been so sad to watch their numbers decline so much, so anything that might help them makes me happy, and I think that this designation might help them,” said Karen Oberhauser, a conservation biologist at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> who contributed to the assessment. “Although it’s sad that they need that help, that they’ve reached the point where this designation is warranted.”



According to Dr. Oberhauser and her colleagues, the number of Western Monarchs, which live west of the Rocky Mountains, has plummeted by 99.9 percent between 1980 and 2021. Although they rebounded slightly in 2022, they still remain in great danger. Eastern monarchs – which make up most of the monarch butterfly population in North America – also dropped by an estimated 84 percent from 1996 to 2014.



Monarch butterflies depend on milkweed, the only plant that they can consume. After departing from their overwintering grounds in the forests of central Mexico, females deposit eggs on milkweed plants from Texas to Canada, during a multigenerational journey. While habitat destruction in the Mexican forests was an early threat to the butterflies, the fact that American farmers turned to crops genetically modified to withstand glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, created significant problems for the monarchs.&nbsp;



“Glyphosate was suddenly sprayed over vast acreage of farm in the Midwest,” said Anna Walker, an entomologist at the <a href="https://www.bioparksociety.org/main/">New Mexico BioPark Society</a> who led the assessment. “That took out a lot of the milkweed plants that the monarch caterpillars rely on.”



Besides these problems, climate change has also significantly contributed to the steep decline of monarch populations, by disrupting their ancient cycles through increases in storms, droughts, and other similar events, which can be catastrophic for already vulnerable populations. “We’re starting to see this kind of mismatch between when insects are ready to start the spring and when plants are ready,” Walker explained. “There are a ton of unknowns.”



According to the experts, a viable solution for saving monarchs from extinction is by planting milkweed native to each specific region in the U.S. and Canada. For instance, swamp milkweed is a good, easy-to-grow variety native to most of the western regions of the U.S., which could help migrating butterflies along their journey. Unless such measures are implemented rapidly, we are at risk of losing one of the most fascinating species of insects on our planet.&nbsp;



More details regarding this new assessment of the status of monarch butterflies can be found on IUCN’s <a href="https://www.iucn.org/press-release/202207/migratory-monarch-butterfly-now-endangered-iucn-red-list">website</a>.



---



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

Monarch butterflies are officially listed as endangered

The North American monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus plexippus), a species...

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> (UBC) that investigated 31 mountain regions across the globe, competition with other species, not climate, drives the distribution of bird biodiversity in tropical mountains, one of our planet’s main <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-land-conservation-stop-the-biodiversity-crisis/">biodiversity</a> hotspots. The findings suggest that species interactions have played a much larger role in shaping tropical mountain biodiversity than previously thought, while providing novel insights into how tropical mountain species are responding to climate change.



Tropical mountains are some of the most biodiverse regions on our planet, frequently with entirely different sets of species which live only within narrow elevational ranges. This pattern is significantly different from that characterizing species from temperate mountains, which tend to have significantly broader elevation ranges.&nbsp;



Many scientists argue that this pattern is most likely due to adaptation to the low-temperature seasonality of tropical climates. Although temperatures in the tropical mountains range from hot in the lowlands to cold in the highlands, they remain relatively stable at any elevation throughout the entire year, thus creating various climatic niches along mountain slopes. Physiological adaptations to these myriad niches are generally thought to result in the accumulation of high number of species in these mountains.



However, by performing a comparative analysis of forest bird species’ elevational ranges across 31 tropical mountain areas all over the world – using 4.4 million fine-scale locality records from <a href="https://ebird.org/home">eBird</a>, a global online scientific database of bird abundance and distribution – the UBC scientists have argued that, rather than climate effects, interspecific competition is the main factor limiting tropical mountain species’ elevational ranges.



The analysis revealed that species richness is a much better predictor of smaller elevational ranges than temperature seasonality, suggesting that the narrow elevational ranges of tropical mountain birds are in fact driven more by interspecies competition than climatic factors.



“We find strong support that competition, not climate, is the leading driver of narrow elevational ranges. These results highlight the importance of species interactions in shaping species’ ranges in tropical mountains, Earth’s hottest biodiversity hotspots,” the study authors conclude.



Further research is needed to find out whether these patterns could be generalized to other, non-aviary taxa, in order to disentangle the complex interplay between climate and other factors in the distribution and abundance of various animal species on tropical mountains.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abl7242">Science</a>.



---



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

Competition limits the ranges of tropical mountain birds

According to a new study led by the University of...

The emergence of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics has increased worldwide in the past few decades. This is concerning because it limits the efficacy of these antibiotics to treat human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rhinos-show-that-diseases-can-disrupt-conservation-efforts/">diseases</a>. Although the pharmaceutical industry has developed numerous new types of antibiotics since resistance was first detected after the Second World War, the situation today is that there are no antibiotic medications for which resistance has not been recorded.&nbsp;



According to the World Health Organization, we should all be doing our best to prevent the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and a new study published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jac">Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy</a> suggests one way in which we can contribute to this.&nbsp;



The study, led by researchers from Bristol University, assessed the presence of drug-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria in the excrement of pet dogs in both rural and urban settings.&nbsp; E. coli are commonly associated with infections in humans and have also been shown previously to be shared between pet dogs and humans through everyday interactions.



For the investigation,&nbsp;the researchers collected and analyzed the feces of hundreds of dogs for the presence of E. coli that were resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat human infections. Dog owners completed questionnaires about demographic factors and dog behavior and feeding regimes. All the dogs and owners were resident in a specified 50 x 50km study area in south-western England.&nbsp;



The researchers found a link between dogs that were fed raw meat and the presence of antibiotic resistant E. coli in their excrement. This link was stronger in the population of rural dogs than in those living in an urban setting. In urban dogs, however, there was an additional link between swimming in rivers and carrying resistant E. coli. The analysis also showed that rural dogs excreted resistant E. coli with specific genetic sequences that are also commonly found in the E. coli in cattle but not in humans in the region. Conversely, urban dogs carried resistant E. coli with genetic sequences commonly found in E. coli in humans, but not in cattle. &nbsp;



The research supports a recent study by the same team, published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8802057/">One Health</a>, which looked at the presence of resistant E. coli in 16-week-old puppies. Both studies, which used data from different dogs, demonstrate that dogs may excrete resistant bacteria regardless of their age or the length of time they are fed a raw meat diet.



“Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are everywhere, but some antibiotics are considered critically important for use in humans," said Professor <a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/matthew-b-avison">Matthew Aviso</a>n. "We have shown that dogs fed raw meat are more likely to carry bacteria resistant to these important medicines. This doesn’t mean that the animal, or the owner, will become sick.”



“E. coli&nbsp;is a widespread bacterium that is found in the intestines of all humans and animals, however it is a common cause of many diseases, including urinary tract infection, and can cause serious illness, including sepsis, if it spreads to other parts of the body."



“We should do everything we can to reduce the circulation of critically important antibiotic-resistant&nbsp;E. coli&nbsp;and other bacteria. Our research adds to the increasing evidence that not feeding raw meat to dogs may help in that objective."



“We know humans and animals share bacteria with one another, so what we find in your pet may well also be in you. Pet owners should be encouraged to practice good hygiene and not feeding raw food to your dog can be part of this,” added Professor &nbsp;<a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/kristen-k-reyher">Kristen Reyher</a>. “We can all do our part to decrease antibiotic resistance and its terrible effects on both human and animal health.”



---



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

Dogs fed raw meat may spread antibiotic resistant bacteria

The emergence of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics has...

Large carnivores are crucial members of many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-can-earths-ecosystems-adapt-to-climate-change/">ecosystems</a> and play important roles in their functioning. But their populations are in decline worldwide because they require large territories in which to live, have low reproduction rates and behave in ways that bring them into conflict with humans. 



To gain an understanding of just how populations of large carnivores have changed in recent years, researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara have turned to data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).



Led by Adrian Stier and Kurt Ingeman, the team identified a list of 362 carnivore species from six different major taxon groups (sharks and rays, bony fish, amphibians and reptiles, birds, terrestrial mammals, and marine mammals) using the existing IUCN database from 2019. Species on this list include leopards, yellowfin tuna, steppe eagles, and gharials.



The researchers gathered data on population trends and extinction risk status for these species from the IUCN database. They report in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a> that 137 (37.8 percent) of the large carnivore species on this list were currently considered threatened (classed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered). Marine mammals had the lowest proportion of threatened species (26.5 percent), while 60.9 percent of rays and sharks included in the study were classified as threatened.&nbsp;



The experts then assessed the recovery of large carnivore populations based on whether the IUCN reported increasing population numbers and whether the risk of extinction had changed since the populations were first investigated. Of the 362 species considered, only 12 had shown genuine decreases in the risk of extinction, while 39 (10.7 percent) showed recovery for one or both factors. These improvements were concentrated among populations of marine mammals such as humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). Among terrestrial mammals, only the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) met either recovery criterion.&nbsp;



Lastly, the researchers quantified whether large carnivore species had shown any population recoveries when targeted conservation strategies, such as habitat protection and restrictions on hunting, had been applied. The results showed that carnivores protected by international legislation were 6.8 times more likely to show a reduced extinction risk, while those with controlled hunting plans were three times as likely to be at lower risk of extinction.



The experts concluded that national and international legislation and the identification of conservation sites were associated with reduced risk of extinction in carnivore species, and they suggest that these findings provide a glimmer of hope that large carnivore population declines can be halted, and even reversed when protective legislation and targeted conservation actions are put in place.



---



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

Large carnivores need protection to avoid extinction

Large carnivores are crucial members of many ecosystems and play...

Understanding how individuals change their behaviors as they age is useful for research on many different animal species, including humans. By clarifying the consequences of senescence for aging individuals, such studies could also provide new insights into how societal structure and function might change as the population ages. 



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> has now studied a population of aging female wild red <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deer-migration-is-driven-by-springtime-vegetation-patterns/">deer</a> on the Isle of Rum in Scotland. The analysis revealed that aging deer become less sociable with age and tend to adopt a life of solitude in their advancing years.



“We found that deer’s social networks shrink as they grow old and begin associating less with others,” said study lead author Greg Albery, a biologist at Oxford. “This ‘social aging’ appears to be driven by older individuals choosing to live in more isolated locations and engaging with fewer other deer within these sparser areas.”



Dr. Albery and his colleagues applied novel social network analysis methods to a large, 46-year-long dataset containing observations of over 3,500 female deer over their lifetimes. As these deer grew older, they began interacting with fewer conspecifics within their home ranges, and often shifted their locations to less populated areas of their habitat. Moreover, they had smaller home ranges, farther away from the center of the population, in areas of lower density with lower-quality grazing opportunities.



“This new evidence of social aging in the wild shows the value of long-term datasets. By tracking many individuals simultaneously over their entire lives, we can understand how and why their social associations with one another change over time,” said study senior author Josh Firth, a professor of Biology at Oxford.



Further research is needed to clarify why aging deer become less social. The scientists currently hypothesize that social aging is driven by a combination of multiple factors, including moving to areas that are easier for older individuals to forage in, and changing their behavior to become more socially selective in their relationships with other deer. Applying the scientific methods employed in this study to other long-term data sets of wild animals will help generate a broader view of the fundamental rules that govern aging and social behavior in natural populations.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01817-9">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Red deer become less sociable with age

Understanding how individuals change their behaviors as they age is...

When humans suffer heart attacks and don’t receive treatment quickly enough, heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) are damaged by the lack of oxygen and begin to die off. Afterwards, scar tissue forms, and - since we cannot produce more cardiomyocytes - the heart can no longer pump as well as before. A new study led by <a href="https://www.mdc-berlin.de/">Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association</a> (MDC) has found that things are very different in animals such as the zebrafish, which can regenerate organs, including their hearts.



In their laboratory, the scientists simulated myocardial infarction injuries in the hearts of zebrafish and, by using single-cell analyses and cell lineage trees, tracked the regeneration of the cardiomyocytes. At the beginning, these injuries caused an inflammatory response - just like in humans – followed by scarring from connective tissue cells known as fibroblasts.



“Surprisingly, the immediate response to the injury is very similar. But while the process in humans stops at that point, it carries on in the fish. They form new cardiomyocytes, which are capable of contracting,” said study senior author Jan Phillip Junker, an expert in Developmental Biology at MDC. “We wanted to identify the signals that come from other cells and help drive the regeneration.”



The analysis revealed three new types of fibroblasts that activated several genes that are responsible for forming proteins, such as connective tissue factors like collagen 12. The scientists identified two sources of temporarily activated fibroblasts: the outer layer of the heart (the epicardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium). However, the cells that produce collagen 12 were found only in the epicardium.



In future studies, the researchers aim to explore in more depth the genes that the temporarily activated fibroblasts read especially often, in order to shed more light on how they promote the regeneration of heart tissue and help form new blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen. Better understanding these processes could help scientists create medicine to stimulate heart regeneration in humans too.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01129-5">Nature Genetics</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Zebrafish regenerate their heart tissue after injury

When humans suffer heart attacks and don’t receive treatment quickly...

Infections by parasites and pathogens can affect not only a host’s physical and physiological wellness, but also its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/for-some-walking-boosts-cognitive-function/">cognitive</a> functioning. There are numerous examples, across many different animal taxa, which illustrate changes to cognitive performance during times of infection or illness. We have to think no further than the “brain fog” experienced by some COVID-19 sufferers, especially those with long-haul symptoms.&nbsp;



As climate change alters the distribution of pathogens and wild animals, it is likely that animals will come into contact with a range of new pathogens and will experience infections from these sources. If these infections lead to cognitive impairment then this may influence the animals’ ability to adapt and succeed in the changing world. In particular, if pathogens affect an animal’s ability to learn, remember, or make decisions, this may compromise the fitness of populations in the wild at a time when they need to call on all these skills to adapt to new conditions.&nbsp;



A review of the effects of infection on cognitive function, published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/home">Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution</a> finds that, although scientists are well aware that disease impairs cognitive function in many different species, the mechanisms and consequences for fitness are not well understood. One of the obstacles is that different cognitive abilities are tested in infected animals, using different forms of tests, different types of infections and different host species.&nbsp;



This review, written by four US researchers, aims to bring together ideas from the fields of cognitive ecology and disease ecology in order to examine evidence for infection-linked cognitive impairment. In addition, the authors considered why certain pathogens bring about change in cognition and what the ecological and evolutionary implications of this may be, particularly as populations of wild animals face changes to their habitats.



The study authors, including Dana Hawley and Kendra Sewall from Virginia Tech and Anne Leonard from the University of Nevada, said that cognitive impairment could contribute to population declines, particularly for species that rely heavily on learning and memory for foraging or other important functions. “Impaired cognitive performance could compromise the ability of some animals to exploit urbanized and other rapidly changing habitats, where problem solving may be particularly important.”



The experts found a lot of evidence in the scientific literature for infection-linked cognitive impairment, albeit that this evidence was very variable, across host and pathogen taxa, and across cognitive abilities. For example, bumblebees infected with the trypanosome Critidia bombin showed impaired performance on learning tasks, and American crows naturally infected with the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni showed a reduced ability to solve problems. This effect was also recorded for female blue tits infected with the blood protozoan Plasmodium.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers determined that pathogens could impair cognitive performance either directly or indirectly, and either in the short term or over longer periods. Direct effects involved neurological damage caused by pathogens that infect the central nervous system. For example, West Nile virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, Ebola virus and coronaviruses may manifest as meningitis, encephalitis and myelitis, all of which can have long-term cognitive impacts.&nbsp;



Indirect impairment of cognitive function in diseased animals can arise from such consequences as malnutrition (when a sick animal cannot forage effectively or loses motivation to forage), missing out on social contacts and missing out on learning opportunities through being absent and ill. In addition, infections can change the gut microbiome of a host, which can lead to impaired digestion or absorption of nutrients. Furthermore, immune responses, such as inflammation, can also impede a foraging animal’s success.&nbsp;



The timing of infection in an animal’s life may also have significant consequences. For example, young canaries that are infected with&nbsp;Plasmodium&nbsp;when they are learning songs might have a reduced song repertoire and complexity as adults.&nbsp;



The authors state that cognitive abilities are crucial for animals to be able to collect, retain and act on information relating to their survival. Therefore, impairment of cognitive performance due to disease could have widespread ecological consequences for populations of wild animals. As climate changes lead to habitat alterations, wild animals will need all their cognitive skills to adapt and survive, and this against a backdrop of increased pathogen proliferation in warmer conditions.



“In a century characterized by global changes that accelerate pathogen emergence, while simultaneously favoring cognitive flexibility, there is an urgent need to better understand the interactions between animal cognition and infection, and their potential consequences for wild populations," said the researchers.



The experts call for increased attention to be paid to this topic, saying: “One challenge in all studies of cognitive ecology is the scarcity of comparable data across taxa. Understanding how infection affects specific cognitive abilities will require research across a wider breadth of hosts and pathogens, targeting analogous aspects of cognition (e.g., spatial learning; problem solving; general versus specialized cognitive abilities), and standardizing experimental paradigms to the extent possible.”



---



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

Animals with infections are less able to adapt and survive

Infections by parasites and pathogens can affect not only a...

Climate change is causing a mass <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-likely-contributed-to-earths-largest-mass-extinction/">extinction</a> that has not been seen in recorded history. For birds, this biodiversity loss has implications beyond species extinction risks. 



New research published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a> has found that the loss of numerous bird species will decrease morphological diversity among the remaining birds at a rate greater than species loss alone. 



The study reveals which birds could be lost, and the regions most susceptible to homogenization. Emma Hughes, a bird researcher at the University of Sheffield, has spent her career examining broad morphological traits in birds. 



“I began to wonder what will happen with global change. So, not only how traits are currently distributed globally, but what might happen to morphological and phylogenetic diversity under the global extinction crisis,” said Hughes.



“As species go extinct you expect the traits that they represent to also be lost. But what we found was that with morphological diversity, the traits were lost at a much, much, much greater rate than just species loss could predict. This is really important because that can lead to a major loss of ecological strategies and functions.”



Diversity loss is most likely to affect birds with extreme features. The size and shape of birds are widely variable, ranging from the giant, flightless ostrich to the tiny hummingbird. The study suggests these types of birds have the greatest risk of extinction.&nbsp;



“We do find strong evidence to support the hypothesis that the largest and smallest species are likely to be most at risk of extinction," said Hughes.



With climate change, certain regions are also more likely to be left with homogenized populations.&nbsp;



“The Himalayan mountains and foothills are at particular risk, and it's likely that the loss of trait diversity will be considerable,” said Hughes. “The dry and moist forests of south Vietnam and Cambodia are also vulnerable.”



The researchers are hopeful that their work will help people understand how biodiversity loss will change the world.&nbsp;



“The global extinction crisis doesn't just mean that we're losing species. It means that we are losing unique traits and evolutionary history, including species that could confer unique benefits to humanity that are currently unknown.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.



---



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

Birds could rapidly lose the traits that make them unique

Climate change is causing a mass extinction that has not...

An international team of researchers has uncovered six new species of miniature frogs in Mexico, which is a country that is well known as a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-biodiversity-crisis-is-actually-worse-than-we-thought/">biodiversity</a> hotspot.&nbsp;



The new species - found in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Jalisco - are now considered some of the smallest frogs in the world. None of the miniature frogs exceed 15 millimeters (0.6 inches) in length.&nbsp;



According to the researchers, the tiny size of the frogs can be explained by pedomorphosis, a process in which species retain juvenile characteristics as they mature. Over time, the frogs began breeding earlier and earlier in their development. This ultimately made them so small they can fit on a Mexican coin.



Study co-author Eric Smith, a professor of Biology at <a href="https://www.uta.edu/">UT Arlington</a>, believes these species have eluded us for so long because of a common bias found in conservation.



“Biodiversity research tends to focus on big, charismatic animals and can neglect smaller species,” said Professor Smith. “Because of this, these little frogs went undetected for a very long time.”



The frogs have a small range and are threatened by habitat loss. “These creatures inhabit a very narrow range among the leaf litter on the mountainsides,” explained Professor Smith. “If you hike too far too quickly, you could miss them completely.”



Hence, now that they have been discovered, the work of protecting them begins. The researchers hope to have them classified as endangered.&nbsp;



Beyond protecting the species the team has already identified, Professor Smith wants to explore other regions. He said that despite the progress they’ve made identifying new species, more research is needed to understand the diversity of miniature amphibians in Mexico.



“Our sampling efforts are limited in western Mexico and east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, but we are already aware of more new species from this group that need to be described.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/herpetological-monographs/volume-36/issue-1/0733-1347-36.1.1/Miniaturization-in-Direct-Developing-Frogs-from-Mexico-with-the-Description/10.1655/0733-1347-36.1.1.full">Herpetological Monographs</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Frogs found in Mexico are among the world's smallest

An international team of researchers has uncovered six new species...

Instead of swimming freely in the ocean, garden <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-hunting-behavior-observed-among-electric-eels/">eels</a> anchor themselves into burrows in the sandy seabed, staying in one place for most of their lives. Their heads face against the flow of the current as they strike at zooplankton drifting by. Until recently, scientists knew little about how these fascinating creatures feed.&nbsp;



Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.oist.jp/">Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University</a> (OIST) has investigated for the first time the feeding behavior of garden eels in a laboratory setting, and revealed how these animals make use of their burrows, and change their posture and movements in response to strong currents, allowing them to feed in a wider range of flow speeds than many free-swimming fish.



“Free-swimming fish can shelter from currents by hiding in cracks and crevices in the reef,” said study lead author Kota Ishikawa, a doctoral student in Marine Biophysics at OIST. “But garden eels are stuck in a more exposed area, with only their own burrows for shelter, so they’ve had to develop their own unique strategies for dealing with strong currents.”



In their laboratory, the scientists recreated typical conditions by making a flume with a sandy bottom, containing several portable burrows, each of them housing a single spotted garden eel, Heteroconger hassi, a species commonly found in Okinawa. After adding zooplankton to the water, they used cameras to capture the motion of the garden eels as they fed at four different flow rates (0.1, 0.15, 0.2, and 0.25 m/s).&nbsp;



The experiment revealed that, as the current increased, the eels retreated farther into their burrows and focused their strikes on zooplankton which passed closer by. “This is a really important adaptation, as faster currents require more energy to move in,” Ishikawa explained.



However, as the current increased in speed up to 0.2 m/s, the retreat into burrows did not stop the eels from feeding at a rapid pace, due to the fact that more zooplankton drifted by in the given amount of time, thus offsetting the eels’ behavioral changes. Moreover, due to the shorter strike distance, the eels were more successful in catching their prey. At higher flows, the eels adopted a more curved posture, enabling them to reduce the amount of drag on their bodies by around 57 percent, which helped them conserve energy.



The feeding rate of the eels hit its peak at just under 0.2 m/s, proving that these animals are adapted to feed at a wider range of flow speeds than free-swimming reef fish (which have a peak rate of about 0.15 m/s). “We can see that their unique strategy of retreating into the burrows and reducing their strike distance really pays off when dealing with strong currents,” Ishikawa concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243655">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Study reveals the secret feeding strategies of garden eels

Instead of swimming freely in the ocean, garden eels anchor...

A new study led by the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> (U-M) has found that, regardless of their tiny brains, paper wasps (Polistes fuscatus) are capable of learning abstract concepts. Even more surprisingly, these wasps were also able to transfer what they learned through <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-sparks-strikingly-similar-visuals-among-people-of-the-same-culture/">visual</a> training into a different sensory modality: the olfactory sense.



In a series of previous studies, U-M evolutionary biologist Elizabeth Tibbetts and her colleagues have shown that paper wasps have an amazing capacity to learn, remember, and make social distinctions about others. For instance, they can recognize individuals of their species by variations in their facial markings, and they behave more aggressively towards wasps with different markings. Moreover, these wasps seem to have surprisingly long memories, basing their actions on what they remember of previous social interactions, and are able of transitive inference – a behavior resembling logical reasoning.



In the current study, the experts used laboratory tasks to test whether the wasps can learn and apply one of the most basic abstract concepts – the idea of sameness and difference. The wasps were trained to distinguish between pairs of visual or olfactory stimuli – two colored pieces of paper, two pictures of wasp faces, or two chemical odors – which were either identical or different. While one pair of stimuli was associated with a mild but unpleasant electrical shock, the other one was not.&nbsp;



Afterwards, the insects were exposed to new pairs of stimuli and tested on their capacity to avoid electric shocks by selecting the “correct” pair. Strikingly, trained wasps made the correct choice over 80 percent of the time. “Our findings show the wasps learned the general concept of sameness and difference and applied it to new samples and new types of stimuli,” said Professor Tibbetts. “Abstract concepts are thought to be associated with high levels of cognitive sophistication, so there has been much interest in which species can form and use them. This is the first time anyone has shown that wasps can form abstract concepts.”&nbsp;



“Remarkably, wasps applied the concept of sameness and difference across sensory modalities, as they transferred concepts learned in the visual domain to the odor domain,” added study first author Chloe Weise, a former master’s student at U-M. “Therefore, our results illustrate that Polistes are able to master abstract interrelationships between stimuli.”



Although several species of vertebrates such as primates, pigeons, crows, parrots, dolphins, and ducklings are able to form abstract concepts, paper wasps are only the second invertebrate species (after honeybees) that were capable to do this. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms by which they perform this amazing feat, and compare them to those employed by other species.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1156">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>.



---



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

Paper wasps can form abstract concepts

A new study led by the University of Michigan (U-M)...

A new study suggests that the face of an owner can provide positive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-support-can-lower-stress-levels-in-orphaned-elephants/">social</a> reinforcement for dogs. This theory was tested by gathering a group of dogs and presenting them with two choices: a video showing their owner's face and a food reward or a video which showed the back of the owner’s head with the same food reward.&nbsp;



"It is increasingly assumed that domestication has equipped dogs with unique socio-cognitive skills, which raises the possibility of intriguing parallels between the social motivational systems of the two species. However, the positive incentive value of human facial stimuli is a largely unexplored area," explained the study authors. "Here, we investigated whether the owner's face serves as a social reinforcer."



Anna Kis, who studies canine behavior, has found many interesting test results about man’s best friend. For instance, one investigation revealed that - like humans - dogs experience sleep disturbances with less time in deep sleep after a stressful day.&nbsp;



Another study considered the effect of oxytocin on canine social cognition. The research team found that positive interaction with humans can increase oxytocin levels in dogs. Meanwhile, dogs living in shelters exhibit increased levels of cortisol, which is the hormone associated with stress.



For the current study, Kis wanted to understand whether seeing a human caregiver's face could&nbsp; influence a dog in a two-way choice task. Overall, 19 males and 20 females dogs watched both videos. The participating dogs showed a significant selection bias toward food placed next to their owners' faces.&nbsp;



Previous research, and of course, the experience of any pet owner, has shown that dogs find social interaction with humans intrinsically rewarding. These results are in line with previous studies which suggest that dogs perceive neutral human faces as positive rather than negative.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a>.



---



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

Dogs gain positive reinforcement from their owner's face

A new study suggests that the face of an owner...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

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

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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"

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...