Just imagine a world where humans no longer exist, who would take over? Well, it may not be another mammal. Believe it or not, octopuses could be the ones to dominate Earth after humans. 



Scientists have recently made a riveting claim that these eight-limbed, marine invertebrates could become the dominant species on Earth should homo sapiens vanish from existence. It's an intriguing idea, but how is it possible?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hypothetical-world-without-humans">Hypothetical world without humans</h2>



What if humanity were utterly wiped out through wars or climate change? It's a grim concept but it is fascinating to wonder about the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/octopus-arms-inspire-more-human-like-robots/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential successors</a> of our civilization.



According to leading experts, octopuses possess the "physical and mental attributes necessary" to evolve into the next civilization-building species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-octopus-taking-over-humans">Octopus taking over humans</h2>



Tim Coulson, a professor at the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oxford</a>, presents an interesting case for these eight-legged creatures. His argument hinges on the octopuses' "dexterity, curiosity, ability to communicate with each other, and supreme intelligence."



These traits, according to Professor Coulson, equip octopuses with the potential to develop complex tools and methodologies necessary to birth a vast Atlantis-like civilization under the ocean.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-not-primates">Why not primates?</h2>



One might think that primates, our closest relatives, have the best shot at stepping into our shoes if we were to vacate the world. They have opposable thumbs, use tools, and walk on two legs, right? But according to Professor Coulson, it's not that simple. 



He reasons that primates would face the same threats that could potentially wipe out humanity and thus are also at risk of extinction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-octopuses-competing-with-humans">Octopuses competing with humans</h2>



In an interview with The European magazine, Professor Coulson, who has held positions at institutions like <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Imperial College London</a> and <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambridge University</a>, elaborates on why octopuses are a strong contender.



He refers to them as "the most intelligent, adaptable, and resourceful creatures on Earth," lauding their abilities to solve complex problems, manipulate objects, and even camouflage themselves with near-perfect precision.



Their decentralized nervous system and advanced neural structure, coupled with their exceptional problem-solving skills, make octopuses uniquely suited for an unpredictable world. 



Professor Coulson sees these intelligent cephalopods as an underappreciated contender who could step up as the planet's next intelligent species after humans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adaptable-survivalists">Adaptable survivalists</h2>



If humans were to go extinct, most scientists concur that the creature to "replace" us should be dextrous. Dexterity, in this context, pertains to the ability to modify their environment and colonize the planet using complex tools, much like humans.



Octopuses' abilities to distinguish between real and virtual objects, solve puzzles, manipulate their surroundings, and adapt to a broad range of environments make them a viable candidate for future rulers of Earth. 



They are also adept at surviving in harsh conditions and are formidable hunters with a wide variety of prey including clams, shrimp, lobsters, fish, sharks, and even birds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-octopuses-and-human-like-settlements">Octopuses and human-like settlements</h2>



With relatively short lifespans, from between 1.5 to five years, one could argue that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-octopus-has-mastered-the-art-of-multispecies-hunting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">octopuses</a> are on the back foot for the long evolutionary race. But here's a counterintuitive thought. 



What if their hasty reproduction and quick intellectual maturity actually give them an advantage in rapidly changing environments, thereby accelerating their evolutionary progress?



According to our Professor Coulson, while octopuses are unlikely to evolve into land-based animals due to their lack of a skeleton and associated challenges with mobility out of water, they could potentially develop underwater cities and towns akin to human settlements on land.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-possible-yes-probable-maybe">Possible? Yes. Probable? Maybe.</h2>



In the end, as Professor Coulson reminds us, these are all just speculations. "It's important to remember that these are just possibilities, and that it's impossible to predict with any degree of certainty how evolution will unfold over extended periods."



However, given the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/octopus-suckers-the-future-of-underwater-adhesives/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">octopuses</a>' remarkable intelligence, adaptability, and diverse range of survival strategies, they could indeed emerge as a potential successor to humanity.



Now, whether the octopuses would build vast underwater cities or venture onto land to hunt terrestrial mammals is yet to be determined, and we may never really know.



For now, we will continue to marvel at these fascinating creatures and their potential for becoming the torchbearers of intelligent life on Earth, albeit in the far-flung future.



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Octopuses could dominate Earth if humans vanish

Just imagine a world where humans no longer exist, who would take over? Well, it may not be another mammal. Believe it or not, octopuses could be the ones to dominate Earth after humans. Scientists have recently made a riveting claim that these eight-limbed, marine invertebrates could become the dominant species on Earth should homo sapiens vanish from existence. It's an intriguing idea, but how is it possible? Hypothetical world without humans What if humanity were utterly wiped out through wars or climate change? It's a grim...

According to the first comprehensive analysis of over 10,000 animal species, conducted by the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN) between 2014 and 2019, about 20 percent of reptile species are currently threatened with extinction. This dire situation is mainly caused by habitat loss due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/agriculture-could-play-a-key-role-in-limiting-global-warming/">agriculture</a>, urban development, and logging. The reptiles were found to be at higher risk than birds (of which 13 percent are threatened), and less than mammals (25 percent) and amphibians (40 percent).&nbsp;



Among the endangered reptile species, the hardest hit are crocodiles (50 percent) and turtles (60 percent), which are also threatened by hunting and fishing activities, in addition to habitat loss. The assessment of the dangers facing reptiles took 15 years to complete due to the fact that not much funding was assigned for this task.&nbsp;



“Reptiles, to many people, are not charismatic,” said study co-lead author Dr. Bruce Young, a senior scientist at <a href="https://www.natureserve.org/">NatureServe</a>, a nonprofit conservation research group. “There’s just been a lot more focus on some of the more furry or feathery species.”



According to Dr. Young and his colleagues, climate change played a role in the threat faced by 10 percent of the species, suggesting that it is not yet a major factor in reptile loss. However, this effect may be underrepresented, since not much is yet known about a large number of reptile species in order to determine how global warming threatens them in the short term. What is clear is that, in the following years and decades, the victims of climate change – reptilian and otherwise – will increase dramatically if greenhouse gas emissions are not urgently curbed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



If reptiles were to disappear, they would take with them 15.6 billion years of evolutionary history. “Now we know the threats facing each reptile species, the global community can take the next step by joining conservation plans with a global policy agreement, investing in turning around the often too underappreciated and severe biodiversity crisis,” said study co-lead author Neil Cox, the manager of the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/regions/washington-dc-office/our-work/biodiversity-assessment-unit">Biodiversity Assessment Unit</a>.&nbsp;



“There’s no rocket science in protecting reptiles, we have all the tools we need,” added Dr. Young. “Reduce tropical deforestation, control illegal trade, improve productivity in agriculture so we don’t have to expand our agricultural areas. All that stuff will help reptiles, just as it will help many, many, many other species.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04664-7">Nature</a>.



---



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

One in five reptiles is currently at risk of extinction

According to the first comprehensive analysis of over 10,000 animal...

There was a time when the rocks high up in the Alps of Switzerland actually formed part of the bed of a shallow sea or lagoon far below. During that time, some 200 million years ago, animals that swam in the shallow, coastal seas, died and sank to the bottom, becoming fossilized as the sediments turned to rock. When the African and European tectonic plates collided, however, these sediments were pushed upwards and today form part of the Alps, almost 3,000 meters above Earth’s surface.&nbsp;



During the geological mapping of these rocks, which are known today as the Kössen Formation, scientists unearthed some remarkable fossils high up in the Swiss Alps. These include the remains of three new ichthyosaurs that are thought to be among the largest animals ever to have lived. Details of these findings, excavated by paleontologists between 1976 and 1990, are published today in a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2021.2046017?scroll=top&amp;needAccess=true">paper</a> in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 



Ichthyosaurs are ancient, marine-dwelling reptiles that first appeared in the fossil record around 250&nbsp;million years ago. They evolved from a group of land reptiles that returned to the sea, and gradually came to resemble modern dolphins and whales as they adapted to the marine environment. Their fossils have been found in many locations around the world and represent the remains of thousands of different individuals.



The recently published findings from the Alps include details of the largest ichthyosaur tooth ever found. The width of the tooth at its root is twice the size of the tooth from a 15-meter-long ichthyosaur that previously held this record. Among the find is also the largest trunk vertebra ever found in Europe, which indicates another ichthyosaur individual that was probably at least the size of the largest marine reptile fossil known today, the 21-meter long&nbsp;Shastasaurus sikkanniensis&nbsp;from British Columbia in Canada.&nbsp;



Dr. Heinz Furrer, retired curator at the University of Zurich’s Paleontological Institute and Museum and co-author of the study said he was delighted to have uncovered “the world's longest ichthyosaur; with the thickest tooth found to date and the largest trunk vertebra in Europe!”&nbsp;



Study lead author P. Martin Sander of the University of Bonn hopes that maybe there are more remains of the giant sea creatures hidden beneath the glaciers.



“Bigger is always better,” said Sander. “There are distinct selective advantages to large body size. Life will go there if it can. There were only three animal groups that had masses greater than 10–20 metric tons: long-necked dinosaurs (sauropods); whales; and the giant ichthyosaurs of the Triassic.”



Ichthyosaurs have anatomical features that resemble those of fish, reptiles and marine mammals, and their fossils have been variously identified during the past two centuries as belonging to crocodiles, humans, giant amphibious lizards and fish. Most of them were nowhere as large as the latest specimens unearthed in the Alps, but all were thought to be marine predators that prowled the world’s oceans in search of prey.&nbsp;



Ichthyosaurs first emerged after the Permian extinction some 250 million years ago, when about 95 percent of marine species died out. The group reached its greatest diversity in the mid-Triassic and a few species persisted into the Cretaceous Period. Their fossils have been found mostly in North America and Europe, but also in South America, Asia, and Australia. Giant species have mostly been located in North America, so the discovery of the new oversized individuals in Switzerland represents an expansion of their known range.



Despite the abundance of ichthyosaur fossils, very little is known about the habits of these giant species. "It amounts to a major embarrassment for paleontology that we know so little about these giant ichthyosaurs despite the extraordinary size of their fossils," said Sander. "We hope to rise to this challenge and find new and better fossils soon.”



These new specimens probably represent the last of the leviathans. “In Nevada, we see the beginnings of true giants, and in the Alps the end,” said Sander, who also co-authored a paper last year about an early giant ichthyosaur from Nevada’s Fossil Hill. “Only the medium-to-large-sized dolphin- and orca-like forms survived into the Jurassic.”



The large fossilized tooth found in the Alps could easily be identified as belonging to an ichthyosaur because of a peculiarity in its dental anatomy. “Ichthyosaurs have a feature in their teeth that is nearly unique among reptiles: the infolding of the dentine in the roots of their teeth,” explained Sander. “The only other group to show this are monitor lizards.”



Smaller ichthyosaurs typically had conical teeth, similar to those of crocodiles, but the larger specimens appear to have been toothless. The large tooth described in the current paper is only the second instance of a giant ichthyosaur with teeth. Sander suggests that these species probably fed on smaller ichthyosaurs and large fish and occupied similar ecological niches to modern sperm whales and killer whales. Indeed, the teeth are curved inwards like those of their mammalian successors, indicating a grasping mode of feeding conducive to capturing prey such as giant squid.



Apart from the fossilized tooth, the two sets of skeletal remains, which consist of vertebrae and rib fragments, have been classified in the family Shastasauridae, which contains the other ichthyosaur giants&nbsp;Shastasaurus,&nbsp;Shonisaurus, and&nbsp;Himalayasaurus. Comparison of the vertebrae from one fossilized skeleton suggests that the animal may have been the same size or slightly smaller than the 21-meter long S. sikkanniensis.&nbsp;



The measurements are, however, probably inaccurate because the fossils have been squashed and deformed by pressure as the tectonic plates collided and the rock in which the fossils were embedded was forced from the former sea or lagoon floor to the top of a mountain.



Most ichthyosaurs are thought to have inhabited the open oceans where their large body size would have been a useful adaptation. The fact that the three individuals in the current study died in shallow coastal or lagoon waters, where their large bodies would have been a disadvantage, adds more understanding of their behaviour. “We think that the big ichthyosaurs followed schools of fish into the lagoon. The fossils may also derive from strays that died there,” suggests Furrer.



The researchers worked under taxing conditions while excavating these new ichthyosaur finds. They had to pick through frozen rocks, high up in the Alps, in order to retrieve the fossilized pieces of the marine giants and bring them down almost to sea level again for scientific processing.&nbsp;



“You have to be kind of a mountain goat to access the relevant beds,” said Sander. “They have the vexing property of not occurring below about 8,000 feet, way above the treeline.”



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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

Massive marine ichthyosaur fossils found high in the Alps

There was a time when the rocks high up in...

A new study from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has found that endangered and threatened insects, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/male-spiders-catapult-away-from-sex-partners-to-avoid-being-eaten/">spiders</a>, and common species that provide ecological services can be easily purchased – without oversight – online. For example, a rare and endangered butterfly known as the Luzon peacock swallowtail, illegal to trade, was found available to purchase from Amazon, pinned in a display box for $110.



It was also discovered that species such as live tarantulas, who are not endangered but whose trade is strictly controlled, were available for sale without any oversight or enforcement.



Around the world, insects are in steep decline due to habitat loss, pesticides, invasive species, urbanization, pollution, and climate change. It has been estimated that the Earth is losing about 10 to 20 percent of insect species every decade. Researchers say the survival of insects and spiders are greatly impacted when they are collected and sold.



“We surveyed the web to determine if there were species available for sale that are rare, threatened, or for which commerce is in some way regulated,” said study lead author Professor John Losey.



“As they get rarer and rarer, they become more and more valuable to collectors, and then the amount of collecting and sale, if not done sustainably, has greater impact on those species.”



The most expensive insect the team found for sale was a birdwing butterfly species named Ornithoptera allottei, listed on eBay for $3,850.



Species that provide ecological services, such as ladybugs released for pest control and pollinators, were also found for sale. This is a concern as these insects should only be purchased through regulated sources. If they are released in areas that are unfamiliar, they could impact the larger population and have negative effects on the services they provide.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Hopefully, our findings will lead to better enforcement of the illegal online sale of rare insects and protect those species in the wild,” said study senior author Paul Curtis, extension wildlife specialist in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.



The study results have been shared with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency which enforces illegal trade of species. Despite existing enforcement, there is a lack of resources to monitor commerce.&nbsp;



The experts hope to contribute to the issue by working with student specialists who monitor the web for illegal sales and report findings.&nbsp;



A long term goal of the research team is to have&nbsp; insects included as livestock so that their unregulated sale could then be monitored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.&nbsp;



To learn more about this research, visit the <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2022/04/rare-endangered-insects-illegally-sale-online">Cornell Chronicle story</a>.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/global-ecology-and-conservation">Global Ecology and Conservation</a>.



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

Endangered insects are easy to purchase illegally online

A new study from Cornell University has found that endangered...

A new study has found evidence of zoonotic spread between hospital patients and Danish pigs. The researchers analyzed samples of the superbug Clostridioides difficile across 14 pig farms in Denmark and confirmed the circulation of multiple <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-can-jump-between-healthy-pets-and-owners/">antibiotic-resistance</a> genes between pigs and humans. The findings provide the latest evidence that animal to human (zoonotic) transmission is possible.



“Our finding of multiple and shared resistance genes indicate that C. difficile is a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes that can be exchanged between animals and humans," said Dr. Semeh Bejaoui from the University of Copenhagen.&nbsp;



“This alarming discovery suggests that resistance to antibiotics can spread more widely than previously thought, and confirms links in the resistance chain leading from farm animals to humans.”



C. difficile infects the human gut and is resistant to all but three antibiotics. Some strains contain genes that produce toxins that cause damaging inflammation, leading to life-threatening diarrhea.&nbsp;



This bacteria strain is one of the biggest antibiotic resistance threats in the USA. In 2017, C.difficile caused an estimated 223,900 infections and 12,800 deaths at a healthcare cost of more than $1 billion.



A strain of C. difficile that can cause more serious disease is associated with a rising number of infections in young and healthy individuals. Farm animals have recently been identified as carriers of this strain.&nbsp;



In this study, Danish scientists investigated the prevalence of C. difficile strains in pigs. They also looked at the potential for zoonotic spread of antimicrobial resistance genes by comparing the pig samples to Danish hospital patients.



Stool samples were collected from 514 pigs in two batches. Batch A included 330 samples from sows, piglets and slaughter pigs from fourteen farms in 2020. The 184 samples in batch B were collected during slaughtering in 2021.



The results showed that C. difficile was detected in 54 of the pigs sampled. Further analyses of 40 samples revealed that C. difficile was more common in piglets and sows than slaughter pigs. This could be because of the difference in age between piglets and adult pigs, as younger pigs are more susceptible to infection.



In total, thirteen sequence types found in animals matched those found in the human stool samples. All of the animal samples were positive for the toxin genes, and ten had an even greater capacity to cause disease.



Overall, 38 isolates from the animals contained at least one resistance gene. Resistance was predicted for seven classes of antibiotics that treat severe bacterial infections.



The findings demonstrate how overuse of antibiotics in human medicine and farms are now impacting the ability to cure bacterial infections



“This study provides more evidence on the evolutionary pressure connected with the use of antimicrobials in animal husbandry, which selects for dangerously resistant human pathogens," said Dr. Bejaoui. "This highlights the importance of adopting a more comprehensive approach, for the management of C. difficile infection, in order to consider all possible routes of dissemination."



The researchers were unable to determine the cause or direction of transmission. This is because the strains found in human and animal samples were identical, suggesting that they could be shared between groups.&nbsp;



The experts empathize the importance of deeper analysis to better understand how the bacteria is continuously exchanged between the human population and farm animals.&nbsp;



The research was presented at this year’s <a href="https://www.eccmid.org/">European Congress of Clinical Microbiology &amp; Infectious Diseases</a> (ECCMID) in Lisbon, Portugal.



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

Pigs and humans are sharing antibiotic-resistance genes

A new study has found evidence of zoonotic spread between...

A new study funded by <a href="https://fapesp.br/en">FAPESP</a> has concluded that the very species integral to seed dispersal and tree reproduction are among the first to disappear as a result of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deforestation-in-the-amazon-hits-a-new-record/">deforestation</a>.



For example, guapeva-vermelha, a tree endemic to Brazil and listed as "vulnerable" under the IUCN, depends on animals such as the brown howlers, southern muriqui monkeys, and the South American tapir to disperse their seeds. Unfortunately, as these animals were killed or chased out of their habitat, the P. bullata vanished as well.&nbsp;



"Seed dispersal is a complex process involving many types of vertebrates at the same time. Deforestation leads to the extinction of animals, which lose food, and plants, which can no longer disperse their seeds," explained study first author Lisieux Fuzessy.



When the researchers began to explore seed dispersal in the Atlantic Rainforest, they didn't realize they would be digging so deep into vertebrate seed dispersal.



"We set out initially to investigate the role of primates in seed dispersal, but it soon became evident that we needed to analyze the roles played by all vertebrates," said Fuzessy.



The team decided to complete a wide-ranging analysis of seed dispersal. They examined the role of primates, birds, bats, carnivores, marsupials, rodents, and ungulates in this critical process.



The researchers focused on two forests. One was Serra de Paranapiacaba, which includes 120,000 hectares of highly preserved forests. The area contains elusive jaguars, bush dogs, the white-lipped peccary, and a large frugivorous bird known as the black-fronted piping guan. The researchers documented 1,588 interactions between 133 animals and 315 plants in Serra de Paranapiacaba.



The second study area was Reserva de Santa Genebra. This forest is only 250 hectares, fragmented, and surrounded by human disturbance. The area was also heavily deforested before it gained protected status in 1984. Most of the animals in Reserva de Santa Genebra are notably smaller. The animals found here include the spotted paca, American opossum, and the Brazilian squirrel. Here,&nbsp; researchers recorded 21 interactions between 54 animals and 58 plants.



"The difference was highly significant. Key species such as muriquis and tapirs eat a far greater diversity of fruit than birds, for example," said Fuzessy. "In addition to their strong demand for calories, they have a wide gape or gullet, which enables them to swallow large fruit and disperse plants that without them simply disappear in a cascade effect."



The results of the study further illustrate that species conservation is not enough. When considering reforestation projects, conservationists need to analyze the ecology of an area and aim to conserve functional diversity.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/btp.13065">Biotropica</a>.&nbsp;



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

Animals needed for seed dispersal are the first victims of deforestation

A new study funded by FAPESP has concluded that the...

Many animal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildlife-conservation-can-help-stabilize-the-climate/">species</a> around the world are currently leaving areas that are becoming too warm, and move into areas that were previously too cold. According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>, wildlife watchers generally welcome species that have arrived in the United Kingdom due to climate change.



The scientists asked volunteers who contribute to wildlife recording schemes about their attitudes toward a variety of insect and bird species that have recently arrived in the UK. Participants in the survey were given examples of such species, including insects such as the mottled shieldbug or the red-eyed damselfly, and birds like the Eurasian spoonbill or the little bittern.&nbsp;



While volunteers mostly welcomed new arrivals, they were less happy with species they were not familiar with, or with those that were found to harm native wildlife. Moreover, they expressed negative attitudes toward invasive species that were introduced in the UK by humans.



“We found that wildlife recorders viewed range-shifters more as vulnerable ‘ecological refugees’ than as threatening ‘climate opportunists,’” said study senior author Regan Early, a senior lecturer in Conservation Biology at the University of Exeter. “Respondents were strongly opposed to eradicating or controlling new range-shifters, but they also did not want to see conservationists trying to boost their numbers.”



“The complex questions of how and when to manage these arrivals are becoming increasingly urgent as more establish,” added study lead author James Cranston, a doctoral student in Environmental Studies at the same university. “Scientific evidence was a key factor in respondents’ decision-making on management, but many also spoke of the ‘wow’ factor that some of these species had for them.”&nbsp;



The scientists hope that this study could be an opportunity to make more people aware of, and involved in, wildlife conservation. 



“Public opinion – especially among volunteers engaged in conservation – will play an important role in how we treat species arriving in the UK,” concluded Dr. Early.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10325">People and Nature</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

“Ecological refugees” are welcomed by wildlife watchers

Many animal species around the world are currently leaving areas...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.nmbu.no/en">Norwegian University of Life Sciences</a> (NMBU) has found that domestic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-to-tell-whether-you-cat-is-a-psychopath/">cats</a> that are occasionally left by their owners to wander outdoors rarely stray far away from home. In fact, most felines spent an average of 79 percent of their time outdoors within 50 meters of the owners’ homes, with only a few of them wandering farther.



The scientists GPS-marked almost 100 pets in a small town in Eastern Norway in order to track them while they were outside. “The goal was to map the movements of an entire population of pet cats within the same area,” said study lead author Richard Bischof, a wildlife ecologist at NMBU. Since the cat owners all lived within an area of about one square kilometer, the researchers managed to collect detailed data on many cats’ activities within a limited area.



The results confirmed those of previous studies in other European countries: when they go outside, most cats are literally just around the corner, at an average of 50 meters distance from their homes. The average maximum distance for all cats was found to be 352 meters. “Some individuals traveled relatively far, sometimes several kilometers, but those were the exceptions,” said Professor Bischof.



However, the findings suggest that there was a great variation between the individual cats in how they used the landscape. “This is quite typical,” said Bjarne O. Braastad, a professor emeritus of ethology at NMBU. “Cats have different personalities, and research results reflect this: there is often great variation. It is also worth noting that almost all the cats were neutered,” he added. “It will of course play an important role. Neutered cats are less likely to roam.”



Mapping the “catscape” of a specific area made it possible to show what a domestic cat population looked like in time and space. How the cats use the landscape also dictates how they interact with their environment and what effects they have on their natural surroundings.&nbsp;



“An interesting topic for further studies is of course the effects on local wildlife,” said study senior author Torbjørn Haugaasen, an expert in animal movements at NMBU. “We did not have the opportunity to include it in this project period, but in the future, we would like to take a closer look at that as well.”



The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-09694-9">Nature Scientific Reports</a>.



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

Domestic cats do not usually roam too far from home

A new study led by the Norwegian University of Life...

Experts have discovered six new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-new-mammal-species-may-be-hidden-in-plain-sight/">species</a> of tiny frogs in Mexico, including one that is now officially the country's smallest frog. The frogs are only about the size of a thumbnail when they are fully grown.&nbsp;



Among the tiniest of the species - a frog named Craugastor candelariensis - the adult males grow to only 13 millimeters in length.



The new species are "direct-developing" frogs, which means that rather than hatching from eggs into tadpoles, they emerge from the eggs as perfect miniature frogs. The experts explained that their tiny size puts the frogs at the very bottom of the forest food chain.&nbsp;



The study was led by Tom Jameson, a researcher in the Department of Zoology at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>.



“With millions of these frogs living in the leaf litter, we think they’re likely to play a hugely important role in the ecosystem as a source of food for everything else, from lizards to predatory birds,” said Jameson.



“Until now these new species have gone unnoticed because they’re small and brown and look really similar to other frogs."



“Their lifestyle is utterly fascinating. These frogs live in the dark, humid leaf litter of the forests, which is like a secret world - we don’t really know anything about what goes on there. We don’t understand their behaviour, how they socialise, or how they breed.”



The researchers collected almost 500 Mexican frog specimens from museums around the world. They used DNA sequencing to confirm the six distinctive species.&nbsp;



“Frogs in the group known as Craugastor are very difficult to tell apart, so scientists have long suspected that more species may exist. We’re really excited to have discovered six new Craugastor species that are completely new to science,” said Jameson.



The new species have been named Craugastor bitonium, Craugastor candelariensis, Craugastor cueyatl, Craugastor polaclavus, Craugastor portilloensis, and Craugastor rubinus. In particular, the name "cueyatl" means "frog" in the indigenous language Nahuatl, which is spoken in the Valley of Mexico where the species was found.



“We chose the name cueyatl to honor the rich human history of the Valley of Mexico, and the local people who have probably known these frogs far longer than we have,” said Jameson.



The frogs are possibly what is known as "micro-endemics" because they may occur only in one small area.



“We named Craugastor rubinus after the garnet mines in the hillside where they’re found,” said Jameson. “Sadly, it will only take the expansion of one mine and these frogs could be gone.”



“These frogs potentially play a really important role in the forest ecosystem. We need to make sure that they don’t just get wiped off the map because no-one even knows they’re there.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/herpetological-monographs">Herpetological Monographs</a>.



Image Credit: Jeffrey W Streicher, The Natural History Museum, London



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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

Fascinating frogs found in Mexico are the size of a thumbnail

Experts have discovered six new species of tiny frogs in...

Open water swimming is far from easy, particularly when air and water <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/changes-in-vegetation-are-a-key-driver-of-global-temperatures/">temperatures</a> are extremely cold. A research team led by the <a href="https://www.calpoly.edu/">California Polytechnic State University</a> has recently investigated how furry Weddell <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-seals-will-struggle-more-than-others-to-survive-climate-change/">seal</a> pups born on the Antarctic sea-ice can start swimming almost from birth in these extreme conditions, and continue to do so even while shedding and replacing their fur (a process called molting).



Although their blanket of fluffy insulation is very good for protecting them from cold temperatures when dry, as soon as they plunge into freezing waters, all these benefits are lost. The fact that the young seal pups enter the water and learn to swim and dive as early as two days old made scientists wonder how do they cope when they shed their fur, relying instead on their developing blubber stores - the thick layer of fat they have directly under their skins - for isolation.&nbsp;



The research team traveled south to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica - close to a colony of Weddell seals – to monitor newborn pups through their first weeks of life, in order to understand how these fascinating animals manage to stay warm on ice and in water, and whether older pups with more developed blubber stores use less energy to stay warm. The scientists weighted and measured the pups, while noting the condition of their fur as they molted over a seven-week period. Moreover, by tagging their hind flippers, they also tracked how often and for how long each pup went for a dip.



The researchers discovered that, as the pups grew, their metabolic rates increased. Surprisingly though, when immersed in the water, the three- and seven-week-old pups had similar metabolic rates. By comparing how much time the youngsters spent in the water before, during, and after molting, the scientists were amazed to find that the molting pups spent three times more effort swimming before than after the molt, even if they expended more energy to remain warm in the water.



“These results support the idea of an energetic trade-off during early development; pups expend more energy for thermoregulation in water, yet gain experience needed for independence,” the study authors explained.



“Weddell seals are the southernmost breeding population of mammals in the world,” said Karla Heidelberg, a program director in National Science Foundation’s <a href="https://beta.nsf.gov/geo/opp">Office of Polar Programs</a>. “These researchers are providing new information that’s changing how we view the life histories and physiological differences among these seals and other seal populations that live farther north in warmer regions of Antarctica.”



The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-abstract/225/6/jeb242773/274807/Metabolic-cost-of-thermoregulation-decreases-after?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.



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

Weddell seal pups keep swimming while changing their fur

Open water swimming is far from easy, particularly when air...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predators-help-prevent-biodiversity-loss/">Biodiversity loss</a> and climate change are the two most urgent environmental challenges that humanity faces nowadays. Although these two issues have been largely addressed separately, a new study published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.16109">Global Change Biology</a> argues that many conservation actions which slow, halt, or reverse biodiversity loss could also benefit climate change.



According to the first draft of the “<a href="https://www.cbd.int/article/draft-1-global-biodiversity-framework">Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework</a>,” released by the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (<a href="https://www.cbd.int/">CBD</a>), there are 21 targets that should be implemented by 2030 in order to reduce potential threats to biodiversity by implementing tools and solutions to protect the amazing richness of our planet’s life forms. Now experts found that 14 of these targets could also slow climate change.



One of these, for instance, is creating protected areas and connecting already existing ones via natural corridors.&nbsp;



“There is growing evidence that the creation of new protected areas and the adequate management of existing ones on land and in the sea help to mitigate climate change through capture and storage of carbon,” said study co-author Josef Settele, an expert in biodiversity and conservation at the <a href="https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=33573">Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research</a>.&nbsp;



Previous studies have shown that terrestrial protected areas around the world store 12 to 16 percent of the total global carbon stock, while deep-sea ecosystems also act as important carbon sinks.



Other biodiversity targets that could help mitigating climate change too include: restoring degraded ecosystems (e.g. tropical or subtropical forests) or coastal habitats (e.g. coral reefs or sea grass beds); expanding green and blue infrastructures in cities (e.g. parks, lakes, or green roofs); dealing with waste in a more sustainable way, by separating biodegradable products from recyclable ones; reducing pollution from excess nutrients; or increasing the sustainability of food production and supply chains.



However, there may also be conflicting goals between the protection of biodiversity and that of the climate. For example, although imitating traditional land use systems (instead of intensifying or even abandoning land use) has clear advantages for the conservation of biodiversity by preserving a high diversity of pollinators, it can negatively impact the climate by reducing the expanse of global forests, which can sequester much more carbon than agricultural lands.&nbsp;



In addition, the farming of cattle or sheep releases methane, which is harmful for the climate. Thus, slowing climate change while implementing adaptation measures without losing biodiversity is often possible only through compromises, emphasized Professor Settele.



“There is also the risk that nature is discussed as a vehicle for solving the climate problem; this is quite problematic,” added study co-author Hans-Otto Pörtner, a climate researcher at the <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/">Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research</a> (AWI).&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The capacity of ecosystems to slow climate change is overestimated, and climate change is damaging this capacity. Only when we succeed in drastically reducing emissions from fossil fuels nature can help us to stabilize the climate,” he concluded.



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

Wildlife conservation can help stabilize the climate

Biodiversity loss and climate change are the two most urgent...

As I’ve<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eat-for-a-healthy-planet-reduce-the-demand-for-animal-agriculture/"> reported before</a>, meat consumption comes with a high environmental cost. In fact, a new study shows that to meet climate goals and avoid ecological destruction, meat consumption must be reduced by 75 percent or more globally. The research was carried out by scientists at the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/university/">University of Bonn</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"If all humans consumed as much meat as Europeans or North Americans, we would certainly miss the international climate targets and many ecosystems would collapse," explained study co-author Dr. Matin Qaim. "We therefore need to significantly reduce our meat consumption, ideally to 20 kilograms or less annually. The war in Ukraine and the resulting shortages in international markets for cereal grains also underline that less grain should be fed to animals in order to support food security.”



The scientists don’t think that everyone abstaining from meat is the answer to the problem. They note that vegetables and legumes are not universally available and can’t be grown everywhere.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"We can't live on grass, but ruminants can," said lead author Dr. Martin Parlasca. "Therefore, if grassland cannot be used in any other way, it makes perfect sense to keep livestock on it."&nbsp;



It’s especially true that people in poor countries might rely on livestock for an important part of their diet. However, it’s also important to note that those living in poor countries also eat less meat than those in rich nations like the US and Australia, where there is more access to a diverse array of foods, including vegetarian options.



Although there are more vegetarians now in rich nations than in the past, it’s not enough. Meat consumption has leveled off in the EU, but levels are still incredibly high in the US and Australia. The researchers argue that the solution is to implement a hefty meat tax in rich nations.



"That's certainly unpopular, especially since a ten- or twenty-percent surcharge probably wouldn't be enough, if it's supposed to have a steering effect," said Dr. Quaim. "Meat, however, has a high environmental cost that is not reflected in current prices. It would be entirely reasonable and fair to have consumers share more of these costs."



Another way to tackle the problem is to implement educational standards that tell students about the ecological impact of consumption habits.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"We need to become more sensitive to the global impact of our decisions," said Dr. Qaim. "This is true not only with food, but also with the shirt we buy at the discount store to wear for a single evening at a party."



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Meat consumption must be reduced by 75 percent or more

As I’ve reported before, meat consumption comes with a high...

Red tides are gradually becoming an annual occurrence off the west coast of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floridas-horse-conch-is-closer-to-extinction-than-expected/">Florida</a>. They are caused by massive blooms of the algae species Karenia brevis, which are partly fueled by the presence of excess nutrients in the ocean. These algal blooms turn the ocean surface red and produce a large variety of toxins that are harmful to marine animals, seabirds, and even humans. The presence of these toxins can lead not only to localized fish kills, but also to large-scale massive mortalities to marine life.&nbsp;



According to a new study led by the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a>, these problems are quite frequently compounded by the emergence of low-oxygen regions known as “dead zones” or “hypoxic areas,” which occur when red tides begin in early summer and continue into the fall.



“These events are so disruptive they are being incorporated in population assessments of some grouper species for use in fishery management decisions. During the 2005 red tide that also had hypoxia, it was estimated that about 30 percent of the red grouper population was killed,” said study lead author Brendan Turley, an ecosystem oceanographer at the University of Miami. “There are also concerns that the conditions favorable for combined red tide and hypoxia events will increase with climate change projections into the future.”



In order to determine the frequency of hypoxia events and their association with red tides, Dr. Turley and his colleagues examined nearly 20 years of oceanographic data, which included temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen from the surface to the seafloor across the West Florida Shelf. They found that hypoxia events emerged in five of the 16 years examined. In 2005, 2014, and 2018, these events occurred simultaneously with extreme red tides.&nbsp;



The scientists now aim to collaborate with commercial fishermen in Southwest Florida to monitor the occurrence of red tide blooms and hypoxic events and to better understand the relationship between these harmful processes. Further research is needed to clarify whether there is a causal linkage between the two, and to assess the impact of climate change on their occurrence.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568988322000518?via%3Dihub">Harmful Algae</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

Red tides and dead zones threaten Florida's west coast

Red tides are gradually becoming an annual occurrence off the...

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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

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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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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