The eel trade is driven by high demand and a limited supply. This combination makes eel trading highly profitable, but also controversial due to concerns about sustainability, illegal trafficking, and the impact on endangered species.



Despite strict regulations on European eel exports, illegal trafficking persists. Juvenile eels are smuggled out of the EU to Asia, where they are farmed and sold as food.



Recent research has focused on the European eel (Anguilla anguilla), which is a critically endangered species. Although its trade outside of the EU is highly restricted, large numbers of juvenile eels continue to reach Asian markets.



However, new findings suggest a shift in the global eel trade, with another species increasingly appearing in the market.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-targeting-the-american-eel">Targeting the American eel</h2>



Researchers at <a href="https://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yale-NUS College</a> conducted a study to investigate the presence of endangered eel species in Singapore’s markets. The team purchased 327 eel products from 86 retailers, including supermarkets, restaurants, and wholesalers.



DNA barcoding revealed an unexpected result. While a few samples contained <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-protected-areas-lack-critical-fish-habitats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European eels</a>, 70% of the tested products were identified as Anguilla rostrata, commonly known as the American eel.



Unlike its European counterpart, the American eel is not critically endangered. However, it is still classified as an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-is-the-future-of-the-endangered-species-act/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">endangered species</a> and faces significant threats from overfishing and habitat loss. 



The study’s findings suggest that traders may be shifting focus from European eels to American eels due to increasing enforcement of EU export restrictions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-need-for-urgent-action">The need for urgent action</h2>



These findings raise concerns about the future of the American eel population. Without stronger regulations, it could face the same fate as the European eel. 



The research team has called for greater enforcement and monitoring of the American eel trade to prevent further population declines.



The study was conducted as part of Yale-NUS alumnus Joshua Choo’s Environmental Studies capstone project, under the supervision of Professor Benjamin Wainwright.



“It was sad to connect Singaporean unagi with the history of anguillid eel exploitation - where a crash in one anguillid’s stock repeatedly leads to another’s overexploitation and crash," said Choo.



"It was, however, heartening to see so many researchers and Indigenous groups invested in anguillid recovery in Liverpool - from Japan to Aotearoa to the EU and UK."



"There’s room for Southeast Asian perspectives in eel science - it’s important to protect tropical anguillids from the endangerment plaguing their temperate cousins, and to explore <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/effective-conservation-efforts-key-to-saving-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conservation</a> solutions for our food that can bypass profit-driven overexploitation."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mislabeling-and-wildlife-crime">Mislabeling and wildlife crime</h2>



The study highlights the widespread mislabeling of eel products, often sold as generic "eel" or "unagi," which obscures their true species identity. This deceptive practice not only threatens biodiversity but also poses potential risks to human health and fuels illegal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-sunscreens-lose-effectiveness-and-become-harmful/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife trade</a>.



“The trade in eels is described as the greatest wildlife crime on Earth; it supports vast criminal networks that illegally traffic many hundreds of millions of glass eels (juvenile eels) to Asia each year,” said Professor Wainwright.



“What we show with this work is a likely shift in trade; this shift could be the consequence of EU enforced rules and regulations making it harder to smuggle the European eel to Asia, consequently suppliers have now shifted their focus to the less regulated American eel." 



"If the American eel is to avoid a similar fate to that suffered by the European eels, it will be important to closely monitor the American eel trade and introduce rules and regulations designed to prevent overexploitation."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eel-trade-and-wildlife-conservation">Eel trade and wildlife conservation</h2>



The study’s findings highlight the need for proactive conservation measures. Stricter monitoring, better labelling practices, and increased awareness among consumers can help curb the illegal eel trade. 



Consumers, researchers, and policymakers will need to work together to ensure that the global eel trade does not continue at the expense of biodiversity.



If no action is taken, the American eel could become the next critically endangered species, and follow the same tragic path as the European eel.



Choo presented the research at the 2024 International Eel Science Symposium in Liverpool, UK.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/csp2.70013" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Conservation Science and Practice</a>.



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Eel trade is pushing another species to the brink

The eel trade is driven by high demand and a limited supply. This combination makes eel trading highly profitable, but also controversial due to concerns about sustainability, illegal trafficking, and the impact on endangered species. Despite strict regulations on European eel exports, illegal trafficking persists. Juvenile eels are smuggled out of the EU to Asia, where they are farmed and sold as food. Recent research has focused on the European eel (Anguilla anguilla), which is a critically endangered species. Although its trade outside of the EU is...

The forces endured by a woodpecker’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/habitat-shifts-change-the-brain-structure-of-butterflies/">brain</a> as it hammers away at a dead tree branch must be considerable, or so we always thought. Conventional wisdom has it that the woodpecker’s skull must act as some sort of shock-absorbing helmet and cushion the blows. When a brain experiences sudden deceleration it undergoes compression at the impact site and expansion at the opposite side, both of which can damage neurons and result in injury. And, since woodpeckers don’t seem to suffer brain injuries, the logical inference is that some dissipation of the impact force must occur between the beak and the brain.&nbsp;



New research published today in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a> refutes this long-held notion and finds instead that woodpeckers’ heads act more like stiff hammers than protective helmets. The authors state that hypotheses on shock absorption by the woodpecker’s cranial musculoskeletal system remain untested in natural situations, and would, in fact, run counter to natural selection pressures to increase pecking performance.&nbsp;



The researchers used high-speed video footage of six woodpecker individuals from three species to test whether the deceleration of the brain is significantly reduced compared with the deceleration of the beak upon impact. They analyzed 109 videos of the birds as they hammered into wood, tracking the positions of various markers on the skulls and beaks. The experts found no significant difference between the deceleration of the beak and that of the skull on impact.



“By analyzing high-speed videos of three species of woodpeckers, we found that woodpeckers do not absorb the shock of the impact with the tree,” said Sam Van Wassenbergh&nbsp;of Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium.



The researchers then used the data collected to model the functional implications of varying the degree of cranial shock. Their biokinetic models included springs between the beak and the brain that could absorb varying amounts of shock and measure the implications of this for hammering performance.&nbsp;



Their simulations confirmed that absorbing part of the kinetic energy of the head into a compressing electric structure during impact significantly reduced the penetration of the beak into the tree. This means that, if a woodpecker’s beak absorbed any of the impact from its pecking action, the bird would actually have to peck harder in order to perform successful pecks. In fact, model birds with cranial shock absorbers would have to expend more energy to peck to a certain depth than those without cranial shock absorbers.



But if their skulls don’t act as shock absorbers, does the furious pecking put their brains at risk? It turns out that it doesn’t. While the deceleration shock that causes concussion in monkeys and humans is around 103 kPa at the site of impact, hammering woodpeckers experience only between 40 and 60 percent of this pressure, depending on species. This means these species would need to hit their selected spot twice as fast as observed or strike at its top speed on wood that is four times as stiff to suffer a concussion, state the authors.



“The absence of shock absorption does not mean their brains are in danger during the seemingly violent impacts,” said Van Wassenbergh. “Even the strongest shocks from the over 100 pecks that were analyzed should still be safe for the woodpeckers’ brains as our calculations showed brain loadings that are lower than that of humans suffering a concussion.”



Van Wassenbergh says that woodpeckers could make a mistake, for instance if they were to peck on metal at full power. But their usual pecking on tree trunks is generally well below the threshold that causes a concussion, even without their skulls acting as protective helmets. They are known to have smaller brains and less cerebrospinal fluid around the brain, which are factors that could also protect their brains during impacts.



The findings refute the long-held theory of shock absorption, which has been popularized in the media, books, zoos, and more, noted Van Wassenbergh. “While filming the woodpeckers in zoos, I have witnessed parents explaining to their kids that woodpeckers don’t get headaches because they have shock absorber built into their head. This myth of shock absorption in woodpeckers is now busted by our findings.”



Van Wassenbergh and colleagues conclude that the heads of woodpeckers function as stiff hammers during pecking, and that this ensures maximum penetration of the wood at each peck. They emphasize that, from an evolutionary point of view, there may well be limits to the head size, maximal strike speed and hardness of trees selected by woodpeckers.



The findings also have some practical implications, adds Van Wassenbergh, given that engineers have previously used the anatomy of the woodpecker’s cranial skeleton as a source of inspiration for the development of shock-absorbing materials and helmets. The new findings show that’s not such a good idea, given that woodpecker anatomy actually negates shock absorption.



---



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

Woodpecker skulls do not absorb the shock of hammering

The forces endured by a woodpecker’s brain as it hammers...

An underwater photographer has recently captured footage of the world’s fastest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sharks-important-deserve-protections/">shark</a> swimming in the waters close to Barcelona’s coastline. This is the first time in over ten years that the shortfin mako shark – an endangered species that can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour – was spotted in the Mediterranean.&nbsp;



This recent sighting was reported off the Garraf coast close to Barcelona by an expedition team. Underwater photographer David Jara, who captured the images, said that the shark was swimming “calmly” in the open waters and measured about eight feet in length. “We saw a large black shadow in motion,” he recounted. “We were a bit confused. But suddenly we saw something protruding from the sea. At first we thought it was a sunfish, but soon we noticed a dorsal fin. Then we approached, stopped at a safe distance, and he also approached the boat. It was impressive.”



Although, at first, Jara and his colleague Carlos Molina wanted to dive into the water in order to get close up footage of this amazing shark, they quickly realized it may not be very safe, and decided to remain in their boat. Later analyses of the footage revealed that the creature was indeed an endangered shortfin mako shark – a slick, spindle-shaped shark with a long conical snout and a mouth full of long, slender teeth that preys on fishes such as herring, mackerel, swordfish, and small cetaceans. Adults – known for their fighting qualities and ability to repeatedly leap out of the water - can measure up to 14.8 feet in length and weigh over 1,000 pounds.



The <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN) has listed this shark species as endangered since 2019. The demand for shark fin soup, particularly in Asian countries, has significantly depleted their populations, with scientists estimating that approximately 100 million sharks are killed each year in commercial fisheries. Moreover, their slow growth, late maturity, and lengthy gestation has put them at risk of overfishing, leading to a 99.9 percent reduction in their global population since the 19th century.



According to Claudio Barria, a marine biologist at the <a href="http://www.icm.csic.es/en">Institute of Marine Sciences</a> in Barcelona, this recent sighting is a good sign for the Mediterranean ecosystem, offering new hopes that perhaps the rampant destruction these sharks have faced over the past century is about to stop, and their population could once more increase.



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;

World’s fastest shark spotted near Barcelona

An underwater photographer has recently captured footage of the world’s...

A new study published in the journal <a href="about:blank">Nature</a> has found that modern ocean <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emerging-issues-that-may-impact-marine-biodiversity-are-poorly-understood/">biodiversity</a> - which is currently at its highest level ever – was achieved through long-term stability of “biodiversity hotspots,” or regions where an exceptionally high number of different species co-exist.&nbsp;



The experts reached this conclusion by employing a pioneering computational model which reconstructs the diversity of marine animals from their origin about 550 million years ago to the present, based on plate tectonics and environmental factors, such as ocean temperatures and food supply. Since the history of diversity in the model is numerically simulated rather than reconstructed from fossil data, this method is free from the gaps and sampling biases characterizing the fossil record.



“The question is how did we get to where we are,” said study lead author Pedro Cermeño, a postdoctoral fellow in Marine Biology at the <a href="http://www.icm.csic.es/en">Institute of Marine Sciences</a> in Barcelona, Spain. “Gaps in the fossil record require the use of a new computational approach to reconstruct the history of life. Our model is able to recreate the geographic distribution of modern ocean diversity, especially the hotspots, and reveals the mechanisms that have created them.”



This new model can also shed more light on one of the most controversial questions in Evolutionary Ecology: whether or not there is a limit to the biodiversity that our planet can support. While some scientists argue that as diversity increases and biological competition intensifies, the process of diversification slows down to a halt, so that the emergence of new species depends upon the extinction of older ones, others claim that the Earth’s ecosystems are so heterogeneous that there will always be room for more species. 



The new model helps reconciling the two views, suggesting that while most of the oceans exhibit diversity levels far below their maximum potential, regions hosting biodiversity hotspots may be close to their limit.



Although ocean biodiversity is currently at its highest level, this may not last long, since human interference in the natural functioning of Earth’s systems has prompted what scientists call “the sixth great mass extinction.” According to the United Nations, over the last century as many species have already disappeared as those that would be extinguished in 10,000 years assuming a normal, non-extinction evolutionary scenario.



“Our study emphasizes that, if current trends continue, projected diversity loss can take millions of years to recover, arguably beyond our own existence as a species,” concluded co-author Michael Benton, a paleontologist at the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Environmental stability helped ocean biodiversity flourish

A new study published in the journal Nature has found...

We all know rats can be taught to navigate mazes and do other tasks for food rewards, but can they teach each other to find <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-make-unhealthy-food-choices-based-on-their-emotions/">food</a>? A new study suggests that rats can, in fact, learn navigation through observation.&nbsp;



The research, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience">Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience</a>, looked at how animals form mental maps using lab rats as a research model. Specifically, the scientists wanted to see if rats could learn about a physical space by watching another rat explore it rather than exploring it themselves. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Learning by observation is the most common form of learning from school to daily life,” said Dr. Thomas Doublet of the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a>. “We wanted to understand whether or not a spatial representation could be acquired remotely. This is important to understand how spatial representations can be generated and stabilized.”



To explore this question, rats were put into a two part cage, with an observer rat inside an internal clear cage, watching a rat explore the outer cage. The observer rat learned the location of food by watching the demonstrator rat in the outer cage.



Rats that had the benefit of watching a friend find the food were tested against naive rats who didn’t watch another find the food. Naive rats were found to be 12 percent successful compared to the 100 percent successful observer rats. This shows that rats can create mental navigation maps with only indirect experience to guide them Doublet explained,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Our study shows that the cognitive representation of a space formed by observation is stable and can be used by the animals to navigate more efficiently through the observed space,” said Dr. Doublet, “This study is a means to better understand how our brain represents the behavior of conspecifics, but also how our internal GPS works.”



The researchers say that the findings represent a step toward understanding how mental navigation works in animals but there’s still more research to be done before it’s fully understood. For one, it is still not known whether rats use the same neurons to create mental maps from observation as from their own experience.&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

How does mental navigation work in animals?

We all know rats can be taught to navigate mazes...

Purple sea <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-urchins-feet-see/">urchins</a> are currently munching their way through California’s kelp forests at an unprecedented speed and scale that has amazed scientists. However, since kelp forests have long been home to purple and red urchins, it is clear that the three species can get along. A research team led by the <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">University of California, Santa Barbara</a> (UCSB) has set out to investigate what prompts urchins to munch their way out of a home. They discovered that the availability of kelp scraps, or detritus, might be the deciding factor.&nbsp;



“Why is it that in some places urchins cause the demise of a kelp forest, and in other places urchins and kelp can coexist?” asked study senior author Adrian Stier, an associate professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at UCSB. “Our analysis shows what’s going on under the hood. It offers a lot more resolution in explaining when and where you might expect urchins to devour kelp.”



By combining laboratory experiments with two decades of field data, Professor Stier and his team discovered that the availability of kelp detritus alters the foraging behavior of urchins from passive feeding, when detritus is abundant, to active grazing of living kelp, when detritus is scarce. The analyses revealed that when urchin demand was greater than detrital supply, there was a stunning 50-fold decrease in the standing stock of kelp biomass.&nbsp;



Thus, the less kelp available to supply enough detritus, the more are urchins likely to venture out and forage on living kelp. This phenomenon creates a feedback loop that can push an ecosystem over a tipping point, causing a sudden shift in the composition of kelp-urchin communities.



These findings can inform how to effectively approach kelp forest management. “The study suggests that the places most likely to benefit from restoration are those with a hardy supply of detrital kelp coming from elsewhere,” Professor Stier explained. “The best place to restore kelp isn’t in the middle of an urchin barren, where there’s no kelp around. It’s actually in places that are closer to other kelp forests. So maybe we ought to try extending the leading edge of a given kelp forest nearby,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.3673">Ecology</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Why are urchins sometimes feeding on living kelp?

Purple sea urchins are currently munching their way through California’s...

A recent study led by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> has found that habitat shifts in populations of Amazonian <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-predators-have-outsmarted-monarch-butterflies/">butterflies</a> accurately predict changes in their brain structures, particularly in areas that process visual information. These findings provide strong evidence that habitat shifts are adaptive and that local adaptation to distinct light environments can occur at very small ecological scales.



“It was known that niche partitioning in complex habitats, like tropical rainforests, might pose perceptual challenges for the animals living in them,” said study lead author Benito Wainwright, a biologist at the University of Bristol. “Work on fish in freshwater ecosystems had previously shown that dramatic changes in light availability with depth can result in impressive visual adaptations, but little was known whether evolution could select for such adaptations in a terrestrial environment like a tropical forest.”



The scientists studied 160 samples across 16 species of Amazonian butterflies belonging to the Neotropical tribe called Ithomiini. The sample size makes this the largest neuroanatomical comparison undertaken for any type of insect. Habitat shifts were indicated by changes in mimicry patterns.&nbsp;



The results highlight the importance of visual ecology in adaptively shaping entire communities of closely related species in complex terrestrial ecosystems.&nbsp; In future research, the scientists aim to investigate sensory evolution across the entire community of butterflies to rigorously assess whether convergence in habit always predicts convergence in brain structure. &nbsp;



“In other words, we want to know whether when faced with the same perceptual challenges, species evolve sensory adaptations via similar mechanisms,” Dr. Wainwright explained. “We also wish to quantify the light environment within these forests to investigate to what degree small changes in forest structure affect the sensory environment.”&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;



Since Ithomiine butterflies play a crucial role in a large variety of tropical ecosystems, understanding their evolutionary responses can help make more accurate predictions on how sudden changes in the sensory environment may affect the composition of entire rainforests.



“Our work shows that the way species have evolved to process the world around them plays an important role in the way entire animal communities are structured. Natural selection can lead to adaptive change in brain structure over relatively short periods of evolutionary time,” Dr. Wainwright concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evo.14547">Ecology</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;

Habitat shifts change the brain structure of butterflies

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

Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) are widespread and highly mobile marine mammals. They inhabit coastal and pelagic environments in temperate and subtropical waters in both the northern and southern hemisphere. In these environments they form regional subpopulations that are discernible on a genetic basis, despite the fact that individuals can migrate between populations. An understanding of the geographic locations of the regional subpopulations is important for the long-term <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rhinos-show-that-diseases-can-disrupt-conservation-efforts/">conservation</a> and management of the species.



Previous research has identified three distinct regional populations of common dolphins in Australasian waters; a single population inhabits the southern coast of Australia, a different one is found along the eastern coast while a third lives in the waters around Tasmania and New Zealand. However, there are numerous subpopulations in all these areas, and little information exists about the factors that separate them or the genetic characteristics of the groups.&nbsp;



In marine environments, it is difficult to identify the specific barriers and conditions that separate genetically distinct populations. These may include factors such as spatial distance, oceanographic features such as currents, upwellings or environmental gradients, or ecological differences that require specific feeding or behavioural strategies. The complexity of these factors makes it difficult to disentangle them in order to identify appropriate policies for conservation and management.



A new, comprehensive study from <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> has now undertaken the first, widespread census of the genetic diversity of common dolphin populations living along 3000km of Australia’s southern coastline. The study, published in <a href="https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/">BMC Ecology and Evolution</a>, aims to quantify the genetic diversity of the dolphin subpopulations and to understand what oceanic conditions act as barriers between the groups. The authors hope that their results will help inform conservation and management strategies that will support long-term gene flow between the populations.



Study first author Dr. Andrea Barceló says high levels of genomic variation can play an important part in the long-term survival of these wide-ranging marine mammals and other species, particularly during the ongoing habitat changes associated with climate change and human activities.&nbsp;



“Information about how the environment affects DNA diversity of marine populations can assist with the population management and in forecasting how they may cope with climate change and other anthropogenic impacts,” said Dr. Barceló.



In addition, researchers from Flinders and Macquarie Universities stress the importance of maintaining connectivity between the different groups to promote gene flow and long-term genomic variation. This will, in turn, enhance population viability under anthropogenic impacts, including unfavorable climatic events.



“While so many breeding and feeding conditions are still unknown, it’s important for managers of our coastal environments to consider the importance of DNA diversity, particularly in the event of changes in key environmental conditions such as water temperatures, salinity, and food sources,” said study co-author<a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/luciana.moller"> Professor Luciana Möller</a>.



The genomic analysis of more than 200 dolphins from along the southern coast of Australia revealed the presence of five dolphin populations between Western Australia and Victoria. The adaptive divergence was compared with the key environmental conditions and available fish food supplies, fueled by oceanic upwellings and local seasonal circulations. &nbsp;



The results indicated that genomic variation in dolphins of the southern coast of Western Australia was associated with local currents, while genomic differentiation of common dolphins from sites along the continental shelf break was impacted by fluctuations of primary productivity and sea surface temperatures. In&nbsp;contrast, genomic differentiation of dolphin populations from protected coastal habitats and more enclosed embayment areas was associated mainly with fluctuations in salinity and local environmental temperatures.



Common dolphin subpopulations appear to show localized site fidelity and adaptations to feeding and living in environments with specific conditions. This enhances genetic variation of the species on a global scale, and is likely to enable adaptation to changing conditions as long as there is genetic exchange between subpopulations.&nbsp;



The researchers conclude that such seascape genomic assessment allows the identification of candidate genes for future comparative studies of common dolphins and potentially other delphinid species that share similar dynamic environments around the world.



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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

Dolphin DNA study reveals adaptations to local oceanography

Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) are widespread and highly mobile marine...

Hawk moths, with a wingspan of over four inches, are among the largest night fliers in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-may-be-able-to-experience-pain/">insect</a> world. Three new species from the Bahamas are breaking new records for size - but not for being large. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/">Florida Museum of Natural History</a> discovered the smallest-ever hawk moths that are about the size of a vitamin pill.&nbsp;



“By comparison, we have a few other small hawk moths like the hummingbird moth, but of all of them these new species are the smallest,” said Deborah Matthews, a biological scientist at the museum’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity.&nbsp;



There are 1,700 diverse hawk moth species worldwide. They have incredibly long proboscises, the straw-like tongues used to siphon nectar. The variation in tongue length is used to predict what local flowers the moths feed on. This method was first applied by Charles Darwin, who predicted the long proboscis after observing an orchid with unusually long nectar spurs.



The study began when Matthews and Jacqueline Miller reviewed the Florida Museum’s hawk moth collection to identify Bahamas specimens and sort survey material island by island. To differentiate closely related moths, researchers must study their anatomy. For Matthews and Miller, that meant making a detailed examination of the moths’ genitalia.



“You just can't always make out distinctive wing patterns, whereas with genitalia you can cross-compare structures,” said Matthews.



The genitalia were dissected and observed under a microscope, and the differences were striking. This led to suspicions that they had discovered three new species.&nbsp;



“In terms of moths, the giant silk moths and hawk moths are very popular and well-studied, kind of like the butterflies of the moth world. So, for us to find three new hawk moth species, that’s a really big deal,” said Matthews.



The Bahamas, with their proximity to diversity hotspots like Cuba and mainland areas of Mexico and the U.S., makes it easier for plants and animals to spread there, evolving into new species due to their isolation.



Island ecosystems are famous for organisms that far outsize their mainland relatives, like the giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands and the Komodo dragons in Indonesia. However in The Bahamas species tend to be smaller, contradicting that giganticism trend.



Experts suspect that harsh weather could be the cause, as islands in the Bahamas archipelago are affected by Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms. Heavy rain and windfall pose a threat to wildlife. It is likely that butterflies and moths with smaller wings are equipped to survive the intense winds.&nbsp;



The research team believes that their work to identify these three new species will likely lead to more discoveries going forward.



The research was partially funded by the National Geographic Society. The <a href="https://centerforsystematicentomology.org/insectamundi/0937_Miller_etal_2022-reduced.pdf">study</a> is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.flvc.org/mundi">Insecta Mundi</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

Hawk moths in the Bahamas are the smallest ever found

Hawk moths, with a wingspan of over four inches, are...

In recent years, there has been an increased scientific interest in investigating canine sleep. Since dogs are a domesticated species adapted to the human environment, better understanding their sleeping patterns can shed more light on human sleep too, which could have been evolutionarily shaped by living in protected environments. Thus, similar changes might be expected in the sleeping patterns of other species adapted to such environments. For instance, dogs appear to sleep more superficially in unfamiliar environments, just as humans do. 



Now, a team of researchers from <a href="https://www.elte.hu/en/">Eötvös Loránd University</a> (ELTE) in Hungary has measured for the first time the sleeping patterns of the dog’s wild counterpart, the wolf. In order to better understand the effects of domestication and cohabitation with humans on sleep physiology and phenotypes, comparing dogs to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wolves-may-not-be-heroes-but-theyre-not-villains-either/">wolves</a> offers a unique opportunity.



“Although dog-wolf comparative studies have already been conducted in several areas of research, including behavioral and genetic studies, the neural processes of wolves remain a largely unexplored field,” said&nbsp;study co-author Anna Bálint, a comparative ethologist at ELTE. “We measured the sleep EEG of seven hand raised, extensively socialized wolves, using the same methodology as has been applied in family dogs.&nbsp;We successfully measured all sleep stages (drowsiness, deep sleep, and REM) that were previously observed in dogs as well.”



During the experiments, the wolves have been surrounded by familiar people who petted and caressed them until they calmed down, became drowsy, and eventually fell asleep. Whenever they became aroused again, the caretaker and experimenter calmed the wolves by cuddling them until they fell back to sleep.



“While young dogs and wolves showed a pretty similar distribution of sleep stages, the time spent in REM seemed to be less in dogs than in wolves, and this difference is even more apparent in the senior animals,” reported study lead author Vivien Reicher, a doctoral student in Ethology at ELTE. “This finding is especially intriguing since the amount of REM sleep has been linked to various different effects including neurodevelopment, stress, domestication, but also memory consolidation.”



According to study senior author Márta Gácsi, an expert in Comparative Ethology at ELTE, although the sample size was rather low and the age distribution of the wolves was too skewed to draw comparative conclusions, these experiments can be considered important first steps in collecting an adequate amount of data to properly describe the wolf’s sleeping patterns.



“Thus, we suggest that using our reliable, easily applicable methodology in different labs may form the basis of an international, multi-site collection of similar samples, allowing for generalizable scientific conclusions,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13643-x">Nature Scientific Reports</a>.&nbsp;



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

Do wolves have similar sleeping patterns as dogs?

In recent years, there has been an increased scientific interest...

An international team of researchers recently published a paper in the journal eLife which provides a deeper insight into the animal brain and nervous systems. The group gained a better understanding of lungfish evolution by virtually reconstructing brain models, analyzing the skulls of six Paleozoic lungfish (Dipnoi) fossils, and comparing them to extant land vertebrates.&nbsp;



Study senior author Dr. Tom Challands explained why lungfish are the most useful types of animals for this study, "Lungfish have persisted for more than 400 million years from the Devonian Period to present day and provide unique insights into the condition of the earliest tetrapods as well as their own evolutionary history."



Dr. Challands also described the advantages of using virtual models."This paper effectively doubles the number of lungfish endocasts known, as their preservation quality is often damaged by a fossil being crushed or broken, and the brain itself has very poor preservation potential and is not currently known in any fossil lungfish."



The information gathered from this study can help us determine which senses, such as vision or smell, were more important to the earliest tetrapods (four-legged animals).



"Our discovery shows that the brains of lungfish have been evolving constantly throughout their 400-million-year history, but it suggests they have likely always relied on their sense of smell rather than vision to navigate their environments. This is quite unlike other fish which use sight much more powerfully," said study lead author Dr. Alice Clement.



According to the researchers, lungfish may be the missing link in the evolution of land-living tetrapods.&nbsp;



"Studying our 'fishy cousins' lungfish continues to help us understand how fish first left the water some 350 million years ago and started to become land animals (tetrapods) and later humans," said Dr. Clement. "Perhaps some of their nervous system traits remain in us still."&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

Lungfish provide deeper insight into brain evolution

An international team of researchers recently published a paper in...

In a new study from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) and Columbia University, researchers set out to explain how dinosaurs lived through the Triassic extinction event, which killed many other animals. The results of the study suggest that feathers played a major role in helping the dinosaurs survive by giving them the insulation they needed to endure freezing temperatures. 



Approximately 202 million years ago, the Triassic-Jurassic Extinction wiped out the large reptiles that ruled the planet. During the same time period, dinosaurs not only survived, but thrived and rose to dominance. The experts report that dinosaurs were well-adapted to the cold in a way that other species were not.&nbsp;



“Dinosaurs were there during the Triassic under the radar all the time. The key to their eventual dominance&nbsp; was very simple. They were fundamentally cold-adapted animals. When it got cold everywhere, they were ready, and other animals weren’t," explained Paul Olsen, a geologist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.&nbsp;



The researchers found physical evidence of dinosaur footprints from the Junggar Basin in northwestern China. This region was located well above the Arctic Circle. The footprints indicated that dinosaurs were present along the shoreline.



In addition, the analysis of deep lake deposits produced a large number of pebbles up to about 1.5 centimeters in diameter which turned out to be ice-rafted debris (IRD). This type of debris is created when ice abuts a coastal landmass and incorporates bits of underlying rock as it freezes.&nbsp;



The researchers said the pebbles were likely picked up during winter, when lake waters froze along pebbly shorelines. In warmer weather, chunks of ice carried the pebbles offshore and eventually dropped them.&nbsp;



The discovery of IRD confirmed the theory that dinosaurs were capable of living in freezing conditions. "This shows that these areas froze regularly and the dinosaurs did just fine," said study co-author Dennis Kent.



Using a "phylogenetic bracket analysis," the experts concluded that dinosaurs were primitively insulated with feathers. The insulation from these feathers allowed the creatures to adapt to cold polar conditions.



After the Triassic extinction event, dinosaurs rapidly increased in size, expanded their range, and nearly doubled their overall population. They were the most dominant animals in Earth for the next 135 million years.&nbsp;



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



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

Feathers were the secret of dinosaur success

In a new study from the Chinese Academy of Sciences...

Pocket gophers are a species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/many-small-mammals-in-the-uk-tested-plastic-positive/">mammals</a> known to live solitary, underground lives, feeding on roots in North and Central American grasslands. A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a> has found that these animals keep up with their energy demands by “farming” roots that grow into their tunnels, which supply 20 to 60 percent of the gophers’ daily calories.



“Southeastern pocket gophers are the first non-human mammalian farmers,” said study senior author Francis Putz, a professor of Biology at the University of Florida. “Farming is known among species of ants, beetles, and termites, but not other mammals.”



The scientists discovered that gophers don’t just eat roots that happen to grow in the paths of new tunnels that they excavate. Instead, by spreading their own waste products as fertilizers, they provide conditions favoring root growth and then harvest or crop those roots. Although whether such activities qualify as farming is still a matter of debate, Professor Putz argues that they should be considered similar to behaviors seen in humans.



“It really depends on how ‘farming’ is defined,” he explained. “If farming requires that crops be planted, then gophers don’t qualify. But this seems like a far too narrow definition for anyone with a more horticultural perspective in which crops are carefully managed - such as fruit trees in forests - but not necessarily planted. With this perspective, the origins of agriculture included Mesopotamian annual cereal and pulse crop cultivation as well as maize cultivation in the Americas, but many cultures around the world developed agriculture based on perennial crops, many of which they didn’t plant but did tend.”



According to the scientists, root cropping may explain why gophers build and maintain such extensive tunnel systems, which are comparable to rows of crops. “Pocket gophers are great examples of ecosystem engineers that turn over soil thereby aerating it and bringing nutrients back to the surface,” said Professor Putz. “They eat only roots, some of which they grow themselves, and seldom interfere with human activities.”



Further research is needed to investigate how seasonal variation in the energetic contributions of roots growing into tunnels relate to gophers’ activity cycles, and how their underground activities affect vegetation at the surface.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.003">Current Biology</a>.



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

Pocket gophers are underground farmers

Pocket gophers are a species of mammals known to live...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

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