Community dog parks are often seen as cheerful places where dogs can run free and interact with other pets. Many people feel that these shared spaces help animals stay active, but new <a href="https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-024-06563-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> points to a different story.



Recent <a href="https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-024-06563-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">findings</a> from the Department of Ecosystem and Public Health at the University of Calgary have revealed that half of the fecal samples collected in select dog parks contained intestinal parasites. These particular parasites have the potential to affect not only canines but also humans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-parasites-in-dog-parks">Parasites in dog parks</h2>



 The experts found that parasites are often more common in areas where several dogs gather and roam freely. 



Parasites in the dog park samples included protozoa that are known to cause gastrointestinal issues, especially in younger or immune-compromised canines.



These types of parasites are also known to spread from animals to humans through contaminated materials.



Many of them linger in the environment, which increases the risk for anyone handling infected objects or soil.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-dog-traffic-areas-and-parasites">High dog traffic areas and parasites </h2>



Dogs that visit more than one park or spend significant time off-leash have a greater chance of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotic-resistant-superbugs-are-being-passed-from-pets-to-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">picking up infections</a>. 



Overlapping areas with high dog traffic can make it easier for parasites to spread, especially if waste is not disposed of properly.



These newly identified parasite infection patterns point to an urgent need for consistent hygiene practices and vigilant parasite prevention measures among dog owners. Missing these steps could lead to larger issues in households and communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-dogs-from-parasites">Protecting dogs from parasites</h2>



“Administer year-round broad-spectrum parasite control with efficacy against heartworm, intestinal parasites, fleas, and ticks. Control of parasites with zoonotic potential is essential,” noted the <a href="https://capcvet.org/guidelines/general-guidelines/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Companion Animal Parasite Council </a>(CAPC). 



Such preventive care can also lower veterinary bills over time. Early treatment helps ensure that dogs remain safe from conditions that might otherwise worsen and spread.



“All dogs should have a veterinary examination at least annually. For many dogs, more frequent visits may be appropriate,” stated the <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/avma-policies/aaha-avma-canine-preventive-healthcare-guidelines" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Veterinary Medical Association</a> (AVMA). 



Consistent check-ups can catch issues early before they turn into bigger problems.



Veterinarians can recommend parasite prevention methods suited to each dog’s lifestyle. They can also help pet owners to address any new concerns about health or behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stopping-the-spread-of-infections">Stopping the spread of infections </h2>



Some of the parasites identified by the experts can affect humans through direct or indirect contact - with children and older family members facing the greater risk. 



Hands-on moments with pets may carry hidden dangers if basic precautions are neglected. 



Habits like washing hands and tidying up after dogs are simple actions that can make a big difference by stopping infections from spreading between households or within neighborhoods.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maintaining-cleanliness-in-play-areas">Maintaining cleanliness in play areas</h2>



Dog parks can still be fun if everyone does their part in disposing of waste and keeping the area clean. It is critical to use designated trash bins and avoid leaving any droppings behind, as parasites thrive in damp conditions.



Regular park maintenance further reduces contamination by preventing harmful organisms from circulating in the soil. A clean environment creates a healthier space for everyone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tips-for-home-routines">Tips for home routines</h2>



An effective deworming schedule can shield pets from exposure to parasites that might be picked up outdoors. Over-the-counter remedies are not always reliable, so <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-neutering-linked-to-serious-health-risks-in-some-dog-breeds/">consulting a veterinarian</a> remains the best bet.



Families that allow pets on couches or beds may want to vacuum more frequently. This is especially true for homes with small children who explore surfaces by touch.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community-awareness-and-responsible-actions">Community awareness and responsible actions</h2>



Dog parks help maintain social bonds among pets and people in the community. Many owners appreciate these places because their pets can socialize and burn off excess energy.



Paying careful attention to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warning-dogs-drinking-from-public-water-sources-is-dangerous/">parasite control</a> does not eliminate the social benefit of these shared spaces. Instead, it helps everyone feel secure while enjoying all the perks of playing outdoors.



Active outreach by local pet groups can remind park visitors to be responsible. Handouts, reminders on social media, and polite signs in dog parks can also help to raise awareness.



Any step that guides owners toward better cleaning habits or timely <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-on-vegan-diets-stay-healthier-and-visit-the-vet-less-often/">veterinary checks</a> is a win for public health. Simple changes can reshape how communities share public spaces like dog parks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-path-forward">The path forward</h2>



Informed decisions about parasite control allow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-cat-people-really-more-crazy-than-dog-lovers/">dog lovers</a> to keep enjoying community parks without constant worry. This means routine vet care, proper hygiene, and thorough cleaning habits.



These measures benefit everyone who values recreational spaces that welcome four-legged friends. 



The new findings about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dog-killing-liver-fluke-parasite-discovered-us-colorado-river/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">intestinal parasites</a> may sound unsettling, but vigilance can make a clear difference. Renewed awareness often spurs owners to take small but vital steps to protect their cherished companions.



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Dog parks may be fueling parasite outbreaks

Community dog parks are often seen as cheerful places where dogs can run free and interact with other pets. Many people feel that these shared spaces help animals stay active, but new research points to a different story. Recent findings from the Department of Ecosystem and Public Health at the University of Calgary have revealed that half of the fecal samples collected in select dog parks contained intestinal parasites. These particular parasites have the potential to affect not only canines but also humans. Parasites in dog parks...

The black rhinoceros is already critically <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-shark-species-secretly-added-to-pet-food/">endangered</a>, largely as a result of hunting by those collecting horns for nonsensical traditional "medicine." Now, new research shows that the threat to the survival of black rhinos as a species may be even greater than we realized.&nbsp;



The study, carried out by researchers from Kenya as well as the <a href="https://www.manchester.ac.uk/">University of Manchester</a>, looks at reproductive variability in black rhinos and suggests that poaching poses a greater threat than previously understood.



“Preventing population declines is a crucial step for stopping biodiversity loss. In this study, we identified how losing key rhinos can make small populations very vulnerable, which can help us design more effective conservation actions," said study co-author Professor Susanne Shultz.



The basics of the study revolves around the fact that among rhinos and most animals, some individuals create more offspring than average. This means that if a super reproductive female rhino is killed, it’s significantly more detrimental than the death of a less reproductive animal.&nbsp;



The study shows that this reproductive variance, along with poaching, increases the threat of extinction by as much as 70 percent. The findings highlight the urgent need for greater action to protect the black rhinoceros before it’s too late.&nbsp;



“This study shows that poaching has effects on rhinos beyond the death of targeted individuals. The deaths of healthy females that would have gone on to produce lots of calves can make whole populations more vulnerable to extinction," said study lead author Dr. Nick Harvey Sky.



The research was carried out using meticulous data on black rhinos collected by Kenyan scientists and wildlife managers that carefully monitor the animals for their conservation. This study shows the importance not only of populations but also of individuals for conservation.&nbsp;



“For me, our study really highlights a deadly combination of small populations, individual differences, and poaching for vulnerable populations," said study co-author Dr. John Jackson. "When working in combination, these factors can completely reshape the fate of an endangered species.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.



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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

Black rhinos are in greater danger than previously thought

The black rhinoceros is already critically endangered, largely as a...

Modern, industrial agriculture is dependent upon fertilizers - <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chemicals-in-plastic-packaging-contribute-to-weight-gain/">chemicals</a> often sprayed on fields with abandon. As important as fertilizers are to our way of life, you may not suspect that phosphorus, the main ingredient, is running out; yet it is.&nbsp;



Phosphorus for fertilizer is mined from rocks. It is applied as part of fertilizers to fields then washes out, eventually being buried deep in the ocean. Once fertilizer is washed away, it is not recovered and the finite resource is being used up.&nbsp;



In a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/science-of-the-total-environment">Science of the Total Environment</a>, wildlife is raised as a possible solution to dwindling levels of phosphorus. The study authors include Dr. Andrew Abraham, a postdoctoral researcher at <a href="https://nau.edu/">Northern Arizona University</a>, and Chris Doughty, associate professor of Ecoinformatics.



“In the past, animals such as whales, sea birds, fish and bears played a key role in returning phosphorus from ocean depths back onto land," said Dr. Abraham.



"In doing so, they collectively retained this nutrient in the biosphere, supporting a more fertile planet. Today, however, species extinctions, diminished population abundances and the erection of fences and dams have reduced this nutrient transport service by more than 90 percent.”



With wildlife populations shredded and animal mobility diminished by human structures, the main movement of phosphorus is by humans. We tend to be incredibly inefficient with our use of this nutrient, losing much of it to the ocean.&nbsp;



“Through our research, we were able to show that historically, wild animals transported a large amount of phosphorus that is on par with other important flows such as dust deposition and wildfires," said Dr. Abraham.



"Importantly though, wildlife can return phosphorus back to the land. By restoring interconnected animal communities, ancient pathways of natural fertilization can be revitalized, helping to conserve an irreplaceable element.”



Animals naturally move phosphorus through their urine, dung and even their own bodies. This is important not only for agriculture but crucially for the health of natural ecosystems as well.&nbsp;



To maintain this ecological service, the scientists suggest a trading scheme similar to the carbon market. This way local communities could benefit either from mined phosphorus or natural sources like phosphorus from bird dung. Scientists hope that this approach could help restore wildlife populations and maintain the healthy function of the Earth.



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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

Wildlife may be the answer to dwindling fertilizer ingredient

Modern, industrial agriculture is dependent upon fertilizers - chemicals often...

A new study led by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> (UPenn) in the US, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sbri.fr/">Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute</a>&nbsp;at Inserm in France has examined the connection between social interactions and brain structure in rhesus macaque <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/monkey-sperm-cells-could-treat-human-infertility/">monkeys</a>. The experts discovered that the number of grooming partners an individual animal had predicted the size of brain areas responsible for empathy and social decision-making, such as the mid–superior temporal sulcus (STS) and the ventral-dysgranular insula.



The scientists recorded the detailed interactions of a social group of 68 rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico, focusing on five factors: social status, number of grooming partners, physical distance with other monkeys, connectedness to the most popular monkeys in the group, and “betweenness,” or the ability to act as a bridge between largely disconnected areas of a social network. Moreover, the research team also performed brain scans for every monkey in the group, including 35 juveniles and infants.



The brain scans revealed that the more grooming partners monkeys had, the larger their mid-STS and ventral-dysgranular insula were. Other factors, such as social status, did not seem to influence these brain structures. “For the first time, we’re able to relate the complexity of social lives of a group of living primates with brain structure,” said study lead author Camille Testard, a doctoral student in Neuroscience and Primatology at UPenn.



&nbsp;“It was very interesting to find these regions, as their importance is known for social cognition in humans,” added study co-author Jérôme Sallet, a neurobiologist at Inserm. “We also identified the mid-STS region in another study showing that activity in this region is modulated by the predictability of others’ behaviors.”



Interestingly, the study results suggest that infants are not born with these differences in brain structure, but rather form them through the patterns of social interactions that they engage in.



“There’s something about the skills it takes to make and maintain a lot of friendships that you get from parents. You’d think it would be written into your brain when you’re born, but it seems more likely to emerge from the patterns and interactions that you have. The modulation [in brain structures] we observe is strongly driven by our social environments, maybe more than by our innate predisposition,” explained study senior author Michael Platt, a professor of Neuroscience at UPenn.&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to Professor Platt and his team, although these findings relate specifically to free-ranging rhesus macaques, they may have future applications to the study of human cognition and behavior, particularly in the understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abl5794">Science Advances</a>.



---



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

Brain structure of rhesus macaques is shaped by social interactions

A new study led by the&nbsp;University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in...

As people become more aware of the health benefits of including more plant-based foods in their diets, they also begin to question the suitability of feeding meat to their pets. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pets-are-exposed-to-toxic-chemicals-in-our-homes/">Pet</a> guardians may choose plant-based diets for their pets for a number of reasons, including concerns about pet health, environmental health and the treatment and conditions of animals that are used to make conventional pet foods. However, there are very few research studies that investigate the effects of vegan or vegetarian diets on pet health.



The pet food industry is worth billions of dollars (over $42 billion in the U.S. in 2020), and constant research and development of new products takes place. Among new innovations are dog foods based on in vitro (lab cultured) meat, and on protein sourced from land plants, insects, yeast and other fungi, and seaweeds. Despite the fact that these diets may be more sustainable and ethically acceptable to pet owners, the concern remains that they may not provide complete and balanced nutrition to dogs and cats.



Previous studies on the effects of alternative diets on pets have involved very small sample sizes and produced contradictory results. To address this gap, Andrew Knight of the University of Winchester, U.K., and colleagues, conducted a survey of the guardians of more than 2,500 dogs, in order to compare the health issues of those on vegan or alternative diets with those that were fed conventional diets. The results of the study are published today in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLoS ONE</a>.



The study survey included data obtained from the guardians of 2,356 dogs. In each instance, the dog had been living at home with the guardian for a year or more and the dog’s diet and health issues were well known to the guardian. Of the dogs, 54 percent had been fed a conventional diet that included cooked meat, 33 percent had raw meat diets and 13 percent were maintained on a vegan diet (no animal products whatsoever).&nbsp;



By means of an online survey, each guardian answered questions pertaining to the main ingredients in his or her dog’s diet. In addition, guardians provided information on seven general indicators of health and on any specific health disorders the dog had experienced in the previous year. They were asked to report the frequency of veterinary visits, the use of medications and whether their dog had been placed on a therapeutic diet after initially being fed a different diet type. In addition, guardians gave their own opinion of their dog’s health as well as stating what they thought their veterinarian’s opinion was, when assessing the dog’s condition.



Statistical analysis of the survey results suggested that, overall, dogs on conventional diets were less healthy than dogs on raw meat or vegan diets. Dogs on raw meat diets appeared to be healthier than those on vegan diets, but the researchers noted that the survey included a predominance of young dogs that were fed a raw meat diet and suggested their age may help explain why they appeared to be healthier. Furthermore, previous research has indicated that guardians of dogs on raw meat diets are less likely to seek veterinary advice.



Dogs fed conventional diets were more likely to visit veterinarians and also more likely to require the use of medication than dogs in the other dietary categories. Additionally, the guardians of dogs fed conventional diets were significantly more likely to report that their veterinarian considered their dog to be suffering from a healthcare problem, in comparison to the guardians of dogs fed vegan diets.&nbsp;



Dogs on vegan diets also had markedly lower incidences of allergy than dogs in the other two categories. Many common allergens for dogs derive from animal products, so the lower incidence in vegan dogs is to be expected. Overall, percentages of dogs in each dietary group considered to have suffered from health disorders in the past year were 49 percent (conventional meat), 43 percent (raw meat) and 36 percent (vegan).



Guardians reported that the most important consideration when choosing a pet food for their dog was the effect it would have on the dog’s health. Many guardians also responded that, if an alternative diet (such as vegan) were shown to have health benefits and be nutritionally balanced, they would consider switching their dog to that diet.&nbsp;



“We believe our study of 2,536 dogs is by far the largest study published to date, exploring health outcomes of dogs fed vegan and meat-based diets," said the researchers. "It analyzed a range of objective data, as well as owner opinions and reported veterinary assessments of health. It revealed that the heathiest and least hazardous dietary choices for dogs, are nutritionally sound vegan diets.”



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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

Dogs with vegan diets may have better health outcomes

As people become more aware of the health benefits of...

Stingrays are on the decline. Overfishing is the main cause, but climate change and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-in-tropical-cities-linked-to-180000-excess-deaths/">pollution</a> aren’t doing them any favors either.&nbsp;



For now, stingrays are still plentiful in the Seychelles, with its clear blue waters, white sand beaches and biodiverse coral reefs. Scientists from the <a href="https://saveourseas.com/sosf-darros-research-centre/">Save Our Seas Foundation D’Arros Research Centre</a> (SOSF-DRC) and the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity have been investigating the lives of stingrays in the Seychelles.&nbsp;



In a new research paper published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>, researchers looked at the importance of diverse habitat for stingray survival. Sixty individual stingrays from three species were tracked for an average of a year. During the tracking, environmental data such as temperature and tides were also recorded.&nbsp;



The research was carried out on St. Joseph Atoll, where both shallow reefs and a deep enclosed lagoon can be found. The atoll is also a nursery for the three study species - the cowtail stingray, mangrove whipray and the porcupine whipray.&nbsp;



Twenty of each species of stingray were tagged and tracked via passive acoustic telemetry. Forty receivers were placed throughout the different habitats and set to receive sounds from each of the transmitter tags fitted to the rays.&nbsp;



The researchers found that stingrays generally like safer, shallow water, but can be driven by factors like high temperatures to deeper water where they are more vulnerable to predators.&nbsp;



“Stingrays are really important for keeping oceans healthy, especially in tropical places like Seychelles,” said study lead author Chantel Elston, an SOSF project leader. “This research helps to present further evidence that the isolated St Joseph Atoll provides suitable habitat for threatened stingrays and that the newly announced marine protected area will have real conservation benefits.”



The scientists hope that this research can benefit stingrays with more effective protection techniques. This is especially important as those unusually high temperatures that drive rays into deeper water are set to become more and more common.&nbsp;



“When you know what the priority habitats for vulnerable species are and how and when they move around, management plans can be developed for their conservation," said Helena Sims, SOSF Seychelles Ambassador.



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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

Climate change may cause stingrays to move toward danger

Stingrays are on the decline. Overfishing is the main cause,...

A new study is shedding light on how sunlight can improve the health of endangered green sea turtles prone to a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/avocados-substantially-reduce-the-risk-of-heart-disease/">disease</a> called fibropapillomatosis. This disease affects 60 percent of sea turtles and is mostly found in juveniles. The disease causes the growth of large debilitating tumors on the skin, eyes and shell.



Current treatment for turtles with fibropapillomatosis includes surgical removal of tumors at rehabilitation centers. Sadly, this method of treatment is ineffective as many turtle patients do not survive, or the tumors regrow.



A new discovery of how to cure sick sea turtles points to sunlight. Rays from sun exposure provide vitamin D, an essential nutrient for the health of all living things. This is most important for sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis, as studies have shown the disease is associated with very low vitamin D levels.



For the study, researchers at <a href="https://www.fau.edu/">Florida Atlantic University</a> compared vitamin D levels in healthy and sick green sea turtles to determine if exposure to sunlight would influence overall health. The experts also examined the differences between turtles in rehabilitation facilities and healthy wild-caught green turtles.



The researchers investigated whether higher levels of sun exposure could increase vitamin D levels in sea turtles undergoing treatment. The turtles were kept in tanks where they could be exposed to varying levels of sunlight for up to six months, and then compared to turtles receiving less ultraviolet light. In particular, the team examined the correlation between sun exposure, vitamin D, and tumor regrowth.



The results showed that when the turtles were exposed to greater sunlight, their vitamin D levels increased and supported successful recovery.&nbsp;



<ul><li>For the turtles in rehabilitation facilities, vitamin D levels increased over time, with the most significant increases seen when the turtles were exposed to higher levels of UV light and for longer times.</li><li>For the turtles kept in the sun tanks, tumors were less likely to return compared to those exposed to low UV light conditions.&nbsp;</li></ul>



The results suggest that increasing sunlight exposure could enhance health and recovery in green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis.



“Data from our study suggest that one potential method to better the outcome of sea turtles with this disease is to increase their exposure to UV light during rehabilitation,” said study senior author Dr. Sarah L. Milton.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Although a cure for this disease has yet to be discovered, we have shown that exposure to higher UV light increases vitamin D in turtles, as it does in other animals including humans. Increased plasma vitamin D levels are then in turn correlated with lower rates of disease. This potential to boost health could therefore contribute to improved recovery.”



The research team is interested in conducting future studies to better understand the impacts of vitamin D levels and overall health and immune function.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals">Animals</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

Sunlight helps green sea turtles with tumors recover

A new study is shedding light on how sunlight can...

How many pollinators are needed to pollinate all the species in a given community of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-activate-immune-defenses-against-pathogens-in-rain/">plants</a>? This question is the focus of a study by a team of researchers including <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a> entomologist Michael Roswell.&nbsp;



Previous research on pollinator bees has over-emphasized the contribution of the most common bees, especially since only two percent of bee species provide 80 percent of pollination. The new study helped to demonstrate that less common bees are much more important for ecosystem health than previously documented.



The answer: Many bees are needed to pollinate a meadow of flowers - far more than just the honeybees and bumblebees that most people are familiar with.



The research shows that when there are more plant species, more bee species are needed for pollination. It was found that less common bees visited specific plants that other bees didn’t.&nbsp;



“Our work shows that things that are rare in general, like infrequent visitors to a meadow, can still serve really important functions, like pollinating plants no one else pollinates,” said Roswell.&nbsp; “And that’s a really good argument for why biodiversity matters.”



The researchers surveyed 10 plots that included wild meadows over one year. They observed bees from over 180 species making nearly 22,000 visits to over 130 different plant species. These visits were used to estimate the pollination services each type of bee provided to each plant. This is because a plant’s most frequent visitors are typically its most important pollinators.



The findings showed that an entire meadow community relied on 2 ½ to 7 ½ times more bee species for pollination than a single typical plant species does. The study also found that locally rare species accounted for up to 25 percent of pollinator species. This was greatest in meadows with the most plant diversity. When these findings are applied to an entire ecosystem, the number of locally rare species important for pollination is even greater.



“We were looking at meadows that might be a few acres in size,” said Roswell, “but a typical bee flies over a couple of square miles, which is a really large and complicated landscape filled with lots of different kinds of plants that flower at different times and are visited by different insects. At that scale, even more diversity of pollinators is likely to be important.”



The research sheds new light on the role of rare species in ecosystems that must be protected. Rare species are most at risk of extinction from habitat loss, pollution, climate change and other factors.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</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

It takes all kinds: the underestimated role of rare pollinators

How many pollinators are needed to pollinate all the species...

Most research studies that investigate the potential effects of climate change on animal and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-industry-is-not-threatened-by-plant-based-alternatives/">plant</a> species do this by considering one species at a time. The ecological needs of a species, and how these will be met as the climate changes, give important information about what we might expect in terms of biodiversity in the future. Few studies, however, consider how food web interactions will affect the pace of change.



A new study, published today in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>, investigated how trophic relationships (the feeding of one species on another) will be affected by the poleward shift in distribution of marine species. As the ocean warms, species are expected to move in search of more suitable conditions, and this will affect not only their distributions, but also the dynamics of entire food webs. This will be particularly important for large species and commercially important fisheries on which people depend for food and a livelihood.&nbsp;



Using sophisticated computer models, the researchers determined that predator-prey interactions cause many marine species, especially large predators,&nbsp;to shift their ranges more slowly than the climate changes would suggest. They developed a “spatially explicit food-web model” that included parameters such as metabolism, body size and optimal temperature ranges for species, and this model revealed that dynamic trophic interactions limit a species’ ability to react quickly to warming temperatures.&nbsp;



For example, larger-bodied top predators stay longer than smaller prey in their tried and trusted habitats, partly because new sources of prey arrive in the predators’ historical ranges and this leads to the establishment of new food webs. One of the results of climate change in the ocean will therefore be a mixing and reshuffling of marine biodiversity.&nbsp;



“The model suggests that over the next 200 years of warming, species are going to continually reshuffle and be in the process of shifting their ranges,” said lead author&nbsp;<a href="https://ewtekwa.weebly.com/">E. W. Tekwa</a>, a former Rutgers postdoctoral student who is now at the University of British Columbia. “Even after 200 years, marine species will still be lagging behind temperature shifts, and this is particularly true for those at the top of the food web.”



This scenario has implications for commercial fishermen and fisheries all over the world. The researchers suggest that, while commercially harvested fish species will probably still occur in their usual ranges to some extent, their density is likely to be significantly reduced as many individuals will have moved to different regions.&nbsp;



Not only will large species and commercially important fisheries shift out of their historical ranges as climate warms, but they will likely not be as abundant even in their new geographic ranges. For instance, a cod fisherman in the Atlantic might still find fish 200 years from now but in significantly lower numbers.



“What that suggests from a fisheries perspective is that while the species we fish today will be there tomorrow, they will not be there in the same abundance. In such a context, overfishing becomes easier because the population growth rates are low,” said study co-author&nbsp;<a href="https://pinsky.marine.rutgers.edu/people/malin-pinsky/">Malin Pinsky</a>, an associate professor in Rutgers’ Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources. “Warming, coupled with food-web dynamics, will be like putting marine biodiversity in a blender.”



The changes in trophic relationships and food webs in marine systems will lead to different communities of animals and plants interacting with each other. The model predicts that, as temperatures warm, predator-prey interactions will prevent species from following environmental conditions that would be most suitable to them because they will be hanging back “at home,” attempting to feed on the newly arriving prey species instead of following their traditional prey as they become established in new and more suitable geographical locations.&nbsp;



“These dynamics will not only be in one place but globally,” Pinsky said. “That does not bode well for marine life, and this is not an effect that has been widely recognized.”



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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

Climate change restructures marine food webs in unexpected ways

Most research studies that investigate the potential effects of climate...

Archerfish – a small group of fishes that live in Southeast Asia, Australia, and many regions in between - are famous for their amazing ability to shoot down land-based <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-insects-will-kill-more-than-a-million-street-trees-by-2050/">insects</a> with highly accurate streams of water that they project from their mouths. Until recently though, not much has been known about these peculiar aquatic creatures.&nbsp;



Questions regarding the number of archerfish species, how they are related to one another, and what is their evolutionary history have remained shrouded in mystery. However, a recent study led by the <a href="https://biodiversity.ku.edu/">University of Kansas (KU) Biodiversity Institute &amp; Natural History Museum</a> has now provided the most thorough examination of the evolutionary history and anatomical variation of archerfishes.



“There are other fish that eat insects and some that will jump out of water, but I would say there’s nothing really like this,” said study co-author Dr. Leo Smith, an evolutionary biologist and associate curator at KU’s Biodiversity Institute &amp; Natural History Museum. “There’s a potentially apocryphal story, which is that back in the mid-1800s in India, archerfishes would shoot out the colonizers’ cigarettes, just like if there was like a lightning bug. They would shoot them out and drive people crazy.”



In order to understand how this amazing behavior evolved, the researchers collected tissue samples and specimens of archerfish from various institutions and museums around the world, and analyzed their structures and genetic features. Their analyses revealed that, although the oral structures of archerfishes support a blowpipe mechanism that is common in many fish species, several unique soft-tissue oral structures may also play a fundamental role in shooting, distinguishing them from related types of fishes.



“Just because other fish can move water, it’s not anything like this,” Dr. Smith explained. “I equate it to, 'I could put a trumpet in my mouth, and I suppose I could make noise come out of it, but not like Miles Davis.' It’s like a fundamentally different thing, too, a really remarkable specialization for catching insects.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to Dr. Smith and his colleagues, archerfishes have a closely related “sister group” of fishes – the beach salmon – which have similar oral structures used to shoot water towards prey, suggesting that this capacity could be what evolutionary biologists call a co-opted or exapted trait.



“We think of adaptations like, for example, a sailfish that has this really beautiful sail on their dorsal fin - but a lot of fishes have dorsal fins and what they’ve done is kind of modify that dorsal fin to fit some other need,” said study lead author Matthew Girard, a postdoctoral fellow at the <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of Natural History</a>.



“If we look at the group that’s most closely related to archerfish, it’s already eating hard-body things. So, archerfish must have had all the structures that would allow that to happen, and all they had to do was kind of modify those to be able to shoot. So that’s what that co-option is - it’s really a nuance saying that the necessary parts were already there and all they did was modify a few things to allow this to happen.”



An in-depth description of archerfish and their evolutionary history is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/iob/advance-article/doi/10.1093/iob/obac013/6551314?login=false">Integrative Organismal Biology</a>.&nbsp;



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

How did the fascinating behavior of archerfish evolve?

Archerfish – a small group of fishes that live in...

Oceans serve as a carbon sink by absorbing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/methane-emissions-hit-a-new-record-in-2021/">emissions</a> from the atmosphere. A potential ripple effect in atmospheric emissions could lead to severe impacts throughout the ocean ecosystem. For example, absorbing carbon causes ocean water to become more acidic, and leads to a process called ocean acidification.



A new, experimental study has found that an important forage fish called sand lance is very sensitive to ocean acidification and this could lead to widespread ecosystem impacts by 2100.&nbsp;



Sand lance spawn in offshore environments that tend to have stable, low levels of CO2 during the winter, explains lead author Hannes Baumann.



The study took an interdisciplinary approach by combining model forecasts and frequent experimentation. This approach found that sand lance embryos are very sensitive to increased CO2 levels and fewer embryos hatched under future oceanic CO2 conditions. As a result, the research team agrees that the sand lace are one of the most CO2-sensitive fish species.



“Because our findings are backed up by repeated independent evidence, they are more robust than many published ocean acidification studies to date.” Bauman says.&nbsp;



A second negative response was discovered - higher CO2 levels appear to make it harder for sand lace embryos to hatch. This is because lowered pH in the ocean water reduces enzymes that are needed for successful hatching, leaving the embryos unable to break through their eggshell to hatch.



The results show that by 2100, ocean acidification will reduce sand lace hatching success to 71 percent of today’s levels. These fish are a critical component of the food web; a reduced number of sand lace would have profound impacts throughout the ecosystem.



“Sand lances are surely one of the most important forage fish here on the Northwest Atlantic shelf,” said Baumann. “Their range spans from the Mid Atlantic Bight all the way to Greenland."&nbsp;



"Where we studied them, on Stellwagen Bank, they are called the backbone of the ecosystem. The humpback whales, sharks, tuna, cod, shearwaters, terns - you name it - they are all relying on sand lance, and if sand lance productivity goes down, we will see ripple effects to all these higher trophic animals. Even though we humans don’t fish for sand lance, we need to take care of the species because it has such a huge effect on everything else.”



As a result of ocean acidification, sand lace and food webs will likely be impacted very soon, and the researchers stress that we must act now.



“We need strategic thinking about what species we are testing next, because we cannot test every marine fish species, that’s an impossible task," said Baumann.



"We should concentrate on fish species that are likely the most vulnerable, and therefore the ones that are probably being affected first and this research makes a compelling argument that those are the fish species at higher latitudes and in more offshore than nearshore environments.”



The team’s findings are published in the journal <a href="https://www.int-res.com/prepress/m14010.html">Marine Ecology Progress Series</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

Ocean acidification reduces the hatching success of a keystone fish species

Oceans serve as a carbon sink by absorbing emissions from...

As plastics enter the environment, they often break down through natural processes into microplastics, which are particles less than 5 millimeters in length. These microplastics end up in rivers, lakes and the ocean. There is growing concern about the impact of microplastics on the environment as well as wildlife and human health, yet little is still known about the effect of these plastic particles on fish.



Recent research, carried out in Professor Dong-Fang Deng’s lab at the <a href="https://uwm.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee</a>, looked at the impact of microplastics on farm raised yellow perch.&nbsp;



The fish were given food contaminated with high density polyethylene (HDPE). The scientists found that although the perch could expel the microplastics, it came at the cost of lower nutritional value in the fish as well as changed liver function, and different microbiomes in their gut.&nbsp;



Yellow perch were used in this study because of their popularity as a food item. This is especially true as they are becoming increasingly raised in farms as wild caught fish become less common in the Great Lakes region, where the study was carried out.&nbsp;



“What we found is that the yellow perch not only survived the nine-week exposure, they also expelled all the microplastics from their bodies," said Professor Deng. "However, the nutritional quality of the fish was reduced – we saw lower body protein and mineral (ash) levels than in fish fed the control diet with no HDPE added."&nbsp;



"We also discovered that exposure to HDPE altered their liver function – they had a heavier liver enriched with glycogen (sugar) and bile acids, but lower lipid (fat) levels and enlarged hepatocytes, the cells involved in metabolism, detoxification and nutrient synthesis.&nbsp; We also saw some disturbance in the gut structure and microbiota community associated with immunity, nutrient digestion and absorption.”



The researchers emphasized that these results were from one particular type and size of microplastic, while various sizes, shapes and types of plastics could yield different results.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/animal-nutrition">Animal Nutrition</a>.



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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

Yellow perch can eject microplastics, but it comes at a cost

As plastics enter the environment, they often break down through...

Many bird species bypass raising their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-zebra-finches-choose-mates-based-on-their-dialects/">chicks</a> by laying their eggs in another species' nest. This practice is known as brood parasitism. As you can imagine, this can be advantageous in that the parents don't have to expend energy raising their own chicks. But this method does not come without challenges.&nbsp;



For example, hosts will toss an egg if they think it's a parasite. So, how do the birds ensure that the eggs they deposit on other nests match closely enough the hosts' eggs?&nbsp;



Considering that different hosts raise birds, how can the parasites ensure their children will also be able to forge appropriately convincing eggs when it's time for them to reproduce?



Now, a genetic study directed by Dr. Claire Spottiswoode from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> and Professor Michael Sorenson at Boston University gives us some new insight into this amazing ability.



The team looked at cuckoo finches, a type of African bird that practices brood parasitism, and found that female cuckoos are able to mimic hosts' eggs thanks to a female-specific W chromosome.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The chromosome prevents the cuckoo finches from inheriting the incorrect mimicry genes from a father raised by a different host. This process means that female cuckoo finches have evolved egg mimicry for many different hosts.&nbsp;



Still, this method may not stand the test of time. "In this particular coevolutionary arms race between species, natural selection has created a double-edged sword," explained Dr. Spottiswoode.



"While maternal inheritance has allowed cuckoo finches to exploit multiple host species, it's likely to slow their ability to evolve counter-adaptations as their hosts evolve new defences. In particular, parasites face a daunting challenge because some host species have in return evolved an astonishing diversity of egg colour and pattern 'signatures', that help hosts to distinguish their own eggs from parasitic mimics."



In a previous study, Dr. Spottiswoode found that tawny-flanked prinia, a popular host species, have been laying olive-green eggs. They attribute this to both male and female genes contributing to the appearance. However, since cuckoo egg appearance is controlled solely by the mother's genetic material, they may not be able to evolve quickly enough to keep up with the egg race.&nbsp;



"We may see the emergence of unforgeable egg signatures which could force cuckoo finches to switch to other naïve host species," said Dr. Spottiswoode. "Or the parasitic birds might become increasingly dependent on young host individuals that haven't yet learned their own signatures and are bad at spotting mismatched eggs."



According to the study, maternal control of egg appearance has not always been the case. Maternally inherited egg appearance evolved at least two million years due to previous selection pressures. So, perhaps we will live to see the cuckoos adopt a new strategy for success.&nbsp;



This study is published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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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

Scientists solve the egg forging mystery

Many bird species bypass raising their chicks by laying their...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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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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"

[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

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