Nature often surprises us with its ingenious adaptations, and the cricket frog is no exception. Native to Virginia and North Carolina, these tiny frogs display an ability that seems almost magical: moving across water as if it were solid ground. 



Known as “skittering,” this behavior has intrigued scientists and inspired visions of futuristic technologies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-capabilities-of-cricket-frogs">Capabilities of cricket frogs</h2>



Jake Socha, a professor of mechanical engineering, and his research team at <a href="https://www.vt.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Virginia Tech</a> have examined this phenomenon.



“The humble cricket <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-frog-day-addressing-environmental-threats-to-frogs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">frog</a> lives nearby, and yet it still surprised us with its capabilities, further motivating our curiosity to understand the living world,” said Professor Socha.



The research, published in the&nbsp;Journal of Experimental Biology, challenges popular notions about how frogs traverse water.



“Skittering is not actually a well-defined word for this behavior. Part of this research is not only studying this behavior in cricket frogs but to try and give ‘skittering’ a more precise, scientific definition,” explained study lead author and graduate researcher Talia Weiss.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cricket-frogs-don-t-walk-on-water">Cricket frogs don’t walk on water</h2>



Using high-speed cameras shooting at 500 frames per second, the team captured the frogs’ motions in astonishing detail. 



Contrary to the idea that these frogs glide effortlessly across water, the footage revealed something unexpected: the frogs sink between each leap.



“It’s fascinating how easily we can be fooled by fast animal movements,” said Professor Socha. “Here, we’re fooled by a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/frog-saunas-hot-solution-to-fighting-global-amphibian-extinction-apocalypse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">frog</a> that appears like a skipping stone, but is actually jumping and dunking multiple times in a row.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-leaping-frogs-resemble-dolphins-jumping">Leaping frogs resemble dolphins jumping</h2>



The movement of cricket frogs, often mistaken for walking on water, is better described as "porpoising," a motion similar to the way dolphins leap in and out of the water. 



Unlike true walking, this behavior involves distinct stages within each jump cycle, which researchers broke down into four key phases:



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Takeoff: The frog begins completely submerged in water. Using its powerful hind legs, it pushes off against the water, propelling its body upward and into the air. This explosive motion provides the energy needed for the leap.</li>



<li>Aerial: While in mid-air, the frog's legs remain extended, providing balance and stability during its short flight. This phase gives the impression that the frog is gracefully skipping across the water.</li>



<li>Re-entry: The frog's front legs are the first to contact the water as it descends. The rest of the body follows, creating a splash and breaking the water's surface as it sinks back under.</li>



<li>Recovery: Once submerged, the frog rapidly retracts its legs to prepare for the next jump. This resetting phase ensures the frog is ready to push off again almost immediately.</li>
</ol>



Each of these phases occurs in less than a second, allowing the frog to perform up to eight consecutive jumps in quick succession. This rapid, repetitive motion creates the illusion that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-economic-strategy-could-save-endangered-frogs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">frog</a> is walking or skipping on water, though it is actually sinking and leaping continuously. 



The efficiency and speed of these movements highlight the cricket frog’s unique adaptations for this behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frog-movement-inspires-robots">Frog movement inspires robots</h2>



Understanding the mechanics of skittering has implications far beyond biology. This unique locomotion could inspire innovations in robotics and engineering. For instance, amphibious drones designed for water testing or rescue missions might mimic the cricket frog’s efficient movements.



“Frogs are great jumpers, but most of them don’t exhibit this porpoising behavior, and we still don’t know why,” noted Professor Socha. “Is there something special about the frog’s leap, or is it simply a matter of small body size?”



This research highlights how studying even the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/puddle-frogs-have-a-secret-weapon-against-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">smallest creatures</a> can lead to big discoveries. The cricket frog’s seemingly simple movement holds secrets that may shape the future of technology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cricket-frogs-built-for-skittering-on-water">Cricket frogs: Built for skittering on water</h2>



Cricket frogs may be small, but their anatomy is a masterpiece of adaptation. Their ability to skitter across water is no accident; it’s the result of finely tuned physical traits that allow them to excel at leaping, sinking, and jumping again.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-powerful-hind-legs">Powerful hind legs</h3>



The cricket frog’s hind legs are disproportionately long and muscular for its tiny body. These legs provide the explosive force needed to propel the frog both on land and through water. 



Their large, well-developed muscles allow for rapid extension and retraction, making it possible to perform consecutive jumps in quick succession.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lightweight-body">Lightweight body</h3>



Weighing less than many other frogs, cricket frogs benefit from a lightweight frame. This reduces resistance when they re-enter the water after a jump, helping them maintain momentum. Their small size also means they create minimal drag during movement.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flexible-joints">Flexible joints</h3>



Their joints, particularly in the hind legs, are highly flexible. This flexibility enables the frogs to fully extend their legs during the takeoff phase and then rapidly retract them underwater to reset for the next leap.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-streamlined-body-shape">Streamlined body shape</h3>



The cricket frog’s body is slightly flattened, which may help reduce resistance during re-entry into the water. This streamlined shape allows for smoother transitions between aerial and submerged phases of their movement.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-skin-adaptations">Skin adaptations</h3>



The frog’s skin plays a subtle but critical role. Smooth and water-resistant, it minimizes friction as the frog moves in and out of the water. This feature also helps maintain buoyancy and allows for quicker movement beneath the surface.



Ultimately, the cricket frog’s body is a perfect example of how evolution tailors physical traits to meet specific survival needs. Each aspect of the frogs' anatomy, from powerful legs to streamlined bodies, contributes to their ability to skitter on water.&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-abstract/227/22/jeb249403/363001/Skittering-locomotion-in-cricket-frogs-a-form-of?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.



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Cricket frogs can literally walk on water as if it were dry land

Nature often surprises us with its ingenious adaptations, and the cricket frog is no exception. Native to Virginia and North Carolina, these tiny frogs display an ability that seems almost magical: moving across water as if it were solid ground. Known as “skittering,” this behavior has intrigued scientists and inspired visions of futuristic technologies. Capabilities of cricket frogs Jake Socha, a professor of mechanical engineering, and his research team at Virginia Tech have examined this phenomenon. “The humble cricket frog lives nearby, and yet it still surprised...

Known locally as kuluva, the Fijian Dillenia biflora trees have long been a mystery to scientists aiming to understand their position in the evolutionary tree of flowering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-that-breathe-underwater-could-improve-crop-resilience/">plants</a> and the way in which they were pollinated. Until recently, the Dilleniaceae&nbsp;plant family was believed to offer no nectar rewards and be pollinated mainly by bees. However, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/">University of South Australia</a> (UniSA) has found that blossom bats (Notopteris macdonaldi) play a fundamental role in the pollination of these plants.



“We discovered that the kuluva flowers never opened on their own, and instead were being pulled off by blossom bats that were after the sugar-rich nectar inside,” said study lead author Sophie Petit, an expert in Pollination Ecology at UniSA.&nbsp;



“The bat lands on a whorl of leaves, removes the corolla, and licks the nectar, covering its nose with pollen in the process. The pollen on the bat is then transported to other flowers of the same species, which are pollinated and produce fruits containing seeds.”



Since kuluva flowers are mature and receptive for one night only during their life cycle, they just have one chance of being pollinated. By removing their corollas - which would otherwise remain forever closed&nbsp;– blossom bats are fundamental for their reproduction.&nbsp;



These findings highlight the need to understand the co-dependence of different species. In this particular case, without blossom bats, some Dillenia trees may not survive - while without these trees, some endangered bat species may become extinct.



“Our discovery has the potential to facilitate the conservation of several threatened tree and bat species across countries,” said Professor Petit. 



“In Fiji, blossom bats are a threatened species. Given that 70 percent of the bats’ dietary samples contained kuluva, it’s obvious that the bats rely heavily on this tree for food. Considering the threatened status of several Dillenia species in different countries, their potential association with bats needs urgent attention, particularly since so many bat species are also threatened.”



“We are currently establishing collaborations in other parts of the Dillenia range. Urgent conservation action is needed, and many nocturnal discoveries await. It’s time for botanists and ecologists to stay up late!” 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0262985">PLoS One</a>.



---



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

Bats play an active role in plant pollination

Known locally as kuluva, the Fijian Dillenia biflora trees have...

New research led by <a href="https://www.ugent.be/en">Ghent University</a> has found that when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-have-provided-support-during-the-pandemic/">dogs</a> are walked in nature, they contribute a substantial amount of nutrients to the environment through their feces and urine. This has a negative impact on local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.



The researchers examined four nature reserves around the city of Ghent, Belgium. They estimate that each year, dog feces and urine add an average of 11kg of nitrogen and 5kg of phosphorous per hectare. By comparison, the total levels of nitrogen added across most of Europe through <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-fuels-must-be-reduced-immediately-and-drastically/">fossil fuel</a> emissions and agriculture ranges from 5 to 25kg per hectare.&nbsp;



While the addition of nutrients to natural reserves may sound beneficial since it might lead to increased plant growth, this mostly occurs for a very limited number of nutrient-demanding plant species which could then outcompete a large variety of other plants, thus reducing biodiversity.



“In many nature reserves, the management is specifically directed towards lowering soil nutrient levels to enhance plant and animal biodiversity. This can be done through methods like mowing and hay removal. Our findings suggest that the currently neglected inputs of dogs in nature reserves could delay restoration goals,” said study lead author Pieter de Frenne, an expert in Global Change Ecology at Ghent University.



“We were surprised by how high nutrient inputs from dogs could be. Atmospheric nitrogen inputs from agriculture, industry and traffic rightfully receive a lot of policy attention, but dogs are entirely neglected in this respect."



According to Professor De Frenne and his colleagues, keeping dogs on leashes could reduce the fertilization rates in the largest part of the reserves but would in fact increase them in the small areas around paths, leading to inputs as high as 175kg of nitrogen and 73kg of phosphorous per hectare.&nbsp;



However, if the owners picked their dogs’ feces, fertilization levels could be reduced by 56 percent in the case of nitrogen and 97 percent for phosphorous.&nbsp;



These results highlight the need for managers and policy makers to take into consideration currently neglected nutrient inputs by dogs in their management plans and restoration goals, and convince dog owners to collect their animals’ feces on a regular basis in order to mitigate their negative impact on biodiversity.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2688-8319.12128">Ecological Solutions and Evidence</a>.



---



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

Dog feces can harm the environment and disrupt ecosystems

New research led by Ghent University has found that when...

In any ecosystem, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predators-help-prevent-biodiversity-loss/">predators</a> have the effect of reducing the numbers of prey by killing them for food. On the other hand, prey are fine-tuned to detect, avoid and escape predators, but this comes with costs; it takes time, effort and energy to avoid being a predator’s next meal. As a result, there is a delicate and complex balance between the populations of predator and prey species in an ecosystem.&nbsp;



Ecologists are familiar with counting the numbers of prey caught and killed by predators as a way of determining the impact of the predators on the prey population. However, a new study by scientists from the University of Western Ontario shows that the fear of predators on its own can also cause populations of prey to decrease, and this negative impact has never before been measured.



Professor&nbsp;<a href="https://publish.uwo.ca/~lzanette/">Liana Zanette</a>, her PhD student Marek Allen, and Michael Clinchy, all from Western University’s Department of Biology,&nbsp;monitored the population of free-living, wild song sparrows over three seasons and found that the fear of being attacked by a predator can halve the population of sparrows in five years or less. Avoidance of predation includes being cautious and vigilant, which can so impair parental ability to feed and care for offspring that fewer than half as many young reach adulthood.



“These results have critically important implications for conservation, wildlife management and public policy” explains Zanette, a renowned wildlife ecologist. “The total ecosystem benefits gained from conserving or rewilding native predators, and the full devastation wrought by introduced predators, must all now be re-evaluated.”



Zanette and her colleagues tested the impact of fear itself on the population growth rate of song sparrows by playing recordings of predator and non-predator vocalizations during three annual breeding seasons. They monitored the effects of these manipulations on song sparrow births and survival throughout each year, as well as collecting evidence indicating impacts on population growth beyond the parental generation.&nbsp;



Their findings, published today in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> (PNAS), showed the significant impact that fear can have on population growth. In the presence of predator vocalizations, sparrows spent time watching out for predators, which prevented them from finding sufficient food for themselves and their young. This resulted in fewer young being born and fewer surviving each developmental stage on the way to adulthood, when compared with the data collected from parent sparrows that heard non-predator vocalizations.



The impact of fear even extended to subsequent generations, the study found. Some offspring that did reach adulthood showed evidence of impaired brain development that would be likely to decrease their chances of survival as adults. This represents a transgenerational impact of predation that could result in reduced population growth over several generations.&nbsp;



The study conclusively demonstrates that ecologists should not only focus on the number of prey killed by predators when assessing the impact of predators on prey populations. Although this is the conventional approach to studying predator-prey relationships, failing to consider the effects of fear itself could lead to significant underestimations of the total impact that predators have on prey population sizes. This could have disastrous consequences when reintroducing predators into wild areas from which they have been absent.



“Fear effects on prey population growth rates are likely the norm in birds and mammals because parental care is a fundamental characteristic of most birds and all mammals, and fear-induced reductions in parental investment and care are commonplace,” contends Zanette.&nbsp; “Having now demonstrated that fear itself can contribute significantly to the total impact predators have on prey populations, we expect this will be found to be true in most ecosystems.”&nbsp;



---



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

Fear of predators can damage prey as much as predation itself

In any ecosystem, predators have the effect of reducing the...

A surprising new study from <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">UC Riverside</a> has revealed that we still don't know what the body of Megalodon actually looked like. Despite its notoriety as one of the largest and most fearsome <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/leopard-seals-feed-on-sharks-in-new-zealand/">sharks</a> that ever lived, it turns out that much about Megalodon's appearance remains a mystery.



“The study may appear to be a step backward in science, but the continued mystery makes paleontology, the study of prehistoric life, a fascinating and exciting scientific field,” said Professor Kenshu Shimada of DePaul University.&nbsp;



Otodus megalodon is one of the most infamous ocean predators in history, mainly because of its enormous size. Based on fossilized teeth and vertebrae, scientists believe that the ancient sharks reached lengths of up to 65 feet. They existed on Earth roughly 23 to 3.6 million years ago.



“The cartilage in shark bodies doesn’t preserve well, so there are currently no scientific means to support or refute previous studies on O. megalodon body forms,” said study lead author Phillip Sternes.



With a lack of evidence available, scientists have traditionally modeled Megalodon bodies based on those of modern great white sharks. Great whites are partially warm blooded, and it is believed that Megalodons were as well.&nbsp;



Previously, it was assumed that having some warm blood is an advantage because it could expand sharks’ swimming range, since this would make them less dependent on water temperature. However, it is now believed that partial warm-bloodedness is an advantage because it can increase swimming speed.



“Great whites are among the fastest swimming sharks, so Megalodons were likely also big, fast sharks you would not want to run into in the open ocean,” said Sternes.&nbsp;



The researchers set out to investigate whether a two-dimensional geometric shape analysis could actually distinguish between the body forms of modern warm-blooded species and cold-blooded species within the shark order called Lamniformes, which also includes Otodus megalodon. The results of the study suggest that, when using a two-dimensional analysis, there is no relationship between thermophysiology and body form in Lamniformes.. 



“Although it is still possible that O. megalodon could have resembled the modern great white shark or lamnids, our results suggest that the two-dimensional approach does not necessarily decisively allow the body form reconstruction for O. megalodon,” said study co-author Jake Wood.



“Warm bloodedness does not make you a differently shaped shark,” said Sternes. “I encourage others to explore ideas about its body shape, and to search for the ultimate treasure of a preserved Megalodon fossil. Meanwhile, this result clears up some confusion about previous findings and opens the door to other ideas once again.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This new study shows that there are currently no scientific means to support or refute the accuracy of any of the previously published body forms of O. megalodon."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ghbi20/current">Historical Biology</a>.



---



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

Megalodon's true appearance remains a mystery

A surprising new study from UC Riverside has revealed that...

Ocean life can suffer from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deadly-banana-disease-has-arrived-in-southeast-asia/">epidemics</a> too. From 2013 to 2016, the "wasting syndrome epidemic" is believed to have been largest marine wildlife disease event in history. This event largely affected sea stars, specifically 20 species ranging from Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska. 



A species that is generally known as the purple sea star or purple ochre, Pisaster ochraceus, is of particular interest to scientists. Purple ochre is considered a keystone species, which means that other species in an ecosystem heavily depend on the group for survival. During the epidemic, populations of the purple sea star were hit extremely hard, with estimated declines of 50 to 94 percent.



To understand the long term effects of such an impactful epidemic, researchers at <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> assessed genomic differences between healthy and infected ochre. The experts found that healthy-looking ochre sea stars have minimal genetic difference from those with symptoms of sea star wasting syndrome. 



"Our reasoning was that a sick sea star and healthy sea star nearby were likely exposed to similar conditions, so maybe the ones that looked healthy had some type of genetic predisposition toward resistance or tolerance to sea star wasting syndrome," said Andrea Burton, who led the study. "It was a unique chance to compare apparently normal and wasting individuals from the same time and place during the sea star wasting syndrome epidemic."



The researchers looked at visual symptoms of wasting syndrome, such as twisting or missing arms, loss of grip on rocks, and even "melting." For the purposes of the study, animals with none of those symptoms were considered healthy.



Despite these observable symptoms, the experts found that genomic variation between normal-looking and wasting sea stars was very low. This is a concerning outcome when trying to understand what makes some sea stars immune, and others susceptible to disease. 



Without these clear identifiable distinctions, the researchers said they have even more concerns regarding how this species of sea star will fare in future outbreaks.



Sadly, we can expect more frequent ocean epidemics. "A changing climate is causing the ocean to warm and those rising sea water temperatures are putting more and more stress on marine ecosystems," said Burton. "As a result of that stress, marine diseases have become more prevalent over the last few decades.”



On the bright side, the experts successfully identified a list of genomic regions with signs of disease resistance. This could be key in determining how a sea star will respond to a future wasting syndrome outbreak, and may present promising opportunities to enhance species resilience.



"Assessing the potential for natural population resilience is a huge piece of predicting the long-term prospects for affected species and all of the species and communities they influence," said Burton.&nbsp;



"Some marine species are suitable for selective breeding but many others are not, so examining genomic variation in natural populations can help answer the question of whether a species has the genetic makeup to withstand diseases on its own."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1365294x">Molecular Ecology</a>.



---



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

Why are some sea stars more susceptible to disease?

Ocean life can suffer from epidemics too. From 2013 to...

Chromosomes are the physical carriers of genetic information in the form of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/corn-plants-use-jumping-genes-to-adapt-to-their-environment/">genes</a>, which are found lined up along each chromosome. Although chromosomes are crucial in the functioning of complex life, the way in which they initially formed in the earliest cells and the details of their changes over evolutionary time have not been studied.



More than 20 years after the start of the Human Genome Project, however, scientists now have access to technologies that can reveal the complete genetic sequence of entire chromosomes and this enables them to conduct analyses of how chromosomes have changed.



A recent study led by&nbsp;<a href="http://mcb.berkeley.edu/faculty/all/rokhsard">Daniel Rokhsar</a>, a professor of biological sciences at the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a>, has tracked changes in chromosomes in order to make sense of the ways in which genes are arranged on the chromosomes of different groups of animals.&nbsp;



Although it has long been known that certain genes stick together – they always occur next to each other on a chromosome – these clumps of genes appear on different chromosomes and in various chromosomal locations in different types of animals. The question is: how did they get there?



In order to follow the evolution of chromosomes in early groups of animals, Rokhsar and colleagues from the University of Vienna and UC Berkeley identified 29 groups of linked genes that they termed ancestral linkage groups, or elements, that were present in most animal lineages. These elements have been remarkably conserved in all animal groups over the past 600 million years of evolutionary history, indicating a strong selective pressure to keep them from changing.&nbsp;



Using the groups of linked genes as markers, the researchers worked out how the chromosomes changed in early animals, including bilaterians (animals with bilateral symmetry), cnidarians (such as jellyfish and hydras), and sponges. They found that, while the chromosomal elements remained constant in terms of which genes they contained, they got shuffled around between chromosomes. Each element consisted of the same linked genes, but their location on the chromosomes could change. This means that geneticists can describe the chromosomes of a species by designating which elements are in which chromosomes.



"So now, for example, we can break down each human chromosome into its elements using algebraic notation. Then we deduce what happened to these primordial elements in different species and genera such as corals, mollusks, birds and many others, and what new chromosomes these elements had assembled into," explains molecular biologist Oleg Simakov from the University of Vienna.



Elements move to a new chromosome by means of genetic mistakes during cell division, such as chromosome breakages, translocations, insertions and fusions. The researchers also found that, once an element had changed location to a different chromosome, this new arrangement was passed on to all subsequent descendants in that animal lineage. Every descendent species would inherit the new arrangement. This implies that the arrangement of chromosomal elements can be used as a map of the evolutionary relationships between species.&nbsp;



"Such events are irreversible in evolution and every group of animals - from corals to humans - has such unique combinations that will forever distinguish the descendants of these groups and set these groups apart from others," Simakov said.&nbsp;



Another consequence of the findings of this study is that researchers can now predict the arrangement of elements on the chromosomes of species for which genome sequencing has yet to be conducted.&nbsp;



“One of my favorite aspects of our study is that we make predictions about what to expect in genomes that are yet to be sequenced,” Rokhsar wrote in an email to&nbsp;Quanta. For example, his team discovered that diverse invertebrates classified as spiralians all share four specific element patterns that imply the fusion of chromosomes has occurred in their common ancestor. “It follows that ALL spiralians should show these [same] patterns,” Rokhsar wrote.&nbsp;



He added, “You don’t get to make those kinds of grand pronouncements about evolutionary history very often.”



The findings of the study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>, also show that certain single-celled animals contain some of the 29 highly conserved elements in their genomes. These organisms are the closest relatives of multicellular animals and this discovery sheds light on how chromosomes were formed in the very earliest ancestors of current animal lineages. “These ancient linkage units provide a framework for understanding gene and genome evolution in animals,” the scientists noted in their paper.



The reasons why ancestral linked genes have been so highly conserved over time, and the evolutionary significance of moving elements to new chromosomal positions have yet to be investigated.&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

Animal chromosomes have conserved specific elements for 600 million years

Chromosomes are the physical carriers of genetic information in the...

Mushrooms in the Amanita genus such as A. muscaria and A. pantherina have long been consumed by humans for their interesting psychedelic effects. Hallucinogenic symptoms from these mushrooms’ poison can distort the size of objects, as described in Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland as well as cause other hallucinations, deliria, seizures and rarely death. There’s also a history of people consuming them as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-can-work-as-well-as-medication-to-lower-cholesterol/">food</a> but after a careful process of detoxifying them first.&nbsp;&nbsp;



A common hypothesis is that poisons contained in the mushrooms have evolved to dissuade consumption by animals. An observation of Japanese squirrels (Sciurus lis) calls into question this idea, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.kobe-u.ac.jp/en/index.html">Kobe University</a>.



Professor SUETSUGU Kenji and independent photographer GOMI Koichi watched an individual squirrel feeding on Amanita mushrooms several times over a few days in Nagano prefecture, Japan. The team concluded that the squirrel almost certainly evolved a way to safely eat the mushrooms.&nbsp;



From these observations, a new theory emerged - it’s not always detrimental to a mushroom to be eaten. Much like eating the fruits of plants, sometimes an animal can actually benefit a mushroom.&nbsp;



If the mushroom’s spores can survive the digestive tract, it is feasible that a squirrel could be dispersing the mushroom’s spores. In this regard, perhaps the “poison” could be acting to deter some animals, for instance those whose digestive tract would destroy the spores. Other animals that may have co-evolved with the mushroom would be rewarded for their dispersal with a tasty dinner.



Now professor Suetsugo wishes to carry the research further and investigate whether the squirrels are truly dispersing the Amanita spores or not. To do this, the scientists will check squirrel excrement for living spores.&nbsp;



Understanding the relationship between these mushrooms and squirrels could unlock more information on forest ecology in general. Amanita mushrooms form important mutualistic relationships with different trees, helping to maintain forest ecosystems.&nbsp;



"Perhaps Amanita mushrooms facilitate mutualisms with toxin-resistant squirrels, which can disperse viable spores, while deterring toxin-susceptible enemies, which could negatively impact spore survival. If so, potential dispersal of fungal spores by squirrels is analogous to a seed dispersal mutualism, in which a plant offers a reward to an animal as a seed disperser," wrote the study authors.



"How do squirrels safely eat Amanita mushrooms? What role do squirrels play in Amanita spore dispersal? How would squirrel-assisted spore dispersal contribute to the establishment of ectomycorrhizal relationships within these ecosystems? These questions warrant further investigation."



The research is published the journal <a href="https://www.esa.org/frontiers-in-ecology-and-the-environment/">Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;



Image Credit: Koichi Gomi



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

Japanese squirrels can eat “poisonous” mushrooms

Mushrooms in the Amanita genus such as A. muscaria and...

New research predicts that 70 percent of the world’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-heat-is-the-new-normal-for-the-ocean/">oceans</a> could be choking from a lack of oxygen caused by climate change. The new model that the research is based on found that mid-level oceans, which support many global fisheries, are already losing oxygen at an unusual rate. The study also shows that a critical threshold of oxygen loss was passed in 2021.&nbsp;



The researchers found that midwater ocean areas, with depths between 200 to 1,000 meters, are especially vulnerable to deoxygenation. This is because these depths are not replenished by oxygen from the atmosphere or photosynthesis, and decomposition of algae happens here.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This zone is actually very important to us because a lot of commercial fish live in this zone,” said study lead author Yuntao Zhou, an oceanographer at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. “Deoxygenation affects other marine resources as well, but fisheries (are) maybe most related to our daily life.”



The research just further highlights the vulnerability of our world’s oceans and the continuing threat of climate change. Not only are the oceans important as a source of fish consumed as food, but they also play a role in Earth’s atmosphere and water supply as well.&nbsp;



“Humanity is currently changing the metabolic state of the largest ecosystem on the planet, with really unknown consequences for marine ecosystems. That may manifest in significant impacts on the ocean’s ability to sustain important fisheries," said Matthew Long, an oceanographer at NCAR who was not involved in the study.&nbsp;



The researchers also discovered that waters closer to the poles are more vulnerable to deoxygenation but are uncertain as to why.&nbsp;



“The oxygen minimum zones actually are spreading into high latitude areas, both to the north and the south. That’s something we need to pay more attention to," said Zhou.&nbsp;"Even if global warming were to reverse, allowing concentrations of dissolved oxygen to increase, whether dissolved oxygen would return to pre-industrial levels remains unknown.”



The study is published by the <a href="https://www.agu.org/">American Geophysical Union</a> in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.



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

The ocean is being suffocated by a lack of oxygen

New research predicts that 70 percent of the world’s oceans...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> (UW) has found that, after using olfactory cues to detect potential <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-can-recognize-the-plants-that-host-toxic-insects/">hosts</a> to bite, mosquitoes tend to fly towards specific colors, including red, orange, black, and cyan, while ignoring other colors such as green, purple, blue, or white. These findings help explain how mosquitoes find hosts, since human skin, regardless of its particular pigmentation, always emits a strong, red-orange “signal” to their eyes.



“Mosquitoes appear to use odors to help them distinguish what is nearby, like a host to bite,” said study senior author&nbsp;Jeffrey Riffell, a professor of Biology at the UW. “When they smell specific compounds, like CO2 from our breath, that scent stimulates the eyes to scan for specific colors and other visual patterns, which are associated with a potential host, and head to them.”



Professor Riffell and his colleagues tracked the behavior of female yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) when presented with various olfactory and visual cues. As in the case of all mosquito species, only A. aegypti females drink blood, and can transmit various diseases such as dengue and yellow fever, or those caused by the Chikungunya or Zika viruses. Finding what attracts and repels these mosquitoes is thus highly important for protecting ourselves from these diseases.



The researchers discovered that smelling carbon dioxide (CO2) – the gas that we and other animals exhale with each breath – boosts female mosquitoes’ activity levels, making them scan the environment in search for hosts. Without prior exposure to CO2, mosquitoes largely ignored a colored dot the scientists presented to them in the test chamber. After being exposed to this gas, mosquitoes continued to ignore the dot if it was green, blue, or purple, but immediately flew towards it if it was red, orange, black, or cyan.



These findings suggest that mosquitoes’ olfaction and vision are strongly related and that their eyes prefer certain wavelengths in the visual spectrum. Understanding these insects’ visual preferences can help us avoiding their disease-transmitting bites.



“One of the most common questions I'm asked is ‘What can I do to stop mosquitoes from biting me?’” said Professor Riffell. “I used to say there are three major cues that attract mosquitoes: your breath, your sweat, and the temperature of your skin. In this study, we found a fourth cue: the color red, which can not only be found on your clothes, but is also found in everyone’s skin. The shade of your skin doesn’t matter, we are all giving off a strong red signature. Filtering out those attractive colors in our skin, or wearing clothes that avoid those colors, could be another way to prevent a mosquito biting.”



Further research is needed to determine how other visual and olfactory cues – such as skin secretions - help mosquitoes target potential hosts, and to clarify what are the colors and smells preferred by other species of mosquitoes.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28195-x">Nature Communications</a>. &nbsp;



---



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

Mosquitoes are attracted to specific scents and colors

A new study led by the University of Washington (UW)...

As dogs get older, they experience many of the same symptoms as aging humans do, including such conditions as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cbd-improves-eases-arthritis-symptoms-in-dogs/" data-type="news" data-id="1881230">arthritis</a>, diabetes and dementia. But while large research projects exist that investigate factors correlated with healthy aging in humans, similar studies on dog aging have not yet been undertaken. In fact, we do not even know what defines “normal aging” for our canine companions.



How old is your dog in terms of human years, and is it healthy for its age? These questions are currently not easy to answer. The accepted wisdom is that a “dog year” is roughly equivalent to seven human years, making a one-year-old puppy comparable in age to a seven-year-old child. This would mean that an 11-year-old elderly dog is comparable to a 77-year-old senior citizen. But it’s actually much more complicated than this, say experts.



Dogs do not all age at the same rate. Big dogs tend to age faster – maybe 10 times faster than humans – while small breeds may live to 20 years old and experience aging about five times faster than humans.&nbsp;



A team of international scientists is now building an unprecedented research platform to help answer these questions. Known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://dogagingproject.org/">Dog Aging Project</a> (DAP), this involves collecting data from tens of thousands of dogs of all sizes, breeds and backgrounds in order to assess the roles of genetics, environment and lifestyle on the aging process. The specific details of this ambitious research were published in a recent scientific article in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.



Dog owners are invited to enrol their dogs in the project and to contribute data relating to the health, lifestyle and environment of their dogs. A dog will remain enrolled for at least 10 years, during which time regular and extensive surveys will take place.&nbsp;The researchers will also collect environmental information, electronic veterinary medical records, genome-wide sequence information, clinicopathology and molecular phenotypes derived from blood cells, plasma and faecal samples.&nbsp;



There are already 32,000 dogs enrolled in the DAP, ranging in age from young puppies to unusually old individuals. These canine citizen scientists are collectively known as the “DAP Pack.” It is hoped that, since dogs share the same environment as humans but have much shorter lifespans, the insights gained into the aging process in dogs may have benefits for understanding aging in humans as well.



“This is a very large, ambitious, wildly interdisciplinary project that has the potential to be a powerful resource for the broader scientific community,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://lsi.princeton.edu/joshua-akey">Joshua Akey</a>, a professor in Princeton’s&nbsp;<a href="http://lsi.princeton.edu/">Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics</a>&nbsp;and a member of the Dog Aging Project’s research team. “Personally, I find this project exciting because I think it will improve dog, and ultimately, human health.”



“We are sequencing the genomes of 10,000 dogs,” Akey said. “This will be one of the largest genetics data sets ever produced for dogs, and it will be a powerful resource not only to understand the role of genetics in aging, but also to answer more fundamental questions about the evolutionary history and domestication of dogs.”



Once a dog is enrolled in the program, the owner is required to complete annual surveys and take measurements of the dog’s weight and height for the duration of the project. In addition, swabs of the dog’s cheek cells must be submitted for DNA analysis. The dog will visit a veterinarian regularly and vets across the country will submit fur, fecal, urine and blood samples of the dogs involved in the research.&nbsp;



The data and analyses will all be made available in an open-source dataset that will be available to the public and to veterinarians and scientists who wish to develop tools for assessing how well a specific dog is aging.&nbsp;



“We are still recruiting dogs of all ages, all breeds — purebred or mixed breeds, all sizes, all across the United States,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://lsi.princeton.edu/william-thistlethwaite">William Thistlethwaite</a>, a graduate student who works with Akey in the Lewis-Sigler Institute. “Especially puppies and young dogs up to 3 years old.”



The researchers hope that the data will help them to identify specific biomarkers of canine aging. Ideally, these would be useful in understanding the processes involved in human aging as well.&nbsp;



Dr. Daniel Promislow is the principal investigator for the National Institute on Aging grant that funds the project, and a professor of biology at the University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences and of laboratory medicine and pathology at the UW School of Medicine.



“Given that dogs share the human environment and have a sophisticated health care system but are much shorter-lived than people, they offer a unique opportunity to identify the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors associated with healthy lifespan,” said Dr. Promislow.



One particular aspect of the research outlined in the recently published paper is the super-centenarian study that involves only the 300 oldest dogs in the DAP pack and aims to identify the keys to their longevity.&nbsp;



“One part of the project that I am super excited about is a ‘super-centenarian’ study, comparing the DNA of exceptionally long-lived dogs to dogs that live to the average age for their breed,” said Akey. “This is the first study of its kind in dogs (to my knowledge), and I think it’s a clever way of trying to find genetic differences that contribute to exceptional longevity.”



Within a few months, the team plans to open their enormous dataset – fully anonymized – to share with scientists around the world. Researchers from many different fields will have the opportunity to contribute to the study in countless different ways, based on their interests.



“It is an honor to share our work with the scientific community,” said Kate Creevy, lead author on the paper and DAP’s chief veterinary officer. “The Dog Aging Project is creating a resource with the power to transform veterinary medicine, aging research, and many scientific and non-scientific fields of inquiry.”



---



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

Ambitious project will shed light on the aging process in dogs

As dogs get older, they experience many of the same...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has found that, at night, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hummingbirds-can-smell-dangerous-insects/">hummingbirds</a> drastically lower their body temperature and metabolism, entering into an energy-saving state of inactivity called torpor. According to the researchers, hummingbirds can switch between different levels of torpor - shallow, deep, plus several transitional stages as well as normal sleep.



By using infra-red thermal imaging to track the body temperature of three hummingbird species from Arizona (the Blue-throated Mountain-gem, the Black-chinned Hummingbird, and Rivoli’s Hummingbird), the scientists discovered that the differences in heat generation at various stages of torpor were substantial.



While the normal daytime body temperature of hummingbirds is, even in cold weather, over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, during shallow torpor this temperature drops by 20 degrees, and during deep torpor by a staggering 50 degrees. If human body temperature were to drop by only three degrees from its average of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, we would enter hypothermia and need outside help to warm up again.



“There have been a few hints that this ability to fine-tune thermoregulation was possible,” said study lead author Anusha Shankar, Postdoctoral Fellow at the <a href="https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/">Cornell Lab of Ornithology</a>. “But the studies were done under laboratory conditions, not the conditions a bird would encounter in the wild. It was really exciting to see that hummingbird torpor could be variable and flexible.”



Dr. Shankar and her colleagues also found that, while the smallest hummingbirds entered deep torpor each night, larger ones did this more rarely, and relied mostly on shallow torpor. According to the researchers, shallow torpor may have evolved to balance energy-saving with the steep costs of deep torpor – including immune suppression, and thus increased vulnerability to disease, as well as risk of predation or sleep deprivation.



Further research is needed to clarify what is taking place in the birds’ brains during torpor, how levels of body fat can trigger torpor, and how the birds can generate the heat to warm up again.



“At least 42 bird species use torpor. But only hummingbirds, nightjars, and one species of mousebird go into deep torpor. Studying the range of torpor could help us understand the evolution of thermoregulation in birds,” concluded Dr. Shankar.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243208">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.



---



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

Hummingbirds are experts at regulating body temperature

A new study led by Cornell University has found that,...

The changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-dog-color-patterns-existed-long-before-dogs-themselves/">patterns</a> of differently colored scales on a lizard’s skin can be modeled mathematically. A multidisciplinary research team did just that in an attempt to better understand the evolution of skin patterns. 



The researchers looked at the changing green and black patterns of the ocellated lizard. The experts found that the patterns may change but they always facilitate the lizard’s survival.&nbsp;



"The ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus) exhibits an intricate skin color pattern made of monochromatic black and green skin scales, whose dynamics of color flipping are known to be well modeled by a stochastic cellular automaton," wrote the study authors.



The scientists discovered that scales change depending on the color of nearby scales based on a mathematical rule. The ocellated lizard scales can be explained by the Lenz-Ising model, an important model in modern condensed matter physics.



This model was initially used to elucidate the behavior of magnetic particles, which could be in one of two states and interact only with their immediate neighbor.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



"The elegance of the Lenz-Ising model is that it describes these dynamics using a single equation with only two parameters: the energy of the aligned or misaligned neighbors, and the energy of an external magnetic field that tends to push all particles toward the +1 or -1 state," explained Szabolcs Zakany, an expert in the Department of Genetics and Evolution at the <a href="https://www.unige.ch/en/">University of Geneva</a>.



The scientists adapted the Lenz-Ising model to the ocellated lizard. While it originally used a square lattice, this was modified to a rectangular lattice for lizards. The experts found that the favored pattern with ocellated lizards was a labyrinthine one rather than one of lines, spots, etc.&nbsp;



"These labyrinthine patterns, which provides ocellated lizards with an optimal camouflage, have been selected in the course of evolution," explained Michel Milinkovitch.



"These patterns are generated by a complex system, that yet can be simplified as a single equation, where what matters is not the precise location of the green and black scales, but the general appearance of the final patterns."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://prl.aps.org/">Physical Review Letters</a>.&nbsp;



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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

Ocellated lizard camouflage explained by a simple equation

The changing patterns of differently colored scales on a lizard’s...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[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



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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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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