The coyote, one of North America's most adaptable predators, continues to surprise scientists with its resilience and counterintuitive survival strategies. 



Recent findings indicate that coyote populations are flourishing even in regions with active hunting efforts, raising questions about traditional wildlife management practices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coyotes-thrive-in-hazard-prone-areas">Coyotes thrive in hazard-prone areas</h2>



A recent study reveals that coyote populations thrive in regions with active hunting programs, challenging assumptions about the effectiveness of such interventions in controlling their numbers.



Conducted by a wildlife biologist from the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Utah</a> in collaboration with colleagues across the country, the research highlights how coyotes have adapted to human interventions that typically decimate other species.



As U.S. landscapes have been increasingly altered by urbanization and habitat fragmentation over the past two centuries, many species have declined. 



Yet coyotes have expanded their range, filling ecological niches left vacant by the loss of larger predators such as bears, wolves, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-cougar-day-the-crucial-ecological-role-of-cougars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cougars</a>. 



Study co-author Austin Green is a researcher at the University of Utah. "Coyotes are bold generalists, eating anything from seeds, trash, roadkill, rodents, deer fawn, even pets," noted Green. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-study-rooted-in-observation-and-data">A study rooted in observation and data</h2>



The study leveraged data from Snapshot USA, a nationwide initiative using motion-triggered trap cameras to monitor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-mammals-live-depends-more-on-climate-than-human-activities/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mammal</a> populations. 



Over a three-year period, researchers deployed nearly 4,600 cameras across 254 transects in the contiguous United States, including six in Utah. 



These sites included City Creek and Red Butte canyons near Salt Lake City, as well as areas near St. George.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-comprehensive-picture-of-coyote-distribution">Comprehensive picture of coyote distribution </h2>



Study lead author Remington Moll is an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire.



“The impressive Snapshot USA project provides a yearly glimpse into our nation’s wildlife thanks to hundreds of researchers and the coordination by the Smithsonian and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences,” said Moll.



Each transect covered 10 to 15 kilometers, with cameras spaced every 500 meters and mounted about 20 inches off the ground. 



The researchers analyzed factors such as urban development, biome type, food sources, competing species, and hunting pressure.



Over 3,100 coyote detections were statistically modeled against 22 covariates, providing a comprehensive picture of their distribution and abundance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coyote-abundance-and-hunting-pressure">Coyote abundance and hunting pressure </h2>



One of the study’s most striking findings is the positive association between coyote abundance and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hunting-can-help-stabilize-wildlife-populations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hunting</a> pressure. 



At a 100-meter scale, regions with active coyote hunting showed a 97% positive correlation with population growth. This counterintuitive result can be explained by the species’ territorial behavior.



“Because they’re such territorial animals, if you remove the most territorial one, two or three take their place, start breeding, and you lead to actual increases in coyote population,” explained Green.



Unlike other carnivores such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/clash-of-the-top-predators-wolves-are-eating-sea-otters/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wolves</a> and cougars, which have been eradicated from much of their historical range due to hunting, coyotes appear to benefit from the same pressures. 



Loose regulations - including lack of seasonal restrictions, bag limits, or licensing requirements - may contribute to this phenomenon.



In Utah, a state program even pays $50 for every set of coyote ears submitted, resulting in thousands of animals being killed annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-wildlife-management">Implications for wildlife management</h2>



The study’s findings challenge traditional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/loss-of-wildlife-happens-five-times-slower-in-protected-lands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife</a> management strategies. 



While hunting has historically reduced populations of other species, it seems to have the opposite effect on coyotes, making it an ineffective tool for controlling their numbers.



Furthermore, the adaptability of coyotes - their ability to exploit diverse food sources and colonize new territories - ensures that their populations rebound even in areas where they have been eradicated.



This paradox highlights the need for innovative approaches to coexistence and population management that account for the unique resilience of this species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-north-america-s-most-adaptable-predator">North America’s most adaptable predator</h2>



As researchers continue to analyze data from Snapshot USA, which has compiled photographic wildlife records for seven years, new insights into coyote behavior and broader wildlife trends are likely to emerge. 



These findings not only enhance our understanding of North America’s most adaptable predator but also highlight the complexity of managing wildlife in an era of rapid environmental change. 



Such knowledge could inform future conservation strategies, ensuring a balanced coexistence between humans and wildlife in shared environments.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecog.07390" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecography</a>.



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Hunting coyotes may be fueling their population growth

The coyote, one of North America's most adaptable predators, continues to surprise scientists with its resilience and counterintuitive survival strategies. Recent findings indicate that coyote populations are flourishing even in regions with active hunting efforts, raising questions about traditional wildlife management practices. Coyotes thrive in hazard-prone areas A recent study reveals that coyote populations thrive in regions with active hunting programs, challenging assumptions about the effectiveness of such interventions in controlling their numbers. Conducted by a wildlife biologist from the University of Utah in collaboration with colleagues...

An elephant’s trunk is capable of making a wide range of different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-impairment-eye-movements/">movements</a> to fulfill the requirements of the array of tasks it carries out. Some have even referred to this proboscis as a "Swiss Army knife" because of its functional versatility.

In addition to being used for smelling, eating and drinking, the trunk can curl, twist, lift, grasp, pluck, push, suck, blow and encircle an object. A team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.unige.ch/en/university/">University of Geneva</a> (UNIGE),  Switzerland, set out to investigate how elephants control the motion of this most extraordinary appendage. 

For all vertebrate animals, complex motion is possible because their bones are articulated at the joints and provide sites for muscle attachment. By flexing or relaxing their muscles, vertebrates can move their bones in well-defined and predictable ways. But an elephant’s trunk contains no bones and is flexible along its entire length. It is therefore something of a mystery how an elephant manages to use its trunk for tasks as diverse as plucking a single blade of grass and lifting a load of 270 kg (595 lb).

A multidisciplinary team led by Professor Michel Milinkovitch made use of motion-capture technology that is commonly employed in the movie industry, as well as state-of-the art medical imaging, to understand how an elephant deals with the huge variety of possible movements it can make with its trunk.

The results show that elephants use a suite of about 20 simple movements that they then combine in different ways to achieve more complex behavioral functions. In the same way that words are the building blocks of complex sentences, the 20 simple movements are selected and joined together by an elephant depending on the task it needs to perform with its trunk.

“When grasping and securing an object for transport, the trunk exhibits a localized flexion that travels from its tip to its most basal parts, while when the elephant reaches a target in front of it, it extends and retracts specific parts of its trunk in a modular fashion," explained study co-author Paule Dagenais. 

For example, when an elephant reaches with its trunk for an object to the side, it extends its trunk in rigid segments, bending as though there are joints present in predictable places. These virtual joints give the impression of an elbow or a wrist but have no skeletal origin. 

Changing the characteristics of the object to be retrieved also alters the specific basic movements that are used. When picking up a light, wooden disk, an elephant will use suction to stick the disk to the end of its trunk while lifting it. However, when a heavier, metal disk is retrieved suction is only used initially, to secure the object’s position, while the elephant curls its trunk around the disk and lifts it with that movement.

“In addition, we discovered that how much the trunk slows down when following a curve can be predicted precisely on the basis of the local curvature of that path; remarkably, such a mathematical relation between speed and path curvature also exists for the human hand when drawing," said Professor Milinkovitch. 

The use of computer tomographic (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and sectioning along the length of the trunk enabled the researchers to determine that the muscular anatomy of the trunk is what gives rise to its kinematic versatility. 

The researchers hope to use this new understanding of the biomechanics and physics behind trunk muscle movements to help design soft robotic manipulators that allow gentle and smooth interactions, such as gripping and grasping delicate objects. 

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How an elephant's trunk performs like a Swiss Army knife

An elephant’s trunk is capable of making a wide range...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.kent.ac.uk/">University of Kent</a> has revealed that chimpanzees of West Africa are threatened by lack of regulated human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-change-their-behavior-to-adapt-to-coastal-development/">development</a>. According to the researchers, robust regulation of large-scale development is required to protect the habitats of western chimpanzees.

"Global biodiversity loss is occurring at an alarming rate, with a growing consensus that we are entering a sixth mass extinction," wrote the study authors. "Rapid human development and associated habitat loss, principally through agriculture, infrastructure and extractive industries, is a significant contributor."

Western chimpanzees were classified as critically endangered in 2016 after their population declined by 80 percent in just over two decades. This ongoing trend has been primarily driven by poaching and habitat loss.

The researchers noted that although western chimpanzees are legally protected throughout their range, an estimated 83 percent of the population lives outside of protected areas. The chimps are particularly vulnerable to open-pit mining, a technique that can be extremely destructive.

The Kent team reviewed a total of 175 laws across the eight countries where western chimpanzees can be found. The results of the study suggest that the current legislation does not protect western chimpanzees from the environmental impacts of development, including mining. 

‘The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures utilized by the countries examined do not go far enough to protect western chimpanzees," said study co-author Dr. Tatyana Humle. "With global biodiversity loss occurring at an alarming rate, this is a major concern.’

"Mitigation hierarchy principles are critical to species conservation and help to regulate the environmental impacts of projects that are not reliant upon development bank or other debt-financing markets," said study co-author Thomas Evans.

"A tightening of legislation is necessary to ensure that avoidance, remediation and offset measures are implemented in line with the objective of safeguarding the habitat of this critically endangered species.’

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biological-conservation">Biological Conservation</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Western chimpanzees need protection from human development

A new study from the University of Kent has revealed...

A new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-021-02505-3">Communications Biology</a> shows that urbanization plays a key role in determining mammalian body size. Scientists at the <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/">Florida Museum of Natural History</a> have found that city life causes many mammals to grow larger. This contradicts the findings of previous research which claimed that city dwelling mammals get smaller over time. 

Until recently, experts believed that a classic biological principle called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/bergmann-rule">Bergmann’s Rule</a> could be applied to urban animals. This is the idea that animals living in warmer climates are smaller than members of the same species from colder environments. This would certainly make sense, since cities have higher temperatures than green landscapes (a phenomenon called the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/heatislands">heat island effect</a>).

“In theory, animals in cities should be getting smaller because of these heat island effects, but we didn’t find evidence for this happening in mammals,” said Maggie Hantak, lead study author and a postdoctoral fellow at the Florida Museum. “This paper is a good argument for why we can’t assume Bergmann’s Rule or climate alone is important in determining the size of animals.”

The analysis of nearly 140,500 measurements of body mass and length from over 100 North American mammal species conducted by Dr. Hantak and her colleagues leaves no space for doubt: city dwelling mammals clearly grow larger than their non-urban counterparts, regardless of climatic factors.

“This wasn’t what we expected to find,” said Robert Guralnick, curator of biodiversity informatics at the Florida Museum. “But urbanization represents this new disturbance of the natural landscape that didn’t exist thousands of years ago. It’s important to recognize that it’s having a huge impact.”

While the impact of climate change on mammal body size has been <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate1259/">acknowledged</a> since a decade ago, the effects of urbanization have been ignored. 

“When we think about what’s going to happen to mammalian body size over the next 100 years, a lot of people frame that as global warming causing animals to get smaller,” said Guralnick. “What if that isn’t the biggest effect? What if it’s that urbanization is going to lead to fatter animals?”

The abundance of food, water, and shelter, together with a relative lack of predators, can certainly offer more dining opportunities for many city dwelling mammals. 

Although bigger is generally better from a biological and evolutionary standpoint, more research is needed to assess the long-term effects on urban mammals of eating a rich diet of human food waste. 

---

By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

City dwelling mammals are getting bigger

A new study published in Communications Biology shows that urbanization...

While investigating the impacts of pollution in Namibia, researchers have found that hundreds of Cape Fur seals become entangled in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fishing-communities-are-on-the-frontline-of-climate-change/">fishing</a> lines and nets each year.

Dr. Tess Gridley is the co-director of the Namibia Dolphin Project and a senior lecturer in the Department of Botany and Zoology at <a href="https://www.sun.ac.za/">Stellenbosch University</a>. She explained how plastic pollution, particularly lost and discarded fishing nets, can have devastating consequences for marine life.

“Once entangled, these seals face a very painful and uncertain future: finding food becomes harder and wounds can become deep and debilitating, and likely cause death in many cases," said Dr. Gridley.

"Changes to policy could help, such as financial incentives to recover lines, safe disposal of nets and sustainable alternatives to plastics."

The study revealed that a high number of affected animals were pups and juveniles, which were mainly entangled around the neck by fishing line. The overall rate of entanglement was roughly 1 per 500 animals. This rate was similar between the two colonies of Walvis Bay and Cape Cross. 

Between 2018 and March 2020, the disentanglement team was able to free 191 out of the 347 animals that were found to be entangled.

The researchers had limited resources for their work. By comparing low cost methods of data collection, they found that photographic scans of the colonies were a fast and accurate method for collecting data on entangled individuals.

Study lead author Stephanie Curtis said that the impact of plastic pollution in the ocean is devastating. “Seals should not have to suffer this way because of our carelessness with waste."

According to Dr. Simon Elwen, fur seals are especially vulnerable to becoming entangled. “They are very curious and playful animals and will investigate objects in the water, but their thick, backwards facing fur which keeps them warm at sea easily snags lines and straps and stops it falling back off.”

Naudé Dreyer of Ocean Conservation Namibia explained that the project - which was launched in 2018 - is ongoing. “Since the start of 2021 we have already disentangled over 600 fur seals in only two colonies."

"This is the tip of the iceberg. It is imperative that studies such as this highlight the consequences of plastic waste on marine animals, and bring around change for the better."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/marine-pollution-bulletin">Marine Pollution Bulletin</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cape fur seals are particularly vulnerable to entanglement

While investigating the impacts of pollution in Namibia, researchers have...

<a href="https://ok.ubc.ca/">UBC Okanagan</a>, a university in Canada, is home to a Building Academic Retention through K-9s (BARK) program. While this program has long shown an increase in student well-being from interactions with dogs, the specifics have remained unknown. 

To investigate, Dr. John-Tyler Binfet recently led a team in the assessment of 284 interactions between students and dogs. 

"There have been a number of studies that have found canine-assisted interventions significantly improve participants’ wellbeing, but there has been little research into what interactions provide the greatest benefits," explained Dr. Binfet. "We know that spending time with therapy dogs is beneficial but we didn’t know why.”

To take a closer look at what type of interactions with dogs are most beneficial to students, the researchers recruited volunteers. 

The participants were assigned one of three different interactions: with a dog without touching, with a dog with touching, or with a dog handler without a dog. Before and after each interaction, the students answered questions to assess their well-being.

The study revealed that students showed improvement from interactions with dogs regardless of their initial level of well-being. Unsurprisingly, the students who interacted with the dogs by touching them had a greater increase in their perceived well-being than those who did not touch dogs. 

Dr. Binfet explains why his research is very timely. “As students potentially return to in-person class on their college campuses this fall and seek ways to keep their stress in check, I’d encourage them to take advantage of the therapy dog visitation program offered." 

"And once there - be sure to make time for a canine cuddle...That’s a surefire way to reduce stress.”

Dr. Binfet points out that his research shows how best to use therapy dogs, and that a proper ratio of dogs to people is essential to allow dog cuddling.

---

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cuddling with dogs can improve your well-being

UBC Okanagan, a university in Canada, is home to a...

Humans are the only <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/newborn-mammals-can-see-the-world-before-they-open-their-eyes/">mammals</a> to be habitually bipedal, and the evolution of bipedalism over the past seven million years has led to many changes in our skeletal structure and gait. A new study has revealed that rotating hips are not an advantage in human locomotion.

Until recently, it was believed that the relatively long legs of humans gave them an advantage in terms of a longer stride that made walking locomotion more efficient. 

However, in the results of a study published by <a href="https://www.biologists.com/">The Company of Biologists</a>, Nathan Thompson of <a href="https://www.nyit.edu/">NYIT</a> finds that chimpanzees have a 25 percent longer stride length than humans, when height is taken into consideration.

"Standardized by size, humans really don’t have long strides," says Thompson, after investigating the strides of humans and chimpanzees as they walked at different speeds.

Thompson and colleagues Brigitte Demes, Susan Larson (both at Stony Brook University, USA) and Matthew O’Neill (Midwestern University, USA) habituated chimpanzees to walking upright on their back legs while they filmed the animals in 3-D. 

When they scaled the humans and chimpanzees to have matching heights, they found that although the humans’ legs were 112 percent longer than the legs of chimpanzees, their strides were 26,7 percent shorter.

Upon closer investigation, Thompson observed that chimpanzees lift their hips considerably on the side that takes the stride. This is known as a pelvic step or pelvic rotation. 

While chimpanzees rotate their hips between 28 and 61 degrees, humans show a paltry 8-degree rotation while striding. A human keeps his or her pelvis relatively stable while walking, although as walking speed increases, the pelvic step contributes more to the total step length.

When the researchers analyzed how much rotating hips increased the stride length of a chimpanzee, they found that it extended the length by 5.4 times more, taking into account a chimp’s height. 

"I think that chimpanzees use pelvic rotations to try to squeeze every bit of stride length out, otherwise their strides would be - absolutely - very small,’ says Thompson, explaining that apes and monkeys tend to walk on bent legs that naturally shorten their stride; 

"I don’t think there are a lot of options other than rotating the pelvis, given their anatomical constraints."

Humans have always been considered to be very efficient walkers and to have the longest possible stride. However, now that their stride size has been shown to be relatively shorter than that of their nearest living relatives, the researchers consider that other factors must have been important in the evolution of the human gait. 

Thompson suggests that walking with an exaggerated pelvic rotation may increase stride length but could also disrupt the natural swing of our arms and legs, which helps to balance us. Ditching the rotating hips may have also helped to stabilize a human’s center of mass, which would mean that fewer muscles are active while walking and so the energetic costs are reduced. 

"Humans have had about seven million years of selective pressure for economical bipedalism; this means that there has been a lot of time to experiment with the costs and benefits, so it might be worth it to walk with slightly shorter strides, because whatever energy we lose, we might make up elsewhere," concludes Thompson.

The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Humans gave up rotating hips for a smoother stride

Humans are the only mammals to be habitually bipedal, and...

Research on speech development stresses the challenges children face in gaining control over their vocal articulators, including the tongue, lips, and jaw, in order to be able to produce coherent speech sounds. An increasing number of scientists argue that this control is gradually gained during babbling, when infants start producing their first utterances which resemble typical speech sounds. 

Babbling appears to be a universal form of human behavior, characterizing child development in all languages and cultures. 

Language use is considered one of the trademarks of humanity. Yet, its origins and development are far from being completely understood. Much knowledge about language evolution is gathered in the field of biolinguistics through comparing vocal ontogenetic processes in humans with similar processes in non-human animals. 

Babbling behavior seems to be quite rare in the animal kingdom. Until recently, this phenomenon had only been analyzed in songbirds. Due to significant differences in both brain organization and anatomy (birds have a syrinx instead of a larynx like humans), it has been very difficult to apply research findings about songbird babbling to humans. 

Recently though, a study conducted by a team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/en">Museum für Naturkunde Berlin</a> discussed babbling behavior in a mammal species that, at first sight, seem to be highly different from humans: the greater sac-winged bat Saccopteryx bilineata. 

Researchers investigated this behavior of 20 bat pups in their natural habitats in Costa Rica and Panama, and discovered that these bats spend around seven weeks engaging in daily babbling behavior during their ontogeny, and employ long multisyllabic vocal sequences that include parts similar to the vocal repertoire of adult bats. 

“Pup babbling is a very conspicuous vocal behavior, it is audible at considerable distance from the roost and babbling bouts have a duration of up to 43 minutes,” researcher Martina Nagy said. While babbling, pups learn the songs of the adult males. 

Even more surprisingly, bat babbling is characterized by the same features as that of human infants, including reduplication of syllables and the use of rhythmic patterns. And whereas in the case of songbirds only young males babble, bat babbling behavior occurs in both male and female pups.

More studies of this fascinating bat species could give us new keys for unlocking the mysterious evolutionary origins of human language. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Baby bats and human infants engage in similar babbling behavior

Research on speech development stresses the challenges children face in...

Rattlesnakes are native to the Americas and are famous for the rattling noise they make by vibrating the tail tip segments when danger approaches. Previous research has shown that the frequency of this acoustic signal changes abruptly as a threat gets closer, but the significance of this change was not explained.

In a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>, researchers propose that the sudden change to a higher frequency has the effect of making approaching predators (and humans) think that they are closer to the snake than they really are.

Study senior author Boris Chagnaud of Karl-Franzens-University Graz visited an animal facility where rattlesnakes were housed. He noticed that the characteristic rattling increased in frequency as he walked towards a snake but decreased again when he walked away. Chagnaud and his colleagues designed some ingenious experiments to test the function of this frequency change.

Initially, the researchers used objects that appeared to move closer to a snake by increasing in size. One of the objects looked like a human torso, while another was a large, black disk. As these potential threats appeared to come closer to the snake, the rattling rate increased gradually to approximately 40 Hz and then suddenly jumped to an even higher frequency of between 60 and 100 Hz.

Subsequent experiments showed that rattlesnakes modulate their rattling rate in response to the speed at which an object is approaching, rather than its apparent size. “In real life, rattlesnakes make use of additional vibrational and infrared signals to detect approaching mammals, so we would expect the rattling responses to be even more robust,” says Chagnaud.

To test the effect of this abrupt change in rattling frequency on human listeners, the researchers enlisted the help of 11 participants who moved through a virtual grassland environment where a virtual snake lay concealed. They were asked to estimate their distance from the hidden snake as its rattling gradually increased in frequency. 

When the individuals were at a virtual distance of four meters from the sound, its frequency abruptly jumped to 70 Hz. This sudden change in frequency caused the participants to perceive that they were much closer to the virtual snake than they actually were. 

“Our data show that the acoustic display of rattlesnakes, which has been interpreted for decades as a simple acoustic warning signal about the presence of the snake, is in fact a far more intricate interspecies communication signal,” explains Chagnaud.

“The sudden switch to the high-frequency mode acts as a smart signal fooling the listener about its actual distance to the sound source. The misinterpretation of distance by the listener thereby creates a distance safety margin.”

“Snakes do not just rattle to advertise their presence, but they evolved an innovative solution: a sonic distance warning device similar to the one included in cars while driving backwards."

“Evolution is a random process, and what we might interpret from today’s perspective as elegant design is in fact the outcome of thousands of trials of snakes encountering large mammals. The snake rattling co-evolved with mammalian auditory perception by trial and error, leaving those snakes that were best able to avoid being stepped on.”

---

By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rattlesnakes rattle to warn and deceive us

Rattlesnakes are native to the Americas and are famous for...

As most know, bees are important <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-spaces-provide-a-refuge-for-urban-pollinators/">pollinators</a> for both crops and wild plants. It’s unknown exactly how climate change may impact bees. Now, researchers from <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> have examined the relationship between bee flight and temperature. 

The researchers measured bumblebee motivation to fly and flight endurance under different temperatures. The research was carried out by attaching the insects to ‘flight mills’ where they could fly in controlled circles with speed and distance being recorded. 

Starting with a low temperature limit of 12°C, the scientists found that bee flight performance initially increased, peaking between 25-27°C, but then started to decline with even warmer temperatures. 

This suggests that climate change could actually be good news for bumblebees living in cooler areas. According to study first author Daniel Kenna, the impacts of warming climate on bees is complicated.

“Climate change is often thought of as being negative for bumblebee species, but depending on where in the world they are, our work suggests it is possible bumblebees will see benefits to aspects of an important behavior," explained Kenna.

"However, more extreme weather events, such as cold snaps and the unprecedented heatwaves experienced in recent years, could consistently push temperatures beyond the comfortable flight range for certain species of bumblebees."

"These risks are particularly pertinent for ‘fixed colony’ pollinators like bumblebees, which cannot shift their position within a season if conditions become unfavorable, and potentially provide a further explanation as to why losses have been observed at species’ southern range limits.”

The study found that at optimal temperatures, bees may fly as far as 3 km to forage, while under hot temperatures they only flew about 1 km, and even less and colder temperatures. 

The research indicates that an increase in temperature could mean an increase in pollination in cooler areas, but could cause severe harm to bees in areas that are already warm. The full picture of what the future holds for bees remains to be seen.   

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652435">Functional Ecology</a>. 

---

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bee flight performance drops under extreme heat

As most know, bees are important pollinators for both crops...

Everybody needs a wingman - even, according to a new study, our closest evolutionary relatives. Published by authors from the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a>, Arizona State, and Duke University, the research looked at the complex <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-support-can-protect-your-brain-health/">social</a> relationships of chimpanzees and what benefits they may receive for forging those bonds. 

"Chimps cooperate frequently, and often in these very dramatic ways: You see things like grooming, all kinds of complex alliance formation and group territorial defense," explained study lead author Joseph Feldburn. "The question is: What do males get out of it and how?" 

Social animals have evolved certain behaviors for their survival as they pass on their genes to the next generation. In other words, their behavior enhances their fitness.  “Males wouldn't spend all this time grooming other males and forgoing trying to find females or food unless you get some kind of benefit from it."

The researchers cross referenced genetic data and behavioral observations from a population of chimps in Western Tanzania - some of the same chimps Jane Goodall studied in Gombe Stream National Park. The experts concluded that males who had stronger ties among their group, or who were closely associated with the alpha male, had a lot more reproductive success. "Sucking up to the boss is nothing new. We show that it's always paid off," said co-author Anne Pusey.

Learning about chimp society can help us learn about ourselves. Indeed, the close relationship between Homo sapiens and Pan troglodytes means that people and chimpanzees may play by some of the same social rules. 

"Together with bonobos, chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, and help us to identify which features of human social life are unique," said study senior author Ian Gilby.

"This study suggests that strong bonds among males have deep evolutionary roots and provided the foundation for the more complex relationships that we see in humans."

Whether it’s having friends in high places or being a social butterfly, it’s good to have connections when you’re playing the Darwinian lottery.  

According to Feldblum, more research is needed to tease out how coalition formations and these social bonds lead to siring success.

"Is it that if your ally is nearby, you're more likely to mate with an estrus female, or does having your allies around you protect you from harassment from other males? Or because your ally will support you if a conflict erupts, your stress levels are lower and you can devote more energy to mating efforts? This last step we still don't know."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a>.

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By <a href="mailto:rugerpaleo@gmail.com">Alex Ruger</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Even chimpanzees need a wingman

Everybody needs a wingman - even, according to a new...

Researchers recently discovered an extremely surprising fact about the common cuttlefish (Sepia officialis). Unlike any other known <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-animals-prefer-to-work-for-their-food-but-not-cats/">animal</a>, cuttlefish are able to retain sharp memories of specific events, even in their old age. 

In a study recently published in the journal <a href="https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/325198">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>, researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Marine Biological Laboratory at <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole</a>, and the University of Caen argue that cuttlefish can remember with extreme precision what, where, and when specific events happened - right up until their last few days of life.

“Cuttlefish can remember what they ate, where and when, and use this to guide their feeding decisions in the future. What’s surprising is that they don’t lose this ability with age, despite showing other signs of aging like loss of muscle function and appetite,” wrote study lead author Dr. Alexandra Schnell from the University of Cambridge.

In humans, this capacity for episodic memory gradually wanes with age. This is caused by the deterioration of the hippocampus, a part of the brain which plays a significant role in learning and memory. 

However, the brain structure of cuttlefish is significantly different from ours. The fish do not have a hippocampus, and use instead their vertical lobe to deal with learning and memory processes. Luckily for them, this brain area does not seem to deteriorate until the last two to three days of their lives.

But why would such an amazing capacity evolve in the cuttlefish in the first place? Why would they need to remember until the day they die all the details of last week’s dinner? 

“We think this ability might help cuttlefish in the wild to remember who they mated with, so they don’t go back to the same partner,” explained Dr. Schnell. 

Since cuttlefish breed only towards the end of their relatively brief lives (of about two years), exact memories regarding when, where, and with whom they mated could ensure that they will have as many partners as possible, thus spreading their genes widely.

Although such behavior would probably be frowned upon by more morally-bent animal species such as Homo sapiens, it certainly gave rise to an extraordinary adaptation that has never been met before in the animal kingdom.       

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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

Old cuttlefish have a remarkable memory

Researchers recently discovered an extremely surprising fact about the common...

Gray foxes, one of only two species surviving in their genus, have been declining in one specific part of their range - the Southeastern US - for decades. A new study published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal">Journal of Mammology</a> takes a closer look at why. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spread-coyotes-deer-numbers/">Coyotes</a> are also native to the United States but historically lived in the western to midwestern states. Recently, coyotes have moved eastward, coinciding with the decline in foxes. 

Study co-author James Beasley of the <a href="https://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a> explained how looking at trapping records inspired the research.    

“Here on the Savannah River Site, there are excellent historical trapping records and gray foxes used to be really abundant. But now we don’t see them nearly as frequently. That’s prompted questions of why - why are we seeing the reduction in these numbers?”

The records showed that as the populations of gray foxes decreased, the populations of coyotes in the area increased. The scientists knew that coyotes and gray foxes co-existed well in other parts of their range, so they began to wonder if something was different in the southeastern populations. The researchers compared the diets of foxes and coyotes in both places by chemically analysing hair from the animals. 

“In the Midwest, we found there were significant differences in diet between species, whereas in the Southeast they overlapped significantly,” explained study lead author and doctoral student Sarah Webster.

The study reveals that, in the Midwest, coyotes and gray foxes had time to find their own specific niches, partitioning their use of food to avoid competition with each other. Not enough time has passed in the Southeast for this process to take place yet. The question the scientists ask is, will the coyotes and foxes sort out their competition for food before it’s too late? 

It seems that the behavior of gray foxes is changing slightly, possibly a good sign that they’re adapting to coyotes. The scientists point out that there is no evidence that we’re capable of effectively controlling coyotes anyway. Perhaps the best we can do is support good environments for gray foxes and let nature take its course.  

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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

Gray foxes in the Southeast compete with coyotes for food

Gray foxes, one of only two species surviving in 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

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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?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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