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...

A recent publication from <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.642226/full?&amp;utm_source=Email_to_authors_&amp;utm_medium=Email&amp;utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&amp;utm_campaign=Email_publication&amp;field=&amp;journalName=Frontiers_in_Marine_Science&amp;id=642226">Frontiers in Marine Science</a> brings some worrisome news to wildlife conservationists and animal lovers at large: fewer than 500 Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) are currently left in South African waters. This makes the humpback dolphin the first endangered marine mammal species in the South African aquatic environment. 

What brought the humpback dolphin to the brink of extinction? According to the <a href="https://iucn-csg.org/collaboration-on-humpback-dolphin-sousa-plumbea-research-and-conservation-in-south-and-east-africa/">SouSA Consortium</a>, a newly established network of South African scientists and conservationists studying and attempting to save this species, there are multiple causes for the dolphins’ dire predicament. 

“Although environmental factors almost certainly play a role in the declining numbers of the species in our waters, individual threats and solutions are challenging to identify as the South African marine environment is undergoing significant changes, often as a result of human activities, such as coastal construction and pollution. There are also major changes in the distribution and availability of prey species,” explained study lead author Professor Stephanie Plön from <a href="http://www.sun.ac.za/english">Stellenbosch University</a>.

“We concluded that no single cause for their rapid decline could be identified and that the cumulative effects of multiple stressors, which are difficult to pinpoint and mitigate, are impacting population numbers.”

The experts agree that regardless of the multiplicity of causes, the major culprit behind this decline in the humpback dolphin population remains easy to identify: it is none other than the human predator, whose greed seems to be unequalled in the animal kingdom. 

Operation Phakisa, an initiative aiming to stimulate economic growth in the South African marine environment, is an example of damaging human activity. The government program negatively impacts the well-being of marine flora and fauna by increasing noise levels in the oceans, introducing additional pollutants, and often leading to unintentional habitat fragmentation. 

So what is to be done to reverse such destructive trends and save the humpback dolphin? As members of the SouSA Consortium bitterly claim, science alone is not enough anymore. Much more engagement with stakeholders (including the public, the government, legislators, parastatal organizations, or educators) through increased outreach and education is urgently and desperately needed in order to save this species, as well as others that might soon become endangered too. 

“The complex factors impacting this species in South African waters are very challenging, and in order to find realistic and effective solutions going forward, we need all hands on deck!” said Professor Plön. 

---

By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

All hands on deck to save South Africa’s humpback dolphin

A recent publication from Frontiers in Marine Science brings some...

A study from the <a href="https://www5.usp.br/">University of São Paulo</a> has found that the evolutionary stability of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/raccoon-dogs-may-be-a-growing-threat-to-waterbirds-in-finland/">bird</a> species depends on its role in seed dispersal networks. The experts report that the stability of each species increases with the more types of seeds that it disperses.

More than 70 percent of all flowering plants depend on birds to disperse their seeds. The research suggests that birds which feed on fruit from a wide variety of plants have better evolutionary chances.

“The bird species that occupy more central positions in a network, that have more connections, tend to be more stable in macroevolutionary terms,” said study first author Gustavo Burin.

According to Burin, establishing this correlation between species interactions and their evolutionary dynamics was a huge challenge because it required an analysis of two processes – seed dispersal and evolution – that occur on entirely different time scales. While evolution plays out over millions of years, seed dispersal is an annual process.

“We worked on this for four years, integrating data on 468 bird species belonging to 29 seed dispersal networks,” said Burin. “We demonstrated that the more links a bird species establishes with plant species, the greater its evolutionary chances."

“More precisely, the greater the evolutionary stability of a bird species, the more chances we have of observing its relative importance in a seed dispersal network, measured by the number and pattern of interactions established by the bird species."

Burin explained that bird species which occupy central positions in a seed dispersal network have two important traits - "either they live longer or they belong to groups that accumulate many species in a relatively short time, so that if a species disappears it’s replaced by many other similar ones.”

In Brazil, examples of long-lived species include the Rufous-bellied thrush and the Sayaca tanager.

“Here we’re emphasizing the importance of interaction with plants to the evolutionary success of bird species, but the reverse may also be true in the sense that plants that can rely on more bird species to disperse their seeds are more likely to propagate and survive. When a dispersing vertebrate exists, the seeds can be carried dozens of miles away from the plant,” said Burin.

The effects are the strongest in tropical areas that are warm and wet with less seasonal variability. This helps to explain why biodiversity hotspots persist in Colombia’s Amazon region and in Southeast Asia, explained the researchers.

The study was funded by São Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP,  and is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Birds involved in more seed dispersal have evolutionary stability

A study from the University of São Paulo has found...

From predicting the weather to analyzing medical data, artificial intelligence and various predictive computer models help us understand and anticipate the way the world works. Now, a new tool developed by ecologists at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> will empower conservationists and land managers to help some of the world’s most important <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-carnivorous-plant-triantha-spares-friendly-pollinators/">pollinators</a> - bees.

The new decision-support tool is called BEE-STEWARD, and it simulates the behavior of bee colonies in the presence of different habitats and management strategies. “This provides a virtual safe space to test out different bee-friendly management options. It’s a free, user-friendly tool and we have worked with land managers and wildlife groups on the ground to create it together," explained study first author Dr. Grace Twiston-Davies.

Bees are intrinsically important for what they contribute to our planet’s biodiversity, but they are also of economic interest to farmers. 

“We know that pollinator decline is a really big problem for crops and also for wildflowers,” said Dr. Twiston-Davies. Because land management is so complex and bee colonies are so dynamic, testing out different conservation strategies in the real world is a practical challenge. Using BEE-STEWARD, a “virtual safe-space” is created where the only bees in danger are digital ones. 

Previously, scientists had used more technical programs to assist with this issue, such as BEESCOUT and Bumble-BEEHAVE. However, these tools were less than user-friendly. 

"We have worked with researchers and land owners who have been using the model and have given us valuable feedback so we could improve our models further," said study co-author Dr Matthias Beecher.

BEE-STEWARD has already seen a warm reception by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a United Kingdom organization dedicated to preserving bumblebees and their habitats. Dr Richard Comfort is the Trust’s science manager.

“'The Bee-Steward model will be fantastic for conservation planning - it lets us time-travel to see the long-term results of changing management and compare all the possible options to see which one will work out best for bumblebees," said Dr. Comfort.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/2041210X">Methods in Ecology and Evolution</a>.

---

By <a href="http://rugerpaleo@gmail.com">Alex Ruger</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

"Virtual safe space" could help save bees

From predicting the weather to analyzing medical data, artificial intelligence...

More than half of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-ducks-balance-water-pressure-while-diving/">duck</a> species in Finland are endangered to varying degrees, and the results of a new study suggest that raccoon dogs and other invasive species are to blame. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en">University of Helsinki</a> used wildlife cameras to investigate the causes of declining waterbird species. 

In collaboration with researchers at several universities, the Helsinki team conducted field experiments over the course of three years. The experts set up wildlife cameras which captured images of invasive species preying on artificial nests. 

Researchers in Finland and Denmark had previously built more than 400 artificial nests in natural duck nesting environments. About 290 of the nests, which contained farmed mallard eggs, were located throughout southern Finland. 

While raccoon dogs were found to be the most common nest predators in Finland, red foxes were the predominant predators in Denmark.

“The raccoon dog was the most common mammalian predator in all of the environments studied in Finland. As expected, raccoon dogs destroyed nests on shorelines, but surprisingly often also in forests close to wetlands,” said study co-author Sari Holopainen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus.

The cameras revealed that many nests were visited by more than one predator, and that corvids were often the first to find a nest. If a corvid broke an egg in the nest, this attracted mammalian predators such as raccoon dogs and American minks.

“Our research shows that predators cohabiting the same area can benefit from one another. Eggs broken by corvids offer a clue to mammalian predators, which, in turn, are a threat to both eggs and female ducks. In other words, the effect of a diverse predator community can exceed the sum of its species,” said Holopainen.

The raccoon dog is a species that is native to Southeast Asia that was introduced to Europe as a fur animal beginning in the 1920s. The first raccoon dogs arrived in Finland in the 1930s. Today, they are the second or third most common prey animal.

The experts found that raccoon dogs have an advantage over native species because they are more versatile in terms of utilizing their environment. Native mammal predators are restricted by habitat type, but raccoon dogs were commonly observed on shorelines and in forests, as well as in agricultural and urban landscapes. 

“The decline of many waterbird nesting populations, especially in eutrophic lakes, matches temporally the increasing abundance of raccoon dogs and American minks. This came out as we studied long-term changes in aquatic birdlife between the periods 1951–1970 and 1996–2015 using datasets collected in the Häme region by Pentti Linkola, the late fisherman,” explained study co-author Hannu Pöysä, a principal scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland.

According to the researchers, the artificial nest experiments cannot directly prove that the raccoon dog has an effect on duck populations. 

“What the results do show, however, is that the raccoon dog is a more common nest predator than native mammalian species, and that it is abundant in a range of duck nesting environments,” concluded Holopainen.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/10530">Biological Invasions</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Raccoon dogs are a growing threat to waterbirds in Finland

More than half of the duck species in Finland are...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-understand-humans-in-ways-that-wolves-never-will/">Dogs</a> can be easily distinguished by variations in the patterns of their coat colors, which most commonly include black, brown, yellow, and white. In a new study from <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">UC Davis</a>, experts have had a breakthrough while studying a subset of dog color patterns. 

The research suggests that one particular dog color pattern emerged two million years ago, long before dogs were domesticated. 

The study pinpointed five distinctive dog color patterns that are produced by the agouti signaling protein (ASIP) gene. These five patterns can be found in hundreds of dog breeds and hundreds of millions of dogs around the world.

The international team of researchers discovered that the genetic combination which produces the coat pattern "dominant yellow," or DY, is shared with Arctic white wolves. A genetic analysis revealed that DY originated in an extinct canid that diverged from gray wolves more than two million years ago.

Study co-first author Professor Danika Bannasch is the Maxine Adler Endowed Chair in Genetics at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

“While we think about all this variation in coat color among dogs, some of it happened long before ‘dogs’ were dogs,” said Professor Bannasch. “The genetics turn out to be a lot more interesting because they tell us something about canid evolution.”

The experts speculate that lighter coat colors would have been advantageous to a canid living in an Arctic environment. Natural selection would have allowed the coat pattern to persist in the population that eventually gave rise to dogs and wolves, explained the researchers.

“We were initially surprised to discover that white wolves and yellow dogs have an almost identical ASIP DNA configuration,” said study co-first author Chris Kaelin of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

“But we were even more surprised when it turned out that a specific DNA configuration is more than two million years old, prior to the emergence of modern wolves as a species.”

Wolves and dogs make two different types of pigments - a black one called eumelanin and a yellow one called pheomelanin. The precisely regulated production of these two pigments leads to different dog color patterns. Yellow is controlled by the agouti signaling protein, which is produced by the ASIP gene.

The experts found that no single genetic mutation was responsible for the five major color patterns. The mutations occur in two areas of the ASIP gene to produce the various patterns. 

Professor Bannasch and colleagues named the phenotypes: dominant yellow, shaded yellow, agouti, black saddle, and black back. 

Based on genetics, the team set out to identify the origin of the dog color patterns. While the dominant yellow haplotype has been around for two million years, the black back pattern was identified in a dog sample that was 9,500 years old.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Some dog color patterns existed long before dogs themselves

Dogs can be easily distinguished by variations in the patterns...

A new study from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard</a> has revealed that a tree’s carbohydrate reserves are crucial to surviving <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pesticides-have-become-increasingly-toxic-to-insects/">insect</a> outbreaks. According to the researchers, the biology of oak trees makes them resilient to even the most severe stressors. 

“Oak trees are planners, in a way,” explained study co-author Meghan Blumstein of MIT. “Some of the food they make during the growing season is used immediately for energy and some is stored in the stems and roots for a rainy day. With stored carbs, they are able to immediately create a new flush of leaves after an insect outbreak.”

In southern New England, a recent multi-year outbreak of an invasive moth killed thousands of acres of oak trees. For the investigation, the researchers focused on the trees that didn't die. 

The experts pinpointed the exact threshold of reserves that were needed for survival : 1.5 percent carbohydrates in their dried wood, or about 20 to 25 percent of their normal storage capacity. 

The researchers found that back-to-back insect invasions from 2016 to 2018 challenged the resilience of the oak trees by defoliating them year after year.

“The trees that died were the trees that were out of reserves,” said study lead author Audrey Barker Plotkin, a Senior Scientist at the Harvard Forest. 

The location of the trees influenced survival as well. The research team found that trees growing along forest edges tended to have more reserves, even at the same level of defoliation, making them more resilient than interior forest trees. 

The Harvard study has produced some of the first direct evidence which confirms that trees can starve to death when insects invade. As new pests emerge and climate change continues, the findings from this research will help improve forest resilience models.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652435">Functional Ecology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Oak trees use carbohydrate reserves to survive insect invasions

A new study from Harvard has revealed that a tree’s...

There comes a point in everyone's life when it becomes harder to burn <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/calories-burn-fluctuates/">calories</a> and keep off extra pounds. A new study from <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a> reveals that bottlenose dolphins have the same age-related struggle with weight as humans. 

The experts report that, as bottlenose dolphins age, they experience a drop in metabolism and an increase in fat mass. The research represents the first time that scientists have measured an age-related metabolic slowdown in another large-bodied species besides humans, explained study first author Rebecca Rimbach.

As a postdoctoral associate in Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke, Rimbach has studied energy expenditure and other aspects of physiology in animals ranging from mice to monkeys. She noted that data on the inner workings of marine mammals such as dolphins and whales have been scant. This is because it is so challenging to obtain repeat measurements on sea creatures.

“It can be very tricky to get the animal back when you need it,” said Rimbach.

The study was focused on 10 bottlenose dolphins between the ages of 10 and 45 living at the Dolphin Research Center in Florida and the Dolphin Quest in Hawaii.

At these facilities, the dolphins voluntarily raise their tail fins out of the water so their caregivers can collect blood or urine as part of their regular checkups. The experts analyzed levels of heavy hydrogen and oxygen atoms in the blood and urine, which allowed them to calculate how much carbon dioxide the dolphins produced each day. This information was used to calculate how many calories the dolphins were burning during their daily activities. 

The researchers were surprised with the results of their analysis. They expected dolphins to have speedy metabolisms considering that they are warm-blooded, and keeping warm in the water requires more energy.

However, the study showed that bottlenose dolphins burn 17 percent less energy per day than what is expected for a marine mammal of their size. The researchers also found some of the signs of metabolic aging that are common in people. 

The oldest dolphins - both in their 40s - used 22 to 49 percent fewer calories each day than predicted for their body weight. Similar to humans, more of those calories ended up as fat rather than muscle, said the researchers.

The study also revealed that the body fat percentages of dolphins in their 40s were 2.5 times higher than that of dolphins in their 20s. This wasn't due to a lack of exercise, noted Rimbach.

Even in their 40s, the dolphins in the study were very active - doing flips and spins, jumping clear out of the water, and swimming fast enough to leave a wake as often as six to 18 times an hour. Regardless of their activity levels, the age-related metabolic pattern persisted. 

“And it’s not because they’re eating too much,” said Rimbach. The experts found that the older, fatter dolphins actually ate fewer calories.

According to the researchers, their work could shed light on factors besides diet and lifestyle that underlie age-related weight gain in people.

“Further studies into this commonality we share with dolphins may help us understand why human metabolism slows as we age,” said study co-author Hannah Salomons.

“We need more data, especially for younger dolphins, since we only looked at 10 individuals,” said Rimbach. “But I think it's an exciting first study.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bottlenose dolphins struggle with weight in their 40s

There comes a point in everyone's life when it becomes...

When offered a choice between free <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/colorful-foods-can-prevent-cognitive-decline/">food</a> or food that requires some effort to obtain, most animals prefer to work for their meal. However, a new study from <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">UC Davis</a> reveals that this is not the case for domestic cats, who are more than willing to eat without putting in any effort. 

The researchers noted that foraging is a natural behavior: most animals in the wild must forage in some way to survive.

"Contrafreeloading is the willingness of animals to work for food when equivalent food is freely available. This behavior is observed in laboratory, domesticated, and captive animals," explained the study authors.

"However, previous research found that six laboratory cats failed to contrafreeload. We hypothesized that cats would contrafreeload in the home environment when given a choice between a food puzzle and a tray of similar size and shape. We also hypothesized that more active cats would be more likely to contrafreeload."

To investigate, the researchers analyzed the behavior of 17 neutered, indoor domestic cats, who were presented with a food puzzle and a tray during 30- minute trials. The experiments revealed that the animals would rather eat from a tray of easily available food than work out a simple puzzle to earn their food.

“It wasn’t that cats never used the food puzzle, but cats ate more food from the tray, spent more time at the tray and made more first choices to approach and eat from the tray rather than the puzzle,” explained study lead author Mikel Delgado, a cat behaviorist and research affiliate at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

“There is an entire body of research that shows that most species including birds, rodents, wolves, primates - even giraffes - prefer to work for their food." 

“What’s surprising is out of all these species cats seem to be the only ones that showed no strong tendency to contrafreeload.”

The cats were monitored with activity trackers over the course of the research. The results show that the study subjects were not simply being lazy - even those that were more active still chose the freely available food. 

"Cats who consumed more food from the puzzle, consumed more food in general, suggesting a relationship between hunger and effort," noted the study authors.

"Further research is required to understand why domestic cats, unlike other tested species, do not show a strong preference to work for food."

The study is published in the journal journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/10071">Animal Cognition</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Most animals prefer to work for their food, but not cats

When offered a choice between free food or food that...

Scientists have discovered a new species of marmoset hidden away in the forests of the Brazilian Amazon, and the monkeys are already highly threatened by habitat loss, according to a study from the <a href="https://www.wcs.org/">Wildlife Conservation Society</a>. 

The small monkey, which is now known as Schneider’s marmoset, has been found in the "arc of deforestation." This is a region along the southern edge of the Amazon that is rapidly being deforested and converted for agriculture. The experts report that this particular area accounts for half of the global land use change in the past 30 years.

The discovery of Schneider’s marmoset was made by a team of researchers led by Rodrigo Costa Araújo, who is currently a researcher at Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. 

The marmoset has been named after Professor Horacio Schneider, a pioneer and major contributor to the research of diversity and evolution of monkeys.

The Amazon marmosets - which belong to the genus Mico - are among the more diverse groups of monkeys. This group is found only in the threatened forests of the arc of deforestation. 

There is currently no conservation response to address the habitat losses that threaten the future of Mico monkeys, mainly because they are poorly studied, and the total number of Amazon marmoset species remains unknown. 

According to the experts, further research is needed to assess the conservation status of M. schneideri and to investigate the southern portion of its geographical distribution. The first step toward protecting the endangered monkeys of the Amazon is a better understanding of exactly how many species exist. 

"There are 146 primate species and subspecies in Amazonia, representing 20 percent of the global primate diversity and comprising the most diverse primate fauna in the world," wrote the study authors.

"Nonetheless, primate diversity remains understudied in Amazonia, as manifested by regular discoveries of new species. This incomplete taxonomic knowledge and the scarcity of basic ecological and distributional data for even well-known species is a major impediment to the design and implementation of effective conservation actions."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Highly threatened species of marmoset discovered in the Amazon

Scientists have discovered a new species of marmoset hidden away...

Black howler monkeys navigate the forests of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala while visiting trees in search of fruit and other food. They move in a complex environment and need to adapt their route maps depending on which trees are fruiting as well as to cope with unforeseen changes in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-create-cloud-cover-that-cools-the-climate/">forest</a>.

Humans are understood to navigate using internal maps that lay out the routes between frequently visited locations. These simple, mental maps focus on specific routes and carry little information about where each route lies in relation to others. However, humans are able to use their knowledge of distance and direction in order to link up their mental maps and take short cuts, thus adapting their maps to their navigational needs. 

In a new study published by the <a href="https://www.biologists.com/">Company of Biologists</a>, scientists Miguel de Guinea (Oxford Brookes University, UK), Sarie Van Belle (University of Texas at Austin, USA) and colleagues investigated whether howler monkeys were also able to modify their mental-based route maps in the way that humans do.

The researchers followed groups of monkeys in the forests covering the Mayan ruins in Palenque National Park, Mexico. The groups were easy to locate because they called loudly at dawn. 

"We’d arrive at the study area where our focal group was expected to be found before sunrise," said de Guinea. The team then followed the monkeys as they moved through the 50-hectare area. 

The trek was often very challenging for the researchers on foot, as the monkeys traversed the canopy, visiting their favorite fruit trees on high hills and in valleys. 

After a year of following five troops of monkeys, de Guinea and Van Belle analyzed 91 kilometers of route information and compared this with the simulated routes of randomly moving virtual primates. 

The experts found that the howler monkeys regularly travelled through the same sequence of trees and visited their favorite trees often, approaching these trees from a select few directions only. They clearly used mental maps to navigate along familiar routes through their environment. By contrast, the virtual primates seldom repeated a route. 

The howler monkeys were also able to adapt their route in the face of unforeseen changes. On one occasion, the monkeys encountered a 5m gap in one of their regular routes.

"A tree had fallen overnight," explained Van Belle. "They stopped for half an hour and then travelled along the edge to reconnect with the second half of their travel path … as if they knew this was a new obstacle and they needed to consider their options on what to do next."

Furthermore, when the researchers compared the distances traveled by monkey troops with the distances traveled by simulated primates, it was clear that the howlers used their knowledge of direction and distance to link familiar routes together in order to take short cuts and travel efficiently between locations. 

According to the researchers, the data from the study shows that howler monkeys can supplement their mental maps with knowledge of distance and direction, just as humans do. This is the first evidence which demonstrates that animals use the same cognitive skills as humans when navigating through their environment.  

The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.

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By <a href="http://bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Howler monkeys use mental maps for route navigation

Black howler monkeys navigate the forests of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala...

Humans are to blame for the extinction of many hundreds of bird species over the last 20,000 to 50,000 years, according to a new study from <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/">Tel Aviv University</a>.

In collaboration with researchers at the Weizmann Institute, the team has investigated a major extinction event that ultimately led to the disappearance of about 10 to 20 percent of all avian species.

The experts report that the vast majority of the extinct bird species shared several features: they were large, lived on islands, and many of them were flightless.

Study lead author Shai Meiri is a professor in the School of Zoology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University.

"We conducted a comprehensive review of scientific literature, and for the first time collected quantitative data on the numbers and traits of extinct species of birds worldwide. Those that became extinct in the last 300 years or so are relatively well known, while earlier species are known to science from remains found in archaeological and paleontological sites worldwide," explained Professor Meiri.

"Altogether we were able to list 469 avian species that became extinct over the last 50,000 years, but we believe that the real number is much higher."

The researchers believe the widespread extinction of birds was primarily driven by humans, who hunted the birds for food. Humans also introduced new animals to islands - such as pigs, rats, monkeys, and cats - that preyed on the birds and their eggs. 

The experts' theory is based on two main facts - the majority of the bird remains were found on human sites, and most of the extinctions occurred a short time after the arrival of humans.

Furthermore, the extinctions were not random, as most of the victims had three major features in common. Approximately 90 percent of the extinct birds lived on islands where they were hunted. 

In addition, most of the lost bird species were large, making them an ideal target for hunters. According to the researchers, the body mass of extinct birds was up to 10 times larger than that of surviving birds.  

Furthermore, a large portion of the extinct bird species were flightless, which means they would have struggled to evade hunters. The experts found that the number of flightless bird species that became extinct is double the number of flightless species still existing today. 

Overall, 68 percent of all known flightless bird species became extinct. The moa bird in New Zealand is one of the best known examples. Within 300 years, 11 moa species fell victim to hunting by humans. 

"Our study indicates that before the major extinction event of the past millennia, many more large, even giant, as well as flightless avian lived on our globe, and the diversity of birds living on islands was much greater than today," said Professor Meiri.

"We hope that our findings can serve as warning signals regarding bird species currently threatened with extinction, and it is therefore important to check whether they have similar features. It must be noted, however, that conditions have changed considerably, and today the main cause for extinction of species by humans is not hunting but rather the destruction of natural habitats."

The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652699">Journal of Biogeography</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Humans have wiped out hundreds of bird species

Humans are to blame for the extinction of many hundreds...

Hermit crabs may become sexually “excited” by an additive that is released from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/baby-sea-turtles-are-swallowing-plastic-trash/">plastics</a> in the ocean, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.hull.ac.uk/">University of Hull</a>.

The plastic additive oleamide is known to act as a pheromone that affects the behavior of certain marine animals, such as shrimp. 

The researchers, including PhD candidate Paula Schirrmacher, have been studying the compounding effects of marine plastic pollution and climate change on hermit crabs.

The experts found that oleamide increases the respiration rate of hermit crabs, signifying attraction and excitement. The substance can easily be mistaken for food. This means that hermit crabs may travel over a long distance in pursuit of a meal, only for the energy to be wasted on plastic. 

“Our study shows that oleamide attracts hermit crabs. Respiration rate increases significantly in response to low concentrations of oleamide, and hermit crabs show a behavioural attraction comparable to their response to a feeding stimulant," said Schirrmacher.

“Oleamide also has a striking resemblance to oleic acid, a chemical released by arthropods during decomposition. As scavengers, hermit crabs may misidentify oleamide as a food source, creating a trap."

“This research demonstrates that additive leaching may play a significant role in the attraction of marine life to plastic.”

Study co-author Luana Fiorella Mincarelli said that it is important to understand how plastic additives work on molecular levels, especially on reproductive success. “We have found that their toxic effect can be amplified in a climate change scenario.”

The research shows that male blue mussels were the most adversely affected by increased temperature, but females were more sensitive to DEHP, a toxic chemical found in many plastics.

The study authors concluded that rising ocean temperatures, combined with rising levels of plastic pollution, disrupt the breeding cycles of blue mussels and has a negative impact on their reproduction rates.

In another experiment, the team found evidence which confirms the theory that ocean acidification impairs the sense of smell of hermit crabs and other creatures, limiting their ability to communicate.

“Whether or not marine animals can smell plastics is a topic that previously attracted a lot of scientific controversy, but there was not much actual data," said study co-author Dr. Jorg Hardege.

But now, Schirrmacher's study on hermit crabs in Robin Hood’s Bay has revealed that the creatures are actually attracted to a chemical cue known as PEA (2-phenylethylamine). PEA is known to warn sea creatures of predators.

“To receive smell-related information correctly, the odor molecule needs to properly fit and bind to the receptor," said Dr. Christina Roggatz.

“Our results show how lower environmental pH causes small changes in the chemical properties of the odour molecules, which in turn facilitate this crucial binding step. In short: pH can make or break successful communication in the ocean.”

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hermit crabs are actually attracted to plastic additives

Hermit crabs may become sexually “excited” by an additive that...

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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...