Evolution drives all biological change. It shapes every lifeform we know, including birds. Charles Darwin laid its foundation with natural selection, explaining how organisms adapt and survive through generations.



Recent advances in genetics and bioinformatics have pushed our understanding far beyond Darwin’s notebooks. One question still haunts the scientific world: What really drives <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/evolution-itself-found-to-be-evolving-as-life-constantly-learns-to-adapt/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">novelty</a> in evolution? 



A new study by researchers at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a> offers a fresh approach and some surprising answers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-evolution-tick">What makes evolution tick</h2>



DNA changes lie at the center of evolution. These changes fuel the dazzling variety of life around us. Sometimes, they produce traits that surprise us. Other times, they lead to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-animal-will-replace-humans-as-earths-dominant-species-this-scientist-has-an-idea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mutations</a> behind deadly viruses.



That’s why understanding DNA’s shifting patterns isn’t just scientific curiosity. It matters for protecting ecosystems. It matters for predicting health threats.



"Basically, we showcase a method to extract information from genomes and reveal the forces driving biological novelty with unprecedented detail," said David Duchene, a professor in the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birds-as-evolution-s-case-study">Birds as evolution’s case study</h2>



The team used birds as their main study group. Why birds? They’re the most diverse group of vertebrates - 10,000 species strong.



"We used birds as our study subject. With 10,000 known species, they are the most diverse class of vertebrates and uniquely suited for exploring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-chapter-in-human-evolution-revealed-through-genetics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evolutionary phenomena</a>. With our method, we were able to identify key factors that influence how these bird lineages and their thousands of genes evolve," explained Duchene.



Their method identified four key evolutionary factors: clutch size, gene biochemistry, chromosome size, and leg length. Duchene says these results break the idea that one trait, like flying or singing, steers a group’s evolution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-evolution-depends-on-many-traits">Bird evolution depends on many traits</h2>



"Our study tells us that you will find much nuance as to the drivers of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/evolutions-many-solutions-nature-finds-multiple-paths-to-success/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">novelty</a> once you look at multiple lineages and genes in detail. The biochemistry, chromosomes, and various aspects of lifestyle all play distinct roles in bringing about novelty," said Duchene.



It’s not one factor but many. The research shows how each piece, from gene makeup to physical traits, helps shape the tree of life. This view gives experts a better toolkit for tracking changes across different organisms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clues-to-the-next-pandemic">Clues to the next pandemic</h2>



The findings stretch beyond birds, offering deeper insight into evolution across many forms of life.



The method could help scientists track how diseases evolve. It could help understand how plants respond to climate change. And it could point to what we risk losing in our current biodiversity crisis.



According to Duchene, the findings can be applied to a variety of contexts, such as understanding how diseases adapt to human demographics or climate conditions.



"The same principles that help us decode the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-model-esm3-creates-new-protein-that-simulates-500-million-years-of-biological-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diversity</a> of birds could also be used to investigate the genetic changes driving everything from pandemics to species adaptation in shifting ecosystems," said Duchene.



"This method could tell us: What is special about what we are losing in the current biodiversity crisis? What exactly made those animals so novel and unique, and what have they taught us about evolution such that we might want to preserve them?" 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-evolution-and-the-study-of-life">Bird evolution and the study of life</h2>



Every extinct species takes with it a chapter of evolution’s story. Understanding why those species were unique helps us grasp the full scale of what’s being lost. 



It also shows us what we must protect - not just for the sake of nature, but for future discoveries about life itself.



With this new approach, scientists can now map the drivers of evolution more clearly than ever before. The tools used to decode bird diversity may soon help us understand the rise of new diseases or the disappearance of key species. 



The study invites a shift in thinking - from seeing evolution as a slow and distant process to recognizing it as something dynamic and ongoing.



Nature still holds many secrets. But thanks to this work from the University of Copenhagen, we are one step closer to understanding how life continues to surprise, survive, and evolve.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08777-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Decoding evolution: How birds can help us prevent pandemics

Evolution drives all biological change. It shapes every lifeform we know, including birds. Charles Darwin laid its foundation with natural selection, explaining how organisms adapt and survive through generations. Recent advances in genetics and bioinformatics have pushed our understanding far beyond Darwin’s notebooks. One question still haunts the scientific world: What really drives novelty in evolution? A new study by researchers at the University of Copenhagen offers a fresh approach and some surprising answers. What makes evolution tick DNA changes lie at the center of evolution. These...

A study from <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/">UCLA</a> has revealed that animals with more genetic variation are the best candidates for relocation. The researchers analyzed the outcomes for more than 9,000 tortoises that were moved from the Mojave Desert to Nevada's Ivanpah Valley. The study revealed that genetic variation was the strongest predictor of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mangrove-forests-face-a-triple-threat-to-their-survival/">survival</a>. 

From 1997 to 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service moved tortoises that had been displaced by development to a large translocation site that spanned about 39 square miles. The researchers expected that animals would fare best if they were adapted to living in areas that were closest to the site.

However, the study showed that the tortoises' place of origin did not have an influence on their chances of survival. Instead, tortoises with lots of genetic variation were much more likely to survive after their relocation, explained study senior author Professor Brad Shaffer.

Most living organisms have two copies of their entire genome, with one copy from each parent. Animals that have greater differences among these copies have higher levels of heterozygosity. The researchers found that the surviving tortoises had a 23-percent higher level of heterozygosity.

"It flies in the face of what we know from other translocation studies, but lots of genetic variation was hands-down the best predictor of whether a tortoise lived or died," said Professor Shaffer. "Relocating endangered plants and animals is increasingly necessary to counteract the effects of climate change, and this gives us a new tool to increase survival rates."

Study lead author Peter Scott said that although the relationship between heterozygosity and survival was well supported by the study, it's unclear why greater genetic variation is linked to survival rates.

"Potentially, individuals with higher heterozygosity have more genomic flexibility," said Scott. "It's likely that tortoises with more variation have a better chance of having one copy of a gene that works really well in stressful or new environments compared to those individuals with two identical copies that only work really well in their environment of origin."

"The only reason we could do this study was because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was incredibly forward-thinking when they set up the translocation site and tracked who lived and died," explained Professor Shaffer. "Many died, and no one was happy about that. But we can learn a lot from that unfortunate result to help conservation management improve."

"When thinking about moving animals or plants out of danger, or repopulating an area emptied by wildfire, now we can easily and economically measure genetic variability to better gauge the survival probability of those translocated individuals. It's not the only criteria, but it's an important piece of the puzzle."

The study 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

Animals with higher genetic variation are much more resilient

A study from UCLA has revealed that animals with more...

By gaining a better understanding of traditional Chinese medicine, conservationists will be more capable of protecting endangered <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/animals-in-cold-climates-are-facing-a-higher-risk-of-disease-outbreaks/">animals</a> like rhinos and tigers, according to a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a>. 

"The consumptive use of wildlife is often rooted in traditional beliefs and customs," wrote the study authors. "Many people around the world rely on traditional forms of medicine for their health and wellbeing." 

"These diverse medical systems make use of an array of wild plants, animals and fungi, often ones that are locally available and that are not threatened. However, some traditional medical systems make use of products derived from endangered species, including Traditional Chinese Medicine."

Study lead author and phD candidate Hubert Cheung said efforts to shift entrenched values and beliefs about Chinese medicine are not achieving conservation gains in the short term. He explained that a better understanding of traditional practices was critical for conservationists to form more effective strategies.

"The use of endangered species in traditional Chinese medicine threatens species' survival and is a challenge for conservationists. Pushing messages of inefficacy, providing various forms of scientific evidence or promoting biomedical alternatives doesn't seem to be drastically influencing decisions and behaviors."

Cheung pointed out that while many practices and treatments continue to be criticized for lacking scientific support, the World Health Organization approved the inclusion of traditional Chinese medicine in its global compendium of medical practices last year.

"The challenge now is for conservationists to work proactively with practitioners and others in the industry to find sustainable solutions," said Cheung. "However, most conservation scientists and organizations are unfamiliar with traditional Chinese medicine, which makes it difficult to devise effective and culturally-nuanced interventions."

In an effort to make traditional Chinese medicine more accessible, the researchers have examined the core theories and practices. They hope this study may influence policy and campaigning.

"Today, traditional Chinese medicine is formally integrated into China's healthcare system, and has been central to China's response to the ongoing pandemic," said Cheung. "In fact, the Chinese government's COVID-19 clinical guidance has included recommendations for the use of a product containing bear bile, which has raised concerns among conservation groups."

According to study co-author Professor Hugh Possingham, traditional Chinese medicine is now not only entrenched in the social and cultural fabric of Chinese society, but also gaining users elsewhere.

"A better understanding of traditional Chinese medicine will empower conservationists to engage more constructively with stakeholders in this space," said Professor Possingham."We're hoping that this work can help all parties develop more effective and lasting solutions for species threatened by medicinal use."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/25758314">People and Nature</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

Understanding Chinese medicine could protect endangered animals

By gaining a better understanding of traditional Chinese medicine, conservationists...

An infectious <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/meat-and-dairy-consumption-linked-to-higher-risk-of-cancer/">cancer</a> that affects the Tasmanian devil has split into different lineages over the past two decades, according to a new study published by <a href="https://plos.org/">PLOS</a>. Understanding the evolution of this disease may explain why Tasmanian devils are vanishing and inform efforts to help protect these endangered animals. 

"Devil facial tumor 1 (DFT1) is a transmissible cancer affecting Tasmanian devils, marsupial carnivores endemic to the Australian island of Tasmania," wrote the study authors. "Spread between devils by the transfer of living cancer cells through biting, DFT1 usually manifests as tumors on the head or inside the mouth." 

"Animals with symptoms consistent with DFT1 were first observed in north-east Tasmania in 1996, and the disease has subsequently expanded across the island. DFT1 is usually fatal and has caused significant declines in devil populations, posing a serious conservation threat to the species."

The researchers explained that unlike most cancers that remain confined within the bodies of their hosts, DFT1 is a clonal lineage that descended from the cells of an individual Tasmanian devil. "Rather than dying together with this animal, DFT1 continued to survive by spreading as an allogeneic graft through the devil population."

Tumor cells that are transferred to a new host through biting are able to resist the animal's immune defenses and establish a new tumor that is usually fatal. 

The team conducted a genomic analysis on 648 DFT1 tumors that were collected between 2003 and 2018. The investigation showed that early on in the spread of the tumor, DFT1 split into five clades, or sublineages. Three of these lineages survived and continued to spread, and one of them - clade A - split yet again. 

The researchers mapped the distribution of each clade, which reveals how infected devils have spread the cancer through the environment and suggests that certain geographic features may play a role in disease transmission. 

"The distribution of DFT1 clades supports epidemiological evidence suggesting that DFT1 originated in the 1980s or 1990s in northeast Tasmania and first spread rapidly into high-density devil populations in central and eastern areas before a gradual movement towards the more isolated northwest," explained the study authors. 

"Tumor sublineages that diverged early within all three major clades (A, B, and C) are detectable in the northeast, suggesting that the three clades’ most recent common ancestor may have been located there." 

The researchers also found multiple examples of instability in the DFT1 genome, including the duplication or loss of genes. However, the experts noted that the degree of genomic diversity observed within the devil tumor population was small compared to that often found even within a single human tumor.

As a result of the DFT1 outbreak and several other risk factors, the Tasmanian devil population has declined to the point of becoming endangered, and the animals are now facing the emergence of a second transmissible cancer - DFT2.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLOS Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Deadly disease spread by Tasmanian devils is evolving

An infectious cancer that affects the Tasmanian devil has split...

In a new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>, experts have found that dolphins can slow down their heart rate before diving to conserve oxygen and prevent issues associated with pressure. The research indicates that dolphins and other marine <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/polygynous-male-mammals-may-have-more-sexual-aggression/">mammals</a> consciously lower their heart rate to match the duration of an upcoming dive.&nbsp;

"Dolphins have the capacity to vary their reduction in heart rate as much as you and I are able to reduce how fast we breathe," said Dr. Andreas Fahlman of the <a href="https://www.oceanografic.org/fundacion/">Fundación Oceanogràfic</a> in Spain. "This allows them to conserve oxygen during their dives, and may also be key to avoiding diving-related problems such as decompression sickness, known as 'the bends.'"

The findings provide unprecedented insight into how marine mammals conserve oxygen and adjust to pressure while diving.

The study was focused on three male bottlenose dolphins that were trained to hold their breath for different lengths of time upon instruction.&nbsp;

"We trained the dolphins for a long breath-hold, a short one, and one where they could do whatever they wanted," explained Dr. Fahlman. "When asked to hold their breath, their heart rates lowered before or immediately as they began the breath-hold. We also observed that the dolphins reduced their heart rates faster and further when preparing for the long breath-hold, compared to the other holds."

It is important for experts to understand how marine mammals are able to dive safely for long periods of time in order to help prevent health risks associated with human-caused sound disturbances.&nbsp;

"Man-made sounds, such as underwater blasts during oil exploration, are linked to problems such as the bends in these animals," said Dr. Fahlman. 

"If this ability to regulate heart rate is important to avoid decompression sickness, and sudden exposure to an unusual sound causes this mechanism to fail, we should avoid sudden loud disturbances and instead slowly increase the noise level over time to cause minimal stress. In other words, our research may provide very simple mitigation methods to allow humans and animals to safely share the ocean."

It has been difficult for scientists to analyze changes in dolphin physiology during dives due to the practical challenges of measuring relevant functions such as heart rate and breathing.

"We worked with a small sample size of three trained male dolphins housed in professional care," said Dr. Fahlman. "We used custom-made equipment to measure the lung function of the animals, and attached electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors to measure their heart rates."

Andy Jabas is a dolphin care specialist at Siegfried &amp; Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, Las Vegas, which is the home of the dolphins observed for this study.

"The close relationship between the trainers and animals is hugely important when training dolphins to participate in scientific studies," said Jabas.

"This bond of trust enabled us to have a safe environment for the dolphins to become familiar with the specialized equipment and to learn to perform the breath-holds in a fun and stimulating training environment. The dolphins all participated willingly in the study and were able to leave at any time."

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology">Frontiers in Physiology</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

Dolphins lower their heart rate before diving to conserve oxygen

In a new study published by Frontiers, experts have found...

Plants and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/animals-in-cold-climates-are-facing-a-higher-risk-of-disease-outbreaks/">animals</a> depend on cues from the environment to time critically important activities such as breeding and migration. For example, birds need to hatch their chicks at the same time that food sources are most abundant. In a new study, experts have found that the speed at which a species adapts to climate change is a reflection of past evolution, and that groups will acclimate at a different pace according to their local environment.

Study co-lead author Professor Tomas Roslin is in charge of research teams at both the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en">University of Helsinki</a> and at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

"One such cue relates to temperatures: in warm years, all types of events tend to occur early, and in cold years, they tend to occur late. How much events shift with shifts in temperature is described by something that we call a 'reaction norm,'" explained Professor Roslin.

Any given shift in the local environment can be used as a cue, and individuals in one geographic location may shift the timing of their activity more than those in another. To investigate what may happen as a result of varying local adaptations, the researchers compiled observations of seasonal events from several hundred sites throughout the former Soviet Union that spanned many decades. The massive dataset presents experts with an unprecedented opportunity to explore climate change responses across a huge area.

"We looked at events ranging from the first song of the great tit through the appearance of the common toad and the appearance of the first porcini mushroom to the end of birch leaf fall," said study co-lead author Maria Delgado from the Oviedo University in Spain. "What we saw was a general rigidity in species' response to year-to-year variation in climate, i.e. the earlier the year, the more did the timing of the phenological event lag behind the timing of the cue from temperatures."

"On top of this, we saw large differences between seasons and sites. Differences in the reaction norms of different sites accentuated phenological responses in the spring and dampened them in the autumn. As a result, local population variation in the timing of events is greater in the spring and less in the autumn than if all populations followed the same reaction norm. Overall, such patterns will affect species' response to climate change in opposite ways in spring and autumn."

The data that was compiled for the analysis was recorded in more than 150 protected areas across the former Soviet Union. The significance of these records for studying dynamic local environments has been largely overlooked, as they were hidden away and archived in annual reports.

"But over the past decade, we have now been trying to mobilize these data. To this end, we have been working with an amazing group of more than 300 colleagues in over 80 organizations from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan," explained Evgeniy Meyke, who helped compile the dataset with Professor Otso Ovaskainen.

"This has been a thrilling journey - and it is only a beginning. We are excited by the enthusiasm of the environmental science professionals who initiated this collaboration. They gave the world an opportunity to connect with the results of their life long work, which had remained mostly unknown to the international scientific community," said Professor Ovaskainen.

"Sadly, in most of the participating countries, protected areas and their staff are currently facing tough challenges. We hope that our findings will summon the interest of the international community, and focus attention on the global importance of these areas and the irreplaceable scientific work done by their staff. Should these time series break, there is no way to re-forge them."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The local environment plays a role in how species acclimate

Plants and animals depend on cues from the environment to...

Changes in fire activity are putting at risk more than 4,400 species across the globe, according to a study led by the <a href="https://www.unimelb.edu.au/">University of Melbourne</a>. Some of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-species-of-infectious-rickettsia-bacteria-found-in-dogs/">species</a> threatened by more frequent and intense fires are the orangutan in Indonesia and mallee emu-wren in Australia.

"Those species include 19 percent of birds, 16 percent of mammals, 17 percent of dragonflies and 19 percent of legumes that are classified as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable," said study lead author Dr. Luke Kelly. "That's a massive number of plants and animals facing threats associated with fire."

Dr. Kelly pointed out that recent fires have burned ecosystems where wildfire has historically been rare or absent, from the tropical forests of Queensland, Southeast Asia, and South America to the tundra of the Arctic Circle.

"Very large and severe fires have also been observed in areas with a long history of recurrent fire, and this is consistent with observations of longer fire seasons and predictions of increased wildfire activity in the forests and shrublands of Australia, southern Europe and the western United States."

The research team, which included 27 experts from all over the world, determined that the area burned by bushfires on Australia's eastern seaboard from August 2019 to March 2020 totaled 12.6 million hectares - an event that was unprecedented.

Some ecosystems and animals depend on fire, and are actually threatened more when there is a lack of it. Across African savanna, for example, less fire activity can lead to shrub encroachment, which displaces many wild herbivores.

"Understanding what's causing changes in different places helps us to find effective solutions that benefit people and nature," said  Dr. Kelly.

The experts report that global climate change, invasive species, and land-use changes are the three main human drivers that influence fire activity. 

"It really is time for new, bolder conservation initiatives," said Dr. Kelly. "Emerging actions include large-scale habitat restoration, reintroductions of mammals that reduce fuels, creation of low-flammability green spaces and letting bushfires burn under the right conditions."

"The role of people is really important: Indigenous fire stewardship will enhance biodiversity and human well-being in many regions of the world."

The study 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

Frequent fire activity threatens more than 4,400 species worldwide

Changes in fire activity are putting at risk more than...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a>, researchers have found that young alligators have the ability to regenerate their tails. Remarkably, the alligators can regrow the complex structures by up to three-quarters of a foot, or 18 percent of their total body length.

Adult male American alligators measure up to 15 feet in length. While it has been well-documented that much smaller reptiles such as lizards are capable of regrowing entire appendages, regeneration has not been studied extensively in alligators.

In collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the researchers used advanced imaging techniques to examine the structure of regrown alligator tails. The team discovered that the new tails had a central skeleton composed of cartilage surrounded by connective tissue that was interlaced with blood vessels and nerves. 

"What makes the alligator interesting, apart from its size, is that the regrown tail exhibits signs of both regeneration and wound healing within the same structure," said study lead author Cindy Xu. "Regrowth of cartilage, blood vessels, nerves, and scales were consistent with previous studies of lizard tail regeneration from our lab and others. However, we were surprised to discover scar-like connective tissue in place of skeletal muscle in the regrown alligator tail. Future comparative studies will be important to understand why regenerative capacity is variable among different reptile and animal groups."

The discovery that alligators are regrowing complex new tails could provide experts with new insight about the regeneration process in amniotes - the large group of animals that have backbones including alligators and humans. 

"The ancestors of alligators and dinosaurs and birds split off around 250 million years ago," said study co-senior author Professor Kenro Kusumi. "Our finding that alligators have retained the cellular machinery to regrow complex tails while birds have lost that ability raises the question of when during evolution this ability was lost. Are there fossils out there of dinosaurs, whose lineage led to modern birds, with regrown tails? We haven't found any evidence of that so far in the published literature."

The researchers hope their work may ultimately lead to the development of new methods for repairing injuries and treating diseases such as arthritis.

"If we understand how different animals are able to repair and regenerate tissues, this knowledge can then be leveraged to develop medical therapies," said study co-author Professor Rebecca Fisher.

"Staff biologists in our Alligator Research and Management Program have been pleased to partner with Dr. Kusumi at Arizona State University for many years," said Ruth M. Elsey, a biologist at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

"We see alligators in the field with some indication of possible regrowth of tail tissue, but their expertise led to the current study detailing the histological changes associated with the capacity for possible partial tail regrowth or wound repair."

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

Complex tail regeneration has been discovered in alligators

In a new study from Arizona State University, researchers have...

Global warming may increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks in animals that are adapted to cooler and milder climates, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">AAAS</a>. On the other hand, animals adapted to warmer climates could experience mild reductions in infectious disease risk as temperatures rise. 

In addition to habitat loss, invasive species, and many other climate-related threats, ecological communities are now faced with more frequent and widespread disease outbreaks. Observations over the last several decades indicate that there is a link between climate change and infectious disease risk in wildlife. 

"Infectious disease outbreaks among wildlife have surged in recent decades alongside global climate change," wrote the study authors. "However, the circumstances under which climate change is most likely to promote or inhibit infectious disease remain unknown for several reasons."

Scientists have proposed the "thermal mismatch" theory to help explain the complex relationships between parasites, hosts, and their environment. The theory suggests that small-bodied, infectious pathogens have a greater tolerance for abnormal temperatures than the larger-bodied species they seek out as hosts. 

As a result, animals adapted to warmer conditions are at the greatest risk of disease outbreaks under unusually cooler temperatures, while animals that are accustomed to cooler climates are faced with greater threats as temperatures rise.

"However, thermal mismatches may not affect diverse hosts and parasites equally because wildlife host and parasite traits can greatly influence disease outcomes," explained the researchers. "For example, thermal mismatches might exert an especially strong influence over disease outcomes in ectothermic hosts because their immune responses are highly temperature-dependent."

"To address this challenge, we examined how disease risk was affected by temperature for diverse wildlife hosts and parasites that vary in ecologically important traits across a worldwide climatic gradient."

Study lead author Jeremy Cohen is an expert in climate change ecology at University of Wisconsin. His team assembled a dataset which included pathogen prevalence in 2,021 host-pathogen pairs from 7,346 wildlife populations worldwide, along with local weather and climate data for each location. 

"We found that on average, hosts from cool and warm climates experienced increased disease risk at abnormally warm and cool temperatures, respectively, as predicted by the thermal mismatch hypothesis," explained the study authors. 

The effects were largely dependent on the parasite identity and host traits, and were strongest among cold-blooded species. The researchers also noted that the thermal mismatch effect was similar in terrestrial and freshwater systems.

The study 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

Animals in cold climates are facing a higher risk of disease outbreaks

Global warming may increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/young-monarch-butterflies-are-stressed-by-human-handling/">Monarch</a> butterfly caterpillars can flip the switch from harmonious to hostile when their favorite food may become unavailable. In a new study published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, scientists observed caterpillars with limited access to milkweed lashing out and lunging at others, attempting to headbutt them out of the way. The caterpillars were found to the most aggressive during the final stages before metamorphosis.

Study lead author Alex Keene is a professor of Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University.

"I saw that there were basically no published papers on aggression in this or any other caterpillar species, but there's a lot of exciting work that's been done on fruit flies where they've found single-pheromone receptors or single genes that trigger aggression," said Professor Keene. "Now we might be able to take that powerful neurobiology and genetics and study it in a more ecologically relevant organism."

Professor Keene normally explores the neurobiology of fruit flies, but he turned his attention to monarchs after observing their aggressive behavior in his garden. Monarchs are a good indicator of the pollinators present in any given ecosystem - if they are declining, other pollinator numbers are likely dwindling as well. 

At their largest body size, a single monarch caterpillar can eat an entire milkweed leaf in under 5 minutes. "If you compare that to a fruit fly where there are a lot of larvae on one piece of rotting fruit, there is less competition there," said Professor Keene. "But each of these caterpillars will at some point in their developmental cycle encounter resource limitation."

To investigate, the researchers built an open milkweed garden behind their lab in Boca Raton and waited for the caterpillars to arrive on their own. In the lab, the team grouped caterpillars together with different amounts of milkweed. The results were consistent. When there was less food available, the caterpillars were likely to headbutt each other out of the way to get more milkweed. 

Professor Kenne explained that the experiment itself turned out to be a bit complicated. "We definitely had a lot of challenges. We had a hard time breeding the monarchs in the lab, and we found that almost every nursery sells their milkweed with pesticides. So, we ended up having to grow our own. But I like to say that resilience is one of the main characteristics scientists have to have because most of what we do doesn't work."

Going forward, the researchers want to learn more about what drives the aggressive response to limited food in the brains of the caterpillars. This will provide insight into how these responses work in nature.

"One of the fundamental problems with work like this is that we're testing animals in a very derived setting. And that's not what brains evolved to do," explained Professor Keene. "So now that we have this invertebrate model in a relatively controlled setting, but doing an ecologically relevant behavior, that becomes important in terms of looking at the mechanism and function of this behavior in more complex organisms."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</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

Monarch caterpillars resort to headbutting when food is limited

Monarch butterfly caterpillars can flip the switch from harmonious to...

Fifty years after they were hunted to near extinction, blue whales have returned to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Scientists at the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/">British Antarctic Survey</a> made the discovery while following up on a recent study which revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humpback-whales-sing/">humpback</a> whales are also returning to South Georgia.

The international research team analyzed 30 years worth of sightings, photographs, and underwater sound recordings to investigate how Antarctic blue whales are recovering after commercial whaling was banned in the 1960s.

Blue whales were once abundant off South Georgia before commercial whaling killed more than 42,000 individuals between 1904 and 1971. The giant fish vanished from this region, with only a single blue whale sighting between 1998 and 2018. By 2020, however, a survey in February recorded 58 blue whale sightings and numerous acoustic detections.

"The continued absence of blue whales at South Georgia has been seen as an iconic example of a population that was locally exploited beyond the point where it could recover," said study lead author Susannah Calderan of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS).

"But over the past few years we've been working at South Georgia, we have become quite optimistic about the numbers of blue whales seen and heard around the island, which hadn't been happening until very recently. This year was particularly exciting, with more blue whale sightings than we ever could have hoped for."

The researchers used devices that can detect the loud, low frequency calls of whales over long distances. The team also collected records of whale sightings reported to the South Georgia Museum.

Overall, 41 individuals have been identified in photographs from South Georgia over the last ten years, yet none of these match the 517 whales in the current Antarctic blue whale photographic catalog.

"We don't quite know why it has taken the blue whales so long to come back," said Calderan. "It may be that so many of them were killed at South Georgia that there was a loss of cultural memory in the population that the area was a foraging ground, and that it is only now being rediscovered."

The remote location, harsh weather, and lack of access to South Georgia greatly limit the opportunities for whale surveys, yet careful examination of the region is critical for future management.

"This is an exciting discovery and a really positive step forward for conservation of the Antarctic blue whale," said study co-author Dr. Jennifer Jackson, who led the 2020 whale expedition.

"With South Georgia waters designated as a Marine Protected Area by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, we hope that these increased numbers of blue whales are a sign of things to come and that our research can continue to contribute to effective management of the area."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.int-res.com/journals/esr/esr-home/">Endangered Species Research</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

Blue whales are making a comeback in South Georgia

Fifty years after they were hunted to near extinction, blue...

In a recent review, Dr. Marcelo H. Cassini analyzed studies on sexual aggression among non-human mammals. The research was focused on "sexual disturbance," or aggressive male behavior toward a female around <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cross-mating-finches-exchanged-genes-and-beak-shape/">mating</a> time that could result in physical harm or cause mother-offspring separation.

"In non‐human mammals, sexual conflict should be particularly intense because males rarely provide parental care," explained Dr. Cassini. "An expected consequence of sexual conflict is male aggression towards mates."

"Considering how complex measurements and interpretations of behaviors such as sexual aggression and sexual coercion are, I preferred to define operationally, as sexual disturbance - any male behavior towards females during the pericopulatory period that can be costly for females."

Dr. Cassini set out to estimate how widespread sexual disturbance is among mammals, and to analyze the various types of female responses to sexual disturbance. He also wanted to characterize the consequences of such male aggression for the females.

"I conducted a systematic review by searching the literature in the Web of Knowledge database using the search tools available for 19 main journals, and I conducted a qualitative review via a taxon‐by‐taxon analysis."

The study, which was published by <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us">Wiley</a>, revealed that sexual disturbance is common in 4 of the 32 mammalian orders examined: Primates, Artiodactyla, Carnivora, and Cetacea. All of these groups include species that practice polygyny, which is when males mate with multiple females. 

"The most common expression of sexual conflict around copulation is seen in behaviors associated with female retention attempts that cause minor harm," said Dr. Cassini. "Research suggests that the most common response of females to sexual disturbance comprises female grouping around a dominant male."

According to Dr. Cassini, his review suggests that sexual aggression is a rare behavior when you consider that there are thousands of species of mammals. Further studies are needed to see whether sexual disturbance affects the reproductive success of males and females.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652907">Mammal Review</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

Polygynous male mammals may have more sexual aggression

In a recent review, Dr. Marcelo H. Cassini analyzed studies...

Despite previous reports that vertebrates are in a global state of decline, a new study from <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a> has determined otherwise. The researchers found that some specific <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/human-development-has-the-biggest-impact-on-dwindling-koala-populations/">populations</a> really are in trouble, such as those in the Indo-Pacific region, but that vertebrates are actually stable overall. 

Mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and fish are all animals within the subphylum Vertebrata. Based on historical monitoring data, experts have typically estimated that vertebrates have declined by an average of more than 50 percent over the last five decades. 

The McGill researchers determined that this average number is greatly impacted by a small portion of animal populations that have experienced extreme losses.

"Recent analyses have reported catastrophic global declines in vertebrate populations,"wrote the experts. "However, the distillation of many trends into a global mean index obscures the variation that can inform conservation measures and can be sensitive to analytical decisions. For example, previous analyses have estimated a mean vertebrate decline of more than 50% since 1970." 

"Here we show, however, that this estimate is driven by less than 3% of vertebrate populations; if these extremely declining populations are excluded, the global trend switches to an increase."

Study senior author Brian Leung explains that given the previous mathematical methods used to model vertebrate populations, an estimate could arise from two very different scenarios: widespread systematic declines or a few extreme declines. For the current investigation, the researchers took a different approach.

The team analyzed a dataset of over 14,000 vertebrate populations from around the globe collated in the Living Planet Database. The  researchers identified a very small percentage of vertebrate populations which have suffered extreme population losses, including reptiles in tropical areas of North, Central and South America, and birds in the Indo-Pacific region. 

When these extreme losses were accounted for, the remaining vertebrate populations as a whole were not generally increasing or decreasing.

"The variation in this global aggregate is also important. Some populations really are in trouble and regions such as the Indo-Pacific are showing widespread systematic declines. However, the image of a global 'biodiversity desert' is not supported by the evidence." said Leung. "This is good, as it would be very discouraging if all of our conservation efforts over the last five decades had little effect."

"We were surprised by how strong the effect of these extreme populations was in driving the previous estimate of average global decline," said study co-author Professor Anna Hargreaves. "Our results identify regions that need urgent action to ameliorate widespread biodiversity declines, but also reason to hope that our actions can make a difference."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Vertebrate populations are not in a global state of decline

Despite previous reports that vertebrates are in a global state...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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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"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[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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