Big,Cuttlefish,Hanging,In,The,Blue,Water,Close,Up,Photo

Cuttlefish, small marine animals that are masters of disguise, have left researchers wide-eyed by demonstrating high levels of self-control and an innate ability to wait, think, and make smart decisions. 



These highly-intelligent relatives of octopuses and squids have shown they’re capable of pausing for better rewards at a later point in time. 



It’s the same idea behind a popular test originally given to kids to see if they could wait for a bigger treat. Instead of marshmallows, though, these sea critters wait for shrimp.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ability-of-cuttlefish-to-wait">Ability of cuttlefish to wait</h2>



The findings come from a <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.3161" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> where scientists adapted <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/marshmallow-test-revisited" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the famous marshmallow test</a> to measure whether cuttlefish would pass on a snack if it meant enjoying tastier food later.



After it was confirmed they could hold out for something better, the team took things a step further. They checked if the same animals that showed self-control would also do well on a learning task. They did.&nbsp;



This is according to behavioral ecologist Alexandra Schnell from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a> in the UK, whose team first confirmed that cuttlefish could hold back their impulses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-peeking-inside-clever-minds">Peeking inside clever minds</h2>



Cuttlefish belong to a group of animals known for surprising feats. Certain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/octopuses-could-dominate-earth-if-humans-vanish/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">octopuses</a> have been filmed using coconut shells as portable hideouts.



Some squids communicate with patterns on their bodies. But these findings raised a question for Dr. Schnell’s team: do cuttlefish also show <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cuttlefish-camouflage-is-much-more-complex-and-mind-boggling-than-initially-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">problem-solving skills</a> that appear in large-brained animals like crows and chimpanzees? 



One <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.3161" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experiment</a> put that question to the test by letting the cuttlefish choose between a snack they could get right away or an even better snack if they waited. As soon as they picked the immediate option, the better meal disappeared.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-cuttlefish-waiting-matters">Why cuttlefish waiting matters </h2>



When kids take part in a marshmallow test, they might look around nervously or cover their eyes so they don’t eat the treat too soon. In dogs, a similar ability to delay reward has been <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep42459" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studied</a> using treat tests.



While most of our beloved pets struggle to resist, some can wait longer than others. This skill often suggests a capacity for planning ahead. 



Cuttlefish, though, have never been known to rely on food storing or shared group behavior that might explain why they’d stand to benefit from waiting. So, a patient cuttlefish is a bit of a head-scratcher.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-food-to-camouflage">From food to camouflage</h2>



The study was carried out in collaboration with senior scientist <a href="https://www.mbl.edu/research/faculty-and-whitman-scientists/Roger%20Hanlon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roger Hanlon</a> at the Marine Biological Laboratory (<a href="https://www.mbl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MBL</a>). One theory for this behavior points to the cuttlefish’s defensive strategies. 



They spend a lot of time blending in with their surroundings to avoid being eaten. That means they can’t just dart around all day in search of nibbles. 



In many cases, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cuttlefish-form-false-memories-events-similar-human-brains/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ability to hold out</a> might help cuttlefish wait for better prey, rather than risk revealing themselves for something mediocre. 



“Cuttlefish in the present study were all able to wait for the better reward and tolerated delays for up to 50-130 seconds, which is comparable to what we see in large-brained vertebrates such as chimpanzees, crows, and parrots,” said Dr. Schnell. 



A team of six cuttlefish proved they could hang back for up to about 130 seconds, which is roughly two minutes.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cuttlefish-wait-and-adapt-quickly">Cuttlefish wait and adapt quickly</h2>



Cuttlefish aren’t known to be social, nor do they spend time carrying objects to build complex traps. But <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-cuttlefish-instantly-change-their-skin-color-based-on-what-they-see-and-feel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">they do learn quickly</a>.



To measure that, the team placed two distinct shapes in the tank. One symbol signaled a reward if they touched it. 



Later, the scientists switched the meaning. The cuttlefish had to figure out that the “correct” shape now meant something else entirely. 



This is called a reversal-learning task, and it often trips up animals that rely on routine. Oddly enough, the cuttlefish that were better at waiting for a shrimp snack also learned this shape-swapping game in fewer tries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-memories-that-stay-sharp">Memories that stay sharp</h2>



Longer <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0038125" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> on cuttlefish hint they may also have a good handle on remembering past events. 



Researchers have tested whether these animals recall what they ate, when they ate it, and where they found it. Their memory holds up, even when they’re older. 



Other <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(24)01547-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> show they might sometimes form mistaken memories. That means the way they store events in their minds could be as twisty as it is in humans. 



Cuttlefish may even exhibit different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-three-fish-make-a-school-study-offers-surprising-insights/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">responses</a> to misleading cues, suggesting a process much like our own memory reconstruction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-intelligence">Understanding intelligence</h2>



Biologists studying big brains in animals often look at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bonobos-group-cohesion-common-enemy-effect-do-not-kill-inside-their-species/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">primates</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-care-more-about-unmet-expectations-than-fairness/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">corvids</a>, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parrots-have-a-unique-voice-print-similar-to-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parrots</a>, because these groups seem to come up with creative solutions to daily challenges. 



The cuttlefish’s ability to hold back in a waiting game is a strong clue that self-control doesn’t always depend on working in teams or building fancy tools. It could arise from a creature’s environment. 



In this case, it might have grown out of the cuttlefish’s camouflage routine and the need to pick high-quality prey without exposing itself to danger.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



Cuttlefish might not make complicated gadgets or team up to hunt in packs, yet they handle some tasks as well as animals famous for smarts.&nbsp;



That raises a puzzle about how intelligence evolves in separate branches of the animal kingdom. 



Scientists have speculated that these brainy feats can pop up when a species needs to adapt in special ways, whether to outwit predators or to find hidden meals.



The team's research was published in <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/lookup/doi/10.1098/rspb.2020.3161" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.



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Cuttlefish show levels of self-control and reasoning that rivals that of primates

Cuttlefish, small marine animals that are masters of disguise, have left researchers wide-eyed by demonstrating high levels of self-control and an innate ability to wait, think, and make smart decisions. These highly-intelligent relatives of octopuses and squids have shown they’re capable of pausing for better rewards at a later point in time.  It’s the same idea behind a popular test originally given to kids to see if they could wait for a bigger treat. Instead of marshmallows, though, these sea critters wait for shrimp. Ability of cuttlefish...

Tracking the global distribution of a frog-killing fungus. Researchers from the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a> have mapped the distribution and spread of a deadly fungal disease that is rapidly wiping out amphibians. 

Chytrid is the name given to nearly 1,000 species of fungi, and some variants are more harmful than others. The variety Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which was first discovered in the 1990s, is deadly to frogs and has been linked to amphibian extinctions on a global scale. 

One study, published in the journal <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/363/6434/1459">Science</a>, found that Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis had caused declines in nearly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fungal-disease-mass-amphibian-extinction/">501 species of amphibians</a> over the years. 

“Amphibians are already one of the most imperiled groups on the planet, and this fungal disease is further threatening their biodiversity,” said Erica Bree Rosenblum, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Rosenblum, along with an international team of researchers, analyzed swabs taken from the skin of hundreds of frogs to help track the disease and map the geography of the different genetic lineages of the fungus.  

Knowing which variants that a frog is most susceptible to based on its geographic range could help prevent the spread of disease and reduce frog declines. 

“An invisible aspect of globalization is that when we move plants and animals around, we are moving their diseases around, and that can have really devastating consequences,” said Rosenblum. “If we know what lineages are where, we can better predict conservation outcomes, because some of these lineages are really deadly, and others less so.” 

Tracing the genetic lineage of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is incredibly challenging because so much about the variety remains a mystery. 

For this study, the researchers found a way to determine which variant of fungus a frog was infected with using just a skin swab. This shortcut was helpful because it saved the researchers from having to sequence the entire, lengthy genome. Tracking the global distribution of a frog-killing fungus

“Now, from these skin swabs, we can figure out not just that this frog is infected, but specifically what lineage of the disease it carries,” said Rosenblum. “Is it the same lineage that infects the frog living next door, or in another country, or across the world?”

The researchers were able to map the distribution of four known lineages of the disease, and the analysis also revealed a new lineage that likely originated in Asia.  

Even though chytrid is widespread, the study shows that policies limiting the trade and transport of frogs across international borders could help reduce the risk of deadly pathogens spreading to other regions. 

The study findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Rafe Brown &amp; Jason Fernandez

Tracking the global distribution of a frog-killing fungus

Tracking the global distribution of a frog-killing fungus. Researchers from...

In a new study, researchers have identified a single gene in sorghum that controls bird feeding behavior by regulating the production of bad-tasting and appealing substances. The findings may ultimately lead to the development of new control strategies to protect major <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cereal-cropping/">cereal crops</a>.

"We discovered the molecular mechanism controlling bird feeding behavior on sorghum seeds," said co-senior study author Qi Xie of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

"Beyond illustrating an example of how a field observation led to characterization of an ecologically impactful molecular mechanism, our study reveals new insights about the chemistry of bird-plant ecological interactions and suggests multiple strategies for developing new chemical- and genetic-based control measures to prevent the catastrophic yield losses caused by birds each year."

There is currently a lack of effective control measures to protect field crops from bird damage. For example, anti-bird netting may be efficient, but also requires large investments and can be harmful to birds.

Cereal crops are damaged when birds peck the seeds and suck the juice of immature seeds. This prevents many grains from fully developing, which promotes mildews and other plant diseases. 

[caption id="attachment_1878138" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/sorghum.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1878138" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/sorghum.jpeg" alt="" width="650" height="832" /></a> Image Credit: Shijia Tang[/caption]

The cereal crops that are the most vulnerable to bird damage include wheat, barley, rice, sorghum, and millet. Sorghum alone provides a steady source of nutrition for more than 500 million people worldwide and is also an important source of biofuels. 

Sorghum yield losses caused by birds have been reported to reach as high as 52 percent. While there is evidence to suggest that bird taste preferences depend on various properties of sorghum, the underlying molecular mechanism has not been clear.

By conducting a genome-wide association study, the researchers discovered that the gene Tannin1 directly regulates bird feeding behavior. The sorghum strains that are not appealing to birds were found to contain the wild-type version of Tannin1, but the bird-preferred strains have a mutated version of the gene. 

Mass spectrometry revealed that seeds harvested from the preferred sorghum strains had reduced levels of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, also known as condensed tannins. At the same time, these seeds had higher levels of 9 out of the 23 detected volatile organic compounds, which are known to attract pollinators and seed dispersers. 

Through feeding experiments, the researchers found that sparrows preferred to eat untreated seeds compared to seeds soaked in solutions containing anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, or tannic acid. Both condensed tannins and tannic acid are polyphenols that have slightly acidic or bitter properties that likely interfere with the taste and digestibility of the seeds.

On the other hand, the birds were more attracted to seeds soaked in volatiles called 1-Octen-3-ol or hexanal. The findings suggest that the regulatory impacts of Tannin1 on multiple pathways of plant polyphenol and fatty-acid metabolism determine whether a given sorghum strain will be targeted by birds.

"Our discovery that Tannin1 has an enormous impact on the feeding preferences of birds will almost certainly guide molecular marker-assisted selection efforts in crop-improvement programs seeking to limit or prevent bird damage to agricultural production systems," said Xie.

"Moreover, our insights about which compounds attract birds and which compounds are distasteful to birds suggest a variety of novel control measures that could be undertaken to prevent yield losses. For example, we could chemically or genetically block the activities of enzymes in attractant volatile biosynthesis or program the condensed tannin content or use tannic acid or condensed tannins as safe, green pesticides to protect crop seeds in the field."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/molecular-plant/home">Molecular Plant</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Shaojie Jiao

A single gene controls whether sorghum seeds will taste appealing to birds

In a new study, researchers have identified a single gene...

Study finds that overweight people may be more likely to have overweight dogs. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english">University of Copenhagen</a> have identified a correlation between unhealthy weight in dogs and their owners. Compared to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pet-owners-medical-marijuana/">pet owners</a> who maintain a healthy weight, overweight or obese individuals are more than twice as likely to have a heavy or obese dog.

This can be partly explained by how people are managing their dog's treats, according to the study. Overweight dog owners were found to have a tendency to give their dogs treats as a comfort food.

"Whereas normal weight owners tend to use treats for training purposes, overweight owners prefer to provide treats for the sake of hygge," said study lead author Charlotte R. Bjørnvad. "For example, when a person is relaxing on the couch and shares the last bites of a sandwich or a cookie with their dog."

For the investigation, the team recruited 268 adult dogs from animal clinics. Overall, 20 percent of the dogs were either heavy or obese.Study finds that overweight people may be more likely to have overweight dogs

"Oftentimes, people don't consider their dog's weight status to be a problem. And this might contribute to a dog's being overweight. But being heavy or obese does have a great impact on dog health - which on average results in a shortened lifespan," explained study co-author Peter Sandøe.

Previous studies have shown that heavy dogs live an average of 1.3 years less than dogs on restrictive diets, which may be driven by an earlier development of osteoarthritis.

The researchers also investigated how castration and sterilization may affect a dog's weight. The study revealed that castrated male dogs are three times more likely to have weight problems, while sterilization seemed to have no impact on the weight of female dogs. 

"When males are castrated, they face just as high of a risk of becoming overweight as females. Castration seems to decrease the ability to regulate the appetite in male dogs and at the same time, it might also decrease the incentive to exercise which results in an increased risk of becoming overweight. Therefore, an owner should be careful about how they feed their dog after it has been castrated," said Bjørnvad.

"They might even want to consider not neutering. As long as there are no runaway females in the area, there are in most cases no reason to neuter," noted Sandøe.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/preventive-veterinary-medicine">Preventive Veterinary Medicine</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/MarinaP

Study finds that overweight people may be more likely to have overweight dogs

Study finds that overweight people may be more likely to...

Plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes may have backfired. In a new study from <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a>, scientists have found that a plan to kill off disease-carrying mosquitoes in Japan may have inadvertently made the population stronger. The team identified <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-malaria/">hybrid mosquitoes</a> that appear to be much more robust and resilient than the insects were before the experiment. 

For about two years, the British biotech firm Oxitec released tens of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes throughout the city of Jacobina. The insects were engineered so that their offspring would be nonviable. After mating with mosquitoes in the wild, the population was expected to dwindle. 

"The claim was that genes from the release strain would not get into the general population because offspring would die," study co-author Jeffrey Powell told <a href="https://newatlas.com/">New Atlas</a>. "That obviously was not what happened."

Working with researchers in Brazil, the Yale team found that the genetically-altered mosquitoes had, in fact, mixed with the wild population, and the number of mosquitoes in Jacobino declined for a brief time period. 

According to a report from <a href="https://newatlas.com/">New Atlas</a>, however, the population bounced right back 18 months later. The scientists found a mix of three populations, and the hybrids appear "sufficiently robust to be able to reproduce in nature."Plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes may have backfired

Climate change has boosted the number of mosquitoes that carry deadly viruses like Zika, dengue, and West Nile. As the weather becomes warmer and wetter across many regions, dangerous mosquitoes will continue to spread farther than ever before, invading areas that have been historically protected by cooler climates.

"Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world," states the World Health Organization. "Their ability to carry and spread disease to humans causes millions of deaths every year. In 2015 malaria alone caused 438,000 deaths. The worldwide incidence of dengue has risen 30-fold in the past 30 years, and more countries are reporting their first outbreaks of the disease."

Although the new hybrid mosquitoes identified by the Yale team are no more dangerous than their predecessors, Powell told New Atlas that it is the unanticipated outcome of the project that is concerning.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/guestedited?gclid=Cj0KCQjwzozsBRCNARIsAEM9kBOsrLLcP9aDXi0TIeDk3JzNZdmuY0mWILPWKtB0w5ZGGV4g7nspSzgaArkKEALw_wcB#mountain-surface-processes-and-regulation">Nature 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

Image Credit: Shutterstock/frank60

Plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes may have backfired

Plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes may have backfired. In...

Radio waves may interfere with the circadian clocks of cockroaches. Researchers in the Czech Republic have discovered that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cockroaches-inherit-pesticide-resistance/">cockroaches</a> are sensitive to weak radiofrequency (RF) fields. The team found that the fields slowed down the circadian rhythm of the insects - an effect that was previously demonstrated in fruit flies.

The scientists were surprised to find that the cockroaches appeared to be much more impacted by the exposure compared to fruit flies. 

"Remarkably, 300 times weaker RF fields likewise slowed down the cockroach clock in a near-zero static magnetic field. This demonstrates that the internal clock of organisms can be sensitive to weak RF fields, consequently opening the possibility of an influence of man-made RF fields on many clock-dependent events in living systems," wrote the study authors. 

Many studies have investigated the potential for electromagnetic fields - like the radio frequencies that cell phones use - to adversely affect humans, yet no such link has been confirmed. 

Martin Vacha, lead author of the current study, told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a> that he is "very cautious" about the findings. He said that his team is not making any claims about possible effects on people, and that the insects may not be affected under normal conditions. 

For the investigation, the cockroaches were exposed to constant dim UV light, with no indication as to whether it was daytime or nighttime. Using image analysis software, the researchers measured the activity of the insects to determine what time their body clocks were keeping.

When the cockroaches were exposed to either static magnetic fields or weak radio frequency broadband noise, they became active for one to two hours longer. This means that their circadian clocks had been significantly slowed down. 

According to Vacha, the team tested frequencies much lower than those from mobile phones or other electronic devices. He theorized that the cockroaches may not have been as impacted in natural light conditions. "My guess is that in real life it does not have such a big effect," Vacha told New Scientist. 

Previous studies have shown that weak radio frequency noise can disorient small songbirds. It is believed that birds use proteins called cryptochromes to detect magnetic fields. 

Cryptochromes are also known to be involved in the circadian rhythms of plants and animals, and Vacha proposes that it may be the effect of radio waves on these particular proteins that interferes with the body clock. 

The study is published in the <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsif">Journal of the Royal Society Interface</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/The Yooth

Radio waves may interfere with the circadian clocks of cockroaches

Radio waves may interfere with the circadian clocks of cockroaches....

Using antibiotics in animal feed to boost growth and prevent disease is contributing to growing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antimicrobial-resistance-worldwide/">rates of antimicrobial resistance</a> (AMR) in both food animals and humans, according to a new study. 

Low and middle-income countries are especially susceptible to antimicrobial-resistant infections as demand for meat increases, and yet, systems to monitor and track resistance rates in animals are lacking.

To understand how meat production impacts antibiotic resistance rates in developing countries, researchers from the <a href="https://cddep.org/">Centers for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy</a> analyzed data from 901 surveys on foodborne pathogens. 

“Animal production is increasing worldwide, and the consequences of intensive use of antibiotics on resistance in animals is amply clear from our analysis,” said Ramanan Laxminarayan, an author of the study. “We have a small window of opportunity to help low- and middle-income countries transition to more sustainable farming practices.” 

The surveys were conducted between 2000 and 2018 and centered on pathogens like Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp., non-typhoidal Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus. 

The number of food animals with antimicrobial resistance higher than 50 percent (P50) increased significantly between the years studied, and the highest rates of resistance were found in antibiotics like penicillins which are commonly added to animal feed. 

The researchers were able to develop a geospatial model and identify hotspots where animals were resistant to multiple antibiotics in India, China, Turkey, Brazil, and Mexico City. 

“It is of particular concern that antibiotic resistance is rising in low- and middle-income countries because this is where meat consumption is growing the fastest while access to veterinary antimicrobials remains largely unregulated,” said Thomas Van Boeckel, an author of the study.

Having a model that maps antimicrobial resistance in food animals can aid efforts to curb AMR infections and improve tracking resistance rates in developing regions. 

“Antibiotic resistance is a global problem, and there is little point of making considerable efforts to reduce resistance on one side of the world if it is increasing dramatically on the other side,” said Van Boeckel.

The study findings were published in the journal Science. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/SerhiyHorobets

Antibiotic resistance in food animals is a cause for major concern

Using antibiotics in animal feed to boost growth and prevent...

More than 1,600 scientists have called on Congress to fully fund conservation programs and help solve the growing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/decreases-biodiversity-habitat-loss/">biodiversity crisis</a>. 

Currently, up to one million species are at risk of extinction, according to the latest <a href="https://www.ipbes.net/">Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Global Assessment</a>. 

Even though the US Endangered Species Act is considered the gold standard of conservation law, decades of underfunding have undercut its full potential. 

In a <a href="https://defenders-cci.org/sign-on/conservation-funding/">letter</a> published in the journal Science, researchers from the <a href="https://defenders.org/">Defenders of Wildlife </a>and universities across the US are asking Congress to fully fund conservation programs in order to prevent catastrophic biodiversity loss. 

“We are simply running out of time: Congress must act decisively to save endangered and threatened species now,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, the president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife in a statement. 

Less than 25 percent of the funding needed for species recovery has been provided in the past few decades. For example, of the $468 million that the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/">US Fish and Wildlife Service</a> needs to implement conservation effectively, the agency receives less than half that amount each year. 

Scientists have warned that we are nearing a sixth mass extinction due to the rapid rate of wildlife declines. 

The current global biodiversity crisis demands action, and adequate funding could go a long way in protecting wildlife populations. 

“The science is clear: biodiversity faces unprecedented threats and decline, with about 1 million species at risk of extinction,” said Dr. Jacom Malcom, the lead author of the letter and Director of the Center for Conservation Innovation, Defenders of Wildlife. “Scientists stand united in the need for Congress to fully fund proven conservation programs to stem the tide of extinction. We must act now before it’s too late.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Ethan Daniels

Why conservation funding is vital to solving the biodiversity crisis

More than 1,600 scientists have called on Congress to fully...

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The Penguin Genome Consortium, which is comprised of experts in ten countries, has sequenced the genomes of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/penguin-foraging-behavior-habitat-health/">penguins</a> in an effort to better understand their past. Combined with two genomes that were previously sequenced, the 19 penguin genomes acquired by the team represent all surviving penguin species.

The work will promote many areas of research, from penguin evolution to the impact of human activities and environmental changes.

Penguins are equipped with an enhanced thermoregulation system which allows them to adapt to extreme cold or tropical conditions. Their diverse range across the Southern hemisphere includes the Galápagos Islands on the equator, the oceanic temperate forests of New Zealand, the rocky coastlines of the sub-Antarctic islands, and the sea-ice around Antarctica. 

Over the last 60 million years, the birds have evolved from a group of flying seabirds to flightless marine divers. Many penguin populations have recently experienced rapid declines, such as the collapse of the King penguin population, which plummeted by 88 percent in just three decades. 

Further losses are expected among other penguin species as the birds face global warming, pollution, environmental degradation, exotic predators, and other stressors. High-quality genome sequences will help scientists understand the reasons for specific population declines.

"The population history of different penguin species can be seen in their genome," said study co-author Theresa Cole. "We will provide new insights into the population history of all penguins over dramatic climate events, to predict population trends under future climate change scenarios. This research will help us understand how future climate change may affect other species, to help us develop conservation strategies."

The team is also sequencing the genomes of recently extinct penguin taxa. "The penguin ancestor experienced rapid radiation leading to the current approximate 20 extant species, accompanied by many ancient lineages that are now extinct," said study senior author Guojie Zhang. "The radiation of penguin thus provides an excellent example for the study of speciation."

The researchers faced both technical and cultural challenges in their attempts to collect high-quality specimens in some remote areas. The way the team addressed sensitive cultural issues could serve as a model for building trust and collaboration with indigenous groups during future projects.

"Genome research in New Zealand is currently moving into novel cultural contexts, especially for penguins, which are Taonga or treasured possessions in Māori culture. As such, our consortium have undertaken rigorous indigenous consultation to sequence the genomes from six New Zealand Taonga species," said study co-author Bruce McKinlay. "We believe these genomes will be important for a cultural context."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/gigascience">GigaScience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Laurie Goodman

Genome project will promote a better understanding of penguin evolution

The Penguin Genome Consortium, which is comprised of experts in...

Self-sharpening sea urchin teeth could lead to new material technology. As if <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sea-urchins-feet-see/">sea urchins</a> weren’t pointy enough, a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/matter/home">Matter</a> reveals how the teeth of the pink sea urchin are able to sharpen themselves.

Sea urchins have five teeth, each of which is attached to a separate jaw in a circular arrangement at the center of their bodies. 

These teeth are structured so that they chip in a way that allows them to keep their sharp edge rather than wearing down. The researchers compare it to the sharpening of a knife by selectively removing material from the cutting edge.

“The material on the outer layer of the tooth exhibits a complex behavior of plasticity and damage that regulates ‘controlled’ chipping of the tooth to maintain its sharpness,” explains Horacio Espinosa of <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a>. 

Because the teeth are gradually losing material, they continue to grow throughout an urchin’s life.

In the past, researchers had posited that urchins might have a self-sharpening tooth mechanism. This new study combined sophisticated mechanical testing and electron microscopy to capture 3D movies showing how the urchin’s teeth wear down. 

Analysis showed that the teeth are made up of ceramic composites arranged in a specific pattern. On the convex side of the tooth, calcite fibers provide structural integrity. These fibers transition to another composite made of inclined calcite plates on the convex side of the tooth. The calcite plates chip away to maintain sharpness as the tooth wears.

Espinosa’s primary interest is in understanding the behavior of natural and synthetic nanomaterials. He believes these new findings could help inform the design of microstructure and the selection of material constituents in a range of cutting, grinding, and boring applications. It’s possible that this research could lead to new kinds of synthetic materials for use in many different ways.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Horacio Espinosa

Self-sharpening sea urchin teeth could lead to new material technology

Self-sharpening sea urchin teeth could lead to new material technology....

According to a new study from researchers at the <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">University of California, Santa Cruz</a>, most of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/elephant-seals-rivals-rhythm/">elephant seal</a> pups born in a California colony spanning five decades were produced by a small number of elephant seal “supermoms.”

Researchers saw during their long-term study, which documented the lifetime reproductive success of 7,735 female northern elephant seals located at the Año Nuevo rookery, that only 6% of the females gave birth to the majority of seal pups — a whopping 55% of the total seal pup production.

"It's surprising because there are so many more young females than older females, and you expect them to contribute more to the population,” said lead author Burney Le Boeuf, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz. “But it doesn't work out that way, because most of them don't live very long.”

Sadly, the researchers saw that three-quarters of weaned female pups die before reaching maturity and therefore never get the chance to breed. And those who do reach maturity usually only breed one to three times before they die. According to Le Boeuf, breeding takes a toll on the young females, who must put a lot of energy into raising their pups while still growing, themselves.

"The supermoms are able to pull it off," he said. "There aren't many of them, but they have a tremendous influence on the next generation."

During this study, the longest-lived female lived to age 23 and birthed 17 pups. Another elephant seal supermom produced pups in 16 consecutive years.

"It's unusual to be able to follow a wild animal throughout its life and determine how successful it is at breeding," Le Boeuf said. "With the elephant seals at Año Nuevo, we've been able to follow them for two generations, more than 50 years, in part because of the proximity of this colony just up the coast from the UCSC campus." 

Female elephant seals give birth to a single pup each winter, and spend four weeks on the beach nursing their pups before weaning them off and leading them out to sea to feed. However, it’s often during this first trip that naive weaned pups struggle to find food or fall victim to sharks or orcas. 

Le Boeuf said that surviving females grow larger the older they get, and larger mothers give birth to larger pups, which are more likely to survive to maturity and breed. Supermoms generally live longer than other females, and therefore breed as often as possible.

This study is published in the <a href="https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/journal/cjz">Canadian Journal of Zoology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Dan Costa

Select few elephant seal mothers produce majority of the population

According to a new study from researchers at the University...

Humans may share an ancient form of communication with great apes. A team of scientists at the <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St. Andrews</a> has been investigating the various gestures used for communication among <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-hunting-eating-crabs/">chimpanzees</a> and bonobos, which are two of the closest related species to humans. After discovering that chimps and bonobos share many of the same gestures, the researchers theorize that this language may have been inherited from our last common ancestor.

Gestures may not be full-blown languages with grammatical rules, but these signals still have meaning. For example, chimpanzees stroke their mouths to request food or raise their arms to request grooming. 

While shooting and analyzing videos of wild bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the researchers observed signals that were very similar to those used by chimpanzees. In fact, the scientists found that 90 percent of gestures used by bonobos and chimps were shared. 

Study lead author Kirsty Graham said that this percentage is significantly higher than what would be expected by chance. She believes the gestures may be part of a basic sign language used by the last common ancestor of humans and apes.

"This gestural communication is probably biologically inherited among the great apes - including humans," said Graham. 

The St. Andrews team has documented the gestures and their meanings in an online collection called the Great Ape Dictionary. They have identified 70 gestures, some of which share the same meaning. 

The researchers conducted an experiment where participants watched short video clips of ten common signs made by chimpanzees and bonobos. Presented with four options, the individuals chose the correct meaning of the signals at least 52 percent of the time. According to Graham, some gestures had success rates of over 80 percent, such as when a chimp strokes near its mouth to request food.

A previous study by psychologists at St. Andrews looked for great ape gestures among preverbal children between the ages of one and two years old. The researchers filmed infants in Germany and Uganda as they interacted with parents and caregivers. 

Out of 52 types of gestures recorded by the team, almost 90 percent were shared with chimps. "46 of the 52 gestures described for children were also present in the chimpanzee repertoire, an overlap of 89%," <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-018-1213-z">wrote the study authors</a>.

"As seen in great ape gesturing, the production of gestures and other signals by children were not necessarily a clear production of a single signal followed by a response. Instead gestures, and other signals, could be produced in series, could overlap with each other, and could be exchanged."

Graham presented the research this week at the <a href="https://primobevolab.web.ox.ac.uk/european-federation-primatology-2019-primate-society-great-britain-winter-meeting">European Federation of Primatology meeting</a> in Oxford.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Patrick Rolands

Humans may share an ancient form of communication with great apes

Humans may share an ancient form of communication with great...

Two new species of giant salamander have been identified thanks to a recent analysis of early 20th-century museum specimens. One of the newly described species could hold the record as the world’s largest amphibian. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-delicacy-disappearing-salamander/">Chinese giant salamanders</a> were once widespread throughout China but are now critically endangered. It was long assumed that all Chinese giant salamanders belonged to the species Andrias davidianus. 

However, researchers from the <a href="https://www.zsl.org/">Zoological Society of London</a> and <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/">London’s Natural History Museum</a> have discovered DNA evidence showing that this isn’t the case. 

The researchers analyzed tissue samples from both wild salamanders and museum specimens.  

The results of the DNA analysis revealed three genetic lineages in salamanders represented by separate species, Andrias davidianus, Andrias sligoi, and one species that has yet to be formally described. 

This is not the first time that researchers have suggested that the species Andrias sligoi is different from other giant salamanders. First proposed in the 1920s, Andrias sligoi was later dismissed until the researchers confirmed the species’ place on the salamander family tree.  

Chinese giant salamanders are the biggest amphibians in the world, but Andrias sligoi may be the largest of them all, reaching almost six feet in length.  

“Our analysis reveals that Chinese giant salamander species diverged between 3.1 and 2.4 million years ago,” said Professor Samuel Turvey, the lead author of the study. “These dates correspond to a period of mountain formation in China as the Tibetan Plateau rose rapidly, which could have isolated giant salamander populations and led to the evolution of distinct species in different landscapes.” 

Salamanders are critically endangered, but the addition of two new species can help inform conservation policies and management, the researchers say. 

“Conservation plans must now be updated to recognise the existence of multiple giant salamander species, and movement of these animals should be prohibited to reduce the risk of disease transfer, competition, and genetic hybridisation.” said Turvey. 

The new species were detailed in a study published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/20457758/0/0">Ecology and Evolution</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: ZSL

Newly identified giant salamander species could be the world’s largest amphibian

Two new species of giant salamander have been identified thanks...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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