Animals love to show off with color, especially when it comes to mating. Birds, in particular, often use bright feathers to catch the eye of a potential mate. But lately, scientists have noticed something even cooler - some birds glow using biofluorescence.



This incredible transformation happens when their feathers absorb UV light and shine it back as visible color - usually green or yellowish.



In a recent study, researchers took a close look at all 45 species of birds-of-paradise, those famously flashy birds known for their over-the-top feathers and wild dance moves. 



Turns out, almost all of them glow in some way - 37 species to be exact. Only a few closely related ones didn’t.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biofluorescence-and-birds-of-paradise">Biofluorescence and birds-of-paradise</h2>



Male birds-of-paradise show off their glow in all the right places: their beaks, the insides of their mouths, and feathers on their heads, necks, bellies, and those fancy plumes. 



Female birds glow too, but mainly on the chest and belly.



Most of the glowing colors fall into that green to yellow-green range, shining brightest around 520–560 nanometers on the light spectrum. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bird-of-paradise_plummage_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bird-of-paradise_plummage_1s.webp" alt="Some Birds-of-paradise, like this one, use biofluorescence and glow in wavelengths that humans can't see." class="wp-image-1963524"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Some Birds-of-paradise, like this one, use biofluorescence and glow in wavelengths that humans can't see. Click to enlarge.</figcaption></figure>



All signs point to one thing: male birds-of-paradise probably use this glowing trick to turn up the wow factor during mating displays and social interactions.



The research was conducted by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History (<a href="https://www.amnh.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AMNH</a>) and the <a href="https://www.unl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Nebraska-Lincoln</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adding-a-glow-to-mating-rituals">Adding a glow to mating rituals</h2>



Birds-of-paradise inhabit regions in eastern Australia, Indonesia, and New Guinea. For generations, they have intrigued scientists with elaborate feather displays and acrobatic dances that males use to court females.&nbsp;



Bioluminescence is a phenomenon in which an organism absorbs light at one wavelength, then emits it at another



The new evidence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-glow-in-the-dark-fluorescence-found-to-be-very-common-in-mammals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biofluorescence</a> suggests that these dazzling birds might have yet another visual trick: a layer of fluorescent signals invisible to humans without specialized instruments.



Rene Martin is the study’s lead author and an assistant professor at the <a href="https://www.unl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Nebraska-Lincoln</a>.&nbsp;



“The unique <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/whale-shark-mating-behaviors-observed-for-the-first-time-in-the-wild/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mating rituals</a> and displays of birds-of-paradise have fascinated scientists and spurred a myriad of studies focused on trait evolution and sexual selection,” said Martin. 



“It seems fitting that these flashy birds are likely signaling to each other in additional, flashy ways.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-detecting-fluorescence-in-birds-of-paradise">Detecting fluorescence in birds-of-paradise </h2>



The research draws on specimens collected since the 1800s, held in the <a href="https://www.amnh.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Museum of Natural History</a>’s extensive ornithology collection.&nbsp;



A decade ago, Museum Curator John Sparks - an ichthyologist by training - noticed that certain bird species, including some birds-of-paradise, glowed green-yellow when exposed to specific wavelengths of light. This led him and colleagues to begin a deeper exploration of avian biofluorescence.



“Despite there being over 10,000 described avian species, with numerous studies that have documented their bright plumage, elaborate mating displays, and excellent vision, surprisingly very few have investigated the presence of biofluorescence,” Sparks said.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bird-of-paradise_Paradisaea-guilielmi_Biofluorescence_credit-Rene-Martin_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bird-of-paradise_Paradisaea-guilielmi_Biofluorescence_credit-Rene-Martin_1s.webp" alt="Biofluorescence is seen on an emperor bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea guilielmi) in the American Museum of Natural History's collection. Credit: Rene Martin" class="wp-image-1963519"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Biofluorescence is seen on an emperor bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea guilielmi) in the American Museum of Natural History's collection. Click to enlarge. Credit: Rene Martin</figcaption></figure>



Martin, who conducted this work while a postdoctoral researcher at the Museum, and Emily Carr, a PhD candidate in the Museum’s <a href="https://www.amnh.org/research/richard-gilder-graduate-school" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Richard Gilder Graduate School</a>, took Sparks’ initial findings and broadened the analysis. 



Using ultraviolet (UV) light, the team discovered that the birds not only glow under blue wavelengths but also fluoresce strongly under UV exposure. 



This effect was mainly observed on male plumage patches crucial to courtship, such as the head, belly, and neck, as well as mouth and bill linings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biofluorescence-is-most-pronounced-in-males">Biofluorescence is most pronounced in males</h2>



The researchers found that this fluorescence is especially vibrant in males, often concentrated in areas highlighted during mating rituals.&nbsp;



Meanwhile, females also exhibit it, though to a lesser degree - primarily on their chests and bellies. The study suggests that the equatorial environments in which these birds live offer abundant and varied light conditions, possibly enhancing the visibility and function of biofluorescence.



“These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-extinctions-shatter-the-harmonious-balance-of-nature/">birds</a> live near the equator, where there is an abundance of bright solar light year-round, and they live in forests where the complexity of light is significantly affected by differences in the canopy and where biofluorescent signals may be enhanced,” Carr said.



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



Recent studies in closely related species indicate that birds-of-paradise have eye pigments aligned with the fluorescence peaks measured in this study - meaning they can likely perceive these glowing patches.&nbsp;



In a species group already known for visually striking performances, these fluorescent signals may offer an even finer scale of detail for courtship and territorial displays.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bird-of-paradise_Paradisaea-guilielmi_Biofluorescence_plummage_credit-Rene-Martin_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/bird-of-paradise_Paradisaea-guilielmi_Biofluorescence_plummage_credit-Rene-Martin_1s.webp" alt="Biofluorescence is seen on the plumage of an emperor bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea guilielmi) in the American Museum of Natural History's collection. Credit: Rene Martin" class="wp-image-1963522"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Biofluorescence is seen on the plumage of an emperor bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea guilielmi) in the American Museum of Natural History's collection. Click to enlarge. Credit: Rene Martin</figcaption></figure>



When a male bird-of-paradise performs an intricate dance, the green-yellow glow from certain feathers might act like a hidden spotlight, contrasting sharply against the bird’s darker plumage. This could help catch a female’s attention or signal social status among competitors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-all-of-this-mean">What does all of this mean?</h2>



Although birds-of-paradise are among the best-studied avian groups for behavior and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-and-why-tropical-birds-are-so-strikingly-colorful-and-iridescent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coloration</a>, the discovery of broad-scale fluorescence suggests that birds may have more complex signaling systems than previously realized.&nbsp;



The presence of fluorescent patches in so many species raises the possibility that other bird lineages, especially those with striking plumage or elaborate displays, could also exhibit biofluorescence.



Moving forward, the researchers plan to investigate how environmental factors - like canopy cover, seasonal light availability, and even habitat degradation - might affect these glowing displays.&nbsp;



Understanding how birds-of-paradise perceive biofluorescence could also inform broader questions about the evolution of sexual selection and signaling in avian species.



Ultimately, this study reshapes scientists’ understanding of the “secret language of light” that these flamboyant birds use to communicate.&nbsp;



With improved imaging technologies and heightened awareness of avian fluorescence, researchers may soon discover that a hidden glow permeates many corners of the bird world, especially in those known for their spectacular visual allure.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.241905" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Society Open Science</a>.



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Some birds use biofluorescence to attract mates, glowing in colors that humans can't see

Animals love to show off with color, especially when it comes to mating. Birds, in particular, often use bright feathers to catch the eye of a potential mate. But lately, scientists have noticed something even cooler - some birds glow using biofluorescence. This incredible transformation happens when their feathers absorb UV light and shine it back as visible color - usually green or yellowish. In a recent study, researchers took a close look at all 45 species of birds-of-paradise, those famously flashy birds known for their over-the-top...

Snakebites are a major health crisis and a long neglected one. According to the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/snakebite-envenoming">World Health Organization</a>, around 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes each year worldwide, resulting in 81,000 to 138,000 deaths and three times as many amputations. 

While treatable, antivenoms rely on archaic 19th-century methods to create treatments that are not always effective or even accessible to tropical and subtropical communities where the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/risk-death-snake-bites/">burden of snakebite injury and death is highest</a>. 

A new initiative will hopefully create some much-needed progress in snakebite treatment research as well as funding. 

Britain's <a href="https://wellcome.ac.uk/">Wellcome Trust</a>, a global health charity, has announced plans to donate $102 million to snakebite treatments in the hopes of improving antivenoms, making treatments widely and easily accessible, and creating more effective snakebite drugs. 

Snakebites have been declared a “hidden health crisis” prompting the Wellcome Trust to action. 

Rural communities in Africa, Asia and South America are most at risk of amputation or death due to snakebites, but very little progress has been made in treating these very treatable injuries. 

To create an antivenom, horses are injected with a small dose of snake venom. The horse is unaffected by the toxin but blood taken from the horse is used to create antivenoms for humans, a hardly scientific process with few safety standards. 

“Snakebite treatment is essentially reliant on a 100-year-old process,” David Lalloo, a professor and director of Britain’s Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-snakes/hidden-health-crisis-of-snakebites-gets-100-million-funding-injection-idUSKCN1SL2Y9">Reuters</a>. 

While there will always be poisonous snakes that pose a risk to people worldwide, the lack of safe and accessible treatment highlights a lack of progress in antivenoms. 

“Snakebite is – or should be – a treatable condition. With access to the right antivenom there is a high chance of survival,” said Professor Mike Turner, director of science at Wellcome. “It’s an incredibly challenging issue – there has been almost no investment in snakebite research over the last decade – but it’s also one that is solvable with support from WHO, national governments, industry and other funders.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Snakebites declared a ‘hidden health crisis’ around the globe

Snakebites are a major health crisis and a long neglected...

Hunting has caused a decline in mammals in half of intact tropical forests. Researchers from <a href="https://www.ru.nl/english/">Radbound University</a> have determined that hunting is responsible for a 40% average decline of large mammals in the remaining small percentage of intact tropical forests. 

An estimated 20% of tropical forests in the world remain undisturbed by logging or deforestation. However, increased human accessibility to these areas has made <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wildlife-losses-climate-consequences/">hunting</a> the biggest threat to mammals in these environments.

Unlike deforestation, overhunting goes undetected by remote-sensing techniques, and hunting impacts (specifically, “defaunation” — the loss of species or decline in animal populations) in remote areas have only recently been discussed because of this prior lack of data.

The research team from Radbound have, for the first time, documented the spatial patterns of mammal defaunation caused by hunting, and have located specific areas where impacts of hunting are the highest. They did so by using a newly developed hunting regression model, which takes 40 years worth of socio-economic data, like human population density and hunters' access points, as well as species traits of over 300 mammal species, into account.

These hunting hotspots include West and Central Africa (specifically Cameroon), Central America, northwestern regions of South America, and areas in Southeast Asia (specifically Thailand, Malaysia and southwest regions of China).

Their data is published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000247">PLOS Biology.</a>

These new defaunation maps will become an important part of future global biodiversity assessments, and could help species that are currently in danger of being over hunted come back from the brink of endangerment or extinction.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Ruth Archer/Pixabay

Hunting has caused a decline in mammals in half of intact tropical forests

Hunting has caused a decline in mammals in half of...

After a recent global assessment of biodiversity found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-million-species-vanish/">one million species are now threatened with extinction</a> due to human activities, a new study suggests that urban environments could serve as a potential conservation lifeline in the coming years. 

Urban areas, densely populated with people and lacking in green space, are considered “low-quality habits.” These habitats may offer some sources of food for pollinators but are not suitable for population growth. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.tufts.edu/">Tufts University</a>, the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/">University of Liverpool</a>, <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> and the <a href="https://uiowa.edu/">University of Iowa</a> conducted a study to assess the viability of low-quality habitats in aiding conservation efforts.  

The study, published in the journal Ecology, shows that urban areas are much more useful for pollinators than previously realized and that many species take advantage of low-quality habitats in order to reach high-quality habitats quickly. 

It’s in high-quality environments that species that thrive and reproduce. 

The researchers reviewed data from 70 studies involving 78 species in total and found that 73 percent of the time, the animals moved quickly and efficiently through low-quality habitats to get to a high-quality area. 

This allowed for rapid range expansion evidenced by the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly, which was able to reach suitable habitats quickest in landscapes made up of 85 percent unstable habitat and 15 percent high-quality habits. 

“At landscape scales, 15% high-quality habitat is still more than currently exists in most ecosystems,” said Elizabeth Crone, the lead author of the study. “Nonetheless, our findings point to the potential of using suburban and even urban greenspace as underappreciated areas that could facilitate range shifts, if green spaces such as lawns were converted to native plant gardens, which have high conservation potential for insects and other wildlife species.” 

The results of the study show that urban landscapes are useful to population growth and biodiversity. 

“This could offer a new perspective of flexibility for landscape planners: they needn’t worry if they can’t create unbroken tracts of high-quality wildlife habitat, instead they can create strategic ‘stepping stones’ in urban and agricultural areas,” said Jenny Hodgson, a co-author of the study. 

“However, the stepping stones need to provide resources for breeding, not just temporary food resources.”

--

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: Leone Brown, Tufts University

Urban areas offer surprisingly useful ‘stepping stones’ for at-risk species

After a recent global assessment of biodiversity found that one...

Wind turbines kill tens to hundreds of thousands of bats each year, according to the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-are-bats-affected-wind-turbines?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products">US Geological Survey,</a> and there are more than 52,000 wind turbines in operation in the US today. 

As renewable energy becomes more of a priority and wind and solar farms expand across the country, it’s crucial to consider how technology like wind turbines and solar panels <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wind-turbines-hurt-robins/">impact wildlife.</a>

Researchers from <a href="https://www.tamu.edu/">Texas A&amp;M University</a> have developed a whistle that mimics that sound a bat makes and can be mounted on wind turbines to warn bats if they’re in danger of coming too close.

Not only do the propeller-like blades of the turbines pose a risk to bats who can collide with the turbines, but the pressure difference created by the rotating turbine can cause the lungs of bats to explode. 

The researchers were able to develop a whistle that emits sounds at a frequency that bats can easily register and recognize. 

“Our approach focuses on producing a sound bats could easily recognize and locate, thereby making it easier for them to avoid the moving turbine blades,” said Michael Smotherman, a researcher who worked on the whistle project. “I’m hopeful that using this neuroethological approach to the design and implementation gives us a better chance for success.”

The researchers used biomimetics to mimic the natural sounds produced by a bat’s larynx and created a whistle modeled after the anatomical structures in the larynx.  Bats can naturally produce multi-harmonic tones that can be heard up to 100 meters away. 

After testing the whistle in a lab setting and discovering that bats responded to the sounds, the researchers moved their work to the field and hope to test the whistle on real-world wind turbines soon. 

The whistles can be 3D printed but installing them on wind turbines will be costly unless the researchers find ways to cut costs. 

Smotherman will present his team’s work on the new whistle at the 177th Meeting of the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/">Acoustical Society of America</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Whistle alerts help bats stay away from deadly wind turbines

Wind turbines kill tens to hundreds of thousands of bats...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antimicrobial-resistance-worldwide/">Antimicrobial resistance </a>(AMR) is a growing global public health crisis, particularly in developing nations where unregulated antibiotic use and poor waste management practices are common. 

Health officials estimate that this year alone, 700,000 people will die globally from antimicrobial resistance, and in the next 30 years the annual death toll could reach 10 million. 

There are concerns that AMR increases the risk for the spread of untreatable diseases passed from wildlife to humans. 

While this hasn’t happened yet, it’s a threat that researchers are not taking lightly. 

In a new study, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/">University of Liverpool</a> and the <a href="https://www.ilri.org/">International Livestock Research Institute</a> surveyed 99 households in Nairobi. Households were picked at random and the researchers collected samples to measure AMR prevalence across different neighborhoods. 

The team found that urban wildlife in Nairobi carry high levels of AMR bacteria resistant to drugs that the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> has said are critically important for medicine. 

There was a greater variety of AMR in livestock and the environment. Both rodents and birds were more likely to carry multiple AMR bacteria when exposed to human and livestock waste. 

The findings are troubling as it points to urban wildlife as a vector for AMR, and if that happens, the resistant bacteria would be able to spread quickly and efficiently through waterways, sewage lines, and carried by migratory birds. 

“This is not just specific to Nairobi, but findings can be extrapolated to other cities in Africa,” said Eric Fèvre, a member of the research team. “We tend to think of AMR in primarily medical terms, of developing new drugs and better using old ones. But we need to take an ecological approach to addressing this threat. Urban cities can address this by better urban planning, better waste disposal, better livestock husbandry practices.”

The study was published in the <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30083-X/fullte">Lancet Planetary Health</a>.  

“As many scientists and policymakers are now realizing, we cannot address the rise of anti-microbial resistance without focusing on the environmental, ecological and social settings in which humans exist,” said James Hassell, the lead author of the study.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: <a href="http://www.zoonotic-diseases.org">Zoonotic and Emerging Diseases (ZED)</a>

Antimicrobial bacteria could soon spread across cities through urban wildlife

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global public health crisis,...

It’s time to face the facts — bedbugs aren’t going anywhere any time soon. An international team of scientists assembled at the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/">University of Sheffield </a>have determined that bedbugs have been parasitic companions to other species besides humans for over 100 million years. That places them on the Earth alongside dinosaurs. Their findings are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

"To think that the pests that live in our beds today evolved more than 100 million years ago and were walking the earth side by side with dinosaurs, was a revelation,” said Professor Mike Siva-Jothy from the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/aps">University’s Department of Animal and Plant Science</a>s. “It shows that the evolutionary history of bed bugs is far more complex than we previously thought."

By comparing DNA samples from dozens of bedbug species, researchers were able to map out their evolutionary journey, and discovered that bedbugs are actually older than <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/whistle-alerts-bats-wind-turbines/">bats</a>. It was previously believed that bats were the bedbug’s first host mammal around 50 to 60 million years ago. However, the by the time bats evolved, bedbugs had already been around for about 50 million years.

"The first big surprise we found was that bedbugs are much older than bats, which everyone assumed to be their first host,” added study leader Dr. Steffen Roth from the <a href="https://www.uib.no/en/universitymuseum">University Museum of Bergen</a>. “It was also unexpected to see that evolutionary older bedbugs were already specialised on a single host type, even though we don't know what the host was at the time when T. rex walked the earth."

It’s currently unclear what species served as hosts during the bedbugs’ initial evolution. Scientists believe they must have fed on the blood of dinosaurs, but more research must be done to bolster this theory due to the fact that dinosaurs were creatures that did not have a “home,” meaning they did not build nests, burrows, beds, or roosts, where bedbugs like to reside.

The team was also able to prove that a new species of human-feeding bedbug evolves every 500,000 years. Furthermore, some bedbugs evolve in such a way that they are able to bounce back and forth between hosts.

"These species are the ones we can reasonably expect to be the next ones drinking our blood,” said co-leader Professor Klaus Reinhardt, a bedbug researcher from <a href="https://tu-dresden.de/?set_language=en">Dresden University</a>, “and it may not even take half a million years, given that many more humans, livestock and pets that live on earth now provide lots more opportunities."

The current species of bedbug that feeds on humans is actually much older than the human race, contradicting the believe that human evolution split human parasites into a new species.

"These findings will help us better understand how bedbugs evolved the traits that make them effective pests - that will also help us find new ways of controlling them,” Professor Siva-Jothy said.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Mark Chappell, University of California, Riverside

Bedbugs are older than bats and have been around since the dinosaurs

It’s time to face the facts — bedbugs aren’t going...

According to a new study from a team of Swedish and British researchers based at Sweden's <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">Uppsala University,</a> choosing to own a dog is heavily influenced by one’s genetic makeup. 

The researchers used information from 35,035 sets of twins from the <a href="https://ki.se/en/research/the-swedish-twin-registry">Swedish Twin Registry</a> to explore the link between genetic variation and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dogs-recognize-name-noisy-places/">dog ownership</a>.

"We were surprised to see that a person's genetic [makeup] appears to be a significant influence in whether they own a dog,” said lead author Professor Tove Fall, of the University’s <a href="http://www.medsci.uu.se/research">Department of Medical Sciences </a>and the <a href="https://www.scilifelab.se/">Science for Life Laboratory</a>. “As such, these findings have major implications in several different fields related to understanding dog-human interaction throughout history and in modern times.” 

“Although dogs and other pets are common household members across the globe, little is known how they impact our daily life and health,” Professor Fall continued. “Perhaps some people have a higher innate propensity to care for a pet than others." 

"These findings are important as they suggest that supposed health benefits of owning a dog reported in some studies may be partly explained by different genetics of the people studied,” added coauthor Carri Westgarth, Lecturer in Human-Animal interaction at the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/">University of Liverpool</a>.

Studying twins in a situation like this is beneficial when comparing environmental factors to genetic factors. Identical twins share their entire genome, whereas non-identical twins share half of their genome. The research team found that concordance rates of dog ownership were much higher within pairs of identical twins than in pairs of non-identical twins, which leads researchers to believe that genetics plays a role in dog ownership.

"These kind of twin studies cannot tell us exactly which genes are involved, but at least demonstrate for the first time that genetics and environment play about equal roles in determining dog ownership,” said senior author Patrik Magnusson, an Associate Professor in Epidemiology at the <a href="https://ki.se/en/meb/startpage">Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet</a>, and Head of the Swedish Twin Registry.

“The next obvious step is to try to identify which genetic variants affect this choice and how they relate to personality traits and other factors such as allergy,” Professor Magnusson added.

Furthermore, coauthor Keith Dobney, a zooarchaeologist and Chair of Human Palaeoecology in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, said that this study has major implications for unlocking a deeper understanding of dog domestication.

"Decades of archaeological research have helped us construct a better picture of where and when dogs entered into the human world,” he said, “but modern and ancient genetic data are now allowing us to directly explore why and how?"

These findings are published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Science Advances</a>.  

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The choice to have a dog is influenced by our genes

According to a new study from a team of Swedish...

Monarch-7

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-landscapes-recovering-monarch-numbers/">Monarch butterflies</a> could well be on their way to extinction, and well-meaning conservationists breeding butterflies indoors and releasing them into the wild could be doing more harm than good, a new study shows. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uchicago.edu/">University of Chicago </a>discovered that monarchs bred in captivity lose their ability to migrate and don’t head south when winter comes like wild monarchs do. Monarch butterflies that are bred in captivity lose their migration ability

This is concerning as estimates by the <a href="https://www.nwf.org/">National Wildlife Federation</a> show that monarchs in North America have declined by 90 percent over the last two decades. 

Fewer and fewer monarchs are reported in overwintering habitats in California and Mexico. 

To help preserve and protect the vividly colored butterflies, conservationists have turned to captive breeding and releasing butterflies in the summer and fall, but the researchers found that this disrupts natural migratory behavior. 

Even butterflies raised outdoors but brought inside did not head south in the winter. 

“We hope this will be an avenue into understanding how monarchs are losing migration,” said Marcus Kronforst, the senior author of the study. “These monarchs have been brought into captivity and prevented from migrating for many generations, and they have genetically lost migration. It’s a microcosm for what’s happening naturally.”

For the study, the researchers collected adult monarchs from a commercial breeder and raised them outdoors. The butterflies were kept in mesh cages but exposed to the elements. 

To see if the monarchs would orient south to migrate, the researchers tested the butterflies’ offspring in a flight simulator. 

The researchers placed a butterfly in an open-ended cylinder. The butterfly was attached to a tether and placed into the cylinder so that it couldn’t fly out but still had freedom of movement. 

A rotating dial recorded the direction of the butterfly’s trajectory every two milliseconds. 

A butterfly with a migrating instinct would head south inside the simulator, but only local wild butterflies exhibited this behavior. 

The monarchs that were offspring of captive-bred butterflies didn’t fly in any particular direction for long. 

The researchers also raised wild-caught butterflies inside, and these monarchs also seemed to lose their migration instincts. 

“I thought there was no way that would matter, but it did,” said Ayse Tenger-Trolander, the lead author of the study. “We know there are many hobbyists and enthusiast breeders who are trying to do their best husbandry and avoid buying from commercial breeders. But there could be an issue with the way they’re raising them indoors too.”

Genetic differences between captive bred and wild monarchs could hold the key to this lost ability.  

“We can’t point to a single genetic change that did it because there are lots of them,” said Kronforst. “But we think somewhere buried in the genome are changes that have broken it.”

The researchers published their findings 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: iStock

Monarch butterflies that are bred in captivity lose their migration ability

Monarch butterflies could well be on their way to extinction,...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> are reporting that bees exposed to a neonicotinoid pesticide are only able to fly one-third of the distance covered by unexposed bees. Reduced flight performance affects the foraging ability of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pesticide-bees-harmful/">bees</a>, and may cause colonies to end up with inadequate amounts of food.

Foraging bees are essential pollinators for crops and wildflowers, and weakened flight ability can compromise these crucial pollination services. 

The current study found that small doses of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid - levels that would be encountered in fields - caused bees to fly significantly shorter distances and for less time than bees who were not exposed to the pesticide. The toxic exposure reduced the area in which colonies could forage by up to 80 percent.

Just after the bees encountered imidacloprid, they appeared to enter a hyperactive state during which they flew much faster and likely wore themselves out, according to the researchers.

“Neonicotinoids are similar to nicotine in the way they stimulate neurons, and so a '‘rush’ or hyperactive burst of activity does make sense,” explained study first author Daniel Kenna. “However, our results suggest there may be a cost to this initial rapid flight, potentially through increased energy expenditure or a lack of motivation, in the form of reduced flight endurance.”

“Our findings take on an interesting parallel to the story of the ‘Tortoise and the Hare.’ As the famous fable states, 'slow and steady wins the race'. Little did Aesop know that this motto may be true for bumblebees in agricultural landscapes. Just like the Hare, being speedier does not always mean you reach your goal quicker, and in the case of bumblebees, exposure to neonicotinoids may provide a hyperactive ‘buzz’ but ultimately impair individual endurance.”

Study lead author Dr. Richard Gill is a researcher in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial.

“Previous studies from our group and others have shown that bee foragers exposed to neonicotinoid pesticides bring back less food to the colony. Our study on flight performance under pesticide exposure provides a potential mechanism to explain these findings,” said Dr. Gill.

“The negative effects of pesticide exposure on flight endurance have the potential to reduce the area that colonies can forage for food. Exposed foraging bees may find themselves unable to reach previously accessible resources, or incapable of returning to the nest following exposure to contaminated flowers.”

“Not only could this reduce the abundance, diversity, and nutritional quality of food available to a colony affecting its development, but it could also limit the pollination service bees provide.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20457758">Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pesticide exposure impairs the flight performance of bees

Researchers at Imperial College London are reporting that bees exposed...

Seashell souvenirs can cause overharvesting of species. Seashells are a common souvenir to bring home after a tropical vacation. The shells often have bright hues of colors and curved designs, resembling the beautiful landscapes of the ocean. While seashells may seem like an ethical alternative to souvenirs that exploit animals, some species are facing overexploitation as a result of the shell industry.

Perhaps the most iconic of all seashell souvenirs is the queen conch shell. The spiraled, pink and orange shell is synonymous with a vacation to the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/economic-coral-bleaching-caribbean/">Caribbean</a>. Not only is the shell memorizing in appearance, but it also allows travelers to stick their ear into the shell and hear the gentle sounds of crashing waves.

Although the queen conch shell is well-known, the soft-bodied sea snail who lives in the shell is relatively obscure. Unlike the queen conch shell, the queen conch itself is quite unattractive.

Shopping in marketplaces along the beach, it is easy to forget that the shells available for sale have been used as shelter for marine species. Some shells are simply found along the seashore, sans the accompanying living species. Other animals have been removed from their shells while they are still alive and sold for their meat.

Currently, queen conchs are intensively harvested for both their meat and shells. Since the 1980s,<a href="https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/17710"> commercial harvesting has ramped up</a> due to increased demand. Fishers mainly target queen conchs for their meat but the shells are seen as a source of additional income. From 1992 to 1999,<a href="http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/bio/jcigliano/MFEC/traffic_europe_report.pdf"> over 1.6 million</a> queen conch shells were traded internationally.

Overharvesting is currently the primary threat to the species. The queen conch used to be abundant throughout its range, from the Caribbean to Mexico and Florida, but populations have subsequently collapsed in regions.

The queen conch is highly susceptible to overexploitation due to its slow growth rate, occurrence in shallow waters, late maturation and high commercial value. Fishers often catch queen conchs by diving into the waters and catching them by hand. This method allows fishers to capture every individual in an area, according to ocean conservation group<a href="https://oceana.org/marine-life/cephalopods-crustaceans-other-shellfish/queen-conch"> Oceana</a>.

Although the harvest in queen conch is regulated in range countries, poaching remains a threat to the species. Additionally, not all regulations are based on the best science, Oceana<a href="https://oceana.org/marine-life/cephalopods-crustaceans-other-shellfish/queen-conch"> states</a>.

Queen conchs are far from the only species affected by the souvenir trade. The trade is estimated to include as many as<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Romulo_Alves2/publication/226326817_Molluscs_in_the_marine_curio_and_souvenir_trade_in_NE_Brazil_Species_composition_and_implications_for_their_conservation_and_management/links/56e69eef08ae65dd4cc1b25a/Mollusc"> 5,000 species</a> of mollusks.

The chambered nautilus, a prehistoric species known for its circular shell, also faces overexploitation due to the shell industry. The shells of the species are sold internationally for souvenirs, jewelry and home décor.

Despite laws protecting the chambered nautilus from harvest and sale in Indonesia, shell products are easily found. A<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0140593"> study</a> on the illegal shell trade in Indonesia found all 12 of marine mollusk species protected by national law available for trade. Chambered nautilus was the second most common species seized by authorities.

A<a href="http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/26988554/1461354788687/Nautilus.pdf?token=Vrgt3DO%2BuQxAyt7Ly%2FgE38f1r7A%3D"> report</a> from the wildlife monitoring group TRAFFIC found chambered nautilus products for sale at over 30 shops, markets and other locations, mainly situated in areas known for tourism. Chambered nautilus products were even more common in the Philippines which has limited regulations on the trade. Over half of the shops visited by researchers sold chambered nautilus products.

The shell trade is subject to varying national and international laws. Tourists who are simply looking for a souvenir may not think to consider the legality of their product before purchasing it. These tourists may inadvertently be violating national and international laws by buying shell products and importing them into their home country. Seashell souvenirs can cause overharvesting of species

Queen conch has been protected by the international treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, since 1992. The chambered nautilus was afforded international protections in 2016. Both species are listed under Appendix II of the treaty, which means that individuals need an export permit proving that the specimen was legally obtained and the export is not detrimental to the survival of the species before they can export the animal or its parts.

Seashells are one of the most commonly seized wildlife products at U.S. ports of entry. Travelers caught with illegal wildlife products could face large delays and fines. According to<a href="https://www.cbp.gov/travel/clearing-cbp/bringing-agricultural-products-united-states"> U.S. Customs and Border Protection</a>, individuals can face up to a $1,000 fine for a first-time offense.

The United States plays a key role in the international shell trade. In ten years, over<a href="https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/17/prop/060216/E-CoP17-Prop-48%20Rev.pdf"> 900,000 chambered nautilus products</a> were traded internationally with the United States.<a href="http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/bio/jcigliano/MFEC/traffic_europe_report.pdf"> Two-thirds of queen conch shells</a> traded internationally in a seven-year period were imported into the United States.

The scale of the shell industry is unknown to many travelers. While people are generally aware of the slaughter of elephants and rhinos for their parts, the plight of mollusk species captured for their shells does not hit the same heartstrings. Mollusks may not be as charismatic as large mammal species but travelers should still take an active role in protecting them from overexploitation by researching relevant laws before traveling and refusing to buy products obtained in an unsustainable manner.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Seashell souvenirs can cause overharvesting of species

Seashell souvenirs can cause overharvesting of species. Seashells are a...

A new study has found that a grumpy raven can pass along its bad mood to other ravens.

The study, conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a>, sheds light on how emotions and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-societies-thrive-empathy/">empathy</a> are understood and felt among animals other than humans or primates.

As social creatures, we need to be able to communicate and understand each other successfully. 

Unlike empathy, emotional contagion involves catching an emotion the way you might catch a common cold, and it’s a phenomenon that can spread just as quickly.  

Have you ever had your mood changed just by sitting next to a crabby co-worker or friend? Congratulations, you’ve experienced emotional contagion, a mimicking behavior that researchers have proposed helps social groups transmit information. 

Now, researchers have discovered evidence of emotional contagion among ravens. 

For the study, ravens were paired up and completed several experiments. In one, a pair of birds were presented with two boxes, one that was empty and one that had food. Once the birds were familiar with the setup, the researchers introduced a third box to the mix. 

The third box was used to test cognitive bias or an error in judgment that influences decision making. In this case, how pessimistic or optimistic each bird felt about exploring the third box. 

Next, the researchers split the pairs up and had one raven choose between a food it liked and one it didn’t. The other raven in the couple observed its teammate’s behavior but did not see what choices were given. 

The birds paired up again later and were given the cognitive bias test again. A raven that had watched its teammate behave negatively was more suspicious of the third box, indicating that they had been impacted by their raven friend’s bad mood and were pessimistic as a result.  

“We demonstrate that after witnessing a conspecific in a negative state, ravens perform in a negatively biased manner on a judgment task,” the researchers wrote. “Our findings thus suggest negative emotional contagion in ravens, and in turn advance our understanding of the evolution of empathy.”

The findings were published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/05/14/1817066116">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Are bad moods contagious? They are among ravens

A new study has found that a grumpy raven can...

Experts predict a shift toward smaller animals in the next century. In the next century, smaller animals who eat insects with short lifespans and high rates of reproduction will dominate as larger, slower, and less adaptable species are slowly phased out. 

In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers from the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> predict that the animal kingdom will see a shift towards smaller animals and that the average body mass of mammals will drop by a quarter as more and more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-eating-large-animals-extinction/">large species go extinct. </a>

It will be a dramatic shift, especially when compared to the 14 percent reduction in average species size that occurred over 130,000 years. 

The main driving factor in these future size reductions is climate change, and the researchers say that habitat loss and increases in temperature will create winners and losers in the animal kingdom. 

The lucky winners will be highly fertile, and small animals like birds and rodents, whereas the black rhinoceros, polar bears, and the Tawny eagle will likely be on the losing side. 

“By far the biggest threat to birds and mammals is humankind - with habitats being destroyed due to our impact on the planet, such as deforestation, hunting, intensive farming, urbanization and the effects of global warming,” said Rob Cooke, the lead author of the study. 

Cooke, along with a team of collaborators, estimated future biodiversity loss by factoring in the body mass, litter size, habitat size, and diet of 15,484 land mammals. 

The <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species</a> was also used in the study, and the researchers combined the data and used statistical tools to make their projections. 

Overall, the researchers identified a downsizing trend. 

“We have demonstrated that the projected loss of mammals and birds will not be ecologically random - rather a selective process where certain creatures will be filtered out, depending on their traits and vulnerability to ecological change,” said Felix Eigenbrod, a member of the research team. 

--

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: Robert Cooke

Experts predict a shift toward smaller animals in the next century

Experts predict a shift toward smaller animals in the next...

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

[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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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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 



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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



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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



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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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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



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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



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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



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Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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