Recreational activities on mountain trails are pushing large carnivores like grizzly bears and wolves away from their native habitats, even when those trails lie hundreds of meters from where the animals roam.&nbsp;



A new study from the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/en/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Alberta</a> highlights the need for improved land management practices that allow people and wildlife to peacefully coexist. 



This issue is particularly pressing in the Bow River Valley, long recognized as a natural corridor linking the prairies to the Continental Divide.



Over the past 15 years, a team of researchers led by Peter Thompson set up camera traps at more than 1,600 sites in the Bow River Valley and surrounding areas. 



These traps were in place between 2007 and 2022, capturing over a million images of humans and tens of thousands of images of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grizzly-bears-help-huckleberries-thrive-in-a-changing-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">grizzly bears</a> and wolves.



The scientists then used statistical models to assess the relationship between human activity and carnivore presence on the landscape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-recreation-and-large-carnivores-nbsp">Human recreation and large carnivores&nbsp;</h2>



Upon examining the images and activity patterns, the researchers discovered a significant disturbance effect from busy trails, extending far beyond the immediate path.&nbsp;



The results showed that wolves and bears did not merely avoid the immediate vicinity of high-traffic areas; they stayed away from locations hundreds of meters away as well.



Thompson, formerly a postdoctoral fellow with Colleen Cassady St. Clair in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, is now a postdoctoral fellow at <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simon Fraser University</a>.



“We initially thought bears might use hiking trails as efficient routes when humans weren’t around, but they actually avoid these areas altogether,” said Thompson.



“Our results show that human recreation has significant effects on wildlife, substantially influencing their behaviour even hundreds of meters away from the trail.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-widespread-displacement-of-large-carnivores-nbsp">Widespread displacement of large carnivores&nbsp;</h2>



For grizzly bears, half of the displacement effect from high-use trails remained in effect up to 300 meters from the trail. For wolves, this displacement was observed up to 600 meters away. Thompson noted that the phenomenon is considerably more extensive than was previously believed.



“When trails become busier, people may not realize the extent to which they are disrupting wildlife movement and habitat security,” Thompson added.&nbsp;



This finding demonstrates that outdoor enthusiasts using high-traffic trails, especially in popular regions, could unknowingly be displacing wolves and bears from substantial parts of their natural habitat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-effects-of-recreation-on-wolves-nbsp">Effects of recreation on wolves&nbsp;</h2>



While grizzly bears are visibly impacted by busy trails, the displacement effect was even more pronounced for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gray-wolves-are-a-crucial-component-of-the-american-west/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wolves</a>. Their avoidance of human activity at distances of up to 600 meters likely relates to their year-round activity cycle, which intersects with winter recreation such as skiing and snowmobiling.&nbsp;



This further highlights how multiple forms of recreation can compound the stress on top predators.



“Wolves are even more affected by human recreation than grizzly bears, and they are active year-round, coinciding with winter recreational activities,” said St. Clair, Thompson’s former supervisor.&nbsp;



“This research highlights the critical need to manage human use in a way that allows people to share the landscape with these wary predators.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mitigating-the-impacts-on-large-carnivores-nbsp">Mitigating the impacts on large carnivores&nbsp;</h2>



The Bow River Valley is particularly significant for wildlife, functioning as a key passageway for many species.&nbsp;



Shifts in animal movement due to human traffic on trails could compromise the valley’s role as a corridor for genetic exchange and resource access.&nbsp;



If large carnivores are consistently deterred from these areas, the consequences could include altered feeding patterns, reduced breeding success, and changes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/danger-zones-climate-change-is-altering-predator-prey-dynamics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predator-prey dynamics</a>.



Land managers in this region may consider strategies such as creating buffer zones, limiting trail access during peak activity times, or issuing guidelines that reduce disturbance in critical wildlife areas.&nbsp;



Such steps might help maintain the valley’s ecological function and ensure that grizzlies, wolves, and other species can continue to move freely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-need-for-thoughtful-recreation-planning">Need for thoughtful recreation planning</h2>



The paper’s authors emphasize that as recreational use of mountain trails grows, the effects on wildlife will likewise increase.&nbsp;



Raising awareness about how trail use displaces animals, even far from the trail itself, could encourage more responsible behavior among outdoor enthusiasts.&nbsp;



Measures such as seasonal trail closures, visitor education programs, and designated wildlife corridors could help minimize the disruption to grizzly bears, wolves, and other sensitive species.



The findings in the Bow River Valley also reflect broader challenges faced worldwide as conservation areas strive to balance human recreation with wildlife protection.&nbsp;



By taking preemptive steps - whether through trail design, user quotas, or educational outreach - policymakers and conservation managers can better safeguard critical habitats for large carnivores and foster a more harmonious coexistence between people and nature.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reevaluating-our-use-of-mountain-trails-nbsp">Reevaluating our use of mountain trails&nbsp;</h2>



This study provides actionable insights into how recreational activities influence the distribution and well-being of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/apex-predators-can-help-restore-ecosystems-but-not-immediately/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">apex predators</a>.&nbsp;



With wolves and bears essential to ecosystem balance, preventing their displacement has ecological significance beyond individual species.&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to Thompson, these results show that human recreation has significant effects on wildlife, and these findings are a call to reevaluate how we manage and use mountain trails.&nbsp;



Through careful planning and targeted conservation efforts, there is hope that humans and large carnivores can continue to share these magnificent landscapes for generations to come.



The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14837" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-ralls/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eric Ralls</a> and Earth.com.



-----

Mountain recreation displaces large carnivores from their habitats

Recreational activities on mountain trails are pushing large carnivores like grizzly bears and wolves away from their native habitats, even when those trails lie hundreds of meters from where the animals roam.&nbsp; A new study from the University of Alberta highlights the need for improved land management practices that allow people and wildlife to peacefully coexist. This issue is particularly pressing in the Bow River Valley, long recognized as a natural corridor linking the prairies to the Continental Divide. Over the past 15 years, a team of...

A new study has found that the flashy feathers which make peacocks so noticeable to one another may actually help them to hide from predators in the wild. According to the experts, many of the animals that pose the biggest threats to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/male-peacocks-courtship-display/">peacocks</a> lack the color vision to detect the brilliant colors of the tail feathers. 

The research team pointed out that while a peacock’s feathers would dramatically stand out to humans, large cats and stray dogs only have two color receptors, which would make the feathers blend into the natural surroundings.

“Feathers perceived by humans to be vividly colorful are often presumed to be equally conspicuous to other mammals, and thus to present an enhanced predation risk,” wrote the researchers.

“However, many mammals that prey on adult birds have dichromatic visual systems with only two types of color-sensitive visual receptors (one sensitive to ultraviolet light), rather than the three characteristic of humans and four of most birds.”

This means that a male peacock could show off its tail feathers for mating purposes without getting the attention of predators.

The study was focused on how peacock tail feathers would appear to predators and to other peacocks. The team also used multispectral imaging and reflectance spectroscopy to compare the appearance of color against green vegetation.

The investigation confirmed that the feathers would look very different to mammals than to other peacocks.

“When viewed by tetrachromatic birds against a background of green vegetation, most of the feathers studied had color and brightness contrasts similar to values previously found for ripe fruit,” wrote the study authors. 

“By contrast, when viewed by dichromat mammalian predators, the color and brightness contrasts of these feathers were only weakly detectable and often did not reach detection thresholds for typical viewing distances.”

The study is published online at <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/">bioRxiv.org</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How a peacock may use its flashy feathers to evade predators

A new study has found that the flashy feathers which...

Researchers have found previously unknown colonies of two native <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hawaiian-forest-birds-endangered/">Hawaiian bird species</a> on the island of Oahu. The discovery of Newell's Shearwaters and Hawaiian Petrels comes as a welcome surprise to conservationists after habitat loss and other threats have dramatically driven down the numbers of these two populations. 

Between 1993 and 2013, Newell's Shearwaters declined by 94 percent and Hawaiian Petrels declined by 78 percent. Both bird species were thought to have disappeared entirely from Oahu in the late 1700s.

A team led by Lindsay Young of the <a href="https://pacificrimconservation.org/">Pacific Rim Conservation</a> used a spatial model based on elevation, forest cover, and illumination to identify potential suitable breeding habitat for both bird species on Oahu. In 2016 and 2017, the researchers deployed acoustic recording units across the island to listen for bird calls at 16 different sites. They were surprised to detect the presence of petrels at one site and shearwaters at two sites.

“We were doing a statewide survey for these species for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of recovery action planning, but Oahu was not initially included as one of the sites to survey, since evidence suggested they weren't there,” said Young. “Since we're Oahu-based, we thought we would at least put a few recording units out to see if there was anything. And we were surprised, to say the least, that we not only had calls detected, but detected both species across two years.”

According to the researchers, the birds may be the last survivors of remnant breeding populations on Oahu, or young birds from other islands searching for mates and breeding sites.

“Either way, it gives us hope that we will be able to use social attraction - that is, using calls and decoys - to attract them nest on an island where they were once abundant,” said Young. 

The study is published in <a href="http://www.americanornithology.org/content/condor-ornithological-applications">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</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: Lindsay Young

Endangered birds found unexpectedly on the island of Oahu

Researchers have found previously unknown colonies of two native Hawaiian...

Centrosaurus pair

Everyone knows or thinks they know of T. Rex and Velociraptor sp. from popular portrayals in movies and books like Jurassic Park.  We’re accustomed to these examples of dangerous predatory dinosaurs but those of us seriously interested in dinosaurs know they’re just the tip of the iceberg.  

Large raptors like Utahraptor and other Tyrannosaurids like Albertosaurus of Canada or Teratophoneus of the Grand Staircase-Escalante barely start to fill out a history of almost 200 million years occupied by the likes of Allosaurus and even giant birds (technically dinosaurs) like Moas.  It’s a history that spans the whole globe as well. Predatory Tarbosaurus lived in Mongolia with Velociraptor, theropod (two legged predator) dinosaurs have been found in South America and Africa.  A few theropod fossils have been found in Australia and even Antarctica as well. But now, a new chapter in the history of predator dinosaurs has been discovered.

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/largest-predatory-jurassic-dinosaur/">we reported</a> last month, researchers working in the Italian Alps have discovered what so far is the oldest example of a ceratosaurian.  Ceratosaurians are the oldest clade of theropod dinosaurs, perhaps best known by the horned Ceratosaurus as well as the Dilophosaurus that played an important role in Jurassic Park.  Both of these examples have strange head gear, the crest on top of the Dilophosaurus (sorry but the neck frill was pure Hollywood invention) and a horn on the nose of the Ceratosaurus.  

As the oldest of theropods, it’s possible that these dinosaurs were the ancestors of all theropod dinosaurs but it’s impossible to say for sure at this point.  According to the <a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/saurischia/ceratosauria.html">University of California Museum of Paleontology</a>, Ceratosaurians were very bird-like that scientists believe first evolved during the Triassic, a period that started about 225 million years ago.  Despite this, no examples of Ceratosaurians have been found earlier than the Jurassic. 

The new dinosaur discovered in Italian Alps is still a Jurassic dinosaur of about 198 million years ago but it’s the oldest of its type found so far.  Other theropod dinosaurs close to the same age are rare and often incomplete. Other old theropod dinosaurs from Europe include incomplete discoveries like a pelvis, vertebrae and femur found in England and a 40% complete Dracoraptor skeleton from Wales. 

The new dinosaur has been named Saltriovenator zanellai and is not only older than any other Ceratosaurians found so far, it also seems to represent the largest predator dinosaur that old known to science. The dinosaur is about 25 million years older than previously known large theropod dinosaurs.  This is also the first Jurassic dinosaur fossil found in Italy. The find was <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/5976/">just recently published</a> but the fossil was found by an amateur fossil hunter at a quarry back in 1996.

It seems from bite marks left by invertebrates on the bones that the dinosaur died and was nibbled at in the ocean, it likely drifted into before eventually being covered in sediment and fossilized in an area that slowly became part of the Italian Alps.  

The dinosaur is estimated to have weighed 1 ton, measuring 7.5 meters in length when alive and was armed with sharp serrated teeth similar in form and function to other theropod dinosaur teeth as well as living Komodo dragons.  Uniquely S. zanellai has three fingers rather than four as would be expected and seems to have some features common to later dinosaurs mixed with those of earlier dinosaurs.  

The new dinosaur is important in showing the state of dinosaur evolution at that time.  Despite the probability of Ceratosaurians in the Triassic, we know very little about these early theropod dinosaurs.  The end of the Triassic represented a major extinction much less famous than the one that killed off dinosaurs. So the beginning of the Jurassic represent a time when new forms were evolving and filling niches left open by the earlier extinction event. 

 It seems that Saltriovenator zanellai is just one example of an explosion in the diversity of Ceratosaurians spreading across the world.  Examples of other dinosaurs from Morrocco, South Africa, Massachusetts, Antarctica and elsewhere seem to reflect this interpretation of dinosaur evolution.  In <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/5976/">their paper</a>, the scientists, Cristiano Dal Sasso​, Simone Maganuco and Andrea Cau describe the importance of the find to dinosaur paleontology, 

“…In this context, the discovery of a new specimen from the Sinemurian of Italy is extremely relevant as it is among the oldest Jurassic theropods, it is larger than all other pre-Aalenian theropods (see Skeletal reconstruction and body size section, below) and it improves our knowledge on some of the macroevolutionary patterns that would have characterized the evolution of Theropoda during the Jurassic. It also represents the first dinosaur skeleton from the Italian Alps, the first of Jurassic age, and the second theropod skeleton found in Italy...”

In the evolution of birds more generally, this find also represents a new piece of information on the formation of bird hands (and eventually wings).  The fossil shows that long before evolving into wings, the arrangement of bones in dinosaurs were for grasping and struggling with prey. Today, we’re more accustomed to thinking of living dinosaurs (birds) as having no real hands at all but wings, flippers or nearly useless vestiges.  While munching on hot wings or watching birds sitting on a wire, it’s interesting to reflect on the amazing power of evolution over mind boggling lengths of time. 

It’s likely that older Ceratosaurian dinosaurs are still hidden somewhere waiting to be found.  Paleontology itself is a speculative science relying on necessarily incomplete physical evidence and hypotheses based on the best of this evidence.  This discovery if anything verifies what scientists have thought about the origins of theropod dinosaurs, showing that they were evolved into something similar to what we expect later in geologic history by the Jurassic.  Scientists speculate that they may have existed even earlier than that. This discovery also shows that Europe played an important role in the evolution of theropod dinosaurs and opens up new possibilities of where to look for them.

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Image Credit: Lucas Attwell

Meet the oldest large predatory dinosaur ever found

Everyone knows or thinks they know of T. Rex and...

A subglacial <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/operation-icebridge-returns-to-antartica/">Antarctic</a> lake buried beneath a kilometer of ice contains the remains of ancient life that have been preserved for thousands of years. 

Researchers that drilled into Lake Mercer to study the lake and collect sediment samples found carcasses of crustaceans, a tardigrade, and even preserved plant material in the mud collected from the lake floor. 

The discovery was part of the <a href="https://salsa-antarctica.org/concept-and-purpose/">Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access</a> expedition which used a high-pressure water drill to melt a small hole through the thick layer of ice that sits above Lake Mercer. 

This is the first time that the lake has ever been explored in depth, as previously, radar and remote sensing technology were the only way to access the lake. 

After cleaning mud off a water temperature instrument, David Hardwood, a micro-paleontologist who was part of the SALA expedition, examined the mud under a microscope, according to a release from <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

Hardwood found diatom shells and crustacean carcasses that looked relatively new. 

“It looked really fresh,” Hardwood told Nature. “Like something that had been living.”

Lake water samples that were collected were also analyzed and revealed that the lake was teeming with bacteria and had plenty of oxygen to support life. 

At first, Hardwood was concerned that the equipment used to measure the water temperature might have been contaminated, and so the SALA team cleaned the equipment and dropped it back in the lake for another test. Again, Hardwood found ancient animal remains. 

The ancient signs of life are both exciting and puzzling for the researchers who discovered them, according to Nature.

It is unclear how the carcasses, shells, and microbes got there in the first place, especially since some of the ancient species discovered used to live on or near land.

One potential theory is that the creatures originated from ponds in the Transantarctic Mountains near Lake Mercer and a period of warming washed sediment and organic material into the lake which was then covered by ice as temperatures shifted. 

The next step for the SALA researchers is to carbon date the organic material found in the mud, which could help show exactly how and when the different animals ended up in Lake Mercer. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Billy Collins/SALSA Science Team/Nature

Ancient fossils found preserved in Antarctic subglacial lake

A subglacial Antarctic lake buried beneath a kilometer of ice...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/save-endangered-killer-whale/">Southern resident killer whale population</a>, a community of whales made up of three pods that spend much of the year swimming in the Salish Sea off the coasts of Washington State and British Columbia, has reached a 35-year low, according to the <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/i-am-worried-and-i-am-afraid-two-more-puget-sound-orcas-predicted-to-die-in-critically-endangered-population/">Seattle Times</a>. 

After 3 deaths in just four months, only 74 members of the population remain. 

Conservationists have identified many threats that are causing orca whale declines in the Pacific Northwest including fishing and boat traffic, ocean pollution, and climate change. 

But now, a new report has identified a new threat never before considered that has a huge impact on Southern resident killer whales. 

A group of four biologists from <a href="https://nrccorp.com/">Natural Resources Consultants</a> in Seattle, the <a href="https://www.uaf.edu/">University of Alaska at Fairbanks</a>, the<a href="https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/"> Alaska Department of Fish and Game</a>, and an independent researcher on salmon recently examined data on Pacific Northwest orca whale populations and discovered an interesting biennial trend. 

The researchers reviewed data from the <a href="https://www.whaleresearch.com/">Center for Whale Research</a> and found that over the past two decades, whale declines were more noticeable in even-numbered years. 

This every other year pattern was then linked to pink salmon, an abundant species of salmon which form massive salmon runs back to their home streams, completing a two-year life cycle. 

Other salmon like the Chinook, which is a crucial food source for Orca whales, tend to stay in the ocean longer, according to <a href="https://komonews.com/news/local/scientists-id-another-possible-threat-to-orcas-pink-salmon">KOMO News</a> which reported on the surprising new findings.  

Pink salmon populations have thrived as of late due to both increases in salmon protections and changes in ocean conditions. 

The researchers found that from 1998 to 2017, the Southern resident killer whale population dropped to 76 and more whales were dying in even years compared to odd years. There were also fewer calves that survived in even years.

It didn’t take long for the researchers to find correlations between these biennial declines and the surges in pink salmon populations in recent years that have benefited from new protection efforts and changes in ocean currents. 

Orcas prefer Chinook salmon and do not eat pink salmon. The researchers theorize that the large numbers of pink salmon that enter the Salish sea every other year disrupt the orca’s ability to hunt and echolocate properly. 

The researchers published a paper on the pink salmon as soon as they discovered the pattern in the hopes of getting the information out to the public as quickly as possible. Orca whales may soon face extinction unless more is done to protect the species.

“The main point was getting out to the public word about this biennial pattern so people can start thinking about this important, completely unexpected factor in the decline of these whales,” Greg Ruggerone, a member of the research team and author of the paper told KOMO News. “It's important to better understand what's occurring here because that could help facilitate recovery actions.”

--

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>

Pink salmon identified as new threat to orca populations

The Southern resident killer whale population, a community of whales...

Cats are more friendly than you think, but take cues from humans. While dogs have long been known as man’s best friend, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dogs-not-smarter-cats/">cats</a> are famous for their grumpy and aloof attitude. Dogs run to greet us at the door when we get home, meanwhile cats knock over our favorite possessions while staring right at us. But studies show that cats are not necessarily unsocial, they just take cues from our behavior.

A recent <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635718300998?via%3Dihub#bib0190">study</a>, published in Behavioural Processes this month, looked at the influence of human attention on cat sociability. The authors note that little research has been conducted on cat social behavior, which may be a result of the perception of cats as unsocial. 

“Although many think of cats as solitary, domestic cats are facultatively social and can live either socially or solitarily, depending on their environment and upbringing,” the authors write.Cats are more friendly than you think, but take cues from humans

For the study, researchers examined cat-human interactions to measure the cats’ time near humans, time directly interacting with humans and number of meow vocalizations. The human participants would enter the room and either sit on the floor and ignore the cat or interact with the cat by calling and petting the cat.

The researchers found that cats spent significantly more time socializing with attentive humans rather than humans who ignored them. 

Previous studies on cat behavior have also found that human behavior affects a cat’s behavior. A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/089279389787058109">study</a> which examined first encounters between humans and cats found that cats initiated contact more quickly with humans who gave them attention over those who ignored them.

Cats have even been shown to respond to humans’ emotional cues. In a 2015 <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25573289">study</a>, cats were given either a positive or negative message from their owners in the presence of an unfamiliar object. Cats in the study altered their behavior towards the object based on whether their owner was using happy or fearful tones and expressions.

Studies on cat behavior illustrate how our beliefs about cats may be too simplistic. Instead of simply being less friendly, cats may be responding to cues they receive from humans. While dogs often need direct interaction through walks and regular feedings, cats are more independent and, therefore, do not need as much attention. Cat owners may inadvertently be less attentive towards their cats, causing the cats to respond with less social interactions.

In addition, the evolutionary history of cats and dogs may play a role. According to the 2015 study, “Whereas cats’ ancestors were solitary, and today this species is dubbed ‘optionally social’ (i.e. likely to choose whether to establish strong relationships or simply tolerate social situations), dogs’ ancestor were pack-living animals and dogs today have been shown to organize in multi-male, multi-female packs when food is prevalent.”

Cats also have individual personalities which can affect their sociability levels. Just like humans, some cats may be in your face looking for attention while others prefer their own company. But overall, cats seem to want to interact with us, they just don’t always want to initiate.

Hopefully, this new research can teach us all to give our kitty companions a little more love and attention.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Cats are more friendly than you think, but take cues from humans

Cats are more friendly than you think, but take cues...

SUE the T. rex is famous for being the most complete skeleton ever discovered of the world's most popular dinosaur. And now, hidden in the leftover sediment that once surrounded SUE's bones, experts have found the remains of a new shark species.

For decades, the leftover rock that Sue was recovered from has been stored underground. When scientists took a new look at it, they found teeth from a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/exploding-star-shark-megalodon/">shark</a> that they believe lived in a river SUE drank from.

“This shark lived at the same time as SUE the T. rex, it was part of the same world,” said study co-author Pete Makovicky, the curator of dinosaurs at the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a>. “Most of its body wasn't preserved, because sharks' skeletons are made of cartilage, but we were able to find its tiny fossilized teeth.”

The team of researchers, led by Terry Gates of <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a>, named the shark Galagadon nordquista. This name honors Karen Nordquist, a retired chemist and Field Museum volunteer who discovered the tiny fossils, and also references the shark’s teeth, which have a triangle shape like the spaceships in the 1980s video game Galaga.

“Galagadon was less than two feet long - it's not exactly Jaws,” said Makovicky. “It's comparable to bamboo sharks living today. It probably had a flat face and was very likely camouflage-colored, since its relatives today have a camouflage pattern. It would have eaten small invertebrates and probably spent a fair amount of time lying on the bottom of the riverbed.”

The discovery of Galagadon is shedding completely new light on the area where SUE the T. rex once lived. 

“We had always thought of the SUE locality as being by a lake formed from a partially dried-up river - the presence of this shark suggests there must have been at least some connection to marine environments,” said Makovicky. “This wasn't some Sharknado event - these animals were making their way up rivers from the sea.”

[caption id="attachment_1865592" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Galagadon-tooth.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1865592" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Galagadon-tooth.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="595" /></a> Image (c) Terry Gates[/caption]

Study co-author Eric Gorscak explained, “Today, carpet sharks, which include bamboo sharks and wobbegongs, mostly live in the waters in southeast Asia and Australia, so it's surprising to find their fossils at the SUE locality.”

“During the Late Cretaceous the continents continued to drift apart, further isolating dinosaurs and other land animals, and at the same time created the Atlantic and Indian oceans. With occasional seaways connecting these young oceans, we have found fossils of marine life flourishing globally, including Galagadonand its relatives.”

The study highlights the importance of fossils beyond those belonging to dinosaurs. 

“Every species in an ecosystem plays a supporting role, keeping the whole network together,” said Gates. “There is no way for us to understand what changed in the ecosystem during the time of the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous without knowing all the wonderful species that existed before.”

The research is published in the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology">Journal of Paleontology</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 (c) Velizar Simeonovski, Field Museum

Shark species discovered in the rock that contained SUE the T.Rex

SUE the T. rex is famous for being the most...

A giant lizard that lived almost 300 million years ago has been reconstructed in the form of a robot. The study revealed that the ancient creature was capable of more upright walking than what was previously thought.  

The investigation was focused on the remains of a lizard known as Orobates pabsti, which dates back millions of years before <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-nasal-passages-cool/">dinosaurs</a>. The scientists digitally scanned the fossils and matched them with well-preserved O. pabsti footprints to create computer simulations that could accurately represent the unique gait of the ancient animal. 

Reptiles, birds, and mammals known as amniotes were thought to be the first to evolve stronger muscles and limbs that were positioned well for efficient upright movement. The findings of this study, however, suggest that the development of an upright gait predated amniotes.

Study co-author Dr. John Nyakatura from <a href="https://www.hu-berlin.de/en/">Humboldt University</a> said: “Our metrics indicate that Orobates exhibited more advanced locomotion than has previously been assumed for earlier tetrapods (four-legged animals), which suggests that advanced terrestrial locomotion preceded the diversification of crown amniote.”

O. pabsti  grew up to five feet in length and weighed around nine pounds. Much like a crocodile, it had a long body and tail with a small skull and short legs.

[caption id="attachment_1865564" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/lizard-robot.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1865564" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/lizard-robot.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="350" /></a> Image Credit: Tomislav Horvat / Kamilo Melo / EPFL Lausanne[/caption]

“To our knowledge, no reconstructions of the locomotor characteristics of stem amniotes based on multiple quantitative methods have previously been attempted,” said Dr. Nyakatura. “Previous methods have relied on anatomical features alone, ambiguous locomotor information preserved in fossils or unspecific modelling of dynamics.”

“Here we quantitatively examine plausible gaits of the stem amniote Orobates pabsti, a species that is known from a complete body fossil preserved in association with trackways.”

“We reconstruct likely gaits that match the footprints. Our metrics indicate that Orobates exhibited more advanced locomotion than has previously been assumed for earlier tetrapods.”

According to the researchers, the study sheds new light on how animals moved from the oceans to conquer land. 


The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Tomislav Horvat / Kamilo Melo / EPFL Lausanne

Scientists reconstruct 290 million-year-old lizard as a robot

A giant lizard that lived almost 300 million years ago...

Helping plants and pollinators may be as simple as turning off street lights for a couple of hours a night.

That was the conclusion of a team of researchers from <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> and <a href="https://www.yorku.ca/">York University</a> who wanted to determine how light affects nocturnal pollinators like moths.

"Artificial light at night is an increasingly important driver of global environmental change and sky brightness is increasing by about 6 percent a year," study co-author Dr. Darren Evans said. "Understanding the ecological impact of this artificial light on the ecosystem is vital.”

The study found that bright street lights at night draw moths upward to flit around the light source rather than pollinate as usual. That has a large effect on the plants that rely on moths for pollination, including pea, soy and rapeseed crops. 

But turning off the street lights – even if only for a couple of hours – sent moths back to the plants they prefer to feed on. 

The researchers found that while constant overnight light badly disrupted pollination, even just a partial “lights out” period had a similar effect on moths’ feeding patterns as full darkness.

"We know that light pollution significantly alters moth activity and this in turn is disrupting their role as pollinators. But what our study showed was that while full-night lighting caused significant ecological disruption, part-night lighting did not appear to have any strong effect on pollination success or quality,” Evans said.

Whether street lights use sodium or LED bulbs had no apparent effect. It wasn’t the type of light, but the amount, that seemed to throw off moth feeding patterns. 

It’s the latest in a number of studies about the effects of light pollution on humans and the world around us. Studies have shown that light pollution can <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/light-pollution-sleep-problems/">disrupt sleep</a>, leading to chronic insomnia and dependence on sleep aids.

Light pollution from street lights doesn’t just affect humans and moths. It can <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/light-pollution-migrating-bats/">endanger migrating bats</a>, harm the various bugs that live in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/light-pollution-streams-wetlands/">wetlands</a> and disrupt the food chain, disorient sea turtles and fool plants into thinking <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-light-pollution-causes-spring-to-come-early/">spring has come early</a>.

"Often, as conservationists, we have to make difficult trade-offs between development and environmental protection,” lead author Dr. Callum Macgregor said. "However, our study suggests that turning off street lights in the middle of the night is a win-win scenario, saving energy and money for local authorities whilst simultaneously helping our nocturnal wildlife."

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Scientists: time to turn off street lights for a few hours a night

Helping plants and pollinators may be as simple as turning...

Mojave rattlesnakes that live in the southwestern United States and central Mexico have a lethal bite thanks to their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/venom-snakes-dangerous/">venom</a>. However, new research has revealed that the kind of venom differs depending on the region that the snakes are found.

If you’re unlucky enough to be bitten by a Mojave rattlesnake, you might experience paralysis as the toxins shut down your body or the venom may cause tissue damage. The latter had long puzzled researchers because two different types of venom do not line up with the theories of natural selection. 

For a long time, researchers thought that Mojave snakes only had neurotoxic venom (the kind that causes paralysis), but cases continued to pop up showing different symptoms after being bitten such as tissue damage, and blood thinning.  

It took decades for scientists to realize that Mojave rattlesnakes have two distinct types of venom, a neurotoxic and hemorrhagic venom. 

However, the mysteries of the rattlesnake don’t end there, which is why researchers from <a href="http://www.clemson.edu/">Clemson University</a> undertook an impressive study of the rattlesnakes using volunteer citizen scientist to examine the distribution of venoms among the species.  

The study was recently published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35810-9">Scientific Reports</a>. 

“Prior to this paper, the ‘herp’ (herpetologists) community thought that hemorrhagic venom was really rare and was only in one location in Arizona and one location in Mexico, but we show that it's found in several places throughout the snake's distribution,” said Jason Strickland, a researcher for the study. “There were a few instances when individuals in our sample had both types of venom, which our data suggest are hybrids.”

Common logic would dictate that as the Mojave rattlesnake evolved and diversified, one type of venom would reign supreme as the species started favoring the venom type most efficient for hunting and immobilizing prey. 

An earlier <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790317304992">2018 study</a> found that there are four genetically distinct lineages of Mojave rattlesnakes in the southwestern US and Mexico. 

These lineages are breeding and mixing together but their genetic diversity isn’t shrinking, and contrary to the ideas of natural selection, one venom is not being favored over the other.  

“From an evolutionary standpoint, this is abnormal. This is not what you'd expect,” said Strickland, an author of the new study. “Gene flow should prevent this much variation. But even with the amount of gene flow we find in these populations, the selection is strong enough to maintain these specific venom types in a very local environment.” 

Researchers across five different labs in the US and Mexico collaborated on the project and enlisted the help of nearly 100 citizen scientists who were snake enthusiast and passionate about snake conservation. 

216 Mojave rattlesnakes were collected and analyzed for the study thanks to the collaborative effort of so many different researchers and volunteers. The results of the analysis showed that venom distribution depended on location. 

“What we've been able to show is that there are local optima,” said Christopher Parkinson, an author of the study. “In Texas, the neurotoxic venom type seems to be the optimum for this species. But if we go south into Mexico or over near Phoenix, something in nature is changing, where the local optimum requires a different venom type.” 

The researchers hope to dig deeper into venom distribution among Mojave rattlesnakes and see what environmental factors drove the species to evolve the way they did. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Travis Fisher

Mojave rattlesnakes different venom types defy expectations

Mojave rattlesnakes that live in the southwestern United States and...

A research team led by the <a href="http://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> (WHOI) has monitored the behavior of juvenile <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/emperor-penguins-snack-fasts/">Emperor penguins</a> in the critical months when they leave their birth colony. The experts are sharing previously unknown details about when the penguins first learn how to swim, dive, and find food. 

“This study provides insights into an important, but poorly understood, part of their life cycle, which is essential to being able to better predict the species' response to future climate change,” said study lead author Sara Labrousse, a postdoctoral investigator at WHOI.

After just five months, Emperor penguin chicks are abandoned by their parents and left to fend for themselves in the harsh environment of Antarctica.

The investigation was focused on 15 juvenile penguins who were tagged before they left their colony in Terre Adélie as the weather started to get warmer, breaking up the ice and creating open waters near the nesting site.

The movements of the penguins, including diving and location data, were transmitted via satellite. Overall, more than 62,000 dives were recorded. The data showed that the juvenile penguins initially moved far north to reach warmer, open waters.

“This is when they are essentially learning how to swim,” said Labrousse. “That's not something that their parents teach them. When they first go in the water, they are very awkward and unsure of themselves. They are not the fast and graceful swimmers their parents are.”

The researchers found that once the juvenile Emperor penguins became more experienced divers, they moved south and made deeper dives among the sea ice.

“That was something that surprised us because we didn't previously know how long they were staying within the sea ice,” said Labrousse. “It turns out that they spend most of the winter diving beneath the sea ice.”

The thermocline, which is the layer of the ocean where warmer surface waters meet cooler waters below, begins to deepen in the fall. Labrousse explained that the penguins’ deeper dives were likely related to the depth of the thermocline and the seasonal change in the distribution of their prey.

“Juveniles stay at sea for five or six years before they return to the colony to mate,” said study co-author and WHOI biologist Stephanie Jenouvrier. “We need to better understand the dynamics of what happens during the time the juveniles are away from the colony. Understanding how they will respond to the changing landscape in terms of breeding and other life history stages is key to predict population responses and species persistence to future climate change.”

The study is published  in the journal <a href="https://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/meps-home/">Marine Ecology Progress Series</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: Vincent Munier

How young Emperor penguins survive after their parents leave them

A research team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution...

Most people know <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-colonized-madagascar-later/">Madagascar</a> from the popular series of cartoons, portraying a wild island inhabited by a hard partying, singing, dancing lemur kingdom.  A few more people might have a more realistic view of the island nation from David Attenborough’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1842793/">mini-series</a> on Madagascar.  It’s hard to explain to someone who’s never actually visited Madagascar, the tragic beauty of the place, its people and its wildlife.

According to the <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2017/03/21/poverty-in-madagascar-recent-findings">World Bank</a>, 70.7% of Madagascar’s population was living in poverty in 2012 and little has changed since.  The poverty of Madagascar is stark, too. Even in relatively wealthy parts of the country, young children dressed in rags can be seen collecting pennies from drivers by filling potholes in the road by hand.  If a tourist is eating next to a window at a restaurant, it’s common for local Malagasy people to stand outside and watch sadly until given some small piece of food. 

While I was volunteering coordinating tree planting in Madagascar, I saw men lined up daily vying for day work that paid $5.00 for up to eight hours of manual labor.  <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/madagascar-drought-hunger_us_580dbb32e4b0a03911ed7540">The Huffington Post</a> reported in 2016 that almost 850,000 people in Madagascar were facing ‘alarming’ levels of hunger.  The hunger and poverty in Madagascar is caused by deep political problems, drought, and a history of outside exploitation.  With stark realities like these, it isn’t surprising that wise use of natural resources is low on the list of priorities for many. 

According to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, approximately 94% of Madagascar has been affected by deforestation.  This includes the 90% of forest that Madagascar has lost. Logging for money, especially of valuable hardwoods like rosewood, is part of Madagascar’s deforestation problem, but more forest is lost to slash and burn agriculture.  

Slash and burn ‘tavy’ is a common practice for clearing agricultural land for rice paddies and other crops but it’s a very short lived solution.  Quickly soils are ruined and the tavy farmer must move onto a new piece of land and repeat the slashing and burning of trees, thus pushing a quickened pace of deforestation.  Destruction of forest for short term gain is just one problem for Madagascar.

Madagascar is a unique and special place.  3.2% of the world’s plant species live in Madagascar as well as 2.8% of land vertebrates, which is pretty impressive for such a small place physically.  Most of the world’s chameleon species live only in Madagascar and all the world’s lemurs are native only to the island. Even as the forests have been going up in flames, scientists have discovered amazing, tiny chameleons that fit on the head of a match and other species new to science.  The island is bordered by reef systems already damaged by bleaching caused by a <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/7261/coral-reefs-of-southwest-madagascar">rise in temperatures</a>.  Now desperation, greed or simple necessity is driving Madagascar’s government to further threaten their oceans.  

<a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/12/madagascar-auctioning-a-large-swath-of-virgin-waters-for-oil-exploration/">Mongabay</a> reported in December 2018 that Madagascar’s government is opening a large area of ocean to oil exploration by the highest bidder.  In September, representatives of Madagascar’s government attended an oil industry event in Houston, to advertise the newly opened area.  <a href="https://madagascarlicensinground2018.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Flyer.pdf">A flier</a> from the Malagasy government proclaims, ‘Explore Madagascar’s Open Acreage…Let the Bidding Commence!’ 

<a href="https://madagascarlicensinground2018.com/available-data/">44 concessions</a> are now open for exploration, none of which have been explored before.  The area now open represents some 24,440 square miles in the Mozambique Channel to the west, between Madagascar and mainland Africa.  

This is exciting news for the hydrocarbon industry, <a href="https://psmag.com/environment/madagascar-opens-its-oceans-to-oil-and-gas">The Pacific Standard</a> reports.  Environmental and social groups are less pleased about the opening for oil exploration.  The environmental and economic impact of such a move hasn’t been thoroughly evaluated they argue.  

<a href="https://www.equaltimes.org/madagascar-fisheries-ravaged-by?lang=en#.XBQ46NtKj3g">Equal Times</a> reports that Madagascar’s local fishermen are already outcompeted and the fish populations devastated by foreign fishing fleets.  In 2008, an estimated 130,000 tons of fish were caught in Madagascar’s waters but illegal fishing from foreign boats threatens the livelihood of approximately 100,000 local Malagasy.  An oil spill could completely destroy a vital industry already on the verge of collapse, to say nothing of the loss of biodiversity. Four different civil society groups, led by the Antananarivo-based Research and Support Center for Development Alternatives–Indian Ocean (CRAAD-OI), drove the point home, writing in a statement last month:

“The offshore exploration and production of oil and gas on this scale goes directly against the objectives of protecting fisheries resources and preserving the marine ecosystems on which the livelihoods and food security of a large part of the Malagasy population depend.”

So far, there have been no major oil discoveries in Madagascar and the only oil development has been onshore drilling operations in the west.  The reason for excitement by the hydrocarbon industry comes from the concessions proximities to Mozambique where large reserves of natural gas were discovered offshore in 2010.

In February, representatives of the Malagasy government will continue to promote the exploration concessions in Houston and London, hoping to bolster more interest.  Any deals reached would probably take the form of profit sharing, with the Malagasy government receiving a percent of profits after a certain threshold is reached. Even if there is nothing found during exploration, conservationists worry that the exploration itself could cause problems.  

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/oct/15/stranded-whales-sonar-underwater">The Guardian</a> reported in 2008 that 100 melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) were mysteriously beached in a shallow lagoon in Northern Madagascar.  75 of the beleaguered whales died. An independent review panel by the International Whaling Commission found that the most likely cause of the whale stranding came from a multi-beam echosounder system.  This system was being used by an Exxon Mobil survey vessel to map the area seafloor. Some of the exploration concessions also overlap with marine protected areas as well as areas managed by local fishing communities.  

The government of Madagascar argues that the exploration concessions won’t negatively impact the marine protected areas or fisheries but this seems like an untenable promise to make.  

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Madagascar opens up waters to oil exploration, endangering wildlife

Most people know Madagascar from the popular series of cartoons,...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...