Believe it or not, pet food gobbles up a whopping 9 to 20 percent of all livestock worldwide, with the higher end of the scale being true for high pet ownership nations like the U.S. 



But what if there was a way to reduce this significant environmental footprint with vegan diets for dogs without compromising their health? Turns out, there might be.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rise-of-vegan-dog-diets">Rise of vegan dog diets</h2>



Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not strict carnivores. They are, in fact, omnivores by nature. This basically means they can thrive on a diet consisting of a mix of plants, minerals, and synthetic ingredients as long as all the necessary nutrients are present. 



A growing number of companies are catching on to this and are producing vegan dog food that ticks all these boxes.



By 2024, ten scientific studies had been published indicating positive health outcomes for dogs on vegan or vegetarian diets. And it's worth noting that the British Veterinary Association has even given a thumbs up to nutritionally sound vegan <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/probiotics-help-overweight-dogs-shed-pounds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">canine diets</a>.



However, the critical question still remained - What is the real magnitude of the health benefits that average dogs could enjoy from a vegan diet?



In other words, once we account for age, sex, neutering status, breed size and exercise level - all of the elements that can influence a dog's health - could we still see notable health improvements in dogs on a vegan diet?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-benefits-of-vegan-dog-diet">Health benefits of vegan dog diet</h2>



A research team led by Veterinary Professor Andrew Knight analyzed health outcomes for a staggering 2,536 dogs, including 336 that had been on a vegan diet for at least a year. 



The experts found an actual decrease in seven general indicators of illness in the vegan diet group.



The study revealed that dogs on vegan diets were less likely to require medication or specialized medical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warning-dogs-drinking-from-public-water-sources-is-dangerous/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diets</a>. 



Dogs on vegan diets also needed fewer trips to the vet, were frequently assessed as healthy by their owners and veterinarians, and exhibited lower rates of illness.



When they did fall ill, these dogs also showed fewer health disorders compared to those on conventional meat-based diets. These improvements ranged from 14 percent to an impressive 51 percent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reduced-likelihood-of-health-disorders">Reduced likelihood of health disorders </h2>



To add to the weight of these findings, all of the observed differences were statistically significant. In non-statistician speak, this means that the differences seen were not due to pure chance but are likely true. 



What's more, the likelihood of suffering from six specific health disorders fell by 50 to 61 percent compared to dogs fed traditional meat. 



These disorders included some common doggie health problems like weight issues and problems with the ears, musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-comparing-different-diets">Comparing different diets</h2>



A recent study found that of the 22 most common health disorders, 11 were most prevalent in dogs on conventional meat diets.



Eight were most common in dogs on raw meat diets, and just three were most likely in the vegan diet group. 



Overall, 49 percent of dogs on conventional meat diets were unwell compared to 43 percent on raw meat diets and a mere 36 percent on vegan diets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-impact-of-vegan-dog-diets">Environmental impact of vegan dog diets </h2>



Beyond the health benefits explored, the environmental ramifications of switching to vegan <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-breeding-dogs-like-dachshunds-deserve-a-healthy-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diets for dogs</a> are equally compelling. 



Traditional meat-based pet food significantly contributes to the carbon footprint due to the intensive resource demands of livestock farming, such as land, water, and feed. By reducing reliance on meat, vegan dog food can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation rates. 



According to a study from <a href="https://www.ucla.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCLA</a>, if all U.S. dogs and cats switched to plant-based diets, the reduction in meat consumption would be equivalent to taking millions of cars off the road in terms of carbon emissions. 



This shift offers a dual benefit: fostering pet health while supporting environmental sustainability - an urgent consideration in our rapidly changing climate landscape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nutritional-considerations">Nutritional considerations </h2>



While the prospect of transitioning to a vegan diet for dogs presents numerous advantages, it is not without its challenges. 



Ensuring balanced nutrition is paramount, as improper diets can lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamins such as B12 and D. 



For pet owners contemplating this switch, it's advisable to consult with veterinarians or pet nutrition specialists to tailor a nutritious plant-based diet. 



Recent advances in pet food technology have yielded a plethora of commercially available vegan options, fortified and balanced to cater specifically to canine dietary needs. 



Paying close attention to food labels and opting for brands with reputable nutritional accreditations can help safeguard against potential deficiencies, ensuring that the transition supports <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/medium-sized-dogs-have-a-greater-risk-of-developing-cancer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pet health</a> effectively.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-final-verdict">The final verdict</h2>



"Dogs fed vegan diets clearly had the best health outcomes in this very large-scale study, and these results are consistent with prior studies in this field," said Professor Knight.



"Nutritionally sound vegan diets offer extremely large environmental benefits, so this is very good news for dog owners who want to protect the environment while also maximizing their dogs' health." 



"However, care should always be taken to ensure diets are nutritionally sound, by checking package labeling and purchasing from reputable pet food companies."



Vegan dog have significant potential for a more sustainable planet and healthier pooches. But, like every aspect of pet care, it's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vegan-diets-may-not-be-best-for-dogs-after-all/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">essential to do your homework</a> and ensure that you're making the best choice for your furry friend.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(24)11609-X" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heliyon</a>.



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Dogs on vegan diets stay healthier and visit the vet less often

Believe it or not, pet food gobbles up a whopping 9 to 20 percent of all livestock worldwide, with the higher end of the scale being true for high pet ownership nations like the U.S. But what if there was a way to reduce this significant environmental footprint with vegan diets for dogs without compromising their health? Turns out, there might be. Rise of vegan dog diets Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not strict carnivores. They are, in fact, omnivores by nature. This basically means they...

Pangolins: The most illegally trafficked mammal in the world. These animals have a day dedicated to them. They’re also really adorable and look like something from the last ice age or perhaps a mutant armadillo. But sadly, Pangolins are also the most illegally trafficked mammal on Earth.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pangolins-smuggled-ivory-trade/">Pangolins</a> are just now being recognized by the public, despite their fascinating appearance and the threat they face.  For most people, the most bizarre aspect of a pangolin is its status as the only mammal to have scales instead of normal hair.  The scaly pangolin has something primordially about its appearance, a look that seems more appropriate to a strange extinct beast than a living mammal and that may be part of its problems.      

There are eight species of Pangolin across the world.  Four species occur only in Africa and the other four Pangolin species are found in Asia.  Pangolins are little studied but they have only one offspring per year, born live and it seems that some species take a long time to mature; not reaching breeding age until as late as 7 years.  Recent research suggests that Pangolins may live as long as 20 years. Though pangolins are not closely related to the new world anteaters and sloths (Superorder Xenarthra) they share some striking similarities.  Pangolins eat only ants and termites and have no teeth, depending on a strong stomach and swallowed grit for digestion. Also like anteaters, pangolins have long tongues, tongues nearly as long as their bodies which with sticky saliva are used to extract ants and termites from burrows.  Pangolins closest relatives are dissimilar carnivores, as odd as it seems but genetics is a telling science, evolution can create the same body plan separately. 

Trapped and hunted in Africa and Asia, Pangolin body parts are used for traditional Chinese medicine, much like how snake oil was once used for cure-alls.  Tragically, the Pangolins natural defense of curling into a ball of impregnable scales makes it all too easy to be collected by humans. Pangolin fetuses are especially prized, considered a delicacy that enhances virility.  The Chinese government even permits designated hospitals to use pangolins for medicine while simultaneously outlawing Pangolin retail. Since the 1960s, the population of Pangolins in China and nearby areas has dropped by 96%.  This is bad news for Asian pangolins obvious but it also paints a bleak future for Pangolins in Africa. African pangolins are increasingly filling the demand for Pangolins in Asia. 

I’ve never seen a live Pangolin in the wild but I’ve encountered them in a bushmeat market in Equatorial Guinea in western Africa.  Stacked along tables as if they were nothing more than artichokes, pangolins shared space with monkeys, lizards and porcupines. Varanid lizards, such as monitor lizards were tied three to a net bag, panting, unable to move; monkeys were cooked on spits.  I’ve seen pictures of the same market with live monkeys in cages and so much more horror. This is a market spurred by a growing market built on capital of international workers, tourists and multinational businesses as well as Chinese ‘medicine’. Wildlife hurt by this industry includes not only pangolins and rhinos but tigers, apes, bats, and more, even narwhals are targeted.  

Conservation efforts have mainly focused on attacking the illegal Pangolin market, with some governments trying to legalize Pangolin trade to monitor and manage it.  The work involves busting smugglers and putting pressure on governments for additional laws or enforcement of anti-trafficking laws already on the books. Additionally, outreach and education efforts, trying to discourage consumers from eating pangolins are part of conservation efforts.  Researchers even tested Pangolin meat, concluding that it has no more nutritional benefit than chicken meat, which unsurprisingly it’s said to taste like. 

Zoos have recently stepped into the Pangolin fight.  Despite the fact that pangolins typically survive less than five years in captivity, some zoos have decided to try breeding programs.  Some worry that despite being unsuited to captivity zoos are buying wild pangolins, and thus further encouraging the illegal pangolin trade.  

On the other side of the issue, some pangolins have been born in captivity.  The problem is more complex than breeding in captivity can solve alone, though.  If Pangolins are hunted out in the wild, the best case scenario is a self-sustained population living solely in zoos, a proposition I find exceptionally depressing.   In the meantime, you can see a Tree Pangolin (Manis tricuspis) in the San Diego Zoo, before it dies.                    

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pangolins: The most illegally trafficked mammal in the world

Pangolins: The most illegally trafficked mammal in the world. These...

According to research from the <a href="https://uci.edu/">University of California, Irvine</a>, climate change could drive fishery yields down by 20 percent across the world ocean and by 60 percent in the North Atlantic before the year 2300.

The decline is primarily linked to a lack of ocean mixing. When the surface layer of ocean water is warm, it prevents the nutrients that have built up in the deep waters from rising to the surface. 

The study authors explained that significant changes in ocean mixing would ultimately drive a decline in fish populations near the surface.

Many studies have confirmed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-oceans-fisheries-fish/">fisheries</a> will be significantly less productive by the end of this century, but little research has investigated the fate of fisheries beyond 2100.

A team led by J. Keith Moore used modeling to predict the effects of climate change on fisheries under the condition that the rate of carbon emissions remains the same as it is today.

Currently, the Southern Ocean has such a successful amount of mixing that nutrients abundantly flow into other oceans. 

But now, model simulations produced by the current study indicate that changing wind patterns and warmer ocean surface layers will cause an increased portion of nutrients to sink into the deeper layer of the ocean and become trapped there. The model showed that phosphate, for example, will become 41 percent less abundant.

The steep decline of mixing in the Southern Ocean will also be facilitated by a polar shift of nutrient upwelling into the Antarctic. 

The study authors also established that ocean mixing will be particularly reduced in the North Atlantic. They explained that the long-term impact of these changes in ocean mixing will reduce fishery yields for at least a thousand years.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate changes will significantly reduce fishery yields

According to research from the University of California, Irvine, climate...

When a team of researchers set out to better understand liverworts, they discovered that they had hundreds of thousands of images to examine. The experts developed an online tool that would enable citizen scientists and volunteers from a variety of backgrounds to help out with the analysis. 

Matt von Konrat is the collections manager of plants at the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a> and the study's lead author.

“Citizen science is an opportunity for an individual, group, or community to participate in and contribute to an active research program,” explained von Konrat. “It's public contribution to science.”

Liverworts first appeared on Earth about 400 million years ago, and they can survive in even the harshest climates from deserts to the Arctic. They are very small and will respond much faster to global warming than bigger plants, making them a valuable resource for studying the effects of climate change.

Liverworts have rounded leaves that are somewhat shaped like a liver. The tiny details of these plants must be studied under a microscope. 

“It's tedious for one individual to go through these photos for hours on end,” said von Konrat. “But if you get a hundred people to do it for five minutes each, it's a lot easier.”

The team created the online platform Zooniverse for the citizen science volunteers to study photos of liverworts and measure their primitive leaflike structures. This helps scientists better determine the differences among liverwort species, which may respond differently to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oil-companies-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

“The Microplants project is two-pronged: to help find differences between these species, and see if measurements can actually be done by lay people,” said co-author Kalman Strauss, a high school student who has volunteered at the Field Museum since 2014.

Ultimately, over 11,000 online users helped with the study both remotely and at a digital kiosk located in the Field Museum. The Zooniverse platform was also used in classrooms ranging from kindergarten to college Biology classes. 

According to von Konrat, the findings of the study are accurate enough for use in research that can inform environmental policy. He said that the project is also notable for its efforts in public engagement with science.

“This project goes beyond the data,” said von Konrat. “It's about breaking down barriers and showing that everyone can contribute to science. One key audience is students and younger generations - exposing them to museum collections and science, help them get excited about science.”

The study is published in an issue of <a href="http://www.bioone.org/loi/apps">Applications in Plant Sciences</a> dedicated to the digitization of botanical natural history collections.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: The Field Museum

New platform allows the public to contribute to science research

When a team of researchers set out to better understand...

A team of Chinese researchers may have now accomplished what scientists have been trying to achieve for many years by using graphene-based nanoscrolls to mimic a dog's incredible sense of smell.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-create-mental-image/">Dogs</a> essentially depend on a heightened sense of smell to interpret the world around them, and are well-known for their ability to track scents. The part of a dog's brain that is dedicated to sensing smells is around 40 times of that found in humans.

A dog's nose is lined with millions of tiny capillaries, which make them extremely sensitive to odors. The capillaries cover a large surface area, allowing dogs to accurately detect scents even at very low concentrations.

Researchers have been trying to create a sensitive gas detector that imitates the level of skill found in the olfactory structure of a dog's nose. Experts previously had some success in using graphene-based nanoscrolls (GNS), which are nanosheets of graphene rolled up in continuous and uniform manner. 

GNS have a large surface area, are stable at high temperatures, and are quite resilient. Experts ran into obstacles, however, because the nanostructures are difficult to manufacture, consume a lot of energy, and are not particularly easy to scale up. 

Raw graphene that was used in past studies produced some unrolled structures, while modified graphene shriveled up and aggregated.

For the current study, the research team set out to change the graphene with a polymer to create nanoscrolls of higher quality. They added sodium-p-styrenesulfonate to create separate yet uniform structures. 

Ultimately, the researchers successfully incorporated the nanoscrolls into a highly selective and sensitive gas sensor. The study authors pointed out that their new modification technique has the potential for large-scale production.

The study is published by the American Chemical Society in the journal <a href="http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscinet/nano">Nano</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Replicating a dog’s incredible sense of smell to detect gases

A team of Chinese researchers may have now accomplished what...

When government agencies implement policies regarding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/african-wildlife-devastated-war/">wildlife</a> management, it's often with the assumption that the policies are the result of thorough scientific research. 

However, a new study reviewing wildlife management has found that claims that policies are backed by science are largely unfounded.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/">Simon Fraser University</a> conducted a study that looked at the scientific rigor supposedly applied to many hunt management systems in North America. 

The study was published in the journal Science Advances. 

The researchers collected and analyzed all publicly available documents regarding 667 hunt management systems. These policies applied to 27 different species groups across all 50 United States and the Canadian Provinces. 

Four hallmarks that prove scientific rigor were applied to the policies. The hallmarks, a clear objective, the use of evidence, transparency, and external review, were used to show that the management systems were science-based. 

The results showed that there was very little scientific backing for the majority of the management systems analyzed according to the results. 

60 percent of the systems featured less than half of the hallmarks or indicator criteria, and some had almost no scientific backing. 

The researchers found that 9 percent of the systems explained how hunting quotas were set, and less than 10 percent of them had any review process. 

All in all, the study shows how little science plays a role in implementing important wildlife hunting policies in North America. 

“The key to honest discussions about wildlife management and conservation is clarity about where the science begins and ends,” said Kyle Artelle, leader of the research. “Our approach provides a straightforward litmus test for science-based claims.”

Artelle went on to state that hunting policies should not just be guided by science alone as there are other important socioeconomic factors to consider.  

However, if scientific research is claimed to a play a vital role in the decision, the evidence of the research should be obvious. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Most North American wildlife policy not backed by science

When government agencies implement policies regarding wildlife management, it's often...

When talking to babies and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pets-harmful-indoor-chemicals/">dogs</a>, we often use a sort of  high pitched rhythmic talking known commonly as “baby talk.”

Scientifically, this is called infant-directed speech and research has shown that using baby talk is actually important for bonding with an infant. 

A new study set out to investigate if infant-directed speech aimed at dogs served the same useful purpose as it does for children. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a> conducted the study and found that “dog-speak,” like baby talk, does improve concentration and bonding with pet dogs. 

“This high-pitched rhythmic speech is common in human interactions with dogs in western cultures, but there isn't a great deal known about whether it benefits a dog in the same way that it does a baby,” said Katie Slocombe, a co-author of the study. "We wanted to look at this question and see whether social bonding between animals and humans was influenced by the type and content of the communication."

Previous research that studied dog-speak found that it was useful for puppies but not adult dogs. However, those experiments involved playing recordings for dogs and not having the dogs interact with a human talking to them. 

For this study, the researchers asked participants to talk to dogs who were in the same room with them.

This way the researchers could determine if dog-speak was a key motivator in who the dog gravitated towards.

Several tests were conducted with an adult dog where the dog listened to two different people. One used dog-related phrases such as “shall we go for a walk?” with dog speak, and the other use adult-directed speech and didn’t use any dog related phases. 

After this, the phrases were mixed and spoken to the dogs in different tones to determine if it was the tone or content of the words that was more appealing. 

The researchers observed the dog’s focus during these experiments and who the dog preferred to interact with after the participants finished talking. 

The dogs preferred those who had spoken to them with dog speak and dog-related phrases. According to the researchers, the results indicate that both tone and content are important for adult dogs. 

“We found that adult dogs were more likely to want to interact and spend time with the speaker that used dog-directed speech with dog-related content, than they did those that used adult-directed speech with no dog-related content,” said Alex Benjamin, the study’s lead author. 

The dogs preferred those who had spoken to them in dog speak and used dog-related phrases. According to the researchers, the results indicate that both tone and content are important for adult dogs. 

--

By <a href="mailto:mailtoLkayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Using baby talk with your dog actually found to enhance bonding

When talking to babies and dogs, we often use a...

Version 2

Due to its isolated nature, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-plants-hawaii/">Hawaii</a> is a hotspot for species diversification. Researchers are reporting that one particular evolutionary phenomenon, known as adaptive radiation, has led to the emergence of 14 species of the Hawaiian Ariamnes stick spider across the islands.

The stick spiders generally have the same body type, but each is a separate species with distinct physical traits. The new study has revealed that a rare evolutionary process known as adaptive radiation produced a predictable yet independent set of traits in the spiders on each island.

Study lead author Rosemary Gillespie is a professor of Systematic Entomology at the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a>.

“This very predictable repeated evolution of the same forms is fascinating because it sheds light on how evolution actually happens,” said Gillespie. “Such outstanding predictability is rare and is only found in a few other organisms that similarly move around the vegetation.”

The Hawaiian islands formed over the last five million years, beginning with Kauai and ending with the big island of Hawaii. The chronological age of the islands provided the researchers with the ability to examine how the adaptive radiations of the spiders progressed over time.

“This study provides insights into a fundamental question about the origins of biodiversity, but also presents a remarkable story that can call attention to the need for conserving nature in all of its forms,” said study co-author George Roderick.

The experts found that stick spiders have evolved and differentiated from a single species on the same island. This means that spider types on the same island are more closely related to each other than spider types on other islands that they may resemble more physically. For example, a white spider on Oahu is a closer relative to a local brown spider than it is to a white spider on Maui.

“You can find these spiders in pretty much every habitat on each island,” said Gillespie. “This really detailed and finely tuned repetition of evolution of the same form is really quite uncommon.”

The Hawaiian Islands host an exceptionally broad range of habitats that include cold and wet areas that are in close proximity with hot and dry areas, and this dynamic optimizes species diversity. Gillespie explained that the down side of such extraordinary diversity in an isolated region is its vulnerability to change and to invasive species.

“We need to be able to figure out this diversity and document it and describe what's so special about it, so that people know about it,” said Gillespie. “It's being lost and it's a desperate situation.”

The study will be published on March 19 in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: George Roderick

This Hawaiian spider has split 14 times across the islands

Due to its isolated nature, Hawaii is a hotspot for...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto Mississauga</a> are describing how a group of small ancient reptiles defended themselves around 289 million years ago. The creatures could actually detach their tails to avoid being devoured by predators.

The Captorhinus weighed around four pounds and was found in large numbers during the Early Permian period. The species was much smaller than the large carnivores of the time, and had to try and evade predators while foraging for food.

“One of the ways captorhinids could do this, was by having breakable tail vertebrae,” explained first author Aaron LeBlanc.

There are many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/different-species-lizards/">lizard</a> species today that have the ability to detach their tails, but the Captorhinus is the earliest known reptile that had this skill. Just like the modern species that have the same ability, the prehistoric creatures had tail vertebrae with cracks in the middle. These crevices acted like perforated lines that could be easily separated.

“If a predator grabbed hold of one of these reptiles, the vertebra would break at the crack and the tail would drop off, allowing the captorhinid to escape relatively unharmed,” explained Professor Robert Reisz.

The advantage of the Captorhinus to literally break away from aggressors likely promoted the success of the reptile in spreading across the supercontinent of Pangea. While this incredible ability disappeared when the Captorhinus died out, it reemerged in descendant species of lizards around 70 million years ago.

The researchers analyzed over 70 tail vertebrae in both juvenile and adult specimens and compared these skeletons to relatives of captorhinids. The experts established that the tail-breaking talent was unique to this particular group of reptiles during the Permian period.

The scientists also discovered that the vertebrae cracks were features that formed naturally as the reptiles were developing. In addition, they found that young captorhinids had more distinctive cracks than adults, suggesting that the juveniles were the primary targets of predators.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Aaron LeBlanc

These reptiles survived attacks by breaking off their tails

Researchers at the University of Toronto Mississauga are describing how...

The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in Mexico has drastically declined in recent years, and experts are now reporting that their numbers are down for the second straight year in a row.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/western-monarch-butterflies-extinct/">Monarch butterflies</a> spend the winter season in Mexico and then migrate north into the United States and Canada in the spring and summer. Their populations are counted by the number of acres of trees that they occupy.

This year's count of 6.12 acres is down from the 7.19 acres last winter. According to <a href="https://www.monarchwatch.org/">Monarch Watch</a>, the butterflies were spread across 44 acres of trees just two decades ago. Since that time, there has been an 80 percent decline in their population.

Jorge Rickards is the head of the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/">World Wildlife Fund</a> in Mexico.

“The decrease is attributed to the presence of two tropical storms and three hurricanes that hit the Atlantic coasts in mid-September 2017 when migration begins,” said Rickards. “This impacted the number of Monarchs that arrived in Mexico.”

Rickards explained that unseasonably warm temperatures in the midwestern and northeastern United States also contributed to a late migration and lower numbers. He said that illegal logging and habitat destruction are the primary threats to the future of the Monarch butterfly.

“But how many monarch butterflies arrive to hibernate to the mountains of Mexico depend on how many can survive during their migration route in the United States, Canada and Mexico,” said Rickards.

In the United States, the use of herbicides has led to the widespread eradication of milkweed that monarch caterpillars feed on, and their survival is threatened as well. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may soon declare the Monarch to be endangered, which would lead to measures to protect the species.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Monarch butterfly population numbers down a second year in a row

The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in Mexico...

The study of animals has helped humans advance science and medicine for centuries, whether its through the development of animal models or observations of other species’ ability to overcome – or avoid entirely – common diseases. As our own medical remedies become more focused on individual genes, it would make sense that some of the next big discoveries in medicine come through analysis of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-evolving-gene-alcoholism/">genomes</a> of other animal species.

To this end, researchers at the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> (UU) have recently published a study in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/home">Cell Reports</a>, which also appears in <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/">Newsweek</a>. The study reports a number of findings that involve genes we share with a wide variety of animals, and the potential treatments that could remedy multiple conditions. 

The study focused on genes in “noncoding” regions of the mammalian genome, which makes up 98 percent of all DNA. It is still unknown what role these noncoding regions play in health and disease. 

“People used to call the noncoding regions junk DNA, but I see it as a jungle that has not been explored,” says Christopher Gregg, an assistant professor in Neurobiology and Anatomy at UU. “We are exploring the noncoding regions to try to discover new parts of the genome that might control different diseases.”

The researchers explored the “junk” regions of DNA in the genomes of species they believe have unique traits, such as elephant’s with their enormous size, bats with pointy ears, and dolphins and orcas due to their ability to adapt to high pressure environments. These unique traits arose through sections of DNA within the noncoding regions of each species’ genome evolving rapidly.

“We leveraged the extreme traits in different species to uncover noncoding regions in the human genome that likely have important roles in shaping health and disease,” explains Elliott Ferris, a bioinformatician and computer programmer in Gregg’s lab and first author of the study.

Results revealed that humans share similar versions of these genes, although in much smaller numbers. These genes include some that allow elephants to repair mutated DNA – a potential treatment for cancer. The genes that allow dolphins and orcas to adapt to high-pressure environments could help us learn more about blood clotting disorders. The development of albinism might be better understood through studying the DNA in squirrels that is linked to skin coloration. Eye development in the naked mole rat could shed light (no pun intended) on our own eye development and the factors behind glaucoma.

Overall, these findings could lead to improved approaches for treating diseases in humans, and help scientists discover new treatments for human diseases through studying the genomes of other animals. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Animal genomes can help cure human diseases

The study of animals has helped humans advance science and...

The relationship between a fish and its parasite-eating cleaner fish counterpart is a crucial one. The cleaner fish helps keep other fish parasite-free, and now, a new study has found that fish who are healthy are better at problem-solving. 

A team of researchers led by Sandra Binning from the <a href="http://en.bio.umontreal.ca/">Université de Montréal's Department of Biological Sciences</a> discovered that when a fish is infected by parasites, its cognitive abilities decrease and the fish is unable to solve tests as well as healthy fish. 

The study was conducted at the <a href="https://australianmuseum.net.au/lizard-island-research-station">Lizard Island Research Station in Australia</a>, and the findings were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The results highlight the importance of cleaner fish and the effect that parasites can have on a fish’s mental capabilities.  

If a fish is infected with parasites, it can seek out species like the blue-streaked “cleaner wrasse” that eats parasites off an infected host. 

Once the parasites have been removed, the fish is healthy and able to function properly again. 

“We collected wild damselfish with or without access to cleaner wrasse and tested their ability to solve a feeding test in the lab,” said Binning. “We then compared their performance to fish that we infected with parasites experimentally.”

Binning said that the fish who were infected with parasites in high numbers were not able to perform as well as the healthy fish. 

Similar effects of parasites have been shown in humans as well.

 “Studies have found that schoolchildren with stomach worms perform worse on standardized tests than their parasite-free peers,” said Binning. “Treating these kids with anti-parasite medication improves their performance.”

The cleaner fish play such a vital role in the health and wellbeing of seafish that Binning compared them to veterinarians.

“Cleaner wrasse act like the vets of the sea,” Binning said. “Clients visit cleaners to get their parasites removed, and this helps boost their ability to think and solve the test.”

Cleaner fish are critical to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/restoring-coral-reefs-benefits/">reef</a> vitality and the health of seafish but unfortunately, they are a popular aquarium pet. The researchers hope their study will show the essential role that cleaner fish play and the need to conserve their numbers in reef habitats. 

“It's important that we understand the impacts of reduced access to cleaners on client fishes,” said Binning. “Cleaners may not be the largest or most abundant fish on the reef, but they affect the well-being of thousands of their clients. This needs to be taken into consideration when setting collection limits and managing marine parks.” 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How paraste-eating cleaner fish keep sea fish healthy and sharp

The relationship between a fish and its parasite-eating cleaner fish...

Many different animal species use cooperation to boost their chances of long-term survival, as working in a group can provide benefits in both foraging and protection. These benefits can lead to further cooperation adaptations through evolution, particularly in a changing environment. Now, new research published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/">Nature</a> finds that when an environment is prone to changing unexpectedly, for some species, staying at home to help raise relatives can be more beneficial than going solo.

“In the last few years, biologists have noticed that high levels of animal cooperation are often found in very harsh and unpredictable places - from birds on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fire-african-savanna-diversity/">African savannahs</a> to bees in the Alps,” says Patrick Kennedy of the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> and leader of the study. “We wanted to find out whether evolution might work differently in these changeable habitats.”

From this research, scientists believe that helping behavior evolves because the helper is related to the individuals they help. However, this explanation for helping behavior has been challenged. “Often, when biologists have measured outcomes in the wild, either helpers weren’t closely enough related, or they could have had their own offspring quite easily, or they didn’t make much difference to the survival of their siblings,” says Andy Radford, also of the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> and co-author of the study.

Through including the turbulent nature of environments in their analysis, the researchers of this study found that helping behavior evolves much more easily than previously thought. In a highly unpredictable environment, helpers don’t need to be closely related to those they help.

“We realized that help might actually only be of use if the year turns out to be difficult, such as bad weather or not enough food,” explains Seirian Sumner of UCL and co-author of the study. “Helping relatives in bad years can have a huge effect on the number of grandchildren if it means your family does much better than others when times are hard. So, it's worth siblings hedging their bets and staying at home.”

When times are tough, getting an edge on competing species can make a big difference, even if it makes you less competitive in the good times. Overall, these results could have major implications for our understanding of how cooperation evolves in animals.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Patrick Kennedy

Animals lean on family to deal with tough environments

Many different animal species use cooperation to boost their chances...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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