A new study has revealed an intriguing phenomenon that could be contributing to the increasing consumption of plastic waste by whales. 



It all starts within the mysterious depths of the ocean where sunlight does not venture. This is where the likes of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-have-the-sperm-whales-gulf-gone-gulf-jumbo-squid-scientists-think-they-know/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sperm whales</a> and goose-beaked whales forage for food, relying on their intricate soundwave-based navigation system to find their next meal.



But there seems to be a hitch - a torn plastic party balloon can sound remarkably similar to a delicious squid in these lightless depths.



A recent study has found a potential reason why whales might mistake plastic for prey – they sound the same underwater.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-acoustic-signatures-in-the-deep-sea">Acoustic signatures in the deep sea</h2>



What exactly are these acoustic signatures? Well, when a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blue-whales-continue-their-battle-for-survival/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">whale</a> sends out clicks and buzzes from a vocal cord-like structure near their blowholes, the sounds bounce off objects in the water. 



The sounds that return carry information about the size, shape, and nature of those objects. This is how the whales "see" and interpret their surroundings. And to their acoustic perception, their favorite squid sounds eerily similar to a plastic bag.



"There are hundreds of types of plastic, and the various material properties including polymer (chemical) composition, additives, shape, size, age/weathering, and degree of fouling likely play a role in the frequency-specific responses observed," noted the study authors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-pollution-and-whales">Plastic pollution and whales </h2>



Now, it's crucial to mention that the whales' sound-based navigation system is not a new kid on the evolutionary block. This sophisticated system has been helping whales find food in the pitch-dark ocean depths for the past 25 million years.



However, plastic pollution is a relatively new challenge faced by whales, and according to Merrill's findings, it's messing with their ultrasonic grocery shopping.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-debris-around-whales">Plastic debris around whales</h2>



Merrill and his team collected typical plastic trash items like shopping bags, ropes, bottles, and balloons from beaches in Beaufort and Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.



These items were then suspended underwater and subjected to sonar transponder tests on Duke Marine Lab's ship, the R/V Shearwater. 



The team performed acoustic testing on these items at three varying sonar frequencies that span the range of 'clicks' emitted by different species of deep-diving <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-a-warming-climate-will-change-the-humpback-whales-diet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">whales</a>.



The sounds of real squid (albeit deceased ones) and pieces of squid beak were also recorded for comparison.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-whales-mistake-plastic-for-prey">Whales mistake plastic for prey</h2>



The results were as alarming as they were surprising. The plastic debris almost always sounded like food, especially plastic films and fragments, which are among the most commonly found items in the stomachs of deceased whales.



Merrill suggests that we could consider re-engineering some plastics to not have an acoustic signature. But he also warns of potential risks. 



For instance, if fishing net and fishing line became "acoustically invisible," that could lead to increased entanglements where whales wouldn't be able to identify and avoid these threats.



For this pioneering study, Merrill collaborated with scientists from neighboring marine labs operated by NOAA, NC State University, and UNC – Chapel Hill.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-conservation-efforts">Implications for conservation efforts</h2>



The findings from Merrill's study have profound implications for marine conservation strategies aimed at protecting whales. 



Traditional approaches have largely focused on reducing the amount of plastic that enters the oceans - a task vital to the health of marine ecosystems.



However, understanding that plastic can acoustically resemble prey to whales suggests that addressing the challenge could require innovative solutions within the manufacturing sector as well. 



This could involve developing materials that emit distinct acoustic signatures detectable by marine life without posing any risk of ingestion. 



Such multidisciplinary cooperation between conservationists and material scientists could pave the way for groundbreaking strategies to safeguard these majestic creatures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-the-plastic-crisis">Addressing the plastic crisis</h2>



In light of these revelations, there is an urgent need to collectively address the plastic pollution crisis. Reducing our reliance on harmful plastics and advancing research into safer alternatives is paramount.



Moreover, stringent regulations on plastic manufacturing could play a crucial role in mitigating this crisis. By innovating responsibly and enforcing global standards, we can not only protect marine biodiversity but also ensure a healthier planet. 



While technological innovations and alternatives to plastic are critical in addressing this issue of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-rarest-whale-found-on-new-zealand-beach/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">whales</a>, perhaps the more immediate and straightforward action we can all take is responsible disposal of our waste.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X24010464?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marine Pollution Bulletin</a>.



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Plastic trash sounds just like food to deep-diving whales

A new study has revealed an intriguing phenomenon that could be contributing to the increasing consumption of plastic waste by whales. It all starts within the mysterious depths of the ocean where sunlight does not venture. This is where the likes of sperm whales and goose-beaked whales forage for food, relying on their intricate soundwave-based navigation system to find their next meal. But there seems to be a hitch - a torn plastic party balloon can sound remarkably similar to a delicious squid in these lightless depths....

Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park was one of Africa’s most impressive wildlife preserves, but since the 1970s, it has been ravaged by war. First, it was an anti-colonial war of liberation, which was then followed by a 15-year civil war. Both conflicts resulted in an extermination of over 90 percent of the park’s wildlife.

Researcher Joshua Daskin, a <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a> graduate student in ecology and evolutionary biology at the time, was interested to see if African animal populations are consistently able to rebound after being exposed to war – as the Gorongosa populations had, or if they were more likely to completely collapse. He and Robert Pringle, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton, report their findings in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/">Nature</a>.

Their findings reveal that war has been a consistent factor in the historical decline of large mammals in Africa. Populations that experienced stability in peaceful areas would experience a quick decline at even a slight increase of human conflict frequency. However, despite these downward trends, these populations rarely collapsed to the point where recovery was impossible.

Between 1946 and 2010, more than 70 percent of Africa’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/safe-place-elephants-africa/">protected areas</a> were touched by war. Large animals such as elephants, hippos, and giraffes experienced population declines as both combatants and hungry civilians hunted animals for meat and goods to sell, such as ivory. Despite this, Daskin reports that their study shows that even these severely affected areas are still promising candidates for conservation and rehabilitation efforts.

“We hope our data and conclusions will help in the effort to prioritize these areas for attention and funding from their governments and from international NGOs,” says Daskin, now a Donnelley Postdoctoral Fellow at <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a>. “We’re presenting evidence that although mammal populations decline in war zones, they don’t often go extinct. With the right policies and resources, it should often be possible to reverse the declines and restore functional ecosystems, even in historically conflict-prone areas.

Although it may seem obvious that war and human conflict would have a negative effect on wildlife, there have been some studies that show the positive effects of conflict on biodiversity. However, this study found that – with few exceptions – frequent conflict caused a downward trend among large-animal populations. “Most of the effects of conflict on wildlife populations seem to be due to knock-on socioeconomic effects that degrade the institutional capacity for biodiversity conservation, or the collective societal ability to prioritize and pay for it,” says Daskin.

Gorongosa was the park the originally inspired this study, and also exemplifies the study’s findings overall. In the early 2000s, the elephant population had dropped by more than 75 percent, and buffalo, hippo, wildebeest, and zebra numbers were thought to be in the single or double digits. But by 2004, wildlife in the park has rebounded to 80 percent of their total pre-war abundance. 

“Our results show that the case of Gorongosa could be general,” explains Pringle. “Gorongosa is as close as you can come to wiping out a whole fauna without extinguishing it, and even there we’re seeing that we can rehabilitate wildlife populations and regrow a functional ecosystem. That suggests that the other high-conflict sites in our study can, at least in principle, also be rehabilitated.”

Although war and violent human conflict should obviously be avoided whenever possible – for our sake as well as the health of nearby animal populations – it’s at least comforting to know that its effect on wildlife may only be temporary, as long as the proper conservation and rehabilitation actions are taken after the conflict is over.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Photos by Joshua Daskin, Yale University

African wildlife populations devastated by war and conflict

Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park was one of Africa’s most impressive...

Pet owners want the best for their furry friend, and understanding exactly what’s going into their food is important for keeping pets healthy and happy. 

Organic dog food is becoming more widely available, and for many, high protein products are a welcome alternative to the typical grain-heavy kibble. 

Some pet owners are even turning to raw meat-based diets (RMBDs), using commercially frozen or pre-packaged products or making DIY dog food at home. Raw meat-based diets seem like a more natural and appealing option for dogs, as it mimics the kind of diet a dog might have in the wild. 

RMBDs are said to improve oral hygiene, keep skin and coat healthy and shiny, and improve colon health.

However many veterinarians and animal experts have cautioned against implementing a raw meat diet for pets because of the high risk of contracting bacteria or diseases. 

A new study, conducted by researchers in the Netherlands and published in the journal Vet Record, shows that raw meat-based diets do indeed carry some dangerous risks, as raw meat products can contain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parasites-extinct-2070/">parasites</a> and bacteria that are harmful to both pets and humans. 

The research team wanted to see if zoonotic bacteria and parasites were present in raw meat-based diets, as zoonotic bacteria are the biggest cause for concern among the veterinary community. 

Researchers analyzed 35 commercially frozen RMBDs from eight different pet food brands that are widely available in the Netherlands. The results showed four kinds of zoonotic bacteria and two parasites were present in the products tested. 

Escherichia coli O157 was found in eight products, Listeria species in 15 products, and seven products contained Salmonella. 

What is also worrying about RMBDs is that the parasites and bacteria present pose a significant risk to humans as well through improper handling of meat or coming in contact with an infected animal.

“Despite the relatively low sample size of frozen products in our study, it is clear that commercial RMBDs may be contaminated with a variety of zoonotic bacterial and parasitic pathogens that may be a possible source of bacterial infections in pet animals and if transmitted pose a risk for human beings,” said the researchers. 

Before jumping on the raw meat diet bandwagon, it’s important to be educated on all the risks involved for both you and your pet, and the researchers say that any RMBDs should be handled properly to prevent cross-contamination. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Feeding your pet a raw meat diet could be dangerous

Pet owners want the best for their furry friend, and...

Many species have a complex social network that is integral to survival. Through social interactions, groups know when and where to travel, and new skills can be learned and passed on through observation. 

For many animals, spatial reasoning plays a major role in social interaction, as understanding where other individuals are in relation to one’s self is important for navigation, hunting, and learning. 

Researchers have identified the neurons that aid in spatial location programming for an individual animal, but it remained unclear how the brain translates the location of other animals in the same species. 

But now, two new studies published in Science Magazine tackled how exactly the brain of an animal deciphers and transmits the location of other animals nearby.

One study conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.weizmann.ac.il/pages/">Weizmann Institute of Science</a> in Rehovot, Israel used two <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-echolocation-hunt-prey/">bats</a>, a demonstrator bat, and an observer bat. The demonstrator bat would fly to a landing ball and the observer bat would follow using the same trajectory and was rewarded with a treat. 

The research team recorded more than 350 active neurons in the bats’ hippocampus while the bats led and followed each other. After a time, the demonstrator bat was replaced by an inanimate object. 

The differences in neural activity between the demonstrator bat and the inanimate object allowed the researchers to identify a subset of cells that specifically aided in highlighting the spatial location of the demonstrator bat.

The other study was conducted by researchers from the<a href="http://www.brain.riken.jp/"> RIKEN Brain Science Institute</a> in Saitama, Japan, and used rats in a maze. The researchers designed a maze and had a rat, the self-rat, choose to go left or right in order to get a reward. The rat had to determine a path based on the location of another rat. 

In one scenario, the rat received an award for choosing to go to the other rat, and in another, the rat was rewarded for choosing the opposite side of the maze. 

Similar to the bat study, the researchers were able to find neurons in the hippocampi that encoded the location of the other rat in the maze. 

Both studies are important in showing the spatial location and reasoning of animals, especially as spatial location is critical for those animals who rely heavily on social interaction and observational learning. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

How animals decipher the location of others nearby

Many species have a complex social network that is integral...

The earliest known fossils of winged insects from the butterfly and moth order known as Lepidoptera were recently discovered in Germany. 

This important find fills in some crucial evolutionary gaps in Lepidoptera history.

There is very little fossil evidence of the insects, and most information about Lepidoptera’s evolution is based on molecular phylogenetic analysis. Molecular phylogenetics focus on differences in DNA to better understand how a species might have evolved over time. 

“To contribute to a possible reduction of the gap between molecular and fossil dates, we explore for the first time the phylogenetic potential of dispersed lepidopteran wing scales encountered in sedimentary organic matter,” write Timo J. B. van Eldijk and Torsten Wappler, the lead authors of a review of the findings published in the journal Science Advances. 

The fossils, dating back to the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, were uncovered from a sediment core sample that was drilled in northern Germany.

Researchers from Germany and the Netherlands analyzed wing and scale fragments that were embedded in the core sample. Scales were found at two separate depths within the sediment, and the fossil fragments were taken to several labs  and closely examined. 

All in all, the team analyzed 70 wing scales with some of the specimens sharing common characteristics of living moths from the Glossata suborder of Lepidoptera. 

Glossatta moths are fitted with a feeding device known as a proboscis and typically feed on flowering plants. However, flowering plants did not evolve until later in the Earth’s history.

The presence of early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/western-monarch-butterflies-extinct/">butterflies</a> points to the possibility that lepidopterans first fed on non-flowering plants, and later evolved a preference for flowering plants with the proboscis already part of early lepidopterans biology, according to the researchers. 

The findings provide the earliest known evidence of insects from the Lepidoptera order, and will also prove invaluable to future studies examining the evolutionary history of moths and butterflies.

[caption id="attachment_992760" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Fossils-show-butterflies-existed-before-flowers.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-992760" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Fossils-show-butterflies-existed-before-flowers-300x235.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="235" /></a> Image Credit: Hossein Rajaei[/caption]

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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

Fossils show butterflies existed before flowers

The earliest known fossils of winged insects from the butterfly...

Researchers at the Smithsonian's <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of Natural History</a> have revealed 18 species of pelican spiders which have only been recently identified by curator Hannah Wood. As a result of Wood’s investigation, the illusive spiders of the Eriauchenius and Madagascarchaea genera are now categorized into 26 different species.

In 1854, a bizarre spider was found preserved in 50 million-year-old amber that had a striking resemblance to a tiny pelican. In the decades that followed, living pelican spiders were discovered in Madagascar. Experts quickly noticed that their behavior is just as unusual as their appearance. 

These spiders have remained mostly a mystery until now, residing in some of the most remote areas of the world. According to Wood, the spiders are of great interest to arachnologists because they use their long necks and jaw-like features to prey on other spiders.

“These spiders attest to the unique biology that diversified in Madagascar,” said Wood.

She also explained that pelican spiders are "living fossils” that are incredibly similar to fossilized specimens which date back as far as 165 million years ago. In fact, the study suggests that these spiders were dispersed when the Earth's supercontinent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-african-turtle-europe/">Pangaea</a> began to break up around 175 million years ago.

The researchers believe that there are many more species of pelican spiders to be discovered. The pelican spiders described by Wood live only in Madagascar, where biodiversity is currently threatened by widespread deforestation. 

The team plans to analyze how the unusual traits of pelican spiders have evolved and diversified over time. They also hope that this research will help to promote the conservation of what remains of the forests of Madagascar and the biodiversity contained within them.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://zookeys.pensoft.net/">Zookeys</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: Hannah Wood, Smithsonian

18 new species of pelican spiders found in Madagascar

Researchers at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History have revealed...

The remains of a previously unknown dinosaur have been found in 113 million-year-old rocks in Southeastern Australia. The new species has been named Diluvicursor pickeringi, which means Pickering's Flood-Running dinosaur.

The skeleton of Diluvicursor pickeringi was discovered in 2005 eroding from a rock platform near Cape Otway. The species is named in honor of David Pickering, who was Museums Victoria's Collection Manager.

The partial skeleton of the turkey-sized dinosaur, which includes the fossilized tail and foot bones, is giving scientists new insight into the diversity of small, herbivorous dinosaurs known as ornithopods. These bipedal creatures lived in the Great Rift Valley that once existed between Australia and Antarctica. 

“Diluvicursor shows for the first time that there were at least two distinct body-types among closely related ornithopods in this part of Australia,” said lead author Dr. Matt Herne.

“One was lightly built with an extraordinarily long tail, while the other, Diluvicursor, was more solidly built, with a far shorter tail. Our preliminary reconstruction of the tail musculature of Diluvicursor suggests this dinosaur was a good runner, with powerful leg retracting muscles.”

Dr. Herne pointed out that future research may focus on understanding the ecology of these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-fossil-racist-nazi-science/">dinosaurs</a>, including what they ate and how they interacted with their environment.

The site where the fossilized remains were found, which is known as Eric the Red West, is helping researchers to construct a model of the Great Rift Valley ecosystem. Fossil vertebrate remains uncovered at this site were buried at the base of a powerful river, along with tree stumps, logs, and branches that had been swept away by flooding.

“The carcass of the Diluvicursor pickeringi holotype appears to have become entangled in a log-jam at the bottom of this river,” explained Dr Herne. “The sizes of some of the logs in the deposit and the abundance of wood suggest the river traversed a well-forested floodplain. The logs preserved at the site are likely to represent conifer forests of trees within families still seen in Australia today.”

“Much of the fossil vertebrate material from Eric the Red West has yet to be described, so further dinosaurs and other exciting animals from this site are now anticipated.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Painting credit: Peter Trusler

New species of turkey-sized dinosaur found in Australia

The remains of a previously unknown dinosaur have been found...

A team of researchers has discovered that green sea turtles along Australia's northern Great Barrier Reef (nGBR) are undergoing some dramatic changes as a result of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/river-flooding-climate-change/">climate change</a>. The study revealed that turtles born on the region's warmest beaches are now 99.8 percent female. 

The sex of a sea turtle is not determined genetically, as it is in mammals. According to the researchers, cooler temperatures produce more males and warmer temperatures produce more females. For example, the experts found that turtles being born on a cooler beach just south of their study site are only 65 percent female.

The researchers explained that the pivotal temperature, which will produce 50 percent males and 50 percent females, varies across different species and nesting groups.

The experts used data on air and sea surface temperatures to estimate sand temperatures that nests would have experienced in the nGBR from 1960 to 2016. The team used a temperature model which they acknowledged had some limitations, but said that this model “clearly shows that green turtle nests at Raine Island and Moulter Cay were consistently incubated above the pivotal temperature  since the early 1990s.”

Although sea turtles often choose to breed when the sand is slightly warmer than pivotal temperatures, global warming has boosted the temperature in the nGBR enough to really tip the gender scale. The researchers are concerned about what this means for sea turtles as temperatures continue to rise.

“While rising temperatures may initially result in increased female population sizes, the lack of male turtles will eventually impact the overall fertility of females in the population,” wrote the study authors. “For the nGBR, many of these questions will be answered as the adult population become increasingly female biased. As such, our study raises new concerns over the immediate threats of climate change to sea turtle populations.”

It remains unclear how the turtles will respond to this major gender shift. Males breed much more often than females, but this cannot likely compensate for such a large number of missing males. The researchers suggested that females may begin to seek out mates further south in the cooler climate.

The study authors said that this investigation “highlights the need for immediate management strategies aimed at lowering incubation temperatures at key rookeries to boost the ability of local turtle populations to adapt to the changing environment and avoid a population collapse - or even extinction.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change has made 99.8 percent of these sea turtles female

A team of researchers has discovered that green sea turtles...

Seven new species of spiders were recently discovered in Brazil and were named after famous spiders in fantasy and children’s literature. 

The spiders were discovered in the state of Pará in <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/fires-in-brazil/">northern Brazil</a> and come from the Ochyroceratidae spider family, of which there are 175 known species.

Researchers from <a href="http://www.butantan.gov.br/Paginas/default.aspx">Instituto Butantan</a> in Sao Paulo named the new additions to the Ochyocery genus after famous spiders from Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and even Charlotte’s Web. 

The findings were published in the journal ZooKeys. 

While all of the new species were discovered in Brazilian caves, the researchers soon learned that none are exclusively cave-dwelling. The spiders can tolerate sunlight and sometimes crawl outside of their dark cavernous homes. 

The research team collected 2,000 adult specimens during five years of field collection trips in order to classify and describe the spiders accurately. 

According to the researchers, the spiders have six eyes and are no bigger than two millimeters in size. 

The species were named Ochyrocera varys from George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, Ochyrocera atlachnacha from H.P Lovecraft, Ochyrocera ungoliant of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Ochyrocera laracna also from Tolkien, Ochyrocera aragogue of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter, Ochyrocera misspider and Ochyrocera charlotte from E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web.

Each name is linked to an important work of literature in the fantasy genre, with two named after Charlotte’s Web and Little Miss Spider, two famous children’s books. 

The effect of mining in the Brazilian caves where the spiders were discovered is a cause for concern for researchers, as there are likely many other species of spiders yet to be found and studied.

[caption id="attachment_992639" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ochyrocera-misspider.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-992639" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ochyrocera-misspider-300x209.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="209" /></a> Ochyrocera misspider[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_992640" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ochyrocera-atlachnacha.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-992640" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ochyrocera-atlachnacha-300x226.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="226" /></a> Ochyrocera atlachnacha[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_992641" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ochyrocera-varys.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-992641" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Ochyrocera-varys-300x242.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="242" /></a> Ochyrocera varys[/caption]

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/">, Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New species of spiders named after famous spiders in fiction

Seven new species of spiders were recently discovered in Brazil...

Voyageurs National Park is a remote stretch of land that runs along the Canadian border in Minnesota, and is now the site of a new study that combines more than 40 years of data from an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bald-eagle-leg-trap/">eagle</a> nest-protection program. 

The study was done by researchers at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. It encompasses a nest-protection program that was based off the idea that endangered birds would reproduce and survive more effectively if people were kept away from their nests. While this was a logical assumption, it had yet to be proven.

Beginning in 1991, park staff started sequestering an average of nine eagle nests per year, deterring the presence of boaters and campers using warning signs. 

The results showed that protection significantly improved breeding activity, with yearly increases of 8 percent in nesting success (the breeding pair had at least one offspring) and 13 percent in the average number of offspring per occupied nest. Furthermore, the number of breeding pairs – including unsuccessful breeding pairs – increased from 10 to 48 pairs between 1991 and 2016. 

However, determining whether or not these increases were actually due to nest protection is more complicated than it may seem. Truly analyzing the impact of this protection requires more than just counting breeding pairs and their young. 

In previous research, other scientists had documented strong benefits for nests and birds protected from predators by fences, “but they did not necessarily account for predation of eggs in the unprotected nests,” says Jennyffer Cruz, a post-doctoral researcher in wildlife ecology at UW-Madison. “Overall, even if the protection registered as positive from looking only at the managed nests, it could be negative for the whole population.”

To account for this complexity, the researchers developed an analysis that looked at both nests and the overall eagle population. “Counting alone does not allow you to say that management is doing what it is supposed to be doing,” says Ben Zuckerberg, an associate professor of wildlife ecology at UW-Madison. “The model we developed opened the door to that.”

This analysis included asking a series of questions such as, “If the nest is occupied, what is the chance they will have young” and  “If they do have young, what is the chance that they have more than one? How is that different in managed versus unmanaged nests?” 

In their final results, the research team found that protection increased the number of breeding pairs at the park by 37 percent. Other factors accounted for the rest of the increase. 

While these results are most relevant to large, undisturbed habitats lie Voyageurs National Park, “the model can be used for other raptors, in other places, regardless of the level of disturbance,” says Zuckerberg. “Long-term monitoring data is really hard to fund, but it's critical for conservation. This is a perfect example of the benefits of collecting data in a standardized way over a long period of time.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Eagle populations have benefited from nest protection programs

Voyageurs National Park is a remote stretch of land that...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bleak-future-emperor-penguins/">Emperor penguins</a> are known to trek more than 100 km from their ocean feeding grounds to their inland breeding colonies in order to prepare to mate. Their endurance doesn’t only include a long walk; the male partners often experience a fast of more than 100 days while mating and incubating their eggs – all before they make their long return journey.

However, a new finding from Gerald Kooyman of the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> shows that this may not be entirely true. 

During an expedition to the Ross Ice Shelf during the winter of 1998, Kooyman would closely observe the Ross Sea colonies. Through his observations, he and his team discovered that emperor penguins from colonies close to the sea-ice edge are able to go diving before their eggs are laid, meaning their fasts are a lot shorter than the more inland emperor penguins. 

The ship Kooyman was on was the first to reach the Ross Ice Shelf during the winter, and would actually make a detour west to Cape Washington in order to observe an emperor penguin colony during its return journey. When the ship passed by the ice edge near the colony in the late spring, it was observed that a group of 30 penguins were swimming in the open water… in the dark. These birds were only ever thought to dive in light conditions in an effort to avoid predators as well as to not be stuck beneath the ice when air holes close. But if these penguins can hunt successfully in the dark, Kooyman believes that it makes sense they would feed during the prenuptial and pre-laying period.

Given this and other observations of the birds’ nighttime activities, Kooyman says, “The [Cape Washington] breeding males may have a shorter fast because they feed between arrival at the colony and over the ensuing 2 months during the pre-nuptial activities.” He believes that these more coastal penguins may go through a shorter fast of a minimum of 65 days, while the birds further inland may experience up to a 115 day fast.

Kooyman warns that if the rise in Antarctic temperatures continue, many more emperor penguins may be forced to dive in the dark as the ice around the northern edge of the continent continues to thin, driving colonies further south in search of breeding grounds.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Emperor penguins can snack to to break up their famous fasts

Emperor penguins are known to trek more than 100 km...

There are millions of species on Earth, ranging from large elephants to single-celled organisms. But according to new research, no matter the size, geographic location, or lifespan, all species are given the same chance for survival. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom and published in the journal Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution. 

The report describes how all species are “fit” for survival with no species having an absolute advantage over the other. 

Each species transmits the same amount of energy to the next generation when reproducing. In other words, gram for gram, blue whales and bacteria give the same amount of energy to their offspring. 

“We found, rather astonishingly, by examining the production rate and the generation time of thousands of plants, animals, and microbes that each would pass on, on average, the same amount of energy to the next generation per gram of parent, regardless of size,” said  Charles A.S. Hall, one of the co-authors of the study.  

The research team built an energy allocation model using data that included rates of energy investment, growth and reproduction, generation times, and body sizes of hundreds of plants and animals.

The model showed an “equal fitness paradigm,” where no matter how opposite the relationship between growth rate and generation time, they all expelled the same amount of energy during reproduction. 

Smaller species like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-algae-food-shortages/">algae</a> have short lifespans and reproduce quickly, while larger species with longer life spans can have gestation periods that take years.

The results show that there is no real evolutionary advantage among the world’s species and that no matter how diverse the range of plants, animals, and organisms, each has the same chance of life and reproduction as the next. 

“There is no single way of living and using energy that is best," said Hall and his co-author James H. Brown. “Given the array of environmental conditions on the planet, one kind of organism might gain a temporary advantage, but such gains will soon be countered by other, competing organisms.” 

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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

All species have an equal chance of life, study finds

There are millions of species on Earth, ranging from large...

Limited energy flows between producers, carnivores, and herbivores can lead to the collapse of marine food webs, according to a new study. The research demonstrates that increased ocean temperatures reduce the transfer of energy from the primary producers at the seafloor to the intermediate consumers, and ultimately to predators at the top of marine food chain.

These restrictions on vital energy flow can potentially lead to a decrease in food availability for top predators. The disruption can also lead to negative impacts for many other marine species located throughout the rest of the food chain as well.

"Healthy food webs are important for maintenance of species diversity and provide a source of income and food for millions of people worldwide," said lead author Hadayet Ullah of the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a>. “Therefore, it is important to understand how climate change is altering marine food webs in the near future.”

Researchers constructed 12 large 1,600-liter tanks to mimic the levels of ocean temperatures and acidity which could be brought on by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-humidity/">climate change</a>.

The tanks held miniature food webs which included many species such as algae, shrimp, sponges, snails, and fishes. The containers were maintained under future climate conditions for six months.

Over the course of six months, the researchers measured the survival, growth, biomass, and productivity of all animal and plant species, and applied these measurements to an advanced food web model.

“Whilst climate change increased the productivity of plants, this was mainly due to an expansion of cyanobacteria (small blue-green algae),” said Ullah. “This increased primary productivity does not support food webs, however, because these cyanobacteria are largely unpalatable and they are not consumed by herbivores.”

Projecting how ecosystems will function under the influence of global warming is a complicated undertaking, and most research has been focused on only a few species at a time.

“If we are to adequately forecast the impacts of climate change on ocean food webs and fisheries productivity, we need more complex and realistic approaches, such as large mesocosms that provide more reliable data for sophisticated food web models," said project leader Professor Ivan Nagelkerken.

Marine ecosystems are already being transformed by global warming, and it is critical to understand these effects worldwide in order to better protect these food webs.

The study is published in the open access journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLOS Biology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Marine food webs could collapse under future climate change

Limited energy flows between producers, carnivores, and herbivores can lead...

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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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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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...