When you think of macaws or parrots, the word "copycat" may come to mind. These charismatic birds have long been celebrated for their vocal mimicry skills, imitating human speech and other sounds with impressive accuracy.



An international team of researchers has recently uncovered an entirely new level to this mimicry. This time, it's about movement, not voice.



The study was led by Dr. Esha Haldar from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in collaboration with the Loro Parque Fundación.



The blue-throated macaw, a critically endangered species, turns out to be just as adept at copying physical actions as it is sounds. 



The scientists discovered this after testing the macaws' ability to imitate intransitive actions - movements that do not involve a physical object or specific outcome. Until now, this type of mimicry was thought to be unique to humans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-imitation-and-cultural-evolution">Imitation and cultural evolution</h2>



Imitation of intransitive actions - those without specific goals - has long been a cornerstone of human cultural evolution.



From transmitting technical skills to adopting cultural conventions, humans excel at copying gestures with remarkable fidelity. This promotes social bonding and prosocial behavior.



Previous studies have shown automatic imitation in animals like dogs and budgerigars, but only in object-directed actions. 



The macaw study marks the first evidence of automatic imitation of intransitive actions in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-have-regional-accents-just-like-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">non-human species</a>, widening the lens on how imitation shapes social and cultural dynamics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-imitation-skills-of-macaws">Imitation skills of macaws </h2>



The researchers trained macaws to perform two specific actions - “lift leg” and “spread wings” - by responding to hand signals. After training, the birds were divided into two groups to test their ability to mimic or not mimic actions.



In the "compatible" group, macaws were rewarded when they copied the action of another macaw, such as lifting their leg when the demonstrator did so.



Macaws in the "incompatible" group were rewarded only when they performed the opposite action, such as spreading their wings when the demonstrator lifted its leg.



The results revealed a natural tendency for macaws to imitate others. Birds in the incompatible group struggled significantly to suppress their urge to mimic. They made more mistakes and took longer to respond compared to the compatible group, highlighting their instinct for automatic imitation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-automatic-imitation-and-mirror-neurons">Automatic imitation and mirror neurons </h2>



“The findings are remarkable because they show, for the first time, a non-human animal involuntary imitation of intransitive actions,” said Dr. Haldar.



In humans, automatic imitation is linked to&nbsp;mirror neurons, which are special brain cells that activate when a person observes an action and also when they perform the same action themselves. 



These neurons help humans understand and replicate behaviors, playing a key role in learning and social interactions.



Although this study does not directly prove that parrots, like macaws, have mirror neurons, their behavior strongly hints at it. The macaws' ability to mimic movements without conscious effort suggests that similar neural mechanisms might be at work, supporting their advanced imitation skills.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-macaw-imitation-and-conservation-efforts">Macaw imitation and conservation efforts</h2>



“These highly social animals live in dynamic groups. Automatic imitation may enhance integration into new groups and foster social cohesion. It could underpin the cultural transmission of group-specific behaviors,” noted Dr. Auguste von Bayern from <a href="https://www.bi.mpg.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence</a>.



Such mimicry likely evolved independently in distantly related species, driven by similar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/infanticide-or-adoption-why-parrots-kill-each-others-chicks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social and environmental needs</a>.



The blue-throated macaw’s ability to imitate has promising implications for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-have-relocated-caribbean-parrots-for-thousands-of-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conservation</a>.



With fewer than 350 individuals remaining in the wild, reintroduction projects could benefit from this trait. Captive-bred macaws might learn natural behaviors from wild conspecifics, accelerating adaptation to their natural environment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-better-understanding-of-macaws">A better understanding of macaws</h2>



Loro Parque Fundación’s long-standing conservation efforts include raising 465 macaws in captivity and investing over $2 million in their protection. 



These findings add a new dimension to the foundation’s mission, paving the way for innovative strategies to ensure the survival of these stunning parrots.



This study highlights the macaws' cognitive brilliance and its potential role in shaping social and cultural behaviors. 



From conservation to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elusive-bird-night-parrot-pezoporus-occidentalis-thought-to-be-long-extinct-rediscovered/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evolutionary biology</a>, the findings open new doors to understanding the intricate lives of parrots and their remarkable similarities to humans.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(24)02741-X" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iScience</a>.



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Blue-throated macaws have human-like imitation skills

When you think of macaws or parrots, the word "copycat" may come to mind. These charismatic birds have long been celebrated for their vocal mimicry skills, imitating human speech and other sounds with impressive accuracy. An international team of researchers has recently uncovered an entirely new level to this mimicry. This time, it's about movement, not voice. The study was led by Dr. Esha Haldar from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in collaboration with the Loro Parque Fundación. The blue-throated macaw, a critically endangered species,...

They may be known as “man’s best friend,” but it turns out that dogs and humans have even more in common than had been previously thought. A new study found that canine microbiomes share many similarities with human gut microbiomes.

Microbiomes are the genetic information of all the collected microbes, bacteria, and viruses, etc, in the body. Mapping microbiomes, like the human genome, can help with understanding different risk factors, susceptibility to disease, and even treating certain conditions. 

Researchers from the from the <a href="https://www.embl.de/">European Molecular Biology Laboratory</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://www.nestle.com/randd">Nestlé Research</a>, analyzed the gut microbiomes of two different dog breeds and found that humans and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-predict-earthquakes/">dogs</a> have similar genes and responses to diet. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-018-0450-3">Microbiome. </a>

“We found many similarities between the gene content of the human and dog gut microbiomes,” said Luis Pedro Coelho, the corresponding author of the study. “The results of this comparison suggest that we are more similar to man's best friend than we originally thought.”

For the study, the researchers analyzed 129 stool samples from 64 dogs who were fed either a high-protein, low carb diet or a high carb, low protein diet. 

Half of the dogs in the study were beagles and the other half were retrievers. There was an equal amount of overweight and lean dogs. 

The researchers collected stool samples at different periods during the trial diets for the dogs and extracted DNA to create gut microbiome gene catalogs of 1, 247,405 genes. 

Once the gene catalogs were created the researchers compared them to existing gut microbiomes of humans, mice, and pigs. 

The dog gut gene catalog was compared to existing gut microbiome gene catalogs from humans, mice, and pigs. The researchers specifically focused similar responses to diet in the different gut microbiomes they analyzed and reviewed. 

The results of the comparisons showed that changes in diet have a similar effect on the microbiota of humans and dogs. 

“These findings suggest that dogs could be a better model for nutrition studies than pigs or mice and we could potentially use data from dogs to study the impact of diet on gut microbiota in humans, and humans could be a good model to study the nutrition of dogs,” said Coelho. 

Both dogs and humans have a growing obesity problem according to Coelho, and studies like this that shed insight on how diet affects the microbiome can help with finding optimal diets and maintaining healthy weights. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dogs and humans have more in common than previously thought

They may be known as “man’s best friend,” but it...

Researchers examining fossils in Alabama discovered a new species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-turtles-flippers-hands/">sea turtle</a> from the Late Cretaceous epoch. 

The new research offers insight into the evolution and ancestry of modern sea turtles, which were thought to diverge from one common species, Peritresius ornatus. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.uab.edu/home/">University of Alabama at Birmingham</a> discovered the ancient species and published the finding in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195651">PLOS ONE</a>. 

Peritresius ornatus lived in North American 100 to 66 million years ago, though all modern sea turtles were said to come from the Peritresius clade. A clade is a group of species that comes from one ancestor. 

The researchers examined fossils dating 83 to 66 million years ago from marine sediments in Alabama and Mississippi, areas of the southeastern United States that are known for containing rich deposits of marine turtle fossils. 

Among the fossils, the researchers found evidence of a new Peritresius species which they called Peritresius martini after George Martin, the man who made the discovery. 

The shell of the Peritresius martini was markedly different from Peritresius ornatus, and through comparing fossils the researchers were able to identify the new species. 

The researchers also discovered that Peritresius ornatus had unique features that differed from other Cretaceous sea turtles which enabled Peritresius turtles to survive through environmental changes that caused the extinction of other marine turtles.

The results show that Peretrisius was not monospecific, but rather, modern sea turtles have two common ancestors from the Cretaceous Epoch.  

“This discovery not only answers several important questions about the distribution and diversity of sea turtles during this period but also provides further evidence that Alabama is one of the best places in the world to study some of the earliest ancestors of modern sea turtles,” said Andrew Gentry, the study’s lead author. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

New species of ancient sea turtle discovered among fossils

Researchers examining fossils in Alabama discovered a new species of...

It is not uncommon for people to take anecdotal evidence as proof and unfortunately, urban legends and old sayings are often cited as hard facts. 

For example, achy joints supposedly predict changes in the weather for people with arthritis, and animals exhibit strange behaviors before an earthquake leading many to assume they can sense the event coming.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/home/">GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences</a> set out to see if animals, including domestic family <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-create-mental-image/">dogs</a>, can accurately predict earthquakes. 

The results, published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, show that even though animals may be able to sense certain changes in seismic activity, there is no firm evidence proving that dogs, cats, or even farm animals can predict an upcoming earthquake. 

The study is the first of its kind to statistically approach the hypothesis about animals and earthquakes, and highlights the difficulties in trying to find proof in single observations and anecdotal evidence. 

In order to effectively study the connection between animals and earthquakes, the researchers defined some clear factors that need to be considered but are so often lacking in any currently published research. 

These factors included the animal’s distance from earthquakes, if the animal exhibited that same behavior without any earthquakes, if the animals in question are healthy, and if there is a statistical testing hypothesis in place to examine the evidence. 

"Many review papers on the potential of animals as earthquake precursors exist, but to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a statistical approach was used to evaluate the data," said Heiko Woith, the study’s lead author. 

The researchers gathered and analyzed 729 reports of animal behavior predicting potential earthquakes. Elephants, cows, silkworms, dogs, and cats along with a variety of other animals were all included in the research. 

In general, the researchers noticed that most of the reports came from anecdotal evidence and the research mostly focused on three earthquakes, one in New Zealand, one in Japan, and another in Italy. 

It was difficult to pinpoint any links between the reports due to a large amount of variation between the events, the types of behaviors, when the behaviors began, and the distance between the animal the origin of the earthquake. 

Only 14 of the reports included a series of observations leading up to an earthquake. 

According to the study’s authors, research that monitors animal behavior over a long period of time is necessary, as it’s the only way to rule out other environmental changes or factors that could explain the abnormal behaviors. 

The researchers could not find any clear evidence to prove that animals can predict earthquakes, but that doesn’t mean that animals aren’t sensitive to seismic activity. 

“The animals may sense seismic waves--it could P, S or surface waves--generated by foreshocks," said Woith. “Another option could be secondary effects triggered by the foreshocks, like changes in groundwater or release of gases from the ground which might be sensed by the animals.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Are dogs able to predict earthquakes?

It is not uncommon for people to take anecdotal evidence...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/woolly-mammoths-in-alaska-were-pushed-to-extinction-by-rising-sea-levels/">Woolly mammoths</a>, the giant furry mammals that used to roam the Arctic, disappeared off the face of the planet roughly 10,000 years ago. Now, in an almost Jurassic Park type storyline, <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> scientists are planning to clone these animals and bring them back from extinction. How will they do this? By using DNA from a 42,000 year-old frozen woolly mammoth, of course!

For this to come to fruition, the scientists would have to grow the mammoth within an artificial womb. The final product wouldn’t be 100% woolly mammoth, but rather a hybrid between an Asian elephant and a mammoth. They could accomplish this feat through a genetic technique known as CRISPR-Cas9, which allows them to “cut and paste” strands of DNA with unparalleled precision. Thus, they would be able to cut and paste preserved mammoth DNA into the DNA of Asian elephants in order to create a mammoth-elephant hybrid.

“We have already revived dozens of genes and are testing them in elephant cells,” says George Church, a professor at Harvard and lead author of the paper. “We are focusing on a reviving mammoth genes and making a mammoth/elephant hybrid and help them spread to vast wild, arctic climates.”

If this plan were to actually work, the mammoths would be able to live in a 20,000 hectare Ice Age safari park created by Russian scientists in a remote region of Siberia. The researchers believe their presence could actually help regenerate Arctic climates through stimulating the growth of vegetation. 

“Cold-resistant elephants would flatten the insulating snow and supporting trees in winter and favor the highly heat reflective grass in summer,” says Church. “They would also help capture new carbon by enhancing the photosynthetic capacity of the vegetation.”

Since beginning this project in 2015, the scientists have increased the number of “edits” where mammoth DNA has been spliced into the elephant genome by three-fold.

“We’re working on ways to evaluate the impact of all these edits and are basically trying to establish embryogenesis in the lab. The list of edits affects things that contribute to the success of elephants in cold environments,” Church explains. “We already know about ones to do with small ears, sub-cutaneous fat, hair and blood, but there are others that seem to be positively selected.”

Through these new-age gene editing processes, bringing back extinct species is now a real possibility. “Our aim is to produce a hybrid elephant/mammoth embryo,” says Church. “Actually, it would be more like an elephant with a number of mammoth traits. We’re not there yet, but it could happen in a couple of years.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Woolly mammoths might be making a big comeback

Woolly mammoths, the giant furry mammals that used to roam...

Archaeologists have found evidence that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthals-compassionate/">ancient humans</a> attacked massive bears and took over their caves. The findings are the result of an analysis of over 1,700 bear bones which date back to the Ice Age around 50,000 to 43,000 years ago. 

Study lead author Dr. Marco Peresani and his team examined the remains of approximately 50 bears that had been recovered from the Rio Secco and Fumane caves in northeastern Italy.

According to an report in <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html">MailOnline</a>, the bears weighed around 1,300 pounds, which is over twice the size of a grizzly bear. “The last Neanderthals targeted these large animals for recovering pelts and furs but above all for eating them,” Dr. Peresani told the news outlet.

Hundreds of stone tools retrieved from the caves appeared to have left some of the cut marks on the bones, which exhibited signs of blunt force trauma. The bones also showed signs of Neanderthal teeth marks and burns, indicating that the bears had been cooked and eaten.

“These cave bears were hunted and butchered by Neanderthals,” said Dr. Peresani. He explained that the bears were likely targeted and caught off guard as they emerged from winter hibernation.

Females, some of whom had given birth at the end of the slumbering season, would have been tired, weak, and generally more vulnerable to attack. The fossil evidence suggested that adult males, newborns, and cubs were targeted as well.

While researchers have speculated that ancient Neanderthals preyed on cave bears in Europe, this is the first study to provide significant evidence of this behavior.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Massive cave bears were hunted and killed by Neanderthals

Archaeologists have found evidence that ancient humans attacked massive bears...

Climate change in the Arctic is impacting more than just polar bears, as a new study found that warming temperatures in the region are drastically affecting different bug species. 

Thanks to an extensive study examining 20 years of data, researchers have found changes in arthropod abundance in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-ice-free-summer/">Arctic</a>. 

The study was conducted by researchers from <a href="https://wustl.edu/">Washington University</a> in St. Louis and published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

The results show how warming temperatures could completely change the structure and composition of the Arctic ecosystem with many harmful consequences. 

Arthropods belong to one of the largest phyla in the animal kingdom and include many species of insects, spiders, butterflies, moths, and crustaceans. 

In the Arctic, these bugs are found in abundance and make up the majority of animal biomass on the tundra. 

“We often don't pay much attention to these small animals, but there could be real consequences to their changing abundances,” said Amanda Koltz, a member of the research team. 

There are more arthropods than birds or mammals in the Arctic, and they are especially suited to the harsh, cold climate. 

For example, some arthropods have antifreeze proteins in their cells and others are simply tolerant of the cold temperatures. 

In order to determine how changing temperatures impacted arthropod populations, the researchers used the longest-standing, most comprehensive data set on Arctic arthropods in existence. 

The researchers reviewed data on nearly 600,000 flies, wasps, and spiders that was collected and at the<a href="http://zackenberg.dk/"> Zackenberg field station </a>in Greenland between 1996 and 2014. 

After reviewing the data, the researchers saw a notable change in arthropod abundance and the composition of different species through the years. 

An increase in arctic temperatures has led to warmer summers and falls and fewer freeze-thaw events in the winter which impacted the arthropod communities, according to the study. 

Now, there are fewer detritivores which are animals that feed on dead, organic matter. 

Detritivores are an important part of the ecosystem and as populations decline, it could change decomposition in the soil and nutrient cycles for plants. 

The researchers also noticed more plant-eating and parasitic arthropods than in colder years. The changes in composition were also five times more extreme in the drier habitats. 

“We expect these animals to be adapted to a huge range of temperatures and extreme conditions,” said Koltz. “But responses to seasonal temperature variation still vary among arthropod groups. As a result, as summers become warmer, the composition of these high-arctic arthropod communities is changing.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Warming Arctic temperatures are affecting the entire ecosystem

Climate change in the Arctic is impacting more than just...

While trying to better understand the beautiful tail feathers of male peacocks which seemed to serve no evolutionary purpose, Charles Darwin <a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160624-we-have-the-wrong-idea-about-males-females-and-sex">once wrote to a colleague</a> that the very sight of a peacock feather made him “sick”. 

That is until Darwin theorized it could be due to sexual selection, which refers to the secondary sexual characteristics of a specific gender in a species that seem to help attract a mate. The colorful plumage of many male birds that help give them a competitive edge. 

Now, a new study has found that certain species with intense competition among males may be better suited to withstand the effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-western-north-america/">climate change</a>. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University of London </a>conducted the study, and the results show that sexual selection could provide a crucial buffer against rising global temperatures. 

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 

For the study, researchers raised several generations of the Indian meal moth in a lab setting. 

Populations of the moths were either male-biased, with a ratio of three males for every female, or female-biased, with one male for every three females. 

As the moth populations reproduced, the researchers raised the temperature so every other generation was raised in an environment that was 2 degrees Celsius hotter than the generations before. 

The populations declined with the rising temperatures, but survival rates were significantly better among the male-biased populations. The researchers also found that when females had more options they laid more eggs. 

“We found that moths were more likely to succeed in stressful environments of increasing temperature when there were more males competing for mating opportunities,” said Jon Parrett. The study’s lead author. “This is because males who were best adapted to the new environment were more likely to be mated with, and these successful fathers passed on their 'good genes' to their offspring, aiding survival in the new environment.”

The researchers note the importance of their work in the context of understanding how climate change will impact biodiversity and different the survival of different species. 

Even though the moths were raised in a lab setting, the researchers say the results could apply to other species in natural environments. 

“Our results indicate that these competitive mating systems can play an important role in determining the response to new environments, whereas species where there is less competition for mates are likely to be less able to adapt to new conditions,” said Rob Knell, the study’s co-author. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sexual selection could help some species withstand climate change

While trying to better understand the beautiful tail feathers of...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mice-birds-bats-pollination/">Mice</a> scurrying around your home are more than just a nuisance, as they can also be a health and safety concern.

A new study has found that mice in New York City carry potentially harmful disease-causing gastrointestinal bacteria which may be resistant to antibiotics. 

When it comes to rodent problems in New York, most would assume that rats are the worst offenders for carrying diseases. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/research/center-infection-and-immunity">Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) </a>at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that often overlooked house mice may carry more risks. 

“New Yorkers tend to focus on rats because they are larger and we see them scurrying around in streets or subways; however, from a public health vantage point, mice are more worrisome because they live indoors and are more likely to contaminate our environment, even if we don't see them,” said Ian Lipkin, MD, the senior author of the new study. 

The findings were published in the journal mBio. 

For the study, the researchers collected 416 mice from residential buildings at seven sites across New York City. The mice were gathered over a year and the researchers analyzed the mice’s droppings. 

The researchers found. C. difficile, E. coli, Shigella, and Salmonella bacteria in the droppings, all of which cause gastrointestinal diseases.

Salmonella is one of the leading causes of food poisoning in the U.S with 1.4 million reported cases every year. Salmonella can even be life-threatening in some instances. 

Along with the different kinds of bacteria, the researchers discovered antimicrobial resistance to several common antibiotics in the droppings. 

“Our study raises the possibility that serious infections--including those resistant to antibiotics--may be passed from these mice to humans, although further research is needed to understand how often this happens, if at all,” said Simon H. Williams, the study’s lead author. 

Another study that was also published in the journal mBio examined viruses that can be found in mice droppings. 

The results of that study showed that none of the 36 viruses found can infect humans, but they could potentially infect dogs, chicken and pigs. 

The new research raises concerns about house mice and the possibilities that mice could cause cases of antibiotic resistant gastrointestinal diseases in humans. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

House mice in New York City carry antibiotic-resistance bacteria

Mice scurrying around your home are more than just a...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> have discovered that a mass extinction event which occurred 232 million years ago is what gave rise to the dinosaurs. The Carnian Pluvial Episode destroyed most of Earth's species and left <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-asteroid-struck/">dinosaurs</a> with the perfect opportunity to take over.

“The discovery of the existence of a link between the first diversification of dinosaurs and a global mass extinction is important,” said study co-author Mike Benton.

“The extinction didn't just clear the way for the age of the dinosaurs, but also for the origins of many modern groups, including lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and mammals - key land animals today.”

According to the scientists, a series of volcanic eruptions triggered millions of years of extreme climate change, shifting from dry conditions to humid and back to dry again.

The experts analyzed rocks located in an Italian mountain range known as the Dolomites. A series of dinosaur footprints found in rock layers enabled the scientists to establish the point in time when dinosaurs became dominant.

The first substantial number of dinosaur skeletons originated in Argentina and Brazil. The scientists compared their findings in Italy to the rock layers of these regions and confirmed that dinosaurs became prevalent in Argentina and Brazil at the same time, suggesting that the explosion happened globally.

“We were excited to see that the footprints and skeletons told the same story,” said lead author Dr. Massimo Bernardi. “We had been studying the footprints in the Dolomites for some time, and it's amazing how clear cut the change from ‘no dinosaurs’ to ‘all dinosaurs’ was.”

While there were some dinosaurs present in the early Triassic Period 245 million years ago, they were rare until after the Carnian Pluvial Episode 13 million years later.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff

A prior mass extinction allowed dinosaurs to take over the planet

Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered that a...

Elephant populations in Africa may be on the long road to recovery after years of poaching and illegal ivory trading have devastated the animals. 

A new report from the <a href="https://apnews.com/9184bb0dd50c41328c0cfce85e788d79">Associated Press</a> reveals the potential progress for elephant conservation and protection in Tanzania as AP journalists were recently allowed a rare inside look at Tanzania’s Mikumi National Park. 

An operation is currently underway to track and collar 60 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-unique-personalities/">elephants</a> around the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, which according to the AP, has been “Ground Zero” for poaching. 

The collars allow conservation managers to track the elephants, monitor the herds, and protect them if they wander into areas where poaching is likely to occur. 

Poaching in Africa has dropped consecutively <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/24/elephant-poaching-drops-africa-but-populations-continue-to-fall">in the last five years,</a> but the demand for ivory has caused devastation among elephant herds.

There are currently around 415,000 elephants in Africa, and in Tanzania alone, populations declined 60 percent between 2009 and 2014. 

As countries around the world crack down on ivory imports and some herds in Africa are recovering their numbers, slowly but surely the race to save African elephants is well underway. 

However, it will be a long time before herds fully bounce back from the impacts that poaching had on elephant populations throughout the years.

“The trend in poaching is going in the right direction, but we have a long way to go before we can feel comfortable about the future for elephants,” Chris Thoules, a member of <a href="http://www.savetheelephants.org/">Save the Elephants</a>, told the AP.

But even though poaching is declining and ivory markets are shrinking, tackling one region where poaching is rampant only increases poaching in another area. 

That’s why tracking collars and other protection and management efforts are so important as they can help safeguard against poaching but also create a precedent for elephant protection across the country. 

Colman O'Criodain, the wildlife policy manager of the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/">World Wide Fund for Nature</a>, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/24/elephant-poaching-drops-africa-but-populations-continue-to-fall">The Guardian</a> that attention should be on closing loopholes and working on policies to stop the illegal trade of ivory. 

“With an average of 55 elephants being killed every day, there is no time to waste; we must act now,” said O'Criodain. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

African elephants slowly recovering from years of poaching

Elephant populations in Africa may be on the long road...

Scientists from the <a href="https://www.unc.edu/">University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</a> have found that loggerhead turtles find their nesting grounds by using the Earth's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/second-magnetic-field-earth/">magnetic field</a>. By sensing the magnetic signature of the beach where they were born, they can find their way back home to lay eggs after traveling hundreds of miles.

The research team analyzed loggerhead turtle colonies in the Florida peninsula. They determined that the strength of the magnetic field enables the creatures to detect how far north or south their home beach is located. 

According to the scientists, this amazing ability of loggerheads is made even more incredible by the fact that Earth's magnetic field is not infallible.

The researchers discovered that turtles from a beach in Florida were more closely related to turtles from hundreds of miles away compared to those that lived on beaches within a couple of miles. They concluded that the loggerhead turtles must have laid their eggs on a beach that has a similar magnetic pattern.

“Magnetic fields are the strongest predictor of genetic similarity among nesting loggerhead sea turtles, regardless of the geographic proximity or environmental traits of nesting beaches,” wrote the study authors.

Study co-author Kenneth Lohmann explained: “Loggerhead sea turtles are fascinating creatures that begin their lives by migrating alone across the Atlantic Ocean and back. Eventually they return to nest on the beach where they hatched - or else, as it turns out, on a beach with a very similar magnetic field.”

“This is an important new insight into how sea turtles navigate during their long-distance migrations.”

Lohmann said that the findings of the study may have important applications for the conservation of sea turtles and other migratory animals.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current 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

Migrating turtles use the Earth’s magnetic field to find home

Scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...

Turns out, the big city doesn’t just toughen up the people who live there. Songbirds like great tits are also bolder and more aggressive when living in urban areas.

Led by Dr. Sam Hardman, researchers from <a href="https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/">Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences</a> set out to see how living near humans might affect the personalities of great tits. 

In March and April 2015, the researchers studied great tits in their urban territories in Leicester and Derby, as well as in rural areas. 

“At this time of year males establish territories for the breeding season and they defend these aggressively against intruding males of the same species,” Hardman said in a press release. “We simulated a territorial intruder by playing back recordings of Great Tit song from a loudspeaker in the centre of the territory, and monitored the resident birds’ responses to defend that territory.”

The researchers measured the response from the native birds, from territorial singing to how quickly they investigated the “intruder.” The playback tests were repeated on other days to see whether the response was consistent. 

“We found that after the playback began urban birds flew towards the speaker 35.34 seconds faster than rural birds and approached 1.63 metres closer, suggesting urban birds are bolder and more aggressive than rural birds,” Hardman said.

The urban great tits were also less likely to repeat the same behavior in the same way than their country cousins. That could indicate that they’re more flexible in their behavior.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-23463-7">Scientific Reports</a>.

Hardman’s research adds to a growing collection of research on how proximity to human activity affects songbirds like great tits. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/metal-pollution-personality-changes/">Another recent study</a> found that populations living near smelters show personality and behavioral changes associated with metal pollution.

Hardman, who is now at the <a href="http://www.orn.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for Ornithology</a>, is continuing to study the songbirds. He is currently examining how stress affects them.

—

By Kyla Cathey,<a href="http://www.earth.com"> Earth.com</a> staff writer

Urban great tits are more aggressive than their country counterparts

Turns out, the big city doesn’t just toughen up the...

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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



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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



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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



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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



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Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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...