For many years, scientists believed that prehistoric kangaroos in Australia had specialized diets, relying specifically on certain types of plants or vegetation for their survival. This idea suggested that they were unable to adapt to changes in their environment, such as shifts in climate or vegetation patterns. 



When the kangaroos' preferred food sources became scarce, it was assumed that their dietary inflexibility contributed to their extinction. This theory placed dietary specialization as a key reason for the disappearance of some kangaroo species during the Pleistocene epoch.



However, recent research challenges these assumptions, suggesting that these marsupials were more resilient than we initially realized.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-diverse-diets-of-prehistoric-kangaroos"> Diverse diets of prehistoric kangaroos</h2>



The study was carried out by experts from <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flinders University</a> and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (<a href="https://www.magnt.net.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MAGNT</a>). 



The researchers used cutting-edge techniques to analyze the microscopic patterns of wear on fossilized kangaroo teeth. These patterns revealed the types of food the kangaroos ate.



The results showed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-kangaroos-of-the-past-didnt-hop-they-walked-on-all-fours/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prehistoric kangaroos</a> were not limited to specific types of food. Instead, they were generalists, capable of eating a wide variety of plants. This flexibility in diet helped them survive environmental changes over time.



Focusing on fossils from the Victoria Fossil Cave at the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area in South Australia, the experts analyzed kangaroo diets across 12 extinct species and compared them with 17 modern species.



The Naracoorte region contains the richest and most diverse fossil deposits of kangaroos from the Pleistocene epoch, making it an ideal location for this research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flexible-diets-helped-kangaroos-survive">Flexible diets helped kangaroos survive</h2>



“Our study shows that most prehistoric kangaroos at Naracoorte had broad diets. This dietary flexibility likely played a key role in their resilience during <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protemnodon-kangaroo-fossils-may-explain-their-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">past changes</a> in climate,” explained lead researcher Dr. Sam Arman.



Contrary to previous assumptions, the study revealed that most species were mixed feeders, capable of consuming both shrubs and grasses.



“The distinctive short-faced kangaroo anatomy led to a widespread view that sthenurines were unable to adapt their diets when climate change altered vegetation patterns, leading to their extinction,” said study co-author Professor Gavin Prideaux.



However, the findings suggest that their ability to consume a wide range of foods provided a survival advantage during periods of scarcity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complex-extinction-dynamics">Complex extinction dynamics </h2>



While the ability to adapt their diets likely helped prehistoric kangaroos survive for a time, it wasn’t the only factor influencing their fate. 



The extinction of these megafaunal kangaroos also involved other challenges, such as their large body size, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/not-all-kangaroo-ancestors-hopped-as-a-means-of-locomotion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">how they moved</a> (locomotion), and their interactions with early humans, who may have hunted them or altered their habitats. 



To better understand these complex extinction dynamics, the researchers plan to study fossils from other Pleistocene sites. They will focus on the critical period between 60,000 and 40,000 years ago - a time when many large animal species disappeared.



This broader investigation could reveal how different factors worked together to drive kangaroo extinctions.



"Identifying what drove the late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions on the continents remains one of the most contested topics in historical science," noted the study authors. 



"This is especially so in Australia, which lost 90% of its large species by 40,000 years ago, more than half of them kangaroos."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insights-into-ecosystem-vulnerabilities">Insights into ecosystem vulnerabilities</h2>



The study highlights the ecological roles of prehistoric marsupials, offering valuable insights into the evolution of Australia’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ecosystem-attack-predicting-the-success-of-species-invasions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a>. 



“Understanding the resilience of ancient species helps contextualize why Australia has been so vulnerable to introduced large mammals like pigs, camels, and deer,” noted Professor Prideaux.



Dr. Arman uses a relatable analogy to describe dietary flexibility: “Most of the time, I don’t need to engage four-wheel drive, but this capability becomes crucial when I do need it.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extinction-of-australia-s-megafauna">Extinction of Australia’s megafauna </h2>



The research, funded by the <a href="https://www.arc.gov.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australian Research Council</a>, reflects a long-standing partnership between Flinders University and MAGNT.



The research also honors the traditional custodians of the Naracoorte region, the Meintangk, Marditjali, and Potaruwutj peoples, and acknowledges the contributions of volunteers and students in collecting and preparing specimens.



The study marks an essential step in understanding the resilience of prehistoric kangaroos, their adaptable diet and the complex interplay of factors that led to the extinction of Australia’s megafauna.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq4340" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



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Prehistoric kangaroos changed their diets to survive climate change

For many years, scientists believed that prehistoric kangaroos in Australia had specialized diets, relying specifically on certain types of plants or vegetation for their survival. This idea suggested that they were unable to adapt to changes in their environment, such as shifts in climate or vegetation patterns. When the kangaroos' preferred food sources became scarce, it was assumed that their dietary inflexibility contributed to their extinction. This theory placed dietary specialization as a key reason for the disappearance of some kangaroo species during the Pleistocene epoch. However,...

How did <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/north-atlantic-right-whales/">whales</a> evolve to be some of the largest animals on Earth? 

Previous research has hypothesized that the expansive nature of the world's oceans allowed for more flexibility in how large a species developed its body size. The simple concept equated more space with more room to grow.  

However, researchers from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> found that this was not the case, and that marine mammals are actually more constrained in their size than land animals. 

The results, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that size is dependant on ancestry, energy and food availability more than anything else.

“Many people have viewed going into the water as more freeing for mammals, but what we're seeing is that it's actually more constraining,” said Jonathan Payne, a co-author of the study. “It's not that water allows you to be a big mammal, it's that you have to be a big mammal in water - you don't have any other options.”

For the study, the researchers collected data on body mass for 3,850 living and 2,999 fossil mammal species. The data included records of extinct species as well as living ones. 

The researchers examined the compiled data and created models in order to understand how mammals that came to live in water grew to their standard sizes. 

Although whales, seals, and other marine mammals share similar characteristics, they don’t share a common ancestry. For example, seals and sea lions are related to dogs while whales and dolphins are related to hippos. 

It would seem that as soon as a species began to live in the water, it evolved to its new size relatively quickly. 

The researchers suggest that for aquatic mammals, their larger size helps them retain heat which is important for conserving energy. The size of an aquatic mammal then becomes dependent on its energy needs. 

“Basically, animals are machines that require energy to operate. This need for energy places hard limits on what animals can do and how big they can be," said Craig R. McClain, a fellow co-author of the work. 

The researchers are working to expand their understanding of animal size distribution to other species other than aquatic mammals and hope that their work will help explain the many variations in size for animals from different classes of species. 

“The hope is there are simpler explanations that can apply to other species, including terrestrial animals,” Payne said. “It opens up some possibility that body size can be explained by basic principles of physics and chemistry.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How whales grew to become the largest mammals on Earth

How did whales evolve to be some of the largest...

A study led by the <a href="https://www.santafe.edu/">Santa Fe Institute</a> is the first of its kind to use drones to track the movement of individual animals within a group. The investigation, which was focused on migrating caribou, revealed a surprising amount of variation across animals within the herd.

The research team captured video footage of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/caribou-hunting-restrictions/">caribou</a> during migration using drones. Their objective was to study the movement and social interactions among the caribou as they traveled between mainland Canada and Victoria Island. 

The researchers extracted trajectories of each individual caribou from the images, and used these path projections to examine how fine-scale movement patterns were influenced.

“New technologies, like the drones and computer vision we used in our study, are really exciting because they give us the ability to collect movement data on every single individual in a group simultaneously,” said lead author Andrew Berdahl. “That means we can now unravel the important role that social interactions play in guiding migratory movements.”


Prior to the recent emergence of drone technology, scientists relied on GPS collars to track migrating individuals. This did not give the researchers any insight into the social dynamics of a group.

The study revealed that individuals within a herd do not all behave similarly, which is a common assumption.


“We found enormous variation in sociality across sexes and age classes,” said Berdahl. “For instance, calves are highly social while adult bulls tend to be much more independent.

The researchers also found that the caribou were more influenced by members of the herd that were in front of them than those traveling beside of them.

“This leads to asymmetric information flow through the herd and, interestingly, agrees with the traditional knowledge of the Inuit, which states that a subset of 'lead' caribou effectively guide the path of the annual migration,” explained Berdahl.

“Ultimately, collective behavior is important because social dynamics can have population-level implications,” wrote the study authors. 

The approach used in this research could be applied to future studies to explore individual and collective movement in a wide variety of animals in different surroundings.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B</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

Image Credit: Jeff Turner

Drone study reveals unique behavior in animal groups

A study led by the Santa Fe Institute is the...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a> have found that dogs do not always prefer the company of their owners over strangers. The findings of the study suggest that, when dogs are relaxed, they are more interested in making new friends.

Experts have previously reported that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/therapy-dogs-college-students/">dogs</a> are more comfortable with new people after three ten-minute encounters. In the current study, researchers found that it only takes ten minutes of interaction for a dog to warm up to a new person.

The research team observed dogs during ten-minute sessions as they chose to be petted by their owners or by strangers in various settings. 

The study authors explained that the experiment was intended “to test whether owned dogs would prefer their owner over a stranger and whether the familiarity of the testing context would influence preference.”

The study revealed that, when dogs were in an unfamiliar place or were feeling anxious, they stuck with their owners 80 percent of the time. On the other hand, dogs who were relaxed and in a familiar setting spent up to 70 percent of the session giving their attention to strangers.

“Owned dogs preferred to interact with their owners when in an unfamiliar context, but allocated more time to the stranger in a familiar context,” wrote the study authors.

Study lead author Erica Feuerbacher is currently an assistant professor of Companion Animal Behavior and Welfare at Virginia Tech. 

She explained that it is reasonable to assume that the presence of the owner and the comfort of a familiar place made the dogs feel safe enough to approach strangers. In an unfamiliar setting however, the owner is still the “dog's number one,” said Feuerbacher.

The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19383711">Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour</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

Dogs are more likely to befriend a stranger when they are relaxed

Researchers at the University of Florida have found that dogs...

Metal pollution isn’t just a problem for humans or water-dwelling animals. Even songbirds have shown signs of harm in areas where levels of toxic metals are higher due to human activity.

While scientists have studied the physiological effects of metal poisoning on plants and animals, research into how metal exposure can affect behavior has been minimal. 

Dr. Andrea Grunst of the <a href="https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/">University of Antwerp</a> and a team of researchers set out to change that by examining how metal pollution affects the songbirds known as great tits, aka Parus major. 

For the study, they compared five populations of the birds living near smelters – in areas where lead, cadmium and other metal levels have been registered in higher than normal amounts – to their fellows in less polluted areas. They found that the metal exposure seems to affect the great tits’ hormone levels, which in turn changes their personalities.

“We employed the novel environment exploration test, a proxy for variation in personality type, and also measured territorial aggressiveness and nest defense behavior,” the researchers wrote in their study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718305904">Science of the Total Environment</a>. “At polluted sites birds of both sexes displayed slower exploration behavior, which could reflect impaired neurological or physiological function.”

The detrimental effects metal exposure appears to have on exploration behaviors could impact the populations of great tits living near smelters. The birds that lived closest to the smelter were much less active than their counterparts, the researchers found. 

The metal pollution was also found to have an effect on eggs and young birds, the scientists said.

On the plus side, the scientists found that the metal pollution did not seem to affect territorial aggression or nest defense. Both male and female great tits that felt threatened in a series of tests using taxidermied birds were still protective of their nests, the scientists discovered.

While the changes in exploration behavior are an area for concern, metal exposure doesn't seem to affect every aspect of individual birds' personalities, they said.

—

By Kyla Cathey,<a href="http://www.earth.com"> Earth.com</a> staff writer

Metal pollution linked to personality changes in songbirds

Metal pollution isn’t just a problem for humans or water-dwelling...

Researchers have discovered why cockroaches are so resilient and frankly difficult to kill, and the answer lies in their genes. 

The American <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cockroaches-breed-without-males/">cockroach</a>, or Periplaneta americana, was reportedly introduced to America from <a href="http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/roaches/american_cockroach.htm">Africa as early as 1625</a>, although cockroach species have been on Earth for millions of years.

Cockroaches are one of the most common insect species, and Periplaneta americana is the largest insect species living in close proximity to humans.

They are highly adaptive, able to thrive in dirty and unsanitary environments, and can eat rotting or toxic food without getting sick, which has made them an incredibly successful group of species through the years. 

Now, researchers from the <a href="http://www.csc.edu.cn/studyinchina/universitydetailen.aspx?collegeId=85">South China Normal University</a> and the <a href="http://www.sippe.ac.cn/eindex.asp">Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology</a> in Shanghai have discovered the genes that make the cockroach’s ability to live in unsavory conditions possible. 

The researchers first sequenced the genome of the Periplaneta americana and found that it had one of the largest genomes of any insect on Earth. The locust is the only other insect species with a similar sized genetic makeup. 

Periplaneta americana has more than 20,000 genes and within these are the secrets to the cockroach’s success. 

Shuai Zhan, a member of the researcher team, detected an expanded set of genes that help the cockroach smell fermented food nearby. 

Zhan also identified the genes that protect the insects if they eat anything toxic and boost the insects’ immune system in the face of any germs they might encounter. 

The cockroach can even grow lost limbs thanks to its genes. 

Interestingly, the researchers found that the genetic makeup of the American cockroach was more similar to that of termites than other cockroach species around the world.

The results of the study and genome mapping should aid in finding effective ways to control pesky cockroach infestations that are common in many homes. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why American cockroaches can survive almost anything

Researchers have discovered why cockroaches are so resilient and frankly...

In the past, scientists have thought that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ochre-used-tool-stone-age/">Stone Age</a> people depended mainly on land mammals for food. However, although these people did eat some mammals, new research finds that more than half of their diet was fish. 

Researchers from Lund University in Sweden studied human bounds from thousands of years ago in order to determine the diet of the Stone Age people. The report from Lund University is part of a doctoral thesis that analyzes the importance of fishing for settlers in southern Scandinavia after the last ice age. These findings emphasize the importance of fishing to the prehistoric Scandinavian people.

The research team assessed the remains of 82 of the oldest humans ever found in Denmark and Sweden. They combined chemical analysis of the bones of the humans studied with osteological analysis of the bones of different animals. From these analyses, they were able to determine that fish were elemental to the diets of these individuals. 

“At the Norje Sunnansund settlement outside Sölvesborg in Sweden you can see that just over half of the protein intake has come from fish, 10 percent from seals, and around 37 percent from land mammals - such as wild boar and red deer - and scarcely three percent from plants such as mushrooms, berries and nuts,” says Adam Boethius, an osteologist. “On the island of Gotland, which did not have any land mammals apart from hares, the percentage of fish in total protein consumption was even higher at just under 60 percent. Here, seals have replaced the land mammals and account for almost 40 percent of the protein intake, whereas hares and vegetables account for a negligible proportion.”

Researchers found that the first pioneers in these settlements mainly hunted aquatic mammals – like dolphins and seals – before they switched to fishing as their best source of protein. Previously, scientists had believed that Stone Age humans were big-game hunters whose main protein intake came from large herbivores. The researchers believe that this misunderstanding is due to a number of factors, including the frailty of fish bones. Since these bones are smaller and weaker than mammal bones, they are not as well preserved as the bones of other animals. They are also almost impossible to find during excavation, the team in this study had to use fine-mesh sieves in order to find them. 

For the study, the researchers divided the remains studied into two categories: those that came from individuals who lived in freshwater environments, and those that came from individuals who lived in marine environments. 

“In freshwater environments the protein intake is dominated by different types of carp fish species, perch, pike and burbot,” the authors say. “Cod dominates in marine environments, but herring, saithe, haddock, spiny dogfish and plaice are also important species. On the other hand, migratory fish, such as eel and salmon, did not account for a large proportion of food intake.”

So why are these findings important? The results of this study show that people’s dependence on fish developed over time, and changes how we perceive the way these people lived. 

“The dominance of fishing is a discovery that has an enormous significance for our understanding of how people lived,” explains Boethius. “Fishing is relatively stationary compared to the hunting of land mammals, which provides clear indications that settlements appeared in Scandinavia much earlier than researchers previously believed.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fish was a major food source for humans in the Stone Age

In the past, scientists have thought that Stone Age people...

New breakthrough paves the way for bee-friendly pesticides. Neonicotinoid pesticides have been the subject of much debate and controversy, with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/european-union-ban-pesticides/">numerous studies</a> showing the debilitating effects that neonicotinoids have on honeybees and bumblebees. 

The European Union has officially banned three neonicotinoid pesticides that were confirmed as harmful to bees from being used on crops outside. 

Even though the adverse effects have been established, it was not well understood why honeybees and bumblebees reacted differently when exposed to harmful pesticides. 

A collaborative effort among researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>, <a href="https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/">Rothamsted Research, </a>and <a href="https://www.bayer.com/">Bayer AG</a> discovered the enzymes at play in bees that ultimately determine sensitivity to different neonicotinoid pesticides. 

The study represents an important breakthrough that could help in the creation of pesticides that are not toxic to bees. 

Toxins in organisms are broken down by enzymes called cytochrome P450s, and the researchers wanted to investigate what specific enzymes were responsible for breaking down pesticides in bees.

Identifying these enzymes could also shed insight on why honeybees and bumblebees have such different ranges of sensitivity to the neonicotinoids compared to other similar insect species. 

The researchers discovered a subfamily of cytochrome P450s called CYP9Q that was responsible for the rapid breakdown of some pesticides.

Next, the researchers tested how efficiently bees metabolized certain neonicotinoids and found that bees metabolize some more much better than others. 

“Knowing the mechanisms contributing to inherent tolerance helps us and regulators to better understand why certain insecticides have a high margin of safety to bees,” said Ralf Nauen, insect toxicologist and the lead investigator of the study at Bayer. 

Now the researchers say that developing new non-toxic pesticides will be much easier. 

Creating a pesticide is a lengthy and costly process, so having a solid foundation of what factors impact the bee’s sensitivity will ensure that no time is wasted on pesticides that will be harmful. 

“Identifying these key enzymes provides valuable tools to screen new pesticides early in their development to see if bees can break them down,” said Chris Bass, the leader of the team at the University of Exeter.

According to the research team, pesticides should be judged on an individual basis and this study will help create non-toxic pesticides that could safely be used on crops without affecting a bee’s health or abilities. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New breakthrough paves the way for bee-friendly pesticides

New breakthrough paves the way for bee-friendly pesticides. Neonicotinoid pesticides...

National parks play an important role in conservation, preserving delicate ecosystems, and continuing biodiversity. 

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/risk-wildfires-europe-increase/">climate change</a> worsens with the increase in trapped greenhouse gasses, these protected areas will be even more important to the survival of many bird species. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.audubon.org/">National Audubon Society</a> wanted to examine how the impacts of climate change would affect local populations of birds in national parks. 

In the United States, national parks protect birds from invasive and ecological threats, but little has been known about how climate change would impact local bird populations in protected areas. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0190557">PLOS ONE. </a>

The researchers gathered data from two major bird population and distribution surveys, the<a href="https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/"> North American Breeding Bird Survey</a> and the <a href="http://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count">Audubon Christmas Bird Count</a>. 

Distribution models from these two surveys were then compared with climate data starting with the early 2000s and projected to the years 2041 through 2070 in order to see how climate impacted and would continue to affect population numbers. 

The researchers also modeled several different scenarios depending on high and low levels of greenhouse gas emissions. 

These projections were then used to estimate the future of 513 bird species across 274 national parks to see what climate conditions would cause local populations to go extinct, also known as extirpation. 

The results of the analysis showed that in the coming years, bird species would be much more likely to colonize 60 percent of the national parks studied rather than experience local extirpation.  

If their projections held true, then the average park would have 29 percent more species in winter and 6 percent more species in summer. 

National parks will become a safe haven for birds in the face of climate change, according to the study authors. 

“Over the next few decades, the majority of birds currently found across the National Park System are expected to experience changes in climate conditions, which on average may lead to turnover of nearly a quarter of the bird community per park,” said Gregor Schuurman, the co-author on the study. “Despite these changes, parks will become increasingly important as refuges for birds in the future.”

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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

National parks will be crucial for birds in changing climate

National parks play an important role in conservation, preserving delicate...

The ability to communicate or even form friendships with wild animals is the secret dream of many humans.  Upon looking at our literature and movies, animal-human partnerships become an a common theme. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling is perhaps the most obvious example, unless it’s Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Of course, both pieces of literature have been adapted to film numerous times and take their place next to parodies such as George of the Jungle.  Less related to wild creatures but no less symptomatic to a desire for closeness to animals are classics such as Dr. Doolittle and Mr. Popper’s Penguins, again both as literature and film.  

Is there some reality behind these pieces of pop-culture or is it all just so much fantasy?  We all know of the strong bond that can be formed between people and domestic animals such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pets-harmful-indoor-chemicals/">cats and dogs</a>.  Many people are quick to cite examples of cats rescuing family members by waking them to a fire or dogs that mourned the death of owners for years.  Are there clear examples of humans forming lasting partnerships with wild animals that remain wild though? Actually, there are a few examples of humans partnering with wild creatures for the mutual benefit of both. 

There are legends in South America among natives and persisting among Caboclos about river dolphins becoming human, eerily similar to Celtic myths of Selkies, seals who could transform into humans.  In the dolphin myths sometimes, mysterious pregnancies are explained by dolphins, in cases where a woman’s husband has been away. Some Amazon rainforest natives play games with river dolphins, tagging them with canoe paddles.  The games are interesting in that both dolphins and humans seem to understand and cooperate for nothing more than amusement. Amazon River dolphins, locally called Botos, are also considered guardians of river manatees and can whisk swimmers away to magical underwater realms.  It’s not surprising that many groups consider eating dolphins or killing them to be taboo. 

The relationship between dolphins and humans in South America is surpassed by the cooperation between traditional fishermen in Myanmar and the Irrawaddy dolphins.  Irrawaddy dolphins aren’t strictly river dolphins but evolved to tolerate a wide range of salinity from the ocean along the coast to farther up brackish rivers. The Irrawaddy dolphin is represented by several sub-species scattered throughout southeast Asia as far as the northern coast of Australia.  

Fishermen in Myanmar tap sticks in rhythm along the sides of their canoes and mimic the sounds dolphins themselves make.  The dolphins take note and cooperate by herding fish into the fishermen’s waiting nets. Without the nets to push prey into, the dolphins may not be able to catch fish as efficiently, conversely the dolphin’s help significantly increases the success of fishermen.  When the fish are hauled into boats, the dolphins are rewarded with some of the fish they helped catch being tossed back by fishermen. There are stories of dolphins waking fishermen that fell asleep in their boats, encouraging them to help fish. Irrawaddy dolphins are in decline though, and so is asking their help in fishing.  

In an article in <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/">Mongabay.com</a> last year, a fisherman told a reporter that all the dolphins he and others named are now dead.  Part of the cause of decline is the illegal practice of electrocuting fish with car batteries for a quick return.  Growing populations, increased overall strain on ocean habitats and pollution don’t do Irrawaddy dolphins any favors either.

There are unconfirmed reports of bottlenose dolphins in Laguna Brazil helping fishermen in much the same way as the Irrawaddy dolphins, perhaps the phenomena is more widespread than believed.   

In Africa, a different search for food takes place.  A bird called the Greater Honey Guide is keenly efficient at finding wild honey.  The Yao culture of Northern Mozambique among other peoples has taken notice of the bird’s ability.  The Honey Guide itself is happy to share the honey as the bird is really interested in eating bee larvae and in getting help to open hives and sedate angry bees with smoke.  The Yao people make a buzzing noise to call in the Greater Honey Guide, indicating they are ready to hunt for honey and the bird appears (most of the time) to help. Sometimes birds also seek out people, with specific flight pattern and call behavior indicating honey is nearby.  The relationship between different groups of Africans and honey guides was first documented in the 1500’s but it’s likely much older, a mutualism imbedded in the genes of Honey Guides. 

 A loss of the honey guide-human interaction is slowly occurring as more people turn to agricultural lifestyles and raise their own bees.  National parks in Africa have also excluded native peoples, where Honey Guides sometimes try to enlist the help of unwitting tourists. Honey guides at least haven’t put all their eggs in one basket; Honey Badgers (famous on Youtube) also work with honey guides, following the birds to rich hives and breaking into them.  

With our history of domestication and close contact with many other animals, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were many more relationships like these buried in the history of humanity.  Maybe even now, ‘uncontacted’ tribes in South America or Asia have other animals helping them. Maybe we could learn to reach out to other species as true partners not just competitors or slaves.  After all, we are but one species and we need all the friends we can get. 

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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Human-animal partnerships can be mutually beneficial in the wild

The ability to communicate or even form friendships with wild...

Ceratopsian dinosaurs like the triceratops can be distinguished by their overstated horns and frills, and there have been many theories as to why these trademarks evolved. A new study led by Andrew Knapp of <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University of London</a> has revealed that the exaggerated features most likely advanced for sexual signaling.

Ceratopsian dinosaurs were widespread across what is now North America, Europe, and Asia during the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pterosaurs-mass-extinction-event/">Cretaceous Period</a>. There were over 70 species of ceratopsians, all of which had large skulls and distinctive morphological features that the researchers refer to as “ornaments.”

“A number of hypotheses have been suggested for the presence and evolution of such ornaments, including predator defense, mechanical support, thermoregulation, social or sexual signaling, and species recognition,” wrote the study authors.

“The first three of these proposed explanations have been considered and ruled out in many analyses of specific systems, leaving species recognition and sexual selection as the two main competing hypotheses that could offer a more general explanation for the evolution of ornaments.”

To test the theory of species recognition, the experts looked at the differences in traits among sympatric species, which share the same location, and non-sympatric species, which do not overlap geographically.

“If species recognition is a driver of trait evolution, then morphological disparity in ornamentation should be significantly higher between sympatric species because species that are not sympatric have minimal selective pressure to evolve obvious visual differences,” explained the researchers.

The team compared traits across ceratopsians based on 350 defined characteristics. While the ornaments were likely used to distinguish between species, the researchers found no evidence that species recognition was the driving force behind their emergence.

“We find no support for the hypothesis that sympatry correlates with higher ornament divergence in ceratopsian dinosaurs, nor for the wider species recognition explanation for the evolution of horns, frills and other display traits in the Ceratopsia,” wrote the study authors.

The researchers concluded that the horns and frills of ceratopsians were likely developed to help them attract suitable mates. 

The experts explained that sexually selected ornaments are expected to show rapid evolution and characteristic patterns of growth, which have both been demonstrated in ceratopsians. Further research is needed, however, to confirm that the horns and frills were adapted for mating purposes.

This study is published in <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</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

Triceratops used its horns to attract mates

Ceratopsian dinosaurs like the triceratops can be distinguished by their...

A new study led by the <a href="https://le.ac.uk/">University of Leicester</a> is reporting that fossils may not always provide an accurate representation of what an animal was like when it was still alive. Animals decompose and often lose parts of their bodies as they deteriorate, and so the images projected by fossils can be distorted.


A research team comprised of paleontologists examined animal carcasses as they gradually decomposed to get a better understanding of the process. They found that, over time, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preparing-fossils/">fossils</a> are reduced to incomplete specimens.

Scientists reconstruct fossils in order to answer fundamental questions about extinct animals. A more accurate conclusion can be drawn about ancient animals and their surroundings if paleontologists become aware of how much of a fossil is missing or what may have been altered during the decomposition process.

“As soon as an organism dies, it starts to decay, and this process of decomposition inevitably involves changes in how features or body parts look: they may collapse, alter their shape or position; all too soon they liquefy and are eaten by bacteria until nothing remains,” said Professor Sarah Gabbott.

“The more a body deteriorates over time, the more body-parts are missing - rather like modern representations of zombies in Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead,” said study lead author Mark Purnell.

Purnell explained that the key to working with incomplete fossils is having the ability to recognize partially-decomposed features and missing body parts.

The researchers used “laboratory decay experiments” to document every body part that decayed from a wide range of decomposing animals. These experiments gave the researchers new insight into the process of decomposition and fossilization.

The study authors emphasized the importance of determining how a fossil formed before it is reconstructed or analyzed.

Co-author Dr.Maria McNamara explained: “If we understand this we are better able to avoid producing incomplete restorations of animals with crucial parts missing or decayed, and to recognize and be aware of the gaps in our knowledge.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1475-4983">Palaeontology</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

Image Credit: Herschel Hoffmeyer

Incomplete fossils can provide a distorted view of ancient life

A new study led by the University of Leicester is...

Predators may be able to learn where prey can be found by observing others outside their species, according to a new study. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://stri.si.edu/">Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute</a> (STRI) in Panama conducted the research with bats to see if individuals from different species learned from one another. 

“We wanted to know if bats learn to recognize new foods from members of another bat species as quickly as they learn from their own species,” said Krista Patriquin, the study’s first author. “It turns out they do.”

The innovative study gives a possible explanation for why bats are so resilient and widespread. Their ability to find prey based on other bat species could help them adapt when traditional sources of prey are scarce. 

“This tells us how bats may cope with changes in food availability resulting from environmental changes and helps to explain how bats have become such successful and widespread mammals,” said Patriquin.

For the study, the researchers taught several fringe-lipped bats, Trachops cirrhosus, to associate a computer generated tone with a food reward of bait fish. 

“We previously taught the fringed-lipped bats to identify a frog call with the same food reward,” said Rachel Page. “It took them longer to recognize this artificially generated sound as a signal for food, presumably because it was not a sound that was familiar to them.”

Once the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-carry-dangerous-viruses/">bats</a> knew that the tone meant prey, the researchers tested to see if other bats unfamiliar with the tone could learn from those in their same species. 

The researchers then wanted to see if fringe-lipped bats could learn to identify a tone with prey from another species, the white-throated, round-eared bat, Lophostoma silvicolum.

The results showed that the bats could quickly pick up on the cues from other bats of different species.

The study shows how in critical situations where food is scarce, bats could use social learning skills and take cues outside their species to adapt and find new sources of prey. 

“These are highly intelligent bats!” said Jenna Kohles, an STRI intern when the study was done. “We've gained exciting insights into how not just one species may adapt to environmental changes and new food resources, but how whole communities of animals occupying similar ecological niches may adapt together as information and innovation spreads from one species to another.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Some predators find food by learning from other species

Predators may be able to learn where prey can be...

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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

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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

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

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

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

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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

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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