Captive tigers in the U.S. now outnumber those living in the wild. According to estimates from the World Wildlife Federation, about 5,000 of these big cats reside in the U.S., mostly owned by private citizens.&nbsp;



Despite their large numbers, the health and genetic diversity of this captive population remain a mystery, posing significant questions for conservationists.&nbsp;



Could these privately owned tigers help stabilize or restore wild tiger populations, or are they too genetically compromised to be of value? Are they purebred or inbred, or do they exhibit characteristics favored in the illegal trade?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-captive-tigers-nbsp">Protecting captive tigers&nbsp;</h2>



In a recent study, experts at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford University</a> set out to address these questions. The findings provide a new tool that both conservationists and law enforcement can use to protect captive tigers and prosecute those responsible for their mistreatment.



“We're trying to leverage genomic technology to be useful in a conservation context - there are so few tigers. We won't get a second chance if they go extinct,” said lead author Ellie Armstrong, a PhD student at Stanford.



Armstrong conducted this research as part of her doctoral studies in biology at Stanford, working with co-advisors and co-authors Elizabeth Hadly and Dmitri Petrov. 



The team initially became interested in captive tigers after studying the genetic impact of isolation on wild tiger populations.



“We were conducting a large study on wild tiger populations and leveraged these data to address the issue of captive tigers in the United States,” Armstrong said. “It was a bit unbelievable, at first, that you could have a tiger living right next door and not know it.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-enormous-number-of-captive-tigers-nbsp">Enormous number of captive tigers&nbsp;</h2>



Through a partnership with <a href="https://tigersinamerica.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tigers in America</a>, Armstrong and her team discovered that an enormous number of tigers live outside accredited facilities.&nbsp;



Many of these tigers were bred for animal encounters, performed in circuses, or were trafficked as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exotic-pets-threaten-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exotic pets</a>. However, the team had no idea of their genetic makeup or origin.



The lack of official data on these so-called “generic” tigers (due to their unknown origin) presented a major hurdle. Although documentaries like Tiger King and The Tiger Next Door increased public awareness, accessing these animals for scientific study remained a challenge.



“There was so much hearsay associated with this captive population, and a lot of it contradicts itself,” noted Armstrong. 



“People said, 'All of the cats are really inbred,' or 'All of the cats are genetically diverse.' We had no idea what to expect and thought that genomic technology could help us answer some of these questions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetics-of-generic-tigers-nbsp">Genetics of generic tigers&nbsp;</h2>



Through relationships with sanctuaries that had rescued generic tigers, Armstrong and her team were able to gather samples and collect data on the animals, including their rescue locations.&nbsp;



The researchers collected samples from 154 generic tigers and compared them with 100 wild tiger samples from the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Center for Biotechnology Information</a> (NCBI) database.



With this data, they developed a reference panel to distinguish individual tigers and identify their genetic ancestry, similar to popular genetic ancestry tests for humans.&nbsp;



“When we do 23andMe, we're not sequencing the whole genome - we're sequencing a portion of it that informs us about your health and ancestry,” Armstrong explained. “That's what we want to be able to do, but for tigers.”



The genetic database developed by the researchers has uses beyond conservation efforts. It can also assist law enforcement in prosecuting crimes related to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-are-using-forensic-science-to-fight-wildlife-trafficking/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife trafficking</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prosecuting-wildlife-crimes">Prosecuting wildlife crimes</h2>



The <a href="https://www.fws.gov/what-you-need-know-about-big-cat-public-safety-act" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Big Cat Public Safety Act</a>, which went into effect on December 20, 2022, ended private ownership of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/big-cat-brain-research/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">big cats</a> as pets and placed restrictions on breeding, commerce, and possession of certain species, including tigers.&nbsp;



However, the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> still has storerooms full of confiscated tiger pelts, bones, teeth, and other materials that are difficult to identify without a clear way to trace their origins.



Armstrong’s team has already received requests from the agency to apply their research in identifying confiscated materials.&nbsp;



“We'll be working with law enforcement to try to apply this in a forensic context to prosecute wildlife crimes like those seen in Tiger King, monitor the populations in the U.S., and track the illegal trade,” Armstrong said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-urgent-applications-of-the-research-nbsp">Urgent applications of the research&nbsp;</h2>



Using only a small portion of a genome, this reference panel can allow wildlife agencies to determine the ancestry of confiscated samples with limited DNA.&nbsp;



“That's been the most rewarding part of this research - we know that this work mattered and has immediate future applications.”



The research also sheds light on the genetic makeup of captive tigers in the U.S. Contrary to widespread rumors, these tigers do not show signs of extensive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/inbreeding-can-actually-be-beneficial-for-some-species-in-the-long-run/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">inbreeding</a> relative to wild tiger populations.&nbsp;



However, they also do not maintain pure subspecies ancestry, as is the case with zoo-bred tigers or wild tigers. Instead, these generic tigers are a mix of different tiger subspecies.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-diversity-in-captive-tigers-nbsp">Genetic diversity in captive tigers&nbsp;</h2>



Armstrong and her team also found that the non-zoo captive tiger population does not possess more genetic diversity than their wild counterparts.



“This absence of unique genetic diversity in captive tigers means that there will be no 'genetic rescue' of wild tigers with individuals now in captivity,” said Elizabeth Hadly, one of the study’s co-authors. 



“In other words, the genetic diversity of wild tigers is all that evolution has to work with going into the future.”



Since DNA is the only way to distinguish between tiger subspecies, Armstrong believes the reference panel could be used to identify individual tigers with pure subspecies ancestry if tiger management and conservation efforts ever included releasing captive animals into the wild.



“This technology is usually a 'for fun' thing for humans, to find out more about your genetic ancestry, but we can use genomics in a very serious way to help our wildlife populations thrive in the wild and keep them from being exploited,” Armstrong concluded.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2402924121" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



-----



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Could captive tigers help restore wild populations?

Captive tigers in the U.S. now outnumber those living in the wild. According to estimates from the World Wildlife Federation, about 5,000 of these big cats reside in the U.S., mostly owned by private citizens.&nbsp; Despite their large numbers, the health and genetic diversity of this captive population remain a mystery, posing significant questions for conservationists.&nbsp; Could these privately owned tigers help stabilize or restore wild tiger populations, or are they too genetically compromised to be of value? Are they purebred or inbred, or do they exhibit...

Think animal shelters and rescues are the same thing? Think again.

Isn’t it just common sense that if you adopted a dog or other pet from an animal shelter you participated in an animal rescue? That’s especially easy to believe if the pet in question was otherwise headed for a bad fate. Even more confusing, the two terms are used almost synonymously in a lot of communities. 

The fact is, there are several differences. Let’s take an up-close look at both terms and see what they could mean in your own pet adoption strategy.

&nbsp;

Animal Shelters

These have been around a long time, and they’re pretty much what you think they are. Sometimes called animal pounds, they’re facilities that are usually community-owned and operated by a mostly volunteer staff.

While no-kill animal shelters exist, these facilities are all too often associated with being the last mortal homes of lost, abandoned or mistreated animals that fail to find new owners. Therefore, one of the top advantages of looking for a dog or other pet at an animal shelter is that it might literally be a lifesaving move. 

Animal shelters are also a convenient way of finding a new loved one since all of the available animals are in one place that’s probably not far from your home. Often your pet will be neutered and given all shots before you take it home, though you’ll pay for the vet care through what might be a fairly steep adoption fee.

The downside to animal shelter adoption can be the fact that the animals are contained in small cages in an unfamiliar space full of barking, squawking animals, and that can affect their behavior. Upon meeting them, they might appear to be stressed, frightened or even aggressive in demeanor. Rather than reflecting their true personalities, this might be merely a side effect of the environment imposed on them. As a result, you might end up passing up on what could have been an ideal companion. In addition, the volunteer staff might know little about the animal’s health or suitability for adoption into a home with small children or other animals. 

&nbsp;

Animal Rescue

Animal rescue organizations are privately run non-profit groups that take in abused animals and care for them in a sort of “foster” arrangement until proper forever homes can be found. Different organizations might specialize in rescuing horses, ferrets, exotic birds or other species. Some refine their mission along even narrower lines, such as by taking in particular species or subspecies. Consider, for instance, <a href="http://www.esgao.org/">Erie Shore Greyhound Adoption of Ohio</a> and <a href="http://www.pbrc.net/">Pitbull Rescue Center</a>. Other sanctuaries offer temporary or permanent homes for a range of found or mistreated animals.

One aspect of an animal rescue is that no animals are ever put down because permanent homes can’t be found. 

Advantages to those hoping to adopt are that rescued animals aren’t caged, so they don’t feel stressed, and their caregivers often know them on more of a one-to-one basis. They’re always properly cared for and in as good of health as possible. 

On the other hand, the nearest rescue might be on a farm that could be a distance from you. There might only be a single animal at the location, in which case you wouldn’t have the convenience of multipe options, and your search might take longer. And finally, the rescue organization might require multiple visits before authorizing the adoption, and even insist on home visits months after the adoption is finalized. 

This just emphasizes the love the rescuers show their charges and the seriousness with which they take their responsibility for the animals’ welfare. 

&nbsp;

Which is Right for You?

The good news is that both types of organizations are doing their best to save the lives of the dogs and other animals in their care and to help you find the lifetime companion that’s right for you. 

Perhaps you’ll decide that finding the ideal pet is more important to you than the location where it’s found. Never feel rushed into making a selection and be sure that, regardless of where you conduct your search, you find out all you know about your prospective new family member and feel confident that you’re bringing the right loved one into your life. 

--

<a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Original Feature by <a href="mailto:DSearls@earth.com">David Searls</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What’s the difference between animal shelters and animal rescues?

Think animal shelters and rescues are the same thing? Think...

Most female Steller sea lions breed at or near the rookery where they were born, according to a new study.

Understanding dispersal patterns is critical for measuring changes in the population of an animal species and helps with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetic-study-humpback-whales/">conservation</a> efforts, according to the study by Kelly Hastings and colleagues from the <a href="http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/">Alaska Department of Fish and Game</a>.

The study found that most female sea lions tended to breed at the rookeries where they were born, with fewer than 3 percent switching rookeries between years. When females did move before breeding, they tended to select rookeries that were nearby and had a higher population of other sea lions.

The authors monitored 369 Steller sea lion females that had been marked as pups in the rookeries where they were born in southeastern Alaska. They gathered observation and recapture data between 2001 and 2015 to assess how frequently breeding females switched rookery. 

The results suggest that familiarity with neighboring females and knowledge of the topography of the site (for both giving birth to pups and foraging) could be crucial components of their reproduction and thus, the conservation of their species.

Previous studies have shown that Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) males tend to disperse more frequently than the females, but little was known about the movements of breeding females.

The study is published in the open-access journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS One</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS One</a>

Photo Credit: David B. Ledig/USFWS

Stellar sea lions stick close to home when breeding

Most female Steller sea lions breed at or near the...

New research challenges a widely publicized 2016 study that concluded eastern and red wolves are not distinct species, but rather recent hybrids of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/us-court-orders-new-recovery-plan-mexican-gray-wolf/">gray wolves</a> and coyotes.

In the new report, a team headed by <a href="https://www.uidaho.edu/">University of Idaho</a> researchers argues that the genomic data and analyses of the 2016 study do not definitively prove recent hybridization -- but rather provide support for the genetic and evolutionary distinctiveness of red and eastern wolves.

"The history of these species is complex and certainly contains evidence for hybridization in the past. The question is timing," said Paul Hohenlohe, a University of Idaho assistant Professor of Biological Sciences. "The data and analyses aren't actually a good test of recent vs. older hybridization. In fact, the data are consistent with red and eastern wolves having a long evolutionary history as distinct lineages."

The authors of the new study, published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/7/e1501714.full">Science Advances</a>, urge policymakers not to close the case on the origins of red and eastern wolves when making conservation decisions.

"Policymakers are making decisions about how much money, effort and energy to put into recovery and management efforts of the red wolf and eastern wolf," said University of Idaho professor Lisette Waits, who has served on <a href="https://www.fws.gov/">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> recovery teams for the red wolf. “It is important for them to understand that the conclusions stated in the vonHoldt et al paper are not universally supported by the scientific community, and there are alternative interpretations and remaining questions about the evolutionary history of canids in North America."

The previous study was led by <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a>'s Bridgett vonHoldt and also published in <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/7/e1501714.full"> Science Advances</a> in 2016. The University of Idaho’s team questions the vonHoldt study's use of genomic data from a few individual coyotes and eastern wolves that may not be the best representatives of those groups, as well as the authors' conclusion that genomic data demonstrate a lack of unique ancestry in red and eastern wolves

Hohenlohe, Waits, and their collaborators are conducting further analyses about red and eastern wolf origins, and expect to continue to generate new data and hypotheses about the evolutionary relationships among these species, the gray wolf, and the coyote.

“Genomics is an exciting new contribution to wildlife conservation, but it brings with it a responsibility to provide a coherent interpretation of complex data within the context of natural history," said co-lead author of the new study, Linda Rutledge, a research associate in the Biology Department at<a href="https://www.trentu.ca"> Trent University</a> in Ontario. "This is especially important for species at risk of extinction where the consequences involve the permanent loss of evolutionary potential. We get closer to the evolutionary truth when we use a holistic approach that includes multiple sources of information."

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.uidaho.edu/">University of Idaho</a>

New study challenges eastern wolves hybrid theory

New research challenges a widely publicized 2016 study that concluded...

One of the problems with identifying new species is that you don’t always know whether you’re actually documenting an entirely new animal, or whether it’s just a slightly different looking version of a known species. This is especially true when it comes to deep sea creatures, as they have only been studied in detail for a short period of time. A recent study published in <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/smar20">Marine Biology Research</a> seeks to solve this problem using the physical characteristics of two very similar deep sea octopus species, which live at depths up to 9,500 feet. 

Both species are pink or purple in color, but the biggest distinction is that one species lives in the Atlantic and the other lives in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/typhoon-songda-moves-in-the-open-pacific-ocean/">Pacific</a>.

Both species were given their respective names years ago; Graneledone verrucosa and Graneledone pacifica (guess which one lives in the Pacific). But no study had yet compared the species in detail.

So how did they determine which is which? Unfortunately for the octopuses and their self-esteem, these researchers focused on their warts. Both species have bumpy warts on their mantle (the “head” of the octopus) as well as their arms. But the Pacific octopus is even wartier than the Atlantic species, as their bumps extend down their arms and mantles. 

“Being able to tell different species apart is the basis for understanding those species,” says lead author Janet Voight, Associate Curator of Invertebrates at <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">The Field Museum</a> in Chicago. “You can’t really talk about a species if you can’t separate it from others like it, or tell if a species is endangered, if you can’t tell what the species is.”

The researchers analyzed 72 octopus specimens to assess their wart situations, eventually developing a method to determine the small differences that separated the two species. “Nobody has sat down with dozens of these octopuses and compared them,” explains Voight. “There are so many things like that in museum collections, just waiting for the right scientist to come along and use the information they offer.”

Voight stresses the importance of museums having a wide array of specimens for researchers to compare, saying, “If you only have two individuals, you don’t know what’s important and what’s not--it'd be like meeting a person with blonde hair and a person with brown hair and concluding that they must be different species.”

This type of study is especially important in circumstances where DNA analysis might not be possible due to problems with tissue preservation or, in the case of these deep sea octopuses, problems easily accessing the species in their natural habitat.

Their extensive research may have already paid off, as Voight believes they came across a new species of octopus while assessing video footage from the Atlantic. They noted that the wart pattern didn’t match the species in that region.

The researchers believe their new-found ability to differentiate these species will help increase the understanding of biodiversity and evolution in deep sea creatures. Voight also thinks that understanding the physical nuances of unfamiliar species will help us get to know these animals better. “Octopuses are only distantly related to us, but we have so much in common,” she explains. “Our eyes are very similar. They change their behavior based on past experiences--they learn. Deep-sea octopuses are some of the smartest animals we know.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a>

Image Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association

Deep sea octopus species can be identified by their warts

One of the problems with identifying new species is that...

5 out of 16 extinct species of ducks could not fly, according to a study that used a new mathematical model to analyze fossils.

It can be difficult to determine from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-fossils-indian-amber/">fossils</a> alone whether or not an extinct bird could fly.

Junya Watanabe of <a href="http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en">Kyoto University</a> developed a mathematical model that was able to separate flightless and flying species based on their wing and leg bones. The math confirmed that flightless species have relatively small wings and relatively large legs.

Watanabe applied the model to fossil specimens from 16 extinct species of a bird family called  anatids that includes ducks and geese. He identified 5 of the species as flightless, ranging from a land-dwelling duck from New Zealand to a South American duck that propelled itself underwater with its feet.

“One of the most exciting things was to find interesting fossils that were previously unidentified in museum drawers," says Watanabe. "What is interesting in fossil flightless anatids is their great diversity; they inhabited remote islands and continental margins, some of them were specialized for underwater diving and others for grazing, and some were rather gigantic while others were diminutive."

Watanabe developed a valuable statistical tool for evaluating whether a bird was capable of powered flight or not, said Helen James, Curator of Birds at the Smithsonian Institution's <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of Natural History</a>.

“Other researchers will appreciate that he offers a way to assess limb proportions even in fossil species where the bones of individual birds have become disassociated from each other,” James said. “Disassociation of skeletons in fossil sites has been a persistent barrier to these types of sophisticated statistical analyses, and Dr. Watanabe has taken an important step towards overcoming that problem.”

The study is published in the journal The Auk: Ornithological Advances.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.americanornithology.org/content/aos-publications">American Ornithological Society Publications Office</a>

New model determines whether extinct ducks could fly

5 out of 16 extinct species of ducks could not...

Researchers have identified the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-strain-flavors/">genes</a> that caused three lineages of turtles to lose their shells.

The genes are part of the mitochondrial respiratory complex in soft shelled turtles. The study was performed by Tibisay Escalona and Agostinho Antunes from the <a href="http://www.ciimar.up.pt/">CIIMAR</a> research institute in Portugal, and Cameron Weadick from <a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/">Sussex University</a> the United Kingdom.

About 250 million years ago, terrestrial-bound turtles began to explore aquatic environments. They lost their hard shells and developed “breathable skin” that allowed them to maintain aerobic respiration for longer periods of time, and sustain deeper dives, the study said.

The researchers investigated patterns of evolution in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) protein coding genes across 53 Cryptodiran turtle species. They tested for adaptive or divergent patterns of mtDNA evolution associated with the evolution of soft-shells.

The team identified positively selected sites that occurred in the mitochondrial-encoded proteins of the oxidative phosphorylation system by using various models. They then mapped the mutations onto the three-dimensional structures of the proteins and predicted the severity of these structural changes on respiratory function. 

The findings show that subtle amino acid changes can have large functional effects, and the largest changes affect complex one, the first and the largest domain of the OXPHOS pathway. Complex I is responsible for an estimated 40 percent of the proton current that drives ATP synthase.

"Our data supports the notion that the adoption of highly aquatic lifestyles in soft-shelled turtles was associated with altered patterns of selection on mitochondrial function,” the authors said. “Our analyses thus revealed that positive selection strongly affected mtDNA evolution along two (Trionychidae and Carettochelyidae) of the three lineages associated with the evolution of soft-shells, and that positive selection targeted multiple mtDNA genes in both cases." 

Mitochondria are passed along solely from mothers to offspring, are known as the powerhouses of the cell responsible for aerobic respiration.

"It's reasonable to hypothesize that turtle mitochondrial DNA-encoded proteins may have undergone adaptive evolutionary changes associated with the loss of shell scutes and the invasion of highly aquatic eco-physiological niches," said the authors.

The researchers did not see the same adaptation in leatherback sea turtles.

"This suggests that the evolution of a soft-shell in leatherbacks may have been linked to thermoregulation, not respiration, enabling the species to regulate heat gain and loss," said the authors.

Their findings highlight the valuable role of mitochondria in the larger context of mitochondrial protein biochemistry, human diseases, and turtle ecology, the authors said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mbe">Molecular Biology and Evolution</a>

Scientists discover the genes behind softshell turtles

Researchers have identified the genes that caused three lineages of turtles...

Despite years of record-breaking harvests, the number of young lobsters is declining in the Gulf of Maine, a <a href="https://umaine.edu/">University of Maine</a> marine scientist warned in a new report. The American Lobster Settlement Index, compiled by Rick Wahle and released this month, shows monitoring sites from New Brunswick to Cape Cod had some of the lowest lobster levels since the late 1990s or early 2000s.

The decline in baby lobsters represents an "early warning" of what might happen to the future of the lobster harvest, which is the source of a major fishery and a focus of the tourism industry in New England, Wahle said. 

Lobsters take several years to grow to legal harvesting size, so the drop in young lobsters would start to affect lobstermen in future years, he said.

"If we were to see a collapse in the lobster catch, it would mean that we're already seven to eight years into a decline in the population," Wahle said.

For more than a decade, lobster egg production has been rising but the number of baby lobsters has been falling, Wahle said. Scientists and fishermen are working to better understand the changes and their potential ramifications for the environment and the economy.

One factor could be a declining amount of a type of crustacean called copepod that baby lobsters like to feed on. Another possibility is an increase in predators of young lobsters, he said.

Maine accounts for the largest percentage of the U.S. lobster catch yearly, and the industry has been booming in recent years. The catch climbed to more than 130 million pounds last year, a record total according to state statistics that go back to the 19th century.

Wahle is co-chairing an international conference on lobster management this week in Portland. Environmental factors such as the impact of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-baby-lobsters-cant-survive-warming-oceans/">warming ocean waters</a> on the lobster population are among the focuses of the event.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BABY_LOBSTERS?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2017-06-05-15-26-00">AP</a>

Baby lobster numbers decline in Maine

Despite years of record-breaking harvests, the number of young lobsters...

The Hawaiian island of Kauai is known as “the Garden Isle” due to its lush tropical rainforest and the species that inhabit the island. But some of its animals may actually be in peril, a new study reveals.

A recent study published in <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond?code=coop-site">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a> assessed two decades of radar data for two endangered seabirds that call the island home; the Hawaiian Petrel and the Newell’s Shearwater. This new analysis gives reason to be worried about the population sizes of both species.

Due to the nocturnal nature of the birds – along with their penchant for nesting in hard to reach areas – scientists have had to monitor their movements using radar. In order to determine the population trends and overall distribution of the birds in recent years, André Raine of the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project and his team analyzed past and present radar surveys. They also assessed data showing the numbers of shearwater fledglings that have been rescued after being drawn to artificial lights.

The results are not good. Their data shows that both species have seen significant population declines over the last two decades. Hawaiian Petrels have declined 78% based off radar detections, while Newell’s Shearwaters have fallen by 94%. This decline in shearwater radar detections is corroborated by the decreasing numbers of rescued fledglings over the same time period.

Researchers aren’t shocked by the decline in shearwater population, as it is consistent with previously published work. However, past assessments of radar data for petrels seemed to show their population as stable, maybe even increasing. Raine and his colleagues believe this difference may be due to the fact that for their study, they purposefully standardized their data based on sunset times, which meant that their chosen time periods – and thus bird movement periods – were constant during the survey period.

The scientists believe that these drastic declines may have been influenced by the damage done by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. This natural disaster caused significant ecological changes, such as the opening of new routes for invasion by exotic plants and predators, as well as numerous other infrastructure changes on Kauai.

“Conservation effort needs to be focused on reducing power line collisions, fall-out related to artificial lights, the control of introduced predators, and the overall protection of their breeding habitats,” says Raine. “Many of these efforts are now underway on Kauai, and I am hopeful that these will continue and expand over the next few years.”

The researchers know that protecting these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-species-location-data-risk/">endangered</a> seabird populations also means protecting the ecosystem as a whole. The loss of just one species could have far-ranging effects in any habitat, especially one as diminutive and isolated as Kauai.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.americanornithology.org/content/auk-ornithological-advances">American Ornithological Society Publications Office</a>

Image Credit: A. Raine

Drastic decline in endangered seabird populations on Kauai

The Hawaiian island of Kauai is known as “the Garden...

Of the over 6,000 species of fish that live on coral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reefs-hope-adapt-climate-change/">reefs</a>, only 128 are known to feed on corals – that’s only about 2% of the inhabiting species. With coral being so plentiful for these fish, why wouldn’t they use them as a food source? 

Well, corals are a notoriously tough snack – mainly due to its thin, mucus-covered skin that is full of stinging cells known as nematocysts. But researchers have recently discovered the difference that allows the tubelip wrasse (Labropsis australis) to be one of the few species that dine on coral. 

The lips of the tubelip wrasse are fleshy and protrude from their face – kind of like a tube. Their anatomy is remarkably dissimilar from the lips of other wrasse species, which are generally thin and smooth. But even more importantly, the lips of the tubelip wrasse contain many thin membranes that spread outward from the center, like the membranes of a mushroom cap.

The mouth surface of this wrasse contains many folds that are full of high-secreting mucus glands, giving them a slimy coating to their mouths. Researchers believe that this mucus allows for suction that protects from the corals’ stinging cells.

They were able to analyze these anatomical features closely using a scanning electron microscope, which gave them extremely high-quality images. High-speed video of tubelip wrasses feeding also showed that they feed by quickly touching their lips to the coral and sucking the flesh off, effectively eating through suction feeding.

This new evidence suggests that tubelip wrasses survive through feeding mainly on coral mucus. The researchers believe the next step in their work is to discover the “magic of the mucus.

More information on this study can be found in the journal Current Biology.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

Photo Credit: Victor Huertas and David Bellwood

Using mucus to survive, these fish dine on stinging corals

Of the over 6,000 species of fish that live on...

Coastal nesting birds around the world may be be driven to extinction by rising sea levels and more frequent flooding from climate change, according to a 20-year study of Eurasian oystercatchers.

"Our study species, the Eurasian oystercatcher, lives in an area where flooding is becoming more common, posing a threat to the survival of the population,” said Liam Bailey of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_National_University"> Australian National University</a>. "Our study found no evidence that Eurasian oystercatchers have increased the elevation of their nests, even among birds that lost a nest during a flood.” 

The presence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/habitat-fragmentation-predators/">predators</a> or unsuitable vegetation might discourage birds from nesting higher, Bailey said.

A recent study using thousands of bird surveys along the east coast of the United States found consistent declines in coastal marsh birds, the university said.

"Researchers predict that rising sea levels and increased flooding events may drive the saltmarsh sparrow, a coastal species in the U.S. to extinction, possibly even within the next 20 years," Bailey said.

“Like the Eurasian oystercatcher, this species does not appear to be adapting to the changing tidal conditions," he added.

A similar study showed strong declines in coastal bird species along the coast of Northern Europe.

The research team will investigate other possible strategies that birds may use to avoid flooding, such as encouraging birds to lay their nests earlier in the year when floods are less common.

"Our work is part of a growing amount of research that shows the vulnerability of coastal bird species,” he said. “These species may need additional conservation focus in the future."

The research was published in the <a href="http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B</a>.

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By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_National_University">Australian National University</a>

Coastal nesting birds face extinction from rising seas, flooding

Coastal nesting birds around the world may be be driven...

Passing skills down through the generations, once believed to an exclusive human trait, has been discovered in chimpanzees, according to a new study.

Primatologists from the <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St Andrews</a> gave chimpanzees the chance to suck through straws to get juice from a large container just outside their enclosure.

A range of different objects were available for the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-chimpanzees-exhibit-empathy/">chimps</a> to use, from sticks to dip in the juice to various tubes that could be used as straws. 

The most complicated tool was one which needed to be unfolded, with a valve which needed to be unscrewed to create a long straw to reach the juice from the deep container, the university said.

Chimpanzees presented only with the complex option failed to use it. However in other groups, where one chimpanzee had been trained to use the complicated tool, other chimpanzees watched and copied them.

The groups that were not provided with a trained member did see some chimpanzees create this complex behavior by themselves by pooling of partial discoveries by different individuals who had already mastered using the simpler straws.

 “Perhaps the most fundamental thing this study shows is that a group of chimpanzees can appear more intelligent than any single individual – together they can create more advanced steps in cultural evolution,” said the study leader, Andrew Whiten of the University of St Andrews.

The results show that some non-human animals are “better equipped to improve the complexity of their cultural behaviors over time than was previously believed,” said the study’s lead author, Gillian Vale, of the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas</a>.

The findings are significant for understanding what may have happened in the course of human evolution as new skills were required to deal with radical ecological changes as forests gave way to savannas, with “cumulative culture” accelerating particularly during ice ages, the scientists said.

The ability of humans to evolve these skills over generations by building on previous knowledge, a process known as “cumulative culture”, was thought to separate humanity from the rest of nature.

The new research suggests that apes may indeed share some of the foundations of human culture, the university said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St Andrews</a>

Chimpanzees can pass down skills to next generation

Passing skills down through the generations, once believed to an...

A new study has identified the genes that likely caused a bird called the Galapagos cormorant to lose its ability to fly.

The genes are associated with bone disorders in humans, the authors said.

The evolution of loss of flight is one the most recurrent limb modifications encountered in nature, and a phenomenon Charles Darwin cited as an argument in favor of natural selection, the study said.

Loss of flight could evolve as a result of positive selection for larger bodies or as a result of relaxed selection due to the absence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/habitat-fragmentation-predators/">predators</a>, Darwin proposed.

In order to gain a better understanding of the genetics underlying the loss of flight, researchers led by Alejandro Burga of the <a href="http://www.ucla.edu/">University of California Los Angeles</a>, analyzed the genomes of the Galapagos cormorant, which has stunted wings and is the only flightless cormorant, Three other species of the bird were also analyzed.

In the Galapagos cormorant but not the other three species, the researchers found enrichment for genes that are associated with human developmental disorders, including those affecting limb development, and duplication of limb bones.

Many of these disorders are linked to abnormal production of cilia, the antennae of cells, the authors said.

The researchers then studied two of the genes, Ift122 and cux1, by editing them into mice and roundworms. In the mice, expression of cux1 disrupted the differentiation of chondrocytes, cells essential to bone growth, while in the roundworms, Ift122 expression impaired cilia function.

The authors propose that the genes resulting in bone and cilia deficits may have been positively selected in the Galapagos cormorant because shorter wings could be an advantage during diving by decreasing the buoyancy of the bird. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>

Why this Galapagos bird lost its ability to fly

A new study has identified the genes that likely caused...

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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