In an effort to inform the conservation of critically endangered bird species, biologists at the University of Utah have conducted a comprehensive analysis identifying traits associated with all 216 bird extinctions that have occurred since the year 1500.



According to the research, species most likely to go extinct were those endemic to islands, lacking the ability to fly, possessing larger bodies with sharply angled wings, and occupying ecologically specific niches.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-traits-and-extinction-timing">Bird traits and extinction timing</h2>



While some of these findings reflect previous research on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-extinctions-shatter-the-harmonious-balance-of-nature/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">extinct birds</a>, this study is the first to correlate bird traits with the timing of extinctions, said lead author Kyle Kittelberger, a graduate student in biology at the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Utah</a>.



“I’ve been very interested in extinctions and understanding the species that we’ve lost and trying to get a sense of how we can use the past to better inform the present and future,” said Kittelberger, who is completing his dissertation on how the bodies and wings of certain species of migratory <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-benefit-from-social-networks-during-migration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">songbirds</a> have changed in response to climate change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-comprehensive-data-analysis">Comprehensive data analysis</h2>



The experts utilized BirdBase, a dataset of ecological traits for over 11,600 bird species compiled by University of Utah biology professor Çağan Şekercioğlu and the Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology Lab.&nbsp;



The researchers simultaneously examined a wide range of biogeographical, ecological, and life history traits previously linked to extinction and extinction risk for bird species that have disappeared or lack recent confirmed sightings.



“Importantly, we examine biological correlates of bird extinctions through the lens of when birds went extinct, providing a novel extinction timing element that helps better inform why birds with certain traits disappeared when they did,” Kittelberger said.&nbsp;



By identifying traits that most predispose birds to extinction, the findings can help guide conservation efforts of hundreds of species that are at peril.



“One of the strengths of the approach that we use is we compared all of these traits simultaneously against each other, whereas a lot of previous studies in the literature just look at traits in isolation.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-historical-records-of-bird-extinctions">Historical records of bird extinctions </h2>



Although only around 2% of the world's bird species have gone extinct since 1500 - the starting point of Kittelberger's analysis - many more had vanished before that time.&nbsp;



However, records of birds that went extinct prior to 1500 are less reliable, and data on their traits and characteristics are often lacking.



This period coincides with the rise of scientific observation, leading to systematic documentation of plant and animal life. It also marks the onset of European exploration, which resulted in the global disruption of ecosystems due to colonization and the introduction of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/growing-threat-of-invasive-species-requires-immediate-action/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">invasive species</a>.



Currently, 1,314 bird species are at risk of extinction, according to the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IUCN Red List of Threatened Species</a>, representing about 12% of the total.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-case-of-the-akikiki">The case of the ‘Akikiki</h2>



Many species, such as the ‘Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi), endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauai, are so rare that they are functionally extinct.&nbsp;



Kittelberger photographed the ‘Akikiki, also known as Kauai’s creeper, in the Alaka‘i Wilderness Preserve in 2022, when approximately 70 individuals were believed to remain in the wild; today, only one individual remains.



As with many other Hawaiian bird species, the main threat to the ‘Akikiki comes from introduced species, principally malaria-carrying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosquito-habitats-are-expanding-due-to-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mosquitoes</a> and habitat-destroying livestock, according to Hawaii’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-link-between-bird-traits-and-extinction">Link between bird traits and extinction</h2>



The single most critical trait associated with extinction is insularity - that is, species endemic to islands. Other traits associated with extinction risk, such as body size, wing shape, and ecological specialization, are also linked to island insularity.



Pacific islands harbor a vast array of endemic species, many of which are now on the IUCN list. No archipelago has experienced more loss of avian biodiversity than Hawaii, which accounts for 34 post-1500 extinctions, according to the study.



The bird family which experienced the most extinctions is Rallidae (rails), which are globally distributed medium-sized semi-amphibious birds.&nbsp;



This family lost 26 of its members, while the entire Mohoidae family - a type of small nectar-sipping songbirds commonly known as Hawaiian honeyeaters - is completely extinct, the only bird family to have gone fully extinct in modern times. The family's last member, the Kauai O’o (Moho braccatus), was last observed in 1987.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-role-of-wing-shape-in-extinctions">Surprising role of wing shape in extinctions</h2>



A surprising finding for Kittelberger’s team was the correlation between wing shape and extinction. They discovered that bird species with a larger hand-wing index - meaning more pointed wings - were more likely to have disappeared earlier.&nbsp;



Since pointier wings indicate stronger flying and dispersal abilities, the team initially predicted such birds would be better equipped to respond to environmental pressures than those with rounder wings.



However, birds with rounder wings, those with smaller hand-wing ratios, proved to be more resilient.



“It likely ties with the fact that a lot of these birds that went extinct were on islands. For these species or their ancestors to have arrived at these islands to begin with, they would’ve needed the ability to fly across large, open distances. So a lot of these birds on islands have, not necessarily longer, but more pointed wings,” Kittelberger said.&nbsp;



“Think of a swift or a swallow or a bird like an albatross that flies over the ocean. They have really pointy wings that allow them to fly really well, whereas birds in dense tropical rainforests are not flying these large distances, so they have rounded wings because they’re just moving in their local habitat patches.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-specialists-have-a-greater-risk-of-extinction">Specialists have a greater risk of extinction</h2>



Ecological specialists, as opposed to generalists, face significant challenges when their specific ecological niche is altered, making them less able to adapt to disturbances such as invasive species or the disruption of a food source.



Other findings of the study concluded that more than 87% of the extinct species were endemic to islands; nearly two-thirds inhabited forests; 45% ate primarily insects and other invertebrates; and 20% were completely or partially <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eggshells-of-flightless-birds-evolved-on-different-tracks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flightless</a>. Additionally, species with larger bodies were overrepresented on the extinct list.



“Heavier birds have been more likely to be targeted for hunting, with several well-known examples of birds being hunted to extinction in part for food, including the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/could-the-dodo-bird-be-brought-back-from-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dodo</a>, Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis), and Spectacled Cormorant (Urile perspicillatus),” the authors wrote.&nbsp;



“Body mass has also been linked with a species’ inhabitance of islands, as island birds tend to be larger than mainland species.”&nbsp;



Of the 43 species whose average body weight exceeded 500 grams, or 1.1 pounds, three-quarters were endemic to an island.



The decade of the 1890s saw the highest number of extinctions, with 21 recorded. The 1980s was another detrimental decade for bird loss with 20 species, including the Kauai O’o, becoming extinct.&nbsp;



According to the researchers, this latter decade is noteworthy since focused and targeted conservation efforts were already underway globally before and during this period.



“Though the rate of extinction declined in the subsequent decades, the number of globally threatened species has only increased,” the experts concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.avrs.2024.100213" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Avian Research</a>.



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What traits make birds more susceptible to extinction?

In an effort to inform the conservation of critically endangered bird species, biologists at the University of Utah have conducted a comprehensive analysis identifying traits associated with all 216 bird extinctions that have occurred since the year 1500. According to the research, species most likely to go extinct were those endemic to islands, lacking the ability to fly, possessing larger bodies with sharply angled wings, and occupying ecologically specific niches. Bird traits and extinction timing While some of these findings reflect previous research on extinct birds, this...

The edges of forests – where the woods meet human habitats – have long been known to have an impact on the species that live within them. But this effect may extend further than previously thought.

In the largest-ever analysis of arboreal vertebrate species, involving over 1,600 species on five continents, researchers found that 46 percent are attracted to the edges of forests and 39 percent avoid these edges. That last number is a cause of concern for many scientists, as forest areas are commonly divided into smaller and smaller areas, increasing the prevalence of forest edge habitats. This puts species that prefer deep woods at an increased threat of extinction.

Previous studies have shown that fragmentation of the world’s forests is affecting both animal extinctions and biodiversity. It is believed that roughly half of the world’s forested acres are now within 500 meters of the edge of a road, pasture, or other non-forest land use. 

This particular study gathered data on animal abundance from a range of mostly tropical landscapes, which ranged from open non-forested habitats to forest edges and deep within remote jungles. Studies involving deep forest habitats are rather rare, as these areas can be extremely difficult to reach.

Overall, the data clearly showed that the edges of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-dwellers-brain-health/">forests</a> have a significant effect on many species. "There are few remaining areas where you don't have intrusions into the forests, such as roads and other activities,” says Adam Hadley, a research associate at <a href="http://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> and co-author of the paper. “Maybe we should consider not putting roads into them. It may be valuable just to keep them as remote as possible. There aren't that many left.”

This study was the first of its kind to document universal patterns across so many species of animals. It’s results point to the fact that we need to increase conservation efforts in large areas of forestland in order to prevent them from being divided into smaller fragments. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Forest edges leave species around the world at risk

The edges of forests – where the woods meet human...

A <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-declining-numbers/">songbird</a> learns a new song much in the same way that a child learns a new language.

According to a recent study, zebra finches have adapted a simple step-by-step approach to simplify the process of acquiring knowledge.

The researchers found that zebra finches rely on syllables they already know and adapt them to the syllables they are learning. During this step in the learning process, the sequence of the syllables often gets mixed up. As part of the next step in learning a song, the birds re-arrange the new syllables into the correct order.

Study lead author Richard Hahnloser is a professor at the <a href="https://www.ini.uzh.ch/">Institute of Neuroinformatics</a>, which is run by <a href="https://www.ethz.ch/en.html">ETH Zurich</a> and the <a href="http://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a>.  

"The zebra finches have evolved the strategy of dividing a task as complex as learning a new song into easy-to-manage parts," said Hahnloser. "This allows them to expand their repertoire with minimal effort."

The researchers developed an experiment for young birds, which were less than a month old at the beginning of the study. Each day, the researchers played a song for the finches to learn. 

A month into the study, the experts changed the song and examined the responses of the birds. They discovered that the finches attempted to adapt the song they had grown familiar with to the new one.

"In nature, birds instinctively adapt their songs to those of adult birds of the same species," explained Hahnloser. 

The researchers recorded all vocalizations made by the birds and used a computer to analyze each and every syllable. What they discovered is a very sophisticated method of learning.

"Interestingly, the birds' strategy closely resembles the best methods currently used in computer linguistics to compare documents," said Hahnloser. 

These algorithms compare written documents by focusing on words regardless of their exact order. By comparing vast amounts of texts, these algorithms calculate the similarity of two words in terms of a number. For example, computer linguistics would identify that the words "house" and "building" have very similar meanings.

"Today's computer scientists therefore use the same strategy that songbirds evolved - the birds have probably been using it for millions of years," said Hahnloser.

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Songbirds use a very sophisticated strategy to learn new songs

A songbird learns a new song much in the same...

Food odors can act as a potent aphrodisiac for the common fruit fly. According to a new study, certain scents enhance the smell of male pheromones and activate the olfactory center in unmated female brains.

The research was conducted by scientists from the Department of Evolutionary Neurotheology at the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/institutes">Max Planck Institute</a>. 

The study discovered that vinegar odor enhances the smell of male sex pheromones, which activates the glomerulus DA1 part of the female brain, but the effect was only found in unmated virgin female flies. 

“We were able to show in our study that vinegar odor enhances the reactions of female flies to the male sex pheromone significantly. Both odors together intensify the activation of DA1,” said  Silke Sachse, head of the Olfactory Coding research group. 

For the study, researchers mapped the neural signals in the brains of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-fruit-flies-aggressive/">fruit flies</a> to see how odor signals were received and processed. 

The research team used functional imaging techniques in transgenic fly lines to visually track and monitor how the brain reacted to sex pheromones, vinegar, and both odors together.

Transgenic flies or transgenic animal lines are animals that carry the gene a different species, with the foreign gene directly inserted into the embryo and genome. 

Researchers examined transgenic flies who had selected synapses connections between classes of nerve cells purposely silenced. 

This allowed the the team to target the neurons that were responsible for carrying the signals activated by the two different odors. 

The results of the study showed that glomerulus DA1 in virgin unmated females is activated and enhanced by both pheromones and vinegar, and this enhanced response increases the female’s desire to mate. 

The researchers were surprised, however, that this response was only enhanced in unmated female flies. 

It makes sense that food odors would enhance the fly’s desire to mate, as an abundant food source provides a higher chance of survival for both the fly and her offspring. 

The more willing a female is to mate, the quicker reproduction can occur, which is critical given the short life-span of a fruit fly.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Benjamin Fabian, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

For flies, smelling like food will get you a girlfriend

Food odors can act as a potent aphrodisiac for the...

Found only on the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa, our more distant primate cousin – the lemur – lives a bizarre and misunderstood life. Their diets in particular are something that scientists have had a hard time figuring out. Almost all primate species have a fruit-heavy diet, but lemurs mainly eat leaves. Now, researchers may know why this is the case.

“Lemurs are equal parts ridiculously cool and totally bizarre in that they represent the extremes and the extremely strange in the primate world,” says Abigail Derby Lewis, a senior conservation ecologist at <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">The Field Museum</a> in Chicago and one of the study’s authors. “This study is about investigating why we see certain patterns in the world.”

Scientists know that proteins are a major part of any organism’s makeup and survival, which is why these researchers decided to compare the amount of protein in fruits from over 60 forest sites in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. In their study, they discovered that there was a direct correlation between the protein content of fruits from a given region and the amount of fruit that appeared in the diets of primates native to that region. 

Guess what region’s fruits had the least protein of all? If you’ve been paying attention you should know that the answer is <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-kasijy-reserve-in-northwestern-madagascar/">Madagascar</a>, which is why most lemurs are able to survive without much fruit in their diets. These findings help scientists better understand some of the lemurs’ more bizarre behavior, such as hibernating when food is scarce or eating constantly all day and night. 

Besides better understanding lemur behavior, these results can also aid in conservation. “Lemurs are the most endangered group of mammals on earth, and knowing how and why they evolved in the direction they have – from their diet, to social structure and cognition – is crucial in helping to inform effective conservation approaches,” explains Derby Lewis. “A deeper knowledge base regarding what factors may have shaped the dietary behaviors of our fellow primates is an important lens for understanding how and why humans evolved along the dietary pathways that we did.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: George Selley

Lemurs’ odd diet may explain bizarre behavior

Found only on the island of Madagascar off the coast...

Scientists from the <a href="https://le.ac.uk/">University of Leicester</a> are sharing a new theory on how small animals change their movement behavior based on environmental cues. The researchers are introducing a concept that links an animal’s movement pattern to both biological traits, such as mass and body shape, and to environmental properties.

The theory demonstrates how different movement patterns may occur as a natural balance of the animal's force and its behavioral response to environmental cues. These cues are often information about the location of food sources, predators, and mating partners.

The hypothesis is based on two assumptions. First, a foraging animal must continuously exert a certain amount of force to overcome the friction from the environment while in motion. Second, the animal must adjust its speed according to the signals received from its environment, such as a lurking predator, and exert additional force.

Sergei Petrovskii is the lead author of the study from the University of Leicester's Department of Mathematics. 

"For the last two decades, the patterns of animal movement have been an issue of high controversy and sometimes even a heated debate,” said Petrovskii. "The traditional view is that a foraging animal disperses in space in a slow, diffusive way, similar to how small inanimate 'Brownian' particles moves in physical systems. It has been challenged by growing evidence that under some conditions animals may perform a faster 'Levy walk', which is also thought to provide a more efficient search strategy.”

"However, how animals actually choose between the two patterns remained a mystery,” continued Petrovskii. “Our new theoretical study sheds a new light on this problem."

The newly introduced theory works best for small animals such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-lost-nature-reserves/">insects</a>, small fish, and small birds. The research, which is published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</a>, could help inform experts on the behavior of smaller animals in order to better protect them.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Environmental clues guide the movement of small animals

Scientists from the University of Leicester are sharing a new...

Do animals have feelings? Fish might, according to a group of researchers studying their emotional lives.

The team of scientists from Centro de Ciências do Mar at the <a href="https://www.ualg.pt/en">University of Algarve</a>, the <a href="http://www.igc.gulbenkian.pt/">Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia</a> and the <a href="http://www.fchampalimaud.org/">Champalimaud Foundation</a> in Portugal, along with the <a href="https://www.institutouniversitario.com.br/">Instituto Universitario</a> in Brazil, studied how fish react to their environments.

“Within vertebrates, the study of emotion in [ray-finned fish] is particularly interesting since they represent a divergent evolutionary radiation from that of tetrapods, and thus they provide an insight into the evolution of the biological mechanisms of emotion,” the researchers wrote in their study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-13173-x">Scientific Reports</a>.

The researchers trained sea bream, a type of fish, under either positive or negative conditions. Then, they put the fish in situations intended to evoke an emotional response.

While it’s impossible to measure actual emotions, the scientists monitored the behavioral, neurological, physical and genetic responses to the stimuli. They watched how the fish interacted with or attempted to escape each situation they were placed in, measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and assessed activity in areas of the brain believed to be connected to emotions.

They found several changes and reactions indicating that the bream have inner emotional lives. Different fish reacted to the environmental stimuli in different ways, and their hormone levels and brain activity indicated different motivations.

“This is the first time that is shown that fish can trigger physiologic and neuromolecular responses in the central nervous system in response to emotional stimuli based on the significance that that stimulus has for the fish,” Dr. Rui Oliveira, one of the study co-authors, said in a press release.

The scientists believe their results show that humans aren’t the only animals with complex emotional lives.

“Emotions have been described as internal brain states associated with expressive behaviors, which humans experience as feelings,” the researchers wrote. “Since animals cannot report the subjective experience of feelings the assessment of emotional states in animals has to rely on the occurrence of specific behaviors associated with internal central states.”

The sea bream study showed that animals have measurable physical and behavioral responses that indicate that they, too, have feelings, the researchers said.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: Ines Bravo, <a href="http://www.igc.gulbenkian.pt/">Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia</a>

Researchers study the emotional lives of fish

Do animals have feelings? Fish might, according to a group...

Fans of the second Ace Ventura film will recall the endless jokes about bat poop, also known as guano. In real life, bat guano is actually an important source of fuel and fertilizer, and now scientists have found that it can also provide important clues about climate change.

Ice and sediment core samples can provide scientists with a detailed history of climate conditions dating back thousands and even millions of years. Researchers often rely on these core samples to better understand the effects of climate change, and see how the Earth fared years ago during drastic changes in weather. 

Now, a new study from the <a href="http://www.usf.edu/">University of South Florida</a> discovered that bat poop could also show how the climate in East-Central Europe has changed since 850 AD. 

The researchers examined isotopes in bat guano found in a cave in northwestern Romania dating back over 1,000 years. 

Scientists can determine climate conditions from core samples by looking at changes in chemical composition throughout the different layers. In this study, the researchers were able to determine climate changes by looking at nitrogen isotopes in a large pile of bat guano found in the cave. 

Because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saving-bats-whose-teeth-used-currency/">bats</a> return time and time again to the same location, similar to stalagmites grow due to precipitation dripping from the cave ceiling, and bat guano can pile up considerably over time. 

The South Florida study analyzed bat guano from a three-meter pile that has been accumulating for more than a thousand years. The researchers found an almost annual record of winter precipitation for the area in Romania within the cave samples going back 1,200 years. 

This is the first time a study has been able to provide a paleo-record of climate in East-Central Europe using bat guano found in a cave. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bat poop actually provides valuable insights about climate change

Fans of the second Ace Ventura film will recall the...

Scientists have found that protected marine reserves can help oyster populations recover by use of larval “spillover” if the conditions are right. In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers demonstrated the marine population benefits of combining different habitat restoration strategies.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oysters-quickly-close-shells/">Oysters</a> are not only key components of marine ecosystems, but are also important for coastal economies. For thousands of years, oysters have been a source of food that supports commercial fisheries around the world. 

Compared to past levels of oysters, there is now an 85 percent decline in oyster beds due to overfishing and habitat destruction. One way to restore oyster populations is by designating areas where fishing is not allowed.Fish that live in such marine protected areas (MPAs) often recover significantly in both size and abundance compared to areas where fishing is not restricted. MPAs may also boost fish populations through larval spillover, even though evidence of this is limited.

Marine ecologist Dr. David Eggleston has been coordinating with other scientists in an effort to restore oyster populations in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, which is the second largest estuary in the country. The project has successfully restored oyster reefs in both reserves and harvested areas.

Dr. Eggleston and his team began this study over 20 years ago to determine whether habitat restoration and harvest protection are providing the intended benefits. In particular, they wanted to examine whether reserves are providing larval spillover to harvested areas.

The researchers compared oysters in the following three habitat types: natural reefs that are harvested, restored reefs that are harvested, and restored reefs that are protected from harvest. The findings confirmed the advantages of restored MAPs. The oysters were up to 72 times more abundant in these protected regions.

The evaluation also showed that potential larval output was around 6 times higher in the restored reefs, indicating that more larvae overflows from reserves to harvested reefs than the other way around. Therefore, reserves can contribute substantially to the larval supply of the overall oyster population.

"Marine reserves and habitat restoration offer clear demographic benefits to target oyster populations, particularly when used in concert," said Dr. Eggleston. "Our research shows that no-take reserves with restored habitat can have significant positive impacts on oyster population densities, size-structure and potential larval output. Restored reefs that are harvested can also show increased potential larval output."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Marine reserves thrive more with habitat restoration strategies

Scientists have found that protected marine reserves can help oyster...

How great are dogs? It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t love them, or at least appreciate the role of the dog in our daily lives. There are so many reasons to enjoy their existence, and scientists may have just found a couple more.

Two studies presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting found that the presence of a dog in a child’s home may help protect them against eczema and asthma.

One study found that babies born in a home with a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-expressive-looking/">dog</a> during pregnancy get the benefit of added protection from allergic eczema. “Although eczema is commonly found in infants, many people don’t know there is a progression from eczema to food allergies to nasal allergies and asthma,” says Dr. Gagandeep Cheema, an allergist and lead author of the study. “We wanted to know if there was a protective effect in having a dog that slowed down that progress.”

Through examining mother-child pairs that were exposed to a dog before birth, the researchers found that this exposure is associated with a lower risk of eczema by the time the child is 2-years-old. However, this protective effect goes down at the age of 10.

For the second study, researchers analyzed the effects of two separate types of dog exposure to children with asthma in Baltimore, MD. The first type was a protein, or allergen, that affects children who are allergic to dogs. The second type were elements that the dog might carry, such as bacteria. Ultimately, the results showed that exposure to elements that a dog may carry could have protective effects against asthma symptoms for the child. However, exposure to the allergen protein may increase asthma symptoms among urban children with a dog allergy.

“Among urban children with asthma who were allergic to dogs, spending time with a dog might be associated with two different effects,” says Dr. Po-Yang Tsou, the lead author of the study. “There seems to be a protective effect on asthma of non-allergen dog-associated exposures, and a harmful effect of allergen exposure.”

Both of these studies show that there seem to be even more benefits to living with dogs than we even imagined – it almost seems too good to be true.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dogs may protect kids from eczema and asthma

How great are dogs? It’s hard to find someone who...

It has become increasingly popular for people to keep exotic pets such as reptiles and amphibians. But this can pose many problems for ill-equipped owners who don’t know how to care for them properly.

There are also health and safety concerns regarding the trade of exotic animals, which has led some to argue for increased restrictions for pet reptiles and amphibians. 

Veterinary Record has published a collection of articles reviewing the arguments both for and against keeping these kinds of pets. 

One article written by a team of researchers from <a href="https://www.ugent.be/en">Ghent University</a> argues that reptiles and amphibians are no more cause for concern than any other pet. The researchers note that it’s the responsibility of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/easiest-pets-care/">pet owner</a> to research and make sure they have everything they need to properly care of their animal. 

The team also discusses diseases that can be transmitted to humans and the issues with the illegal trade in wild animals, but with proper care and the right information, there is no problem with keeping lizards and frogs in your home.

They also suggest possible measures that will minimize any risks to the health and wellbeing of both the pet and its owner, including introducing minimal care requirements and improving access to specialist veterinarians. 

Gordon Burghardt from the<a href="https://www.utk.edu/"> University of Tennessee </a>agrees with these general principles and also feels that keeping amphibians and reptiles as pets isn’t a major problem. 

Amphibians and reptiles “are compatible with modern lifestyles,” said Burghardt. 

However, there are those who feel that certain reptiles and amphibians should not be kept as pets. 

75 percent of reptiles die during their first year in the home according to Clifford Warwick, a consultant biologist and medical scientist from the United Kingdom. 

Warwick and colleagues also argue that the five aspects of animal welfare under human control, something set in motion by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1979, are impossible to meet for reptiles and amphibians 

“There is growing concern about the welfare of reptiles. Earlier this month the RSPCA [Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] published research showing they are often neglected, and not because their owners don't care about them, but because they are unsure about how to care for them,” said Adele Waters, editor of Veterinary Record. 

Ultimately, it appears to come down to adequate preparation for keeping the animals.

“Research conducted for the charity found a lot of online advice is contradictory, inconsistent and variable in quality and this does not encourage responsible reptile ownership. It is important for reptile owners to get information from a reliable, credible source - their local vet,” said Waters. 

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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

New concerns over keeping exotic reptiles and amphibians as pets

It has become increasingly popular for people to keep exotic...

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Climate change could potentially cause some species who depend on bamboo, like giant pandas and lemurs, to starve to death. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en">University of Helsinki </a>in Finland, <a href="http://www.stonybrook.edu/">Stony Brook University</a> in New York, and<a href="https://www.monash.edu/"> Monash University</a> in Australia conducted a study that monitored the specialized eating habits of greater bamboo lemurs in Madagascar. 

The greater bamboo lemur is already one of the of the most endangered species on Earth. As their name suggests, these lemurs exclusively eat bamboo, specifically the soft and nutrient-rich bamboo shoots. 

During Madagascar's dry season, which lasts from August to November, the lemurs use their teeth to eat the woody parts of the bamboo tree known as culm. 

The greater bamboo lemur and the giant panda are the only two mammals who can eat the woody culm thanks to a set of highly specialized teeth. 

The lemurs can survive on culm during the dry season, but climate change may force the lemurs to rely on culm for longer and longer periods, slowly starving the species out. 

“For extreme feeding specialists like the greater bamboo lemur, climate change can be a stealthy killer. Making the lemurs rely on a suboptimal part of their food for just a bit longer may be enough to tip the balance from existence to extinction,” said Patricia Wright from Stony Brook University, one of the study’s authors.

The researchers observed greater bamboo lemurs in the Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar for 18 months, monitoring the lemur’s feeding habits. 

The team reported over 2,000 feeding observations which showed that the lemurs spent the majority of their feeding time (95%) eating a single species of woody bamboo. The lemurs only ate the woody bark of that species when they needed to during the dry season. 

Interestingly, analyzing fossils of the greater bamboo lemur found in Madagascar revealed that the lemurs were distributed throughout the island in a broader range.

Now, the lemurs live on the parts of the island where the dry season is shortest, and their distribution throughout Madagascar has decreased. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-costing-billions/">Climate change</a> will likely cause longer dry seasons where the greater bamboo lemurs live, forcing them to eat culm for extended periods. The lemurs could starve as a result. 

The researchers compare the plight of the greater bamboo lemur to that of giant pandas who have similar eating habits. 

The team hopes their efforts show the vital importance of understanding exactly how climate change may cause extinction, and is working to preserve the remaining members of the species affected. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Jukka Jernvall

Bamboo lemurs may starve to death due to climate change

Climate change could potentially cause some species who depend on...

Spending on conservation has been inconsistent throughout the world partly because there hasn’t been enough evidence to show that the money had much of an impact. 

But now, a new study conducted by an international team of researchers and published in the journal Nature, has found that government spending on conservation has reduced biodiversity loss over the years. 

“Governments and donors have been unwilling to come up with the budgets needed, often because there was little evidence that the money spent does any good,” said Dr. Anthony Waldron, lead author of the study. 

It is the first study of its kind to prove the success of conservation spending.

For example, the researchers found that during a ten year period from 1992 to 2003, 14.4 billion international dollars spent on conservation efforts decreased rates of decline in biodiversity.

In 109 countries the researchers discovered an average 29 percent reduction in biodiversity loss from 1996 to 2008. 

The researchers used a vast dataset which included global conservation spending and biodiversity declines over the years. The research team then created an algorithm that calculated biodiversity loss in each country compared to its respective budget for conservation. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sea-mining-loss-biodiversity/">Biodiversity loss</a> depends on human economic growth and conservation spending, and the more economic growth there in a country, the higher the risk of biodiversity loss. 

The results prove that conservation spending works, but the researcher's algorithm can be further used to calculate financial spending on conservation based on rates of economic growth. 

“The findings are a rallying cry to environmentalists and policymakers,” said Dr. Joseph Tobias, one of the researchers on the project. “The main message is that conservation is working, but that we need to boost investment to meet international policy targets. In addition, the results show how conservation funding may need to change over time, and be tailored more specifically to the context of each country.”

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandett@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Conservation spending works but more could be done

Spending on conservation has been inconsistent throughout the world partly...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

[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...